Girls in Physics Breakfasts 

Damien YEO

Physics Teacher

In the last week of term 1, a group of our Year 11 physics students had the opportunity to be part of 'Girls in Physics Breakfasts' held at Monash University where they had the opportunity to ask questions about careers in STEM and what study at university is like. The breakfast was addressed by Associate Professor Kaye Morgan who talked about her area of interest in Physics.

Some of the student’s feedback: -

What did you learn from this session?

"I learnt about radiography and how x-rays are used in the medical industry to enhance the way to identify tumours and cancer cells. It also gave me a better idea about what researchers do as a career and that they travel to different countries to conduct experiments. This opportunity exposed me to the world of engineers and how they change the world with practical inventions to better the community. I learnt the main difference between an engineer and a researcher which is: Researchers pose a question, spread the word to get ideas from other researchers, research and experiment, find the solution and publish a paper known as a thesis. While engineers use the already researched topic to make it into a usable product which will benefit society."

I learned about a few different research projects being conducted by the guests at the event and just how intriguing their fields of study are. It feels like my idea of the choices I have for my future has expanded by quite a lot and now I have a better idea of which direction I want to go with my life.

How has this session inspired you to be more involved in a STEM career?

"The session showed me how far a STEM degree can take you, whether you want to go into the industry or remain in academia. The physicists and mathematicians that I got to meet were very inspiring and open about their careers and academics, and they were very passionate about their fields and incredibly supportive when we discussed potential university and career pathways."

"This session showed me the different ways females can be involved in physics, in the academia and industry. The women present there expressed how, STEM has been inclusive of women in recent years and reaching an equilibrium with the gender spread in the field of physics. Girls in Physics Breakfast also enabled me to see that many other females are in fact interested in physics. It helped me answer my prolonged question of whether I should choose the path of Engineering. Overall, a great experience with delicious food and fun activities."

"I like figuring out how things work and why, and STEM in general is based around exploring the unknown, especially physics. Being able to try and figure out all these confusing and unexplainable things in our universe feels exciting, like some kind of adventure that's never going to end because there's always even more to discover. I feel like I want to be a part of that."