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April 2017

SEC continues to grow in 2017!

A message from the Director (Dr Terry Burns)

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) remains a hot topic in the media; and rightly so. Some people have commented that, under the current conditions, the Science and Engineering Challenge (SEC) should be called the STEM Challenge. Well, yes, but we can’t really re-brand now. The simple fact is that we were doing world-leading STEM Outreach long before STEM was even recognised as an acronym! The SEC began in the year 2000 and since then, including the SMART program, has engaged with over half a million people.

A few weeks ago, I joined many scientists and science communicators from right around Australia at “Science meets Parliament 2017” in Canberra. It was a unique opportunity to meet with politicians and discuss the important STEM issues. I would like to acknowledge the ongoing support from the NSW and WA state Chief Scientists. This year Prof O’Kane has provided funding to run a week of SEC events at Sydney Olympic Park, as well as several other significant events around NSW. Prof Klinke from WA has arranged a fantastic venue for the Perth SEC events. Thank you for your support. I would also like to express my appreciation to all our partners around Australia: Rotarians, Sponsors, Professional Groups, Governments, Schools, and Communities. Thank you for your contribution. It is never taken for granted.

2017 SEC Team (L-R): Brian Marsden, Mick Cassey, Chris Hendry, Carly Donohue, Peter Fullagar, Neville Want, Terry Burns, Jess Kearney, Nathan Burke (SMART), Shelley Wilson (SMART), Jodie Ryan and Helen Beckitt.

SMART Program Update

SMART finished off 2016 with a bang, presenting more than a dozen of our Best of SMART Liquid Nitrogen Shows for prospective University students on campus at the University of Newcastle. We also farewelled Sarah Pilgrim, SMART Team Leader for 2015-2016, who is on her way to becoming a secondary teacher.

For 2017, we are off to a rolling start with the exciting appointment of our new SMART Team Leader Shelley Wilson, who brings a wealth of experience to the program. Shelley has flown into the role with enthusiasm and has already finished her first rural NSW SMART tour with our SMARTbots kit, getting hands on experience with Andy the dancing bioloid robot, Travis the parrot drone, and all our other robots!

In 2017, we are hoping to reach out to more students and educators than ever before, and we have launched our first BOSTES Accredited Teachers Professional Development workshop, Robotics in the Classroom, with great success. The workshop utilises the LEGO EV3 robots and laptops generously donated to us by Google, to train educators in how to incorporate robotics and coding into everyday classroom use across the entire curriculum. Many thanks to the schools and teachers who have already hosted these sessions, we look forward to seeing more robotics in classrooms!

Read more...

Visit the SMART Website

Meet our 2017 scholars

Chrystal Moore (Science Communication Scholar)

Chrystal Moore has joined the SEC team as our most recent Science Communication Scholar, which will see her working alongside the rest of the team for 20 weeks. She is a third-year Bachelor of Communication student completing her major in Journalism. Chrystal’s area of interest lies in Science Journalism and she has joined the team in hopes of building her science knowledge whilst expanding her communication network. Chrystal is looking forward to travelling around the country with the SEC and providing hands-on assistance to the team.

David Hukka (Media Scholar)

David Hukka has joined the SEC team as the 2017 Media Scholar. He is a second-year Bachelor of Communication student at The University of Newcastle, majoring in media production. David is looking forward to a career in the media industry and sees this position as a great opportunity to gain real-world media experience while helping to find the next generation of young scientists and engineers. Over the course of the scholarship, David plans to use his media production skills to help update the SEC's video content, as well as assisting with media and social media.

Alumni

Did you participate in the SEC at school?

If so, we would love to hear from you! Stay in touch by completing a short survey below and let us know where you are working or what you are studying now! This information will help us assess the long-term impact of participation in the Challenge.

Stay in Touch

Student Survey Winners

Congratulations to Blackwood HS (SA) and Ingham SHS (QLD) who have each won a $500 cash prize for participating in the 2016 Challenge Student Survey.

If your school participated in the SEC last year, encourage students to complete the Student Survey for your chance to win.

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Back in the ACT again!

The Science and Engineering Challenge kicked off the year in Canberra, with an event in the ACT after a short break from the region. Over 220 students from 9 local high schools gathered at the Australian National University (ANU), packed with energy, enthusiasm and ingenuity. A big congratulations to Emmaus Christian School who won the day with a whopping score of 1355.60. Their team has now been invited to compete at the NSW State Final on Tuesday 15th August at the University of Newcastle. Thanks to ANU for hosting the event as well as all the event staff who volunteered their time to run the activities.

Our media scholar, David Hukka attended the event and took some great photos and put together a short video capturing the excitement of the day. Check them out below. He is hoping to use some of this footage to develop a new 60-second promotional video. for the Challenge. Stay tuned on this one!

Watch highlights from the 2017 ACT Science and Engineering Challenge!

Educational Resources for Teachers

Australian STEM Video Game Challenge (Primary and High School)

The Australian STEM Video Game Challenge is a national competition open to all Australian students in Years 5-12. Students are encouraged to work collaboratively to design and build an original video game based on STEM concepts or themes. It is free to enter for individuals or teams (up to four people). Registrations officially open on Monday 1st May. Find out more here, or register to receive an information pack for your school.

Tech Girls Movement -Technovation (Primary and High School)

Registrations are now open for the 2017 search for the Next Tech Girl Superhero! Teams of girls work through a 12-week STEM entrepreneurship program in Term 2, provided by the Technovation Challenge, which is a global app making competition for girls. As part of the competition, teams identify a problem in their local community and design their own solution in the form of an app. The winning team has the chance to fly to San Francisco and attend Silicon Valley's global Technovation app pitch challenge. Be quick! Registrations for the program close on April 21st. To sign up, visit Techn ovation Challenge.

CURRENT LEADERBOARD*

1529.51 Danthonia School (NSW)
1378.74 Hale School (WA)
1378.32 Launceston CS (TAS)
1355.60 Emmaus CS (ACT)
1298.69 James Nash SHS (QLD)
1294.21 Henry Lawson HS (NSW)
1281.60 Orange & Canobolas HS (NSW)
1278.94 Riverside HS (TAS)
1263.27 St Joseph's College (QLD)
1251.83 Frensham School (NSW)
1247.05 St Mary's Anglican GS (WA)
1243.75 Burpengary SHS (QLD)

* Based on top school in each region

UPCOMING EVENTS 2017

May
Bundaberg QLD (2-3)
Blue Mountains NSW (2)
Terrey Hills NSW (3)
Macarthur NSW (4-5)
Fraser Coast QLD (5)
Bendigo VIC (16)
Kempsey NSW (16-18)
Geraldton WA (17-18)
Geelong VIC (18-19)
Mid Coast NSW (19-26)
Port Hedland WA (22-23)
ME Program NSW (22-26)
Darling Downs QLD (23-26)
Broome WA (25-26)
South Brisbane QLD (29-30)
Footscray VIC (30-31)

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