Students from as far as Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia joined students from schools in the New England North West region to attend the University of New England’s Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (UNE PICSE) Industry Placement Student Camp, December 12-16, 2011.

The 23 students interacted with leading and internationally recognised scientists to discover the current research and developments in primary industries and the exciting science based careers supporting primary industries. The students experienced interactive activities and guided tours of award-winning, innovative primary industries based businesses.

The week was an opportunity for the students to see the careers that are available within the agricultural science sector, which they would have never previously thought of as well as being able to talk to world class scientists about their current work.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for students to gain a first-hand experience into a broad range of worthwhile science based career opportunities,” said Susanna Greig, Science Education Officer and manager of the UNE PICSE program. “These students are enjoying a great experience and have grabbed onto the opportunity with both hands”

Patrick Grienewold, who has just completed Year 12, travelled all the way from Launceston in Tasmania to participate in the Science-to-Industry camp.

“I’ve learnt lots at the camp,” he said. “I’ve worked with sheep on the farm, and it was interesting, today, to find out what happens to the wool once it’s out of the shearing shed.

Briony Looker from Glen Innes will complete Year 12 in 2012. “I’ve been around animals all my life,” said Briony, who lives on a farm. “I’d like to study for a rural science degree at UNE and ultimately work in something like a beef research advisory position.”

PICSE is a national collaboration between – and is funded jointly by – the Commonwealth Government, universities, regional primary industries, national primary industry organisations, and businesses. This integrated strategy delivers science class activities, teachers’ professional development, teaching resources, student camps and student industry placement programs, building strong and sustainable relationships between school students, teachers, universities and local scientists or employers associated with primary industries, particularly in the production of food and fibre.

This UNE PICSE program is made possible with the support from the following partners:

School of Environmental Science, UNE, Walcha Dairy, Sheep CRC, Poultry CRC, Grasslands Society of NSW, UNE Marketing & Public Affairs, Animal Genetics & Breeding Unit, Veterinary Health Research Institute, Glendon Poultry, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, Viterra Malt, East West EnviroAg, Tomato exchange and Glen Innes Research Station.

Media contact: Susanna Greig, Science Education Officer on 0457 562 680.

A finding that different sorts of music affect plant growth in different ways was just one of many intriguing research results to emerge when more than 100 science students from schools around the New England North West region presented their individual projects to scientists at the University of New England on Monday 12 September.

The students were competing for cash prizes in the Science Investigation Awards for 2011 – an event conducted nationally by the Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (PICSE) and locally through the PICSE activity centre at UNE – one of 10 PICSE activity centres across the nation.

Jamie Randall (pictured here), who is in Year 10 at Armidale High School, explained that she had conducted her experiment with butterfly plants (Gaura neomexicana) which had taken nine days to germinate, and which she had exposed to four different sorts of music – classical, country, pop and rock – over a five-day period. She found that those plants exposed to country music matured the fastest.

The students came from secondary schools in Armidale, Gunnedah, Inverell, Tamworth and Walcha. “They’ve spent months working on their projects and preparing for the event,” said Susanna Greig, the PICSE Science Education Officer at UNE.

Jamie Randall was one of two winners of the students’ choice award for “best display”. Speaking about the competition itself – culminating in the day at UNE – she said it had been “fun to meet other people and see their work”. The other winner of the “best display” award was Emily Gillham from St Mary’s College, Gunnedah, with a project on extending the life of cut flowers, and the students’ choice award for “most interesting project” went to Katie Anderson – also from St Mary’s College – with a project on the use of chemicals to remove flesh from the bone.

Another student from St Mary’s College won the award for “most outstanding project” presented by UNE’s School of Environmental and Rural Science. “I always go fishing,” said Tom Welsh, whose award-winning project investigated the relative strength of different knots used in fishing tackle. “What could be a better subject for investigation than something you enjoy doing and that you’re going to use?”

“Senior Scientist of the Year” awards went to Madeline Hine from PLC Armidale (1^st), Stephen McDonald from Carinya Christian School, Tamworth (2^nd) and Henry Davies from Carinya Christian School (3^rd). “Junior Scientist of the Year”: Faith Dennehy, Duval High School, Armidale (1^st); Tyson Smith and Jack Wake, Walcha Central School (2^nd). “High Achievement Award”: Eliza Scott and Hannah-Lee Hourigan from PLC Armidale. “Primary-industry-themed” award: Mollie Galvin, NEGS, Armidale (1^st); Winona Rumble, Duval High, Armidale (2^nd).

“The Science Investigation Awards are just one element in PICSE’s national program of activities designed to build relationships between school students and local scientists and employers in primary industries,” Ms Greig said. “The Awards were introduced into the UNE PICSE repertoire of opportunities for science teachers and students in 2009. In that year there were 27 student projects, which were judged by 9 scientists. In 2011 there were 106 projects presented by 114 students, and these were judged by 25 scientists.

“UNE PICSE has been thrilled to see the level of sponsorship for this event grow in accordance with the increasing number of student projects. Sponsorship has increased from $400 in 2009, to over $4,000 in 2011. Every dollar of sponsorship is directed entirely towards the students and schools with award-winning projects. We thank the national sponsors Dow AgroSciences, the Grains Research & Development Corporation and Woolworths, along with our local sponsors Armidale Central Rotary Club, UNE Marketing & Public Affairs, Walcha Council, East West EnviroAg, and Dr Hans Graser.

