Annual Report 2007 - The Australian Nanotechnology Network

• Queensland
Ms Yunyi Wong (University of Queensland)
ARCNN Young Nanotechnology Ambassador 2007 Report
Yunyi Wong
Eight primary schools in Mount Isa were visited during 18 th -20 th September as part of the ARCNN Young
Nanotechnology Ambassador Program. These visits were conducted with Carl Urbani, one of the six
ATSE Young Science Ambassadors for 2007.
Specific primary schools were chosen to expose students to science. In particular nanotechnology was to
be taught to students at a young age in hope to inspire them to take up science in high school and beyond.
The schools visited were Sunset State School (Years 4 & 5), Happy Valley State School (Years 4 to 7),
Dajarra State School (Years 4 to 7) and Mount Isa Central State School (Years 6 & 7), Townview State
School (Years 6 & 7) and School of the Air (Year 7), Barkly Highway State School (Year 7) and Healy
State School (Year 7). All the schools are in Mount Isa, with the exception of Dajarra State School which
is 150 km south of Mount Isa.
The visit consisted of a presentation on what is science, including its implications and application to daily
lives. There was also an introduction of nanotechnology, with an emphasis of why the nano domain is so
fascinating. The presentation was divided into sections to make the information more enjoyable. This
consisted of interactive demonstrations that helped reinforce the underlying science/ nanotechnology
concept. Both the presentations and demonstrations were structured using items that students relate to.
The concept of nano was discussed using images of everyday items, like scourer pads and ball point pen
tips, that have been magnified to reveal the details that can only be seen in the nanoscale. Various
magnified images of an Australian native bee was also used to enable the students to see in the nanoscale,
the specialised adaptations these bees use to pollinate plants and find flowers.
The demonstrations included visualisation of the DNA extracted from strawberries. Furthermore, a colour
chromatography was used to illustrate the principle of the separation technique employed by DNA
fingerprinting. Both teachers and students were very enthusiastic and asked thought-provoking questions.
The program was carried out mostly as planned in all schools, except at School of the Air due to the
unique nature of the school. School of the Air, Mount Isa, is one of the seven distance education schools
in Queensland. The school itself is physically located in Mount Isa, but lessons are conducted through
teleconferencing to their students as most of them live on stations in a 450 km radius from Mount Isa. At
School of the Air, a ‘chat with scientists’ session was conducted with the students during their science
lesson. It was beneficial to conduct the session with Carl Urbani, as the broad range of scientists from
different disciplines could provide a broader science perspective to the students.
One particular visit that left a lasting impression was Dajarra State School. The school population
comprised of 36 students, with the upper primary years 4-7 made up of a single class of 12 students. They
have fewer resources available to them as compared to the other schools visited, but their students’
enthusiasm for learning was unparallel.
Positive feedback was received from all schools, with comments that the presentation and especially the
demonstrations were fun, interesting, and helpful in introducing students to science and nanotechnology.
The students loved the interactive nature of the demonstrations where they could get their hands ‘dirty’
and perform real experiments. After the visit, follow-up emails were sent to schools to thank them for the
chance to interact with their students. Protocols for several science experiments were also provided to the
teachers, as per requests to be included in their science curriculum the following semester. All schools
were keen to have the future Ambassadors visit.
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