University of Queensland Young Science Ambassador Bronwyn Smithies visited Atherton State High School on Wednesday 18 March, where she spoke to a number of senior science students about her work in biotechnology and biomedicine. In addition to outlining the more positive and exciting aspects of her tertiary studies and associated employment, Bronwyn also expanded upon her career pathway from early/middle secondary school, when she “did not like science at all”, detailing her choices, challenges and frustrations along the way to the completion of her PhD.
Bronwyn’s presentation content, together with her engaging manner, made for a wonderfully connected session. Several students remained after Bronwyn’s talk concluded, in order to ask her advice regarding study pathways in the medical sphere.
|
|
Female |
Male |
Total |
|
Year 11 |
16 |
14 |
30 |
|
Year 12 |
8 |
6 |
14 |
|
Total |
24 |
20 |
44 |
|
Staff |
2 |
2 |
4 |
“Thank you so much to Bronwyn for her well-informed presentation.” C.O. Year 11
“Attending Bronwyn’s presentation has definitely firmed my decision to study a medical degree at university.” S.W. Year 11
“I was very impressed with Bronwyn’s ability to connect with our age group. Her experiences showed me a unique perspective into life after high school and the variety of pathways which are available to us by electing senior sciences. I was intrigued by how medical research can be combined with plant production to ensure the availability of medicine in poverty-stricken countries. I am glad I attended the conference.”
K.M. Year 11
________________________
“The key message that I got from Bronwyn's presentation was that all paths are different and don't necessarily happen straight out of school, and that it's all about figuring out what you love and seeing what you can do to pursue this in the workforce. I found the entire experience engaging and thought-provoking.
I also enjoyed how Bronwyn had a few different things she talked about; such as the research David Craik's group is currently doing, what she is doing at the moment, and how she got there from a rural area of Tasmania.
I think this is a particularly good presentation for students at Atherton State High School, as we are also in a rural area and students may not necessarily be aware of how to get from where we are to someplace else, like where Bronwyn is.
This was a wonderful presentation and I hope that many more opportunities similar to this will be available to us in future years.”
T.D. Year 11
_______________________
“What I took away from the experience was the different careers Bronwyn went through. It connected to me because, despite not knowing what she was going to do straight out of school, now she is so successful. Bronwyn’s talk also taught me that trying new things gives an insight into different experiences that you may not have thought of before. The overall presentation was beautiful, and I really appreciated the time she took for us today.”
K.S. Year 12
______________________
(Left to right): Micah Telford, Tahnee Dilger, Bronwyn Smithies and Clare O’Sullivan, Dylan King, Shi-Anne Wallace