Drone program encourages Burnett students into STEM careers
Principal Andrew Goldie reached out to a drone company to see what it would take for them to tour the region.
Central & North Burnett
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WOMEN make up just 16 per cent of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics graduates from university or VET courses.
Dr Karen Joyce works for a digital technology company SheMaps and sees the lack of diversity in STEM fields as a huge problem.
It's one of the reasons she was eager to get out to the North Burnett this week and expose rural male and female students to a potential career path.
"It's important to have more diversity in science both in terms of the types of science and the people who do them,” Dr Joyce said.
"The future of our environment is reliant on good science and those decisions need to be made by and represent a greater community, not just one demographic.”
After receiving some funding, Gayndah State School principal Andrew Goldie wanted to bring an exciting hands-on learning experience to his school.
He reached out to the Cairns-based SheMaps to ask what it would take to get them to the North Burnett.
"Andrew Goldie pulled together eight schools for us to engage with in the North Burnett region and he instigated a tour,” Dr Joyce said.
"That really shows how committed he is to the region and to these schools.
"It's so important to introduce rural students to different types of science and these opportunities are often only available to the city students.”
Mr Goldie said he also saw an importance in encouraging young women and students from regional areas into STEM careers.
"Hopefully we have shown our students that this is a potential career for them,” he said.
SheMaps also visited students from Biggenden State School, Mundubbera State School, Coalstoun Lakes State School, Boynewood State School, Binjour Plateau State School and Burnett State College.
Working in groups of three students manually flew micro drones and learnt about coding to allow the drone to fly automatically.
They explored different applications of drones and undertook a "mission” to capture aerial photography of a "town”.
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