The use and influence of science
About this module
This resource engages students with a rich selection of historical sources and challenges them to draw their own conclusions - not only about science and technology, but about the people behind the discoveries. It highlights four influential Australian scientists and uses their oral history recordings, giving some background to their major discoveries and exploring their early influences and the struggles they faced before and after their successes.
By bringing a personal side to science, this resource gives students a better understanding of the role of scientists; the responsibilities that come of great discoveries; and the ways in which ideas, career paths and goals are shaped and redefined throughout a person’s life.
Topics in this module
Von Guerard, Eugene, 1811-1901. Eugene Guerard's Australian landscapes. (1867). Source of the Wannon [picture] / Eug. v. Guérard. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135740687
Oral histories
The Library’s Oral History and Folklore Collection dates back to the 1950’s and includes a rich and diverse collection of interviews and recordings with Australians from all walks of life.
The National Library of Australia's Oral History and Folklore collection records the voices that describe our cultural, intellectual and social life. The collection consists of around 45,000 hours of recordings, the earlier ones dating back to the 1950s when the tape recorder became available
This module draws on the Oral History and Folklore collection recordings of four prominent Australian scientists from different times, backgrounds and specialty areas.
Australian News and Information Bureau. [Portrait of Howard Florey] [picture] / [Australian News and Information Bureau]. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136743351
McDonald, Damian, 1971-. (1999). Portrait of Nancy Millis [picture] / Damian McDonald. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-144499251
Mulligan, J. A. (John Aloysius), 1927-1996. (1970). Sir Mark Oliphant lecturing at the University of Sydney, 1 September 1970 [1] [picture] / John Mulligan. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-145323842
Gostelow, Philip, 1962-. (2013). Professor Fiona Stanley at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Subiaco, Perth, 21 August 2013 / Philip Gostelow. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-153312966
Module learning activities
Introductory activities
These activities are designed to activate students’ prior knowledge, develop critical thinking skills and establish an understanding of the key terms and concepts relating to Australia’s role in major scientific breakthroughs.
The activities will help students place Australian scientific achievements into a global context. Students will be asked to think about what drives scientific breakthroughs, how societal pressures can steer scientific direction, and what responsibilities come from being part of a great discovery. A collection of primary sources—oral recordings of eminent Australian scientists—have been selected to allow students to hear about their achievements firsthand and get an understanding of the people behind the discoveries.
Start by asking students to think about inventions and/or scientific advances. What does it take to find a solution to an unsolved problem? What does it take to build on an existing idea and make it better? What factors restrict scientific advancement?
Get students into groups. Give each group a deck of cards, some rubber bands, some small paper clips and some pencils. Tell the students their task is to build the tallest card tower that will support the greatest weight. For an added challenge, you could award a prize for the tallest tower, strongest tower, tower made using the least cards, etc.
This activity will see students take an old problem (building a tower from cards) and, using their existing knowledge, limited materials and lateral thinking, achieve new solutions.
Key terms
- science
- endeavour
- breakthrough
- enlightened thinking
- lateral thinking.
Background questions
- What are some of the greatest innovations in human history? How do you define ‘great’?
- ‘Humans have an innate desire to always improve things and control their surroundings.’ As a class, discuss the validity of this statement.
- What do you think is meant by ‘enlightened thinking’?
Concluding activities
The National Library of Australia’s Oral History and Folklore Collection houses over 45,000 hours of recordings with prominent Australians. They provide us with a rare insight into the thoughts and feelings of scientists, politicians and historians.
Have students pair up and create their own oral history recording. This could be about a discovery they have made, a holiday, or their most memorable experience. They will need to prepare 4 or 5 thoughtful questions to ask each other. The questions should probe the memory of the interviewee and prompt a detailed recollection. Ask students to discuss the differences between closed and open questions. What are the advantages/disadvantages of each? Make a list of inquiry questioning words and phrases such as: ‘Tell me more about … ’; ‘How did you … ’, etc.
Students should then use their phones or class devices to record their histories (using only the audio recorder, not the video camera). Have students start the recording with by introducing the interviewer, interviewee, time and date and location. Students should also record a disclaimer, as heard in the recordings in this module. This will help them understand the concept of ownership of content and let them decide whether or not their recording can be played to the class. Set a time limit for the recordings; 5 minutes per student should be sufficient.
When the recordings are finished, have students upload or email the videos to themselves, a teacher, a class shared folder etc. for safekeeping. At the end of the unit, term, semester or year, students can listen to their recordings.
After the activity, facilitate a class discussion. Ask students to describe how it felt to be interviewed about their life:
- was it stressful to recall details?
- did they feel comfortable?
- how did they feel having only their voices recorded instead of the whole exercise being filmed?
- when they listen back to the recording, do they think it is an accurate representation of them? (sound, etc.)
- Ask students to think about how we may capture personal stories and history in the future.
This activity aims to familiarise students with the process of recording history. It can also be used to show students that even their own lives and experiences are part of a shared history. It aims to encourage public speaking skills and develop confidence speaking in a formal setting.
Glossary
This glossary includes words highlighted throughout the module. Unless otherwise indicated, definitions and glossary entries come from the Maquarie Dictionary.
Definitions have been selected for best fit to context; some entries have multiple meanings in different applications.
Aerodynamic
- of or relating to aerodynamics
- able to travel through the air; designed for air travel
- of or relating to a shape that reduces drag, as of an aeroplane or sports car: an aerodynamic spoiler
Archaeological
(From Archaeology) the systematic study of any culture, especially a prehistoric one, by excavation and description of its remains
Bow drill
See Bow Drill with Annotations, Wikimedia Commons
Cochlear implant
an artificial hearing device which produces hearing sounds by stimulating inner-ear nerves by means of a pad of electrodes implanted into the cochlea; designed to restore some hearing ability to those with severe damage to the inner-ear nerves
CSIRO
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the largest scientific research organisation in Australia. Although active in a wide field of scientific research, its main responsibility has been to support Australian primary and secondary industry, rather than engage in pure research.
