Kickstart Science
Biology
Carla Avolio
Science Communicator
School of Biological Sciences
The school of Biological Sciences offers practical sessions on a variety of topics to suit high school groups. Laboratory sessions are conducted in such a way that students leave the university having experienced a typical day in the life of a first year university science student.
Our HSC Kickstart program includes modules in which students perform experiments, collect and analyse data and participate in group presentations of their results. Each module is closely aligned with the HSC syllabus. The hands-on workshops and demonstration sessions utilise a wide range of scientific instruments and resources not readily available at secondary schools.
Students gain experience in using scientific equipment and techniques to examine physiological and ecological parameters; for example they may investigate hypothetical crime scenes or observing the genetic background to pigment pathways in mutant fruit flies. Modules include:
A testimonial from a teacher who attended a Kickstart workshop:
“The whole experience was fantastic. Not only was Adam able to tailor the workshop to our students needs, they were also able to use equipment that we don’t have in schools. They tested each others hearing and got a first-hand look at cochlear implants as well as looking inside a pigs skull. I will definitely be bringing my students back next year!”
The workshops you can choose from are:
***NEW*** Communication: Sensing & Conveying Information
There is a very large variety in the form and function of sensory and communication organs amongst animals, and reflects the variety of conditions in which these animals can be found. Students will use dissecting microscopes and other tools to investigate and identify the detection and communication organs of insects, fish, reptiles and mammals, then relate these organs to the habitat in which the animal is found. To gain a more complete understanding of the communication system, students will also carry out a dissection exercise on a chosen species.
Molecular Biology: The Genetics of Drosophilia
Bats eating fruit infested with a mutant strain of fruit fly are going mad and attacking people. Students will perform a chromatographic analysis of fly (Drosophila melanogaster) eyes to identify which eye pigments are absent in the mutant. The blocked eye-colour pigment pathway will provide the biochemical basis of the disease.
We will observe the stages in the fruit fly’s life cycle and examine wild-type flies and flies with eye-pigment mutations. After examining the mode of inheritance of these mutations using data from single gene locus crosses we will make conclusions on how the disease was caused.
Forensic Biology: Spectrophotomic Analysis
In this session students will investigate a hypothetical crime scene - George, a year 11 pupil, takes ill in sinister circumstances at the school picnic. His blood glucose regulation mechanism appears to have failed and as a result poisoning is suspected. Students will use a spectrophotometer to investigate whether George has been poisoned. The analysis will provide students with a practical understanding of analytical methods.
Plant Biology: Photosynthesis & Respiration
Students will use sophisticated data logging techniques to examine physiological and ecological parameters in plants. We focus on two fundamental processes of life: respiration and photosynthesis. By using sensitive oxygen electrodes coupled to data logging devices students will gain real-time understanding of the underlying principles governing these gas exchange mechanisms. The information will be presented graphically and discussed in terms of the utilisation of the environment by plants and animals.
Contact:
If there are other areas that have not been covered by the above topic areas please contact us to discuss your specific needs.
Contact: Carla Avolio
Telephone: (02) 9351 4543
Fax: (02) 9351 2175
Email:
