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School
student's Day in University
Carmen
Ho of Kingsgrove North High School.
The
Day
On 12th April 2006, I, Carmen Ho a student from Kingsgrove
North High School participated in a “World-Wide Day in Science
(WWDS)” program held at the University of New South Wales.
I was accompanied by three other Year 10 and 11 students –
Belinda Nguyen, Un-Ai Jo and Rob Liu.
The aim of WWDS was for each of us to shadow a UNSW student
for the day and to have a thorough understanding of what science
really is like. We had to jot down notes and observe the life
of science, especially in University life.
When we arrived, we were greeted by the director of the Science
Program Will Rifkin. Doctor Will’s memorable quote of the
day:
“Scientists are not allowed to giggle.” =]
We, the four students, were separated into two different groups
– Rob and Belinda followed Arthur; Un-Ai and I followed Meagan.
Firstly, Meagan gave Un-Ai and I a quick tour around the Science-related
areas of the campus. We visited the computer rooms, a lab
room and the library.
At 11am we set off for our first destination – the lecture
on “Physiology”. The lecture was led by Lesley Ulman and she
talked about the pulses of the muscles and the pumping of
the heart or something to do with it.
It would’ve been interesting for me but the terms that were
used were very long and complicated, and I don’t understand
it. One very interesting I found out about was that it has
been theoretically proven that even if the heart was removed
from the human body, the heartbeat can still be maintained.
After the lecture, we went back to Doctor Will Rifkin’s little
office and Belinda decided to follow Meagan while Un-Ai, Rob
and I followed a new mentor Mitchell, along with Arthur. Mitch
took us for a walk we visited and saw places such as the physic
labs, and interesting features such as the room with the photonics
– holograms.
Some other interesting features we spotted along the way include:
-Sundial- it’s a huge clock where you read the time depending
on the shadow of the hands of the clock.
So in other words, the time is read by the shadow of the hands,
not the hands itself.
-A reflection optical image thing- written below in the picture.
Our tour of all those interesting features which I found really
amazing came to an end and we headed back to one of the food
courts to have lunch. $20 for each person was provided to
buy our lunch.
The day was coming to an end. It was a day filled with Science,
a lot of science, how University life was like, experiencing
how the lectures/tutorials were like. Even though most of
the terms used in the lectures were very difficult to understand,
I found it enjoyable shadowing Meagan for half the day and
then regrouping with the others and got the opportunity to
see so many interesting facts of science that exist in UNSW.
The day was coming to an end. It was a day filled with Science,
a lot of science, how University life was like, experiencing
how the lectures/tutorials were like. Even though most of
the terms used in the lectures were very difficult to understand,
I found it enjoyable shadowing Meagan for half the day and
then regrouping with the others and got the opportunity to
see so many interesting facts of science that exist in UNSW.
Interview with Meagan
Un-Ai and I had the opportunity to shadow Meagan for the day
and we decided to interview her and asked her a few questions
about herself, UNSW and of course, Science! Here is a brief
outline of how our interview went.
Us: What subjects did you choose to study in Year 11 and 12
that might’ve led you to where you are today?
M: I studied subjects such as: Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology,
PDHPE, Art and English. I loved all of the scientific subjects.
Us: Is this your first year in university?
M: Well, UNSW is actually my first university because this
seemed to be my only option for my desired course.
Us: Now, onto university life – Are you allowed to walk in
and out whenever you like during a tutorial/lecture?
M: For lectures it is not compulsory so you can come and go
as you like. But as for tutorials, a roll is marked and 80%
attendance is required for a pass.
Us: Is university putting a lot of pressure on you and is
it stressing you out?
M: As much stress as you put on yourself, independent learning
is necessary, which means if you want to learn and pass your
course you must put extra effort inside and outside of university.
Us: So Meagan, tell us a bit about your course, Science Communication.
M: I’m learning basically how the body operates on a micro,
micro level. For example, the metabolic pathways form glucose
breakdown which create ATP, and exactly how the electrical
signals in the body produce heart beat. I’m also studying
the methods of teaching and explaining to others how and why
we store information in our minds.
Us: What are your future plans?
M: I’m interested in working at a Pharmaceutical Company which
probably would involve marketing, pubic relations and team
building.
That was just a shortened interview we had with Meagan, aiming
to ease the atmosphere a bit and get familiar with each other.
My opinions
World-Wide Day in Science was actually quite a valuable experience
for me. I believed it was a once in a lifetime opportunity
to shadow university students studying different areas of
science. I got to experience exactly what university life
was like, and it helped me greatly in deciding the courses
I want to study. WWDS made my future pathway seem a bit clearer
since I received a better understanding of what science is
really like in university.
I think they should continue with this program and give many
more high school students a chance to have the experience
that I did on the day. Now, I am even surer and figured that
I should do Psychology when I attend university. I enjoyed
it even though some things there were quite boring and you
get exhausted due to the size of UNSW!
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