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Did you know you could send your child to Mars?

August 07, 2014
This week is Australian Engineering Week. As a GEreports reader we know you probably know the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). There are lots of great programs in Australia right now where the young and young at heart can immerse themselves in the world of science and technology. Here’s our pick of six cool STEM programs that will blow the minds of our future scientists, engineers and innovators. They might just blow your mind, too!

1. Return ticket to Mars please


/></h4><br /> <em>Photo credit: <a href=Victorian Space Science Education Centre

How cool would it be to go to Mars? The Victorian Space Science Education Centre has made it possible with the ‘Mission to Mars’ program where they have replicated the planet Mars. Students are given roles as scientist & engineers in mission control, who must select the most appropriate route, compare the scientific value of site against energy budget and dress up in a space suite!

2. The Physics of Angry Birds


/><br /> <br /> At <a href=Quantum specialist centre, students conduct an experimental investigation of the motion of a projectile using a range of techniques including video analysis. Using this newfound knowledge, students analyse, conjecture and hypothesize about the Physics of Angry Birds. How much fun does that sound?

3. Take this tool kit and build an F1 car


/><br /> <br /> <em>Photo credit: <a href=Re-Engineering Australia Foundation Ltd

Using CAD/CAM software, students collaborate, design, analyse, manufacture, test, and then race miniature compressed air powered balsa wood F1 cars. The F1 in Schools Technology Challenge is the largest secondary school tech program with over 9 million students participating annually. Pretty proud of our Australian school achievements in the national competition. Go Aussies!

4. How fast can your blade turn?


/><br /> <br /> At the state-of-the-art specialty centre <a style=Earth Ed in Victoria, students experiment with blade designs to see how efficiently they generate enough electricity to power a water pump. Students are taught how fast their blade can spin with less torque depending on the number of blades, size of blades and blade pitch.

5. Feel the force of an earthquake


/><br /> <br /> Have you ever felt an earthquake measured 5.6 on the Richter scale? At <a style=Questacon, National Science and Technology centre in Canberra, kids get to enter the ‘Earthquake house’ where they experience the same tremor that happened in Newcastle back in the 1990s.

6. There are no borders here


/><br /> <br /> <em>Photo credit: <a href=Engineers WIthout Borders 

With the Water Filter workshop, Engineers Without Borders teach students that the simple things in life such as clean water, aren’t so simple in other parts of the world. Through various stages, students use basic materials and methods to understand the process of obtaining clean water in less fortunate parts of the world.