Galvin Park students, from left, Trey, Daniel and Ashleigh with their wooden bridge. 68331 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By XAVIER SMERDON
STUDENTS from a Werribee high school last week tested their mental strength along with other school kids from around Victoria.
Seventy-five teams of students from 53 schools learnt about engineering as part of Aurecon’s 2011 Bridge Building Competition at Scienceworks.
The national competition, run by Aurecon, an international engineering, management, and specialist technical services company, asked year eight and nine students to build a bridge out of balsa wood, string, cardboard and glue.
Galvin Park Secondary College in Werribee was one of the schools that entered the competition.
Aurecon’s General Manager in Australia and New Zealand, Mr Bill Cox, said the competition taught students about often dry topics in a fun way.
“We believe this event encourages students to take up STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics),” Mr Cox said.
“By encouraging school students today to have fun with these subjects, we are investing in the engineers of tomorrow.”
The event was part of Super Science Month at Scienceworks.
Genevieve Fahey, the manager of Scienceworks, said the month would be about spreading the word about the importance of science.
“Every month at Scienceworks is about enjoying science. However the aim of Super Science Month is to provide a variety of programs for people of all ages and to promote the importance of science in society,” Ms Fahey said.
