20 years of In2science!

The annual Awards Night was again the most anticipated event on the In2science calendar, and this year it was extra special as we celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the creation of the program. In2science was born at La Trobe University in August 2004, driven by two key figures, David Finlay and John McDonald. The program has gone through many highs and lows since then, surviving and thriving through the leadership of its passionate directors, managers and coordinators, and of course the teachers, mentors and mentees that participate in the program.

On Tuesday December 10, the In2science team welcomed these participants and their guests to our fabulous event. This year the event was held at the stunning Ian Potter Auditorium at The University of Melbourne. The foyer was lovingly decorated with photos from the past, posters celebrating some long-serving staff members and teachers, and a timeline showcasing key moments in our 20-year history. These eye-catching pieces really helped to set the scene for a fun, reflective and somewhat nostalgic look back at the In2science program.

The evening opened with an Acknowledgement of Country from Program Director Dr Gabby Goldberg, who followed with a heartfelt story about why it is so important to encourage everyone to engage with STEM. We were also treated to a video montage from some of the legends that make up In2science’s past and present – Megan Mundy (Program Director 2012-2019), Amanda Dales (Bayswater Secondary College teacher and Advisory Board member), Aleeta Carmody (past eMentee and current eMentor) and Julia Cleghorn (past Coordinator and current university manager). In2science Chair, The Honourable Professor John Brumby AO, continued these sentiments and congratulated In2science on another successful year. Our guest speaker, Dr Jessica Danaher, Associate Dean Student Experience (Science) at RMIT University, delivered a funny and inspiring speech all about making the most of opportunities when they are presented to you and taking chances on new experiences. It was an absolute delight to have Dr Danaher as our keynote for the evening!

We kicked off the awards presentations with the Mentor Support Teacher Award, which goes to teachers that have been exceptionally welcoming and helpful to our volunteer mentors. This year, Veronica Chia of St John’s Regional College and Matthew Tempone from Bundoora Secondary College were deserving winners. Veronica was new to In2science this year but her persistence and dedication with getting the program running at her school were outstanding. Matthew has been a huge supporter of the program and helped us place 13 mentors at his school. The School Engagement Award was given to joint winners Maffra Secondary College, who have hosted an incredible 99 eMentors since 2016, and Mount Alexander College, with over 90 placements since 2018! We are so grateful to all our participating schools and supportive teachers, as the program would not have continued for 20 years without you!

The Outstanding Mentee award was next. We had so many fantastic finalists this year that we awarded four prizes. Our winners this year were Harry Allison from Maffra Secondary College, Avalon-May Barton from Virtual School Victoria, Patrick Benson from Geelong High School, and Nha Y Tran from Charles La Trobe P-12 College. Congratulations to all our nominated mentees for showing exceptional initiative, curiosity, dedication and engagement with STEM – keep it up! Our mentee speakers, Millie Martin and Olivia Skewes from Maffra Secondary College were up next. These girls showed confidence beyond their years to speak in front of our guests about their experience in the eMentoring program. Millia and Olivia spoke about how their mentor Sauti helped them to open up and learn more about biotechnology. It was lovely to see how proud Sauti was of her mentees!

It was then time for the mentor awards, and first we awarded STEM Champion to Jessica Iktear of La Trobe University. Jess is a stand-out mentor who goes out of her way to help others and, after three semesters with us, is now aspiring to be a teacher. The Connection award went to Christon Kenneth Dsouza from RMIT University for his easy-going nature and ability to bond with the students. Our very deserving winner for the Dedication award was Jackson Giddens from Deakin University. Jackson has a very busy workload but still always made time to enthusiastically attend his placements, which was greatly appreciated. The Communication award went to new mentor Nolan Wen from Swinburne University of Technology for their efforts to engage with every student in their class. Ava Collison from The University of Melbourne was the winner of the Impact award. Ava has received nothing but positive feedback and we are excited that they will continue to impact students’ learning in their future career as a teacher.

The Mentor Leaders Program award was given to Mahin Maleki from Deakin University for her engagement with the program and her industry mentor Lachlan from SPARK North East Link. Mahin learnt as much as she could from Lachlan and always sent thorough updates on her progress. Finally, we awarded two prizes to our fabulous eMentors. The Regional Impact award was given to Jolene Erin Rosca from Deakin University. Jolene moved from in-class mentoring last year to eMentoring this year and did not skip a beat. Her connection with her mentees is nothing short of inspiring. A new award for this year, the Regional Connection award, was given to Sauti Malabika Nadi from RMIT University. Sauti’s kind heart and passion for STEM really stood out in her mentoring sessions and she went above and beyond to support her mentees.

Our final speaker for the night was the aforementioned Jessica Iktear. To La Trobe team members, Jess needs no introduction as she is always willing to lend a hand and has helped us train new mentors. Jess spoke about how science is everywhere and for everyone, and told a beautiful story about how she connected with a student through the science in video games. We are thrilled that soon Jess will be leading her own classroom and will continue to inspire the next generation to engage with STEM.

After the ceremony, it was time to enjoy some food and drinks in the foyer, while admiring the fantastic display of the history of In2science. It was a chance for old workmates to catch up, and new connections to be made. It was a time for thanking our participants and supporters, and looking forward to another 20 years of this important life-changing and inspiring program!