Female high-school students in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth will get to explore a future career in STEM when the Goethe-Institut holds the first ever Girls’ Day in Australia on 16th November. Groups of Year 7 and 8 students will visit companies and universities on the day to find out more about professions in fields such as science, technology, engineering and research.
Sonja Pluess, the Goethe-Institut’s STEM Project Coordinator, is hoping the day will inspire young girls to choose a future profession based on their individual interests and skills rather than being influenced by social and gender stereotypes.
“Girls’ Day was founded in Germany in 2001 and has grown to become an event attended by thousands of young girls every year. Currently just over 24{fa76ff8d89001c4e403402728e1a7786cd25c7bdb58a18ff0a8051c7751c2729} of STEM graduates in Australia are women, even though the majority of jobs in the future will require STEM skills. We are hoping that Girls’ Day will not only encourage Australian girls to explore opportunities in STEM, but also lead to a much-needed influx of talented women into these sectors” she said.
Dr. Rou Jun Toh, a postdoctoral research fellow from the CSIRO, is just one of the female STEM professionals who will mentor students at the Monash University Clayton campus on Girl’s Day.
“I am really looking forward to showing the students what my work as a scientific researcher involves. Not only will the girls go on a tour of the CSIRO site, they will also participate in fun hands-on experiments and meet with other scientists. Girls’ Day is a fantastic initiative and one that I hope will persuade more young girls to get involved in STEM” she said.
Current Girls’ Day hosting partners:
- CSIRO at the Monash University Clayton Campus – Melbourne
- Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity – Melbourne
- Gruen EcoDesign – Melbourne (all program places filled)
- Murdoch University – Perth
- University of Queensland – Brisbane
