Support for secondary school STEM boosted as Deakin joins In2science
Media release
Secondary students in Geelong and throughout Victoria's south-west will now have access to passionate and enthusiastic STEM mentors with Deakin University now part of the highly successful mentoring program In2science.
Deakin University joins current In2science partners, La Trobe University, The University of Melbourne, RMIT University and Swinburne University of Technology which have delivered the In2science program to more than 90 secondary schools across metropolitan Melbourne.
Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin said Deakin's involvement would enable the program to be delivered to secondary schools in Geelong and south-west Victoria, including Warrnambool and surrounding regional towns.
"Deakin is excited to bring In2science to schools across regional Victoria," Professor Martin said.
"This program provides secondary school students with a wonderful opportunity to engage in STEM and, hopefully, inspire the next generation of students and graduates in STEM courses and occupations."
In2science Chair and La Trobe University Chancellor, the Honourable Professor John Brumby AO, is thrilled that more students across Victoria can now access this impactful program.
"We know that In2science gets kids excited about STEM and encourages aspirations for studying STEM at university, opening up the world of opportunities that STEM careers provide," Mr Brumby said.
In2science is an innovative and proven multi-university schools partnership program that places university students as mentors inside Victorian high school classrooms.
For nearly 20 years, In2science has been promoting the importance of science and maths through its ten-week mentoring program delivered by university students studying degrees in STEM disciplines.
By working with the classroom teacher, mentors act as role models to secondary students, sharing their passion and knowledge for STEM and, importantly, relating schoolwork to real-world examples.
The Deakin-led part of program will be trialled among a small number of schools in 2022 ahead of a full rollout across Geelong and Warrnambool partner schools in 2023.
For enquiries about this exciting new partnership or to request a mentor, please contact Nathan Coffey: nathan.c@deakin.edu.au
