Students strive in science
THE Rotary Youth Science and Engineering Challenge (RYSEC) returned recently to Dubbo for another year in conjunction with the University of Newcastle to encourage students to learn about STEM.
Team leader from the University of Newcastle, Abby Hodges, said the aim of the program is to educate students about science and engineering outside the classroom.
“We want to showcase to students that what they learn through the challenge can be applied to real life and how it can be applied to their future careers,” Abby said.
The partnership between the university and Dubbo’s rotary clubs is well established with hopes of inspiring Dubbo and regional town students to study science, maths, technology, and engineering in their later years of high school, according to Abby.
There are eight activities throughout the day to enhance scientific education including constructing small replicas of Mars' rovers, writing findings, connecting transportation networks and other informative activities.
Abby told Dubbo Photo News that through the partnership with the university, students are able to experience the opportunity in STEM and imagine their findings in daily usage: “Students can achieve anything that they put their minds to," she said.
St Mary’s Catholic School student, Sebastian Hawkins and his group were participating in an activity to represent the power of electricity and resistance.
“We need to connect all of these cables to the 25 buildings,” he continued, saying the activity was challenging as it needed to keep the power.
“We’re learning about how resistance works and how electricity is transferred through the cables,” he expressed.
Mudgee High School student, Will Treeve and his group were allocated to make a “Mars Rover” from plastic and rubber bands which would hold a weighted object.
Will told Dubbo Photo News the aim of the project was to move the rover holding the object along the bumpy track.
“It’s really difficult,” Will said, adding that it took him and his teammates a while to understand how to construct the transportation device, however they learnt how to communicate their ideas.
“I’m really excited for today and to experience new projects,” he explained that he has learnt significantly during the day.
Participating in the same activity, Dubbo South Campus student, Declan Mcgregor said his team found the time allocated was too short to get comfortable using the materials.
“We learnt that time is a huge indicator and with only 40 minutes allocated – you can’t get a lot done,” he continued, adding that they've learnt to work efficiently throughout the project and were looking forward to the future experiments they were enduring.
With the mixture of schools from Dubbo and surrounding areas, students are provided with the opportunity to make connections outside their school district.
Declan said he met a lot of people through the collaboration.
St John’s College student, Hugh Bevan explained that his group were instructed to design a route from strings that signifies a transportation network.
Hugh told Dubbo Photo News the task required the group to use string to try and stay on the path.
With a lack of funding in regional and rural school in science and technology, the RYSEC has developed students’ understanding and appreciation for science-based learning.