National Science Week

This year’s National Science Week at St Ursula’s was a journey into the unknown, guided by the theme – ‘Decoding the universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language’. Inspired by the 2025 United National International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and the International Mathematical Olympiad hosted right here in Australia, our students embraced the challenge of uncovering the secrets of nature through mathematics and quantum science that underpin our world.

Monday kicked off the week with a deep dive into genetics using DNA analysis to identify species, revealing how the building blocks of life can be decoded. Students also stepped into the shoes of a NASA ground controller in an immersive escape room challenge, solving scientific puzzles to rescue a stranded astronaut. 

Tuesday the garden became the laboratory as students explored the geometry of seed shapes and their evolutionary significance. Students decoded patterns in nature which was a reminder that all science doesn’t occur in the labs, when exploring the soil and seed of the environment around them.

Wednesday students were exploring light interference. Students observed the properties of light with an activity using a laser pointer and a hair. It created an interference pattern that allowed students to calculate the width of their hair as light acts as a wave that has diffracted around the hair into two waves which interfere with each other.

To wrap up National Science Week, students took on the Marshmallow Catapult Challenge. With marshmallows flying across classrooms, students applied the principles of physics, engineering and design thinking to build the most effective catapults.

A huge thank you to all of our Science teachers who supported National Science Week at the College. These activities bridged foundational science, showing students how to decode the world around them.

Kaitlyn McDougall
Assistant Science Coordinator & Newman Teacher in Charge