Events

One of the key aims of the In2science Peer Mentoring Program is to foster and build connections between industry, universities, and schools. The Mentor Leaders Program (MLP) forms a major part of this goal. The MLP was initiated in the second half of 2021 and has run continuously since. In 2023, in only its third year, the MLP was bigger and better than ever! This is all thanks to the generous support of Toyota Community Trust. So, what did we achieve in the MLP this year?

The MLP kicked off in May with STEM Professionals and university mentors eagerly signing up to be part of the program. In 2023 we were able to match 15 STEM Professionals (the mentors) to In2science Leaders (the mentees). After some training, the pairs jumped straight into organising meetings to discuss a range of topics, such as pathways through university and into the workforce, interview strategies, networking tips, and applying for jobs. It has been great to see that not every meeting has focussed solely on career progression, with our participants also chatting about work-life balance, managing burnout, and the dreaded imposter syndrome! The In2science team have loved reading the feedback on these meetings and we are so pleased to see both mentors and mentees benefitting from the relationship.

On Tuesday October 3 the Mentor Leaders Program had its first ever catch up at the fantastic Royal Melbourne Hotel on Bourke Street. Despite the inclement weather, many of the program’s participants ventured out to enjoy the event. The evening kicked off with some drinks and canapes in the candlelit “Cells” room, which provided a spooky and fun atmosphere to catch up with the attendees. It was especially lovely to see our mentor/mentee pairs excitedly chatting together. Our guests were treated to a workshop hosted by Taylor and Eshita from Teach for Australia. The workshop, titled “Leading Self, Leading Others”, took the participants on an exploration of what it means to be a leader, and how being self-aware and understanding your own behaviours will help you to be a better leader of others. This was a fantastic event and we thank Teach for Australia for their input and expertise.

This year we had four STEM Professionals from Thermo Fisher Scientific participating in the MLP, and one of them, Jacqueline Saykao, organised for the paired mentees to experience a full day visit to the office in Scoresby. This was a brilliant initiative and it was eagerly taken up by the In2science Leaders. The attendees were treated to a tour of Thermo Fisher and learnt about different roles at the company. Elizabeth Thomas, Bachelor of Science student at The University of Melbourne and current In2science mentor, said, “I was very lucky to visit Thermo Fisher and learn about the company’s values. Each of our mentors presented and explained what their roles entailed and what a day in their life looked like. I found these talks very helpful to understanding what a career in STEM would be like and it also made me realise I am happy with my choice of study. We wrapped up the day with lunch at a local cafe, where we networked with other Thermo Fisher employees and Grad Program participants. Overall, I had a great visit and learned a lot more than I expected about one potential career in STEM.” In2science would like to thank Jacqueline and the team at Thermo Fisher for this fantastic opportunity. This is what the MLP is all about!

To wrap up this extraordinary year, on Thursday November 30, the MLP participants gathered at the beautiful Deakin Downtown to share stories and achievements. Katarina Persic, Community Foundations Coordinator at Toyota Australia, opened the event. We were then treated to a presentation by Thilanka Morawakage, Project Officer at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Thilanka spoke passionately about how her love for science began with visits to Questacon and CSIRO, and has led her to an exciting career in biomedicine with lots of opportunities to volunteer. A panel discussion with mentor/mentee pair Catherine Hart, Senior Sustainability and Environmental Specialist at Toyota Australia, and Veda Mileva, Bachelor of Biomedicine student at La Trobe University, followed. Moderated by In2science Program Coordinator Rachel Ella, the discussion highlighted how the program produces mutually beneficial relationships. Cat mentioned how inspiring it was to meet new people in the program and how it has helped her reflect on her own career pathway. Veda loved that she was able to achieve her goals of fine-tuning her CV and adding her personality into her cover letters. This event was the perfect way to wrap-up a very successful year of the Mentor Leaders Program.

The In2science Team have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the enthusiastic STEM Professionals that volunteered to take part in the MLP this year, and the exceptional group of university students that participated. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Toyota Community Trust for their ongoing support. We hope the MLP will return in 2024 with even more matches and exciting events!

