STEM MAD is designed to acknowledge and promote STEM learning initiatives that address real-world problems and demonstrate how students in Catholic schools take action that matters. Student teams are invited to design a product, service or innovation to Make A Difference (MAD) to others or the environment.  We talk with Shelley Waldon – Science & STEM Lead, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools who initiated this program in 2018.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

About STEM MAD

The mission of STEM MAD is clear:

• Celebrate students taking action that makes a difference
• Showcase deep learning
• Engage schools in effective STEM-based multidisciplinary inquires
• Promote high-quality STEM education for future-focused learning
• Contextualise STEM in the core curriculum
• Enact Social Justice for the Common Good

What began in 2018 in Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) has now spread across Australian diocese schools.

Find out more

• Catholic Network Australia STEM MAD site 
  https://www.cna.catholic.edu.au/stem-mad-national
• Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools STEM MAD site
  https://sites.google.com/vic.catholic.edu.au/stemmad/home

About Shelley Waldon

Shelley started her career as a geochemist, working in the mining industry for 4 years with BHP and for the Victorian government as an Environmental Scientist for 6 years. After this she undertook postgraduate teaching qualifications to work in both the primary and secondary sectors.

Have worked in Catholic education in Melbourne for 25 years in a variety of roles and educational settings. These include classroom teaching, specialist teaching, curriculum leader and Catholic placed teacher in extension education at Zoos Victoria. Also extended post-graduate learning with a Master of Education, Graduate Certificates in Assessment and STEM Education and additional qualifications in business management, leadership and risk management.

Within Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, major responsibilities have been supporting schools and working with teachers to devise and develop resources and professional learning opportunities that enhance science learning across the curriculum.

In collaboration with our teachers, cultural organisations and expert providers, we develop learning opportunities and partnerships that improve teachers' core content knowledge in science, whilst developing pedagogical models that improve understanding by enabling the application of scientific conceptual knowledge in the context of multidisciplinary projects.

Acted as Primary Investigator for MACS in a 4-year ARC Linkage Research Project (with Monash Uni, BCE, and UQ) researching problem-based learning through STEM education. Using problems as the drivers for student engagement and motivation with the curriculum and exploring teachers' attitudes, beliefs and pedagogical practices as they participated as co-researchers.

In 2018 initiated STEM MAD, which has become a flagship program in Melbourne and a national program in dioceses across Australia, and continues to demonstrate scientific learning, where students use STEM projects to Make a Difference (MAD) to others and the environment.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

With interviews with leading science educators and STEM thought leaders, this science education podcast is about highlighting different ways of teaching kids within and beyond the classroom. It's not just about educational practice & pedagogy, it's about inspiring new ideas & challenging conventions of how students can learn about their world!

https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/

Know an educator who'd love this STEM podcast episode? 

Share it!

The FizzicsEd podcast is a member of the Australian Educators Online Network (AEON )

http://www.aeon.net.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your students can be involved in a mission to space! Hear from Ted Tagami, founder of Magnitude.io, as we talk about a plant growth mission heading to the International Space Station on the SpaceX-31 resupply mission, where your students can grow the ground trials.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

About Simple Seeds

Partners

• Magnitude.io
• ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space
• SARDI: Australian Pastures Genebank
• AVA Challenge

Challenge:

Create an environment to grow the healthiest plant from seed. The system you create will be self-contained, with water being added only at the start. Record and compare your results with others around the world including one in microgravity on the ISS over 4 weeks.

• What substrate will your seeds grow in?
• Where will you place your growth chamber?
• If it is in a window, what direction does the window face?
• Where is your school located in the world? (Lat/Long)
• What does the weather look like during your experiment?

Register your interest:
Click here!

About Ted Tagami

Having built and sold his first dotcom in the 1990’s, Ted has been building Internet relationships since 1994. With leading work at Knight Ridder Digital and global brand experience at digital agency Millions of Us, Ted brings a unique perspective to modern experiential learning through the implementation of science and engineering based on the Next Generation Science Standards.

