17th, 18th and 19th October, 2017

Charles Darwin University, Casuarina Campus

Darwin, NT Australia

A national innovative and interactive program that supports the awareness and enhances the career

education of Yr 9 secondary school students, in the areas of Science, Technology & Engineering

through a variety of seminars, interactive presentations, excursions, laboratory investigations and

hands-on activities.

Our Valued Student Sponsors

Department of Environment Department of Education

Department of the Chief Ministers Office

Katherine High School, OLSH Sadadeen Alice Springs, Sanderson Middle School, Darwin Middle School, Nightcliff Middle School, St.

Johns College, The Essington School of Darwin, Marrara Christian College, Dripstone Middle School, Rosebery Middle School and

Palmerston Christian School

St. Johns College, Taminmin College,

The Essington School of Darwin,

Palmerston Christian School,

Marrara Christian College,

Sanderson Middle School, Darwin

Middle School, Dripstone Middle

School

The Essington School of Darwin,

OLSH Sadadeen, Dripstone Middle

School, Nightcliff Middle School

Katherine High School, OLSH

Sadadeen Alice Springs

The Essington School of Darwin,

Katherine High School, OLSH

Sadadeen Alice Springs

The Essington School of Darwin,

Palmerston Christian School,

Marrara Christian College,

Sanderson Middle School, Darwin

Middle School, Dripstone Middle

School, Nightcliff Middle School,

Rosebery Middle School

Batchelor Area School, Xavier

College – Tiwi Island

NT Program Overview

In 2007, Charles Darwin University (CDU) became the 35th University in Australia to host The National Science Experience. Our

program is supported by the Faculty of Engineering, Health, Science and the Environment and predominately open to any year 9

student interested in exploring Science, Technology and Engineering, regardless of their academia. Our success relies on CDU

securing sponsorship from local Government, Business’, Industries, Institutes and Community Organisations to pay the student

fee. This ensures all NT students have an opportunity to participate, not just the ones who can afford to. CDU is focused on

supporting and encouraging participation from Indigenous, remote and students from a low socioeconomic status (SES)

background, regardless of their year level. We seek to attract additional sponsorship funding to support their travel and

accommodation. CDU acknowledges and appreciates that without the support of ConocoPhillips Australia, The National Science

Experience, Science Schools Foundation, NT Government, Business, Industry, Institutes and Community Organisations, we would

not be able to continue offering these exceptional educational learning experiences to students.

Program Aims

The program aims to empower and inspire students to want to become high achievers, and to know that they have high quality

study options here at CDU. The territory has such a wide range of excellent future employment opportunities available! Our

students need to be aware of the link between education and future opportunities at the time in their life where a positive

change and approach to education can really make a difference. Our aim is to prepare them by providing a solid educational

foundation, allowing them to make informed decisions about their subject selections in their senior years.

We do this by providing;

• A broad range of both interesting and practical learning experiences related to the profession (all conducted in a safe

and comfortable environment)

• An introduction to the many local industries and businesses and the type of employment opportunities available

• A look into local challenges and issues facing the NT now, and looking into the future

• An overview of the type of research and activities CDU students are currently involved in

• A clear understanding of the importance of education in relation to their future studies and career options, as well as

the difference between obtaining an NTCET Year 12 and an NTCET with ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank)

• A good understanding of VET and Higher Education study, pathways and careers

Rotary Club of Darwin South Rotary Club of Darwin Sunrise Rotary Club of Litchfield/Palmerston

St. Johns College, Sattler Christian

School, Taminmin College

Taminmin College, Sattler Christian

School, Palmerston Christian School

Taminmin College, Sattler Christian

College, Special Education Centre –

Palmerston Senior College,

Palmerston Christian School,

Rosebery Middle School

Where are they now?

From 2007, we have been checking past participant names against our CDU enrolment data as they become school leavers. It’s

fantastic to see some familiar names as they graduate high school and enrol with CDU.

As our national sponsor, ConocoPhillips Australia is committed to providing additional support to the NT program. In 2017,

ConocoPhillips Australia again supported the travel, accommodation and meals for our remote student. This year we were lucky

enough to host students from Xavier College on Tiwi Island, as well as students from Our Lady of Sacred Heart (OLSH) College

Sadadeen from Alice Springs, Katherine High School and Batchelor Area School. Any remaining funds were used to pay

registration fees for our locally participating students.

ConocoPhillips Australia also continues to provide their support with representative Principal Rotating Equipment Engineer Mr Gary Richardson joining our Vice Chancellor, Professor Simon Maddocks and National Director Jacqueline Bellars for the official opening of the program, with Mr. Richardson presenting a seminar on the LNG Plant to our students.

