SCIENCE

The year 9 Community Action Sustainability class hosted a Sustainability and Environment Festival on Friday 8th June at our Environmental and Sustainability Centre. Footscray Primary School students attended the event and participated in a number of workshops presented by the Community Action Students. Footscray City College students researched and developed interactive presentations to educate primary students about Photosynthesis, Sustainable Transport, Invasive Species, Food Webs and Sustainable Gardening. Feedback from Footscray Primary School students was positive. They enjoyed the workshops and were excited to take home their cuttings from our Kitchen Garden. Community Action Students are to be commended for their work. They demonstrated courage and resilience presenting their workshop to numerous groups of students throughout the day. 

DNA BARCODING - IDENTIFYING FISH SPECIES BY THEIR UNIQUE DNA SEQUENCE

The year 9 CSI and Community Action Sustainability classes came together for an immersive research experience at the Gene Technology Access Centre in Parkville. 

DNA barcoding has emerged as a biotechnological approach to surveying and identifying organisms using their unique DNA sequences - their 'DNA barcodes’. The DNA barcode can allow us to track species, whether it is in the environment, in the marketplace or in a packaged product. Over a number of weeks, students worked with research scientists to carry out several methods of molecular biology to extract DNA from fish specimens. They successfully replicated the DNA sequences using PCR techniques, completed gel electrophoresis and sent off their samples for DNA sequencing at the Australian Gene Research Facility. Student samples were of excellent quality and students were able to accurately identify the fish specimens based on their results. 

Michelle Sanders - Head of Science