Students use Glass to see Science at Work

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology, held this year from 13th to 21st August in events all across Australia. It was also marked with immersive and inclusive learning activities at Riverside ESC.

Established in 1997, National Science Week provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of Australian scientists to the world of knowledge. Another of its aims is to encourage younger people to be fascinated by the world we live in. And so it was that our students embraced this national school-based theme of “Glass: More than meets the eye’.

The theme derives from the UN International Year of Glass. It will celebrate the many roles that glass plays in our lives – from phone screens to optical fibre to glassware in labs – plus investigating glass as a part of our sustainable future. It was a delight to see our students so engaged with this topic.

Our students:

1. examined glass recycling and how Australia is moving towards a more circular economy (reusing and making things out of previously used glass), as opposed to a linear economy (using an item once then discarding it).

2. viewed a video from the CSIRO titled “So, what is glass?” 

3. viewed a video prepared by Chrysler Museum of Art titled “Glass Blowing at the Chrysler Museum“

These interesting and accessible videos introduced our students to the world of glass from both the utilitarian and creative perspectives. In particular, the Chrysler video showed some extremely talented artists making things from glass, aspects of the equipment required, how risk was managed, what equipment is needed to work with glass and more. 

Students were then challenged to design and create a simulated stained-glass window to display in their classrooms. From our smallest kindergarten students to our graduating Year Sixers, everyone showed amazing creativity with their designs, concentration and fine motor skills as evidenced by the photographs below.