Six students at Armidale's O’Connor Catholic College have won prizes in the 2018 Science Teachers’ Association of NSW Young Scientist Awards.
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The awards, run since 1992, give students the chance to carry out scientific investigations or create an innovative device.
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More than 800 students across the state submitted their projects to the competition. The judges –primary teachers, secondary science, maths and technology teachers, industry leaders, and a representative from the Australian Museum – select the three best from each year group.
Three science and three agriculture prizes were awarded to O’Connor this year.
"By doing this,” science teacher Daniel Fittler said, “it's almost like another qualification or credential that they can put on top of their HSC.”
They can show their experience to employers, who may take them on as lab assistants.
Meg Lye (Year 11) studied fingertip strength when holding wet and dry objects. She discovered that when your fingers are wrinkled, after being wet for a while, they hold wet objects better. So there is a scientific reason for dishwasher’s hands.
She’s going to the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra this January. She’ll stay on ANU campus – which she said will help her figure out what she wants to do in science.
Nick Andrews (Year 11) tested how changing the cording camber of an aeroplane’s wing affects its stability to generate lift.
Each time you decrease the camber or shorten the cord, the wing produces less lift, at a logarithmic rate.
This can be used in aircraft design; the more efficiency you get from your wings, the more fuel you can save, so you don't need to as burn as much to generate the lift.
Soccer fanatic Taryn Ramage (Year 11) wanted to see what part of the foot was most effective when scoring a goal.
Overall, the instep was the most consistent, giving players both control and speed. Kicking with the toe made the ball go faster, but players had less control over it; while kicking with the inside of the foot was slower but more controlled.
Year 9 students Jordan Windred, Eliza Boland, and Ellis Jorden figured out which oat variety was best for Armidale’s climate.
They found that Aladdin Oat does best overall – if it’s watered every day. Blackbutt oats are best for a dry climate.
The students will receive their prizes at an awards ceremony in Wollongong on October 31.
In the last 12 years, 70 Young Scientist award-winning projects have been selected as finalists in the national BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards, Melbourne, while 58 in the last 20 years have represented Australia at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held in the USA.