What does DNA stand for? Who invented the first battery? How much of the Earth is covered by ocean?
Questions like these will test the science knowledge of WA students participating in Murdoch University’s Scintillating Science Quiz Competition as part of National Science Week 2023 (12-20 August).
More than 4,500 Western Australian high school students from 29 metropolitan and regional secondary schools will participate - competing against peers and vying for some great prizes. The Murdoch team behind the project will deliver a mammoth 77 quizzes delivered both face-to-face and online over the month of August.
Murdoch Outreach Officer Dr Anna Pryor said the Scintillating Science Quiz was aimed at Year 9 and 10 students.
“The quiz is all about engaging high school students, testing their knowledge and showcasing science as relevant to our everyday lives,” she said.
“While the quiz is great fun, there is serious intent behind it. Society is being transformed by innovations in science and technology, but fewer higher school students are studying in these areas.
“We want students to understand that science is not only an extraordinarily diverse and fascinating field but offers great career prospects. The Scintillating Science Quiz Competition is just one way to do this.”
Last year, Melville Senior High School won the metropolitan competition and Georgiana Molloy Anglican School in Busselton won the regional competition. In addition to in-class merchandise for the winners, the overall winners of the metropolitan and regional competitions will win a performance of Murdoch University’s new Science Show, with the regional winner also receiving financial support to assist in travel to Perth.
Dr Pryor said a key element of the Scintillating Science Quiz was its accessibility, reflecting the University’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion: “Students from regional and remote areas can miss out on participating in educational, interactive and fun activities during National Science Week, simply due to where they live.
“The quiz format allows for far greater accessibility - regardless of location - and this is reflected in the high level of engagement we get from regional schools.”
In other National Science Week activities, high school students will face off at the WA Robotics Playoffs on Saturday, 26 August and Sunday, 27 August.
The event is a collaboration between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development with Murdoch and Curtin universities. Open to the public, spectators are welcome to attend the playoffs for free, however tickets are essential and can be booked online.
Coordinator Dr David Berryman said school teams were provided with a basic robotics kit and instructions. They were then challenged to build the best robot possible in the allotted time.
And Murdoch University PhD candidate, manta ray researcher Rachel Newsome will feature at the Anti-conference: Innovation, Inspiration, Intelligence on Saturday, August 12 at the WA Museum, which has a range of interactive workshops, quizzes, and debates on offer.
National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology, with more than 1,000 events hosted throughout the country.