Administrator

The ‘Mentor Leaders Program’ is an exciting initiative generously supported by Toyota Community Trust. In 2020, a pilot of this program launched in classrooms, where In2science mentors led career-focused discussions with small groups of high school students. Preliminary evaluations showed that after engaging in the STEM career discussions, high school students better understood their STEM skills and interests and were better equipped to identify their own future career options.

This year, the Mentor Leaders Program has been refined and expanded to include STEM Professional mentors from our network of industry partners. These early-to-mid-career professionals support In2science mentors to further develop their leadership skills and knowledge of STEM careers. We had an outstanding number of STEM Professionals volunteer to mentor our In2science mentors, including Pauline Deng, a Pharmacovigilance Specialist at CSL. Pauline has a passion for not only leading continuous improvement initiatives but also advocating for STEM. 

Pauline began her journey in STEM pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) before joining CSL as part of their science graduate intake. Over the past 4 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Pauline has gained experience and skills within the field and now works in a global role in Pharmacovigilance. Pauline‘s journey from university into a STEM career generates an invaluable story to be shared with In2science mentors about life after university and the future prospects in STEM. 

In volunteering for the Mentors Leaders Program as a STEM Professional, Pauline wants to share the importance of transferable skills. This is illustrated by Pauline’s change in career trajectory, “I always thought I’d be a researcher in the field of tumor immunology as that was what I found fascinating. However, I ended up in the CSL Graduate Program and it really has given me many fantastic opportunities!” Despite the shift in career pathways after university Pauline still had the relevant experience and knowledge to successfully navigate this change in direction. Pauline also attributes her career success thus far to volunteering opportunities that have allowed her to develop leadership and problem-solving skills, both of which she can help In2science mentors build for themselves through mentorship. 

Ultimately, mentors like Pauline are important in guiding people in STEM through every aspect of their study and career path. Whether it be choosing the best VCE subjects, building soft skills applicable to many stages of their career, or navigating changes in their STEM journey.  

We look forward to working with more STEM Professionals from our industry networks to continue the success of the Mentor Leaders Program. We are excited to see the positive influence the Professional Mentors have in building the confidence and career aspirations in our In2science mentors, which is then filtered down to the high school students. Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting program! 

To find out more about how Industry partnerships can support STEM engagement for secondary school students, please contact In2science Program Director, Dr Alison Every.

Studying a STEM degree and volunteering with In2science provides mentors with many transferable skills that opens doors to a multitude of career pathways.  During their time with In2science, we are committed to supporting our mentors to better understand the career options available to them, whether that be in science or non-science fields; in industry, academia or government, 

This year we were excited to once again partner with Toyota Community Trust, who, through their generous support, have enabled the roll-out of a new Mentor Leaders Program. This exciting new project aims to bolster mentors’ understanding of STEM careers and develop their leadership skills by pairing them with outstanding early-career STEM Professionals from our industry partner network. 

Through these meaningful professional connections, our mentors will be better equipped to engage in career conversations with secondary students throughout their In2science placement. This semester, Mentor Leaders will also be invited to facilitate a small group career activity at the school where they’ve been placed that’s been designed to spark students’ interest in science and maths. This will help students to better understand their own skills, interests and role models and how these can lead to a rewarding STEM career.

The program, due to commence in early August, is gathering momentum. Nineteen outstanding In2science mentors have been selected for the inaugural program alongside an equally impressive field of STEM professionals, with backgrounds in:

• Biotechnology
• Healthcare and medicine
• Medical research
• Environmental science, sustainability
• STEAM communication
• Technical Analysis
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering
• Data science
• Intellectual property
• Education

This year’s enthusiastic and diverse group of STEM professional mentors are excited to offer mentees insights into topics such as:

• academic vs industry career pathways
• what consulting vs government vs industry roles are like
• finding your own way even when you don’t know exactly what you want to do
• landing their first job and how to construct a CV and job application
• techniques for acing an interview
• the transition from uni to work
• striking a healthy work/life balance
• honing in on what you’re passionate about
• furthering a growth mindset
• navigating male-dominated industries
• the importance of soft skills in STEM environments
• how to use your science education to succeed in ‘non-science’ based roles

In an effort to provide a tailored mentoring experience, Mentor Leaders selected their preferred STEM Professional Mentors. With the matching process now complete and Mentor Leaders soon to undergo their induction, In2science is confident that all participants will maximise the opportunities this program will provide. This will further improve In2science mentoring in schools and set In2science mentors up for securing a role in the STEM workforce. Armed with resources to enrich the mentoring experience, Mentor Leaders will be meeting their STEM Professional Mentors from early August, with the program running throughout Semester 2.

With such an inspirational bunch of people involved, we can’t wait to see the rich learnings made and shared. Watch this space!

