Ninety secondary school students from seven schools across NSW, including Henry Kendall High School in Gosford, participated in a Maths in Surveying Day on Friday, November 21, at Bicentennial Park.
Mentored by 25 registered surveyors and eight maths teachers, students used tools from the past together with the latest technology to perform surveying measurements and see how mathematics is applied to real life situations. Students participated in a range of activities including surveying measurement and mapping, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV) photogrammetry, GPS treasure hunts, CAD modelling, trigonometrical heighting and calculating the circumference of the earth using the Eratosthenes method. The UAV was a popular activity with students, which helped increase interest in the profession. This involved using virtual reality goggles and an Xbox controller to manoeuvre the UAV’s camera. The Maths in Surveying Day was organised to help increase the awareness of surveying as a career and reverse the decline in the number of students taking up higher level mathematics subjects in HSC. Event organiser Mr Ian Iredale said: “There is a major skills shortage in surveying looming across the country, and in particular in NSW.” “We hope this event will help students see how exciting careers in surveying can be and encourage them to keep going with maths through HSC to meet uni prerequisites for surveying careers.”
Media release,
25 Nov 2014
Michelle Brooks, Cookie
Dough Research and
Marketing