Four local high school students from Daramalan College, Dickson, ACT: Alexandra Dun, Jordan Hamilton, Ned Hirst and Kathryn Wiggins, have been selected to attend the University of Sydney’s Science Gifted and Talented Discovery Program three day workshop on 16-18 July.
Alexandra, Jordan, Ned and Kathryn will join 59 other talented science students in Year 9 and 10 from around NSW and ACT on campus at the University of Sydney to do fun hands-on workshops and lectures in biology, chemistry and physics.
The University of Sydney’s Science Gifted and Talented Discovery Program entrance exam was sat by 1633 students from 101 schools, with only the top 10% of students invited to the workshop.
“Students get the chance to discover the different areas of science and get involved with hands-on activities that they wouldn’t normally cover in school through the University of Sydney’s Gifted and Talented Discovery Program,” said Louise Freys, Assistant Marketing Manager, Faculty of Science.
“Fun activities such as using biotechnology to identify human individuals, analysing animal behaviour to investigate flight in insects, playing with light and optics, making slime, working with thermochemistry and creating resorcinol polymers are on offer – students love it!”
The University of Sydney’s Science Gifted and Talented Discovery Program has been running since 1996 and has had over 1 300 students participate since its inception.
“As well as challenging talented science students with the activities, the program gives students an insight into studying science at university and as a possible career. They get to meet scientists who work at the university and find out about cutting edge research,” said Louise.
“They also meet and become friends with other students who are interested in science, so it’s a great social experience as well.”
The program runs twice a year for three days, in the July and October school holiday period.