At In2science we love to support our hard-working volunteers by offering professional development and upskilling sessions that can be applied to their school-student mentoring and beyond. We hosted our second professional development workshop for the year on Wednesday September 20 at the stunning Deakin Downtown in Melbourne’s CBD. “The Inclusive Mentor” was presented by Alicea Yu, Coordinator of Training and Capacity Building at Deakin University, and was enjoyed by both in-class mentors and eMentors from our partner universities.

Alicea began the session by welcoming us all to a safe and respectful space, offering us the chance to learn and ask questions without judgement. While the topics of inclusivity and the LGBTQIA+ community can be serious, Alicea presented with such warmth and humour that attendees felt comfortable opening up and sharing their experiences and thoughts. An activity centred around each of us choosing one privilege to keep was particularly eye-opening, and helped us realise that we may have privileges that we take for granted. Alicea taught us ways to embed inclusivity in our daily lives by being more aware of our behaviour and language. Small changes can have a huge impact on making others feel more included and valued, and is something that we can all continuously improve upon.

In2science is proud to be an inclusive program and we embrace the fact that there is always something new to learn. We would like to thank Alicea for sharing her knowledge with us and our mentors. We are certain that everyone left the workshop feeling more confident with inclusive practice and ready to take these skills to their mentoring sessions. If you are interested in becoming a mentor for In2science, apply today or email us to find out more!

One of our favourite activities in the In2science team is gathering mentors from all five partner universities for professional development workshops! It’s a great opportunity for mentors to network with each other and the In2science staff in a relaxed environment, while learning skills to use both inside and outside their mentoring role. On Tuesday June 20th, a group of past, current, and future In2science mentors assembled at the La Trobe University City Campus for a fun and informative session. After another busy semester of studying, our university student mentors were eager to learn ideas and advice for progressing their future careers!

Our guest speaker was Tina Papadakos, a Careers Consultant from the Swinburne University of Technology Career Development Team. Tina delivered an interactive and insightful workshop, beginning by explaining how to identify your personal brand, and describing ways to develop this and communicate it to others. We talked about developing a LinkedIn profile and how to use this to connect with people and groups (like In2science!). Topics such as informational interviewing, elevator pitches, and using the STAR technique in interviews were all covered with fun activities. The mentors were able to see how volunteering for In2science can boost their resume and employability. We all know how competitive the job market is, so the tips and tricks provided by Tina will be put to good use by our mentors as they navigate through their studies and careers.

The In2science Team is proud to offer a variety of useful and fun professional development opportunities to our hardworking volunteer mentors. If you are interested in becoming a mentor for In2science, apply today or email us to find out more!

By Rachel Ella

At the end of 2022 we celebrated another successful year of the Mentor Leaders Program, made possible by the Toyota Community Trust, with a wrap up event at Toyota’s Corporate Offices in Port Melbourne. This program is designed to give In2science mentors who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and mentoring skills the opportunity to be matched with STEM Professional Mentors and become In2science Leaders. The STEM Professionals provide mentorship to the In2science Leaders enabling them to gain insight into STEM career pathways and life after university. In 2022 we had 19 mentor/mentee pairs that met over a period of seven months and discussed an array of topics from how to stand out in a sea of graduates, to career planning and various pathways, to resume and interview tips and tricks, and everything in between!

Guests were welcomed and the event opened by Katarina Persic, Senior Community Foundation Coordinator at Toyota. We were treated to a fascinating presentation by Helen Tower, AS&T Senior Validation Specialist at CSL Seqirus. We learnt that, pre-COVID, the processes involved in developing and producing a vaccine were completed in a linear fashion and could take anywhere from 15-20 years due to lack of funding and scientific community focus. During COVID, the worldwide focus of scientists and increased amount government funding hastened this process, explaining why we were able to receive vaccines more quickly than was previously possible. It was a captivating presentation that answered many questions around the production of the COVID vaccines.

