Girls from Years 9 to 12 are invited to join a club united by their passion for STEM. Together, they will build their pathway to university and a bright career future.
Delivered by the The South Australian Academy for Gender Equity in STEM (SAAGES), the STEM Girls Academy aims to instill a sense of connection and belonging and assist in building key capacities for success, while also offering practical support such as mentoring, career development and advice. We offer a wide range of STEM activities so students can choose their level of participation in the program. Once enrolled, students receive our monthly newsletter via email with news and activities being offered throughout the year.
- STEM Girls Online: Selected self-paced STEM courses that can be explored at home with online support. Topics include 3D printing, arduinos and more.
- STEM Girls in the World: The Academy coordinates visits and industry tours around the state.
- Project mentoring: Year 11 and 12 students can apply to receive support from UniSA academics and professional in the industry to develop their Research Project (SACE).
- STEM Girls on Campus: Events at UniSA campuses allow participants to see the next step in their STEM career.
- Creative Challenge: Hands-on STEM workshops based on real-world problems identified by our industry partners.
Industry partnerships
We partner with the industry to provide students with an exciting, real-world view of STEM. Partners have the opportunity to get involved in the program by providing mentors and speakers, having students on-site for excursions and working on problem-based learning activities.
Creativity
Creativity isn't just restricted to subjects like music and art, it is incredibly important in STEM. Creativity involves the ability to innovatively improve products and develop problem-solving capabilities, which is a core skill within STEM careers. Recent studies show that methodologies such as Design Thinking can help young girls flourish and become capable, creatively competent women.
By raising their creative confidence, we can help girls enjoy STEM and realise how interesting and diverse it is. The Creative Challenge also help them develop the mindset required for high-quality STEM careers in the future. It allows girls to completely immerse themselves in STEM problem solving by linking them up with industry professionals and academics who mentor them through a journey to solve real-world problems.
Research component
To measure the impact of the program, UniSA collects online survey responses from students to measure the impact problem-based learning has on developing girls’ creative confidence and creative potential. The university has submitted and had their ethics approved for this data collection. Any reports utilising this data will ensure schools and students responses are de-identified.
Feedback
Since 2015, the program has supported hundreds of students. Here is what they have shared:
- "I used to think that STEM wasn’t fun. Now I know that creativity is a major part of STEM and it’s fun." (Adelaide)
- "Before this I had never considered a career in STEM but now I am." (Adelaide)
- "I used to think I wasn’t creative now I think I am." (Whyalla)
- "Before this workshop I thought STEM was a bit boring, but now I find STEM fun and interesting." (Mount Gambier)
- "I really liked the workshop, it challenged my thinking." (Adelaide)
