STEM Sisters take tour
Year 10 students from local Secondary schools met with local science and engineering staff on a STEM Sisters local industry tour to learn about career pathways recently.
The tour included visits to Gippsland Water’s Warragul treatment plant, Agriculture Victoria Ellinbank research centre and projects in Baw Baw Shire.
The students toured the waste water treatment plant to learn several careers available in the water industry before being introduced to a range of science-based careers in the agriculture industry over a “speed date” style lunch at the research centre.
Following a tour of the research centre, students met with council’s engineering and natural environment staff. Students were taken on a tour of some wetlands, civil construction and road maintenance sites to hear from council staff about a range of career options in science and engineering.
Students were asked to think about the careers they had heard about and to identify which was the most interesting.
Students enjoyed the animals at the Ellinbank research centre and also found engineering, environmental science and microbiology interesting careers.
The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Sisters project is an initiative of the three Gippsland LLEN’s, including the Baw Baw Latrobe LLEN.
The STEM Sisters project was created in response to low levels of engagement from girls in STEM subjects.
Regional Development Victoria fund STEM Sisters. The project has its own STEM Sister ambassadors; local women who are working in STEM roles and are prepared to work with the young Gippsland students to show them what a career in STEM looks like and how they too can get there.