STEM Program Announcements

At Kilbreda, we firmly believe that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’. We strive to expose students to as many diverse career opportunities as possible. Many students invest significant time and effort in writing applications for external STEM programs, and we are proud of each one of them. We are thrilled to announce the following:

Matilda Exton in Year 10 has been accepted into the Youth ANZAAS science forum. ANZASS is an annual residential international forum for science students in Years 10 to 12. Each year, students from every state and territory are selected to participate in science activities and experiences from 6 – 11 July. Students will stay at Ormond College at The University of Melbourne’s Parkville Campus. Last year’s students visited the Department of Defence Research, RMIT and Melbourne University, with behind-the-scenes tours of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Last year, Pratima Thomas and Jessica Griffith were accepted into the four-year Melbourne University Girl Power in Engineering and IT Program. Next week, they will return to Melbourne University for work experience based on their STEM preferences and interests.

Additionally, we can share that Namie Padasas and Kara Gurung have been accepted into the same program. They will attend the same STEM holiday camp that Pratima and Jessica did last year!

It seems that Kilbreda is taking over Melbourne University in the coming weeks! We wish these students all the best for their STEM holiday experiences and look forward to hearing about them next term.

Science Talent Search (STS) Update

This term has flown by, and it feels like years ago that we launched our Science Talent Search with Adam from Akorn. Student projects are progressing well, and to say that we are impressed by the creativity and independence students are demonstrating is an understatement. We have entries for creative writing, video productions, games and working models. From composing original music and lyrics to learning about the butterfly effect, our 2025 STS participants have truly embraced the challenge. We wish them well as they put the finishing touches on their projects over the holidays, ready to submit during the first week back.

Big Science Competition Results

The wait is over – our Big Science Competition results are in! We extend a huge congratulations to all students who participated. This year, over 40,000 students from across Australia and the world took part in the Big Science Competition in May. A special mention goes to Lucinda Hale and Maeve McLean in Year 7 for achieving High Distinctions! Students had to be in the top 5% of the country to earn a HD, making this an extremely impressive feat. Mia Dobrohotoff (Year 8), Jacinta Vo (Year 8), and Pratima Thomas (Year 10) received Distinctions, placing them in the next 10%. Well done, everyone!

Around the Labs

Kilbreda has introduced new Year 10 electives this year. In Semester Two, we have two classes of “Life Beyond Earth,” where students learn about space exploration, the motion, forces, and chemistry involved in rocketry, as well as the beginnings of the universe and life on Earth. Below are images of students stepping into the roles of NASA engineers and engaging in the engineering design process, where their challenge was to construct a lander that could safely deliver astronauts to the moon. Balloons were used to add an upward thrust force to compensate for the absence of atmosphere on the Moon, rendering parachutes ineffective.

Sarah Chuck

Learning Leader: Science