ARTICLES
Reflections of the STEM-X Academy For 2018
By Dr Elijah Marshall , Marian Catholic College , Griffith , NSW
I still recall clicking on the button to submit my application for the 2018 STEM-X Academy in Canberra over the January holidays .
I had worked for quite some time on the application and was hoping to attend this year , as I had missed out the year before . When the email arrived with the results of the application , I will happily admit some trepidation as to whether I had been accepted to the professional development opportunity about which I had heard so much .
My colleagues in the staff room were both excited and concerned when I sprang from my seat and began dancing . I was going to STEM-X !
To put the icing on the cake , The ARC Centre for Excellence in Engineered Quantum Systems was kind enough to offer a scholarship , covering the complete cost of the Academy .
After a long flight into Canberra ( I was visiting family in Hobart ), I arrived there , both excited to be learning and dealing with a massive case of impostor syndrome . Was I good enough to be here ? What could I contribute ? I ’ m only on my second permanent placement .
Louise Monge and her team put me at ease from the outset . They were friendly , welcoming , and made the whole Academy a breeze . Having been to a few conferences before , it was amazing to see how much the team went above and beyond in helping everyone get what they needed , find where they had to go , sort out all the little issues that arise in a conference , and help everyone focus on why we were there : to become better STEM educators than we were before .
Ms . Trudy Spargo , Prof . Alan Finkel and some unimportant teacher from Griffith .
In full mad-scientist mode , holding a large amount of dollarsworth of satellite . It was awesome !
We hit the ground running . Our first stop as secondary teachers was Questacon . I will admit to a particular fondness for the Ian Potter Centre . It ’ s a Mecca for me as a tinkerer and maker of geeky objects . This time around , however , I was looking everywhere with an eye to how I could transplant parts of it back to my school . How would I form a place where I could build stuff ? What would I call it ? What would it look like ? What would it be equipped with ? Each of these questions was answered both in the workshops and in talking to Broderick and Cindy our key instructors ( and challengers ) who maintained the theme of going above and beyond for the participants .
40 SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 1