Week 22

Wednesday 5^th December

 

Yasin, Emily and Sophie were three of the four students sponsored to attend 2018 National Youth Science Forum (NYSF). They shared their very positive experiences and how it influenced their career preferences.

Sorry about Stan's arm.

 

Yasin remembered filling out his application for this program and doubted whether it was going to be the right camp for him. And what if it was and he was not going to be accepted? With assistance from Rotary member Lynne Cooper he overcame his doubts and went ahead.

 

The camp helped us to develop personal and interpersonal skills and gave us confidence. It also taught us to get out of our comfort zone to make things happen. NYSF has opened my eyes into the beauty of Science world and helped me to look at things differently and to start questioning why? Also, NYSF gave me the best friends I could ever ask for, and had a significant impact on my year 12 and my interaction with my friends and teachers at school. The NYSF dinner was the most formal of our events, and we were all packed into buses to Brisbane’s town hall for a night of really nice food and meeting a number of significant individuals from the STEM and Rotary Communities.

This was also the place where I met the most memorable speaker, Professor Alan Mackay Sims, the 2017 Australian of the Year. He spoke about his own work surrounding Olfactory Ensheathing Cells, which are essentially stem cells found in the nose, and how he successfully used these to regenerate severed spinal cords. Luckily I managed to have a one on one chat with Professor Mackay-Sim, and just listening to him talk about some of his work was truly inspiring

 

Emily had similar positive and unforgettable experiences. She chose chemistry - physics, computer science, environmental science, biology, medicine, and participated in the well-organised field trips and lab visits. The program is entirely run by past participants. Highlights for her where: Australian Centre for Cancer Research; Touring Australian Defence Force Academy and chemistry labs

 

(where we heard some students had gotten into big trouble for making their own explosives); and making ice cream with liquid nitrogen (delicious!).

 

Emily is also looking to take part in an international program for ex-NYSF students and may apply for the London International science forum or a chemistry camp in Heidelberg in Germany next year. Interestingly, like her peers, she decided to be interested in medicinal chemistry/pharmacy instead of (in her case) becoming a surgeon.

 

The students and their parents very much appreciated the generous donations we made and the time put into this amazing program. The link to a video clip on NYSF is:

 

 

Ted Gretgrix reported on the opening of the books for Australia Day Markets in 2019. We already have 75 confirmed registrations.

 

Next week we will see Peter Rainey and his guests from the City of Greater Bendigo Events and Tourism teams for an Australia Day update.