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Victoria’s fifth science education centre unearthed in Ballarat

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

Disasters, dinosaurs and digging for gold – planet Earth will be put under the microscope by hundreds of thousands of students from across the state at the new $4 million Earth Education Centre in Ballarat.

The centre, known as Earth Ed, is the fifth of the Victorian Government's six specialised science education centres and will focus on earth sciences, with students from across the state having access to the latest technology and subject experts.

Officially opening the centre, Education Minister Martin Dixon said Earth Ed was another valuable tool for engaging Victorian students in science.

"The Victorian Coalition Government is focused on improving the standard of maths and science education in schools and that is why 100 teachers started as maths and science specialists in Victorian government primary schools this year," Mr Dixon said.

"This Coalition Government's 2011-12 budget highlighted our commitment to boosting maths and science by providing $29.3 million to raise standards and participation rates through initiatives including recruiting specialists in primary schools and funding to attract more science graduates into teaching."

Over the next four years, the Victorian Government will fund a total of 200 maths and science specialists, with the next round of 100 specialists working in Victorian primary schools in 2014-15.

Mr Dixon said Earth Ed would be another excellent addition to science education in Victoria.

"The great thing about Earth Ed is that students will be learning about science through real-life scenarios. Primary school students will be doing 'archaeological digs' to discover dinosaur bones and learn about fossils, and students in years 8 and 9 will be building cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells," Mr Dixon said.

"As much as this centre is about giving students who are already interested in science and maths a boost, it is also designed to spark the interest of those who aren't as engaged in these fields."

The centre also caters for VCE level maths and science, where students can step into a high-tech laboratory filled will state-of-the-art equipment, set up to simulate a laboratory at one of Australia's major mines.

The laboratory boasts equipment students do not usually get to use until university including a gas-chromatography mass spectrometer, which separates and identifies the components of samples, and an infrared spectrometer – used to identify types of oils and plastics, and an atomic absorption spectrometer, capable of identifying metals in a rock sample.

The centre itself features the latest in sustainable design – including bricks made from waste timber, solar hot water and electricity, and a high-tech cooling system to keep the building comfortable during the summer months.

Earth Ed is at Mount Clear College in Ballarat, and joins the Victorian Space Science Education Centre at Strathmore Secondary College, the Ecolinc Centre at Bacchus Marsh Secondary College, the Gene Technology Access Centre at University High and BioLAB at Belmont High School.

All schools in Victoria can send their students to the educational programs run by the science centres or access their online programs.

The sixth science centre – Quantum Victoria physical sciences centre, based at Charles La Trobe College in Heidelberg – will open in April.

In last year's budget the Coalition Government provided $1 billion in new funding for education over the next four years.

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