Events

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.

With the end of semester 2 rapidly approaching, the In2science team hosted our second mentor professional development workshop for the year. We love offering free workshops on a variety of topics to give back to our hard-working volunteers. This time, we headed to RMIT’s impressive Storey Hall and enjoyed the sweeping views of the CBD (albeit on a rather gloomy day). We were lucky to host two guest speakers from Teach for Australia, a proud partner of In2science. Senior Recruitment Manager Costa Constantaras and colleague Varun Asthana delivered a humorous and insightful presentation all about relationship building.

While mentoring, our volunteers foster relationships with a diverse range of people – from their host teachers, to the In2science team, to their high school student mentees. In their future careers in STEM they may need to connect with lecturers, research heads, supervisors, managers, and colleagues. Recognising what each different relationship needs can be tricky and requires specific skills. Costa led the attendees through a discussion of relationship-building skills like showing respect, practising empathy and being open-minded. Our mentors were encouraged to put their skills into practice by learning about each other through meaningful conversations and active listening.

Our attendees learnt a lot from the workshop and appreciated the opportunity to ask questions about the relationships they are cultivating with their mentees. It was great to see the mentors sharing their own experiences and helping each other to problem solve. In2science would like to thank Teach for Australia for helping us to organise this workshop, and we look forward to bringing more professional development events to our mentors next year.

On Wednesday May 28, the In2science team and volunteer mentors from our partner universities gathered at beautiful Deakin Downtown for a professional development workshop. Presented by the amazing Dr Rebecca (Bec) Muir, manager of Disability and Neurodiversity Inclusion at La Trobe University, this interactive, fun, and occasionally challenging workshop explored our perceptions of neurodiversity and gave practical advice on how we can all be more neuroinclusive in our day-to-day lives. We asked our fabulous attendees to share their thoughts on the event.

eMentor Gracy Arora from Deakin University, who is currently working with a student from Maffra Secondary College, had this to say about the experience:

“As an international student living in Australia for the past two years, I’ve often found it challenging to truly feel at home. However, during the two-hour neuroinclusion training session led by Dr Rebecca, I experienced a profound sense of belonging and understanding that I had not felt before. The session was incredibly enlightening—it introduced me to concepts I had never encountered and shifted my perspective in powerful ways. Dr Rebecca’s delivery was thoughtful, clear, and deeply impactful. The safe, respectful environment she cultivated made everyone feel seen and heard, and for the first time in a long while, I felt equal and included. Coming from a psychology background, I’ve sometimes struggled to fully grasp how neuroinclusion should be practiced in everyday settings. This session not only clarified those gaps but also gave me the confidence to approach these topics with greater sensitivity and awareness. I walked away with a new language of inclusion and a greater appreciation for the small, often overlooked actions that can make a big difference. It was a truly eye-opening experience, and I am immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to participate.”

La Trobe Masters student and eMentor, also at Maffra Secondary College, Kajanan Sathiyaseelan shared these insightful words:

“Looking back, I have learned a lot as an eMentor from explaining science to kids who are hungry for knowledge to being their friend and sharing my struggles as a neuroatypical person in my academic journey. I had the amazing opportunity to attend a lecture by Rebecca Muir on neurodiversity. She broke down the phobia that society often holds about neurodiverse people. What they really need is love and support from fellow humans, along with a safe space to express themselves and just be themselves. Inclusion is a simple step. We need to stop fearmongering, start loving, and treat everyone as our fellow humans. As a neuroatypical person, I understand the struggles of those who share my spectrum. Be the change.”

Emma Iacuone, also from La Trobe University and mentoring at Epping Secondary College, offered her thoughts:

“I had the amazing opportunity to attend the ‘Neuroinclusion in practice and language’ workshop presented by the lovely Dr. Rebecca Muir! I got to meet with other mentors and eMentors from the program, where we learnt together about neuroinclusive language, and what being neuroinclusive in a classroom setting can look like. The biggest idea I took away from the workshop was that each person has different needs, and that when I am in the classroom, it is a good thing to ask all students about what they prefer. This reduces the assumption that neurodivergence is uncommon, and I can change how I share information or explain concepts to students with different learning styles. I felt the workshop atmosphere was extremely supportive, fun (I learnt how to fold an origami chatterbox!), and informative. I wanted to say thank you to the In2science team for the opportunity to be a part of this workshop!”

