The inaugural STEM Enrichment Academy was held at Flinders University on Monday 29 October 2018, with 44 year nine girls attending a workshop that informed and inspired with engaging activities and realistic insights into the world of STEM.

The full-day workshop was held in the Science Innovation Learning Centre and Flinders science laboratories, and included a hands-on physics experience, an impressive light optics demonstration, a panel session featuring role-models in science, and a workshop with Dr Justin Chalker on his journey to becoming a scientist and how chemistry is being used to make new materials from waste to help the environment.

Flinders alumna Dr Olivia Samardzic (Group Leader Electro-Optic Countermeasures DSTO  and Co-Director, Centre for Australian Space Education) shared her enthusiasm for physics and science during the panel session; and Flinders PhD Girls in Physics and Chemistry – Jade Taylor, Melanie Fuller and Kym Scroggie – also joined the gathering.

Excellent feedback was received on the day, including from students and one of the teachers who commented “I just wanted to thank you and your team for today’s experience. The students provided great feedback from the day.”

The two-year STEM Enrichment Academy program is led by Dr Maria Parappilly (lead applicant), Professor Claire Lenehan, Professor David Day and Julie Herraman, and has been made possible by a Federal Government Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) Grant.

It aims to encourage young women to consider careers in STEM by engaging them in the benefits and opportunities of STEM studies, before they close off their options at high school.

The next enrichment workshop will be held at Tonsley on November 20 and has already sold out.