Kids' S.T.E.M. Convention 2017 by Zoe
This year at the University of Queensland the Kids' S.T.E.M. Convention was held once again. The Convention's purpose was to encourage students to select S.T.E.M. courses for high school or university. It has three stages: Inspiration, Investigation and Celebration. We are currently on inspiration. Our school sent 12 year 6’s: Tim, Kyle, William, Naveen, Henry, Kristie, Lakshi, Rachel, Kaitlyn, Felicity, Maddison and me (Zoe).
Firstly, at the Hawken Engineering Building, we had a keynote speaker speaking named Taj Pabari. From a suspended schoolboy to a social pioneer, Taj is a 17 year old entrepreneur and was the Winner of the Australian Young Innovator of the Year for 2017. When he was just 11, he'd already started working in business with an electronic blogging site for children, by children with over 500 000 hits each day. Taj said that he had founded a social enterprise called 56 Creations and went on to explain that his goal is to provide opportunities in more rural areas. He and the staff use a build-it-yourself tablet to teach children about the inside workings of a tablet. Everyone was listening intently. When it was near the end of the talk, he gave us a Q and A.
After the keynote address by Taj Pabari, we all went to our separate workshops. Then at 11 am, we had our morning tea in the Natural Amphitheatre. The group that I was in arrived a little later than expected, so we didn't get to enjoy the full beauty of the Natural Amphitheatre. We were served a bottle of juice (apple or orange), a fruit (apple or mandarin) and some biscuits.
Not long after, we went back to the Hawken Engineering Building to hear another keynote speaker speak. This keynote speaker's name was Dr Rob Bell, and he once hosted on the TV show ‘Scope’. Dr Rob Bell said that people often ask him the question, ‘Are you really a doctor?’ He said that it depends on the type of doctor the person means. There are 2 types of doctors. If it is the one that treats your illnesses, then no, but if it's the one that holds the highest university degree than yes. Dr Rob told us that his first experiment was in grade 6 where his class was testing which plants produce the most water. About a year ago, he stopped doing Scope and is starting to write books involving science. He has already written two books.
Once again we went to our separate workshops until 1:30 pm and went to lunch. For lunch we were served sandwiches (ham or salami), muffins (chocolate or blueberry) and fruit. It was also held in the Natural Amphitheatre. Our lunch time was extended until 2:15 pm because of a fire drill.
Some schools had to leave earlier to catch their buses and missed the final part of the day. A man named Grant Smith explained the criteria of the competition. It has 3 entry categories: Technology and Design, Digital and Science. He explained to us that the next step was investigation. After the closing session, everyone went back to their schools.
Comment by Mr Richardson
Zoe, Thanks so much for sharing your special day with 6A. The day at the University of Queensland was a very valuable experience to inspire the students. The students will now undertake an eight week investigation related to Sustainability. Findings will be showcased by groups at the end of term 3 at the Queensland Academy. It is a significant undertaking by all of the students but will be a terrific learning experience. Zoe and Henry are representing 6A in the program. There are also some great pictures in the Photo Gallery.
Firstly, at the Hawken Engineering Building, we had a keynote speaker speaking named Taj Pabari. From a suspended schoolboy to a social pioneer, Taj is a 17 year old entrepreneur and was the Winner of the Australian Young Innovator of the Year for 2017. When he was just 11, he'd already started working in business with an electronic blogging site for children, by children with over 500 000 hits each day. Taj said that he had founded a social enterprise called 56 Creations and went on to explain that his goal is to provide opportunities in more rural areas. He and the staff use a build-it-yourself tablet to teach children about the inside workings of a tablet. Everyone was listening intently. When it was near the end of the talk, he gave us a Q and A.
After the keynote address by Taj Pabari, we all went to our separate workshops. Then at 11 am, we had our morning tea in the Natural Amphitheatre. The group that I was in arrived a little later than expected, so we didn't get to enjoy the full beauty of the Natural Amphitheatre. We were served a bottle of juice (apple or orange), a fruit (apple or mandarin) and some biscuits.
Not long after, we went back to the Hawken Engineering Building to hear another keynote speaker speak. This keynote speaker's name was Dr Rob Bell, and he once hosted on the TV show ‘Scope’. Dr Rob Bell said that people often ask him the question, ‘Are you really a doctor?’ He said that it depends on the type of doctor the person means. There are 2 types of doctors. If it is the one that treats your illnesses, then no, but if it's the one that holds the highest university degree than yes. Dr Rob told us that his first experiment was in grade 6 where his class was testing which plants produce the most water. About a year ago, he stopped doing Scope and is starting to write books involving science. He has already written two books.
Once again we went to our separate workshops until 1:30 pm and went to lunch. For lunch we were served sandwiches (ham or salami), muffins (chocolate or blueberry) and fruit. It was also held in the Natural Amphitheatre. Our lunch time was extended until 2:15 pm because of a fire drill.
Some schools had to leave earlier to catch their buses and missed the final part of the day. A man named Grant Smith explained the criteria of the competition. It has 3 entry categories: Technology and Design, Digital and Science. He explained to us that the next step was investigation. After the closing session, everyone went back to their schools.
Comment by Mr Richardson
Zoe, Thanks so much for sharing your special day with 6A. The day at the University of Queensland was a very valuable experience to inspire the students. The students will now undertake an eight week investigation related to Sustainability. Findings will be showcased by groups at the end of term 3 at the Queensland Academy. It is a significant undertaking by all of the students but will be a terrific learning experience. Zoe and Henry are representing 6A in the program. There are also some great pictures in the Photo Gallery.