We’ve just returned from the most amazing talk given by Dr Ian McLeod of the Western Australian (WA) Maritime Museum who gave the 2015 Stanhope Oration as part of CONASTA 2015 in Perth, WA. It was entitled, The application of chemistry to conserve our shared heritage. Amongst a host of other fascinating topics, Dr McLeodRead more about The Wandjina, chemistry and meteorology[…]
The first day of CONASTA provided a variety of talks and workshops across a broad range of topics. The opening keynote address was given by burns treatment pioneer, former Australian of the Year and ‘National Living Treasure’, Professor Fiona Wood. With a combination of insights into the application of science to improve clinical management ofRead more about CONASTA64 Monday Keynote talks[…]
As the #CONASTA64 kaleidoscope rolled into action on Day 1, it provided a myriad of wonder and opportunity. From the outset, the Welcome to Country gave us all goose bumps. Next up it was a privilege to hear from keynote speaker Professor Fiona Woods who recognised the role of her science teachers atRead more about The butler did it: CONASTA Day 1[…]
Precision planning paid off today as the StepUp Ambassadors arrived smoothly in Perth for CONASTA64 . Despite many of us rising before sunrise to make our flights, everyone was in good spirits, even when the MAXI taxi man announced he could either fit six ladies or six suitcases. As we were scientifically debating the prosRead more about Touchdown in Perth[…]
… the thermometer says 7 degrees celsius! It’s time to start packing for CONASTA 2015 in Perth and I am just not sure if my North Queensland wardrobe will fit the bill. (check the weather forecast here) CONASTA is a national conference that has an outstanding reputation for offering high quality and stimulating professional learning experiences forRead more about You’re no longer in Townsville when…[…]
Last week the Step Up project team had the privilege of meeting five out of the six pre-service teachers that we’re sponsoring to attend CONASTA in Perth. What a delight to meet Gay and Karen (James Cook University, who had just flown in from Townsville), Shawtima (Griffith University, Gold Coast) and Nick and Ally (QUT, Brisbane). The conversationRead more about Starting out teaching science – insights from the STAQ conference[…]
Teaching is a career where professional renewal is key, and support is a necessity. Over the past year, I have found both of these through the Step Up team, and have been given the opportunities to attend the ASTA National Science Teachers Summer School, and to practise my teaching skills through the STEM Studio. ThisRead more about Teaching to learn – STEAM in 2015 at Queensland Creative Labs[…]
Last week some of our Step Up ambassadors and team members were fortunate to participate in the STEM to STEAM Creative Lab, gaining hands-on creative experience with inspiring STEAM resources and ideas. The Creative Lab was an ambitious event co-presented by Queensland Museum and The Cube at Queensland University of Technology, held at both venues on Friday andRead more about STEM to STEAM: 21st Century Learning[…]
Canberra put on beautiful weather for our last full day at the NSTSS. After our morning ritual of visiting the on-campus coffee shop, we met the group at the Science Teaching Seminar Building for an engaging talk on ‘Flipped Classrooms’. While all three of us were familiar with the term, we were unaware of how frequently it is used in higher education and how successful the strategy can be. Joe Hope who is a Physics lecturer at ANU explained how he video records his ‘lectures’ for students to watch at home, followed by a weekly 3 hour workshop for students to apply their new skills and ask questions. Joe was an engaging speaker and all of the teachers were excited about learning how to implement a ‘flipped classroom’ in their school.
After a morning walk across campus and discovery of a new coffee shop, we all perked up upon learning that we would be hearing from speakers from our major teaching area – biology. We had a series of talks from professors and PhD students from the ANU Research School of Biology. This was headed by Professor Stefan Broer, who discussed research in the area of insulin, transporter proteins and diabetes control. We also heard about drug resistance from Professor Richard Callaghan, spleen regeneration from Jonothan Tran, and herpes simplex virus proteins from Christina Salmon. This was an excellent array of current research within the field of biomedical science.
After a quick morning tea, Professor KC Wong from the School of Aerospace Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering gave us a fascinating talk on how we can inspire students to take tertiary pathways in STEM. Read more about Astronomy and more on day four …
