Australian Science Fair

& Lab Staff Update

A photographic journey of our Annual Science Fair featuring interstate guests from  the following schools:-

A big thank you to Dr Mel Denney, Ms Fiona Bui, Mr Shane McClean the JMSS staff and students for all their tireless work and preparation.

Was a fun filled three days of activities, speeches and presentations.

Here is a some images of the week. 

Australian Science Fair

From 21st-23rd November, JMSS hosted its annual Australian Science Fair. We were thrilled to be able to reconnect with students from several of our interstate partner schools in person for the first time since 2019.

The three days were jam packed with STEM activities and events for our Year 10 students and guests. The opening ceremony was hosted with enthusiasm and humour by the 2023 JMSS school captains (Alexia, Cameron, Caitlin and Michael) and featured a performance by the JMSS Pep Band, along with a thought provoking talk from Prof. Kris Helmerson that showcased the intersection of physics and biology (May the force be with you - STEM and the many uses of optical forces).

Monday also had students participating in the STEM Mystery Bag Challenge, oral presentations and exhibition night. In the STEM Challenge, the lab team tasked students with building a contraption that incorporated one or more elements such as pulleys, levels, hydraulics. At the end of the 90 minute time limit, the swivelling, swirling, grasping, duck-catching “DUCKA” by Chris, Kaitlin, Stephanie and Katrina emerged as the top invention. Students then had the opportunity to hear from peers and interstate guests as they presented their research projects during the oral presentation session. All presenters spoke with passion about their projects and what they had learnt as part of the journey.

One of the highlights of the Fair was the Exhibition Night. On this night students from JMSS had the opportunity to showcase what they have been learning in their elective subjects during Semester Two, and present their Extended Experimental Investigation posters. Posters were also on display from our interstate guests and primary school students involved with our Little Scientist, Big Science program. We were honoured to have Prof. Sharon Pickering (Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) and Senior Vice-President, Monash University) and A/Prof. Ruth Reef (Associate Dean of Science - Undergraduate, Monash University) to help us launch the event. Despite the cold, windy and rainy weather, we had about 700 visitors on the night. A big thank you to Monash University researchers and PhD students who volunteered their time to provide feedback to students on their posters and oral presentations. Congratulations to the teams from Queensland Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology (Increasing the Efficiency of Hydrogen Production via Alkaline Water Electrolysis), Darwin High School (Effective Cooling Methods of Outdoor Areas) and the JMSS team of Ella, Aryav and Saagar (How the Concentration of Amylase Affects the Rate of Starch Breakdown) whose posters were noted by the Monash University judges as being of particularly high quality.

On Tuesday 22nd November, students put on their thinking caps in an Innovation Sprint that challenged them to take ideas from two different speakers and integrate them into a single innovative concept which they then pitched to the groups. It was fantastic to have representatives from a range of Monash Student Teams (High Powered Rocketry, Monash Forge, Nova Rover, Precious Plastics, Uncrewed Aerial Systems) as well as alumni (Bronte Alston, Ebony Blight and Francine Machin) involved in the activity.

Our interstate guests were then off to the city for a STEM-flavoured tour led by Mr Chisholm and Mr Senn-Sanger. They were treated to Melbourne city through a new set of eyes with visits to locations such as the Madame Brussels Lane archaeological dig, State Library and the University of Melbourne Science Gallery, with some rock identification activities along the way. 

Back at JMSS, Year 10 students took part in three rotations including a rock identification activity, nature scavenger hunt and visit to Monash Tech School. Ms Grainger, Dr Driscoll (Monash University), and JMSS alumni taught students some basics of mineral and rock identification. Students then used their newfound skills in examining rocks in the Monash Earth Science Garden. Students also had the chance to explore Monash University grounds as part of the Nature Scavenger Hunt designed by Ms Bui. After a quick introduction to plant identification, mentor groups raced to collect answers to as many of the sometimes cryptic clues as possible without incurring a dreaded time penalty. Congratulations to DY6, BB3, BB2 and FL1 teams who came out on top of their respective sessions. At the Monash Tech School, students were given a taste of different activities incorporating technologies/skills including HoloLens, Virtual Reality, Histology and motion capture suits.

Year 11 students were also part of the Tuesday action this year with a full day immersion held by Monash University Faculty of Engineering. Students were treated to insights to different engineering specialties through a series of talks and workshops from Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Materials Engineering, Robotics and Mechatronics, and Nova Rover. Students were also treated to morning tea, pizza and doughnut lunch, as well a number of generous gifts to take home with them.

While JMSS students completed their rotations on Wednesday, our interstate visitors were hosted by the Monash University School of Biology and completed field work activities at the Jock Marshall Reserve. Students collected samples from the water systems and used biological keys to identify and count the organisms with the aim of assessing the health of the aquatic habitat.

The Fair was rounded out on Wednesday with the closing ceremony where we celebrated the hard work and enthusiasm of all of the students who participated in the Australian Science Fair. We were entertained by the JMSS Concert Band, and Dr Scarlett Howard (School of Biology, Monash University) provided an insightful look into the behaviour of bees in her presentation titled “The unexpected world of bees: Insights into food security, artificial intelligence, animal cognition, environmental change, and art.”

Thank you to all of those who put in work to make the 2022 Australian Science Fair a great success. Thank you also to students, staff and principals from Queensland Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology, Darwin High School, Newton Moore Senior High School and Gungahlin College for joining us, and a special congratulations to Guy, Nargis and Chloe for being chosen as the “official” JMSS delegates for the event and representing the school with such enthusiasm and confidence.

By Dr. Denney

Lab Staff Update

Hi all,

What a term it has been in the labs. Starting with EEI ending with science fair.

Mr Merritt has been an amazing addition to the Lab team this semester helping in both the labs and classrooms with whatever has been needed. He has also been helping as a teacher with EEI projects and Monash teams. 

The Australian Science fair went very well this year for the first time in 3 years we were able to have interstate visitors which added to the whole experience. You may have noticed that the lab team plays a very large role in the Australian science fair from organizing the STEM challenge, helping with setup and running of the open night and we also assist in running some of the activities. Mrs Zonneveld was at JMSS with the Plant identification activity and Mr Merritt and myself were at the Rock Identification activity with Ms Grainger and Dr Drisscoll. We all hope you enjoyed these activities as much as we did.

Animal update

The Frogs are doing very well. Their tank still sits in 1L3 along the back bench and they are getting very big now. If you hear croaking noises coming from 1L3 that is them. Feeding happen in the afternoon on a Monday Wednesday and Friday and this is when they are most active. Though they can often be seen early in the morning as they are going to sleep. Please coma past and have a look and ask questions or have a read of the posters we have up on the windows beside the tank.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holidays and you all get a little bit of a break.

By Miss Trickett. 

Merry Christmas from Miss Trickett, Mr Merrittt & Ms Zonneveld