Science and Engineering Super Challenge state finals underway in Newcastle

BY BROOKE HEINZ

The University of Newcastle is now playing host to the state finals of the Science and Engineering Super Challenge.

The top 26 schools from across New South Wales are competing for a place in the national final later this year in Dubbo.

A University of Newcastle initiative, the Science and Engineering Challenge brings hands-on experiences involving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to year nine and ten students across the nation with 18,000 students participating each year.

Director of the Science and Engineering Challenge Dr Terry Burns says STEM skills will be a requirement for employment in the future.

"In the future...there is strong agreement among experts that 75 per cent of all the jobs will involve STEM and that the skills required in all the jobs of the future will be the sorts of skills that people who work in the STEM area have," Dr Burns said.

"There's going to be a massive change in the way that people work and the sort of work they do, and STEM provides the tools and skills to do that."

The Science and Engineering Super Challenge state final comes after the announcement of a $100,000 grant for the program from the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer's Office on Monday.

The grant is being used to run the challenge in Sydney, transport costs for regional schools, and a series of science shows for younger children across the region.

Image source: University of Newcastle

The Science and Engineering Super Challenge state final will continue until Thursday the 17th of August.

Hunter Students get a Taste of Space

Regional Development Australia's ME Program has partnered with West Wallsend High School to increase children's excitement and involvement in STEM.

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, July 21, 1969

The Quberider Workshop teaches teachers electronic and programming skills, which give students a taste of what astronauts do.

Students are encouraged to learn skills such as coding and electronic design, to physics and maths, while simulating experiments also conducted on real space missions

"This program is very much about being real world and actually being involved in programs that NASA would be involved in" said RDA Hunter's ME Program Director, Dr. Scott Sleap.

The program is said to give students the tools they need to launch into a STEM career and be competitive in the global market.

"What we have is a workforce that is going to require STEM skills in the future, and actually, in the now" said Dr. Sleap.

"If students don't develop the type of skills we're talking about in STEM, then they're going to be locked out of the workforce."

The program has seen considerable success in the Hunter, with over 30 schools now signed up to and actively involved in STEM, with up to 70 across NSW.

"The Hunter regions actually becoming one of the leaders in STEM education in NSW and even possibly Australia" said Dr. Sleap.