Over the past 12 months, our current HSC Science Extension students have been working under the expert eye of Ms Kristen Mantellato, along with mentors from UNSW, Sydney University and Macquarie University, to undertake and complete an independent project on an area of their choosing.

They have been challenged to interrogate and refine their ideas about science through:

• analysis of historic and cultural observations
• analysis of significant scientific research
• considering ethical frameworks and philosophical arguments

The quality of the investigations undertaken this year has been exceptional and is testament to the hard work of the individual students, their mentors and Ms Mantellato. The boys explored a variety of unique and varied investigation questions, employing skills and techniques that they have developed throughout their HSC Science courses, along with using a variety of data collecting tools, engaged with and learning new analytical skills, modelling skills and communication forms to produce their final report.

The themes of each of the Research Projects are below, click to view:

• Alternative antibacterial treatments  – Christopher Dodds
• Practical study on electrolyte concentration in Sport Drinks impact – Archie Hamilton
• A Glimpse into the future of agriculture with hyperspectral imaging – Lachlan Pacholek Murphy
• Finding Morphine’s Sweet Spot – A meta-analysis – Juan Jose Rodriguez Caldas
• Computational Fluid Analysis of Synthetic Shuttlecock  – Cameron Woodruff