STEM   

STEM Program Update

As the semester comes to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate the many students who have participated in the variety of STEM Programs that have been on offer. Participating in these programs demonstrate that these students are willing to actively extend their education beyond the classroom.

As with this Semester, a number of programs will be on offer in Semester 2, including a new mentoring program with an organisation called In2Science. In2Science works with various Australian universities and offers our students the opportunity to pair up with university students to receive mentoring across a range of topics. This program is only available to schools that have participated in the ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE)’ program and St John’s is the only school in this area who have participated.

Another program which St John’s is a partner in is the Raising Rarity program. Working with the Royal Botanic Gardens, St John’s aims to increase the population of several endangered species of plants. Located in the College’s Fidelis Community Garden, several plant beds will now be maintained by students to grow these plants and collect the seeds to be added to the national reserves. To help with this, a couple of Royal Botanic Garden staff came to the College to help students establish the beds and teach them how to care for the plants and collect the required data.