Flagstone State Community College student Grace Hall is one of 19 students in Queensland to be awarded the Peter Doherty Awards for Excellence in STEM Education.
The awards were also handed to six teachers, one school support officer, one school and one partnership organisation for their “outstanding and innovative” contribution to STEM education.
Miss Hall said she was incredibly honoured to receive the award – a $5000 prize.
“It is a privilege to receive recognition from an industry that I’m so passionate about,” she said.
“The bursary has the potential to support me in my tertiary studies and contribute to my ability to attend conferences and events that can further my knowledge in my area of study.
“On a more personal note, I hope this platform gives me the opportunity to inspire other young girls and women to get involved in STEM activities and careers.
“My goal is to enter a university course where I can learn about the complexities of developing autonomous devices and machine learning robots, which I can then use to create devices that are capable of carrying out complex science on other planets.”
The awards are named after Nobel Prize-winning scientist Professor Peter Doherty, who was born in Brisbane and educated at Indooroopilly State High School and the University of Queensland.
“As a medical researcher and from the general viewpoint of a citizen of Australia and the world, I’m convinced humanity has entered an era of unparalleled complexity – new sciences like genomics and proteomics are revolutionising our understanding of biology,” Prof. Doherty said.
“We are just beginning to grapple with the enormous scientific, ethical and social implications of these advances.
“Our approach to the ‘diabolical’ issue of anthropogenic climate change is likely to be disastrous if we do not apply strategies that are firmly based in science and reason.
“Many of the technological solutions will involve various forms of engineering – we also need bright lawyers, financiers and politicians who have some basic understanding of, and respect for, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“Our best protection as we seek to deal with these infinitely complex issues is to ensure our young people are exposed to great STEM teachers and STEM education programs.”
