NSW Minister for Women Pru Goward will join high school students, leading female scientists and industry representatives tomorrow at a Women in Science Symposium at The Australian National Maritime Museum co-hosted by UNSW.
NSW Minister for Women Pru Goward will join high school students, teachers, leading female scientists and industry representatives at a Women in Science Symposium on Tuesday 8 March to demonstrate the exciting opportunities for girls who study science.
Speakers at the symposium will include Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, UNSW Climate Change Research Centre; Dr Fiona Cameron, Australian Research Council; Dr Linda Armbrecht, Macquarie University Marine Science; and Lynette Clunies-Ross, SAS Australia and New Zealand.
Representatives of CSIRO, Arrium and Cochlear will also address the event, which marks International Women’s Day.
Four winners of the UNSW Science 50:50 New Innovators Competition will receive their awards. The young women won prizes of $4000 each for their innovative ideas to help solve real world problems, including a filter mask and skin lotion to reduce micro-dust penetration, a 3D Virtual Reality fitness program, electronic paper, and a solar-powered emergency apparatus.
The competition is part of the Science 50:50 initiative led by UNSW’s Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla, which aims to inspire young women to pursue careers in science and technology by providing networking, mentoring and industry immersion opportunities.
Professor Sahajwalla is developer of the revolutionary “green steel” making process, and leads an Australian Research Council “green manufacturing” research hub at UNSW to develop ways to transform waste that is rich in glass and plastics into new products, in collaboration with industry partners including Arrium.
In the afternoon the students will have an opportunity to talk to the speakers, attend a careers fair with industry representatives and meet science communicators.
They will also be treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s conservation laboratories, exhibitions and the new $12 million Navy-themed Action Stations experience which includes a display on maritime archaeology.
The Women in Science Symposium will also be live-streamed to students in schools across the country.
Media are invited to attend, parking available on request
What: Women in Science Symposium and presentation of UNSW’s Science 50:50 New Innovators Competition awards
Where: Australian National Maritime Museum, 2 Murray Street, Darling Harbour, Sydney
When: Tuesday 8 March 2016
10.00 am: Presentations begin
10.05 am: Address by the Hon. Pru Goward MP, NSW Minister for Women
11.50 am: Presentation of UNSW Science 50:50 New Innovators awards
1.00 pm – 3.00 pm: Meet the speakers, career expo, museum tours including conservation labs
Career expo representatives from CSIRO Agriculture, NSWBC (NSW Business Chamber), Ramaciotti Centre for Genomics, UNSW Australia, Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, Engineers Australia, NSW Health, AMSI, CSIRO Intelligent Mining and Resource Management / Mineral Resources National Research Flagship, CBA, UNSW Innovations, L'Oreal, IBM, UNSW Medicine, and Woolworths
Science communicators from Fizzics Education, ANSTO, Royal Botanic Gardens, Young Scientists of Australia and Australian National Maritime Museum
More information:
http://www.anmm.gov.au/whats-on/calendar/women-in-science-symposium