Science

Year 11 Chemistry

Visit by Victoria University’s travelling road show, October 2017

On October 26, one of the Year 11 Chemistry classes was given a fantastic opportunity to consolidate their learning through a visit from a team from Victoria University. As part of their VCE studies the students learn the theory of the methods used to analyse for purity of drugs, chemicals in foods, toxins in waterways, and pollutants in the atmosphere. The visitors from Victoria University brought with them equipment to analyse energy drinks to find out how much caffeine was present in these drinks using High Performance Liquid Chromatography; and the amount of aspirin in an aspirin tablet was calculated using Ultra-violet Visible Spectroscopy. Both techniques are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry and the food industry. It was a great way to allow the students to showcase their practical skills as well as their understanding of the chemistry behind the techniques. It also emphasised that, despite their reservations, our students are able to apply their understanding to real world situations. The presenters from Victoria Uni were very impressed with the way our students approached the work and with their understanding of the techniques and the skills needed to properly interpret the data.

Later on the same day, Ms Ibrahim’s Smells in Motion class took part in the “Be a Chemist for a Day” programme. The students were asked to complete five different experiments from five different areas of chemistry. These included measuring electrical conductivity in solutions; measuring the rate of chemical reactions; separating the chemicals in pigments; making one of the active chemicals found in muscle creams such as Dencorub; and using a non-damaging method to remove oil from bird feathers. The aim of the programme is to expose students to the possibilities of careers in STEM. The students actively and responsibly engaged in the programme and asked some excellent questions and gave some excellent responses.

Many thanks to our Laboratory Technician, Jayne Moule, who looked after our visitors for the day; especially looking after a group of students and their teacher from Cobram SC who participated in the Year 11 programme while WPSC students were attending the Year 12 Graduation Assembly.

Please browse through the photos of the visit: