No.8, Term 3, September 2007

Big questions for bright minds

A discussion with Sir Roger Penrose

The stats:

• 1 famous scientist
• 52 students
• 12 teachers
• 8 SPICE schools (Australind SHS, Busselton SHS, Cannington Community College, Churchlands SHS, Como College, Mount Lawley SHS, Shenton College, Willetton SHS)
• A day of science discussion and discovery

One of the world's leading mathematical physicists Sir Roger Penrose explored science with over 60 public school students and teachers at the Gravity Discovery Centre (GDC) in Gingin on 6 August.

During the fascinating conversation Sir Roger fielded questions on why he chose science, his interests and his work as a scientist, providing a glance at how a scientist thinks and develops theories. Along the way he offered insight into current theories about the universe which prompted deeper science questions such as What is dark matter? and How can the universe be infinite but expanding?

Although the weather was terrible and long distances were travelled by some schools, the day was a huge success with both students and teachers leaving with a deeper knowledge of a great scientist and fascinating insights into science and the universe.

Our students were not only taken by Sir Roger's obvious intellect, but they were impressed by his humble nature. The GDC event was truly a brush with greatness.

Brett Boughton, Science Teacher, Willetton SHS

The opportunity to visit the GDC and be exposed to a world renowned expert is a great example of opportunities that our students would not otherwise have exposure to. Their discussion in the car on the return journey was quite animated and all said that the GDC was a place they would recommend to classmates, friends and family to visit. Events like this provide very positive exposure for science in the community.

Roly Ritchie, Deputy Principal, Cannington Community College

Professional learning opportunities and release of resources

SPICE resources on Waves and Nuclear physics are completed and now available. These comprehensive resources consist of a collection of digital learning objects, worksheets, video clips of scientists, fact sheets for students and teacher background sheets.

To assist schools with accessing and using these resources, Fred Deshon is available to visit government schools. He can be booked to visit your school to discuss the resources and will leave a hard copy for the school and a CD/DVD pack for any interested teachers.

Several PD sessions have been run in schools already and the feedback has been very positive.

To book your PD session or to find out more about the SPICE program or available resources you can contact Fred on 6488 4795 or at fdeshon@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

New resources examples

SPICE resources take many forms, including fact sheets for students, background sheets for teachers, interactive learning objects, videos and worksheets that link to the materials. Examples of all of these can be found on the SPICE website at www.spice.wa.edu.au/resources/sample_resources.

SPICE resources aim to offer context driven, 'real life' science that is appealing to students.

New building update

The basement of the new building is nearly complete and will soon be available to be used for teaching and functions. The basement comprises a computer lab, a teaching area and a sound and filming studio equipped with 3D projection capacity.

The top floor, which will contain a collaborative learning space equipped with 30 laptop computers, a meeting room, a café area, a SPICE office and offices for the other DUIT Multimedia staff is set for completion in mid-December. Currently this area is being gutted before construction commences.

Profiles of SPICE Teachers in Residence

Faye Paioff

A natural superwoman, Faye comes from a high paced job as a curriculum consultant where she provides science support to over 120 schools in the Fremantle district. With a strong grounding in chemistry and physics, she has taught in private and state schools around WA.

Living by the mantra that practical science is more fun than just doing book work, Faye focuses on making learning enjoyable for her students. Whether it's creating simple machines from pencils and CDs, or powering a car with a rubber band, Faye facilitates fun to help the science sink in.

"If you can use a lot more hands-on activities it makes it really enjoyable for the students... Plus I get a real kick out of it."

Faye has chosen to centre her attention on solutions chemistry using the context of wetlands. By tackling this challenging topic she hopes that teachers will use this resource to approach chemistry in a student-relevant context.

Sally Harban

Sally steps into the role of SPICE Teacher in Residence at the same time as starting a role as a new mother. Taking some time off from maternity leave she is returning to the campus where she originally studied chemistry. Sally brings her experience as a versatile chemistry teacher from John Curtin College of the Arts.

By using practical experiments to draw her students in, Sally loves to start her year's chemistry classes with a bang; quite literally. Thankfully at SPICE she has put less emphasis on explosions and has grabbed 'green' chemistry as the topic she is using to develop SPICE resources.

Not afraid to get her hands dirty, Sally's practical SPICE experiences will include creating biodiesel and distilling crude oil. She hopes her developments will bring environmental issues, frequently mentioned in the media, to the attention of students.

SPICE staff in the spotlight

Wendy Sanderson and Emma Donnelly

Emma has been with SPICE and the Centre for Learning Technology (CLT) for only four months and is the newest member of the team while Wendy is at the other end of the spectrum and has been working at the CLT for the last 11 years!

Wendy is the Centre's Administration Officer and is usually the first face you'll see when you arrive at the SPICE office. Originally trained as a librarian, Wendy worked in several tertiary libraries around Perth and also as a corporate librarian until she started with the Centre for Learning Technology 11 years ago. Why become a librarian? It was a way to complete tertiary studies as well as work. Starting work as a seventeen year old library assistant at Hampton SHS she learnt the practical tools-of-the-trade while also completing part-time library studies at uni. Since then, Wendy has done a variety of work mostly involving finances, but also community development.

On weekends Wendy can be found perusing the shelves in Bunnings. Being a self-confessed house renovation junkie, she has managed to renovate four houses in Mount Lawley and has plans to renovate more.

As SPICE Admin Officer, Wendy plays an important role in the administration of SPICE including financial management. Wendy is also saviour to any SPICE Teachers in Residence who visits as she is the keeper of the parking permits. Anyone who has been to UWA knows how difficult it is to find a parking spot! So next time you're in be nice to Wendy!

Emma is an educational resources writer for SPICE. She helps the Teachers in Residence and other staff members by researching and writing fact sheets, worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, newsletters and just about anything else that is required. So far in her short stint at SPICE she has written about the Australian Synchrotron, electromagnetic radiation, wetlands, the water cycle and radioactive decay to name a few subject areas. When Emma isn’t writing she's sourcing and requesting copyright permission for images and footage for the resources, helping film scientists and planning work station layouts for the new building.

In her previous roles she was a science demonstrator at Scitech, the Double Helix Science Club Officer for CSIRO Education and Manager of Horizon – The Planetarium at Scitech. More recently she has coordinated volunteers at the Department of Fisheries, been a Community Education Coordinator for Keep Australia Beautiful and Clean Up Australia Day State Coordinator for Western Australia.

Emma completed a Science Degree and a Graduate Diploma of Science at UWA and loves being back on campus. She is also thrilled to be working in science and education again, which is where her passion lies. It is likely that Emma's is the second face you’ll spot when you come in the door, so next time you're in say 'hi'!