Event Information

To maintain both quality of activities and the safety of our participants, the event is capped at 100 participants and accompanying school staff. All attendants receive all meals, refreshments, a ConocoPhillips Science Experience t-shirt and satchel bag, as well as a laminated certificate of participation and A3 laminated photo poster. All students also have the option of receiving additional course/career information from CDU.

Students are encouraged to write their sponsor a short letter of appreciation as well as completing an event evaluation form. Schools will also receive information of their students’ sponsors.

Participating Schools

Batchelor Area School Palmerston Senior College - Special Education Centre Darwin Middle School Rosebery Middle School Dripstone Middle School Sanderson Middle School Katherine High School Sattler Christian College Marrara Christian College St. Johns College Nightcliff Middle School Taminmin College Palmerston Christian School The Essington School of Darwin Palmerston Senior College Xavier College - Tiwi Island Our Lady of Sacred Heart (OLSH) Sadadeen, Alice Springs

30

11

25

2

10

42

69 10

5 57

129 8

48 9

3 3 3

85 4 3

12

3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Students who have applied at Charles Darwin University as a school leaver, and have

participated

Student Event Evaluation Summary

A huge 95% of students who attended agree that they now have a better understanding of the type of work Scientists, Engineers

and IT people do! Every single student who attended have said that the program has really opened their eyes to the endless

possibilities of careers and study opportunities available to them locally with CDU.

All students agreed that the program needed to continue as an annual event to give all middle school students the option to

explore their interests. All students found the activities and experiences very interesting, showcasing a wide variety of careers

from Sports Science to Pharmacy and Medicine. 55% of students said they wanted to definitely go on to study engineering, science

or IT at university after completing year 12, with another 41% saying they were now considering it after completing the program.

Career/Study Requests

Agriculture Electrician (Electrotechnology) Nursing Aquaculture Engineer Nutrition Architecture Environmental Science Psychology Clinical Science (Medicine) Health Science Science Pharmacy Horticulture Sports Science Beauty Therapy Information Technology Veterinarian Business Law Commerce/Accounting Music

Student Groups

Blue Group = Charles Darwin Jaime McCartney and Tushar Mokani

Green Group = Albert Einstein Irta Oakley

Orange Group = Isaac Newton David MacBain and Rohnan Colley

Red Group = Marie Curie Karen Glazbrook and Oscar Shrestha

He established that all species of life have

descended over time from common

ancestors, and proposed the scientific

theory that this branching pattern of

evolution resulted from a process that he

called natural selection, in which the

struggle for existence has a similar effect to

the artificial selection involved in selective

breeding.

Her achievements included a theory

of radioactivity, techniques for

isolating radioactive isotopes, and

the discovery of two elements,

polonium and radium. Under her

direction, the world's first studies

were conducted into the treatment

of neoplasms, using radioactive

isotopes.

Was an English physicist, mathematician,

astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist

and theologian, who has been "considered by

many to be the greatest and most influential

scientist who ever lived" His monograph

Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica,

published in 1687, lays the foundations for

most of classical mechanics. In this work,

Newton described universal gravitation and

the three laws of motion, which dominated

the scientific view of the physical universe for

the next three centuries.

Einstein realized the inadequacies of Newtonian

mechanics and his special theory of relativity stemmed

from an attempt to reconcile the laws of mechanics with

the laws of the electromagnetic field. He investigated

the thermal properties of light with a low radiation

density and his observations laid the foundation of the

photon theory of light.

Closing Ceremony

CDU’s Tim Heazlewood from Exercise and Sport Science – Speed Gate agility awards

Promotions

Event Photos

Event photos from 2017 and previous years can all be found online;

https://www.facebook.com/CDUSchoolsEngagement/

The Experience!

Psychology and Clinical Science – ‘The Science of Memory’

Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Dr Simon Moss

Dr. Moss’ primary research interest concerns how characteristics of organisations and societies (such as inequality of income or instability of jobs) influences the neural functioning – and ultimately the mood, creativity, intuition, engagement, honesty and altruism – of individuals.

