Unit 2 Biology and Chemistry excursions

Unit 2 Biology excursion

Students attended the Melbourne Zoo on Monday 17 October as part of their study of adaptations. The first part of the program focused on the various adaptations displayed by the Southern Corrobboree Frog that enables it to survive in the alpine region of Mount Kosciuszko National Park. There are currently less than 50 Southern Corrobboree Frogs in the wild. These frogs are now classed as being critically endangered. Students learned the importance of the captive breeding program, implemented by Melbourne Zoo, as an effort to save this species from extinction. 

In the second part of the program students entered the famous Butterfly House! Here students put their inquiry skills into action. They observed and collected data, as part of a wider investigation, to discover which coloured artificial feeder butterflies prefer to visit. So next time you are at the Melbourne Zoo take a closer look inside the Butterfly House and you will see various coloured feeders!

Unit 2 Chemistry excursion

On Friday 14 October the Unit 2 Chemistry students travelled to the Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) in Strathmore. Students participated in a full day program consisting of three different experiments in which they utilised various analytical instruments. In Experiment 1 students determined the concentration of caffeine in coffee compared to decaf utilising High Performance Liquid Chromatograph. In Experiment 2 students determined the concentration of Calcium and Magnesium in a range of water samples by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. In Experiment 3 students determined the concentration of iron in multi-vitamin tablets by UV-Visible Spectrometer.

Jessica McKenzie

Head of Science