July 2023

Insect Investigators

Year 12 Tuition Courses - The University of Adelaide

Seeking SACE Stage 2 Chemistry, Biology, Physics teachers to teach holiday revision courses in the January, April, July, and/or October school holidays at the University of Adelaide.

Please send a CV and 100 words on your interest in the role, experience teaching at Year 12 level, current school, subjects you teach, your holiday availability to Hannah at hannah.saxon@adelaide.edu.au

You can find more detail about the courses at our website here.

SA Science Excellence Innovation Awards - Finalists Announced

The time has come! Award nominations from some of South Australia’s best and brightest innovators and STEMM professionals have been reviewed by expert panellists, and we’re now pleased to introduce the finalists for this year’s SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards.

Congratulations to Mrs Christie Evans, Heathfield Primary School, Mr Ross Riach, Norwood International High School and Mrs Jessica Simons, Trinity College Gawler, who are finalists in the STEMM Educator of the Year - Primary or Secondary. Check it out here. 

Explore AI/ML: Visit AIML for Educators

Wednesday 26 July | 4pm - 5.30pm

High school teachers are invited to join us to explore the work that is being done at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML). 

During this event, participants will have the opportunity to hear from our team of experts about their work in the field of AI/ML. We will showcase some of the latest technologies that we are using, including chatGPT and language models that generates images from textual descriptions, and explore how these can be used in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning experiences. Find out more here. 

2024 National Youth Science Forum Equity Scholarships

Do your students need support to attend the 2024 NYSF Year 12 Program?

The NYSF Access and Equity Scholarship Program opens on 1 July. 

These scholarships assist students from diverse groups to attend the program, including students who are:

• from remote or regional areas,
• from a low socio-economic background,
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander,
• from any other backgrounds that might need support.

Applications close 31 July - click here.

2023 Mobile Muster Schools Competition

Educating the next generation of environmentally conscious consumers is one of MobileMuster’s core objectives. Since 2019, the annual competition seeks to educate students about the lifecycle of mobile phones and encourage them to use creative ways to motivate their local community to recycle old mobile phones.

And we’ve expanded the entry artwork across 3 mediums. To participate in the schools competition, students can submit any one of the following: Drawing, Photography, or Short Film.

The theme for all 3 mediums is Inspiring Recycling Action. Find out more here. 

National Science Quiz

The National Science Quiz is a fast-paced and fun LIVE quiz show held The Capitol (RMIT) in Melbourne for National Science Week 2023.

Join host Charlie Pickering and special guest team captains Nate Byrne from ABC News Breakfast (ABC TV) and Simon Pampena from Outrageous Acts of Science (Discovery Channel) for a celebration of science.

Watch as our two teams of esteemed scientists battle it out to see who will be this year’s National Science Quiz champions. The winning team will leave victorious and the losing team will be slimed live-on-stage!

The Quiz will also be livestreamed online so you can join in and play along at home. Why not organise a friendly school or work team rivalry or get your family together to test your scientific knowledge. The Quiz is suitable for 12 years+ …but is fun for all ages!

Register now at www.nationalsciencequiz.com.au and receive links to join up and compete for the chance to win the following great prizes!

Step Outside the Classroom

Step Outside the Classroom is an online professional learning series for educators that highlights the Outreach Education program. Open to all educators, this 8 part series of professional learning is free and runs weekly during Term 3 via Microsoft Teams. Register for 1, 2 or all 8 sessions to discover some fantastic education opportunities.

The Outreach Education program is a collaboration between the Department for
Education and South Australia’s key cultural organisations providing students with learning environments, experiences and curriculum-aligned resources as well as professional learning opportunities for teachers - unlocking the unique collections, exhibitions, performances, resources, and expertise they hold.

PIEFA's new website is live!

Our team has been hard at work, crafting an online space that embodies our commitment to accessibility and education. Dive into a treasure trove of educational resources carefully curated for teachers and students — whether you're seeking lesson plans or engaging activities, we've got you covered.

So, explore, engage, and spread the word among your colleagues, friends, and students. Together, let's sow the seeds of knowledge and inspire the next generation of agricultural leaders.

Check out the website here. 

Amy’s Balancing Act – Teaching climate change through books

Written by Bjorn Sturmberg and illustrated by Laura Stitzel, Amy’s Balancing Act is a fantastic text for use in classrooms or at home to start a conversation with primary school aged kids about energy.

The story of Amy and her animal friends is a fable about the energy transition, from coal to clean energy technologies. It shows how this is essentially a challenge of letting go of the old and learning to work with a diverse team with individual strengths and weaknesses. Find out more here. 

Primary Connections Term 3 Online Learning

Primary Connections professional learning courses are free to access and offered through a closed environment on the OpenLearning platform. The courses support professional learning for the Primary Connections approach and its application in primary science. This term includes:

• Unpack the 5E Model
• Supporting student investigations
• Explore assessment

Find out more and register here. 

PeCan + Capture the Flag

PECAN+ is a Cyber Security Capture the Flag (CTF) competition developed and managed by the School of Science Outreach and Engagement team at Edith Cowan University (Perth, Australia). The event is aimed at Australian high school students in years 10 and above.

High school students and teachers are invited to participate in a weekend of training and competition (fun and friendly) while learning about cybersecurity tools and putting them into practice.

Adelaide’s PeCan+ Capture the Flag SA High School 2 day event will be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 August 2023 at The University of Adelaide North Terrace campus. Find out more here.