Hundreds of high school students will get a taste of life as a scientist tomorrow (16 August), as the University of the Sunshine Coast hosts a packed program of events to mark National Science Week.

USC will run dozens of practical workshops for high schoolers from around the region, with sessions including hands-on chemistry experiments, a biomechanics 3D motion-capture exercise, app building and using virtual reality technology.

A special auditorium tent will showcase women working in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and will be the venue for panel discussions, career talks and presentations from innovative female scientists.

USC Science Education Project Officer Sue Lanham said the day’s theme, ‘Fly Far and Beyond’, aimed to show high school and undergraduate students the diverse career opportunities available in STEM.

“Science and technology stretch into such a broad range of fields, and STEM skills will be critical to many of the careers of the future,” she said. “We’ll highlight that by showcasing a huge range of USC research – from serious games to using detection dogs for conservation projects.

“There’s a lot more to science than sitting behind a microscope in a lab.”

National Science Week events will continue on Thursday, with USC’s annual Science Research Awards for high school students starting at 4pm at USC’s Innovation Centre.

— Gen Kennedy