STEAM News
Girls in Aeropace and Defence Programme
The Girls in Aerospace and Defence Programme was held by RMIT and Sir Lawrence Wackett Defence centre, the many sponsors of this course were; Boeing Australia, Thales, Swoop Aero, Sypaq, Australian Army Drone Racing Team, Leonardo Australia, and Aviation/Aerospace Australia. During the week we learnt how to build drones in teams of 3, this included soldering wires onto many circuit boards and assembling them onto the drone frame, connecting all the correct controls with their motors and propellers then conducting tests of the software and hardware inside the laboratory at RMIT Bundoora Campus. On Wednesday, we visited all the sponsor's offices and manufacturing labs to listen to various demonstrations, presentations and interesting talks from current women in the aerospace field of work.
Surprisingly, all the fun work done in the lab wasn't just what we had gotten in to do, to conclude the busy week we conducted our own flying competition on the last day! But before we got flying ourselves, we had a demonstration from the Australian Army Drone Racing Team who showed us how to really fly a drone like a pro. They displayed their FPV (first person view ) drones and presented multiple sequences of super speed flying whilst staying sharp and agile in the sky. The competition was very tough as the actual drones themselves were extremely hard to control, the teams were all cheering for each other as we all gave flying the drone a go.
Congratulations to Team NAK (Nat, Amelie and Kat) for second place and to all the other teams for their results!
A massive thank you is due to Dr. Jo Zimpel and the RMIT lecturers who created this course and made it as amazing as it was.
- Sasha Panow (Year 11) and Katherine Richardson (Year 10)
CyberTaipan Young Women’s Career Tour 2023
Whilst everyone else returned to school on 27th February, Cayenne and I were at Melbourne Airport at 4am on a flight to Canberra to participate in the inaugural Cyber Taipan Young Women’s Career Tour, run by CSIRO. We were fortunate enough to be offered spots after participating in Cyber Taipan, a cyber defence competition for young people.
While in Canberra, we visited a range of sites that left everyone in awe at how astonishing the people, places and technology are. Amongst the activities ran over the four days we were there, the highlights include a visit to Mount Stromlo Observatory, which is part of the Australian National University. We learnt about different projects and technology used there, including a huge laser that has the ability to detect space junk, as well as job opportunities and such. Additionally, we were lucky enough to visit Services Australia and visit their Cybersecurity Control and Operations Centre. We also received the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session with a panel of Services Australia employees who have worked in cybersecurity, and received their advice about pursuing a career in this field.
Another major highlight of the trip included a workshop to ANU and ASD Co-Lab. Part of this workshop included talks by multiple cybersecurity professionals. Afterwards, we practiced our penetration testing skills on a website that was designed to be hacked. This interactive style of learning was incredibly enjoyable and enhanced our understanding of what a career in cybersecurity could look like.
We received talks from people from all walks of life, including the well renowned anthropologist, Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell, along with some up and coming women in STEAM. We also participated in a Responsible Innovation workshop run by CSIRO at the CSIRO Discovery Centre. We covered what responsible innovation looks like and also the Design Thinking Process (AKA Problem Solving Methodology). We got to put what we learnt into practice, creating a mock solution to real world issues.
We quickly realised that the opportunities and pathways in cybersecurity were endless, that no matter who you are, there is always something for you if you are willing to try. As one speaker put it, as the next generation to enter the workforce and make a massive impact, we are all a ‘hot commodity’ for the cyber industry.
- Nandini Vyas and Cayenne Lim, Year 11
Meet the STEAM Captains
Hi! We are Elise, Maggie, and Mithuna and we are your MS Steam captains! We joined the STEAM club in year seven, and participated in Lego League together, quickly becoming close friends. We are excited to work with the Exec team this year and are ready to jump into the opportunities this year has to offer.
Hello! We are Samira and Nandini, and we are your Senior School STEAM Co-captains for 2023! We have been a part of STEAM club since Year 7 and over the past few years, we have participated in many competitions such as First Lego League, Tech Girls, BRInC and Cyber Taipan. We are excited to run a range of activities with the MGC community this year and present a whole host of exciting opportunities within STEAM. We hope everyone has had a great start to the year and we look forward to seeing you in the STEAM room this year!
Come join the STEAM Team!
Dear fellow students, staff, and guests,
It is our great pleasure to welcome you all to our school's STEAM program. As the Middle School Captains and Vice Captains of this program, we are excited to see so many bright minds gathered here today to celebrate science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
We are confident that our program will offer you unique and valuable learning experiences that will shape your future in unimaginable ways. With the guidance of our passionate teachers and mentors, we am certain that you will all achieve great things. So, let us embrace the challenges that come our way and work together to create a brighter future for ourselves and for our communities. Thank you for joining us, and we wish you all a fantastic year ahead.
As passionate STEAM-Lovers, we are excited about STEAM because it represents an intersection of some of the most innovative and impactful fields in our world today. STEAM is not just a collection of subjects, but rather a philosophy that encourages interdisciplinary thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. STEAM can be seen in the development of cutting-edge technologies like self-driving cars or space exploration. These advancements require the combined knowledge and expertise of engineers, computer scientists, mathematicians, artists, and more. By bringing together individuals from different fields, we can create new solutions to complex problems and push the boundaries of what is possible.
Furthermore, the skills developed through STEAM education are highly sought after in the workforce. From designing and programming software to creating visually appealing user interfaces, STEAM professionals are in high demand across a range of industries. In short, STEAM is exciting because it provides us with the tools to make meaningful contributions to society while also fostering a sense of curiosity, innovation, and creativity. We are unimaginably excited to see you join STEAM in the upcoming years ahead!
Thank you,
Mithuna Karthick
MS STEAM Captain 2023,
Elise Ho
MS STEAM Vice Co-Captain,
Maggie Fleming,
MS STEAM Vice Co-Captain