12 Apr 2024
This term WBHS have a team of five students participating in the ME Program. The aim of the program is to connect Hunter industry with its future workforce, while increasing students’ awareness of defence industry careers and pathways available to them, and it upskills students in preparation for STEM jobs.
This year there is an exciting new venture -The Defence Industry and Innovation Challenge.
Student Sophie E and teacher Mrs Chawner attended an information evening about the exciting new venture - The Defence Industry and Innovation Challenge. It proved to be an amazing event with a great motivating speaker - Jacob Kleinman who provided a lot of knowledge and information about the first challenge. The WBHS Team consists of Sophie E, Ami B, Riannon A, Morgan S, and Chloe R all from Year 10. The team had several weeks to brainstorm, plan, solve issues and prepare a 10 minute pitch for their idea which was based on marine security in our harbours and oceans. All the students spoke well and did an amazing job presenting their ideas on the big stage in the HSPA Theatre.
WBHS competed against four other schools and although not the winners, they certainly did WBHS proud.
Next, the WBHS team attended ‘Careers for Tech Girls’ where four teams from various schools consisting of five female students worked to identify an issue in their surrounds or local community and had to design a solution to the issue. Industry experts from the Defence Force, UON Nuclear Medicine students and ANSTO acted as mentors for the students while they innovated a solution. Students and mentors then discussed STEM careers and educational pathways. At the end of the workshop, the students presented their ideas and pitched to a panel of judges comprised of the industry experts.
WBHS were hosted by HI-VIS at Carrington, where we were given a tour of the facilities. The manager was the person who invented the flashing school signs. They also make a lot of the road signs used in NSW and all of Australia.
Then we were spoken to by representatives from ANSTO (Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology), at Lucas Heights in Sydney. They showed us the capabilities of OPAL the multi-purpose reactor. Our challenge was to show how nuclear medicine is different to nuclear propulsion (as in nuclear submarines). It was a very interesting and informative day, and everyone learnt many new things about Nuclear Science and its uses.
See more photos from this very interesting program by clicking here.