The Art & Science of Memory: Five keys to Learning, allows you to immerse yourself in a virtual "Memory Palace" of 5 panoramic, interactive rooms representing 5 key memory techniques. This focuses on developing a stimulating learning experience for students to learn in an interactive environment.

http://www.cdu.edu.au/moocs/memory

Daniel Chin

Ellisa Bell

Jackson Richards

RichardsR

Invitation sent to Secondary Schools

National Director

Jacqueline Bellars

NT News article

Flinders University – NT Medical Program

Dr Buddhika Weerasundera, Dr Enoka Gunawardane, Swetha Sequeira, Kelly-Anne Browne

The School of Medicine prepares students to practice medicine in diverse locations as clinicians,

researches or administrators. Understanding the physical, social and behavioural sciences

collectively with the application of clinical skills underpins the program. Students had the

opportunity to view the Anatomage table and experience ear examinations and CPR.

http://www.flinders.edu.au/medicine/courses/medical-course/nt-medical-program/

Exercise and Sports Science

Associate Professor - Tim Heazlewood, Dr Daniel Gahreman & Dr Jim Lee

Exercise and Sport Scientists are experts in understanding how human bodies respond to exercise, and how to make a difference to the quality of life for all people. Exercise and Sport Scientists use exercise as an intervention to improve health and fitness, enhance physical performance and prevent and rehabilitate injury in both healthy and physically challenged populations. In this activity students will participate in physiological tests designed to test their speed, reaction time and power in both individual and team environments. http://www.cdu.edu.au/pcs/exercise-sport-science

Pharmacy Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology – Mr Yean Yeow, Danielle Butler, Technical Officer – Lyn Lowe Pharmacy Students – Andrea Doonan and Leon Tcha Simple pharmaceutical preparation; Pharmacists use their expertise in medicines to optimise health outcomes and minimise medication misadventure. The practice of pharmacy includes the custody, preparation, dispensing and provision of medicines, together with systems and information to assure quality of use. Students participated in our dose administration aid

packing activity, which is commonly used for clients who may have to take mutable medication on varying days. Students could take their medications pack with them, but these medications packs are extra yummy skittles so they might not make it home! http://www.cdu.edu.au/pcs/pharmacy

Environmental Science

Prof Keith Christian, Dr Keith McGuinness, Dr Erica Garcia, Dr Sean Bellairs, Dr Penny Wurm, Technical

Officers – Mr Quan Tien, Yolande Yep, Mara Gray and Christine Collins

This activity looks at biodiversity and the amazing variety of small creatures living in simple, everyday

environments. Students will collect samples from simple environments (such as pond water and

decomposing flora waste) and examine under microscopes the different forms of life present.

Students were encouraged to use the resources provided to identify the life forms discovered, ask

questions and then participate in discussion.

http://www.cdu.edu.au/environment

Aquaculture and Horticulture

VET Team Leader - Mr Chadd Mumme, Technical Officer – Kathy Kellam

Students visited the Aquaculture and Horticulture precinct and were shown the propagation shade

houses first, before being shown the functions of the campus nursery water recycling system.

Students were shown and then sampled a variety of edible plants, trees and fresh herbs, before

touring the aquaculture complex. They were introduced to a number of different aquatic animals,

including Barramundi, Fresh Water Crayfish, Flat Back Sea Turtles, Clown Fish and the beautiful coral

display. To highlight their experience, students then had the opportunity to hand feed the large

barramundi!

http://www.cdu.edu.au/cdu-vet/primary-industries

Information Technology – Password Security

Senior Lecturer – Mr Charles Yeo

How safe is your password? In this activity, students were given the opportunity to test the strength of their

current passwords. They were educated on the importance of having a different password for all logins and

coached on how to create strong passwords that they would be able to remember!

http://www.cdu.edu.au/engit

Engineering

Dr Luis Herrera Diaz

Engineers make things happen! Offering a world of excitement, challenges and endless career

opportunities. Engineering converts science and technology into successful innovation, providing

conditions for civilised living. The work of engineers can be seen everywhere you look – in health, our

cities, the country as a whole, food supply and distribution, medicine and even in aerospace. In addition

to everyday problems, engineers also develop solutions for emergency situations requiring rapid action

to minimise effects. An example of such accident is an oil spill, such as the spill of April, 2010 in the Gulf

of New Mexico, USA. Oil spills can cause catastrophic damage to sea life, birds and coastal locations. In the event of such an

accident, effective clean-up methods need to be available. Students had the opportunity to research and test some methods of

cleaning up oil spills on a much smaller, enclosed environment. So what was more effective? The absorbent or dispersant?

http://www.cdu.edu.au/engit

Career Investigations

Student Recruitment Co-Ordinator – Mrs Tanya Weatherstone

What do you need to do now, at school, to prepare for that career you want?

