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On Tuesday September 22, In2science welcomed our 2026 mentors to our Career Speed‑Networking Event—an evening designed to spark curiosity, build confidence, and open doors to the many futures waiting in STEM. Twelve brilliant STEM professionals joined us at the RMIT University Media Portal for this exciting event. Guests from organisations including Teach For Australia, GSK, The University of Melbourne, Defence Science and Technology Group, CSL, Plants For Space, WEHI, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Museums Victoria, AKD, and Science Gallery Melbourne gathered with one shared purpose: to share their experience with university students looking for that next step after study.

The night began with a warm welcome from Director Dr Cory Smith, setting the tone for an event full of connection and discovery. Guests then joined a lively icebreaker activity, debating whether quirky STEM statements were true or false. Then came the main event: speed‑networking. For seven minutes at a time, mentors sat face‑to‑face with each professional, diving into conversations about career journeys, unexpected pivots, and the realities of life after university. The conversation flowed easily as mentors soaked up advice from people who’ve carved out their own unique STEM paths.

In2science mentor Sahiti, who is completing a PhD in food science at La Trobe University, captured the spirit of the evening perfectly: “Learning from such incredible and diverse professionals was truly inspiring. Connecting with them opened my eyes to the vast range of career pathways within STEM and helped me appreciate the many different ways I can make an impact through my work.”

From the other side of the table, Museums Victoria’s Catriona Nguyen-Robertson reflected on the joy of connecting across generations: “Being a mentor in the In2science program was really a kick-starter for me in STEM education, and I want to give back however I can and empower current mentors to be successful in their chosen paths too!”

Mentor Mackenzie, a Bachelor of Science student at The University of Melbourne, also found a powerful thread running through the night: “It was really valuable for me to hear everyone’s career journeys, as I found a common message from each of them that stuck with me throughout the evening.”

Events like this are among our favourites at In2science. They give mentors something rare and invaluable: the chance to speak directly with a diverse group of STEM professionals who are generous with their stories, honest about their challenges, and passionate about helping others find their way. We are so grateful to the professionals who gave up their time to share their stories and look forward to hosting our next networking event in the near future.

Our brand-new webinar series continued this week with an inspiring presentation from Dr Will Sullivan. Will is the Assistant Director of STEM Outreach and Engagement at the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), Department of Defence. Will is also a long-time member of the In2science family from his years as RMIT Program Coordinator. It was a pleasure to welcome him back and hear about his winding, relatable journey into STEM. Will shared how he once felt unsure about his direction after high school – something that many of us can identify with! Will discovered a love of food science and studied a Bachelor of Science (Food Technology and Nutrition) at RMIT University, followed by a PhD in Food Chemistry. He spent some time teaching scientific skills to students in China, which sounded like a very exciting experience. Will also spoke about the work he currently does at DSTG, where he is heavily involved in the STEM talent pipeline through events and graduate programs.

Will had lots of thoughtful and practical advice for our mentors. He emphasised the importance of saying yes to new experiences, but also knowing when to say no to avoid negative impacts like burnout. He spoke about the importance of a work/life balance and finding ways to relax while studying. He also encouraged our mentors to build their networking skills, as this is a great way to meet people in different fields, to learn from the experience of others, and to uncover new opportunities. Will has had a fascinating career so far and we’re grateful he shared his wisdom with our mentors.

On Thursday August 20, In2science hosted the third in our new series of fascinating webinars. Our presenter was Anastasia Bickley, who is currently in the first year of her PhD at Deakin University. Anastasia is also one of our most committed mentors, having completed four placements at Bellarine Secondary College. Anastasia enthusiastically shares her love of forensic science with her mentees, often bringing in demonstrations and telling stories of real-world applications of this discipline.

Anastasia’s goal is to update arson research and help to make it less time sensitive. She explained how the longer the time is between gathering evidence from a fire and analysing it, the less accurate that information will be. She is focused on bushfires and how campfires can lead to them, concealment of accelerants, and what leads people to not follow the laws surrounding safe fire lighting. During her field work, she was able to locate evidence of past fires, both legal and illegal, and took samples to identify the fuel used. Her methods have led to quicker and more accurate identification of accelerants used, particularly in illegal fires which could potentially cause disastrous bushfires.

Anastasia captivated the crowd with her results and a glimpse into her PhD ambitions. The In2science team can’t wait to see what discoveries she makes next!

