Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman has congratulated Richmond North Public School students who are exploring careers in the space industry under an innovative new international program.
Hawkesbury-based One Giant Leap Australia Foundation has been supported by the Council for Australian-Arab Relations and the Australian Government to launch The Connecting Minds Project (CMP), encouraging young female students to consider a career in space-focused Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths (STEM) careers.
“Richmond North has 10 female students from Years Three, Four and Five, and two female teachers participating in the program,” Ms Templeman said.
“This exciting project marks an international space STEM education collaboration between a total of 10 schools across Australia and the United Arab Emirates and will be featured at the Dubai World Expo in January next year.
“One Giant Leap Australia Foundation Director, Jackie Carpenter, tells me educators at the schools will be working collaboratively to develop and trial space-focused STEM teaching strategies and workshops with groups of girls in their respective schools.
“The program will be looking for more schools and teachers next year, with a view to showcasing projects at global space events like the International Aeronautical Congress.”
Ms Carpenter said 20 teachers and 100 students from NSW and the UAE had participated in a special online presentation from the Head of The Australia Space Agency, Enrico Palermo, on November 22 as part of the program.
The project’s presence at the Dubai World Expo would provide UAE teachers and students the opportunity to showcase the outcomes of collaborations face-to-face, whilst Australian educators and students would be able to deliver virtual presentations, Ms Carpenter said.
“We need to inspire and support girls at a young age to see the potential in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics fields. Part of that is creating role models in the space sector that the girls can relate to.” Ms Carpenter said.
“The second part of the problem is retaining women in STEM fields throughout their careers, which means stopping the leaky pipeline that is so common.”
Ms Templeman said she was looking forward to speaking with the local students involved to hear about their experience with the program.
“I congratulate all involved for such an innovative program to develop the female STEM industry leaders of the future,” Ms Templeman said.
Schools and teachers can register their interest in participating in the next event via https://onegiantl
