What's going on in 

Maths/Science?

The National Youth Science Forum

Hey there! This is Keely and I’m here to talk about my experiences in attending the National Youth Science Forum!

Designed for youth, by youth, NYSF offers 500 Year 12 students from all over Australia the unique opportunity to explore pathways in science. Whether that passion be robotics, astronomy or biomedicine, NYSF encompasses all major STEM interests and enables students from various backgrounds to come together and learn about university and career pathways in STEM. 

From touring one of the major supercomputers in the world to participating in STEM lectures taught by leading scientists in Australia. To say this experience was exhilarating would be an understatement. NYSF was jampacked with a multitude of STEM activities from beginning to end.

A couple of my personal favourites were:

• Visiting Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre, where I was able to witness and interact with some of the coolest science phenomena I’ve ever seen.
• Visiting supercomputers at the National Computational Infrastructure, where I was able to see Australia’s preeminent computing facility, a place where Australian researchers utilise NCI’s high-performance data, storage and computing services.
• Speaking with science professionals on Careers Day to learn about what the day-to-day life is like for their science career and the pathways they undertook to get to where they are now.
• Exploring hand and eye tracking technology at Seeing Machines, a technology company that is on a mission to reduce the number of transport accidents every year through their camera-based driver and operator monitoring safety technology.
• ‘Catching Criminals’ through using basic cryptography skills I had learnt from the Australian Signals Directorate, an intelligence and security agency that has a partnership with the Australian National University.

Though the camp took place in Canberra, I had the opportunity to hear from universities from all over Australia. Professionals from major universities in Australia spoke to us about the structure of their STEM degrees along with possible career pathways in STEM, many I have not heard of! Those who dedicated their academic journey to research spoke about their time completing their PhD and what they hope to achieve with their research.

Residing at Burgmann College felt like a second home, it was a place where I’ve made long-lasting memories with friends, along with using the waffle maker every other meal. The staffies (staff members) have been nothing short of wholesome, from my earliest memories of them greeting us at Canberra airport, to them cheering us up after a long, tiring day, even if they may be tired too. Their positive spirits are something I will truly miss.

Now I did not attend this camp alone, Andy also attended this camp with me and will now talk about his experiences at NYSF!

"To me, the NYSF program has been an eye-opening experience. As the first in my family who aspires to become an Aerospace Engineer, I joined NYSF to discover what a career in Science specifically Engineering is like and what paths I can take to get there. And through this program, I was able to not only achieve this goal but also learn so much more. I was able to meet with professors and professionals in the field of engineering and visit Snowy Hydro a large hydropower project that provides energy to Canberra and Victoria. I also got to meet amazing peers who share similar passions and interests, many of whom I still keep in touch with. With such an amazing program and so many learnings, I can't help but thank the school for sponsoring and allowing me to participate in this amazing opportunity. Wherein, as an NYSF alumni I am incredibly excited to share my learnings with the school and help promote this incredible opportunity."

- Andy N, 12E

As Andy said, none of this could have been possible without the generous support from our sponsors. Coming from a low socioeconomic background, I had contemplated signing up for this program, as I was worried about the costs associated. This is why both Andy and I are truly grateful for the sponsorship from our local Rotary Club, the School Council, NYSF themselves and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Thank you so much for all your support!

If you are in Year 11 right now, I highly encourage you to sign up for this wonderful opportunity! Applications open around May; you can sign up to be notified when applications open here.

Feel free to reach out to me or Andy if you would like any application advice! 

Keely X

12E