BrainSTEM Challenge – Toyota

For the last three months, Shirleen, Jhaea, Claire, Benice and Jolyne have been participating in the BrainSTEM Challenge, sponsored by Toyota. The students have been working with Naveen Kumar who is a PhD candidate at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Clayton, every week to complete their STEM presentation. On Friday the 9 June the students presented their project at Toyota in Altona North, in front of an audience consisting of representatives from Toyota, the BrainSTEM co-founder Sid Verma, staff and students from various schools in the western suburbs of Melbourne, and student’s family members. We are proud of the way our students represented Marian College. They are to be congratulated on their wonderful achievement.

Please read their comments about their journey and experience.

As a student who was still unsure of her future career options, the BrainSTEM Toyota challenge has really broadened my perspective of just how many STEM careers there are out there. The BrainSTEM group had the opportunity to visit the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Clayton and were lucky enough to have a personal tour of the research facilities conducted by Naveen Kumar, who is a current PhD student. On the same day, we also visited Monash University which allowed us to expand our knowledge in certain STEM areas. This opportunity has given us an experience of a lifetime.

(Shirleen Lay- Year 10)

I found that the BrainSTEM project was well suited for me. As someone highly interested in pursuing a career in STEM, the idea appealed to me a lot. Although we did end up covering a biology approach to our project, a science I tend to enjoy the least, I still found BrainSTEM extremely exciting. I enjoyed researching Malaria with our group of five and got to work on my collaborating and research skills. With the help of our mentor, Naveen Kumar, I really got to delve deep into what a career in medicine research looks like, and what challenges must be faced and overcome. I would highly recommend BrainSTEM to anyone, even if they are not interested in STEM; I believe that learning about a new topic, and the satisfaction of overcoming hurdles is a reward in itself.

Claire Oram (Year 10)

Participating in the BrainSTEM program has enabled me to foster my creativity and problem-solving abilities, among many other important skills applicable to all aspects of life. What I found most rewarding, however, was investigating the SDG of ‘No Poverty,’ as it prompted me to educate myself on issues facing people in the world and realise that we, the youth, are the future drivers of change.

Benice Dy (Year 10)

Over the past three months, myself and four other Year 10 students, and our teacher Mrs Matejin, have participated in a BrainSTEM Challenge Program sponsored by Toyota. Throughout the program, I have learnt so much about STEM and have now become interested in doing a course that involves STEM skills. I have had an enjoyable time researching and putting together a presentation of our research. Presenting our project in front of other schools was quite daunting, but the program has given me an experience I will not forget and I'm glad that I chose to participate in it.

Jolyne Tran (Year 10)

The BrainSTEM program facilitated our critical thinking as we researched malaria treatment for our project. Additionally, we had the opportunity to visit Monash University and the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Clayton, which provided insight into specialised careers and university life.

Jhaea Risshaye Elciario

Suzanne Matejin

Learning Leader- Science and Mathematics

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