Cyclical
of or relating to a cycle or cycles; revolving or recurring in cycles; characterised by recurrence in cycles
Collate
to compare (texts, statements, etc.) in order to note points of agreement or disagreement
Correlation
mutual relation of two or more things, parts, etc.
Deficiencies
(from deficiency)
- the state or fact of being deficient; lack; incompleteness; insufficiency
- the amount lacked; a deficit
Ether
a highly volatile and flammable colourless liquid, diethyl ether, (C2H5)2O, obtained by the action of sulphuric acid on alcohol, and used as a solvent and anaesthetic
Game
wild animals, including birds and fishes, hunted for sport or profit
Germinate
to sprout; put forth shoots
Ingenuity
the quality of being ingenious; inventive talent.
Innate
- inborn; existing or as if existing in one from birth: innate modesty
- inherent in the essential character of something
Innovative
new and original
Kinetic Energy
the energy which a body possesses by virtue of its motion; the energy which any system possesses by virtue of the motion of its components
Leverage
the mechanical advantage or power gained by using a lever
Maim
to deprive the use of some bodily part, mutilate; cripple
Mosaic
a pattern composed of diverse elements combined together
Mutton
the flesh of well gown sheep, as distinguished from lamb
Patented
acquired a government grant conferring exclusive rights to make, use and sell an invention or discovery
Polymer
a material made of long, repeating chains of molecules; often used to describe plastics (which are synthetic polymers)
Definition from Live Science: What Is a Polymer? https://www.livescience.com/60682-polymers.html
Prototype
the original or model on which anything is formed
Rotary
turning around on an axis; having a part or parts that rotate
Spoil
to become spoiled, bad, or unfit for use, as food or other perishable substances; become tainted or putrid
Suburbia
the suburbs collectively; the characteristic life of people in suburbs
Tuber
a fleshy, usually oblong or rounded thickening or outgrowth (as the potato) of a subterranean stem or shoot
Type Metal
an alloy for making printing types, consisting chiefly of lead and antimony, and sometimes small quantities of tin, copper, etc.
Virologist
a person who studies or deals with virology, the branch of medical science that deals with viruses and the diseases caused by them
Curriculum links
This resource is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: Science for Year 9 students.
Biological sciences
Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems (ACSSU176)
- exploring interactions between organisms such as predator/prey, parasites, competitions, pollinators and disease
Chemical sciences
All matter is made of atoms that are composed of protons, neutrons and electrons; natural radioactivity arises from the decay of nuclei in atoms (ACSSU177)
- describing and modelling the structure of atoms in terms of the nucleus, protons, neutrons and electrons
- comparing the mass and charge of protons, neutrons and electrons
- describing in simple terms how alpha and beta particles and gamma radiation are released from unstable atoms
Chemical reactions involve rearranging atoms to form new substances; during a chemical reaction mass is not created or destroyed (ACSSU178)
- identifying reactants and products in chemical reactions
- modelling chemical reactions in terms of rearrangement of atoms
- describing observed reactions using word equations
- considering the role of energy in chemical reactions
- recognising that the conservation of mass in a chemical reaction can be demonstrated by simple chemical equations
Nature and development of science
Scientific understanding, including models and theories, is contestable and is refined over time through a process of review by the scientific community (ACSHE157)
- investigating the historical development of models of the structure of the atom
- considering how ideas about disease transmission have changed from medieval time to the present as knowledge has developed
- investigating how models can be used to predict the changes in populations due to environmental changes, such as the impact of flooding or fire on rabbit or kangaroo populations
Advances in scientific understanding often rely on developments in technology and technological advances are often linked to scientific discoveries (ACSHE158)
- considering how common properties of electromagnetic radiation relate to its uses, such as radar, medicine, mobile phone communications and microwave cooking
Use and influence of science
People use scientific knowledge to evaluate whether they accept claims, explanations or predictions, and advances in science can affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities (ACSHE160)
- considering the impact of technological advances developed in Australia, such as the cochlear implant and bionic eye
- recognising aspects of science, engineering and technology within careers such as medicine, medical technology, telecommunications, biomechanical engineering, pharmacy and physiology
- considering the impacts of human activity on an ecosystem from a range of different perspectives
Values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research (ACSHE228)
- investigating the work of Australian scientists such as Fiona Wood and Marie Stoner on artificial skin
Questioning and predicting
- formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifically (ACSIS164)
Planning and conducting
- plan, select and use appropriate investigation types, including field work and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these methods (ACSIS165)
- select and use appropriate equipment, including digital technologies, to collect and record data systematically and accurately (ACSIS166)
Processing and analysing data and information
- analyse patterns and trends in data, including describing relationships between variables and identifying inconsistencies (ACSIS169)
- use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence (ACSIS170)
Evaluating
- evaluate conclusions, including identifying sources of uncertainty and possible alternative explanations, and describe specific ways to improve the quality of the data (ACSIS171)
- critically analyse the validity of information in primary and secondary sources and evaluate the approaches used to solve problems (ACSIS172)
Communicating
Communicate scientific ideas and information for a particular purpose, including constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations (ACSIS174)
More to learn and do
Kathy Weeden reading her book Phonobet, illustrated by Kim Drane and published by NLA Publishing, at Enlighten at the Library 2024
