Solar Oven STEM Project

Late last term, Dr Sarah Avitabile and Ms Sarah Chuck led the Year 9 Science Team in conducting a STEM Project with the students. Students were challenged to design, build and test a solar oven. The project was conducted as part of the Global Systems unit of work.  

Students were asked to develop an oven that could cook food. The ovens needed to be constructed from recycled materials. Students supplied their own materials (aside from the black paint, cardboard, glue, foil and duct tape). Groups needed to refine their design after trying to build the ovens and could work at their own pace, whilst solving problems including sourcing materials, where to store ovens and when to test their ovens.

The project incorporated both the Science concept of energy transfer:

• Explanation of how energy will be transferred and transformed in their oven design
• Describing how materials would contribute to the energy transfer

and the design/technology concept included:

• Detailed design with labelled diagrams and selection of materials with an explanation about why each was chosen

From a total of 41 student responses, over 80% rated the project a 4 or 5 for being enjoyable/interesting. In terms of students reflecting on how much they think they learnt, around 80% strongly agreed or agreed that they learnt about global warming and energy transfer.

Student Reflections

“I feel by doing this assignment instead of the normal tests, that I had to use my theory knowledge of the topic to do my assignment, which ended up making me remember the content much more in comparison to studying for a test and then forgetting after the test.”

“I found that being able to do more practical learning was quite beneficial to me. It was a very fun way of learning. I think that I learnt about the same that I usually do with other types of learning, but I found the practical learning more fun.”

Thank you to Dr Avitabile and Ms Chuck for facilitating this new design task for the Year 9 Science team and Year 9 classes.

Unit 2 Physics Student Choice Topics

In Unit 2 Physics, students have an opportunity to independently study an area of interest, selected from 12 options related to Physic’s principles. Students then present their findings to the class. We were treated to some diverse studies and learnt a lot through the presentations.

Here are two presentations that focus on “Is there life beyond our Solar System?” (Angelique Vargheese) and “Human Vision” (Jennifer Ottapallil)

Unit 2 Chemistry

The Unit 2 Chemistry students have enjoyed sharpening their skills in titration and analysis. It has been great to be in a lab and not in lockdown this year!

January 2023 Enhancement Opportunities at Monash University

Engage Engineer for Year 8 and 9 Students

Have you ever wondered what physical steps are being taken toward reaching net zero emissions? Perhaps you’re interested in AI, but don’t really know where to start with learning more. Regardless of your answers, we are certain that you would have a an amazing time learning more about these questions, and so much more at Engage Engineer, Robogals two-day immersive workshop based event for students to gain practical experience in the beautiful and diverse world of Engineering.

Robogals is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to bridge the gender gap within STEM. To this end, Engage Engineer is the biggest event where the Engineering student teams at Monash University come together to run workshops for Year 9 and 10 students of all genders to get hands-on experience in various engineering streams.

In 2023, this will run on 16 and 17 January at Monash University’s Clayton campus. Whether you consider yourself a future Engineering student or not, the event is an excellent opportunity to get a taste of its world and all it has to offer. 

To learn more, check out our brochure, and fill in the registration form to express your interest!

Parental consent and registration form: https://forms.gle/BjfdjqiggFRMVdC26

Please email Afia Farenza, Events Manager at Robogals Monash on monash.engagement@robogals.org for more details about this opportunity:

MYSci Opportunity for Year 10 and 11 Students

If you are a student in Year 10 or 11 with a passion for science, the MYSci program may be for you. MYSci is a three-day science program that will run from January 11-13, 2023.The program will include:

• hands-on workshops
• access to our brilliant teaching facilities
• opportunity to meet some of our Research Scientists
• exposure to potential career pathways
• activities with the Young Scientists of Australia
• social activities

If you do have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out to the organisers at
sci-futurestudents@monash.edu

Jacinta Devlin
Learning Leader: Science