Kilbreda in STEM Morning Tea

On Wednesday 11 September Kilbreda hosted its annual Kilbreda in STEM Morning Tea. Students from Years 10 and 12 who study STEM subjects, were invited to attend and listen to past pupils talk about their varying careers in STEM and their experiences of studying STEM-related courses at University.

Our three career alumni were Sarah Massie, a stem cell scientist; Giulia Cinquegrana, a stellar astrophysicist; and Sarah McConnell, an environmental engineer. Our four 2023 alumni were Angelique Vargheese (studying a Bachelor of IT), Jade Hobkirk (studying a Bachelor of Data Science), Emily Cox (studying a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering) and Hayley Meure (studying a Bachelor of Robotics and Mechatronics, Engineering and Science). 

The event was insightful and opened our perspectives to future careers, as multiple past Kilbreda students gave us a glimpse into the future of STEM life. I particularly enjoyed the more recent Kilbreda students shedding light on how university life is treating them so far, as it gave guidance and reassurance as to how we can take our first steps out of Kilbreda into the exciting STEM field.

Rhiannan Marie-Jeanne

Year 10

STEM MAD 2024

For the third year in a row, Kilbreda College entered the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) STEM MAD competition. Students were tasked with inventing a solution using STEM to Make A Difference in the lives of others around them. We had eight teams with students from Years 7 to 9 enter the competition. Three teams were invited to participate in the prestigious State finals in September.

We were delighted to achieve four awards on the day including:

1. The MACs Wellbeing award for the Hamper4Help project (a hamper to help homeless women that can be borrowed each evening and returned the following morning for a free breakfast).

2. The Akorn Most Innovative Assistive Device Award for the MAC (My Artificial Companion) project, which was a customisable artificial companion for young children with anxiety or loneliness.

3. The STILE Best Demonstration of Science in Context for the TRAC (Transport Accessibility for Wheel Chairs) project, which was a ramp for easy access to public transport for people with reduced mobility, which can be controlled by a remote control by the user.

4. The Scienceworks STEM by Design award for the TRAC project.

Special mention should go to Amelie Baker and Matilda Exton who have been successful in getting to the state finals three years in a row!

STEM MAD

Participating in STEM MAD for the past three years has presented me with a variety of opportunities. I have been able to meet and work with new people, build my collaborative skills, practise my public speaking and gain further compassion for others through the mission, ‘Make A Difference.’ Some highlights for me would have to be learning about new ways to help people in need and working with others to make a positive change. Some advice that I would give to a younger student thinking about doing STEM MAD would be to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. The event is all about helping others and contributing to the community using your knowledge of STEM and it is a great way to make new friends, practise trial and error and challenge yourself.

Matilda Exton

Year 9

Year 7 Programming in Python

Students have all now completed their final Python programming task: designing and coding an original creature using Python. Below are some examples of their outstanding work!

Year 11 Innovative Solutions

Year 11s have been working on their Unit 2 Outcome 1 Innovative Solutions project. Their task was to work together to create a solution that addresses an issue by building a prototype to solve that issue. Students were divided into four groups, and you can read about their projects and play their games in the links below:

Group 1: Game and Website design: Dreamscape – Restful Realities

The idea for this project was to create a series of games that can replace mindless scrolling, offering an alternative interactive and fun world with tips on improving sleep cycles, mental health and providing positive affirmations. You can try their games via the links below.

Group 2: Robot, game and Website design –  EXTRATERRESTRIAL GRASSHOPPER

The idea for this project was to create a series of resources from robots, games and websites to educate young people on the theme of space. You can try their games below.

Group 3: Game and Website design – JOB HUNT

The idea for this project was to create a website and inbuilt games that assist young people navigating through the world of job hunting. You can try their game below.

Group 4: Game and Website design – Mindscape

The idea for this project was to create a website and inbuilt games that educate about mental health, offer support for individuals and raise awareness of mental health issues. You can try their game below.

Adrienne Donoghue

Learning Leader: Digital Technologies