Science and Engineering Challenge

Last updated
Science and Engineering Challenge
Science and Engineering Challenge Logo.jpg
Founded 2000;18 years ago (2000)
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Type Outreach program, non-profit
Location
Area served
Australia
Website www.newcastle.edu.au/challenge

The Science and Engineering Challenge (SEC) is a non-profit, STEM outreach program run throughout the schools year in Australia. The goal of the program is to challenge student’s perception of science and engineering and experience aspects of those fields that they normally would not encounter in a school environment. [1]

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), previously Science, Math, Engineering and Technology (SMET), is a term used to group together these academic disciplines. This term is typically used when addressing education policy and curriculum choices in schools to improve competitiveness in science and technology development. It has implications for workforce development, national security concerns and immigration policy.

Australia Country in Oceania

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Contents

The SEC focuses on inspiring students in year 10 to consider a future career in science and engineering by choosing to study science and mathematics in years 11 and 12. The SEC also includes other events such as Discovery Days and the S.M.A.R.T outreach program.

History

The Challenge began at the University of Newcastle as an initiative of the Faculties of Engineering and Build Environment, and Science and Information Technology. Initially, information nights were conducted aimed at giving students and parents from rural areas the opportunity to find out about careers in science and engineering. Based on the success of these information nights, the first Challenge event was held on the Central Coast in the year 2000, as an activity for National Science Week. Throughout 2001 Challenges were held around the Newcastle area and other parts of NSW.

University of Newcastle (Australia) university in New South Wales, Australia

The University of Newcastle (UoN), informally known as Newcastle University, is an Australian public university established in 1965. It has a primary campus in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales. The university also operates campuses in Ourimbah, Port Macquarie, Singapore, Newcastle CBD and Sydney CBD.

Central Coast (New South Wales) Region in New South Wales, Australia

The Central Coast, a peri-urban region in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), lies on the Tasman Sea coast north of Sydney and south of Lake Macquarie.

National Science Week refers to series of science-related events for the general public which are held in a specific countries during a designated week of the year. The aim of such science weeks is to engage and inspire people of all ages with science, engineering and technology.

2002 saw the first Challenge Days held outside of NSW, this took place in Canberra. Over the next three years, Challenge Days were conducted in Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria. In 2005 the winners from each state competed at the first National Final.

Canberra capital city of Australia

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of 410,301, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne. A resident of Canberra is known as a Canberran. Although Canberra is the capital and seat of government, many federal government ministries have secondary seats in state capital cities, as do the Governor-General and the Prime Minister.

Queensland North-east state of Australia

Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland. The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi).

Tasmania island state of Australia

Tasmania is an island state of Australia. It is located 240 km (150 mi) to the south of the Australian mainland, separated by Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th-largest island in the world, and the surrounding 334 islands. The state has a population of around 526,700 as of March 2018. Just over forty percent of the population resides in the Greater Hobart precinct, which forms the metropolitan area of the state capital and largest city, Hobart.

In 2016 there were 59 SMART venues, 31 Discovery Days for primary-aged students, and 89 Challenge Days for year 9-10 students. Overall more than 45,000 people were involved in one or more Challenge programs. Almost 1,800 teachers and 3,400 other volunteers were also involved. Since 1998 over half a million people have taken part in a SEC event.

Discovery Days

In 2005 the Challenge expanded yet again to include events for primary school students, called Discovery Days. These are largely the same as regular challenge events; however, the actives are simplified and typical run for a shorter period of time.

Programs

  1. The Little Scientists program: Train preschool teachers to incorporate STEM into their lessons
  2. SMART program of science shows and workshops: Infants and Primary-aged students
  3. Discovery Days: Mini-Challenge Days for students in years 5-6
  4. Build a Future Days: A fascinating on-campus experience for year 7-8 students
  5. Challenge Days (our premier event): National STEM competition for year 9-10 students
  6. Scholarships and Internships with the SEC Team
  7. Teacher Professional Development: For School Teachers

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References

  1. ↑ "About Us". Newcastle.edu.au. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
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