Recipients 2020

  • Bugs to the Rescue: Controlling Invasives for a Healthy River

    Mooloolah River Waterwatch and Landcare (MRL)

    $10,000

    Facilitating education and promoting science-based solutions, MRLs Bugs to the Rescue project will engage with students and the community in strategic activities for control of Weeds of National Significance (WONS) that are threatening the Mooloolah River catchment.

    Activities include entertaining Bugs to the Rescue presentations at schools, publicising the release of the madeira vine beetle and jewel beetle at selected sites, and citizen-science monitoring and reporting.

    Key outcomes are awakening students interest in science and science-based solutions, increasing community awareness and engagement in science-based solutions for environmental threats, and monitoring the impact of biocontrol actions on invasive species by citizen scientists.

  • The Mount Crosby Formula E Grand Prix

    Mount Crosby State School

    $9,976

    Teams of girls will design and build elastic band powered cars made from 3D printed parts. The project will run over a semester and culminate in a community day competition where the students present their work, detail their design process, and compete in a range of races. Students will learn about the stages of design thinking, virtual 3D modelling, 3D printing, the properties of materials used in construction, the engineering of gears and simple machines, and the physics of potential and kinetic energy.

  • National Science Week - From the Seas to the Stars

    Cooktown P-12 State School

    $10,000

    School students and community members have the opportunity to experience the night skies during a visit from a mobile planetarium. There will be an Astronomy Night with telescopes and local cluster schools will be invited to participate, share stories about the night sky, and identify planets, constellations and moons.

  • SEAWEED | Biofabricating Futures

    Ms Joanne McCallum

    $10,000

    SEAWEED | Biofabricating Futures aims to engage the Bribie Island community with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths), via an innovative science/art programme focused on promoting innovative applications of native seaweeds.

    This project will deliver a material research workshop, exhibition and concurrent social media campaign. Using cutting edge biofabrication processes, University of Queensland biofabrication researcher Jo McCallum, and Australian Seaweed Institute CEO Jo Kelly, will demonstrate the potential inherent in working with this rich local marine resource.

  • Student Creation of Virtual Reality Tours of Mt Kent Observatory

    University of Southern Queensland

    $10,000

    The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) is partnering with students from selected Queensland schools to produce 360-degree virtual tours of its Mt Kent Observatory.

    On day one, school students will attend USQ's Hub for Immersive and Virtual Experiences and be taught how to use 360-degree cameras.

    Day two will involve students filming the observatory and interviewing astronomers.

    The videos will be distributed online, shown at career fairs, and shared with other schools through career counsellors and guest presenters at school assemblies. The aim is to engage more students in authentic astronomy practice and expose them to STEM careers.

  • Athena

    Noosa District State High School

    $10,000

    In partnership with the Noosa District Council Peregian Digital Hub, Noosa Education and Training Alliance, and Coolum Beach and Sunshine Beach State High Schools, Noosa District State High School intends to engage more women in STEM through its Athena 2020 project. Its courses will be delivered by female leaders in their respective fields and topics areas such as mixed reality experience design, robotics, artificial intelligence, software programing, bioengineering and environmental engineering. Athena 2020 aims to reinforce the exciting opportunities for women in STEM by engaging them in new innovative industries, providing inspiring female role models, and empowering female students through authentic learning experiences.

  • Creative Connections: An Engaging Science Project

    Noosa Library Service

    $9,900

    This project increases community engagement and participation through hands-on inspirational experiences using emerging technologies. Teen girls will learn to code and fly drones in workshops designed to increase their technical skillset and develop their problem-solving skills as they explore the practical applications of drones in humanitarian and environmental settings. A suite of workshops throughout the year will introduce teens and adults to the possibilities of 3D design and printing. Participants will develop their digital knowledge as they create items from fantasy worlds and pop culture and feel the synergy of blending science and creativity.

  • Gladstone Citizen Science Festival 2020

    Boyne Island Environmental Education Centre

    $9,251

    The festival offers students and the local community with the opportunity to be involved in citizen science activities during National Science Week. Citizens who take part will collect real world primary data and contribute it to local and global databases. Programs to be delivered include AUSMAP, Mangrove Watch, Harbour Watch, Coral Watch, Gladstone Air Quality monitoring and the Australian Marine Debris Initiative through Tangaroa Blue.

  • Actually, it's Phytoplankton!: Ocean Ecology and NASA's PACE Mission

    Go2Q Pty Ltd

    $10,000

    Whale poop? Oil slick? Actually, it's Phytoplankton! If you like to breathe air and eat food, thank phytoplankton. Visible from space, these microorganisms are integral to all life. Go2Qurious presents a new science and oceanography podcast designed especially for middle schoolers. Join host Dr Jamie Coull, and oceanographer co-hosts Dr Lachlan McKinna and Dr Ivona Cetini? from August 15th 2020 to explore ocean ecology and NASA's PACE Mission. Jamie, Lachlan and Ivona interview 11 scientists and engineers who work on NASA's most advanced ocean-colour and aerosol satellite mission to date: PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud and ocean Ecosystem). Each episode is packed with science activities and resources. There are fantastic science prizes to be won, and the podcast can be enjoyed by students, teachers and families alike. Find us at www.go2qurious.com

  • Ocean Blue Science Week 2020

    St Francis College, Crestmead

    $8,800

    A marine biologist and educator will visit the school with tanks of live marine animals and organisms during National Science Week 2020. The students will attend marine science education sessions and participate in hands-on activities over three days. This event is designed for students to get up close to live marine animals, experience them, handle them and learn more about life below the surface of our oceans. The goal is for students to become excited and inspired about science and STEM subjects, and broaden their aspirations for future study and careers.

