Students

Category B - Technological Models and Inventions

At the broadest level, innovation is commonly seen to be about generating new ideas and bringing them to life as new products, processes and services for commercial use or social well-being. Innovativeness is a way of perceiving and responding to the world we live in. Through it, individuals and societies express their creativity, needs and desires. Innovation is about the synthesis of knowledge, ideas and skills in the solution of identified problems and the development of innovative capabilities. In its focus on synthesis, design and invention it embraces creativity across the full spectrum of a student's learning. It is learning through practice.

Who can enter

This category is open to students in Year 4 - 12.

What to do

Develop and present your new idea to solve a problem or a technological solution to an issue.This it be presented as a poster design with your model, including your test results (poster board will be supplied by USQ).The model needs to be clearly explained as to how it works or will work and what it does.There are various types of useful models including:

Computer models process data that is put in by people to give a picture of how a situation might develop. The researcher programs the effects required.
Interactive models are set up to change in response to an action or set of actions.
Static models show the shape and layout but not the operation of objects.
Working models are usually exact miniatures of real objects.
An analogy uses something you do know about to explain something of which you have no experience.
Diagrams.

What makes a winning entry?

Originality
Written description or presentation
Model or illustration
Research performed
Achievement of design performance
Ease of operation
Usefulness

Problem: To what degree is the innovation new and/or different? What is the need for the innovation? What is its role? Where could it be used?

Applications: What are the costs and benefits of the idea? What are the consequences, immediate and long-term of employing this idea? How does the idea help with a preferred future for society? How well are new relationships, new ideas and/or additional investigations identified and presented?

Materials/Equipment: How were the materials utilized in appropriate and/or new ways? What are the energy implications – requirement, wastage- of the idea? If appropriate, you may wish to explain how your project reduced materials or energy used, the amount of material thrown away, or air or water pollution. Keep careful records and use "before and after" data to demonstrate the difference that your project made for waste reduction, resource conservation or pollution prevention. Show that you understand the Waste Hierarchy and that waste reduction means using less material in the first place and is not the same as recycling

Visual Display: How well is the project constructed and organized? How clear/well prepared is the presentation? How comprehensive is the presenter's knowledge and use of resources? How comprehensive is the student's understanding of the experimental work?

Communication: Is the idea clearly demonstrated and explained? Is there insight into the issue resolved? Is there a compelling reason for uptake of the innovation?

Ideas to get you started:

simple materials used creatively
solves/reduces a problem encountered by the aged
solves/reduces a problem encountered the disabled
a non-harmful pest control device eg non-harmful live capture then release mouse trap
reduces/solves an environmental concern

Your reflective journal is very important in showing the purpose behind the study, and the way in which the question evolved and was tackled, as well as a record of how the work progressed (including the disasters). The best projects engage the viewer in the excitement and tribulations of the investigator and provide a new insight on the topic, even one that appears to have been thoroughly worked over. Your reflective journal should:

be a record of what was completed on different days and should contain evidence of scientific thought
be a series of handwritten and sketched ideas
assist you in making sense of your science learning
be an accurate and detailed notation of your findings, decisions and thought processes that will assist in your project becoming the winning entry
be consistent and thorough, and acknowledge any assistance received.

Student should consult the judging criteria for further information.