In2science is thrilled to once again partner with Toyota Community Trust to expand and deepen our impact and help build In2science mentors’ leadership capacity. With Toyota’s generous support, In2science will recruit and train 34 additional university student mentors from our partner universities. In2science will also foster partnerships with 4 new schools, 2 in the west and 2 in regional/rural Victoria, enabling us to reach up to 240 extra students per semester. Building on a successful project funded by Toyota in 2019, In2science mentors will increase STEM engagement, promoting STEM career aspirations and increasing understanding of connections between STEM curriculum and careers.

This grant will also enable In2science to establish a Mentor Leaders Program, providing an opportunity for 25 returning and experienced In2science mentors to accelerate their leadership capacity by supporting a designated group of new In2science mentors who are completing their first placement. Excitingly, In2science mentors will be matched with a STEM professional so that they can further enhance their understanding of the myriad STEM career pathways available. This additional mentoring tier will help to bridge the missing links between STEM Industry, universities and schools, for deeper awareness of STEM careers.

In2science is one of eight organisations to have received funding in 2021 to encourage young people to pursue STEM-related study and careers. The Toyota Community Foundation STEM grants forms an ongoing legacy since the closing of manufacturing operations in Australia.

It has been twelve months since In2science mentors stepped foot in Victorian classrooms. This time last year, schools across Victoria were met with the monumental challenge of shifting their curriculum online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some In2science mentors were lucky enough to visit students twice before the state was plunged into a lockdown that lasted a total of 111 days.

This year, the mood is significantly improved. Mentors met each other for training in-person for the first time on campus. More importantly, they were excited to be allowed back into the classroom.

Catriona Vi Nguyen-Robertson, a PhD candidate in Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute with The University of Melbourne, is mentoring at Maribyrnong College. After her first session she said she is most looking forward to “sharing my passion for science with the students…and of course, singing songs about their studies!”.

Software Engineering student, Kazi Kabir spent his first session chatting about his experience at La Trobe University. He answered lots of questions about computer science, including how Minecraft is related to the field. “I had a great time with the kids!… Definitely a win”, he said.

Joseph Araniakulathil who is mentoring a Year 8 science class at St Peter’s College, Cranbourne had a successful week too. As a student completing Biomedical Engineering at Swinburne University of Technology, he was keen to see that the students had a general curiosity about science, which made engaging with them so much easier.

“I had a wonderful first session with my Year 7 class at Coburg High School working on classification systems for biology”, says Elowen Amos from The University of Melbourne. Elowen studies Geology so she was excited when the students had lots of questions about the subject, including what the oldest rocks are and if she has seen any of them.

Teachers are noticing a difference in engagement already. Lakshmi Sharma, the teacher of Elowen’s class sent glowing feedback to In2science’s coordinator at The University of Melbourne, Hayden Dalton, saying that Elowen’s presence has been wonderful. “The kids love her and was just brilliant with them”, Lakshmi glowed. Because of Elowen’s experience in geology, Lakshmi also confirmed she will be talking to the Year 9s separately about rocks and volcanoes for a lesson in their Earth Sciences unit, “the kids are going to love it to have an expert person talk to them – she is such a superstar!”

So far, 94 mentors will be going into classrooms in metropolitan Melbourne, a huge positive difference compared to the challenging circumstances of last year. We look forward to their success stories and the advice they will pass onto new mentors who sign up to future semesters with In2science. It is a great achievement to be back doing what we love and sharing the amazing things STEM has to offer in everyday life and beyond school.

As the huge challenges associated with COVID-19 became apparent 12 months ago, In2science swung into action to ensure that we could continue supporting schools, teachers and students. As everyone grappled with the impacts of social-distancing restrictions, remote learning and elevated anxiety levels, In2science consulted with mentors and teachers, and developed a range of options to offer schools our support.

Adapting the program and upskilling our mentors so that they could continue mentoring online ensured that In2science could continue to foster students’ enthusiasm for STEM. As such, In2science placed 239 mentors in 55 partner schools, reaching 2,314 students.

The In2science mentors’ unwavering commitment to supporting teachers and students, all the while facing their own challenges, is reflected in the outstanding feedback received.

Consistent with past evaluations, 92% of teachers noticed students engaged more in the lesson with a mentor present, with 93% agreeing that the mentor was a good role model for students. Importantly, teachers who hosted mentors last year were immensely grateful for the mentors’ presence, resulting in a Net Promoter Score–characterised as a measure of how likely a teacher is to recommend the program to a colleague–of 100, the maximum possible score.

The support mentors received from teachers and In2science coordinators is also reflected in the exceptional feedback provided. In 2020, In2science mentors’ adaptability, commitment and professionalism was on display. Indeed, 97% of mentors agreed that In2science developed skills they will use in the future, with 85% feeling that they had a positive impact during their placement.

Ultimately, the impact on students was dramatic, with 77% of students who interacted with a mentor realising that everyone can study science. Importantly, the evidence is clear: the frequency of interaction with a mentor has a significant positive impact on students’ attitudes towards science and maths, and STEM study (see below).

Once again, In2science would like to express our sincere gratitude for the commitment and support of our outstanding partner schools, teachers and mentors, especially throughout these most challenging of times.