Students preparing for tertiary study travelled to the University of New England last Friday (15 July) to share their enthusiasm for science and how it relates to agricultural industries. They travelled to UNE from throughout the New England North West region: from Armidale, Gunnedah, Tamworth, Guyra, Glen Innes, Inverell and Walcha.

For many, it was a reunion with fellow scholarship recipients who spent their holidays last summer touring award-winning agricultural science enterprises, working with agricultural scientists, and finding out about the variety of science-based careers available in agricultural industries. For others – applicants for the next scholarship phase – it was a chance to meet the former participants and get insights into what they will experience in December 2011.

The annual Science-to-Industry Camp, and the five-day Industry Placement (working alongside scientists), are the components of Industry Placement Scholarships administered by the national Primary Industries Centre for Science Education (PICSE), which has one of its NSW activity centres at UNE. Susanna Greig, who coordinates activities for the UNE activity centre, said: “This reunion event allows us to provide students who have been selected for – and have completed – an Industry Placement Scholarship with a further insight into the broad range of science-based careers supporting primary industries. It also provides new applicants for UNE PICSE Scholarships with an opportunity to have a taste of the PICSE program.”

Ms Greig said that the students at last Friday’s reunion event had been challenged to find “buried treasure” with tools used by scientists in UNE’s Precision Agriculture Research Group – including GPS and electromagnetic sensors. They had also identified parasites in sheep, she said, and had met former PICSE Scholarship recipients who were now students at UNE to find out about courses and opportunities for study at UNE.

“Today’s secondary students have to realise that farming for the future needs to be smart,” said UNE’s Professor David Lamb, leader of the Precision Agriculture Research Group. “We need people with scientific skills in agriculture.”

Morgan Murtagh, a Year 11 student from O’Connor Catholic College who has applied for a PICSE Industry Placement Scholarship, said that the event on Friday had given him a great insight into advances in farming – including the use of advanced technologies such as GPS.

“Having lived on a property all my life, I wanted to find out about employment opportunities in agricultural industries, and available courses and scholarships for tertiary study in agricultural science,” Morgan said.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows Morgan Murtagh (right) and UNE’s Derek Schneider. It was taken at the reunion event during an activity related to precision agriculture.

Kate Lumber, a Year 12 student at McCarthy Catholic College, Tamworth, was selected as one of 10 young people from across the nation to attend an influential government and industry forum in Canberra. The 10 students had all gained fresh insights into the science behind primary industries as recipients of Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (PICSE) Industry Placement Scholarships.

Representing the University of New England’s PICSE program, Kate (pictured here) made a presentation to the Canberra Think Tank, informed by her PICSE Scholarship experience, about careers in the science that supports food security in Australia.

The Think Tank saw students, politicians and representatives of industry discuss Australia’s shortage of trained scientists in the areas of food and water. The new PICSE Advisory Board Chairman, Professor Alan Robson, opened the program and told the audience that as a nation we needed “a steady stream of passionate young people moving into a range of science-based careers”. Tony Windsor, Federal Member for New England, also addressed the Think Tank and highlighted the need to support many aspects of Australia’s primary industries.

During a reception at Parliament House, the Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr, said it was vital that students were given opportunities to learn more about science because they would be the researchers of the future. “PICSE has a highly innovative approach to science education that not only inspires future scientists but links to important global issues like future food supply and changing climates,” Senator Carr said.

“The PICSE Scholarship has been a wonderful experience – one that I am truly grateful for,” Kate said. “It has given me an in-depth insight into the large variety of careers available in primary industries. I now feel confident that I wish not only to pursue a career in agricultural industry, but also to study for a Bachelor of Rural Science degree at the University of New England.”

The Primary Industry Centre for Science Education is a national education program encompassing professional development for teachers, class resources, learning activities, and student camps and industry placements – all aimed at making the study of science and its role in primary industry vital and relevant to Australian teachers and students. Susanna Greig, the Science Education Officer for UNE PICSE, accompanied Kate Lumber at the Canberra forum, which ran from the 20^th to the 22^nd of June.

THE PHOTOGRAPH of Kate Lumber displayed here was taken during her presentation to the Canberra Think Tank.

Staff from the Primary Industries Centre for Science Education (PICSE) Activity Centre at UNE recently completed a series of visits to secondary schools in the New England North West  – and found lively interest from all schools in the scholarships and awards available.

PICSE, a national organisation addressing the shortage of scientists in Australia’s agricultural industries, each year offers 20 Industry Placement Scholarships to students in Years 11 and 12. The scholarships give science students the opportunity to investigate science-based careers in local agricultural industries, and to visit UNE and find out about the University’s degree programs in agricultural science.

The Activity Centre at UNE also offers PICSE’s Science Investigation Awards program for students in Years 7-10. ‘During this event students present to scientists the research project that they have completed for school,’ Science Education Officer Susanna Greig explained. ‘The projects are judged by the scientists, and the winners awarded prizes at the end of an action-packed and activity-filled day.’

‘This year myself and fellow Science Education Officer Carissa Greenwere visited 13 schools, and each school has expressed interest in becoming involved in the program. Registrations are due on the 14^th of June, so it will be exciting to see how many schools and students we can get to this year’s event.’

‘The sponsorship for this year’s Science Investigation Awards is already more than twice as much as last year’s,’ Ms Grieg added. ‘This year we have been offered $2,000 in sponsorship, and scientists are already accepting invitations to be judges. Having a great start to the year means the end of the year should also be busy and exciting for PICSE UNE.’