2005 School Magazine

Science

Science

In 1905, arguably the most famous scientist, Albert Einstein, wrote a series of incredible articles that had a tremendous impact on our society, including ones on Brownian motion, Special Relativity and the Photoelectric effect. In 2005, the scientific community celebrated Einstein’s work and the Science Faculty at Brisbane Girls Grammar School continued to prepare our students for the future. Mr A Allinson HEAD OF PHYSICS

Senior Science

This year has seen further change in the Senior Science Subjects towards context- inquiry based approach to learning. Based on the new syllabuses designed by the Queensland Studies Authority, Physics and Biology have developed new Work Programmes which have been implemented in 2005 at Year 11 level. New Chemistry and Multistrand programmes will be developed within the next couple of years. In both Physics and Biology our units of work and methods of assessing student learning have changed. There are three major modes of assessment. These assessment modes are extended experimental investigations, extended response tasks (non-experimental investigations) and written tasks (tests). Miss T Monteith HEAD OF BIOLOGY

My Year in Science

Cheryl Au (12E) The Science curriculum is designed to “provide students with a variety of experiences which allow them to learn science, learn to do science, and learn about science.” As a student who undertakes three science subjects – Chemistry, Biology and Physics – during Years 11 and 12, I can truly say that the Science Programme at Brisbane Girls Grammar School has achieved its educational objective. Science appeals to me because it seeks to explain both the microscopic and macroscopic phenomena of our world. In addition to developing our understanding of ideas and concepts, the Science Faculty also encourages the integration of learning in more authentic contexts, with experiences forming an important basis for learning. During my senior schooling, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in Biofutures, a biomedical engineering and biotechnology forum, the National Youth Science Forum, as well as the International Young Physicists’ Tournament. These experiences are all unique and exciting opportunities to explore science at work in the real world.

The IYPT Australia Challenge

Madeline Nicholson (8R) I particularly enjoyed Year 8 Science because it has such a diverse and interesting curriculum. In Term I we had an introduction to Science that was really fun as we did a lot of practical work in the laboratory. Next was Biology which I had never studied before and then we studied Chemistry which was really different from anything I’d ever done. It combined our knowledge of theory and our practical skills to conduct experiments. We are currently studying Physics which promises to be just as exciting as I can relate it to everyday things. Alanna Platz (10E) Year 10 Science was a very enjoyable course. We explored different aspects of the very general term, science. It allowed me to gain a better understanding of what Biology, Chemistry and Physics involve and helped me to decide what sciences to study in Years 11 and 12. I especially liked the practical tasks in Physics - we worked in groups to construct and launch a water rocket. I really enjoyed the practical aspects of science as it shows how science is based on real situations and is useful for everyday life. I would like to pursue a career in a science-related field and the Year 10 Science course has helped me gain an insight into many different areas of science.

Each year Brisbane Girls Grammar SchoolhoststheIYPTAustraliaChallenge to select the Australian Team to compete at the International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT). The tournament requires teams of students to conduct research into complex open-ended problems over an extended period of time before presenting their solutions and defending them against the criticisms of other teams. In March two teams of three students represented Brisbane Girls Grammar School at the IYPT Australia Challenge and both teams were undefeated in their Physics Fights during the rounds. The Brisbane Girls Grammar School A team consisted of Hilary Martin (12O), Jemima Cowderoy (12E), and Alison Rae (12O). The Brisbane Girls Grammar School B team consisted of Cheryl Au (12E), Nimisha Bhatia (12W) and Rochelle Weil (12B). Mr A Allinson HEAD OF PHYSICS

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Brisbane Girls Grammar School

School Magazine 2005