STEM Innovate Program

Innovate and STEM

By Ariel Mezzacappa, Sargun Kohar and Aisha Tahir

STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths

INNOVATE – ‘Make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products’

The Innovate program was designed to help students identify jobs and careers which involve STEM, to test their imagination, to secure their future, and develop their skills. The students learnt about trial and error, to never give up, ways to solve maths problems, how to engineer a model bridge with limited supplies in a limited time, how to design something by the deadline under stress with a real prompt, and how to present their ideas in front of the whole group without shying away. The program really challenged the students and helped us appreciate hard work, creative thinking, logical thinking, and dealing with stressful situations when working in a team.

According to the dictionary, innovate means: ‘To make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.’ That is just what the students did in this program. They made changes in something established to make it better or to see what would happened if the world was that way. They introduced new methods and ideas for products for the future. The program was amazing to see all that you can do with STEM, it truly is an amazing program and some of the students think it should be shared with the rest of the world as it is such a splendid program and holds such meaning.

Program mentors

The Innovate mentors were the most important part of the program as they were the inspiration, maturity, skill, knowledge and the helping hands. The mentors were a big part of the STEM experience because they were mature, skilled people, and in our eyes, accomplished, successful and wise. The mentors were great and helped a lot throughout the activities. We met several different mentors who each had their own unique job that revolved around STEM. Each and every one of them worked for the ‘Melbourne Metro Underground Tunnel Project’.

We learnt that STEM can be found everywhere and in any job and that it can be in some of the most unique forms of technology, culture and also the main part of the job. We worked with the mentors while doing the activities and it proved to be a big help. They were very kind, resourceful and full of energy. Also, while we were with the mentors, we got to talk and learn a bit more about their careers, culture, life out of work, what their roles were in this huge and important project and how they got to this point in life. It was really interesting and fun because what we learnt from the mentors is the key to help shape us, our future and most importantly our choices when we get to the same stage.

All the mentors had different jobs which revolved around STEM (Design, Technology, Construction, Managers, and Finance etc) and each of them explained and elaborated on how each job was unique and important to the program and how teamwork was the key. Their background stories, their childhood memories and what they did now really helped us visualize our future and all the opportunities we had to become whatever we wanted. They encouraged, helped and brought up the imaginative and productive side in us and without them the program really wouldn’t have been the same. The mentors were great and helped a lot throughout the activities and there were many mentors which changed each week. They showed us where their offices were, how long they worked for and how their life ran on a day-to-day basis.

STEM activities

Well, I think if you asked the people who went to the STEM Innovate Program most would agree that the Engineering stage was the most popular. The activities ran over four days and all revolved around STEM; Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. This was designed to take us a little deeper into STEM and to help us understand and apply it. The activities helped us learn strategies that we can use in the future and to identify STEM within those mini projects.

First, for science we tested parachutes. This made us aware of trial and error and changing the variables to see a difference. For technology, we simply designed an app in a limited time frame using problems in the world today as our prompts. For engineering, we had to buy supplies (sticky tape, paper, straws, and a block of chocolate) within the $100 budget and build a solid bridge tall and strong enough to hold the chocolate bar on top. Last but not least, for maths we had to solve a maths problem involving different types of currency, time limits, etc. and had to work out on which day the workers in Ancient Greece would finish building a building with more than thirty different clue cards.

The groups worked well together and in the first two weeks we got to pick our own groups. In the following two weeks, the groups were chosen for us by the program mentors and we all cooperated very well. We learnt the 5 D’s of design thinking and this really helped us think more efficiently and much faster. The activities were based around real problems we could face in the future, mini exercises for our brain, new and improved ways to think and adapt, ways to make the future better and how to add new ideas to it.

Melbourne sites: “Our little adventures”

As an addition, we also went to some famous sites in Melbourne with our wonderful teacher Mr Bolitho. Before we went to the STEM meetings we went on ‘little adventures’. Firstly, we visited the Shrine of Remembrance. Secondly, the National Gallery of Victoria to see some sculpture art. Thirdly, the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia to see some Aboriginal street art. Last but not least, and obviously the best, we visited the library. But not just any library, we went to the State Library of Victoria where we went into the La Trobe reading room dome. It was a splendid time; students were playing chess, others were walking around and admiring the millions of books, and some just reading.

On our way back to the train station we also got to buy lollies and other goodies, catch trams and have the time of our life. It was absolutely amazing. We call these ‘our little adventures’ because every week a new and different adventure would occur. The first week, our train got delayed and the last we were stuck in a traffic jam in a tram jam-packed and had to walk in the rain. The Shrine of Remembrance was amazing and high enough for us to see half of the city. The NGV gallery was also splendid and the Ian Potter centre held an enormous amount of art and the art was just breathtakingly unique and meaningful. Finally, the State Library was of unspeakable value and a sight we will never forget. We went into the La Trobe Reading Room and it held the widest range of books we’d ever seen. Half of the students were shrieking in excitement and it was the most beautiful place we’d been to so far. The city was amazing and walking through it made us feel free and much to our fascination, there were hundreds of millions of new things to see each Innovate session and we were introduced to the strangest things each week and took different paths to the STEM building each time. A special thanks to the program mentors and Mr Bolitho for this astonishing experience.