On 13 August, 10 of our Year 10 students and two teachers attended the Future Earth Breakfast at Melbourne Zoo. St Aloysius, in partnership with the zoo, invited us to attend an amazing event which included a Q&A with professional women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), opportunities to interact with panellists and a relaxed meet and greet over breakfast. MLMC students were also given the unique experience of spending more time with zoo staff to understand their role in looking after the animals.
Here are some student reflections of the experience:
The Girls in STEM excursion at the Melbourne Zoo was such a fantastic opportunity for a group of Year 10 girls to be part of. Our College was very lucky to be one of six schools that were part of such an amazing chance to talk and listen to extraordinary women working in different fields of Science. We heard about their struggles and their career highlights. They also shared their own experiences, such as how you don't need to know exactly what your future will look like heading into university as long as you're in a course that you love. We all got an insight into the work they do at the zoo, including enrichment activities for improving the enclosures for the animals, like adding puzzles, hiding food as well as changing the way they place branches, etc. — Ashley Herrod (Year 10 Purple)
I was fortunate to be one of the 10 girls invited to the Girls in STEM excursion. We listened to a panel of four female scientists talk about their career journeys. After that, we were free to walk around the room and talk to them and ask questions, as well as other people who work at the zoo. The highlight was learning that I will have my doubts about whether or not I can make it, but I can get past that, like they have done. We then had a woman from the zoo talk to us about the animal enrichment activities they do, where we learnt about how they try to instill elements of the animals’ life in the wild into activities to boost the mental health of the animals. We learnt about how the zookeepers observe the animals in their enclosures to see what enrichment activities they need. We were then sent off to an enclosure of our choice, where we observed the animals and then had to design an enrichment activity. For my partner, Ash, and I, we observed the orang-utans. We found that they enjoyed both creating noise and showing off to their observers, so we designed an enrichment activity that allowed the orang-utans to create music. I enjoyed the day so much. It gave me clearer thoughts about what I want to do in the future and how to get there. — Kaitlyn Crymble (Year 10 Gold)
It was a great opportunity to get an insight into women in the field of STEM. We had the chance to interact with four panellists who shared their amazing stories, gave us many ideas of different fields we could get into as well as inspiring us to pursue a career in Science. We also had the opportunity to have a closer look at the job of a zoologist by observing some animals and creating ideas for improving their enclosures. It was an amazing day to investigate women in STEM and to talk about all the possibilities available if you have a passion. — Summer Thomas (Year 10 Jade)
The Girls in STEM excursion was an incredible experience and I was fortunate enough to share it with a great group of girls. Not only did I learn about the challenges and difficulties faced by the women, but I was also able to relate to a few of them. This gave me a clearer idea of the career path that I would like to follow. It also assisted me with setting clear goals. — Tomadia Ghali (Year 10 Bronze)