We then heard from one of our In2science Leaders, Jaidyn Gluskie, and his STEM Professional Mentor, Dennis Damsma, Studio Engineer & Milling Manager, Product Design and Product Planning & Development at Toyota Australia. Jaidyn and Dennis were one of our most successful pairings. Together they helped Jaidyn identify a true calling for the automotive engineering industry, born from an interest in motor racing, a passion they both share. Dennis’ mentoring helped Jaidyn build confidence in himself as a person and as a budding engineer which led to a six week internship in Dennis’ team at Toyota. They were both grateful for the opportunity provided by the MLP to work together, learn from each other, and build a successful mentoring relationship that will continue into the future.

Thank you to all our STEM Professional Mentors for volunteering your time to be part of the MLP and providing essential guidance to our In2science Leaders. Planning for the 2023 program is underway and more information will be released shortly. If you are keen to be involved, please reach out to Mentor Leaders Program Coordinator Rachel Ella.

By Jarrod McKenna

In October 2022 In2science delivered an engaging forum for STEM teachers, industry professionals, and In2science mentors. In partnership with Engineers Australia (EA) and hosted by In2science Chair The Honourable Prof John Brumby AO, the forum highlighted the current challenges of teaching translatable and useful STEM skills and knowledge to Australia’s high school students. We were honoured to have Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley AO deliver an inspiring keynote speech. Dr Foley then joined fellow STEM professionals EA General Manager Alesha Printz, CEO and Founder of Indigital Mikaela Jade, Education Program Manager at Rail Projects Victoria (RPV) Cherida Longley, and Head of Programs at Bendigo Tech School Ember Chittenden for an engaging and enlightening panel discussion.

The panel noted how desperately short Australia is of engineers, and workshopped ways in which we can engage more people (women and girls, in particular) with engineering careers and study options. Alesha echoed Dr Foley’s call for greater investment in and support of women and girls in STEM, and shared EA’s TV advert emphasising the enormous variety of engineering jobs and their impact across several different industries. Cherida also highlighted the incredible success that RPV have had using Minecraft to reach the younger generations and show them in an engaging, exciting way how the Metro Tunnel projects are designed, managed, and operated – it’s about finding what grabs the attention and interest of the younger generations and using that to connect them with real-world engineering.

The discussion ended by calling for greater support of engineering and to change the perception of ‘what an engineer does or looks like’ (not all of them wear hi-vis and a hard hat!). Finding new ways to approach STEM education like designing programs to look through an Indigenous lens, engaging with local tech schools and industry professionals, or even incorporating software like Minecraft into your outreach programs are all ways we are working to fill the hundreds of thousands of engineering jobs required by 2025 and to close the digital divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

In2science would like to thank EA for hosting the event, and all the speakers and panellists for sharing their thoughts, expertise, and words of advice for teachers and industry professionals to help better connect classrooms with real-world STEM.

In2science was thrilled to partner with Sarah Coonan and Taylor Clark from Teach for Australia to deliver a professional development workshop entitled “Resilience and Overcoming Setbacks” on Tuesday September 13. Hosted by Swinburne University of Technology, the workshop gave our mentors tools to help them tackle setbacks, and to recognise they do not have to face challenges alone.

After a grounding Acknowledgement of Country, the workshop began with a fun activity highlighting the diversity of participants. We discovered that the audience contained both early birds and night owls, coffee and non-coffee drinkers, and, on a more serious note, people that were the first in their family to go to university. This activity highlighted the fact that anyone can be met with setbacks, regardless of their background or behaviour.

Sarah and Taylor then stepped the mentors through a self-reflection exercise that involved remembering a past setback or failure. Through exploring previous challenges, they helped mentors identify who to go to for support, and consider what they learnt from the experience. Sarah and Taylor emphasised that resilience is all about getting support and adapting to challenges, rather than going it alone and risk breaking down. Their workshop helped mentors develop the skills needed to face obstacles head-on and not be afraid of failure. In2science thanks Sarah and Taylor from Teach for Australia for this enlightening and empowering workshop.

The highly anticipated In2science Career Speed-Networking event on Tuesday, May 17 provided an exclusive opportunity for early-career STEM professionals to share their valuable insights and experiences with In2science mentors.

It was a unique crowd that gathered at RMIT’s Media Portal in Melbourne’s CBD, including university students from La Trobe University, The University of Melbourne, RMIT University and Swinburne University of Technology, and professionals from a wide variety of organisations like Toyota Motor Corporation, Thermo Fischer Scientific, Ericsson, CSL, Seqirus, Teach For Australia, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Melbourne Graduate School of Education.  

