Nine primary and secondary science teachers from South Australia visited five Preventative Health Flagship laboratories across the country as part of a nationwide tour to develop science amongst school children.

The study tour, part of the Professional Learning Project, was an initiative of the Preventative Health Flagship, the South Australian Government and the Australian Science and Mathematics School.

Conducted from November 21 to 28 last year, the tour is part of a year long action learning program which aims to provide science educators with more information on opportunities for science careers and better link school science with ‘real science’.

The group spent a week meeting with various multidisciplinary research teams in the Preventative Health Flagship.

Accompanied by Flagship Director Richard Head, who helped develop the project, the group visited Food Science Australia in Werribee, Victoria; CSIRO Molecular and Health Technologies in Parkville , Victoria and North Ryde, NSW; CSIRO Discovery Centre in Canberra; e-Health Research Centre and Queensland Bioscience Precinct QBP in Brisbane; and CSIRO Human Nutrition in Adelaide.

Dr Head said the joint collaborative venture gave SA teachers first hand experience of science, with the aim of producing better science for teachers and students.

“Teachers learnt more about the cutting edge nature of research that our scientists are involved with,” Dr Head said.

One of the areas of focus was Flagship research into cancer and fighting dementia.

Peter Russo, Science Policy and Program Officer at the SA Department of Education and Children’s Services, who accompanied the teachers and was also involved in developing the project, said he knew of no such similar initiative in Australia or overseas.

“The trip gave the teachers an opportunity to interact with the leaders in various research fields,” Mr Russo said.

He said the teachers had been fascinated to learn of the varied career paths taken by scientists they met. 

“For the teachers, it’s been a real eye opener to see how challenging and cross-disciplinary modern science is,” Mr Russo said.

“The group, including one teacher who has taught Year 11-12 chemistry for 30 years, has been absolutely blown away by the science.”

Mr Russo said the challenges for science educators were to get students switched on to science and develop their students’ lateral thinking skills.