Coinciding with Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology, National Science Week, St Margaret’s hosts a week-long science festival each year with a range of engaging events and activities aimed at inspiring and involving students in science.
Head of Faculty – Science and Technology and the recipient of an Outstanding Teacher of STEM award Chris Dunn said the aim of the festival was to provide opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the fields of science and technology and to enhance their love of learning.
“Our aim is to showcase science and technology in an engaging and interactive way to our students.
“Science Week also exposes girls to opportunities and experiences that they wouldn’t ordinarily do in the normal classroom. In the past few years, since we started the weeklong ‘festival’, I have been heartened when I hear student’s gratitude for experiences that they never thought they’d do at school.
“It is these experiences, that are often the catalyst that ignite a passion for science within them and if we can facilitate that then we have achieved our goal,” Chris said.
The first day of Science Week saw students exploring Einstein’s theory of general relativity by setting a large object into the centre of a “spandex universe” created using a trampoline. As the object pressed down into the spandex fabric, the girls attempted to roll marbles around the edge of the trampoline. The marbles spiralled inwards toward the body simulating the way in which the gravity of a planet pulls rocks in space. Students could also test the way light bends around a massive object, such as a black hole, causing it to act as a lens for the things that lie behind it.
“It’s such an abstract concept and the trampoline provided a very visual and tactile way to assist students to understand the concept,” Chris said.
The Year 7 students participated in an egg drop competition, a popular annual feature of St Margaret’s Science Week. This STEM challenge required the students to design a contraption using various materials that would protect a raw egg from a high fall. There were some very creative entries with prizes given for the fastest safe descent, closest to the target and engineering.
A dry ice demonstration showcased states of matter through the discovery of what happens to certain items when frozen while students also had the chance to experience augmented reality racing Mario Karts in Ms Café.
The Enviro Committee initiated a sold-out coffee scrub workshop using coffee grounds repurposed from Ms Café and the always popular Bungee Jumping Barbies saw teams launch their barbies on a thrilling bungee jump from the top level of Avoca building.
A first for this year’s Science Week was the introduction of a Women in Science Lecture series. Although originally planned to be a face-to-face presentation, the virtual event was a resounding success. Students from several schools tuned in along with St Margaret’s girls to hear from Dr Larisa Labszin and Dr Kirsty Short who both work in areas of research that have been particularly influential during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this lecture was to inspire students and highlight the career opportunities available to young women in science fields.
Gauging by the feedback, the event certainly achieved this goal with one Head of Department from another school attesting: “It was truly inspirational to our students. After the webinar had finished a number of Year 9 and 10 students asked me how they could go about changing their elective choices next year to more science subjects!!”
St Margaret’s Science Week has become a much-anticipated event on the school calendar and according to the increase in enrolments of girls studying STEM subjects, the week-long festivity is certainly fulfilling its aim to inspire.
“Students come into the workshops during Science Week with eagerness and an inquisitive mindset, and their hands-on experiences teach them skills and scientific knowledge that can be the catalyst for them to delve deeper into these fields and continue to learn,” Chris said.