Spotlight on science
By Sophie Kalkowski-Pope, Year 12, Trinity Anglican School
LABS, lecturers and a virtual reality space walk on the International Space Station.
All this and more awaits at the National Youth Science Forum.
Over the Christmas holidays, myself and two other students from Trinity Anglican School were lucky enough to participate in the NYSF, a residential program designed to immerse Australia’s future scientists in the diverse world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The 10 days living on campus at the Australian National University in Canberra involved lab visits, field trips, social events, interactive workshops and lectures from prestigious guest speakers, including Nobel Prize winner Brian Schmidt.
There were countless opportunities to network with professionals within the STEM fields, including the formation of meaningful connections and friendships that are likely to last many years into the future. set-up, using hula hoops hanging from the ceiling to form an obstacle course that we would have to face.
Eventually, we were given time in the much larger hall at lunch so we could train for the other events.
The entire program was such a stimulating environment to be immersed in, surrounded by hundreds of like-minded people and inspiring lecturers.
It’s only inevitable that we undergo immense social and personal development.
Some may misconstrue this opportunity as purely academic, but, as the saying goes: “It’s science, but it’s so much more”.
There were a total of three different sessions, offering experiences at both the ANU and the University of Queensland.
About 200 students attended each session, making a total of 600 young scientists from around Australia.
The NYSF was an incredible experience to participate in and I would encourage any young minds curious about the sciences to apply.
The entire program, and the people I met, inspired me into a positive, motivated mindset for this year and, ultimately, the future.
The tournament, run by “She Flies” would have specific challenges for us to face.
Some of the trials were picking up an object then flying it into a box, programming the drone to take photographs over a map,