Science and Engineering Challenge 

Our top Science students from Year 9 and 10 recently travelled to Saint Stephen’s College to compete in the South-East division of the Science and Engineering Challenge. Students worked in teams of three or four to devise strategies to solve problems related to the varied and practical elements of a career in science and engineering. The hands-on activities ranged from designing a suspension buddy to carry cargo on the undulating surface of Mars, to constructing a water turbine capable of generating the greatest amount of power. 

Each completed activity earnt points for the school’s team, with the day culminating in a competition of the strongest suspension bridge. Our bridge was the strongest of the day, withstanding a trolly weight of an incredible 4kg, putting Somerset on top of the points tally. We came away as the Science and Engineering Champions for South East Queensland for Day 1 of the Competition.

Unfortunately, our score was not high enough to beat the winners on Day 2 who will now compete in the State Challenge. Meanwhile, we are looking ahead to 2023 and already practicing some of the challenges in Science Club. Students involved must be congratulated on there incredible teamwork and lateral thinking – they presented themselves as wonderful representatives of our College.

RACI Titration Competition

The annual RACI (Royal Australian Chemistry Institute) Titration Competition is a highlight on the Science Committee calendar and this year we entered the largest number of teams yet. Titration is an Analytical Chemistry technique used to determine the concentration of an unknown solution. It is used in almost all branches of Chemistry and is actually used quite commonly in everyday life, for example, wine making and water testing in swimming pools is based on titrations. The goal of the competition is to determine the exact number of moles of an unknown substance. It is a test of accuracy, precision and patience. Students with the least error in their final value are the most successful. While all students showed commitment to their training this year and developed expertise in the technique, there were a few students who excelled. 

Congratulations to the following students:
Lael Jeon – Credit
Jaden Lee – Credit
Lillian Tan – Credit
Eden Dovrat – High Distinction

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