By Lachlan: Today, I went to the first day of the CSIRO boot camp, in North Ryde, Sydney. It was chemistry day and after completing the compulsory 'icebreaker' activities, the instructors, Mitch, Ella and Ollie, gave an introduction to spectroscopy. Spectroscopy is a technique of identifying elements within compounds. Special glasses were handed around so the group could gaze at different elements in everyday objects e.g. ceiling lights, glow sticks. The glasses allowed us to identify different elements such as magnesium, argon and neon as each of these has a unique spectra. Afterwards, my group used a piece of equipment to identify an unknown amount of lead in a sample of water. We accomplished this by using spectroscopy. We compared the unknown sample against a selection of known samples to find the amount of lead (mg/L) was in the water. Next, we learned about chromatography, which is a method of separation. It was demonstrated by drawing a line on filter paper with a coloured texta, placing the paper in water and noting how the ink was absorbed along the paper. Some colours absorbed quicker than others and so were separated. When we used ethanol in place of water the results were remarkably different. We also used chromatography to separate green food dye. The picture shows the colours extracted from green food dye when using column chromatography techniques. After lunch, the group I was in visited Dr Attila Tottszer who uses similar techniques everyday in his work place. He showed us the various machines ... Read More

By Lachlan: Yesterday, when I arrived at Bar Beach, it was raining and surf was rough and choppy. Not ideal conditions for snorkelling. Luke, the guide from National Parks and Wildlife, told the group that we would have to walk along a rock ledge to a more sheltered location. After being kitted out with snorkels, flippers, wetsuits and masks, we wandered along the ledge to the spot, picked out by Luke. I admit, I did not have bright hopes for this adventure, because the area appeared to be barren and desolate of life. However, once I got in the water, it was a completely different story. Schools of small fish were just drifting on the edge of the current, waiting for the tide to push smaller prey towards them. The sea bed was littered large rocks, on which oysters, Neptune’s necklace and ascidians (sea squirts) thrived. There was everything from sting rays to octopi, peering out from the gloom. I was astonished that there was such a large variety of wildlife, in what appeared to be just another strip of water. The two hours seemed to fly by, save for the pain in my feet from the too small flippers. Soon it was time again, to brave the rock ledge and head back to the cars. Luke had been surveying the particular strip of water that we snorkelled in for the University of NSW, because it is one of the most diverse parts of water in the Far South ... Read More