Introducing the Pymble Institute
I’m very excited to start sharing some of the initiatives of the Pymble Institute, the College’s new home of research, innovation and professional learning. Plans to launch the Pymble Institute a few weeks ago understandably shifted, and we have set a new date for 7 October, but in the meantime, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Pymble Institute through some of our initiatives.
It has been inspiring to lead a great team of staff and students who have been working hard on shaping the message of the Pymble Institute: what we are and what we do. Under the vision of Driving our Thinking, we have developed the following mission statement:
The Pymble Institute amplifies our capacity to make a positive impact in the lives of girls and women. We are driven by a commitment to building our own skills in research, innovation and education. What we learn is shared in ways that inspire others to drive their own thinking forward and to find new ways of doing.
In the following items, I am proud to share stories from the area of student-initiated research as students share insights into their research processes and outcomes. I look forward to giving further information about the growing work of the Pymble Institute in the near future.
Junior Journal Club by Charlotte Hartin and Lucy Clark (Year 10)
This new club started in Term 3 and encourages students to read and discuss academic journal articles and to understand the publication process behind academic research.
The world of academia is one of fascination. It has the ability to captivate the interest of a diverse audience. After the parameters are understood, research can enable one to appreciate the many facets of the world around us. Academia is often viewed as secluded and ‘elite’, however it is important to spread the ideas and opinions from research throughout society. Throughout last year, we had the opportunity to interview Professor Mockler. This enabled us to understand the thought process of a journal editor, in terms of selecting articles and compiling information.
Through the process of interviewing Professor Mockler, we furthered our understanding of the academic world. We recognised its importance within the community. This experience inspired us to launch the Junior Journal Club to enable academia to reach a wider audience, specifically within the younger generation. At the launch of the club, Dr Hadwen shared her personal experience and knowledge of academia to motivate the girls. The club aims to educate the student community and encourage the idea that academia is not as daunting as it may seem. The club is largely discussion-based, enabling members to convey their thoughts whilst learning new information. We aim to keep it interesting, so we are currently exploring a paper regarding the likelihood of unicorns alongside the use of an abstract within journal articles.
If you would like to join Junior Journal Club, please contact us or Mrs Tarrant for more information.
Read Lucy and Charlotte’s interview with Associate Professor Nicole Mockler in Illuminate, Edition 5.
The student research journal – Perspective. Submissions now open. By Hana Kassam and Victoria Graves, Pymble Institute Service Prefects (Year 12)
Students across the College are invited to submit research articles for the student research journal, Perspective. The inaugural edition launched at the start of 2021 with a collection of essays from our Year 12 Extension English, Science and History courses. We hope to broaden the submissions to include papers or other research works from students in other year groups and covering a broader range of areas and styles of research.
Ideas include:
- Papers written for other courses
- Literature reviews
- Original research
- Non-tradition research forms e.g. audio, video, digital
- Interviews, Q&As
The Pymble Institute Service Prefects, Hana Kassam and Victoria Graves can assist with more information. Students are also welcome to contact Dr Sarah Loch with research ideas and for support for writing. Email submissions to pymbleinstitute@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au by week 3 of Term 4.
What are students researching? The Lunchline/Young Entrepreneurs Society project
Jessie Xie, Sasha Wong, Christy Xue, Celine Hu and Maya Hu (Year 10) are members of the College’s Young Entrepreneurs Society. The team have been developing the concept for a new product to improve students’ experiences of ordering food through a canteen. This is a theoretical design to help students gain skills in all stages of the entrepreneurial thinking cycle, but it may one day come to fruition.
The group conducted research based on student experiences of food services which are based on our previous canteen provider. We’re looking forward to being back on campus and getting to know the exciting new options our new provider will have available and we are certain students will be watching with great interest.
The Lunchline team have prepared the following written and visual reports as a way of communicating their findings
Over our years at Pymble, we’ve experienced the inconveniences of our current lunch-lines and canteens, from long waits to running out of food to other forms of troubles that are taking up the valuable recess/lunchtimes of our fellow students.
For the Young Entrepreneur Society, our group has decided to establish a project aimed at improving the convenience and efficiency of school lunchtime services, starting from Pymble.
Our initiative Lunchline is a food ordering online platform and provider for school canteens. We hold partnerships with schools for the convenience of lunchtime services through our ordering application and forthcoming lunch catering machinery. We aim to improve the quality and efficiency of school lunch ordering and receiving services for all students. Additionally, it is our duty to enhance the health and safety of our fellow peers while receiving food. Please refer to the infographic for more information and statistics.
In order to improve our initiative, we need your help. For students, we would love for more feedback about the current lunchtime services at Pymble, so feel free to complete this very quick survey to express your opinions.
Thank you for your support.
Lunchline – Celine, Christy, Jessie, Maya, Sasha