• More details:
  https://magnitude.io/about_us/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine hosting a running event for over 40,000 athletes and making it sustainable? That's exactly what the TCS Sydney Marathon goIT Challenge was designed to do where students from across NSW were challenged to create innovative solutions for the TCS Sydney Marathon through a design thinking process. We speak with Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at TCS, Binaisha Daruwalla as well as Nikyetta Pencheff from the STEM Enrichment team of the NSW Department of Education as well as Grade 5 student Annabelle and Flynn from Lindfield Public School.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

About the TCS Sydney Marathon goIT Challenge

With a growing number of athletes and spectators participating in the TCS Sydney Marathon from around the globe and across Australia,  school-aged students were challenged to develop a creative solution to ensure that the TCS Sydney Marathon is one of the most environmentally sustainable events of its kind in the world. Run in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education, students collaborated in teams to complete a four-week design sprint. The end result was a three-minute video pitch showcasing how the solution will help make the TCS Sydney Marathon a model of sustainability.

Learn more

• https://sydneymarathon.com/tcs-goit-challenge/
• https://tcsempowers.tcsapps.com/apac/goit-main/monthly-challenge
• https://tcsempowers.tcsapps.com/apac/goIT 

About the STEM Industry School Partnerships (SISP) Program

The STEM Industry School Partnerships (SISP) program is an initiative of the NSW Department of Education’s Curriculum and Reform Directorate and is led by the STEM Enrichment team.

Through the collaboration of education with leading Australian companies, universities, government agencies and industry, the STEM Industry School Partnerships program provides an educational model that engages students, inspires them to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and prepares them for STEM-enabled careers. The program aims to improve teacher confidence and their capacity to deliver integrated and cross-curricula STEM education programs in rural, remote, and regional NSW.

Learn more

• https://sispprogram.schools.nsw.gov.au/

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

With interviews with leading science educators and STEM thought leaders, this science education podcast is about highlighting different ways of teaching kids within and beyond the classroom. It's not just about educational practice & pedagogy, it's about inspiring new ideas & challenging conventions of how students can learn about their world!

https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/

Know an educator who'd love this STEM podcast episode? 

Share it!

The FizzicsEd podcast is a member of the Australian Educators Online Network (AEON )

http://www.aeon.net.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn about AROSE, the Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth consortium that is not only leading Australia in Remote Operations science, technology and service, on Earth and in Space, but also is providing STEM Education for students across the country as we speak with Michelle Keegan, AROSE Director Resources & Space, Deputy Chair (and founder) Resources Advisory Board.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

About AROSE

The Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth consortium (AROSE) is a not-for-profit, industry-led consortium, at the forefront of knowledge and technology transfer between Australia’s traditional industry sectors and the burgeoning international Space sector. AROSE fosters collaboration across industries and academia to place Australia as trusted provider of remote operations in space and on Earth.

The AROSE consortium was founded in February 2020, borne from the vision of former astronaut Colonel Pamela Melroy (now Deputy Administrator of NASA) and Head of Intelligent and Autonomous Systems at Woodside, Russell Potapinski. AROSE is headquartered in Perth thanks to the generous support of the Western Australian Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

The organisation was established to leverage existing remote operations expertise in the Australian resource sector and catalyse knowledge transfer between terrestrial and off-Earth domains for the benefit of all industries.

Learn more

• https://www.arose.org.au/

About Michelle Keegan

As the 2023 Australian Space Professional of the Year, Michelle is highly respected in the Australian Space Industry. Wirth a background in mining and remote operations, Michelle has a strong interest in taking what we do well on Earth to Space, optimising and bringing it back to Earth.

"If we can shape our next generation mines through a new lens, taken from solving the hardest challenges faced in Space... we can truly accelerate our ambition and solve in a smarter way. Even better if we can help the Space sector solve their challenges by learning from what we do well on Earth. Collaborating across sectors!"

