Solid Pathways Excursion UQ St Lucia
On Monday 31st July, 9 students, 3 parents teacher Mrs Haas attended a full day at the University of Queensland St Lucia campus.
The students experienced walking around the beautiful campus, learning in different classrooms and labs, and got a sense of what university life might be like.
The day included 3 workshops:
Morning - Engineering
Students planned, budgeted, constructed and tested a floating raft house (related to floating houses constructed in Cambodia where seasonal flooding of homes occurs).
Middle - Biological Sciences
- Students examined microscopic organisms under microscopes (yeast, pond water with lots of live critters etc).
- Observed bacteria that was grown in petri dishes (samples taken from mobile phones, door handles, behind ears, the bottom of shoes etc).
- Undertook a handwashing versus sanitiser effectiveness experiment: glitter lotion applied to skin to revealed bacteria on hands, which was viewed under UV light. Sanitiser killed, but did not remove, any bacteria. Correct handwashing in hot soapy water won the experiment.
End - Programming/Coding/Robotics
- Mechatronic engineers assisted the students to program robots (coding) to complete a range of commands. The robots were coded to move, stop, turn, activate their lights and sensors.
It was a great day and even included a lunch that was provided. Students met and worked with a Brisbane online STEM teacher and all UQ staff and UQ students involved across the day encouraged our students to meet new people, develop their collaboration skills, to think outside the box, to cultivate curiosity and enquiry and to always ask questions.