From Participant to Coordinator: Alex Fowler's Oliphant Story

by Alex Fowler, 2026 Oliphant Science Coordinator at Woomera Area School

When did you first become involved in the Oliphant Science Awards as a student?
When I was in middle primary (mid-late 1990s) my sister was doing the OSA and she was making an invention. I was jealous. So, my mum helped me organise it so I could do a project too. Then I also entered in year 8 (2002) as one of our assignments. I only entered the two times, but with both I was so excited.

What projects did you undertake, what were they about, and what did you achieve through them?
My first time I entered I made an invention. I created a cover for a rectangular clothes airer that would improve drying. I remember studying all about how hot air rises and designing it so that the hot air was trapped but cooler air could move out the bottom. In high school my project was an investigation. I wanted to invent something but couldn’t think of anything useful. At the time I was breeding and competing with guinea-pigs and I had 3 males who I needed to increase their weight for competition. I set up my 3 moveable hutches and fed each male a different combination of food. I made sure they all got the same weights of food and the same amount of access to grass. I weighed them regularly over the period of the investigation and presented my findings. I may not have won a prize for my investigation but I did develop a better feeding regime for my guinea-pigs, and I ended up winning a second place later that year at the Adelaide Show.

What did you enjoy most about participating in the Oliphant Science Awards as a student?
The open days were a real highlight. I also enjoyed the process of taking control of my own learning and doing something that interested me. In high school I found science interesting but I often didn’t finish assignments because I had already found out the information, which was the fun part. I loved being able to follow my own ideas as far as I wanted finding out new things as I went. The presentation side of it was interesting because I wasn’t just repeating the facts back to the person who taught them to me.

When and how did you become involved in the Oliphant Science Awards as a teacher?
I had been teaching for a few years and I had a group of students who were not super interested in science. A few of them liked science but not loved it. I was looking for some way to have my multi-age class (3-10 in one class) all do something that they found interesting but I could easily align to the different year levels. The OSA was the perfect fit. I didn’t even have to create rubrics, students could choose their topics and I could support them.

What do you hope your students and your school will gain from participating in this year’s Oliphant Science Awards?
This year my class in much younger (F-4) than that first year I coordinated. I hope my students grow to see science not just as facts and figures, but real world, daily life. I hope my students remember the art in the science, the impact of science around us every day and that they don’t have to be the best, most knowledgeable scientist to use, trust, think about and respond to science. If students can learn science is around us all the time impacting even the most non-science aspects of life and understand that, then they will be better equipped for their future, whatever field they persue.