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First NYSF Queensland program kicks off in Brisbane today - feature image, used as a supportive image and isn't important to understand article

First NYSF Queensland program kicks off in Brisbane today

For 35 years the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) has provided quality science programs to students entering year 12, inspiring careers both in and out of STEM. This year we celebrate our first program in Queensland with 182 students from across Australia about to experience the best of Brisbane science at a 12 day summer program, kicking off on 9 January. The participants are coming from all over Australia, including regional Queensland, to learn about their future options for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) study once they finish secondary school.

The 12 day program has been developed by the NYSF, and adapted through consultation and advice from the team at The University of Queensland (UQ) to showcase a range of disciplines and facilities that are available in Brisbane and surrounds - from medical research to physics to marine biology.

Program Highlights

The students are separated into interest groups, and supported in their participation by student staff leaders - alumni of the program from previous years. Some of the students will be boarding a boat and heading across the water to the Moreton Bay Research Centre where they will experience a full day of marine science activities. Others will have a very unique opportunity to visit Sikorsky Helitech, a company based in Brisbane and now owned by a major NYSF funding partner, Lockheed Martin Australia. The program will also include more than 30 lab visits across The University of Queensland (UQ) , Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Griffith University.

  • 4pm Tuesday 9 Jan: 182 students arriving & checking in at Emmanuel College

  • 10am Wednesday 10 Jan: Opening Ceremony at The University of Queensland's Abel Smith Theatre

  • 1pm Thursday 11 Jan: 182 students participate in lab visits at the University of Queensland

  • 9am Friday 12 Jan: 45 students to UQ’s Moreton Bay Research Centre, 45 to Griffith School of Natural Forensics, 30 to NYSF funding partner Lockheed Martin’s company Sikorsky Helitech, 45 to QUT’s Physics, Engineering and Computing facility and Contact Lens and Visual Optics Lab.

  • 9am Tuesday 16 Jan: 30 students each head to TRI and QIMR for medical research, 45 to the Cities Research Institute, 30 to Griffith Coastal Management Centre (Gold Coast) to analyse plastic collected from the ocean, 30 to the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision and 15 to the Centre for Quantum Dynamics.

  • 9am Thursday 18 Jan: Partners Day at UQ where funding partners talk with students about study and careers in STEM.

  • 6pm Thursday 18 Jan: Dinner at City Hall, NYSF alumni, distinguished guests including NYSF Board Chair, Andrew Metcalfe AO, former Qld Chief Scientist and NYSF Board Deputy Chair Dr Geoff Garrett AO, former Australian Senator and NYSF Board Deputy Chair, the Hon Kate Lundy, and 2017 Australian of the Year Professor Alan Mackay-Sim.

The National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) has been delivering its flagship Year 12 Program since 1984. Initially established by Rotary to encourage young people to study science in Canberra, students are selected to attend through Rotary clubs in their local communities. Running for 35 years, the NYSF is celebrating that milestone by launching a Brisbane program for the first time in 2018, with support from the Australian government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda.

Each year, alumni return to NYSF to work as student staffs managing the schedule and inspiring the next generation of STEM students. The NYSF 2018 Session B in Brisbane Chief of Staff is Harley Gray, taking on the responsibility of launching the first ever Queensland program and leading a team of more than 20 student staffers managing 182 year 12 students for 12 days.

Harley is studying a Bachelor of Advanced Science at UQ, and also attended the NYSF in 2014, and returned as a student staff leader in 2015, 2016 and 2017. “My entire field of study and choice of career changed after attending the NYSF,” says Harley. We’ll find out more about why during the next 12 days as we meet the NYSF class of 2018.

Joining the alumni staff are communications interns George Lavers from Brisbane and Carl Jonsson from Surfers Paradise. George participated in the NYSF program in 2011, was a student staff leader in 2012 and now is enrolled in PhD studies at UQ. Carl is an alumnus from 2013 who also participated in the National Youth Science Week in South Africa, a former NYSF international program. He has recently completed a Bachelor of Material Science and Engineering at UNSW Sydney and is now working as a Graduate Metallurgist at Weir Minerals Australia.

Stay tuned to our website, Facebook and Twitter for updates and highlights from Brisbane as the first ever program kicks off Tuesday and runs until Friday 19 January. For media enquiries and photo opportunities please see contacts below.

Media Contacts

Queensland: Carla Paterson // 0410 653 284 // carla@nysf.edu.au

Canberra: Amanda Caldwell // 0410 148 173 // amanda@nysf.edu.au

NYSF 2018 Session B is supported through funding from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science as part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA) – Inspiring a nation of scientists.”