The Centre for Materials Science’s flagship outreach program, Zoomed-In Science, has been announced as a recipient of a 2023 Department of Environment and Science Engaging Science Grant worth $20,000.
Zoomed-In Science is an interactive online outreach program that brings real scientific research laboratories directly into primary school classrooms of Queensland, enabling a diverse and inclusive environment that provides students from all backgrounds with the chance to see what it’s like to be a scientist working in a real-world lab. Indeed rural, remote and regional primary schools account for 81% of schools that benefit from the program annually.
The program is led by QUT scientist and Centre for Materials Science Investigator, Dr Michael Pfrunder, and sessions are presented by a diverse team of QUT scientists within the research laboratories at QUT. Zoomed-in Science units have been explicitly aligned with Australian Curriculum elements through a collaboration between QUT and Education Queensland primary school teachers.
The program joins a group of 41 Queensland community events and projects allocated over $704,000 in funding from the Palaszczuk Government through the Engaging Science Grants program. The grants aim to promote science engagement and inspire students to pursue STEM subjects, as well as raise awareness of scientific advancements in Queensland.
The grant funding, in conjunction with program sponsorship from Boeing, Origin Energy, Shimadzu and Central Highlands Regional Council, will ensure the program’s continued success; enabling the program remain free-of-cost to primary schools and increasing participation in STEM-based activities, particularly among our First Nations peoples, girls and women, and disadvantaged primary school students.
More information is available here: