SCIENCE
SCIENCE COMPETITIONS 2023
Throughout the year McKinnon students are provided with opportunities to extend their understanding of Science by participating in a number of state and national competitions. Once again, we’ve had students achieve phenomenal results.
Below are some of our results.
Science Talent Search (STS)
STS is an annual, school-based science competition open to all students in Victoria. This year’s theme was “Glass: More than meets the eye” and we had several students participate in the experimental research, games, computer programs, and science photography categories.
The following students were awarded bursaries for their work:
- Zara Zulkarnain Year 9
- Alice Hollingsworth Year 9
- Lachlan Hicks Year 9
- Fonjer Zhang Year 9
- Thea Dodos Year 9
- Ariela Sack Year 9
- Spencer Wu Year 8
Congratulations to all students who participated.
Australian Science Olympiads
The Australian Science Olympiads, organised by Australian Science Innovations (ASI), are a national enrichment program for secondary school students. They provide rewarding opportunities for students to extend themselves way beyond school science through challenging exams and stimulating extensions. Based on their performance in the Australian Science Olympiad Exams, students can be invited to attend the Australian Science Olympiads Summer School. This year we also invited our Year 9 ELMS students (or Year 10s under 15) to participate in the Junior Olympiads.
Congratulations to the following students for their incredible efforts:
Junior Science Olympiad
- Katherine Nguyen Year 10 - High Distinction (top 5%)
- Leo Yang Year 9 - Distinction (top 10-15%)
- Fonjer Zhang Year 9 and Jake Lasnitzki Year 9 - Credit
- Leon Koh Year 9 - Participation
Biology Olympiad
- Aditya Sharma Year 11 - Distinction (top 10-15%)
- Laura Balica Year 11 - Participation
Chemistry Olympiad
- Aditya Sharma Year 11 - Participation
CREST
In addition, our Year 8 ELMS students submitted their extended scientific investigations into the CSIRO’s CREST competition. This project enables students to further develop their skills and capacities for thinking, learning and acting scientifically by undertaking an inquiry of their choice. Congratulations to all 54 students who were successful in gaining their Bronze awards.
Well done to all students involved in these incredible competitions. Please continue to keep an eye on the Science Google Site and the Compass news feed for information on how to get involved in these competitions for 2023.
Cherie Marks
Head of Science
ZOO EXCURSION
On Wednesday 19 October, the Year 10 Environmental Science class travelled to the Melbourne Zoo to observe the behaviour of different species. The McKinnon students worked in groups of 3-4 and each group conducted their own ethological study.
For their study, the McKinnon students attended keeper talks and recorded the behaviour of their chosen species during 10-minute intervals throughout the day. Through using the method of all-occurrence sampling, the students were able to see how their chosen species interacts with its enclosure, the public and zookeepers.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether species in a zoo demonstrated species-typical behaviour (such as foraging) and to gain an understanding of how zoos provide enrichment programs to encourage species-typical behaviour.
Our group conducted an ethological study on the snow leopard. Snow leopards are mostly active during dawn and dusk. As a result, we mainly saw the leopards resting, although, we did see the leopards interact with each other, swim and eat.
During a keeper talk, the zookeeper informed us that as part of their enrichment program, they hang meat on a rope high in the leopard's enclosure so that the leopards work for their food. The rocky and steep enclosure is also changed frequently to suit the leopard’s environment, such as having snow during the winter.
Diana Pashko, Vasya Argyris & Ciara Reynolds
Year 10 Students