STEM: Innovator's Hub

Innovators and iSTEM Students Build Automated Dispensers

Students in the Yr 8 Innovators and Yr 9 iSTEM classes have been working on an exciting new project, building automated dispensers. The project combines elements of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), giving students the opportunity to apply what they have learnt through investigation and practical design.

As part of the project, students explored how different electronic components such as resistors, IR sensors, and transistors function, and how they can be connected together to create an automatic system. They also used soldering techniques to safely connect components, learning how electrical circuits work and how current flows through each part.

The project links directly to the Design and Technologies curriculum, where students identify real-world problems and use critical and creative thinking to develop and test solutions. By experimenting, observing, and refining their designs, students are developing both their scientific inquiry and engineering design skills.

Many students also recognised how automated dispensers could help people with disabilities by making everyday tasks easier. This has encouraged students to think empathetically about how technology can be used to support others and make the world more accessible.

The project has been a valuable learning experience, combining practical skills, scientific understanding, and creativity showing how STEM learning can inspire innovation with purpose.