Wonder of Science Wins WiT Award for Raising the Regions

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The Wonder of Science Team (AleX, Kaylene and LEnore) - Women in Technology 2023 raising the regions Award Winners.

We are incredibly honoured and proud to announce that the Wonder of Science team (Alexandra McKelvey (nee Hall), Lenore Irvine and Kaylene Cooper) has won the Women in Technology 2023 Raising the Regions Award.

Thank you to Women in Technology for your encouragement and for recognising us today. This is an incredible achievement for our team and we are so excited.

Our team was honoured to be finalists in three categories having also been finalists in the Lifitng Communities and Excellence in STEM Education and Research categories as well.

Thank you to our supporters, university partners, industry partners, inspiring Young Science Ambassadors, Flying Scientists, staff, teachers, parents and students who make all of it possible!

Congratulations to all of the finalists, winners and highly commended. It was WONDER-full to see the incredible work that women are achieving in STEM fields all over the state.

Wonder of Science is actively raising the regions and supporting STEM, and women and girls in STEM, across Queensland:

  • We are a future-focused initiative fostering a STEM culture that empowers students via access to high-quality, evidence-based STEM education. We are inspiring excellence by coordinating over 140 Young Science Ambassadors, who are PhD students in STEM fields, to visit Year 4 – 9 students across Queensland as part of our Challenge Task program. Students then participate in a term-long research task. Representative teams are invited to attend a Regional Conference with winners attending State Conference in Brisbane. We also provide teachers with curriculum resources as well as professional learning options

  • We have reached over 100,000 people since 2012.

  • In 2022, 74% of schools participating in Wonder of Science were in rural and remote communities and 62% of schools were below the average socio-education advantage (ICSEA) ranking.

  • Our core program is a term-long. Many schools participate for multiple years and it often becomes an integral part of the schools’ STEM teaching and learning.

  • We have worked in regional areas across the state including Cairns, Innisfail, Mossman, Weipa, Mackay, Charleville, Chinchilla, Bowen Basin, Emerald, Darling Downs, Gladstone, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, North Burnette, Goodwindi and Cooktown.

  • We are raising the regions through our Flying Scientists program which is actively promoting women in STEM at community events across Rural and Regional Queensland. The Flying Scientists program, run in partnership with the Queensland Government, Office of the Queensland Chief Scientist, sees STEM researchers travel into regional Queensland centres to engage in STEM community events and to visit schools in the region to share their inspiring STEM stories.

  • In 2023 over 77% of our Young Science Ambassadors are women. In 2023, 8 of our 9 major Flying Scientists events showcased women in STEM.

  • We provide an effective, high-quality STEM education program across rural and regional Queensland.

  • Between 60% and 80% of Regional and State Conference winners each year are female.

  • Since 2020 we have also facilitated a girls in STEM mentoring program in partnership with Foxwell State College, where up to 20 Year 7 students each year receive one-on-one mentoring from a female Young Science Ambassador and complete a STEM inquiry project of their choosing over the course of a term.

  • 99% of students and 100% of teachers who attended the 2022 State Conference agree that they would recommend Wonder of Science to others.

Thank you also to the representatives of our partners who joined us on the night and to all of our patterns (who are listed on the website)!

We hope to continue #rasingtheregions for years to come!

Gladstone World Science Festival - 2023

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We were so excited to share that we were reached 100,000 people since 2012! But here was the event that put us over the line!

Thank you to Joy and Chamodi for helping us reach 100,000 people.

Young Science Ambassador Joy Seitanidou filled in as a Flying Scientist for the World Science Festival Gladstone event. She was accompanied by QUT Young Science Ambassador Chamodi Fernando.

Across the two days they spoke to a total of 3233 students and community members about their research withing the medical field. The scientists also ran STEM activities including a build your own virus activity and an acids and base activity. Joy and Chamodi both had extensive discussions with attendees about what it was that ignited their passion and interest in STEM. They also provided advice on career opportunities in STEM fields. This event also marked 100,000 people reached for Wonder of Science since 2012.

