Tree Planting Party
Jessie Lineham of Invercargill is now entering
the second phase of her Gold CREST project. After her preliminary
testing of her stream, over many months, she decided to look at whether
adding more riparian planting will improve the water quality.
The problem for Jessie was how to get all the planting completed on a
in a short space of time and with limited money. Like all Gold
students Jessie is very resourceful so she approached her old school,
St John’s Girls’ School, and her consultants Environment Southland to
see if they would like to be involved. St John’s is an
Enviroschool so they were delighted to give her a hand and Environment
Southland were able to provide the all the required plants. The
only glitch was that the Southland weather was not kind, but the 110
km/h winds did not deter th
em and a team of girls planted 175 plants in 1
and ½ hours. An excellent effort from the team and good use of
resources by Jessie.
Over the summer break she will keep testing her stream to see if the
planting makes a difference. We will look forward to her findings
in the New Year.
Our First Team Gold CREST…
On Monday 15 August 2005, three girls from Palmerston
North
Girls’ High School premiered their new documentary re:generation,
an in-depth look at the leisure options for local teenagers, at
Downtown Rialto Cinema, Palmerston North.
The Team Gold Girls at the premiere conferring with
film expert assessor Ed Davis, of 'underbelly'
The premiere, before an invited audience was the
culmination of an 18-month project designed to research, analyse and
present the findings of an investigation billed as ‘a finger on the
pulse of teenage opinion on the city’. Rosie Keane, Ellen Jones,
and Victoria McLennon, all aged seventeen, created the documentary
to voice youth opinions to community influencers. re:generation asks
the question – ‘Are the local youth satisfied with what the city
provides? If not, why not, and how can we change that?’”
re:generation has been submitted for Gold Team
CREST, a national award not attempted before. Victoria says to get Gold
Team CREST, “…would be a particularly great achievement for the team
because ours is not the classic CREST project.”
Rosie explains, “CREST stands for Creativity in Science
and Technology. Many people achieve CREST awards with science-fair type
projects. Our project focuses on our creative talents, using film
technology to address an issue relevant to us and teenagers around us.”
Project consultant Dr. Heather Meikle says, “CREST
students are required to demonstrate creativity, perseverance and
determination. Victoria, Rosie and Ellen have shown all these qualities
in creating re:generation and have raised valid and important
community issues through the project.”
Update on Gold:
NavBot: An indoor
navigation system
Matthew Richardson of The Manurewa High School is one of
our new Gold CREST students for 2005. Matthew has a keen interest in
things robotic and his choice of CREST projects reflects this. For his
Silver CREST he conquered the age-old problem of having to mow the
lawns with the invention of a robotic lawn mower.
Ever wondered what a major limitation of GPS is? Well,
Matthew has and it is of course the fact that is does not work indoors.
This fact got Matthew interested on working on a system that would work
indoors. Think of the applications! You could direct a robot around a
warehouse to collect goods or you could invent a see-eye robot to help
people with limited sight navigate unknown indoor environments…
Matthew is using skills in mathematics, robot building
and computer programming to develop a working prototype. We can’t tell
you how he intends to solve this problem right now, but watch this
space to see what this bright young man will come up with!
Benson Chen Proves Old Fashioned Pharmacy is
Still Alive
Benson
spends a lot of time with plants, New
Zealand Native Plants to be precise, but is it not because he is a keen
gardener. The truth is that Benson, a Year 13 Student at Howick College
, is combining his extensive knowledge of science and technology to
develop a medicinal product based on Maori plant and herbal medicine.
This product would be to treat minor skin aliments and he hopes it will
earn him a Gold CREST award early next year.
An extremely challenging undertaking this project
involves two major pieces of work. First will be the identification and
extraction of the active ingredients from plants used traditionally by
Maori to treat minor skin aliments. Secondly he will work with a local
cosmetics manufacturer and attempt to develop a natural cream or lotion
containing the active material.
By the end of August Benson had made great progress with
the extraction of the active ingredients from tarata, kawakawa
and patete and tested them in the lab. This work earned him a
category prize in his local science fair. Next he will move into the
product development phase of the project.
As with all good technologies there needs to be a
consumer. In this case it is Benson’s mum who will benefit if this
project is successful. The downside to this is that she must be the
guinea pig for all of the product testing, so CREST hopes that it does
not take too many prototypes to perfect!
Benson Chen’s Gold CREST Project:
Ethnopharmacology, Entheology and Biotechnology –
Application of traditional techniques to solve new
problems, and preserve ancient knowledge.
