School education program
The 2006 Science, Engineering and Technology Skills Audit raised a number of issues including a decrease in the number of students participating in science in all education sectors (including schools), the overall quality of science education, and a shortage in skills required to meet future industry needs.
As part of our school education strategy, the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity (CRCNPB) is focusing on educating the younger generation currently enrolled in the school system. By portraying plant biosecurity and science in a positive and exciting manner to students from a young age, it is hoped that more students will be encouraged to pursue science as a career and, in the long-term, fill some of the science, engineering and technology skills gaps.
There are two options for participating in the Scientists of Tomorrow program. Schools may choose a single visit where they will be introduced to the main themes of plant biosecurity through a series of interactive activities not readily available in schools.
For the second option, schools take on the program for an entire term. By choosing this option, the interactive activities and introduction do not stand alone, but rather support a range of projects that put the students in a hypothetical situation where they are given all the necessary resources to role-play being ‘researchers'.
Students will role-play that they are a plant biosecurity research team. They will be given a scientific problem that is currently being investigated by CRCNPB scientists to research themselves.
In addition, they will develop a presentation and poster which they will deliver at a mini-conference at their school (in exactly the same way as real scientists communicate their research to peers). At the end of their ‘conference', students will vote for the best research project in the class.
The winner will receive a prize and will be in the running to compete at the inter-schools Scientists of Tomorrow Summit held at the end of the year. At the summit they will represent their school and compete with other schools for the grand prize.
The Scientists of Tomorrow program is the keystone of the CRCNPB's school education strategy and is being trialled throughout primary schools in the ACT. After evaluation, the CRCNPB is anticipating to expand the program nationally.
