STEM – Erin Watson
In the words of Thomas Edison “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration”. I hope that this trip has inspired the ‘Scientist’ in everyone who came along. – Thomas Edison
On 31 July, 28 OLM and 21 DLS Year 7 and 8 students set out for Canberra to attend our annual combined STEM camp.
We left early on Wednesday morning and drove straight to our first venu, CSIRO.
Here, the students had an interactive journey through CSIRO and Australia’s science history, showcasing CSIRO’s innovative science and technology to solve Australia’s greatest challenges across areas such as energy, the environment, water, agriculture and food, digital technology, space, natural collections, oceans and many more. The students participated in a scavenger hunt that taught them about various innovations and inventions that Australia has contributed to in the STEM industry world wide. Did you know that CSIRO invented the bug spray ‘Aeroguard’ for the troops of World War II so that they could keep protected from sheep blowfly and mosquitoes while on the battlefield?
After a quick bite to eat, we were off to our second venue- Questacon. This is always a highlight of the trip. The students had time to walk through each gallery, starting with the new Lego space gallery where they saw replicas of rovers and satellites built by Lego engineers. The last gallery ended with a vertical slide drop, where students lined up to take on the challenge, and a walk through a scale model of the Moon.
After Questacon, We headed back to Camp Cottermouth, which we called home for two nights. A beautiful bush retreat, we had all to ourselves. The Scout camp backs on to Cotter Dam and Namadgi National Park. The temperature dropped really quickly when the sun set, which made it perfect for stargazing, many saw the Meteor shower as we sat around our bonfire toasting marshmallows. The overnight temperature dropped to minus 6, so we had some very cold students in the morning.
Thursday 1 August started early with a Bush Walk along the Namadgi River led by Mr Mayoh. All students were involved in walking down the Devil’s Stairs and back up Heartbreak Hill. We stopped at the River for some meditation and mindfulness, with everyone taking a moment to breathe in the tranquillity and enjoy the sun on their faces.
First stop out of camp was the NASA Deep Space Communications Centre, at Tidbinbilla. Students were blown away with the vastness of space and the current missions that Australia’s space program is involved in. We learnt about the story of Australia’s 26 Metre Antenna, ‘DSS46’ which was responsible for returning the first pictures of Neil Armstrong’s walk on the Moon in July 1969.
We also discussed various aspects of Australia’s involvement in exploration and space science, and incorporated information on some of the latest missions and images being returned from space right now, including the Mars Rover.
Our second stop on Thursday was the National Arboretum. With over 44,000 rare and endangered trees across a 250-hectare site, the Arboretum is a place of beauty, conservation, science research, education, tourism and recreation. Students were involved in a Sustainability game of Forest Ecosystems where they had to match endangered species with their habitats.
Last stop for Thursday was the Mount Stromlo Observatory, Mount Stromlo Observatory is the home of the Australian National University’s Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. It was a clear and cold night, perfect for stargazing.
The Observatory covers an area of 81 hectares on the summit of Canberra’s Mt Stromlo. Students had a tour of the observatory first and heard about the projects of the PhD student’s. During the tour, we saw CSIRO and NASA’s Anechoic Chamber and anti gravity chamber where satellite parts are tested before being launched into space. Finally we got to observe Alpha Centauri star cluster which is 4.3 Light Years away making it Earth’s closest star.
After we packed the bus we headed to our last stop- Canberra Zoo. We followed the Discovery Trail where we saw Giraffes, Cheetah’s, Lions, Penguins and many other animals.
The students should be commended on their involvement, engagement and exemplary behaviour at each and every venue. It was a pleasure to lead such a great group of students.
In the words of Thomas Edison “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration”. I hope that this trip has inspired the ‘Scientist’ in everyone who came along.
Erin Watson, Instructional Leader of Curriculum – STEM