Aim, Need and Opportunity :
The purpose of this investigation is to apply
traditional Maori plant and herbal medicines (Nga Rongao) to produce a
natural product which can be used as an alternative to modern medicine.
This will be done by looking at the ways in which Maori and early
settlers to New Zealand used the native flora for its medicinal
properties, and developing it into a cream or lotion suitable to sell
and use, in an ongoing production process (a hypothetical outcome).
2004
Gold CREST award winner
Steven McCabe’s project…
Steven’s hugely successful and impressive project
consisted of a Remotely Operated Vessel (ROV) which is a prototype
designed to perform hull inspections on boats to look for hull damage,
hidden contraband and the leakage of contaminates such as oil or other
chemicals into the water. The ROV is also useful for search and
recovery.
Steven has now completed his degree at Waikato
University studying Electronics.
Magpies
Beware!
If you are a magpie I suggest that you keep away from the
rural area of Hiwinui, near Palmerston North. Nick Williams, a Year 8
student at Hiwinui School, has recently designed a magpie trap for his
Bronze CREST award.
He started his project, as do all good designers, by
drawing several designs. Once he had settled on the most feasible one
he made a model. This allowed him to consider various construction
issues. Lastly the trap was constructed out of treated pine and chicken
wire.
The trick to this design is the mechanism that trips the
door once the magpie is inside. This posed the first problem that Nick
has to solve. He was going to use a typical opossum trap design where
the bird would pull at the bait and cause the door to shut. Sounds
great, but magpies have no teeth so it would not work. Instead Nick
made a small platform that worked on the weight of the bird to trip the
door. Very ingenious!
During the testing phase Nick found that the door was
prone to catching on the long grass so a modification was required to
lift the trap slightly with an extra piece of wood and allow the door
to shut. He also had to complete some modifications to get the lock
mechanism to work.
To ensure success the trap is painted green (to blend in
with the landscape) and set with mutton flaps, hard boiled eggs and
bread. Nick uses a decoy to attract the magpies to the area.
Feedback
from Gold CREST Recipient Roseanne Coulter
“The most
important thing is that doing CREST gave me the opportunity to learn
outside the classroom. I was able to undertake hands-on research that
was real. This meant I was learning important geology principles
because they were right there in front of my face. I took this process
for granted until I completed that process and looked back to realise
all the new ideas I had learned. I did all this and still had FUN!”
So what is different about CREST?
“It is
self-motivated and you get involved with a great bunch of people who
are really interested and keen in what you are doing. Completing this
project is one of my most satisfying achievements.”
Consultant…
“My
consultant was Dr Clel Wallace. He was very enthusiastic about geology
and always made time to see me and discuss issues. It was his friendly
manner, his wonderful way of teaching, and the fact that he respected
my desire to learn that gave me a really solid base for this project.”
Supervising Teacher…
“Dr Heather
Meikle was my support. She was there to help when things did not go
right the first time. She helped me learn new skills, such as how to
write a scientific report. Her sense of humour and patience and her
belief in my ability to finish were all important to my successful
completion of the CREST project.”
Expert Assessor…
“Dr Julie
Palmer was a great secondary source of support. She provided important
contacts when needed and then put me through a rigorous examination. I
was learning right to the end and the fact that she treated me like a
real researcher at the final assessment, rather than a school kid, was
great. I felt like I really had something to offer.”
Why Roseanne thinks others should get involved in CREST…
“Get
involved in CREST so that you can have the experience that I have had.
This is a challenge and a chance to share your knowledge with someone
who really wants to learn. Don’t think of it as something that is going
to use up your valuable time but something that is going to enrich it.
Give it a go – you will never regret it.”
The
Expert Assessor - Julie Palmer
Soil
and Earth Science Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey
University
What the Expert Assessor said about CREST…
“What
impressed me about the whole CREST process was the opportunity that the
students have to develop real skills that will be helpful throughout
their lives. Firstly the student needs to design and plan a project.
During the course of the project they have to develop a realistic time
frame and manage their time to achieve the goals in a timely fashion.
Lastly, CREST develops communication skills of various forms, from
being capable of presenting information to a small discussion group; to
writing and compiling a comprehensive report; to presenting the study
in a public seminar.
Why did the
Expert Assessor become involved in CREST?
“Science
plays a crucial role in our day-to-day lives, from the vehicles we
drive to work, to the food we eat, to the music we relax to.
