SCIENCE LEARNING AREA

A YEAR OF BIG ACHIEVEMENTS

It has been a fantastic year so far for our Science Learning Area, filled with new faces, national success, hands-on learning, and exciting things still to come. Here's a quick look at everything our students and staff have been up to.

WELCOMING MS JUDAH TOLOSA

At the start of the year, we welcomed Ms Judah Tolosa to the Science staff. Joining us from the Philippines. Judah has quickly become a valued member of our team and teaches across Years 7, 11 and 12. Her passion, enthusiasm and care have been well received by students and staff alike. We're thrilled to have her on board!

F1 MELBOURNE AND UK/GERMANY STUDY TOUR: TRIPS TO REMEMBER

Back in March, students headed to Melbourne to participate in a special Formula 1 Camp, and what an experience it was! In the lead-up to the trip, all students who attended completed a pre-camp project for the STEM Hub Green Grid Challenge by designing a Net Zero Race Car or Pit Stop of the Future to cut emissions, waste and energy use. This was great preparation that got them thinking like real F1 engineers before the big event. Two of our teams – a Year 9 girls' team and a Year 9 boys' team – made it through to the 'top 3' in the final.

The Year 9 boys' team, the 'Turbo Titans', went on to take out first place nationally with their 'Regenerative Pit Lane Energy Floor' concept: a design using piezoelectric tiles to capture the energy lost when F1 cars brake through the pit lane, then storing the energy in batteries to power pit lane lighting and screens. They even built a working prototype to prove the concept. Huge congratulations to the all teams for their efforts with particular thanks again to Mr Muhammad Anas, Mr Harry Midgley, Mr Roberto Pettinau and Mr Peter Eames for their assistance with the team projects!

Building on the Formula 1 Camp success, a group of students also took part in the F1 UK/Germany Study Tour in late June and early July, taking in London sightseeing, the Silverstone Grand Prix (including qualifying and race days), and factory tours at Jaguar Land Rover, Red Bull Racing and Porsche, before finishing with time in Stuttgart and Munich. Highlights included:

London sightseeing, taking in the Science Museum, London Eye, Buckingham Palace and more.
The Silverstone Grand Prix, including Qualifying and Race Day.
An exclusive look inside the Red Bull Racing factory to get a genuine feel for the mechanics and technology behind an F1 team. Students were even lucky enough to cross paths with driver Yuki Tsunoda during the visit.
A Porsche factory tour in Stuttgart, where students followed the build process from start to finish. We saw dashboards, engine floors, drivetrains and seats come together on the production line before witnessing the finished cars driven for the very first time.
Further stops at the Jaguar Land Rover factory, and time exploring Stuttgart and Munich.
A stopover in Vietnam on the way home, where students visited the Vietnam War Remnants Museum, sampled authentic phở, and explored a traditional Vietnamese market.

This was a truly unforgettable experience and gave the students a rare, hands-on insight into how the cars they admire are actually designed, engineered and built.

A FIRST FOR AGRICULTURE

This year, our Year 10 students became the first cohort to have an Agriculture elective offered as a subject at our College, and by all accounts they are loving it. This is a fantastic new addition to our curriculum that brings science to life outside the classroom. Students have been getting their hands dirty with hands-on, practical, real-world learning to understand soil health and plant science, all while developing skills they can carry well beyond the classroom. Thanks to Ms Susan Nixon whose hard work made this new subject a reality.

UP, UP AND AWAY

Year 7 Science students recently had an exciting opportunity to connect their learning to the real world when a hot air balloon visited the College as part of their study of states of matter, students observed how heated air expands to create lift, bringing classroom concepts to life. Both students and staff were captivated as they watched the preparation and inflation of the impressive three-tonne balloon right in the middle of Cleadon Oval.

The experience sparked curiosity and enthusiasm, reinforcing the relevance of science in everyday applications.

LOOKING AHEAD: ROBOTICS AND THE ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH COMPETITION

Our Year 7, 8 and 9 Robotics students are already hard at work honing their programming, design and navigation skills ahead of the Energy Breakthrough competition to be held in Maryborough in late November. Their enthusiasm is already shining through, and we look forward to cheering them on.

It has been a busy and rewarding year for Science so far. Congratulations to all our students and staff on these wonderful achievements.

Ms Samantha Alexander

Science Learning Area Facilitator