Recently, some Year 8 and 9 students were treated to an energetic and inspiring incursion led by Fizzics Education presenter Peter, who took the science of flight to new heights — quite literally!

With perfect “smoke” rings, rocket simulations and an entertaining, dancing robot, Peter brought key physics concepts to life through some interactive demonstrations. Students were captivated as they explored the principles of flight, Bernoulli’s principle, and the surprisingly tricky skill of “catching air.”

Throughout the presentation, Peter connected each experiment to real-world applications — especially in the context of career opportunities in the defence and space industries. Students were introduced to AVISTA and AROSE, two groundbreaking Australian initiatives working at the frontier of space and robotics.

AVISTA (Autonomous Vehicle Information Systems and Technologies Advancement) and AROSE (Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth) are exciting programs bringing together industry, research and government to develop cutting-edge technologies — like remote operations, autonomous systems, and robotic control — used in space missions and defence applications here on Earth.

Peter highlighted how skills in science, technology, engineering and even gaming can be valuable in these emerging industries. Students (and many parents!) might be delighted to hear that time spent mastering gaming controllers could one day lead to remote piloting roles, robotic operations, or virtual reality training for real-world missions.

From piloting drones to programming autonomous vehicles, the pathways available to our students are expanding — and incursions like this help them imagine how far their interests might take them.

– Dr Lucy Skillman, Head of Science