In the next decade, three-quarters of all jobs in the fastest growing industries will require competencies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), recent data from the Office of the Chief Scientist has revealed.
However, only 16% of Australia’s current STEM workforce are women – a result of the significantly lower participation rate among female students in STEM education compared to their male counterparts.
To address this, the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (AGSA) has established a competition designed to empower girls to pursue a career in STEM.
This year’s the Junior Young Physicists’ Tournament (JYPT) will be held at Brisbane Girls Grammar School from 30 September to 3 October. Registration is now open for all girls’ schools across Australia.
In a statement, AGSA said that the tournament provides students an authentic opportunity to work as research scientists.
“Opportunities such as JYPT allow students to practise scientific skills, such as rational enquiry or critical interpretation of data, that will empower them in a range of careers and fields after graduation,” the association said.
The competition requires teams to investigate a set of five physics phenomena through research and experimentation. The teams will then present their findings to peers who will provide a critique, before participants take part in a discussion to “delve more deeply into the physics presented,” mirroring the research process in the real-life science community,
Teams must comprise four or five students and a team leader – usually a teacher. Students must also not be in their last two years of schooling.
Interested parties can visit JYPT’s official website for more details.