Year 10 Science students recently enjoyed a highly interactive and thought-provoking excursion to Road to Zero at Melbourne Museum. The program was an excellent way to extend their recent learning in Physics, particularly their understanding of motion, speed, forces, collisions and the science behind road safety.

The Road to Zero Experience Space brought these ideas to life in a fun and memorable way. Students explored how the human body would need to change in order to survive serious road crashes without life-changing injuries. Through the TAC’s famous Graham sculpture, they investigated the extraordinary body modifications that would be needed, including a larger skull, flatter face, stronger ribs, thicker skin and knees designed to bend in multiple directions.

Students also designed safer cars, tested them in virtual crash scenarios, investigated how road environments can be made safer for all users, and took part in a virtual reality road trip exploring how Victoria is working towards zero deaths on our roads. These activities encouraged students to connect science with real-world decision-making and to consider how engineering, human behaviour and physics all play a role in reducing road trauma.

The learning continued inside Melbourne Museum, where students explored the Forest Walk and viewed the skeleton of a Blue Whale. This provided a fascinating introduction to our upcoming topic on Evolution, as students observed the whale’s vestigial pelvic bones, remnants of hind legs from land-dwelling ancestors that lived more than 50 million years ago.

It was a fantastic day of hands-on learning, curiosity and real-world science.

Robyne Bowering

VCE Geography Teacher