During January 2017 the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility’s (APPF) Canberra-based High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre (HRPPC) is welcoming science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) students from across Australia to participate in laboratory visits as part of the annual National Youth Science Forum.
STEM education is key to enabling our next generation to tackle the challenges of a fast growing population, globalisation and climate change, underpinning innovation towards future solutions.
One of the challenges is feeding the world. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that about 795 million of the 7.3 billion people in the world, or one in nine, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2014-2016.
Research facilitated at the APPF is leading to the development of new and improved crops, healthier food, more sustainable agricultural practices, improved biodiversity care, and the use of crops to develop pharmaceuticals. By exposing students to this important area of research and encouraging cross-disciplinary approaches through STEM, the APPF hopes to plant the seeds of ideas that may unlock new solutions in the minds of the next generation of leading agriculture scientists and engineers.
This year the program for students visiting the APPF-HRPPC will emphasise the engineering aspects of our work, covering laboratory as well as field aerial data capture and analysis, and our aim of supporting a sustainable food future for our nation. The students will have the opportunity to interact with scientists, software engineers and mechatronic engineers, learn about the direct applications of the research conducted at the APPF, possible career paths they can follow and what the future offers in these fields.
The National Youth Science Forum is an immersive, 12 day residential science program aimed at students entering Year 12 who are passionate about STEM and wish to pursue careers in these fields. The residential program attracts over 400 students each year and connects students with researchers and visits to world class laboratories.
(Images: Dr Xavier Sirault presenting to visiting National Youth Science Forum students at the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility’s High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre in Canberra)