Learn more

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-keegan-0468014

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

With interviews with leading science educators and STEM thought leaders, this science education podcast is about highlighting different ways of teaching kids within and beyond the classroom. It's not just about educational practice & pedagogy, it's about inspiring new ideas & challenging conventions of how students can learn about their world!

https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/

Know an educator who'd love this STEM podcast episode? 

Share it!

The FizzicsEd podcast is a member of the Australian Educators Online Network (AEON )

http://www.aeon.net.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is not an announcement I had expected to make under such circumstances, but unfortunately the TER Podcast will have to come to a close.

We will release the final recorded interviews, and possibly a final panel discussion to close out 11 years of the podcast, but for now I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has supported the podcast - the contributors and guests who have given their time for every episode, and the listeners whose support has been the reason we've kept going for so long!

Thank you!

Support TER Podcast at Patreon.com/TERPodcast

TER Podcast on Twitter

Follow TER Podcast on Facebook

The Ocean Lovers Festival is Australia’s largest annual cultural and science celebration for the ocean. Hear from founder Anita Kolni as we discuss the education oportunuities available through the pitching contest Shark Tank as well as Litterarty and the Sea Science Student Expo.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

About the Ocean Lovers Festival

The Ocean Lovers Festival taps into Australians love of their ocean lifestyle with the largest dedicated ocean science and cultural celebration in Australia. Through a festival of Ideas, Art + Music and Actions, the Ocean Lovers Fesitval inspire and engage the community on ocean issues and provide hope by showcasing solutions and innovation that are improving the health of the ocean. 

The festival has hosted hundreds of expert speakers, artists, innovators, ocean pioneers, and champions. It showcases successful marine projects that restore coastal ecology, highlights ocean- innovating entrepreneurs, and provides a platform for government initiatives, marine scientists, and community groups to inspire and empower audiences to better protect the ocean.

https://www.oceanloversfestival.com/

About Anita Kolni

Anita Kolni is a passionate changemaker, communicator, and connector. She is the Founder of the Ocean Lovers Festival, an annual celebration of ideas, art, music, and actions showcasing the latest innovations, science, state-of-the-art technology, and cool ideas for helping the ocean.

Anita successfully staged the first Ocean Lovers Festival in April 2019 at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach. In a short time, it hasg rown into Australia’s largest annual
cultural and science celebration for the ocean, attracting tens of thousands of visitors and achieving a digital media reach of over 34 million. 

Anita is rapidly gaining recognition as a global connector in the ocean sector for her innovative approach of bringing inspiration and hope for the ocean and engaging audiences to accelerate change that positively impacts our blue planet. She championed the Sydney Coast Hope Spot at the inaugural Ocean Lovers Festival with the support of Mission Blue and the Sylvia Earle Alliance, recognizing Sydney’s cherished coastline on the international stage.

Anita's ocean passion stems from her Swedish Olympic sailing father and uncle and her own love of all things beach and ocean. She has worked on major events like the Grand Prix and ATP Tennis Tournament in Europe before settling back in Bondi with her family of four children, inspiring her to create the festival and do her part in protecting the ocean for their future.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

With interviews with leading science educators and STEM thought leaders, this science education podcast is about highlighting different ways of teaching kids within and beyond the classroom. It's not just about educational practice & pedagogy, it's about inspiring new ideas & challenging conventions of how students can learn about their world!

https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/

Know an educator who'd love this STEM podcast episode? 

Share it!

The FizzicsEd podcast is a member of the Australian Educators Online Network (AEON )

http://www.aeon.net.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Ehab Gerges, a multi-award-winning STEM educator who loves working with his students on sustainability, flight & vehicle challenges and so much more. He shares his ideas for engaging students and how he has built his STEM space in his school.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

About Ehab Gerges

Ehab Gerges is a dedicated educator currently pursuing a Masters of STEM Education at the University of Canberra. With diverse qualifications in Business Management and Electrical Engineering, alongside teaching certifications, he is accredited by the Department of Education to teach Science, Chemistry, and Physics.

