Science

Science is the eternal quest to answer essential questions about life and the universe. To this end, our students are encouraged to wonder about science and some of these big questions. In the classroom, we are currently exploring DNA and genetics in Year 10. The students have learned about the structure of this double helix molecule and how each human has enough DNA that if unwound and linked together, would stretch over 110 billion miles. That’s hundreds of round trips to the sun and back! This study has then been extended into genetics and how genes in DNA can be passed through family generations. Specifically, we are looking at genetic inheritance patterns which can describe how a genetic disease is transmitted. Armed with this knowledge, we can help predict the probability of recurrence risk for specific genetic diseases. 

In Year 11 Biology we are studying biodiversity and how species change and adapt to new environments over time. We are looking at mechanisms of species divergence through mutations and environmental pressures using specific examples from ecosystems around the world.

The Year 11 Chemistry students are exploring the amazing macromolecular structures of Carbon. These allotropes form of incredibly diverse structural forms ranging from the hardness of Diamonds to brittleness of Graphite. Another Carbon allotrope, Graphene is highly flexible and, due to this property the molecule has many applications in nano technology.

To be a scientist, imagination, ingenuity and intuition all play a part. It is these characteristics that our school tries to nurture and inspire in our science students. Given that up to 60% of our graduating students select a Science related tertiary pathway after school, we hope that our school’s science program is in some way forming the foundations for these creative young minds to contribute to finding solutions to current and future world discoveries.