Science
Brain Bee Challenge 2023 – Curious Minds & Jaw-dropping Finds
On Friday, 21 July, our top 4 students from the Year 10 Brain Bee Challenge Round 1 consisting of Kristian A, Ryan D, Riccardo G, and Will M were invited to an exclusive Australian Brain Bee: WA Finals & Neuroscience event held at UWA. The day began with presentations on current Neuroscience Research and career opportunities within this field. Shortly after morning tea, these students participated in Round 2 of the Brain Bee Challenge which consisted of some very challenging and high analytical thinking questions. The questions in the online quiz required students to demonstrate highly developed problem solving and critical thinking skills.
After lunch, the boys had opportunities to learn interactively in the labs exploring TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), electrophysiology where they got to stimulate the neurons in cricket legs and then walked through the anatomy museum where they discovered real human body parts that were preserved and donated to science. The students had the opportunity to hold a real person’s head and brain! The day ended with school presentations on various brain concepts and more current PhD students’ research in the field of concussion and youth mental health.
I would like to congratulate Kristian, Ryan, Riccardo and Will on their outstanding effort in Round 2 of this competition, their exemplary behaviour throughout the day and for representing Mazenod College with the utmost pride. A fantastic and informative educational day filled with curiosity and inspiration to work in the field of Neuroscience was shared by all. Well done, gentlemen!
Big Science Competition 2023
During Week 5 of Term 2, we had 45 students across Years 8-10 participate in the Australian Big Science Competition. To provide some context, the Big Science Competition is one of the biggest international science competitions in the world. All the questions that were included in the competition were aligned with the Australian Curriculum in Science.
The 45 students who took part in the test endured a 50-minute, multiple choice style assessment which tested their science knowledge and understanding, critical-thinking and high-level problem-solving skills. The questions asked were set in real-life, contemporary contexts, making them very relatable (and of course interesting)! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Overton for her time and effort in organising this very exciting competition to showcase the incredible Science talent we have here at Mazenod College.
It gives me great pleasure in acknowledging the top performing students who were awarded either certificates of high distinction or certificates of distinction in each year group.
In Year 8, Certificates of Distinction were awarded to:
- Arya B.
- Benjamin H.
- Peter L.
- Charles W.
In Year 8, there was 1 Certificate of High Distinction and that was awarded to Liam O.
In Year 9, Certificates of Distinction were awarded to:
- Mitchell H.
- Ethan K.
In Year 9, we had 4 outstanding top performers who were awarded a Certificate of High Distinction:
- Lewis A.
- Hamish B.
- Alexander T.
- Ryan W.
In Year 10, Certificates of Distinction were awarded to:
- Bailey B.
- Liam S.
In Year 10, we had 1 student achieve a Certificate of High Distinction and that was awarded to Samuel K.
I wish to congratulate the outstanding effort and commitment of all these young men and their amazing results.
Well done!
Andrew Rasano
Head of Science