Students from across Australia at ANSTO for the Big Ideas Forum.
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has hosted students from around Australia as part of its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) outreach “Big Ideas” program.
The outreach program saw Year 10 students and their teachers visit ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus to learn about innovation in science from ANSTO’s education team.
The students were selected to attend the forum based on a short video submission.
“We look for students who are creative and passionate about science, technology, engineering and mathematics and develop a concept to explore further during their visit to ANSTO,” said ANSTO Leader, Education, Rod Dowler.
“The topics that were selected by the successful teams reflect challenges in our environment, energy and health that we are facing today and young people feel passionate about,” Mr Dowler said.
He said Knox College students from Melbourne were looking for innovative solutions to dealing with biodegradable plastics, while Mary McKillop College students from Adelaide came up with the idea of producing a robotic fish to clean up microplastics in the marine environment.
Melbourne Girls Grammar School chose to investigate other options for treatment of anaphylactic shock.
A trio of Aurora College students from Wagga Wagga, who complete some of their studies online, wanted to investigate the potential of hydrogen fuel cells to provide a cleaner form of power for the planet and Calvary Christian College students from Townsville were interested in the potential use of neutrons (found in the nucleus of the atom) as an energy source.
Three students from Casey Grammar School in Melbourne wanted to learn more about phyto-mining, using plants to absorb pollutants in contaminated areas.
The possibility of making make solar panels from recycled resources was the topic of choice by Cathedral College students from Wangaratta Vic.
Students from Mossman State High School in Far North Queensland wanted to find out more about how much oxybenzone from sunscreen was accumulating in the Great Barrier Reef and how to remove it.
Rivers Secondary College students from Lismore NSW wanted to search for better anti organ rejection treatment drugs that were less debilitating than existing drugs.
ANSTO’s Big Ideas Forum is hosted annually by the organisation.
Mr Dowler said the Big Ideas Forum was only one example of ANSTO’s commitment to STEM education.
“ANSTO offers students and teachers the opportunity to engage in a variety of ways to learn more about innovative science and technology,” he said.
