This year we have continued to have a group of enthusiastic students take part in our STEM Club and the High Altitude Balloon (HAB) Project, which began last year with a successful launch in October (read more about it HERE).
Under the leadership of prefects (pictured above, from left) Ryan Finette (Maths), Olivia Pettinella (Technology) and Jamieson Manger (Science) and staff members, students have been meeting for weekly lunchtime sessions to problem-solve some real-life scenarios while also working on various projects. Together, the group aims to develop their technical skills, learn to operate and understand different equipment, interpret and analyse data, develop strong teamwork skills and to put the design process into practice while considering how their work can help to make a positive difference.
Our junior STEM Club students have recently been involved in the collection of data to test some flexible solar panels invented by the CSIRO as part of a STELR project that MLMC has been involved in. They are also collecting atmospheric data to determine the changing air quality as part of the Blue Sky Zero Citizen Project run by PocketLab, which aims to find out how COVID-19 lockdowns have affected air quality and what happens to the air quality when people start returning to work.
Our senior HAB students have been involved in planning our next HAB launch. This event, supported by the Melbourne Catholic Education Office’s Science and Innovation Project Group, has again provided an excellent opportunity for learning and the building of enthusiasm in the areas of STEM. Our dedicated and passionate HAB students have been coding our old and new sensors, testing new tracking equipment, establishing their research questions and looking at new data collection techniques.
We look forward to seeing all our STEM club and HAB students back together soon.
