In 2019, FLEET cemented its relationship with Monash Tech School continuing to be involved as the school ramped up its activity.
“FLEET’s partnership with
Monash Tech School has given
students a new perspective on the
importance of research. Being able to
see scientists at work in state-of-the-art
facilities, and having the chance
to ask researchers questions,
is unforgettable.”
Neil Carmona-Vickery
Deputy Director,
Monash Tech School
FLEET’s fruitful partnership with Monash Tech School features lab tours that provide hands-on science experiences for participating secondary students.
From May to December, FLEET provided lab tours and activities on an almost weekly basis for Year 8 students from seven different schools. The students visited Monash Tech School for three days to complete a project related to energy. Day 1 consisted of exploring Monash University’s Clayton campus to investigate resources and research going on in relation to energy.
As part of the FLEET tour, students observed the levitating superconductor, learnt about binary code using mechanical computers and visited various working laboratories including the ultracold atoms laser lab, 2D materials labs and scanning tunnelling microscopy labs.
A side-benefit of the relationship is the opportunity for FEET members to hone their own communication skills. Many FLEET students, postdocs, CIs and affiliates assisted with MTS tours, providing young researchers with a chance to practice both their communication skills and their ability to speak about their research to a young audience.
The relationship between FLEET and Monash Tech School will continue into 2020, with a further increase in students attending. 2020 should see a slight shift in the activities done with these students with a greater focus on hands-on activities.
” Communicating learnings associated with FLEET into schools will be essential as we continue to use more technology in our everyday lives.” –Andrew Chisholm, Assistant Principal, John Monash Science School
