Thursday 15 December 2011

An ancient meeting place chosen for its abundance of supplies, a 150 year old cathedral and a new SA Water building made to reach the highest sustainability rating.  All examples of different technologies, and all within view of the ASSETS students yesterday as they were welcomed to SA Water. Adelaide’s Victoria Square in the Kaurna place known as Tarndanyangga (place of the red kangaroo) has been a meeting place for thousands of years. And it’s here that the students met and pondered on the range of science and technologies that had been used and changed the land around them over that time. Over the course of the day students considered how science and technology influences their lives too — from the water they drink to what career they might have.

A tour of SA Water introduced students to how some clever science and engineering can create an environmentally and socially sustainable building.

Science is all about questioning, exploring and discovering. It doesn’t matter whether it’s exploring a lump of ice or distant galaxies, it’s this process that’s important. Armed with a large ice sphere, food dye, vinegar, salt, sugar and a torch, the students started their own lines of inquiry and investigation. The result? Some beautiful ice sculptures, carved out by lines of salt water and highlighted with food dye, and a bunch of happy students.  They discovered that salt makes ice melt faster, and “had a lot of fun!”

A tour of the incredible SA Water laboratories was next on the busy itinerary. Students “lab-coated up” before heading into the Chemistry and Biology labs where they witnessed the complexity and diversity of the scientific processes that SA water does to ensure our water is safe to drink, and to investigate the health of our waterways. From testing the taste of water in a specialised room, to classifying microorganisms under a microscope, to running chemical tests on wastewater, the scientists working at SA Water do it all. Students were really excited and inspired by the opportunity to see a “real-world lab”. Grace Casey, from NSW said, “I loved (the lab tour). They were the best labs I’ve ever seen!” Queensland’s Tamara Whiting concurred, “it was really interesting to see all the science labs and see how it operated when there were actually people in there working. It was great to see how (the scientists) enjoyed their jobs.”

To introduce students to some of the pathways available in science, SA Water’s Matt Blaikie and Lionel Ho spoke about their work in the engineering of the desalination plant, and in water quality and treatment, respectively. It was really interesting to hear about their work, and the Lionel’s fluency in pronouncing the names of microorganisms had all the students giggling!

Alfred Lowe, from Alice Springs, found the whole SA Water experience eye-opening. “I liked learning about the different jobs that actually happen here. Because you never usually think about it. You think they just send (the water) out, but don’t think (about all the processes) that have to happen, and that they have to actually put in chemicals (and do a lot of tests).”

Alfred Lowe looking at the desalination equipment

Bujimulla Yanner from QLD looking at the Reverse Osmosis membrane used in desalination

Santos, South Australia’s largest company, also introduced students to the range of careers available in the natural gas and oil industry. In a series of talks, the students were led through the complex processes involved in both finding gas reserves, and processing the gas and oil extracted, and what it’s like to be involved in these areas. Highlights included a vocal demonstration of the noise the ‘sonic exploration’ trucks make and learning about the crazy safety gear the engineers wear when exploring the refinery towers.

And tomorrow, the inquiries continue…

By Emma Lawrance

Photography by Grant Nowell 

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