Ehab's commitment to professional growth is highlighted through achievements like being accredited as a STEM Educational Instructor by STEM.Org USA, becoming a Microsoft Global Certified Educator, and receiving the Toyota Community Trust & Public Education Foundation STEM Teachers Scholarship in 2023. His dynamic career includes roles as STEM Coordinator and Senior Science Teacher at James Cook Boys’ Technology High School, with notable contributions to sustainability projects and STEM conferences. Recognised with the Teachers’ Guild of New South Wales “World Teachers’ Recognition Award” in 2020, Ehab embodies excellence in education.

Connect with Ehab here

Recommended STEM resources

• STEM Resources on Code.org
• NSW Department of Education: iSTEM Resources
• Grok Academy: Coding and STEM Education
• FIRST Australia: Robotics & STEM Learning
• https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/35888/bridge-building
• https://certified.stem.org/users/password/new
• https://www.arduino.cc/
• https://studio.code.org/teacher_dashboard/sections/5400230
• https://arcade.makecode.com/
• https://www.lego.com/en-au/themes/mindstorms/learntoprogram
• https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/cheerpj/ideal-gas/latest/ideal-gas.html?simulation=reversible-reactions
• https://www.minecraft.net/en-us
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

With interviews with leading science educators and STEM thought leaders, this science education podcast is about highlighting different ways of teaching kids within and beyond the classroom. It's not just about educational practice & pedagogy, it's about inspiring new ideas & challenging conventions of how students can learn about their world!

https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/

Know an educator who'd love this STEM podcast episode? 

Share it!

The FizzicsEd podcast is a member of the Australian Educators Online Network (AEON )

http://www.aeon.net.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food security - it's important! So is teaching students to be self-sufficient on how to grow their own nutritious food. Today we hang out with Food Ladder's founding CEO Kelly McJannett to learn how Food Ladder is addressing food security in remote and Indigenous communities.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

About Food Ladder

Food Ladder grew from a kernel of an idea by founders Alex Shead and Kelly McJannett.

Alex was determined to use business to create social change. As a social change specialist, Kelly saw kids struggling to concentrate in class because they were hungry and understood the macro impact of food security. By joining forces, they found a way to combine agricultural technology and teaching systems to create lasting social change.

From the first greenhouse installation, both realised this was a powerful way to reframe food choices for the next generation.

About Kelly McJannett

Kelly McJannett is founding CEO of award-winning non-profit Food Ladder which addresses food security in remote and Indigenous communities as well as education, health and economic participation with a holistic focus on wellbeing.

An experienced leader in multidisciplinary approaches to social change, Kelly has pioneered scalable place-based agritech solutions which address immediate human needs, support environmental outcomes and ready vulnerable communities for worsening conditions resulting from climate change.  

Kelly holds a Bachelor of Communications (UTS) and an MBA (The University of Sydney Business School) where she was awarded Social Justice and Community Leadership Scholarship.

Accolades include Sydney University Dean’s Prize and Leadership Excellence Award as well as named Australia’s 100 most Influential Women by Australian Financial Review. Kelly is a member of the Board of Advice for The University of Sydney Business School.

Find out more

• https://foodladder.org/

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

With interviews with leading science educators and STEM thought leaders, this science education podcast is about highlighting different ways of teaching kids within and beyond the classroom. It's not just about educational practice & pedagogy, it's about inspiring new ideas & challenging conventions of how students can learn about their world!

https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/

Know an educator who'd love this STEM podcast episode? 

Share it!

The FizzicsEd podcast is a member of the Australian Educators Online Network (AEON )

http://www.aeon.net.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

West Australian high school payloads to space! Find out about the BinarX Outreach Program which connects West Australian high school students with the Binar Space Program at Curtin University. We catch up with Outreach Program Coordinator Meg Berry and Ahla & Shivani from Bob Hawke College to learn more about the Binar 2-3-4 in early August!

