The Future Project

Another group of enthusiastic Year 5 The Future Project (TFP) Adventurers have joined researchers from BiomeMega and The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) in the Term 2 Adventurer Experience in The Preparatory School.

Dr. Onder Kimyon and Kasuni Gamage (BiomeMega), and Deeksh*tha Dhulipati (WIMR) delivered an engaging, interactive TFP experience to the Adventurers. Sophisticated concepts and technical, scientific language were no hurdle to the Adventurers, and the students actively learned all about bacteria’s critical role in planetary life, and explored cutting edge research into new, targeted cancer treatment. They also learned about the various ways in which innovative researchers are creating products and solutions toward healthy, sustainable outcomes for people and our planet—including right here, in the Research Precinct at The Kings’ School.

Supported by the dedicated TFP Patrons, the Adventurers learned pipetting techniques, explored and identified magnified cells (water molecules and tissue samples) using laboratory microscopes, delved into their own action research through a bioprospecting activity in which they gathered outdoor samples using dedicated test kits, and unleashed their artistic creativity and scientific observation skills when they created a cell model in the hands-on cell-building activity.

TFP is proud to partner with BiomeMega and WIMR on the Adventurer Experience, connecting real world research and expert researchers with future thought leaders at The King’s School.

Congratulations to our Future Project Senior Interns, including students from The King's School, Tara Anglican School for Girls, and Loreto Normanhurst, for their remarkable achievement in this year's iGEM competition.

Their innovative project, "Solutions for our Soil — Engineering Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria with Oxygen Sensing Capabilities, " earned them a well-deserved Gold Medal, marking our second consecutive year of success in this prestigious competition.

This impressive feat, within a contest featuring participants from over 66 countries, is further underscored by the students' unwavering dedication and tireless hard work throughout the entirety of the year.

Additionally, it's notable that we are still the sole Australian high school team to have participated in this endeavour. The credit for this remarkable accomplishment is undoubtedly shared with our dedicated research collaborator, HydGene Renewables. Congratulations on this truly deserving achievement!

During the final week of the school holidays, The Future Project Senior Interns actively participated in a captivating holiday workshop, which fostered collaboration, facilitated valuable scientific skills' acquisition, and propelled remarkable progress in their respective projects.

We extend our appreciation to our research partners, Quantal Bioscience and HydGene Renewables, for their support and contributions to this enriching experience. Their commitment has played a vital role in empowering our students, enabling them to develop essential skills and expand their scientific horizons.

We also commend our dedicated The Future Project Science teachers, who dedicated their time to supervise and guide the students during the holidays. Their support and mentorship have been instrumental in nurturing the students' growth and fostering a passion for scientific exploration.

On 21 June 2023, Year 9 Junior Interns in The Future Project and The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) Pilot Program presented their research findings to members of The King’s School Executive, WIMR representatives, and their families.

During the 7-week Pilot Program in Term 2 2023, 17 Junior Interns worked with Senior Researchers from WIMR to investigate and perform a diagnostic clinical test to determine the risk of heart disease.

The Pilot Program has launched the new partnership between The King’s School and The Westmead Institute for Medical Research. By collaborating on programs, initiatives, and experiences that bring real-world medical research and scientific discovery to students through The Future Project, the partnership aims to instil life-long learning through building future skills, inquiry, and critical capabilities in medical innovation and discovery.

On Wednesday 23 November, The Future Project held its annual Graduation and Awards Ceremony. Both the Junior and Senior Interns were acknowledged for their dedication to the program and continuous hard work throughout 2022.

These students were provided with the opportunity to present their research to fellow students, staff, research collaborators, participating schools and the wider community alike.

Comprised of students of The King’s School, Tara Anglican School for Girls, Loreto Normanhurst, Asquith Girls High School, Baulkham Hills High School, Cherrybrook Technology High School, Cumberland High School, James Ruse Agricultural High School, and Sydney Girls High School, all Interns were presented with a Certificate of Graduation. A number of them were awarded special awards acknowledging their efforts, going above and beyond what was required.

Both the Junior and Senior Future Project Interns have achieved quite incredible outcomes and should be very proud of their achievements.

We congratulate the graduating students of 2022!

Last week, students from The Future Project travelled to Paris to compete at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGem) competition alongside over 400 multi-disciplinary teams from Universities and High Schools from more than 40 countries who presented their projects on how to solve local problems all over the world using synthetic biology. Teams competed for medals and awards that recognised the quality of their research in designing, building, and testing projects using cutting-edge synthetic biology. Teams were required to document their work through deliverables like wikis, videos, and presentations and were evaluated by expert panels of judges.

Participation in the competition was the culmination of the year-long research project to address the serious issue of bio-waste production undertaken by 21 Future Project Interns under the guidance of their industry collaboration partner Hydgene. The Future Project iGEM Research Team comprised 11 students from The King’s School who were joined by students from Tara Anglican School for Girls, Loreto Normanhurst, Asquith Girls, Baulkham Hills, Cherrybrook Technology High School, Cumberland High School, James Ruse Agricultural High School, and Sydney Girls High Schools.

