Students in years 8, 9 and 10 were hands on at Inverell High School (IHS) when a group of Wollongong university undergrates, led by honorary principal fellow Dr Bob Wheway, conducted a number of experiments targeted at getting local young people interested in science and technology.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
About 50 students from Macintyre and Holy Trinity attended the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workshops last month that included six unique experiments covering a wide range of study areas in the information and technology science sector.
“We travel the bush with a group of uni students talking to kids particularly in years 8, 9 and 10 about the importance of those four subject areas,” Dr Wheway said. He conducted an experiment in which students designed and built their own water tanks to provide maximum pressure at a valve.
“We’re introducing some engineering and scientific principles through fun hands on activities.
“If they are going to stay on at school and get into engineering or technology science, they need to choose the right subjects. We have seen a benefit of students staying on at school and the doing this sort of stuff at uni.”
While students extracted DNA from bananas, test drove virtual race cars and load-tested their model bridges, Holy Trinity industrial arts teacher Will Gills said the visit was a great opportunity to encourage students to take an interest in the sciences.
IHS engineering studies teacher Shaun McAuliffe echoed comments and said programs like STEM offer students in regional areas better access to prospective university studies after school.
A second group of 50 IHS students attended the workshops on Monday afternoon and Mr McAuliffe said the school was very grateful to have both Dr Wheway and his undergraduate team visit Inverell.
