Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie - step aside. Nine Year 11 students from Kiama High School (KHS) have been selected to attend the prestigious National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) which is to be held in January 2025.

The NYSF is a nine-day program held at either The Australian National University in Canberra or The University of Queensland in Brisbane. Ruth Power, a science teacher at KHS, is thrilled about the opportunities it presents for the students.

“They’ll participate in a whole range of activities, including lab visits and collaborations with industry partners, lecturers, and leading scientists,” says Power.

The selection process was rigorous, requiring students to submit 1700 word formal applications which also included their Year 11 report. Power notes to have nine students chosen from one school is an outstanding achievement

“As part of the application process the students had to write a formal application. I’m not sure how many students across Australia are chosen, but to have 9 selected from one school is amazing,” says Power.

Power says that the program has been immensely successful in the past even causing some students to completely reconfigure their ideas for the future.

“Every time we’ve had students attend a NYSF, they’ve always come back and said it was the best experience of their life. For some students, it causes them to totally pivot from a direction they thought they might be interested in, to something that they never realised was even available,” says Power.

The nine selected students include Nicola Porritt, Claire Hayward, Jade King, Macey Guy, Emma Trudgett, Delmyr gee Crockford, Phoebe Glaessner, Sam McLean and Tiana Darragh.

Macey Guy is particularly eager to explore her passion for science and its potential career paths. “I love the science subjects I’m studying at school, but I’m not sure what opportunities are out there. I wanted to attend to learn more about the careers available and to make connections in those fields,” says Guy.

Similarly, Sam McLean is looking forward to meeting like-minded students and exploring scientific areas not covered in his school curriculum. “I’m curious about different areas of science that we don’t explore at school. We’ll have the chance to conduct experiments using university equipment, and there will be plenty of people there to meet and network with,” he shares.

Kiama High School would like to extend a big thank you to the local Rotary Clubs and the generous community of Kiama for their support in the students’ fundraising efforts.

The Bugle eagerly anticipates the remarkable contributions these future scientists will make after participating in such a distinguished program!