Killara lads physics kings

Killara High School studnets win first place in the Great Engineering Challenge held at the University of New South Wales.

Local science and engineering whiz-kids from Killara High School have taken out first place in the Great Engineering Challenge held at the University of New South Wales on August 18. The students took away the grand prize for the event that saw 150 school students from across Sydney use their lateral thinking, creativity and teamwork to accomplish the challenges set before them.

The theme of disaster relief was the backdrop for the challenges. The students had to devise ways of dropping relief packages while ensuring they remained undamaged and didn’t injure civilians; and re-right a weather-toppled communications tower. Sounds easy enough right? Well easy enough if you had some earth moving equipment and a crane or two. According to Killara Physics Coordinator Ann Dixon winning was no easy task. “All the groups were very keen to win and it was a case of winning overall that counted. It was very, very competitive. The boys worked superbly as a team”.

Events such as the Great Engineering Challenge have allowed Killara High to stretch its legs and leave a lasting impression in the science field. Dixon says the key to her group’s success at the event was their team-oriented approach to the challenges, “The boys were very open to each other with their ideas and I think that’s what gave them their edge - their ability to work cooperatively. It’s what we encourage, to be cooperative but competitive - which is a part of what makes the school so good”.