Year 12 students Taylar Knight, Kail Turner and Adithi Gurunathan took part in the annual National Youth Science Forum from January 6 to January 23 in Canberra and Brisbane.
The forum aims to inspire the next generation of scientists.
While Taylar and Kail went to Canberra, Adithi visited Brisbane for the Queensland branch of the educational event at the University of Queensland.
Adithi said she would definitely encourage anyone interested to apply for a place at next year’s forum.
“It was better than what I was expecting because they made it fun and engaging,” she said.
“You could wander around, do what you feel like, explore.
“It can really open your eyes to all the different possibilities of making careers, and you get to talk to many experts in their fields.”
A normal day for Adithi while at the forum consisted of everything from lectures on artificial intelligence to talks on the reproductive cycles of jellyfish.
Adithi hopes to either train to be a psychiatrist or join the army and study cybersecurity after she leaves school. She said the trip was somewhat of an eye-opener for her.
“I didn’t realise how many different careers in STEM there are,” she said.
Adithi said she hopes to apply to the London International Youth Science Forum, held later this year.
CSC science teacher George Allen, who received the prestigious 2024 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award in September last year, outlined the benefits his students gained from the experience.
“The students get to discover pathways they may never have considered and have made friends from all over the country,” he said.
“It is a great way to set up their ambition and aspiration in the lead-up to their final year of school.
“We are all incredibly grateful to the Cobram Rotary Club who ensured that NYSF was available to all our students who wished to participate and allowed these wonderful young people to focus on making the most of their time away.”
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