School students from around the district joined together for the annual Science and Engineering Challenge.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Each year Goulburn Mulwaree Council teams up with Rotary Goulburn to put together a day of testing the science and analytical skills of high school students from around the district.
ALSO READ:
Rotary Goulburn volunteer and event organiser Justin Kell said he was excited to be taking part in another year of science, technology, engineering and mathematics [STEM] related competition.
"I've been a part of Rotary for around a decade but sort of threw myself into this event in particular around 2016," Mr Kell said.
This year saw more than twice the amount of volunteers of last year with more than 30 members of Rotary from Yass, Goulburn, Crookwell and Bowral spending their day assisting students with the challenges as well as providing a meal for all attendees.
Mr Kell credited their volunteer Carol James for putting in the hard yards when it came to catering for the day.
"She headed out to Costco and brought back muffins and juice which has certainly energised the kids," Mr Kell said.
Mr Kell who is a surveyor by trade said that he recognised the importance of events like these to spark an interest in the field of engineering.
"Society needs young engineers and I think this challenge is a great way to get them interested and excited about their future in the industry," Mr Kell said.
The Science and Engineering Challenge is an outreach program aimed at changing the perceptions of students of science and engineering as courses of study and more importantly as career opportunities and guiding them into the STEM study streams.
The event consisted of six schools from across the district to test their science and engineering skills across eight different activities.
Mr Kell said that was great to see so many students so excited to take part in the annual event.
"We ask about eight schools each year to join and this year we have six schools that have come together, which is great to see," Mr Kell said.
Year Nine and 10 students from Yass, Murrumburrah, Crookwell, Braidwood, Goulburn and Boorowa all attended the event with a limit of 32 students, the attendees were excited to spend their day putting their skills to the test.
The day kicked off at 8am at the Veolia Arena at the Goulburn Recreation Centre with Mr Kell saying that the recent location change had been a blessing.
"We had a few years at a different location but having this one becoming available has made things a lot easier," said Mr Kell.
Mr Kell expressed his gratitude for the sponsors that made the day possible.
"Goulburn Mulwaree Council is always so good to us, Engineers Australia has helped out a lot and so has the Institute of Surveyors as well as Gunlake Quarries," he said.
At the end of a six hour day of inventing and thinking, the final prize went to the students of Yass High school with 32 students showing up for the day.
The challenge will be taking place again next year to further educate and inspire the future engineers of Australia.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
