Bright future for students of Generation STEM

03 December 2019

Projects about renewable energy, blood donation and an app to solve problems in the Liverpool area were among many ideas showcased at the CSIRO Generation Stem Liverpool Showcase.

Run as a six-month pilot with Liverpool City Council, the CSIRO program involved students from four local high schools, Ashcroft High School, Cecil Hills High School, James Busby High School and Lurnea High School, looking at solutions to real world problems.

Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller said she was impressed with the effort the students had invested in their projects.

“I saw a lot of problem solving and a lot of creativity in those projects,” Mayor Waller said.

“The initiative aims to inspire the next generation and create a highly skilled workforce to meet the demand of current and future jobs.

“As Western Sydney International Airport and the Aerotropolis develop, there will be a multitude of opportunities for people with STEM skills.

“Speaking to the students after the showcase, I found their enthusiasm inspiring and infectious. Liverpool’s future is in safe hands.”

Cecil Hills High School students Tijana Banic and Ara Inocencio worked on a project investigating blood donation and its alternatives.

“We see a lot out there in the media about the Red Cross needing people to roll up their sleeves and give blood – we just don’t have enough,” Tijana said.

“We found out there are alternative ways you can get blood. There is technology that collects blood from people as they are bleeding and filters it so it can be put back into the patient, which reduces the risk that the body will reject it,” Ara said.

“You can also get artificial blood,” Tijana said.

Cecil Hills High School year 10 student Anika Yahyavi and her team produced working solar panels for their project.

“Even these small solar panels can be used for electronic devices, as shown with our project,” she said.

Ashcroft High School IT teacher Ahmad Dakash said his students worked together to produce an app to help the community report problems to Council.

“They all had different expertise, some coding, some the social aspect,” he said.

“They had a challenge in front of them and they were working on it themselves.”

CSIRO Education and Outreach Director Mary Mulcahy said the Community Partnerships Program is the first program to be rolled out through the Generation STEM initiative and is designed to encourage more students to take up STEM at school and STEM-related jobs.

“Major developments in Western Sydney, including the Western Sydney Airport, will generate up to 200,000 local jobs,” Ms Mulcahy said.

“By partnering with local government and industry, Generation STEM grows STEM skills in young people so they can take advantage of this opportunity, right here in Western Sydney.”