Showcases

There are more than 750 ongoing teacher-scientist partnerships across Australia, working together to support science teaching and learning in schools.

We have selected some partnerships to inspire and enthuse you. We have organised them into different styles of partnership, although most partnerships involve a range of activities drawing from many styles.

You can also read comments from Scientists in Schools participants.

Presentations and demonstrations

  • A medical engineer enthused an audience of 500 primary students with stories about his work on the VentrAssist artificial heart - read the showcase
  • Year one students in Perth investigated soil science with their scientist - read the showcase
  • A Queensland scientist has been wowing her students with science demonstrations and quizzes - read the showcase
  • A defence scientist working on underwater vehicles took a mini-submarine to his partner school for 'show and tell'

Science fairs, competitions and projects

  • A small country school in NSW has involved their parents as well as their scientist in building solar cars and billy carts - read the showcase
  • A physical oceanographer is working with a Hobart school to study erosion and coastal impacts at their 'adopted' local beach - read the showcase
  • A South Australian scientist is coordinating a science fair at a local primary school, including providing tips and suggestions to students, teachers and parents
  • A physicist in Canberra is helping a local school prepare their entry in the 'F1 in Schools Challenge'

Mentoring

  • A scientist in Canberra is mentoring students at a local high school who are completing high-level science projects - read the showcase
  • A primary school in Esperance, WA, has produced climate change information for their community, with the support of a climate change scientist in Canberra - read the showcase

Teacher-scientist interactions

  • A Queensland materials scientist sends regular email newsletters to his partner teachers with information on interesting science news, ideas for activities and just to keep in touch
  • A Melbourne vet pathologist is conducting workshops for the teachers at his partner school on topics such as animal dissections
  • A NSW energy scientist organised for his partner teacher to undertake research at his workplace during her school holidays
  • A Victorian defence scientist is helping her local primary school identify science activities to fit with the school’s integrated topics

Links to 'real science'

  • An atmospheric scientist in Tasmania has presented examples of real science to illustrate the chemistry units for year 9 and 10 students at the local school - read the showcase
  • A biologist researching penguins in Antarctica has named the penguins' ID tags after the students at a small rural Tasmanian school, to give the students a personal link to his research

Field trips and excursions

  • All 10 Year 6/7 students at a school on Hamilton Island spent two days in Townsville visiting ‘their’ scientist and his colleagues - read the showcase
  • A radiographer in Exmouth, WA, arranged a visit for students to the local hospital, where they saw ultrasound and x-ray machines in action
  • A retired geologist in Victoria is accompanying primary students on field trips to explore the geology of the school grounds and local area
  • A biologist in Queensland attended her school's 3-day year 11 biology field trip to help students learn about biology and ecology research studies

Long-distance partnerships

  • A school in central Queensland has gone fungi-mad as a result of their partnership with a Brisbane-based mycologist (fungi specialist) - read the showcase
  • An Antarctic scientist in Hobart has formed a long-distance partnership with a primary school in Townsville, sending regular emails to the students about his research
  • A scientist on a field trip to the South Pacific is sending regular reports of his research to his school in North Queensland

Extra-curricular activities

  • A Canberra scientist runs a lunch-time science club and community meetings about environmental sustainability at her daughter’s school
  • A Gold Coast high school held a science breakfast for their year 11 students, at which their scientist was guest speaker
  • A Western Australian defence scientist is spending half a day each week running an extension science class at his local primary school

Creative ICT

  • A Tasmanian school has developed a science website [external link] on which they have published interviews with their Antarctic scientist
  • An astrophysicist in Melbourne has helped her school research the moon and publish their work online [external link]
  • Two computer scientists in South Australia are teaching students at two remote schools how to write their own webpages


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