Unfortunately, too many young people are shying away from science. They
have yet to see it as the key to the future – their future – the
nation’s future, the future of this planet and beyond. However, every
so often a young person comes along who wants to delve more deeply into
some aspect of science. This is how I became involved with CREST.
Doctors Heather Meikle (Palmerston North Girls High School) and Clel
Wallace (Institute of Natural
Resources, Massey University) were
working with a student who was fascinated by geology and the secrets
the rocks held. She was busy in her ‘spare time’ mapping an area of
rocks near Palmerston North. I was asked to be the project assessor.
What was it
like to work with such a young student?
“The
guidelines used by the CREST students are designed to help the
individual student develop planning, time management and organisational
skills as the project progresses. Confidence is built up with the
requirement of the student to present an outline of the project orally
with support documentation. I came away from my first meeting with
Roseanne Coulter feeling positive about the student and her approach to
the project she had chosen. We met on several occasions throughout the
project. On one occasion, Clel and I accompanied her into the field to
take a closer look at the rocks she was working with. This provided the
opportunity for me to assess her comprehension and familiarity with her
field area. It was also an invaluable opportunity to have a discussion
about what might be happening in the rock succession and make
suggestions about where she could go to find additional information
that might prove helpful. Roseanne was very receptive to input into the
project. She also showed initiative, such as seeking professional
assistance when it came to identification of the numerous fossil
assemblages she collected.”
“The project
was finally written up as a comprehensive report and a science fair
poster display, the first of which was circulated to her assessors and
supervisors prior to her final assessment meeting and the public oral
presentation. Needless to say Roseanne did an outstanding job of each
stage of the project and thoroughly earned her Gold Science CREST
Award.”
Why the
Expert Assessor thinks others should get involved in CREST…
“The CREST
Science Award Scheme is a very valuable way of promoting and
encouraging high school students to further an interest or fascination
in science. It is a great way to meld the knowledge and skills of
scientists with the enthusiasm and energy of youth.”
[Provided by Dr Heather Meikle, Palmerston North Girls High School]
Tahuna
CREST AWARDS 2001
An Overview by Neil Franklin
|
I am just finishing a series of First CREST
projects with year 7 children of varying ability. The quality of
planning, research and project success varied with the ability and
personal motivation of the children involved. Although I started off
with a tighter focus this year which involved utilizing a number of
very large and heavy cardboard rolls from Plypac, attempting to focus
their thoughts. My original focus was to consider uses for these tubes
for display and storageetc. We kicked a lot of ideas around in
brainstorming sessions and the final results ended up as:
|
|
|
Bird Feeding Station
Two children did excellent research into the
species of local bird they would be feeding including a meeting at the
Gardens Aviary with a curator.
Consultant: Curator of birds.
Result:
A tube with perches and feeding area to be hung in a tree. They have
written to the aviary for permission to hopefully hang it in there for
a while and evaluate its effectiveness.
|
|
A Humane Possum Trap using a Tube
The main area of difficulty was the door and it's
catch.
The catch as I pointed out could end up as the focus
of the exercise.
Consultant: Good research using own father
who is a trapper.
Result:
A tube with a mesh end and flap door with a unique mechanism. To be
tested in the field.
|
|
|
|
Humane Mousetrap
Two children have put a lot of time, thought and
planning into this trap with an interesting internal mechanism.
Consultant: Me, although these children
required little input from me.
Result: A tin can with a clear window and
unique internal trip mechanism. To be tested...
|
|
Blind Aid
These two children eventually arrived with a pair
of small double wheels off a pushchair and after much group discussion
on disabilities, decided to insert a long handle so that a
vision-impaired person could roll it along the ground so that it would
ride over obstacles. Unlike, we believe, a blind white stick. Having
just completed our electronics unit we entred into discussion on
assisting blind people with our devices.
One thought was how do blind people know when it
is dark? Could it be dangerous crossing the road if you believe you
were visible to traffic but in fact were not?
Result: A set of small pram wheels on a
flourescent painted handle with buzzer on light dependent sensor. This
device buzzes when it gets dark to warn of approaching darkness. To be
evaluated but, strange as it may seem, the project with possibly the
most potential. The electronics can be fitted with a flashing L.E.D.
instead of a buzzer, which would be activated in darkness to indicate
the presence of the user or they both could be used at once. Will
contact the Blind Foundation to evaluate.
|
|
|
Soap for Allergies
Two children found the process challenging,
despite my finding research with them, getting them books and
suggesting avenues worked to complete their CREST projects. Have told
them that it is not necessary to actually make the soap but a recipe of
their own based on research would be enough.