In2science’s Advisory Board Chair and La Trobe University Chancellor, The Hon John Brumby AO began proceedings with an Acknowledgement of Country, followed by a short speech on the importance of STEM engagement programs like In2science to address the concerning gap between the lack of engagement in science and maths in secondary school students, and the increasing demand for STEM skills in Australia’s workforce. In addition, understanding the current STEM career climate and exploring pathways that are available after graduation is something many university students struggle with. The Career Speed-Networking event provided In2science mentors with a rare opportunity to speak to professionals within their fields of interest to learn more about what to expect in the future. 

Jett Osborne, an In2science alumnus and current Commercial Graduate Leader at Thermo Fisher Scientific ANZ took the floor for a captivating keynote on his own career journey from Biomedical Science Graduate at RMIT University in Australia, Hong Kong and Japan to his current position at Thermo Fisher Scientific ANZ. Jett’s advice about finding your STEM passion and weaving it into your story was invaluable for In2science mentors’ seeking to stand out from the crowd when securing that all-important first job.

Twelve STEM Professionals took part in the networking, where In2science mentors were invited to rotate around each station and have in depth conversations enabling them to tap into the wealth of experience on offer from recent graduates. 

To complement the evening, Kevin Karongo from RMIT University’s Job Shop was there to review student CV and resumes and to provide additional support to our mentors so they are better prepared for the future. 

Thank you to Toyota Community Trust for supporting the event and to all who took part to make it a success. 

The inaugural Mentor Leaders Program, which was rolled out in semester 2 this year, is an initiative aimed 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. To celebrate the achievements of the Mentor Leaders, the STEM Professional Mentors, and their commitment to the program, In2science hosted an end-of-program event, held at the Toyota Corporate Office in Port Melbourne. The face-to-face event provided a wonderful opportunity for like-minded STEM students and professionals to network and reflect on their participation in the program. 

 A major focus of the Mentor Leaders Program was to gain a deeper understanding of career pathways, and therefore, In2science invited a panel of esteemed STEM Professionals to talk about ways to navigate challenges and create opportunities in STEM graduate pathways. The invited panel members work within a diverse range of fields, including science and technology, within academic and industry settings, providing a well-rounded collection of perspectives on the topic.

Catherine Hart, a Senior Sustainability and Environmental Specialist for Toyota Motor Corporations began the discussion by describing that the STEM industry is constantly evolving, and how important it is to say yes to opportunities, even if is a bit hard or different, as you never know what will come out of it.  

Next, we heard from Thilanka Morawakage, a Project Assistant at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and IMNIS catalyst. Thilanka contributed to the discussion by giving insights into how mentoring has been a very valuable experience during COVID. For Thilanka, mentorship helped her identify transferable skills that she gained from an academic education and previous jobs, such as project management.  

Ivy Weng, a manufacturing graduate at CSL, spoke about her unique career pathway as a STEM graduate. Ivy reflected on how her education and training prepared her for the opportunities and challenges that arose over the past few years. Ivy also highlighted the technical and soft skills university training provides that really help you thrive in whatever career you choose to pursue.

To round off the panel discussion, Sarah Goss, an Advisory Board Member for In2science and Head of Innovation from Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, spoke about how the pandemic has accelerated the role of technology in our everyday lives. Sarah mentions that at the government, industry and societal level, tech is transforming and we won’t look back. 

Overall, this event facilitated thought-provoking discussions between Mentor Leaders and STEM Professionals, providing university students with further insights into the graduate opportunities in STEM.  

With the successful completion of the first Mentor Leaders Program, we would like to gratefully acknowledge the outstanding support from Toyota Community Trust, which allows In2science to continue to empower students to navigate the opportunities and demands of their STEM-based future. 

We also express our sincere gratitude to our STEM Professional Mentors for generously volunteering their time to mentor our In2science mentors.  

Finally, huge congratulations to our Mentor Leaders for being selected to participate in this program. by demonstrating exceptional leadership skills and for successfully completing the 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.