News

Lara tries a new science experiment

By Murray Silby

Mar 13, 2023

**STEM sell:** Year 12 Greater Shepparton Secondary College student Lara Trevaskis spent two weeks of her summer holidays exploring a future in science, supported by Greater Shepparton Secondary College science domain leader Sarah Beattie. Photo by Murray Silby

It may not have been Lara Trevaskis’s intention, but she is taking part in a quiet revolution that aims to see more young women move into what are known as STEM careers.

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STEM covers the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Women have traditionally been under-represented in those professions, taking up less than 20 per cent of jobs, but in recent years, efforts have been made to encourage girls and young women to consider pursuing such fields.

Over the summer holidays, Lara, a Year 12 student at Greater Shepparton Secondary College, with sponsorship from the Rotary Club of South Shepparton, took part in the two-week National Youth Science Forum.

The forum introduced students to opportunities they would not normally have, such as tours of science and technology facilities, cutting edge technologies, university STEM pathways and industry and research partners.

The experience already has Lara reconsidering her plans.

“At the start, I went because I wanted to do medicine, but then after leaving, when I went to the labs, I decided that I really want to do lab work. It’s very exciting,” she said.

“We were in the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and we were looking at the diseases, where they are studying the diseases — and that was pretty awesome — and different viruses.

“It looks really cool. When you're in there. It’s got like a lot of viruses, or whatever they’re studying on the wall, and it’s just really interesting.”

Greater Shepparton Secondary College science domain leader Sarah Beattie said the forum exposed students to a wide variety of science careers and attracted a good response from female students.

“There is a real shift in having women involved in STEM, and it was great to see that over 61 per cent of the participants in the program were actually young women,” she said.

Ms Beattie also said the creation of the college from the merging of four schools had opened up more science options for students in the region.

“For example, environmental science has not run within any of the four public secondary schools previously for quite a number of years and that’s up and running this year,” she said.

“Last year, we were able to get our agriculture and horticulture program up and running. So that’s gaining interest, and living in this area that’s such an important field.

“But also the mergers have enabled us to purchase materials that we wouldn’t have dreamed of being able to have in our separate schools.”