News

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!

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!