What – or who – inspired your career? For QUT scientist Dr Honor Hugo – the founder of a STEM outreach program visiting regional Queensland this month – it was a high school teacher.
She’s now paying it forward and sending QUT scientists and students out into the community to share their love of science, technology, engineering and maths.
“I had a great high school biology teacher who was enthusiastic and presented biology in a different and dynamic way,” said Dr Hugo, who is now a breast cancer researcher.
“It got me interested in science, as I knew I wanted to ‘help people’ and make a difference, but up until then didn’t really know how. There are some really great science teachers in regional Queensland and we want to help support the amazing job they do.”
Dr Hugo’s outreach program, Implementing Novel STEM Partnerships in Rural Education (INSPIRE), sends pairs of scientists and uni students to regional schools and communities to share their science experiences and do hands-on workshops.
Now in its second year (thanks to renewed Queensland Government sponsorship), these STEM ambassadors will visit Normanton (July 16-20), Longreach (July 23-27) and Mount Isa (July 30-August 3) in the lead-up to National Science Week.
A free community talk on science as a career will also be held in the Normanton Library this Wednesday (July 18) from 3pm to 4pm.
“We hosted teachers from schools in these three towns at QUT in Brisbane last month and brainstormed ideas about what sort of workshops and experiences we’ll bring to their communities,” Dr Hugo said.
“Our STEM workshops at the schools in July will mainly target Year 9 and 10 students but we’ll also be running lunchtime activities for all grades.”
Dr Hugo will visit Normanton State School with biomedical science student Jessica Polizzi, after meeting school science teacher Tamara Gallagher at QUT last month.
French chemist and biofabrication materials developer Dr Aurelien Forget will join forces with mechatronics engineering student Amelia Luu to visit Mount Isa and Spinifix State College and reunite with local teacher Nathan O’Donnell.
And cancer researcher Patrick Thomas and medical engineering student Olivia Blight are hitting the road to Longreach State High School after meeting their science and maths teacher Tim Barclay last month.
Dr Hugo said curiosity meant kids were natural scientists.
She has four children of her own and said she loved it when they asked questions about the world around them, as this was the key driver for all scientists.
“It’s important to listen to children’s questions and acknowledge and encourage this questioning behaviour,” she said.
“It makes me proud when I see them also being curious because it leads to asking questions and this is how we learn.
“The greatest discoveries that have changed healthcare have come from scientists asking the question ‘Why?’. If you find yourself wondering about your world, you are already on your way!”
You can keep up to date with the INSPIRE project on Facebook. This year’s outreach program has been funded by an Advance Queensland Engaging Science Grant.
And check out the video below to hear Dr Hugo talk about why she loves being a scientist (and how being invited to Oxford made her parents proud!).
INSPIRE program director Honor Hugo talks about why she loves being a scientist!
Posted by Inspire on Saturday, July 22, 2017
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- Rose Trapnell, media@qut.edu.au or 0407 585 901 (including after hours)
