MUSSE

The University has played a key role in the educational journey of some of Australia’s next science stars through the Growing Tall Poppies Program, which has won a $ 50,000 Schools First Local Impact Award for a partner school, and has also recently been awarded the state prize.

The award recognises the outstanding community partnership developed between the University and Northcote’s Santa Maria College.

Students at Santa Maria College collaborated with the University’s Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science (CXS) to design an award–winning program, which aims to increase and retain the numbers of girls undertaking academic studies, including in the physical sciences.

Their program provides a science experience for Year 10 students which requires them to work on projects in teams of six away from school.

Jodi Cryan, head of Schools First says that through its partnership with the University’s CXS Santa Maria College has achieved outstanding work in improving student results.

“We look forward to helping the school utilise the $50,000 to further enhance this partnership in the coming years, and also hope that this will inspire other schools.”

Students’ outcomes are achieved through projects designed to guide, but not limit, students’ participation in the research conducted by CXS physicists, biologists and chemists. Students have four days to research the topic by visiting and working with relevant CXS scientists/labs/members, develop the brief’s objective as well as develop and make a presentation for the final day to be delivered before the hosts, school and parents.