Students will be tackle the follow team-based challenges (one per team) during the camp:
SEABED SUBMARINERS
Corals and other reef building organisms are sessile and attached to the seafloor for most of their life. Huge expanses of inhospitable and extremely deep oceans separate the Central Pacific Ocean Reefs from the Great Barrier Reef. How did corals and other shallow marine organisms colonise these distant areas? The challenge then is to solve this observational problem, and investigate a rather unique solution that arises from a dynamic interplay between volcanism, ocean currents and weather patterns, and marine biology. You mentor will be Dr Scott Bryan who is a Senior Lecturer at QUT, he is passionate about volcanism and the various ways volcanic activity has had an impact on Earth, its evolution, environment and atmosphere.
SCIENCE ISN'T PAINFUL!
Aspirin is often used to relieve minor headaches, pains and reduce fevers. You will be testing commercial tablets to investigate the accuracy of packaging information by synthesising aspirin and testing the purity. Your mentor will be Dr James Blinco who is a lecturer at QUT and a leader in the field of Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physical Chemistry.
INSTANT ABODE
With changing climate, increasing natural and other disasters many communities are impacted and often total loss of housing is experienced. You will be tasked with the problem of providing an engineered quick response housing solution for deployment after disasters. Your mentor will be Gary Rasmusson who is a sessional academic at QUT teaching Engineering.
ONE MOLECULE TWO HANDS
Different enantiomers of chiral compounds often taste and smell different and can have different effects as drugs. You will isolate and analyse the two different enantiomers of carvone from dill and spearmint and test their optical properties using a polarimeter. You mentor will be Dr John McMurtrie who is a senior lecturer at QUT, he is currently researching Chiral Supramolecular Architectures.
FAST CARS FAST ROUTES
Traffic congestion is a major issue within cities causing frustration and delays for commuters. You will be completing analysis of real world traffic data collected from Bluetooth enabled devices such as mobile phones and car Bluetooths. You will aim to solve the complex problem of congestion and create a Smarter City. If you are interested in understanding how engineers improve our everyday lives then this is the project for you. Your mentor will be Professor Edward Chung who is a professor of Intelligent Transport Systems who is currently creating a multi modal trip planner.
DESIGN BY NUMBERS
You will be using a program call Processing which is a cut down version of java, built primarily for graphics, visualisation and digital artwork. You will cover what computer scientists call sequence, selection and iteration, though the use of graphics, image processing and animation. You will find out how the modern web operates and how you can be a part of it. Your mentor will be Associate Professor Jim Hogan, he has a passion for Artificial intelligence, Bioinformatics, Cognitive science, IT legal issues, Machine learning, Natural language processing, Neural networks, Software engineering, Software internationalisation.
TOUCHING THE FUTURE
With the installation of 48 state of the art touch screen in the new Science and Engineering centre QUT has entered the forefront of the digital age. You will analyse and present data collected over time from visitor interaction with the touch screens. You will use R and R-Studio to present the data collected, reflect on the historical use and make recommendations for the future of QUT. Your mentor will be Gavin Winter who is the Manager of Visualisation Research for e-learning at the Institutes of Future Environments, he is an experienced IT practitioner with keen interests in visualisation, integration, and high-performance computing systems.
SENSITIVE DETECTIVES
In this project you will synthesise a nanofiber-based sensor which is used to detect minute amounts of acid and base vapours. You will make a sensor device, test it and identify an application for the device. Your mentor will be Dr Tim Dargaville who is a Senior Lecturer at QUT, he is researching tissue repair and regeneration through the use of polymers to aid the healing of wounds.
WHODUNIT?
Forensics is an area of scientific analysis that focuses on evidence from crime scene samples, which may lead to the apprehension and prosecution of criminals. Have you ever wanted to perform scientific techniques involved in solving a crime? You will learn and apply real forensic science to help solve a mock crime. You mentor will be Associate Professor Chris Collet who is an expert in Gene/genome structure/function relationships and the evolution of the eukaryote genome.
MORPHING DEFENDERS
Corals live in environments with large amounts of wave energy where sediment is prevalent. Sedimentation can hinder coral development by influencing growth rates and metabolism. You will be investigating the defence mechanisms of sediment rejection by corals. You will experiment on live coral and use time lapse videos. You mentor will be Dr Luke Nothdurft who is a lecturer at QUT, he is passionate about Geology particularly coral roofs, diagenesis, palaeoclimate and sedimentology.
