Wavell High teacher chosen for international program

A north Brisbane science teacher is one of three from Australia — and the only one from Queensland — selected to attend an international high school physics teacher program in Switzerland.

Wavell State High School science teacher Rachel Schnitzerling (2nd from left) with Year 10 students Attalia Lagoudakis, Sean Nicolas and Chloe Todd.

A NORTH Brisbane science teacher is one of three from Australia, and the only one from Queensland, selected to attend an international high school physics teacher program in Switzerland.

Rachel Schnitzerling, from Wavell State High School, was chosen by CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research based in Geneva.

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The program, to be run in July, aims to support teachers’ professional development in the field of particle physics and to promote its teaching in high schools.

Wavell State High School science teacher Rachel Schnitzerling (right) with Rod Dowler, Discovery Centre Leader, Transformation and Engagement at Australia’s Nuclear science and Technology Organisation.

Ms Schnitzerling said going to CERN “is a huge tick on my bucket list”.

“The opportunity to see first-hand the work that scientists and engineers at CERN do is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said.

“At this stage the itinerary has not been finalised so I am not entirely sure what we will be doing during the two-week program, but I think meeting like-minded teachers from around the world and sharing learning experiences with them will be fantastic.”

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Ms Schnitzerling said teaching science was often a lot of fun.

“Students engage with science because it helps them understand the world around them.

“Practical lessons are often filled with light-bulb moments.

“When students participate in experiments, it gives them the opportunity to practise scientific inquiry and gain an understanding of how scientists test theories and investigate issues.

“Science is about understanding — developing theories and testing hypotheses. Physics is about understanding the universe, what could be more interesting than that?”

Wavell State High School science teacher Rachel Schnitzerling (2nd from right) overseas a science experiment by Year 10 students Attalia Lagoudakis, Sean Nicolas and Chloe Todd.

Wavell SHS principal Jeff Major congratulated Ms Schnitzerling on her selection.

“This is an amazing experience for such an amazing teacher,” Mr Major said.

“Selection to attend CERN is such a prestigious achievement and only a couple of Australian teachers have been selected.”

Ms Schnitzerling worked as an engineer for about seven years before starting teaching more than 13 years ago.

She has taught Physics for 12 years and Engineering for five; she has been at Wavell SHS since 2010.

The CERN program will be attended by 48 teachers from 35 countries; the other two Australian teachers are from New South Wales.