Over the last six years almost one hundred 17-18-year-old students have undertaken a Scientific apprentice under Barker’s own academically trained research supervisors. They have engaged with literature, developed methodologies, conducted lab work, applied inferential statistics, discussed the evidence, and most importantly, disseminated their findings.

It’s through dissemination of academic work that progress can be made, and as such, Barker proudly publishes the student work in our very own academic Journal hosted by the Barker Institute, Scientific Research in Schools. It is traditional for the students to receive their very own copy of the journal, featuring their original 3,000 word academic article, as they finish their HSC exam to celebrate the final step of their apprentice journey.

However, excellence in research and thinking in Science is not limited to Barker and this is why Barker hosts an annual Science Extension conference to bring together students and teachers throughout New South Wales. Featuring two lectures and a poster session, the conference allows for networking, collaboration and upskilling for the school-based Science research community.

Approximately 200 were in attendance including staff and students from local and distant schools. Teachers brought students the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and the Southern Highlands so they could experience Science learning at Barker. Parents of Barker students also enjoyed the opportunity to view the Barker students’ posters on display as part of the showcase.

The first lecture was presented by Dr Tien Huynh, an Associate Professor in Biotechnology at RMIT. The lecture explored the relationship between indigenous cultural knowledge and modern science. Dr Huynh focussed on applications of various mushrooms for industrial, health, and environmental purposes. Students were able to hold samples of leather made from fungi (“fleather”), and mushroom-based fireproof insulation.

The second lecture was on a challenging aspect of the subject Syllabus, the Philosophy of Science. Dr Matthew Hill, Director of the Barker Institute led the audience through key philosophical concepts of empiricism, induction and deduction, falsifiability and the scientific method.

The evening was an excellent demonstration of academic enrichment aligned with the HSC syllabus, celebrating both what Barker can offer and the benefits of collaborating with and welcoming in the wider community. Our new cohort of students are already hard at work developing their research proposals, and we look forward to seeing our guests again in 2025.

Dr Matthew Hill

Dr Matthew Hill is the Director of The Barker Institute with a focus on professional learning, research, and innovation in the school.  He teaches Physics and the new Science Extension course at the School which introduces students to scientific academic research. Matthew's doctorate reflects his passion for science education focussing on Representational Fluency amongst physics students at school and university. He has published in leadership, education, and science journals and been involved in course development and teaching at The University of Sydney and The University of Western Sydney. He has also completed a Graduate Diploma in Divinity at Ridley College in Melbourne.