GAME PLAY
Have you ever wanted to create a video game? Then this project is for you! You will be using Kudo to develop and design a game and try to increase the fun of an existing game by tweaking the level and game-play mechanics. No programming experience is required. Your mentor will be Peta Wyeth who is a Senior Lecturer at QUT, she has a passion for artificial intelligence and image processing, design practice and management.
IT'S NOT EXACTLY ROCKET SCIENCE!
Astrophysics is the study of the fundamental physics behind the dynamics and nature of celestial objects. Using a physically realistic (and pretty cool) 3d space flight simulator and some clever theoretical physics, you will engage in a series of fun challenges. In the process of solving these, you will learn and apply physics concepts such as relative motion, escape velocity, force, acceleration, inertia, gravity, mass, and energy. Using this knowledge, you will then design and test virtual rockets to place a payload into orbit, perform an orbital transfer to the Moon, explore Mars and its moons Phobos and Deimos, and even surf the rings of Saturn. You mentor will be Sean Powell who is a Physics Academic with a passion for rocket science.
ENEMY RELEASE
Over the last centuries many regions of the world have been invaded successfully by exotic plant species. The success of invasive exotic plants constitutes a paradox in evolutionary ecology, because technically native plants should be better adapted to local conditions. A widely accepted hypothesis proposed to explain the advantage exotic species appear to have over natives is the Enemy Release hypothesis. You will be contributing to an international study run by the German plant ecologist, Mark van Kleunen University of Konstanz by collecting and analysing data. Your mentor will be Dr Jennifer Firn who lecturers on ecology and plant biology at QUT.
GOING THE DISTANCE
iCO2 is an Eco Driving game at QUT that encourages the user to adopt driving behaviours that use the minimum fuel and produce less harmful emissions. You will be analysing and presenting data collected from players interacting with iCO2. The goal is to travel as far as possible whilst minimising your effect on the environment. In this project you will use web technologies (JavaScript/HTML) to collate and present the data collected by the ICO2 application in a manner that is either interactive, or static. You mentor will be Sherwin Huang who is a Senior User Experience Designer at QUT and is passionate about user interface.
SOLAR GOLD RUSH
Nanotechnology aims at exploiting the remarkable size effects that arise when materials are reduced to nanoscale dimensions. Gold nanoparticles can enhance the interaction between the sunlight and the electrons in the solar cells, boosting their efficiency. You will synthesize gold nanoparticles for use in solar cells and analyse the particle structure using a Scanning Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force microscopy. Your mentor will be Associate Professor Nunzio Motta whose discipline area is condensed matter physics, nanotechnology and materials engineering.
RADIATING HEALTH
High Energy Beams of x-rays can be used to treat patients with a wide range of cancers. In this project you will perform calibration and commissioning radiation dose measurements of a radiotherapy linear accelerator, with the aim to deliver as high a dose of radiation as possible to the tumour while minimising the radiation dose to neighbouring healthy tissues. Your mentor will be Dr Andrew Fielding who is a leader in the field of medical physics, radiation therapy, oncology and carcinogenesis.
RESCUE MISSION
Recently Australia has experience a number of natural disasters which has led to widespread relief efforts. As we move into the future there is a need for technology to provide early warning systems and aid during disaster recovery. One possible solutions is to install high tech satellites to provide up to data imagery and information. You will design and develop a remote sensing satellite that Australia could use for land imagery and disaster relief imagery. Your mentor will be Stratos Patsikatheodorou, he is researcher at Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation and an expert in simulation modelling and analysis of satellite technology.
ROBOT DISCOVERY
This project is an introduction to the wonderful world of robotics! We ask the question -What is a robot? Then you will dive into understanding how a robot is designed, constructed and programmed for a number of tasks. Your mentor will be Dr Ryan Smith who is an Electrical Engineering Lecturer at QUT and a robotics fanatic!
SUN CATCHERS
Solar cells are examples of photovoltaic cells which convert sunlight directly into electricity. You will be measuring current and voltage for photovoltaic cells to determine the maximum power output and efficiency levels of different cells. You will be tasked with challenge to determine the optimum voltage for different materials and conditions. Aiming to produce the most effective and efficient solar cells. You will be working alongside Professor John Barry a lecturer specialising in condensed matter and optical physics.
