A Solar Panel trial, recycling pastic into 3D printer filament, a campus compost solution, a rejuventated vertical garden and pet plants for classrooms, were the ideas presented at the STEM Hackathon last week on how the College can be more environmentally friendly.
The aim of the Hackathon was to connect the Learning of the Year 8 Academic Challenge and Extension Science class to the real world, and develop their transferable (soft) skills in teams while still remaining connected to the Science curriculum. It’s called a “hackathon” as it aligns with the terminology in the start-up and social enterprise communities.
Each of the five teams pitched their solutions to the judging panel including the Principal, Head of Science and Marketing and were judged on the 4 Cs – Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity. The judging criteria will also serve to inform part of the assessment students will be measured against in the “Science Inquiry Skills” and “Science as Human Endeavourt” outcomes. The range of ideas, the rigour and ways the students pitched was impressive. Students also addressed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The focus was on real-world problem solving around some of the sustainability challenges on the College campus.
The students will now present to the College Student Representative Council.
