Throughout this immersive experience, our students eagerly delved into three captivating workshops, each offering a unique facet of scientific exploration.
In Term 3, our Year 10 cohort embarked on an exhilarating excursion to Murdoch University. This day was a delightful blend of scientific discovery, marvelling at the intricacies of the world, and the fellowship that came from spending time together.
Throughout this immersive experience, our students eagerly delved into three captivating workshops, each offering a unique facet of scientific exploration. These workshops were centred around the captivating realms of forensic investigation, medical pathology, and anatomy.
In the realm of medical pathology, our budding scientists were entrusted with the task of scrutinising a healthy blood sample and juxtaposing it against samples from afflicted patients. This challenge required them to don the hat of a diagnostician, attempt to identify the ailments that plagues individuals.
Remarkably, many students rose to the occasion and correctly pinpointed three distinct diseases: Leukaemia, sickle cell anaemia, and viral infections. It was an eye-opening experience for our students and a glimpse into the world of medical research.
In the forensic investigation workshop, students were presented with a complex mystery. The workshop involved a forensic case, replete with enigmatic clues such as blood DNA traits, shoe prints, and cryptic messages revealed only under UV light. They decoded puzzles and raced against time to unlock a series of break-out boxes. They cracked the forensic mystery within the allotted time – what an accomplishment!
The highlight of the excursion was the anatomy museum. Students were greeted with an assortment of skeletal remains and challenged to identify the creatures to which the bones once belonged. Students encountered a myriad of awe-inspiring exhibits, including a vast network of lung blood vessels and intricate organs from various body systems.
They had the rare privilege of touching an air-dried horse lung – a slightly disconcerting experience but served as a vivid testament to the wisdom and magnificence of our Creator in crafting intricate bodily systems.
Beyond the workshops, our students relished the opportunity for fellowship during the breaks and basked on the sun-dappled grassy lawn. In reflection, we acknowledged God for blessing us with a memorable day of scientific exploration and fellowship, and we thanked the Murdoch Uni outreach staff who conducted the workshops.
Here are some reflections from our students:
“I am thankful for the opportunity to go to Murdoch to learn about the biology opportunities they offer. I thought the escape room was a cool idea. I learnt about sickle-cell and leukaemia.” – Zia Thyer
“Seeing the anatomy of animals, organs and blood under a microscope was cool. I’m thankful for the PhD students for running the workshops. I learnt what different human organs looked like under a microscope. The day was great, especially the bubble tea at lunch.” – Aaron Lau
“Everything we did was cool. I was thankful to the Murdoch staff that set up activities for us; it wasn’t only educational, but enjoyable too! I learnt about blood cells, different aspects of forensic sciences and anatomy of animals. Even though I’m not usually interested in biology sciences, I found this to be an amazing experience and would jump to do again!” Nadia Hadisuseno
“Today was interesting and fun. The murder mystery was the coolest. I’m fascinated with forensics and criminology. I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience this, like the dissected horse and other animal species up close. I’m thankful for the educational guidance the staff from our school provided and the leaders that taught us in the uni. I learnt many cool facts like how a prey’s eyes are located at the side and not at the front like a predator’s eyes.” – Kayla Santoso
“It was cool to check out a university campus and the atmosphere. It’s helpful. It’s also cool to see some possible career options. Excursions are a great way to learn!” – André Burger
“I think today was awesome. I learnt many new things, particularly at the museum with skeletons and animal bone structures. As someone who has been interested in criminology, the murder mystery solving, cracking clues and locks for the box was super fun! I’m glad that I was given the opportunity to learn more about God’s wondrous creations :D” – Lovenia Anggadjaja
