DISCOVERY\u2019S Girls in STEM program is underway for another year and young students from Bendigo are getting hands on with science and engineering.<\/p>\n
Pupils from 15 schools will have a chance to explore different areas of STEM this year, including robotics, geology, circuits, chemistry, and astronomy.<\/p>\n
General manager of Discovery, Alissa Van Soest, said it\u2019s great to have the participants back in the centre after last year\u2019s program couldn\u2019t run at full capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving all the girls back in the centre is great, this is the first session of 2022, so these girls are all just getting to know each other,\u201d she said. \u201cA really crucial part of keeping women in STEM is networks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese girls are selected because they\u2019re interested in science, but also because they have leadership ability. The aim of this program is that these girls become leaders and role models in their community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grade 6 pupils, including Ayarna from White Hills Primary School, were learning to code Sphero balls on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re coding robots and trying to make it do certain stuff that we\u2019re using the coding app for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t really been into maths, but this really excited me and I thought I\u2019d be able to learn some new stuff from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s program has received support from mining company Mandalay Resources, who operate the Costerfield Mine.<\/p>\n
The partnership has allowed the program to grow to get schools in Heathcote and Toobarac on board, and some of the company\u2019s scientists, engineers and geologists will present to the students later in the year.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s people and culture manager Nicole Sweeney said they are looking to fill in some gaps in the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin mining, we\u2019re experiencing significant skill shortages right now, especially in areas such as engineering and geology,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to play the long game in terms of growing our further workforce and it\u2019s investment in programs like this that really get girls to see the value of science and how exciting it is, but then to follow it up with a career.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DISCOVERY\u2019S Girls in STEM program is underway for another year and young students from Bendigo are getting hands on with science and engineering. Pupils from 15 schools will have a chance to explore different areas of STEM this year, including robotics, geology, circuits, chemistry, and astronomy. General manager of Discovery, Alissa Van Soest, said it\u2019s […]<\/p>\n