In Paris, the Team was required to make a series of presentations and answer questions on their research from the panel of expert judges. They were awarded a Gold Medal in recognition of the assessed standard of excellence in engineering, collaboration and human practices in their research project.

Congratulations to all participants on an outstanding achievement. Our special thanks to Ms Mannah and Mrs McAllister for their efforts in coordinating the trip and getting the boys safely to Paris and back.

Established in 2014, The Future Project (TFP) at The King’s School is a leader in science education. The Project advances the much-needed development of science and research in our nation and is the first of its kind in an Australian school. It is a cutting-edge example of the transformational power of industry-school partnerships.

The Project’s mission is to motivate and engage the next generation of scientists and engineers. TFP Students are provided with the opportunity to work on authentic research projects in industry-level laboratories with research companies that partner with TFP. The Project also fosters university partnerships. This adds further value to the exceptional experiences provided to the students and the skills that they develop through the program.

Applications for 2023 Internships will be open in the coming weeks.

On Tuesday afternoon in Paris, The Future Project iGEM team were hosted by the Australian Ambassador to France, Her Excellency Ms Gillian Bird PSM, at a Reception at the Australian Embassy. Comprised of students from The King’s School, Tara Anglican School for Girls, Loreto Normanhurst, Cherrybrook Technology High School, Asquith Girls High School, Sydney Girls High School, Cumberland High School, and James Ruse Agricultural High School, the team had the opportunity to discuss The Future Project’s iGEM research, their school experiences and their ambitions. Australia’s Ambassador to UNESCO, Ms Megan Anderson, was also present and spent time with the team.

Her Excellency congratulated the team for being the only Australian High School team to be selected to compete alongside 8,000 other participants from universities and schools from around the world.

The Team was invited to sign the official visitor’s book at the Embassy, and the Ambassador was presented with a King’s broach as a memento of the visit.

The competition begins on Wednesday (Paris time). The Future Project Team will present before the competition judging panel in the afternoon before making a presentation to the public on Thursday.

We wish them every success.

And they’re off!

The Future Project is the only Australian school team participating at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGem) competition in Paris, an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing synthetic biology, education and competition. Comprised of students from The King’s School, Tara Anglican School for Girls, Loreto Normanhurst, Cherrybrook Technology High School, Asquith Girls High School, Sydney Girls High School, Cumberland High School, and James Ruse Agricultural High School, they are competing against multidisciplinary student teams from around the world. Teams document their work through deliverables like wikis, videos and presentations which are evaluated by expert panels of judges.

The Future Project’s mission is to motivate and engage the next generation of scientists and engineers through authentic research projects in industry-level laboratories, and this is an opportunity that will be sure to have a lasting impression on our interns.

The Future Project’s Judging Sessions and Presentation will be made available here: https://video.igem.org/c/2022_judging_sessions/videos and https://video.igem.org/c/2022_presentations/videos.

Congratulations to King’s students Aditya Arora, Oliver Bucknell, Kobe Goodridge, Gavin Li, Pravin Nagaratnam, Vedant Vaghela, Daniel Wei, Chris Yoo, Max Ipolito, Varun Khurana and James O'Neil, as well as our other science interns involved in The Future Project. We wish you all the best.

This week is National Science Week, which celebrates the scientific foundation for all our innovative breakthroughs. It’s an observed time to celebrate the impact of science, engineering, math, and technology on the world, as well as recognise the contributions of Australian scientists.

The theme for this year is “Glass: more than meets the eye”. It celebrates the many roles that glass plays in our lives – from phone screens to optical fibre to glassware in labs – plus investigating glass as a part of our sustainable future. The uses for and intrinsic nature of glass in science make it a suitable topic for investigation across all strands of science education.

Throughout the week, Year 7 students participated in a variety of scientific activities such as making terrariums, telescopes, and light bulbs. Students were also provided with the opportunity to attend a lunchtime presentation held by Mr Bobby Gange where he talked about the extraordinary properties of glass and demonstrated such applications across various technological mediums.

During the last week of the school holidays, the TFP Senior Interns participated in a holiday workshop. They were also joined by the Year 10 Science Communicators who were on deck to interview the Interns about their respective projects, with the view to creating video abstracts, posters, and power points to present later this year during their graduation.

The energy in the Science Centre was electric!

A special thank you to TFP teachers, Quantal Bioscience and HydGene Renewables for their continuous efforts and hard work, molding our future scientists!

During the holiday break, our Senior Interns have been busy working on their research projects with our partners Quantal Bioscience and HydGene Renewables.

The students were highly engaged, working as a team while gaining experience in using state-of-the-art scientific equipment. Well done to all!

The King’s School welcomes HydGene Renewables to The Future Project team! HydGene Renewables is a synthetic biology engineering company with expertise in the optimisation of bacterial strains to produce carbon‐neutral hydrogen. They aim to help facilitate 100% renewable energy, decarbonise industries, and generate a truly sustainable and circular economy by providing clean hydrogen from renewable sugar‐based feedstock sources.

HydGene works with the Year 11 Senior Interns, both internal and external students, on Wednesday afternoons. Some of these students are preparing to enter the iGEM Competition - a competition consisting of multidisciplinary student teams from all over the world, that compete for medals and awards by designing, building, and testing projects using synthetic biology.