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Issue 5: April 2023

From the Editor

Welcome to the second edition of the Education & Outreach newsletter for 2023. 

After a very busy start to the year, Term 2 brings with it a new series of program news and stories, events, and opportunities for students to gain unique science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) experiences.

You might have seen the news recently about the notable and shortlisted titles for the CBCA Awards (Children’s Book Council of Australia). We wanted to congratulate all the CSIRO Publishing authors, illustrators and publishers who made the list! We've got a CBCA Book of the Year Showcase page celebrating our titles; go have a look and you might find a new favourite.

Finally - we want to hear from you. Education & Outreach are reviewing our digital user experience to improve how our programs engage with students, teachers, parents, and STEM experts. Read on to learn how to contribute your feedback via a short survey.

Thank you for your continued interest and support of CSIRO Education & Outreach.

Program news

Get in while you can: STEM Together Future Shapers nominations close on 2 May

If you could design an experience to take your interest in STEM further, what would you do? This is the amazing opportunity we're giving 30x Year 5-10 students and their supporters to help build their confidence, capability and connection with STEM. STEM Together Future Shapers prioritises opportunities for students that identify as either Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander; or female; or from schools in regional or lower opportunity areas. Get your nomination for a student or supporter in by 11:59pm on Tuesday, 2 May. Self-nominations are welcome. STEM Together is powered by CSIRO and the BHP Foundation.

Don't miss out

Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge

The Bebras Challenge is a free, online activity that engages students' computational thinking and problem solving skills in a fun, interactive environment. Offered twice a year to all students from Year 3 to Year 12 across Australia, participants work through 15 questions that focus on modern digital skills aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Round 1 is open from the 24th April to the 14th May. Register as a coordinator for your school, or find out more about Bebras by checking out the 2023 Bebras Handbook on the website.

Registrations open for CyberTaipan 2023

Registrations for the CyberTaipan 2023 competition are officially open! Register as a Coach from the 3rd April – 26th May to sign up your students. CyberTaipan is an Australian Youth Cyber Defence Competition for teams of high school students. During the competition, teams manage the network of a small company, find cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and receive points for hardening systems and maintaining critical services. The competition is based on a proven framework for educating and inspiring high school students towards further education and careers in cybersecurity and other STEM subjects. Register now!

#WithSTEMYouCan

Generation STEM is launching its #WithSTEMYouCan campaign to raise awareness about the importance of STEM education and career pathways. The campaign will run from May to November and aims to highlight the diversity of STEM professionals and showcase the exciting opportunities available in STEM fields. We also aim to demystify what it means to work in STEM and draw in those who might be a little unsure of STEM as a career option. Through engaging videos, informative workshops, and exciting events, we will collaborate with industry to help inspire the next generation. Subscribe to our newsletter and see how #WithSTEMYouCan makes a difference.

Apply now: Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy

If you know an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young woman in Years 8-12 with an interest in STEM, secure their spot in the Young Indigenous Women's STEM Academy! By joining the Academy, the young women will be mentored by a dedicated CSIRO Academic Coordinator and participate in a range of STEM activities, STEM camps and work placement opportunities. They will receive individualised support, access to a brokerage fund and other resources from high school through tertiary pathways including university and into graduate employment. This program is delivered by CSIRO in partnership with CareerTrackers and proudly funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

Congratulations cloud enthusiasts!

GLOBE satellite matches reaches 1 million

Since the GLOBE database began satellite matching citizen science cloud data in 2017, the project has received over 1 million cloud observations!

Tree height data collected using the GLOBE Observer app is providing another stream of valuable environmental data, some of which is being compared to satellite data collected by NASA's ICESat-2 satellite.

Information on the GLOBE Observer and GLOBE program can be found via the website, including details of the GLOBE Webinar - World Environment Day, 1 June.

CSIRO Education & Outreach survey

We want to hear from you!

CSIRO Education & Outreach are embarking on a project that aims to re-design the way in which CSIRO engages with students, teachers, parents and STEM experts through its education programs. We want to create a more compelling and inclusive digital experience that engages with industry, learners and educators and creates positive outcomes for everyone. We believe your input is crucial for the success of this and would love to consult with you throughout the process. If you would like to participate, please complete this short survey. It should only take 10 minutes.

Take the survey

Recent stories from Education & Outreach

The Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy aims for the stars!

The Academy strives to create a diverse range of STEM opportunities for the young women in the program and recently met with NASA’s Deputy Administrator and retired Astronaut, Pamela Melroy, as well as two female Indigenous STEM professionals. The group gathered in a traditional yarning circle on the lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people to hear about Pamela's career story. STEM experiences like these encourage young women to aim for the stars and reminds them that nothing is out of reach.

More stories

Meet the author

Do you know your Algorithms from your Brownian motion? How about your Coprolites? The Encyclopedia of STEM Words, a book from CSIRO Publishing, collects 100 of these essential concepts. In this blog we asked author Jenny Jacoby how she got into writing about STEM topics for kids, and what was involved in creating The Encyclopedia of STEM Words.

From curious child to STEM Leader

Meet Veena Nair: STEM education leader, winner of the 2022 Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools, and long-time participant of CSIRO's STEM Professionals in Schools program.

Go girls!

To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we introduced the next generation of female scientists. You can read about some inspirational stories from young readers of our children’s science magazine Double Helix. The future of science is in good hands!

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