Imagine an island, made of millions of pieces of plastic, different colours and textures, different sizes, all floating for as far as the eye can see. Your mind’s eye may be able to recall a similar image if you’d ever seen videos or pictures of what’s known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This garbage patch, sadly, is not the only one in the world’s oceans. There are a few.
Our discarded plastics tend to accumulate in these patches because of circulating ocean currents called gyres. And, the majority of the plastics that accumulate are made of Polyethylene. Ubiquitous Polyethylene, in everything from shopping bags, to soft drink bottles, to miscellaneous containers. As for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it’s a problem, an area about the size of the Northern Territory containing some 2.7 million tonnes of this plastic stuff.
How can we fix this seemingly unfixable problem? What can we do, when we don’t know what to do? Enter the scientist, aided by the amazing power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). There is now in the making an enzyme, a biological chemical, that can break down polyethylene into its component elements. The AI guided by environmental boffins, has managed to crank through millions of possible combinations of atoms, in millions of possible structures, to come up with a product that does the trick. Breaking down polyethylene, into reusable carbon hydrogen and oxygen, problem solved. So, are we ready to take on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Well, let’s hold on, we’re not quite there yet, but what a start!
The future is continuously evolving for young people. Generation Z, Gen Y, Millennials — in a world that will become more and more complex they will be challenged with situations where they will not know what to do. Answers won’t be easily forthcoming and solutions will emerge only through flexibility, creativity, and cooperation. It’s an interesting question for our young men — what can you do when you don’t know what to do?
Enter skills, transferable skills. Skills that are applied regardless of context, situation or problem. Skills like being capable of listening actively and communicating effectively. Or having the ability to be creative and innovative, to plan and organise. Skills like having the capacity to be patient, empathetic and flexible, to cooperate and work in a team. When faced with a dilemma, to know how to take a step back, analyse the situation, think critically and problem solve your way out of it. In other words, to be able to apply what you can do, when you don’t know what to do.
On Wednesday this week, Year 10 Eddies Men took part in our (and their) first Pathways Conference. It was a day to explore, different jobs, different courses, different experiences.
There were workshops on Podcasting, Drones, Civil Engineering, Aviation and Sports Science presented by The University of Southern Queensland. Penske Australia provided an excellent insight into careers in heavy diesel. Earlier this year we were extremely fortunate to have Penske donate a 12-litre diesel engine for College use. Added to all these exciting offerings, the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (the College is now Gateway School to Industry in Minerals and Energy) using engaging, yet simple activities, modelled the process of mining and challenged our boys’ ability to think critically, as well as use some pretty fine motor skills.
The theme for the day was, as you might expect, Transferable Skills. Information and knowledge are, of course always important, but with research indicating that young people are likely to have up to 17 career changes in their lifetime, their information and knowledge landscape is likely to alter rapidly and often. At each change then, it will be crucial to know “what you can do, when you don’t know what to do”.
Scientists may be able to use AI to create incredible chemicals to use in increasingly challenging situations but without people who have the ability to communicate effectively, work cooperatively and think critically, to be flexible and creative, and empathetic, we have nothing.
Our College motto is Possunt Quia Posse Videntur, They Can, Because They See They Can. At Eddies we will be focusing on building transferable skills so that our young Eddies Men can see what they are capable of doing. Giving opportunities to hone capabilities in order to choose Pathways wisely, to know what you can do when you don’t know what to do.
No matter the context or situation, being able to articulate and apply their transferable skills will allow our young men to succeed in unknown and novel situations, they will know what they can do when they don’t know what to do and in doing so will make a real difference for themselves and others.
Grandparents Day
Thank you to all the wonderful Grandparents who came to the College on Tuesday to share the morning with us. Year 7 students enthusiastically toured the grounds with their “Grandmas and Granddads” showing off the many sites of interest and sharing a small part of where they spend most of their day. The Eddies Team is about creating an environment for our young men to learn and succeed. Mums and dads, teachers and staff, and importantly, grandmas and granddads are all members of our Eddies Team. I hope an enjoyable morning was had by all.
