National Youth Science Forum 2019 Year 12 Program applications open 

It’s all about STEAM at the minute but it’s a huge area and students need some help navigating where they might go in the field.

There’s a variety of occupations within STEAM, and the fact that many are not generally ‘traditional’ means that parents and even career advisors often aren’t fully up to speed.

This uncertainty is amplified as students face the stress of leaving school and facing critical examinations.

The NYSF Year 12 Program aims to overcome some of these issues, by exposing students to new career fields that they may not have known about and encouraging them to continue their studies in these areas.

NYSF Chief Executive Officer, Dr Damien Pearce, says that the NYSF allows students to be better informed when making decisions about their future career and study direction.

The NYSF has been operating for 35 years and has seen almost 12,000 participants complete the program.

“With over 75 lab visits per session, and multiple lectures and workshops, there is no doubt participants left the January NYSF 2018 program better informed about their future prospects.

“Time and time again we hear from students who have completely changed their study and career trajectory after attending the program, by discovering courses and careers that they had not known existed.” Pearce said.

“For others, attending the Year 12 program confirms and consolidates the choices that they have already made, and provides them with valuable tools to assist them into the future.”

Year 12 Student, Kingsley Rosman from Aberfoyle Park South Australia participated in the 2018 program in January.

“The NYSF is an amazing program that brings together hundreds of Grade 12 students with a passion for science. It gives those lucky enough to attend an opportunity to see state-of-the-art laboratories, get their hands dirty with fun workshops, hear inspiring talks from world-class scientists, and meet others with a scientific interest from around the country and the globe,” he said.

“The program really confirmed what I had already wanted to do, however it was different for everyone. Some of my peers completely changed their career path after attending, however for me it simply opened up more pathways to achieve my goals.”

In January 2019, up to 600 places will be available for students about to commence year 12 – 400 in two sessions in Canberra at the Australian National University and another 200 at a third session in Brisbane at the University Queensland (UQ). The extra places at the UQ program are supported through funding from the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA).

The NYSF 2019 program will expose some of Australia’s most talented students to study and career options in the STEM fields ranging from astrophysics to biology to forensics and archeology.

Students attending the program are drawn from diverse backgrounds from all over Australia. Selections are carried out by Rotary Australia (founding partner), providing access to the program for students from remote and regional areas around the country. In 2018, 42% of students were from remote and regional areas and 60% of participants were female.

The NYSF, also supported through funding from NISA, has up to 30 $1,000 Equity Scholarships on offer, designed to assist participants from low social-economic and/or other disadvantaged backgrounds to attend the Year 12 Program.

Students who are currently studying in Year 11 are eligible to apply via the NYSF https://www.nysf.edu.au/ Applications close 31 May 2018.