Annual Report 2011-2012.pdf - School of Physics - University of ...

news & events
south oakleigh
secondary school
telescopes in schools
- pilot program
On 17th May 2012, ten students from South Oakleigh
Secondary College with Mr Hem and Mr de la
Rambelya (pictured below) enjoyed another excellent
after school Physics lecture at the University of
Melbourne School of Physics. The lecture was on
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and was delivered by
Professor David Jamieson who is the Head of the
School of Physics. It was a very thought provoking
lecture well -pitched to the secondary school audience.
Professor Jamieson is a dynamic speaker and his
talk was accompanied by excellent demonstrations
assembled by Steven. On the way home in the car
with Year Nine and Ten students, stimulated by David’s
lecture, the discussions were on what it would be like
to travel close to the speed of light, and then moved to
black holes, string theory, loop quantum gravity theory,
what is a scientific theory, the experimental work of
Michael Faraday, and the interplay between theory and
experiment…...
2012 saw the start of the Telescopes in Schools program
initiated by the Astrophysics Group and funded via the HEPPP
scheme.
Throughout the year nine 12” Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain
telescopes were installed in Northwestern suburban and regional
secondary schools. The staff at these schools were provided
with a range of professional development in order to become
proficient in using the telescopes.
Over 50 observing sessions were held, attended by teachers,
students, parents and volunteers from the Astrophysics Group.
More significant though is the numbers of students attending
these observing sessions, which now total in the thousands.
We have also seen the participants in the program grow from
Astronomy and Science experts and enthusiasts to those with a
Photography, French, English, Medical and Business background.
Standout events during the year were the Transit of Venus and
the Solar Eclipse.
Our Year 12 students appreciated greatly the lecture
as they have just completed their study of Einstein’s
Special Theory of Relativity, so the lecture provided an
excellent compliment to what they have learnt in the
classroom and will assist them in doing well in the midyear
exam.
Dr Roger Rassool, and coorganiser of the VCE Physics
Lectures Associate Professor Max Thompson, will soon
be coming to visit us to discuss a Physics Research
project our school will be participating in, which will
involve taking measurements of cosmic ray showers,
synchronised with the measurements being made by
other schools.
12
www.physics.unimelb.edu.au