STEAM By Liana Gooch Deputy Principal
g n i n r a Le
In 2021 our STEAM focus continued to grow, evidenced by our awards and collaborative links to tertiary and industry sectors, as we forged strong skillsets, knowledge and application to prepare students for future career pathways. In Year 7, 15 students participated in the GirlGeek Academy online program ‘Microsoft Mondays’ involving coding, video game development, Artificial Intelligence, 3D modelling with Tinkercad, and website development. In Year 8, three students entered the Science Talent Search and all were awarded major bursary prizes for their work. Adya Pandy and Alice Liberman conducted research into resurrection plants. Tessa Plant designed an original board game which promoted understanding of superfoods and digestion. Our Year 9 Innovation Generation students were immersed in the BrainSTEM Challenge which involved design thinking to solve big world problems with technological solutions. One group focused on developing an algae-based biofuel to replace portions of other fuel as a way of reducing the wasteful matter damaging the earth. Other groups were involved in developing a more efficient pet feeder and providing a solution for accommodation for neurodivergent students via a handheld device, powered by a Raspberry Pi, that uses sensors to provide sensory stimulation while teaching basic mathematics and reading skills. Training also commenced for the first LEGO League Challenge around research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering. A team of seven students from Years 7–9 was involved in building the first LEGO League course and designing a LEGO robot that navigates the missions of a Robot Game. As part of the Challenge, teams also participated in an Innovation Project to identify and solve a relevant real-world problem. We were excited to announce the development of our new Junior School Science room. Flexible in its design, students will undertake experiential and investigative learning via the use of specialised equipment and maker-space facilities. We look forward to continuing to develop links with external organisations to tap into expertise and provide more real-world experiences in STEAM for our students.
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Tessa Plant’s award winning submission to the Science Talent Search.
