SCIENCE

YEAR 9 SCIENCE ELMS BIOEYES INCURSION

Last week our Year 9 Science ELMS students were involved in a week-long program called BioEYES. BioEYES is an innovative, hands-on approach to teaching where students perform collaborative experiments and use critical thinking skills to make hypotheses, observe development and draw conclusions. 

This program looks at biomedical science, particularly zebrafish and their genetic similarities to humans. A scientist from the Outreach Education Centre at Monash University led this program. 

The students had the opportunity to observe zebrafish throughout their life cycle from eggs to young fish (fry) or juvenile development. On day one the zebrafish mated and we collected the transparent fertilised eggs. The students discussed the genetic relationships of offspring and parents in zebrafish and humans. 

Discussions were held regarding the pigmentation (colour) of the zebrafish. Using microscopes, the students observed the embryonic development of the zebrafish over the week. Following their observations, the students drew labelled diagrams including the development of the eyes, heart and circulatory system. 

To conclude the program students collected information regarding the percentage of male and female offspring from examining pigmentation of the fry.

Cherie Marks

Head of Science