THE HUNT FOR NEW WORLDS AND EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL LIFE
In this project, you will learn about the transit method of planetary discovery, light curve graphs, circumstellar habitable zones, astronomical spectroscopy and how each can be combined to identify Earth-like planets and potentially, extra-terrestrial life. You will use imaging software on real data from telescopes to model these principles and make calculations of exoplanet parameters. If you are interested in hunting for new planets and searching for extra-terrestrial life, then this is the project for you! Your mentor will be Michael Crowley who is a research assistant and academic at QUT, who has a passion for astrophysics.
ENCAPSULATING PRECISION
Manufacturing tablets is a key part of the modern pharmaceutics industry. In this project, you will formulate Metoprolol Tartrate into a tablet and then analyse the tablets produced for weight, hardness, physical stability and correct drug dose. If you ever wondered what a pharmacist did then this is the project for you! You mentors will be Dr Nazrul Islam who is a senior lecturer in Pharmacy and Dr Vincent Chan who is a lecturer and course coordinator at the Health Faculty at QUT.
POWERFUL PEAKS
This project aims to inform how urban informatics and human-computer interaction can make a significant contribution to improve the sustainability of Australian cities. You will undertake a design challenge to develop a strategy to connect people through real-time information and social networks. Your challenge will be to make people more aware of their electricity consumption aiming to lower the peak load at 6pm when everyone turns on their TV and kettles for dinner. Your mentor will be Richard Medland who is an academic at QUT in the Information Systems and Service Sciences area.
BUBBLING UP
The coal seam gas (CSG) industry is rapidly growing in Queensland. CSG is natural gas that has been produced through thermogenic and biogenic processes in underground coal seams. Its extraction requires the abstraction of significant amounts of CSG water, a process which affects the chemical composition of the water. In this project you will be challenged to model the potential impacts of CSG extraction on aquifer/ ground water quality by using engineering tools such as factor analysis, geochemical modelling, and a sparging experiment. Your mentor will be Mauricio Taulis who is a lecturer in Hydrogeology and Environmental Engineering, with a keen interest in environmental related issues related to both quantity and quality of water.
BIO-INSPIRATION
Engineering excellence is often attributed to great design or functional brilliance, yet the natural world provides many clues for perceptive practitioners. This project challenges you to exploit the natural world in search of genuine solutions to engineering problems. You will acting as engineer, designing a real solution to an everyday problem based on principles from nature. Welcome to the incredible world of Biomimicry. Your mentor for this activity will be Jonathan James who is an engineering technologist within our dedicated engineering teaching team.
SOLDIER ON
PCBs or printed circuit boards are used in a large variety of electronics today. Everything from computers to cell phones to digital watches uses a PCB. Microprocessors are programmable devices that take input signals, perform logic operations and provide output signals. They are becoming increasingly popular due to their improvements in capability and ease of use. You will learn the techniques to solder safely and effectively, as well as understand the theory behind soldering and instilling safe soldering practices. You will be given a low-cost micro with a simple circuit and asked to write a small program to control the circuit. You will then learn PCB design and the theory involved in developing best practice circuit boards. If you are interested in electrical engineering, this is the project for you. Your mentor will be Brendon Stichbury who is head electrical, electronic and instrumentation technician.
BACKSPACE
When you type an incorrect word into your computer, spellchecking software notices that you have made an error. Predictive text software can cleverly guess what word you actually wanted. When communicating digitally over long distances, errors frequently occur. Error correcting codes need to be written to reduce these errors and are similar to predictive text for digital devices. In this project you will develop codes to correct errors in digital messages with your mentor Dr. Joanne Hall.
HEALTH COUNTS!
Monitoring the health of our waterways is crucial to ensure we preserve our native fauna and flora and to maintain biodiversity. The health of our waterways is monitored by taking samples of various animals and plants and measuring their abundance in different ecosystems. In this project you will analyse the data collected and determine the important relationships between the variables to understand the health of the environment. You will work with Dr. Sama Low Choy to present the results of your research. Dr. Choy is passionate about the application of statistics to environmental and ecological problems.
