ARTHUR SUN ( YEAR 9 ), CHRISTOPHER LIM ( YEAR 8 ), WITTER ONGARRA ( YEAR 7 ), GEVIN KANKANAMALAGE ( YEAR 7 )
genuine interest , not just something which they thought prevalent or vaguely important .
The essay was , to say the least , challenging , especially given the time at which students had to submit their essays : in the middle of exams and other testing in schools . I realised that the competition demanded that students balance their schoolwork with extracurricular commitments , but given the length of the task ( a 2000-word essay ), it also implied that students had an authentic passion for their topic . Otherwise , they would have had neither the time nor motivation to complete a task of such academic rigour .
SCIENCE , TECHNOLOGY , INFORMATICS
Australian Cancer High School Competition ( masterclasses and project ) – Shane Gan ( Year 10 ) The Australian High School Cancer Masterclass Series , accompanied by the cancer competition and research project , has furthered my own personal knowledge of this terrible and devastating disease . During the lecture series , I became aware of the widespread prevalence of cancer , and its effect on the lives of our friends and families .
Despite lockdowns , through numerous online interactive resources we were able to extend our scientific understanding further , and to be shown the intricate workings of this devastating disease and its ability to evade our modern day scientists . While the core of the cancer masterclasses derived biomedical knowledge from traditional lectures and textbooks , the cancer research project allowed us to delve further into a specialised area of research that has begun in an attempt to cure cancer .
This project was an opportunity for students to draw inspiration from past scientists and to conduct their own investigative explorations into humanity ’ s race to find a solution to the rising cancer epidemic . As a consequence of this program , I have gained a new appreciation for advanced medical cancer research in Australia , and feel inspired to follow in the footsteps of the many great Australian scientists before me .
Overall , I found this program to be a very enjoyable learning experience , and I walked out of it knowing a lot more about AI and technology than I did previously . I would definitely recommend this program and will participate again next year .
Informatics , Coding and Linguistics – Arthur Sun ( Year 9 )
Informatics is the study of coding for often everyday situations . This has grown via mentor programs and maths-related electives . Recently a few Scotch boys have received invitations to the Informatics School of Excellence , which is a prestigious camp held in December by the Australian Maths Trust , where young , talented informaticians come together and share ideas .
In Term 4 linguistics training has resumed . This is an activity where we study foreign languages – mostly unknown to us – and decode them by finding patterns in texts .
CSIRO Bebras Challenge – Christopher Lim ( Year 8 )
During this year ’ s pandemic , the CSIRO Bebras Challenge , which involves problem solving and computational thinking was a source of inspiration . The questions explored areas including algorithms , pattern recognition and modelling . Students had 45 minutes to complete the test , and this year the challenge was competed online .
Microsoft Artificial Intelligence for Good – Witter Onggara ( Year 7 )
Earlier this year , I teamed up with Joseph Pan ( Year 7 ) to participate in this competition , which involves creating an innovative AI idea . This competition required us to dream up an idea which we then developed , considering innovations in technology as well as the ethics of AI , which included issues such as reliability and transparency .
Our idea had to fall into one of four categories : AI for Earth , which focuses on the environment ; AI for Accessibility , which focuses on improving conditions for people with disabilities ; AI for Humanitarian Action , which focuses on disaster recovery and human rights ; and AI
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