On Thursday July 14, our mentors tuned in for the latest instalment of our webinar series, this time hearing from Frazer Thorpe, Education and Engagement Manager for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, based at La Trobe University. Frazer gave mentors an engaging overview of Plants for Space and the outreach work they do across schools to provide students and teachers with ways to connect to the research work being done. Mentors learnt how the team brings a futuristic, yet grounded, vision of space science into the classroom by exploring the science of growing food in space, learning what it takes to sustain human life beyond Earth and how those lessons can be applied to our own agricultural processes.

It was a fascinating look at how big questions about space can be brought back down to something very immediate and relatable: what we eat, and why it matters. We finished off the session with a great Q&A, with our mentors keen to dig deeper into Frazer’s work. Our mentors relished the opportunity to learn about another STEM outreach program, reminding us of the importance of the work here at In2science and understanding how we all link together to build student STEM aspiration and engagement.

We’re looking forward to sharing more from our speaker line-up in the months ahead, so stay tuned for what’s coming next!

Our hard-working volunteer mentors are the heart of In2science, and finding ways to thank them for their commitment to the program is incredibly important to us. We decided we wanted to give something meaningful back. The result? A brand‑new, free online webinar series created especially for them.

Once a month, mentors will have the chance to hear from an inspiring guest speaker—leaders from STEM industries, academics from our four partner universities, and experts offering professional development workshops. There’s even space for our postgraduate mentors to step into the spotlight and share their own research with their peers.

We launched the series on Thursday June 18 with a lively first session titled “Get to Know In2science!” Mentors from across our partner universities learnt all about the story of In2science—from its beginnings in 2004 to the dynamic, state-wide program it is today. Each team member introduced themselves, sharing their career paths, quirks, and passions beyond the office. The In2science team are an eclectic bunch—Deakin University Coordinator Tordy taught maths in Dubai for two years, and The University of Melbourne’s Marie is a bit of a thrill seeker, spending her weekends windsurfing. La Trobe University Coordinator Rachel is a devoted Pink fan (and a somewhat devoted Essendon Football Club fan), while Rany from RMIT University originally trained as a journalist, hoping to become a travel writer. And in true In2science fashion, pets featured prominently in the presentation, with eMentoring Coordinator Rhonda’s cat Dash making a special appearance!

Reflecting on the new initiative, In2science Program Manager Dr Nicole Butler said, “We recognise the massive contribution that our volunteers make, sharing their passion for STEM with their high school student mentees. Hosting a free webinar series is a small way that we can give back to them. It provides the mentors an opportunity to meet people working in industry and academia, and to upskill with professional development workshops.”

With such an enthusiastic start, this webinar series is shaping up to be an insightful new way for mentors to learn, connect, and feel celebrated. We’re excited to share our incredible line-up of speakers with mentors in the months ahead.

National Volunteer Week is a time to recognise the incredible contribution of volunteers across Australia, and at In2science, we couldn’t let the week pass without celebrating the heart of our program — our dedicated volunteer mentors. This year, we brought together mentors from all four of our partner universities for an online STEM‑themed trivia night, created and hosted by the In2science team. For one evening, the team stepped away from their usual roles to become Quiz Masters, all the while encouraging a bit of friendly competition among the participants.

We kicked off with a quiz inspired by the wonderfully quirky Ig Nobel Prizes — awards that honour research that first makes you laugh, then makes you think. From unusual experiments to unexpected discoveries, mentors were challenged to identify the research findings of Ig Nobel prize winners from the last ten years. Congratulations to Annam, Deakin University mentor, who took out first place in this round! Next up was a puzzle designed by Deakin University Coordinator Tordy, where mentors had 15 minutes to decipher which famous scientists were represented by strings of emojis. This round proved to be the trickiest of the night, but La Trobe University mentor Sayuni rose to the challenge and claimed the win. To finish, the team presented a classic “What am I?” challenge, where participants used a series of clues to identify an object or item. This round sparked some of the most creative and entertaining guesses of the evening. Lenna, another La Trobe University mentor, came out on top — well done, Lenna!

In2science Program Director Dr Cory Smith said, “Trivia Night gave us an opportunity to thank our mentors for the amazing work they do for In2science, and it was fantastic to see such a good turnout with everyone having a great time – even if some of the questions were fiendishly tricky!” The In2science team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined us at this event. We hope you had as much fun participating as we did creating the quizzes. Most importantly, thank you to all our incredible mentors. Your enthusiasm, generosity, and commitment make In2science possible, and we appreciate everything you do.