Joy had the following to say about the event: '' Participating in the WSF at Gladstone was a truly unique experience compared to my previous involvement in similar science outreach programs. The festival provided an invaluable opportunity to communicate my research to a diverse audience (spanning ages from 5 to 60+), enabling engaging discussions about the ways scientific advancements can enhance the health and safety of our community. However, my most rewarding moments came from interacting with younger students during the workshop activities, where a seemingly simple task like building a model of a protein ignited curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking among the participants. I am thankful that the Wonder of Science participated in the WSF and I was allowed to be part of it. Now all I am thinking of is when the WSF takes place next year! ''

Young Science Ambassador Chamodi Fernando said: “I am thrilled that all the experience I gained from the WoS program was amazing. I participated in the World Science Festival Gladstone, in which I helped to reach over 100, 000 people as a YSA. I found good opportunities to inspire not only students but also their parents on STEM.”

The Flying Scientists program is provided in partnership with the Office of the Queensland Chief Scientist (OQCS). The Flying Scientists are early-mid career researchers who accompany Young Science Ambassadors into regional Queensland centres for community Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) awareness events. The program has been developed to address the shortage of science-related events convened outside South East Queensland — see the survey reports commissioned by OQCS which highlight this here: Queenslanders’ perceptions of science | Office of Queensland Chief Scientist.

 

Gen-STEM students visit UQ

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Last month we hosted 15 Year 7 students who are part of our one-on-one Gen-STEM mentoring program in partnership with Foxwell State Secondary College.

Students participated in a STEM workshop, took a tour of UQ IMB and QAAFI and met their Young Science Ambassador Mentors for the first time.

In the coming weeks these Year 7 students will meet with their mentors via Teams once a week as they work on individual STEM research projects over Term 3.

Wonder of Science at World Mining Congress

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This week, Wonder of Science had a space on the exhibition floor at the 26th World Mining Congress in Brisbane. Our Young Science Ambassadors were on hand to talk all things Wonder of Science. They spoke about the WONDER-ful work we are doing in the STEM education space.

We also had examples of the inquiry activities we run with students and an Australian geology quiz for congress attendees. Thank you to the organisers for inviting us to participate.

STEM Girl Power!

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Yesterday, showcasing the power of women in STEM, The University of Queensland YSAs Caitlin, Claire, Kathryn Dawson, Tatiana Briody and Yusra Rabbani answered engaging and thought-provoking questions from Year 10 students at a panel for the STEM Girl Power Initiative. Students learnt about the YSAs research, university pathways, finding and following your passion, and challenges faced by women in STEM fields.

Young Science Ambassadors Caitlin, Kathryn, Tatiana, Claire and Yusra

International Women's Day and an exciting announcment

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Yesterday, the Wonder of Science team was invited to GroundProbe to officially celebrate International Women's Day. Manager Kaylene Cooper along with Young Science Ambassadors Vanessa Zepeda and Stacey O’Brien - discussed the benefits of implementing the WoS across Years 4 - 9 and how our program has seen success in getting girls engaged in STEM from an early age including the fact that 69% of Regional Conference winners and 71% of our State Conference winners were female as well as the ongoing success of our Gen-STEM program developed in partnership with Foxwell State Secondary College.

Thank you so much to the team at GroundProbe who held a raffle for WoS and raised over $6400 to support the program. We would like to thank GroundProbe for their ongoing support and for supporting meaningful action for women and girls in STEM.

We are pleased that the donation from their staff will provide: 1. A bursary for a female early career researcher to be a Young Science Ambassador; and access for one school to participate in the Wonder of Science Challenge Task program for a school term.

Wonder of Science 2021 YSA Celebration

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Presenting our Patron, Professor Ian Frazer (AC FRCPE FRCPA FAA FTSE) at the annual WoS Ambassador Celebration Event last Wednesday evening – SO exciting to announce this and to have Caroline Frazer (UQ 2021 Alumnus of the Year) join us also!! You can see us all ‘chilled-out’ here following the evening formalities… when we also announced that the Frazer Family Foundation will support a special WoS program for underprivileged students (and their teachers) next year, AND that David Sutton, Young Science Ambassador from QUT was our first ‘Gordon Dunlop Medal’ recipient for his outstanding contribution to WoS and schools across Queensland over the past four years. There’s more to come with the WoS State Conference in late November plus a lot to look forward to at WoS in 2022, so watch this space!

Wonder of Extreme Science - 2015

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The Wonder of Extreme Science event was a unique opportunity for Year 10 science students and teachers from across Queensland to engage with top Australian science and technology role models in a free, one day seminar aimed at stimulating students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as a career. 

The Wonder of Extreme Science included a key note presentation from Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt, student workshops and the opportunity for students to get up close and personal with leading entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, mathematicians and technologists in the 'Speed Meet the Scientist' activity.