ARTICLES
The Future Project – Motivating and Engaging the Next
Generation of Scientists and Engineers
By Dr Vera Munro-Smith – Director of The Future Project
The Future Project (TFP) is a unique collaboration between
scientists, engineers and secondary school students designed to
inspire and equip the next generation of scientists and engineers
required for Australia’s continued prosperity. It achieves this by
providing students an opportunity to do something they cannot
typically do whilst at school – work with and be mentored through
research projects by leading scientists and engineers. The Future
Project is located in an industry-standard research facility in The
Science Centre at The King’s School.
Aegros Biopharma, Quantal Bioscience, Sangui Bio and Joan
Lloyd Veterinary Consulting. Senior Interns are partnered with
collaborating researchers from these industry partners to gain
an insight into conducting the latest biomedical, microbiological,
agricultural or engineering research. Senior Interns work in their
own time, spending about 2 hours each week during Terms 1
– 3, designing, researching and communicating their research
project. They also participate in two 4-5 day research blocks
during the Term 1 and Term 2 holidays in order to immerse
themselves in the experience.
Figure 1. Senior Interns working in the laboratory with
researcher Cameron Hill from Sangui Bio.
The Future Project consists of two key strands which are integral
to impactful science and engineering – research internships and
science communication. One path is focused on research and
innovation, whilst the other path is focused on the communication
of science and improving the scientific literacy of the community.
Figure 2. Senior Intern streaking plates.
Throughout the program Senior Interns develop knowledge
and their research and laboratory working skills related to the
area of research. The program also helps to foster their science
communication skills. Their research project culminates with a
student conference presentation and a research journal article.
This special program accepts approximately 20 Senior Interns
(Year 11 students) each year as Research Interns. Participants
so far have come from Baulkham Hills High School, Cherrybrook
Technology High School, Cumberland High School, Mount St
Benedict College, Mamre Anglican School, Tara Anglican School
for Girls and The King’s School, to name a few.
The Future Project also partners with tertiary education providers
including the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Western
Sydney University (WSU) and Sydney University (USyd). The
involvement of these partners with The Future Project varies and
A number of independent research-based companies partner
with The Future Project to enable this opportunity. These include
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 4