Grammar Gazette-Issue 1, 2021

FROM THE STUDENTS HISTORY

FROM THE STUDENTS SCIENCE

History Repeating The case against 'unprecedented' Anna Butler (11G)

Higher learning New astronomy program to contribute to industry research Madison Williams (12R) and Samantha Tang (12L)

‘Unprecedented’—it’s a word we've heard a lot over the last year, as people around the world struggled to come to terms with an unrelenting series of life-changing events and disasters. First, it was the horrifying Australian bushfires. Then the global lockdown, economic collapse, and American political fiasco. Now, parts of Australia are enduring one-in-100-year flooding. But while it's easy to describe these incidents as unique to our times, are they actually unprecedented ? Most of us would consider COVID-19, with its shocking statistics and unthinkable regulations, unprecedented During the height of the pandemic, as Australia went into lockdown, it seemed unbelievable how quickly schools and businesses were shut, borders were closed, and citizens were forced to stay at home But this was not the first time a pandemic has disrupted Australian lives. In 1918, almost exactly 100 years ago, a deadly global virus known as Spanish Influenza spread through the country Then, like now, Australians were forced to abandon their everyday lives and isolate themselves at home Borders were closed, and quarantine camps were set up for those trying to enter Queensland Like now, community was critical, although back then, support was delivered via food baskets rather than Zoom calls The Ekka, a Brisbane icon, was cancelled in both 1919 and 2020 And while Australia lost almost 15 000 people to the Spanish Flu, our death rate was, as it is now, low compared with other countries The other issue that dominated the past year was the American Presidential Election So many actions and events associated with Donald Trump were considered unprecedented, but none were more shocking than the violent invasion of the US Capitol in Washington when thousands of Trump's supporters attempted to overturn his defeat. The rioters' attitudes seemed to represent a dangerous new low; however, as Year 11 Modern History students have learned this year, the American Revolution in the 1700s also created radical patriots who fought against their perceived unfair treatment by the government of Great Britain This war was credited with establishing the core American values of patriotism and the right to freedom, and, 250 years later, these same values (evolved but fundamentally the same) inspired the mob on Capitol Hill The study of modern history is not merely the committing of dates and events to memory In the spirit of the Girls Grammar philosophy of life-wide learning, we discover and consider the cycle of history and how past events might affect and inform the way we live now Our ancestors not only survived pandemics and revolutions but went on to thrive The knowledge that our experiences in the 21st century are not as unprecedented as we might think offers both perspective and comfort. ■

This year, Brisbane Girls Grammar School introduced a new Science co- curricular opportunity for Year 11 and 12 girls who are keen to explore the universe around us The Student-Teacher Astronomy Research Symposium (STARS) program offers girls opportunities to work independently, or collaboratively, with other girls to conduct astrophysics research using the School’s Dorothy Hill Observatory. We present our findings in a scientific report, which is then published to the wider scientific community. In Term 1, we were introduced to our first major research project—the Double Stars project A double star is exactly as the name suggests: a pair of stars that seem very close when observed There are two types of double stars: optical doubles and binary stars Optical doubles are two stars that are great distances from each other and are gravitationally unrelated though they appear close together from the Earth In comparison, binary stars are two stars orbiting a common barycentre (centre of mass) This latter type is the Double Stars project’s focus During Term 1, we have been learning about the astrophysics underpinning double star systems. We have also been learning scientific analytical techniques, specifically astrometry and charge-couple device (CCD) imaging. STARS student researchers will take their own sample of Dorothy Hill Observatory data, applying these analytical techniques to measure star systems’ separation and position angles and combining these with previously-collected orbital data on the same star system sourced meticulously from international databases We will then produce an original research paper to be published in the Journal of Double Stars Observations —an academic journal about astrometric observations made by amateur astronomers This contribution will help determine and analyse the binary star system’s orbital motion, allowing many properties of the stars to be determined, such as their masses and life expectancies While there has been much to consider and much work yet to undertake, we were given the opportunity to attend a virtual meeting with Ms Rachel Freed, an expert in double star research and the editor of the Journal of Double Stars Observations Listening to her experiences and hearing her passion was inspirational for us all and only increased our eagerness to research and discover ■

above Madison Williams (12R) and Samantha Tang (12L)

above Anna Butler (11G)

Gazette

Gazette

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

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Issue 1, 2021

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Issue 1, 2021