Students from Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School recently participated in the Sydney Catholic Schools STEM MAD Student Showcase. The showcase is a celebration of student learning designed to acknowledge and promote STEM learning initiatives that address real-world problems. Students worked in teams of up to 4, to design a product, service or innovation to Make A Difference (MAD) in the world by acting for justice and the common good.
We were very excited to have two of our teams selected to be part of the Sydney Catholic Schools Showcase.
Elisabeth, (Year 4), Johanna (Year 4) and Katherine (Year 4) designed the Recycle-O 202 to assist in reducing pollution in the environment. Their prototype was created to pick up rubbish as it moves along the ground to reduce pollution on the Earth.
Our second team consisted of Marisa (Year 6), Antonio (Year 6), Yousif (Year 6) and Markus (Year 3) who created the Varroa Exterminator 3000, designed in response to the threat of Varroa mites on the bee population and the resulting impact on the food chain. Their digital prototype made use of formic acid, lethal to Varroa mites, as a protective barrier connected to the bee hive.
We were thrilled to have the Varroa Exterminator 3000 receive third place in the primary schools category. Having placed third in the showcase, Marisa, Antonio, Yousif and Markus were invited to attend the National STEM MAD Showcase in Melbourne.
Accompanied by Mrs Leonie Sewell (Principal) and Mr Joshua Whiteford (Religious Education Coordinator), students flew to Melbourne to present their project at the National Catholic Education Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Along with other teams from Catholic Schools across Australia, the event provided an opportunity for the students to share their ideas with educational delegates from across the country and abroad.
The students were privileged to hear Dr Jordan Ngyuyen, futurist, biomedical engineer and inventor, speak at the conference. Dr Jordan also visited the student displays to speak with the students about their projects.
Antonio commented,
Dr Jordan was very inspiring. His work has made a real difference in the world.
Students also had the opportunity to visit the displays from other entrants in the primary and secondary categories. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to speak with like-minded students and to hear about their amazing ideas.
We look forward to great things from our young inventors in the future!
