Remote lab program receives international award

A futuristic science education program, which lets high-school students take control of live experiments from anywhere in the country, has received a prestigious award from the UK’s Institute of Science and Technology.

The FARLabs (Freely-Accessible Remote Laboratories) project, launched by La Trobe University late last year, was awarded the S-Lab ‘Virtual Laboratory: Learning’ award for teaching excellence. The program is linked to more than 220 schools across Australia, many in remote areas.

The system allows secondary-school students to access state-of-the-art physics equipment at three Australian universities - La Trobe in Victoria, James Cook in Queensland and Curtin in Western Australia - as well as to run experiments at the $200 million Australian Synchrotron. All they need is an internet connection and a standard web browser.

“What we have done, in essence, is refurbish every participating school’s physics department with a new suite of equipment,” said program leader Dr David Hoxley. “To do this physically would have cost millions of dollars. We’ve done it virtually, and it’s an incredibly cost-effective solution.”

Dr Hoxley said students “control the equipment and get to see it move in response”, enabling them to carry out experiments using radioactive materials, solar energy, weather and optics, and analyse data on their own tablets and smartphones.

“It’s all very real for them,” he said.

FARLabs was government-funded under the Australian Maths and Science Partnerships Program in response to a report by Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb highlighting the need to better engage high-school students in science. Developed by Dr Hoxley, Dr Brian Abbey and Professor Paul Pigram, it is supported by partner organisations Quantum Victoria, James Cook University and Curtin University.