Activities & Events
Activities for Biology Students & Teachers
Science Alliance offers school groups the opportunity to visit the School of Biological Sciences at our Main Campus and participate in hands on laboratory based activities. The focus is on activities that are not able to be done at school. Alternatively the School of Biological Sciences can send a speaker to visit your school. The School is happy to speak to groups of teachers, careers advisors and parents, as well as students.
Enquiries
Contact: Carla Avolio
Phone: (02) 9351 4543
Mobile: 0434 070 338
Email:
One of our activities includes:
A Microscopic World Abounding with Life workshop (Years 7 - 11)
Explore the exciting world of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrate life using high resolution microscopes. In small groups, students will work through a series of exercises aimed at developing their skills in animal handling, observation and data recording. Students create a simple dichotomous key for the identification of the organisms they collect, and then create a food web to describe the linkages between the various groups of animals.
Duration: 1.5 hours
Minimum:10
Maximum: 30
Cost: $7/student (GST exempt)
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology is based at the University of Sydney, Australian National University (Canberra), and University of Western Australia. The group conducts research into how plants make, store and use energy in organelles in plant cells. Plant Energy Biology can send a staff member to your school to run fun hands-on activities related to plant biology or to speak about plant science.
Powerful Plants workshop
We can come out to visit you or, for the uni experience, visit us on campus! These fun workshops for primary or high school students are free of charge excursions designed to bring the best of hands-on plant science and biotechnology experiments and research examples to the fingertips of school students.
The Powerful Plants workshop gives teachers and students the opportunity to extend their knowledge of cutting edge research and applications of biotechnology techniques such as electrophoresis and PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) in plant sciences and genetic research.
Contact: Katynna Gill
Phone: (02) 9036 7169
Email:
Activities for Chemistry Students
Science Alliance schools are welcome to visit the School of Chemistry. Lectures, lab sessions and tours can be organised. All sessions are designed to be fun and educational.
Alternatively, the School of Chemistry can possibly send a staff member to your school to run fun hands-on activities.
Enquiries
Contact: Dr Jeanette Hurst
Phone: (02) 9351 3105
Email:
Some of our activities include:
Chemistry (Years 7-12)
Chemistry hands-on activities are both fun and educational. Students will perform a number of experiments using liquid nitrogen, observe exciting demonstrations by our highly qualified staff and top it all off by making their own slime!
Duration: 1 hour
Minimum: 30
Maximum: 60
Cost: $8/student (GST exempt)
Best of Chemistry – Interactive Demonstration
This features explosions of all kinds by our highly qualified staff – exploding balloons, the explosive thermite reaction and a chemical fireworks display!
Duration: 1 hour
Minimum: 10
Cost: $8/student (GST exempt)
Activities for Mathematics Students
Mathematics Olympiad
The Australian Mathematics Olympiad Committee runs a variety of activities drawing on academic staff from throughout Australia. These range from correspondence programs to residential schools for students selected from across Australia. Even if students are not selected for the Mathematics Olympiad these programs offer valuable tuition and resources.
Contact: Dr Bill Palmer
Tel: (02) 9351 3048
Fax: (02) 9351 4534
Website: www.amt.edu.au
The National Mathematics Summer School
The National Mathematics Summer School was founded in 1969 and is academically sponsored by the Australian National University and the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers Inc. It is a two-week program for 75 Year 11 high school students, proficient in mathematics, selected from every state and territory. It is presently in its 40th year of operation. During the two week school, students study three topics in higher mathematics and there are, in addition, special lectures at Mt Stromlo and the Academy of Science.
Date: 6 - 19 January 2008
Contact: Director, Associate Professor Terry Gagen
Tel: (02) 9351 4027
Fax: (02) 9351 4534
Email:
Website: www.nmss.org.au
Activities for Physics Students
The School of Physics can provide lecturers to speak to your classes on many current and interesting topics in Physics and Astronomy. Lecturers are happy to visit your school, or school groups are welcome to come to the School of Physics for talks or laboratory activities. Astronomy viewing nights can also be arranged.
Enquiries
Contact: Dr Phil Dooley
Tel: (02) 9351 3201
Email:
Cost: From $3 per student (incl GST)
Some of our activities include:
Full Body Physics (Years 7 - 12)
Look but don’t touch is NOT the theme of these sessions! You will get charged, cold, wet, illuminated and harnessed during 90 minutes of full body physics. In small groups you will not only see, but hear, feel and experience the important concepts of physics – lasers, electricity, magnetism, heat and cold – as you freeze air, charge your friends up to thousands of volts, and learn how blowing sucks.
Duration: 1.5 hours
Minimum: 8 students
Maximum: 50 students
Cost: $7/student (GST exempt)
Astronomy (Years 10-12)
Spend an hour exploring the life and death of a star with a professional astronomer from the Institute of Astronomy at the School of Physics. Fully illustrated with spectacular images this informative talk is the perfect complement to the Astrophysics module of the HSC syllabus.