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

About the BinarX Outreach Program

The BinarX program sees West Australian students design and prototype science payloads for the Binar cubesat, and then build those projects for launch on-orbit with the Binar Space Program at Curtin University.

Payload concepts are directed by students and teachers & may include sensors to study earth and space environment, samples for testing in microgravity, or samples for testing in a vacuum. They may also include a software-only payload running on Binar’s flight computer.

Students will access their results using amateur band radio, either at Curtin or through other ground stations participating in the open source SatNOGS network.

As part of the program, students and teachers will also construct and operate their own SatNOGS ground station to gain a better understanding of radio communications and contribute back to the SatNOGS community.

As the program progresses, BinarX will guide teachers and students through obtaining radio licenses and installing amateur radio equipment in their schools. This will allow them to communicate with their satellite payload directly, and connect with the rest of the global amateur satellite community.

The program is currently at capacity for the 2024-2026 Student Payload Development Program, but please register your interest for future opportunities with the program!

Launch details for Binar 2-3-4!

If you’re in Perth, WA, please register to join us at our in-person launch event this weekend! Binar 2-3-4 are scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, FL on board SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS NG-2 at 23:28PM AWST, so the in-person event may be to watch the livestream of the docking with the International Space Station the
afternoon of August 4th, 2024. (but please follow the socials for updates as launch times can change at the last minute!). Anyone, anywhere can watch the livestream of the launch carrying the next 3 cube sats to space!
> Space Coast Live: 24/7 Views of NASA, SpaceX Falcon 9
Operations, and Starship Pad Construction - YouTube (for
the rocket launch)
> NASA Live: Official Stream of NASA TV (youtube.com) (for the docking with the ISS)

Find out more

• https://www.binarspace.com/binarx/
• Bintroduction to Electronics Kits
  > binarspace.com/box
  > Has all the materials and instructions that anyone can use to
  start building their own prototype payloads.
  > If you’re an educator in Western Australia, email us at
  [email protected] to request a kit.
• BinarX summer holiday program which builds on the electronics kits and teaches students to design, build, test and fly their payloads on model rockets.

About Meg Berry
Meg Berry is the BinarX Outreach Program Coordinator within the Binar Space Program at Curtin University. Within her own community, Meg is actively involved as a coach and judge in FIRST® LEGO® League, which is a LEGO® robotics “co-opertition” that inspires innovation and fosters well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership in students. With a background in graphic design and project management, Meg brings a unique creative angle to the BinarX Outreach Program. Having worked extensively in public artwork and signage manufacturing, she understands the power of visual storytelling in conveying complex ideas to diverse audiences. Her goal is to support the school community—students, teachers, parents, and beyond—on the exciting journey ahead in the realm of space exploration.

Hosted by Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education

With interviews with leading science educators and STEM thought leaders, this science education podcast is about highlighting different ways of teaching kids within and beyond the classroom. It's not just about educational practice & pedagogy, it's about inspiring new ideas & challenging conventions of how students can learn about their world!

https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/

Know an educator who'd love this STEM podcast episode? 

Share it!

The FizzicsEd podcast is a member of the Australian Educators Online Network (AEON )

http://www.aeon.net.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Support TER Podcast at www.Patreon.com/TERPodcast

It’s the 11th anniversary of the TER Podcast!

Andrea Stringer discusses her Educational Doctorate research into schoolwide coaching to support professional growth of early career teachers.

www.contextualcoaching.com.au

Kolber’s Corner – Steven Kolber considers the impossibility of ITE in an inequitable system

StevenKolber.com

Ideology in Education – Tom Mahoney reflects on the issues of teacher voice in education decision making

Tom Mahoney’s The Interruption

Education in the News – Cameron discusses a recent story about the newly established principal’s advisory committee to the federal education minitsers, and the importance and role of teacher voice in policy discussions, including lessons and reflections from 11 years of the TER Podcast.

Support TER Podcast at Patreon.com/TERPodcast

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