Sophie H., East Loddon P-12 College No one likes needles. They’re big, sharp and scary, however, we all have to have them at one point or another. But what if needles didn’t have to be this way? Researchers from Ohio state university and Osaka's Kansai University are using a mosquito (Culicidae) as their inspiration for a new design of needle. This new type of hypodermic needle would make injections a less agonising experience. The biggest...Read More

Zoe L, Mentone Girls' Grammar School Water is essential to all life but for some it can be hard to access. In hot climates water is a scarce resource and sometimes can be contaminated. An estimated 3,575,000 people die each year because of diseases related to water (The World Counts, 2019) and with a reliable water source these deaths could be prevented. Even today 1 in 9 people worldwide do not have access to clean...Read More

Britney P, Presbyterian Ladies' College Everyone imagines a hospital as seemingly clean and white on the outside, but teeming with microscopic germs and pathogens on the inside. Although we often conceptualise rigorous sterilising procedures involving chemicals and cleaning agents, microorganisms continue to be scattered about from bed to sink in hospitals. In fact, 1.7 million nosocomial infections occur in U.S. hospitals every year alone. These 99,000 deaths and the loss of $20 billion in healthcare...Read More

In June the GTAC crew took bioscience programs to Wodonga, Rochester, Bendigo, Maryborough and Seymour. Students from Echuca and East Loddon also joined the sessions at Rochester Secondary College. Students in years 10-12 explored a range of topics where biotechnology is used to investigate the DNA of people, bacteria and viruses. Working with DNA allows us to investigate a wide range of topics in modern and ancient biology. DNA can be used to identify whether...Read More

GTAC and The School of Biomedical Science at the University of Melbourne recently hosted Biomedical Science Day, a full day program for Year 10 and 11 students from rural schools. Students interested in studying biomedical sciences had the opportunity to visit the University of Melbourne and find out about studying Biomedical Sciences at the university. The day commenced with an address from Professor Fabienne Mackay, Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences. A speaker from...Read More

Zoe E, Elwood College   The Shinkansen bullet trains in Japan were conceived in the early 1900s as a means of high-speed travel. They succeeded in their job, however, due to travelling at 200 miles per hour (about 320 kph), they generated noise levels that could be heard 400 metres away. This was due to changes in air resistance when the trains entered tunnels creating low-frequency atmospheric pressure waves. To function effectively without creating so...Read More