Duration: 1 hour
Minimum: 8 students
Maximum: 120 students
Cost: $4 per student/ $3 per student for groups over 15
Relativity (Years 11-12)
Discover a universe where your legs get shorter and fatter when you drive fast, and travelling to Perth will make you longer. Relativity was born one hundred years ago as Einstein revolutionised the universe we thought we knew in a single year. This course explains relativity with no equations or maths required.
Duration: 1 hour
Minimum: 8 students
Maximum: 120 students
Cost: $4 per student/ $3 per student for groups over 15
The Peninsula Science Engineering Challenge
Presented by the University of Sydney, School of Physics and Belrose Rotary Club
The Science and Engineering Challenge is a riveting day of science fun for students studying up to Year 10. In small teams, students have to solve practical and fun challenges. These include as building a buggy to navigate a course through bumpy terrain, cracking codes, solving a virtual maze, predicting the path of a bouncing ball, building a bridge or making a chair that will hold a certain weight.
Not only do the students have a great time, but teachers see their students working in a different context. Teachers have reported significant and lasting positive effects on their students’ attitudes to science and technology.
Winners of the Peninsula Challenge will go on to compete for places in the Grand Challenge in Tamworth in October 2008. There are limited places, so get your application in as soon as possible.
Date: 12 June 2008 - Final date for registration is 1 May 2008
Contact: Melanie d’Arbon
Phone: (02) 4921 7967
Cost: Free!
The Nobel Prize for Physics Talk
We've all heard of the Nobel Prizes, but what are they awarded for? This illustrated talk explains the 2008 Nobel prize for Physics in layperson's terms.
Date: August 2008
Contact: Phil Dooley
Phone: (02) 9351 3201
Email:
Activities in Agricuture
Senior Ag Camp
Senior Ag Camp introduces students to the various disciplines taught in the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Senior Agcamp includes activities related to agricultural and horticultural science, land and water science, and agricultural and resource economics. Senior Ag Camp aims to provide an opportunity for students to discover more about the very broad and exciting range of studies and careers associated with Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
Enquiries
Contact: Michele Gairn
Phone: (02) 9351 2936
Fax: (02) 9351 2945
Dates: 23 - 25 November 2008
Cost: $200 (incl. GST)
Activities in Design Computing
For schools in the Sydney metropolitan area, we can arrange for Senior Undergraduate Design Computing students to visit your school and talk about careers, studying design computing at Sydney Uni and other topics of interest to your students.
Enquiries
Contact: Jennifer Ryan
Phone: (02) 9351 7591
Fax: (02) 9351 5665
Email:
Activities in Engineering
For schools in the Sydney metropolitan area, we can arrange for Senior Undergraduate Engineering students to visit your school and talk about careers, studying engineering at Sydney Uni and other topics of interest to your students. Advanced Engineering students can also visit schools within the Sydney metropolitan area to do demonstrations for Year 10 students.
Enquiries
Contact: Eric Van Wijk
Phone: (02) 9351 5673
Fax: (02) 9351 4654
Email:
Activities in IT
National Computer Science School
The ACS National Computer Science School brings together talented young people for an intensive week of computer programming, web design and related activities at the School of Information Technology at the University of Sydney. NCSS is a residential school and open to all students in Australia in their penultimate high school year. NO PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED.
Dates: 6 – 12 January 2008
Contact: Madelon Klein
Phone: (02) 9036 9757
Fax: (02) 9351 3838
Email:
Website: http://www.ncss.edu.au
Programming Challenge 2008
The NCSS Challenge is a 5 week programming competition designed to educate participants about computer science and the significant impact it has on how scientists work. The Challenge involves participants solving interesting but simplified computational tasks typically performed by scientists. Unlike existing competitions, the Challenge is designed to cater for both beginners and advanced students. The Challenge will be particularly valuable for science students, mathematics students and computing studies students.
NO PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED.
Dates: 28 July – 1 September 2008
Contact: Madelon Klein
Phone: (02) 9036 9757
Fax: (02) 9351 3838
Email:
Website: www.challenge.ncss.edu.au
Cost: $11 per participant (including GST)
Microscopes on the Move
Microscopes on the Move is an interactive travelling program designed to make the world of microscopy more accessible to students by bringing advanced electron and optical microscopes into the classroom. An engaging program of hands-on activities and fascinating specimens have been designed to enthuse students from Kindergarten to Year 12. A feature is the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) that students can operate and save a photo from. The program aims to encourage interest in science, engineering and technology. Microscope resources and in-service training are also available. For more information, or to make a booking, please contact the Australian Key Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis.
Cost: $1000 for two days, $350 each additional day (6 classes of 30 students a day = approx. $2.80 per student)
Phone: (02) 9351 7565
Email:
Website: www.emu.usyd.edu.au
