STEM BLASTS OFF
Palm Beach Currumbin students create a tile for einsteinium as part of celebrations for the International Year of the Periodic Table STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is alive and well at Palm Beach Currumbin State High with its students taking part in an international project.
To celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table, the University of Waterloo in Canada is creating a timeline of elements with tiles created by school students around the world.
Palm Beach Currumbin is one of only six Australian schools participating in the project and was chosen to create a tile for element 99 – einsteinium.
The tile was designed by STEM ambassadors Isabelle Richters and Jaime Pryor along with fellow science student Lily de Groot, who was also the artist.
Isabelle was excited to be a part of the project.
“It really allowed us to put ourselves out there in the international science community and allowed us to do something different and voluntary outside of the usual school curriculum,” she said.
“We also get to see our work pay off when it’s released as part of the Timeline of Elements poster and showcase by the University of Waterloo.”
Isabelle said the group came to the design after extensive research on the element.
“We did incorporate where it was first discovered – which was in the Pacific Ocean. How it was synthesised – it being a by-product of the explosion of the first atomic bomb. Some basic properties of it — radioactive. And the team that discovered and researched it — a university team lead by Albert Ghiorso,” she said.
Isabelle, who wants to study medicine at university, said for her science is knowing there is always something more she can aspire to whether it be career-wise or just learning something new. “(Science) is just one ongoing opportunity for more: more knowledge, more discoveries, more advancement, more everything,” she said.
Head of the Science Department at Palm Beach Currumbin State High, LeeAnne Bramley, said the project was a unique opportunity for the students to be part of.
Palm Beach Currumbin puts a strong emphasis on STEM and has several initiatives.
The school has five STEM ambassadors who conduct activities throughout the year including running a year 7 balloon car challenge, lunchtime trivia and conducting workshops at Griffith University as part of the KIDS STEM convention.
The school also has a science extension elective subject in year 10 where students can participate in extra curricular activities including the Australian Brain Bee Challenge and the Gold Coast Science Competition.
Ms Bramley said it’s important for the students to be involved in STEM.
“Being active in STEM subjects and other STEM opportunities gives students a better understanding of the world around them, now and in the future,” she said.
“STEM careers are also in great demand, so the more we expose students to a range of STEM opportunities and pathways, we can hopefully encourage them to be excited about a STEM career.
“Recently a group of students went up to the World Science Festival, which is a great example of how we can expose students to the diverse area of STEM.”
The artworks for the periodic table project are being released online and will also be produced into a classroom poster and a wall mural in the science teaching complex at the University of Waterloo.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleev’s published periodic table in 1869.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements to recognise the importance of raising global awareness of how chemistry promotes sustainable development and provides solutions to global challenges.