www.coecxs.org

Introduction

What is the project about?

The project is about learning about rovers and their role in

space and astronomy. We also learnt about how significant

robotics are for discovering and investigating planets.

Why is it is important to investigate this area of

science?

It is important to study Astronomy and use advanced

technology to explore and gain knowledge about the

universe. Even though astronomy may not have a direct

impact on our lives, we believe that people study and

investigate in this field due to curiosity. They would like to

know how the universe came to be, what our place in the

universe is and what other objects exist within it. We use

can rovers to find out.

What expectations did I have of physics and physicists

when you started?

We expected that physics would be a boring subject which

wouldn’t catch our attention.

Our aim was:

To be able to program a robot that represented a rover to

conclude how this can be used on other planets for

research.

What motivates scientists to investigate this area; why

is it important either to other sciences or individuals,

community or society?

A scientist’s own interest could be their motivation. It is

important to know about this area of Science because we

can learn about our world. Because of astronomy we know

that we are standing on a sphere of mostly molten rock and

metal, 13,000 km across with a fuzzy atmosphere about

100km high, surrounded by a magnetic field that protects us

from the onslaught of subatomic particles.

How is this project related to a real world problem?

Some real world problems such as finding a planet that is

able to sustain human life, or adjusting a robot to withstand

harsh conditions on other planets contribute to this project.

During our project we experienced the ways that experts

use technology in order to do things normal humans are not

able to do.

Challenging Stereotypes of what I thought

physicists were like

Male vs female stereotypes

Both women and men can be physicists, however

men would be seen to dominate the amount of

physicists in the world.

Do I think I am able to do physics, am I

capable?

Anyone is capable to do physics, however it just

depends on their preferences and dedication.

Has it changed my mind about studying

physics or staying in physics studies?

This program has sparked our interests,

especially about programming and robotics and

are now considering to take this pathway as one

of our many options.

How important is it to know the types of

jobs you can follow to the subject

choices you make?

It is important to know so you are able to

decide which career is right for you.

Job opportunities for physics:

• Aerospace

• Engineering

• Manufacturing

• Space exploration

• Telecommunications Astrophysics

• Mathematical physics

• Nanotechnology

• Meteorologist

• Physicist

• IT

• Finance

Briefly describe what you did and how. How was working with scientists different

from the usual investigation and inquiry you do at school?

We were given a Lego robot that we used and programmed with the Lego Mindstorms

software to pick up and move an object to a specific area, then go back to its original spot.

What data did you collect and what did it mean?

From the data we collected, we were able to find the first problem we would encounter

which was rotating the robot 90 degrees to the side, when we have programmed it to move

that way we realised that it moves the wheel 90 degrees and not actually the robot.

However we managed to resolve the problem by asking our mentor. Another problem that

we had was accurately placing the object on the marked area. This was solved by slowly

using trial and error to reprogram the robot.

How has being part of GTP changed my appreciation for physics?

Our interest has still remained the same, however we didn’t think programming was related

to physics.

Conclusions

We learnt how to program a robot to do certain things.

We have discovered that programming is very entertaining

and enjoyable, while obtaining knowledge in the

technology of robotics.

We have learnt that physicists are very passionate about

their career and are always happy to talk about their

experiences and give advice.

Although we find physics to be interesting, we have

stronger interests that we are more capable of succeeding

in.

Acknowledgements

- Astronomy and Engineering

Nathan and Brent

- The Growing Tall Poppies Science Partnership Program :

How has our understanding of science,

scientists and career opportunities changed

through this experience. Relate to the work that

you have experienced in the lab or the

department.

We have learnt that things we know may not be

perfectly known; it may be partly or entirely wrong.

We need to watch the universe, see how it behaves,

make guesses about why its doing what its doing

and then try to think of ideas. Science must be

above all else honest if we really want to get to the

bottom of things.

Hazel Avci, Belinda Tran, Sereen Mustapha

Pascoe Vale Girls College

The René Project

The René Project