| College Leader Attends National Youth Science Forum | | http://www.stbenedictscollege.qld.edu.au/news-and-events/Pages/College-Leader-Attends-National-Youth-Science-Forum.aspx | College Leader Attends National Youth Science Forum | <p style="margin:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">Over the recent holidays, I was fortunate enough to attend the
National Youth Science Forum’s Year 12 Program. </span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">NYSF is a non-profit </span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">organisation</span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> that runs several science outreach
activities. Its flagship NYSF Year 12 Program runs in January each year. The
program is a 12-day residential activity for students interested in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) where participants stay on
campus at a host university and gain significant insights into the variety of
study and career opportunities available across STEM fields as well as
experience university campuses, facilities and lifestyle. This is done through
a Laboratory and site visits, lectures, workshops and networking and social
events. </span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-size:9pt;"></span></p><p style="margin:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="margin:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">I attended Session C, which was based in
Canberra and hosted by the Australian National University. Participants are
separated into 14 interest groups, each focusing on a different branch of
science, in order to tailor STEM visits to the student’s interests. I was part
of the Doherty interest group, named after Peter Doherty, which focused on
health and medical sciences. Due to this, I visited a variety of laboratory and
research facilities including; John Curtain School of Medical Research
(situated on the ANU campus), University of Canberra Faculty of Health
Sciences, ACU Exercise Science and visits to a pathology lab and the
Therapeutic Goods Administration as well as a videoconference with the deputy
head of the physics department at CERN. </span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">Throughout these visits I participated in activities in areas
including cancer research, neuroscience, immunology, virtual reality,
occupational therapy, physiotherapy, midwifery and drug and medical equipment
testing. Each visit opened my eyes to new applications and pathways in STEM. My
favourite however was visiting the Therapeutic Goods Administration as we
performed a titration aimed to test that the amount of aspirin contained in the
tablet was the same as what was stated by the manufacturer. This activity
reminded me of my passion for chemistry and taught me a real-world
application. </span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-size:9pt;"></span></p><p style="margin:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="margin:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">There are also </span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">a number of</span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> social and networking events including the Rotary and Alumni
Evening, Partners Day and the Science Dinner. These are fantastic opportunities
to talk to alumni and industry experts, learn about their careers, and STEM
pathways. Partner’s Day is also a great way to learn more about science roles
in companies and what different universities around Australia offer. The
keynote speaker at the science dinner was Australia’s chief scientist Dr Alan
Finkle. Dr Finkle’s presentation was very interesting and inspiring as he told
of his experiences and shared his life principles; to master the foundations,
take on tough challenges, believe that there is always a better way, make a
relentless commitment to quality and to always walk through the door of
opportunity. He also instructed us to never be afraid to pivot, whether that
means moving to a different field of STEM or changing careers completely. </span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-size:9pt;"></span></p><p style="margin:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="margin:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">Overall, attending the NYSF confirmed my passion for the medical
field but has provided me with many pathways and careers to further look into
and consider. Meeting such encouraging and inspirational likeminded people and
sharing in the mutual enthusiasm and passion for science has left me motivated
and excited to pursue further studies and in the future a career in STEM,
whatever form that may take.</span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-size:9pt;"></span></p><p style="margin:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="margin:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">Erin Brown</span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;color:black;font-size:9pt;"></span></p>
<span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;line-height:107%;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;">Year 12 Student and College Leader</span></span><span style="margin:0px;"><span style="margin:0px;color:black;line-height:107%;font-family:"arial",sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"> </span></span><br><br> | | | | |
