Medowie students take on STEM challenges

LOCAL students put the textbooks down and got their tools out for a full day of real world problem solving at the annual National Science and Engineering Challenge.

Year 10 students from Medowie Christian School recently travelled to the University of Newcastle to compete in the annual Challenge, a hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) day where theory makes way for trial, error and a lot of creative thinking.

Across eight teams of two-to-four students, Medowie students went head-to-head with other local schools in a series of rigorous STEM-based activities and placed third overall.
Activities included:

– Engineering and design: bridge building and wind turbine construction

– Environmental logic: eco habitats and simulated fish trapping

– Technology and physics: coded light messages, guiding model planes, and powering a city grid.

One standout moment was the ‘Flight’ activity, where students had to design and build a balsa glider which could travel a set distance, land on a specific landing zone and hit a bullseye target.

Medowie students took first place in the activity.

Another highlight was the ‘Confounding Communication’ activity, in which students had to send coded messages using coloured lights through optical fibres.

Medowie students again took first place, turning an abstract idea about data transmission into something they could see and control.

Year 10 student Dylan said the Challenge was “actually pretty cool”.

“The highlight for me was learning about robotic hands and the ‘ElectroCity’ challenge, where we had to figure out how to distribute electricity around a city using limited resources.

“It was a great experience because the activities were different from what we usually do in class, and the staff there were really helpful.”

For Lydia, a highlight was working together to overcome engineering challenges.

“We had to use everyone’s individual strengths and what we’ve learned in class to figure out the best solutions.”