STEAM News
The Science Experience – Marine & Freshwater Discovery Centre
Shanay Jacobs (9D), Jayla Duncan (9C), Lucy Chapman (9D) and Hannah Van Dort (10B)
During the term holidays these four hard working students chose to participate in a fabulous day at the Marine & Freshwater Discovery Centre in Queenscliff.
When we first arrived, we looked through the facility at the public open areas. Then we headed down to the beach for plankton collection and a beachcomb. We collected plankton using a plankton net, which also collected algae and other microbes (microorganisms). When we were beachcombing, we found that the waves had pushed lots of different types of seaweed, cuttlebone, feathers and other items onto the shore. Southern Australia has a high % of endemic seaweed and animal species, so we found things you can only find here.
When we looked at the marine plankton under the microscope, we also could see other things like comb jelly, copepod, fish larva, nauplii, tintinnid, cladoceran and cladoceran larva, amphipods and the zoea larva of a crab.
Senior scientist Dr. Corey Green talked to us about possible career paths leading from marine biology and careers branching off of it. He also talked about his interesting personal experiences and then we moved onto the squid dissection which was really fun!
We also really enjoyed talking about seaweed, its importance in the ecosystem and its complicated growth stages with Dr. Prue.
It was such a great day and I think it was really great to learn these new things about an environment that we are all very familiar with.
Shanay Jacobs 9D
Welcome, Ms Dan Wei.
MFG are very lucky to have Ms Dan Wei as an artist in residence for Term 2 and Term 3 (Creative Workers in Schools Program), part time. Dan comes to us with a wealth of experience and understanding in STEAM, specialising in enhancing the creative and artistic elements of STEAM projects. Dan has a teaching background and has run various programs from New York to China.
Dan has begun working with students from different year levels during class time. Below are some amazing watercolour drawings that Year 10 students created in a Maths class looking at measurement and ratios.
About Creative Workers in Schools:
The Creative Workers in Schools program, delivered by Regional Arts Victoria in partnership with Department of Education and Training and Creative Victoria through the support of the Victorian Government’s Working for Victoria initiative, is providing the opportunity for 150 creative industry workers to undertake a six-month residency in Victorian government schools, including special schools.
Regional Arts Victoria is the peak body for regional artists and arts organisations, and the leading organisation for regional creative practice in Victoria.