Result: Not hopeful of a result here, but
they may come through. Change of plan!
Childs book of Aquarium Figures
One of the above children dropped out due to
school commitments and after a long discussion with the parent of the
other child, decided to persevere and extend the time limits to give
her a chance of success. A lovely little book made up of removeable sea
creatures in a series of clear sheets is emerging. Build your own
aquarium really.
Consultant: A parent who uses the
technology in the film industry.
Result: A super little project and a happy
child.
|
|
|
|
Presentation Coasters
Based on a school project but coming up with a
logo to be impressed into acrylic plastic. Coasters to be presented to
visitors to the school.
Consultant: Me, with advice from an
engraving company.
Result: Experimenting with logos and the
possibility of getting a metal stamp cut by engravers. The pupil has
carved and impressed a prototype.
|
 |
Foyer Display Unit
Two children designing a display unit using tubes.
Consultant: Me
Result: An attractive unit combining three
tubes at various heights.
|
Conclusion
A successful outcome for all participants
although a struggle to bring some children to a fruitful conclusion.
Considering the levels of ability involved, I am overall very pleased
with the results. It seems to require a few weeks (one hour 15 per
week) to kick initial ideas around as a group and stretch the initial
list of ideas, then the selected ideas shape out alittle. The children
reqire some assistance to think laterally. Once each group had an aim,
half falling outside the original paramaters set for my own
convenience, then it was a case of moving between them to assist,
advise and encourage.
Neil Franklin
Silver CREST at
The Manurewa High School
As a decile 3 South Auckland school we are
very proud of our record and tradition of achieving well in CREST. This
year was no exception - in fact, it was one of the best! We had 104
students enter for CREST at the Silver level. There was no selection
process as CREST is open to all at our school. A few of the top year 10
students were ready to 'go for Silver' - but most were from years 11
and 12.
Many year 9 students were introduced to
CREST for the first time, with a high number of Bronze CREST
certificates awarded. Those who failed to achieve Bronze in year 9 will
go on to succeed at bronze level in year 10. Because CREST at the
Silver level is assessed by external assessors with expertise in the
topic areas, it takes a long time to get all the assessments done. We
ran first assessments from April until August. By the time we got to
second assessments we had lost about half our CREST students - those
who lack the perseverance will often drop out before their second
assessment. We are working on a strategy to reduce the drop out rate as
we feel that many of these students were not far off being ready but
obviously need closer monitoring and a bit of a 'push' at times. Second
assessments ran from August until October. A total of 43 students were
successful and achieved their Silver awards. Our planning for the
future is well under way and we have identified the following aims:
* To improve the efficiency of the CREST
system at our school - making it easier to administer. This will
involve changing the format of our databases, working with the IT
department, improving communication lines within and without our
department, improving our recruitment of assessor's procedure and much
more.
* To raise the profile of CREST at our
school. Although CREST is well supported by the Science staff, we need
to 'educate' the rest of our staff re. CREST. We want everyone 'on
board'. We also aim to make CREST awards more prestigious (eg. By
awarding CREST certificates at special assemblies, submitting CREST
articles to the school Magazine, entering CREST achievements on reports
and school references etc.)
* To utilize our CREST experience by
helping other South Auckland schools get into the Programme -
especially low decile schools. Our CREST students can be used as role
models at schools where CREST has not 'taken off' due to student apathy
or 'fear' of tackling what is perceived to be something difficult. We
are liasing with teachers at such schools. We envisage video feedback
of some of our more interesting topics, as well as taking some of our
CREST students to talk to students at other schools about the host of
Maori/Polynesian cultural topics available.
* To target Maori and Pacific Island
students at our school. We need more CREST input from them, especially
with the wealth of topic material available when such cultures are
drawn upon eg. The physics of the poi, extraction of traditional tattoo
dyes from Native trees, nutritional merits of hangi cooking etc are all
topics which have been investigated by some of our students. From the
large number of ideas we plan to trial it is obvious that to succeed
with any programme such as CREST we must be flexible and open to new
ideas, often gained by sharing with other schools. Communication lines
to the students, parents, science staff, other staff, assessors, Royal
Society, other schools etc must be well established and kept flowing
smoothly. Starting up a CREST programme is hard work, maintaining it in
a healthy state is hard work, and improving and building it up is also
hard work. So whatever stage your school is at - expect hard work! But
when you see the proud gleam in the eye of a student who has just
emerged from an assessment appointment with a triumphant " I got it!" -
it will all be worthwhile.
F Colyer