  • Stepping into STEM through Biomechanics

    Central Queensland University

    $9,986

    Exercise and Sport Sciences staff at CQUniversity will host high school students and teachers participating in activities designed to promote STEM through biomechanics and build understanding about how humans move. The event includes a challenge where students will compete in teams to increase their knowledge about biomechanical concepts that are important to sport and daily living such as forces, balance, muscle activity, and linear and angular kinematics. A workshop will provide teachers with the opportunity to develop their skills so they can deliver innovative practical activities within their own teaching.

  • Creating Opportunities - Traditional Arts Showcase Science and Technology

    Thursday Island Primary Campus

    $9,550

    The Creating Opportunities program brings traditional artist skills and knowledge together with science and modern technology on Thursday Island to ensure that children receive a first class education while sustaining Torres Strait and Aboriginal culture and traditions. Student and community will engage with traditional skills and make links to STEM through hands-on workshop that include working with drones, coding devices and robotics.

  • Balonne Rocket Science

    Balonne Shire Council

    $7,755

    Balonne Shire Council will host four STEM based workshops in the region that explore the wonders of rocket, flight and space technology. Connecting curiosity and imagination with play-based learning experiences, young rocketeers will create and control the launch of their very own water propelled rocket.

  • Inspire STEM Outreach Program: Bringing Electron Microscopy to Queensland Schools

    The University Of Queensland

    $10,000

    Schools receive temporary access to a mobile electron microscope and the resources required to use the microscope effectively, including teacher training.  Students will discover a world too small to observe with the naked eye, while learning about senses, magnification, microscopy, materials and biology. Schools can either choose to develop their own short term project around the electron microscope or use projects specifically developed by the university. The program was created to inspire new generations in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

  • AgriTech STEM Workshops and Community Night in Regional Darling Downs

    integratedSTEM

    $9,995

    Australia's agricultural future depends upon the next generations ability to develop innovative technologies to solve one of humankind greatest challenges: thriving in a changing world. Workshops delivered by agricultural researchers and engineers will teach  students basic robotics and inspire them to create smart farming solutions for everyday problems faced by local farmers. The workshops will be held in primary schools and libraries across the Darling Downs, and culminate in a Engage with Agriculture community event hosted by the University of Southern Queensland.

  • The DiscoveryLab

    Woodfordia Inc

    $10,000

    The DiscoveryLab is a science venue at the Planting Festival, where the community can engage with scientists and participate in science-based activities using scientific equipment. The community will be exposed to a number of the sciences including chemistry, physics, biology, ecology, mycology, microbiology, arachnology, botany and entomology. The aim is to raise awareness of the sciences and increase public and student participation in a citizen science initiatives.

  • STEM Choice in Female High-School Students: In-School Experience Outreach Initiative

    Queensland University of Technology

    $10,000

    This project provides high-school students with hands-on experience to build their understanding of career opportunities in construction and engineering. The aim is to increase female enrolment in construction related post-secondary education, ultimately bridging the gender gap in the construction industry. The project has a strong alignment with QUT and National Association of Women in Construction's (NAWIC) strategic direction, commitment to diversity and gender equality.

  • Rocket Science at Tablelands Libraries

    Tablelands Regional Council

    $9,210

    Tablelands Libraries will invite their regional community to learn about rockets and space science through a series of workshops delivered over two days at multiple library locations.

  • One Tiny Turtle

    Ingham State High School

    $8,970

    Students from Ingham State School and Ingham State High School will work with local scientists to learn about the lifecycle of the turtle and the impacts humans have on our delicate ecosystems through story telling, creative activities and digital technologies. The students will create an animation to be used to educate Year 2 students about the turtle lifecycle. The animation will be created using technologies such as Lego Mindstorms robots and green screen video techniques.

  • How's the air up there: Queensland Communities Discussing Air Quality

    Queensland University of Technology

    $9,900

    Air quality needs to be monitored and managed to ensure a healthy lifestyle, especially for sensitive groups such as asthmatics and children. Monitoring has been improved with low-cost, user-friendly technology called KOALAs (Knowing Our Ambient Local Air-quality) developed by QUT.

    KOALAs have been used in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to measure pollutants from motor vehicles, industrial boilers, solid fuel heaters and fires. A number of events will be held across Queensland for community groups and schools to share findings from 2019-2020 air quality monitoring studies, raise awareness, and co-create new applications and tools for clean air campaigns.