A new Student Equity outreach program connects Year 9 students with UNSW faculties and experts to tackle challenges in their own communities.
Gateway2STEM9 piloted as a 10-lesson program delivered by UNSW Student Equity in partnership with the faculties of Engineering and Science and in collaboration with Heathcote High School, Ingleburn High School and Bayside High School. The program links Year 9 classroom learning with UNSW expertise and authentic community challenges, so students experience STEM as something they can use to make a real-world difference.
“The program grew from conversations in a STEM Roundtable with Gateway Partner School leaders. What came through strongly was the need for sustained opportunities that give students an active role in their learning,” says Laura Smith, Learning Experiences Officer, Student Equity.
“By grounding the program in challenges their communities genuinely face and connecting them with research and academic expertise from Engineering and Science, students could build on their own ideas and see themselves as capable of creating positive change through STEM.”
The program was delivered through a blend of in-school, online and on-campus learning, where students investigated a challenge relevant to their local community before designing and presenting a STEM-informed response.
In the classroom – starting with a local challenge
Students were guided by University Ambassadors and their teachers to explore their school's community challenge, consider why it matters in their local context, and then creatively develop a solution.
Each school explored a different community challenge:
- Heathcote High School: How can technology improve bushfire detection and preparedness for communities bordering the Royal National Park?
- Ingleburn High School: How can smart technology improve safety and efficiency around Ingleburn Railway Station and surrounding transport hubs?
- Bayside High School: How can sensor technology be used to monitor water quality in Botany Bay and the Cooks River?
“Having ambassadors coming to the school has been good. Someone is bringing a different perspective to the students and engaging them in a different way. This is an opportunity to think there is more outside of school,” says a Year 9 teacher at Heathcote High School.
On campus – inside the labs
Students from all three schools then travelled to Kensington campus for a full-day STEM experience where they took part in interactive sessions led by academics. They explored research, technologies and facilities relevant to their community challenges and learned how scientists and engineers approach similar real-world challenges.
“I am impressed with the Year 9 students, they were very engaged and excited,” says
Dr Thomas Dixon, Lecturer at the School of Physics.
“It was such a joy to bring this science experience to them. We helped them challenge the idea of stereotypical scientists. My hope is that students will want to pursue science because they have enjoyed this experience or want to make a difference through it.”
The showcase – from concept to centre stage
The program culminated in a showcase at Kensington campus where students exhibited and presented their concepts, demonstrating how they had applied STEM thinking to respond to their school’s community challenge.
Engaging students in Year 9 is a key point as they begin weighing up senior subjects and forming a sense of what they are good at. Connecting them with UNSW academics, ambassadors and facilities at that time is intended to strengthen their confidence, STEM identity and understanding of the study and career pathways open to them.
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