Lenny Zhang, an eMentor from The University of Melbourne mentoring at St John’s Regional College, said the following:

“As someone who hates stepping out of their comfort zone, pushing myself to come to this workshop was a challenge although I knew it was going to help me to expand my knowledge in an unfamiliar field. However, this challenge took me by surprise. I had learnt knowledge, theories and ideas that I was unprepared for yet desperately needed. As a psychology student, I have often heard of the words neurodiverse and neurodivergent, but I never understood the difference between them. I also felt a deep connection with the cutlery theory, which articulated why we may react differently to the big and small stressors in everyday life. I felt welcomed, accepted and respected. Small fidgets were provided that could suit people’s learning needs, as some of us, such as me, learn better with a certain level of “distraction”. We were given multiple breaks to refuel our bodies and let our concentrated minds rest. Before we knew it, Dr Rebecca Muir has made the workshop more than a classroom that taught us about neurodiversity, but also a place that demonstrated how to create a safe space that respected the differences between people.”

One of our favourite aspects of In2science is being able to give back to our hard-working and committed volunteers with these exceptional professional development workshops. Our mentors learnt so much from Bec and have upskilled not only their mentoring, but their everyday interactions with diverse people. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Bec for running this fantastic workshop sharing her extensive knowledge about becoming more neuroaware!

On Wednesday September 18, In2science held a highly-anticipated and exclusive professional development event to help our mentors expand their networks and gain tips on entering the workforce after university. Our STEM Career Speed-Networking Event, hosted at the RMIT Media Portal, was attended by over 30 In2science student mentors from all five of our partner universities. Attendees met with invited STEM Professionals from a range of disciplines to discuss employment pathways and career advice in a relaxed and fun setting.

The afternoon began with a welcome from In2science Program Director Dr Gabby Goldberg, followed by an uplifting keynote speech from Dr Catriona Nguyen-Robertson. Catriona is a researcher, writer, educator and presenter – she wears many hats but above all her passion is science communication and making science accessible to everyone, which often includes singing about it! Catriona described the non-linear path that took her to where she is today, which included many semesters volunteering as an In2science mentor. She shared beneficial advice about putting yourself out there, giving things a go, and finding a support group to help you along the way. Her speech was truly inspirational and the perfect motivation for the activity to follow.

During the Speed-Networking, our mentors were lucky enough to meet with enthusiastic professionals from a variety of disciplines. We were honoured to host researchers from the La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food, WEHI, and NACE, and experts from various industries, including automotive (Toyota), biotechnology (Thermo Fisher Scientific), technology (HPE, Tettra), and education (Teach For Australia, Pascoe Vale Girls College). Along with Catriona (Museums Victoria), we also had science communicators joining us from Parks Victoria, Movember, and even In2science! Four of our guests were past In2science volunteer mentors, and it was fantastic for our current mentors to hear their stories and learn about the paths they followed. “The speed-networking night was a great opportunity to connect with professionals and learn more about different career pathways. I personally gained a lot of insight into how I can combine my wide range of interests for a rewarding role in the future”, said Arlo, Swinburne University of Technology In2science Mentor. Thilanka Morawakage, Project Officer at NACE, commented that “While sharing my academic and career experiences with the In2science mentors, I found it was also a valuable opportunity for me to reflect on my own journey and recognise the progress I’ve made to date.” 

The event concluded with refreshments and informal networking time, where the conversations continued to flow. In2science is proud to reward our hard-working mentors with professional development opportunities like this, and is honoured that so many amazing people jumped at the chance to speak at this event. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone that attended, and we hope to see you all at our next event!