Last night, the iSTEAM Machine rolled into the Barker Institute for a fabulous evening of shared experiences with students, parents and staff enjoying the opportunity to observe the projects of the students in the STEAM course. This was enlightening as we observed the processes and various designs that the students had developed as part of their work completing 'Feeding a Hungry World' glasshouse projects. It was great to see so many interested Junior School students keenly investigating the work of their older peers, and also to see the parents eagerly looking at the work being completed.

Following this showcase, there was a presentation on the emerging use of drones in society from The Ripper Group, sharing some amazing statistics, images and insights into the latest development of drones in aviation. The presenters covered a wide array of topics where drones are deployed including commercial use for disaster recovery and medical emergencies. When combined with incredible software that has been developed for analysis of data across the world, drones of all sizes and shapes impact society in so many positive and interesting ways.

The Ripper Group, shared a wide array of the work they do with the Westpac Life Saving Program, and the work in many new emerging areas. The CEO of this group noted that ‘the data collected from drones is the new oil, and that the analytics of this is like a engine’, highlighting the incredible growth of this area in the last 10 to 15 years.

Also covered were the requirements for becoming a drone pilot, and gaining accreditation in this area. Many students and parents were particularly interested in this aspect of the evening. A huge thank you must go to Virginia Ellis who coordinates the iSTEAM program at Barker and to all the staff involved in teaching this area. It was a great event and we look forward to future presentations in this space.