During term two students from Year 11 Biology and Chemistry engaged in Kickstart HSC workshops designed and run by the University of Sydney.
These worksheets gave the students a chance to do experiments and demonstration on key ideas in the syllabus which are difficult to do in the classroom setting.
In the chemistry workshop, students participated in a conductometric titration, viewed samples for UV-Vis Spectrophotometry, watched demonstrations of NMR Spectroscopy and AAS, and trialled out gel spherification.
They practiced and developed skills in using pipettes and burettes to conduct these investigations and learn more about how chemical compounds are determined using analytical techniques.
In the biology workshop, students learnt about an inherited disease – sickle cell anaemia and its genetic cause (single-nucleotide polymorphism).
Aligning with inquiry-based learning, students investigated the genetic cause of sickle cell anaemia with a case study.
Their job was to determine whether a child has inherited the disease and to discuss in small groups the steps and experiments that would be needed to answer this question.
This involved conducting hands-on activities in: DNA extraction; Lego-based Polymerase Chain Reaction activities; Paper-based restriction enzyme digests; Gel electrophoresis and visualisation.
Students were also engaged in a drones workshop and demonstration on-site by representatives at the USYD plant breeding institute.