Students were encouraged to think about their career aspirations and provided an overview of

what to expect in Year 10 with regards to their Personal Learning Plan (PLP). This subject

focusses on their career choices and contributes to all students achieving their Year 12 NT

Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET). We briefly explain the difference between

graduation with an NTCET and an NTCET with Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) with a

quick explanation on how an ATAR is calculated for admission into a degree.

Students were provided an insight into careers achieved through VET and Higher Education study, including what subjects in senior

years are considered assumed knowledge when applying for a specific degree. Students were informed of other or alternative entry

pathways, such as the Tertiary Enabling Programs. Students were encouraged to ask questions relevant to their interests.

Student Survey Results

Did the event give you a better understanding of what type of work Scientists, Engineers and IT people do?

Answer Choices Responses

Yes 94.95% 94

No 5.05% 5

Did the program provide you a variety of experiences that were interesting?

Answer Choices Responses

Yes 100.00% 99

No 0.00% 0

Did the event give you a better understanding of the many Careers you could study at CDU?

Answer Choices Responses

Yes 98.99% 98

No 1.01% 1

Please tick the Activities you enjoyed

Answer Choices Responses

ConocoPhillips Australia- LNG Plant Seminar 57.00% 57

Flinders Medical Program NT 76.00% 76

Engineering 59.00% 59

Pharmacy 79.00% 79

Exercise Sports Science 76.00% 76

ConocoPhillips LNG Gas Plant Tour 83.00% 83

Information and Technology 'Password Security" 64.00% 64

Aquaculture and Horticulture 85.00% 85

School of Environmental Science- The Diversity of Life 73.00% 73

Career Investigations 75.00% 75

Psychology Seminar, The Science of Memory- Simon Moss 84.00% 84

Do you feel this program should be offered at Charles Darwin University every year?

Answer Choices Responses

Yes 100.00% 99

No 0.00% 0

After Year 12, do you want to study Science, Engineering and/or Technology?

Answer Choices Responses

Yes 56.70% 55

No 2.06% 2

Maybe 41.24% 40

Would you like more information on the study pathways and options here at Charles Darwin University?

Answer Choices Responses

Yes 47.37% 45

No 52.63% 50

Sample Student Sponsor Letters

We would like to extend a special thank you to all who supported our 2017 event;

Opening Ceremony

CDU Vice Chancellor and President Prof Simon Maddocks

National Director Ms Jacqueline Bellars

ConocoPhillips Australia Principal Rotating Equipment Engineer Mr Gary Richardson

CDU Schools Engagement Team

Ms Trisha Mellow – Event Organiser Mrs Irta Oakley – Green Group leader

Mrs Marissa Briston – Event Ms Jaime McCartney – Blue Group leader

Mrs Karen Glazbrook – MC Mr David MacBain – Orange Group leader

Mrs Tanya Weatherstone – Careers Mrs Karen Glazbrook – Red Group leader

MacKillop Catholic College Year 10 Work Experience Student Rohnan Colley –Event & Orange Group Assistant

CDU Student Ambassadors – Student Group Support

Tushar Mokani Arashdeep Sandhu

Oscar Shrestha Russel Kundu

Anneke Putri Nabiha Nusrat

Amy Zhang Renmy Dang

Flinders Medical

Dr Buddhika Weerasundera Dr Enoka Gunawardane

Swetha Sequeira Kelly-Anne Browne

CDU Engineering

Dr Luis Herrera Diaz

CDU Pharmacy

Mr Yean Yeow Danielle Butler

Lyn Lowe Andrea Doonan

Leon Tcha

CDU Exercise and Sports Science

Aspro Ian (Tim) Heazlewood Dr Jim Lee

Dr Daniel Gahreman

CDU Diversity of Life (Environmental Science)

Dr Keith McGuinness Prof Keith Christian

Dr Penny Wurm Dr Erica Garcia

Dr Sean Bellars Quan Tien

Yolande Yep Christine Collins

Mara Gray

CDU Science of Memory Seminar

Dr Simon Moss

Aquaculture and Horticulture VET Team Leader - Mr Chadd Mumme, Technical Officer – Kathy Kellam ConocoPhillips Australia

Peter Kirkpatrick Fergus Robinson

Stuart Barz Amanda Minchin

Tamlin Little Ben Perer

Kimberly Brewster Stephen Smith

Jess Ong

Visiting Remote School Staff

Katherine High School – Alex Mildenhall and Angus Strachan OLSH Sadadeen Campus Alice Springs - Jillian Neyland Xavier College - Tiwi Island - Cynthia Pereira and Lance Fong Batchelor Area School - Caitlin Bergin

Report & Student Survey compiled by Jaime McCartney and Trisha Mellow