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At our first meeting in February we met the four senior students from Kiama High School who had received funding from Rotary to attend the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra in January. Their well-prepared presentation took us through their experiences over the week and what they learned.

Claire, Jade, Tiana and Sam took it in turns to describe their personal highlights. The program included STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) visits. Our students’ favourite visits were:

• Mulligans Flat, a large, woodland, predator-proof, wildlife sanctuary where native species are being nurtured and reintroduced
• The Canberra Arboretum, a smaller facility which preserves and manages native trees and animals
• The CSIRO analytical chemistry laboratories where students met scientists working on the management and control of pests and the reintroduction of native species 
• The nuclear medicine department of a Canberra hospital where students saw a demonstration of the linear accelerator delivering radiation to a fictitious brain tumour in a dummy head as well as MRI, CT and X-ray machines
• The Optometry department where the students tested each other and experienced simulated eye conditions that optometrists can correct
• The Paramedicine department where they found out what equipment paramedics use in the ambulance

As well as visits, they attended diverse lectures including the impact of the oceans on climate, how the brain works and airborne DNA monitoring, as well as live zoom discussions with researchers in Antarctica and scientists working on the “roo-ver” an Australian robot for use on the moon.

The Great Debate between a representative of the defence forces and an academic extended our students with morally challenging hypotheticals and the careers day on opportunities in STEM widened their horizons further.

The 230 students from around Australia selected for the NYSF program lived in ANU for the week and were looked after by volunteers who were NYSF alumni. They were buddied with students they had never met before. Being a group of four, our students had great respect for their “so brave” peers who came knowing no one else and had no choice but to reach out and make connections.

Students were randomly allocated to visits and experiences that they would not necessarily have chosen and were broadened by their experiences – by the people they met and the options they now realise they have. Claire loves the environment and is now considering university in Tasmania to study Antarctica. Sam was fascinated by the brain lecture and discovered a course combining psychology, philosophy and neuroscience. Jade and Tiana came away more confused about what they wanted to do because they encountered so many new options but said they “would 100% go back again”.

As Rotarians, we were delighted to have been able to facilitate such a life changing experience for our four students.