STEM career orientation event Girls’ Day to be held for the first time in Australia
Announcement posted by Goethe-Institut Australia 17 Oct 2018
Female high-school students in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth will get to explore a future career in STEM when the Goethe-Institut holds the first ever Girls’ Day in Australia on 16th November. Groups of Year 7 and 8 students will visit companies and universities on the day to find out more about professions in fields such as science, technology, engineering and research.
Sonja Pluess, the Goethe-Institut’s STEM Project Coordinator, is hoping the day will inspire young girls to choose a future profession based on their individual interests and skills rather than being influenced by social and gender stereotypes.
“Girls’ Day was founded in Germany in 2001 and has grown to become an event attended by thousands of young girls every year. Currently just over 24% of STEM graduates in Australia are women, even though the majority of jobs in the future will require STEM skills. We are hoping that Girls’ Day will not only encourage Australian girls to explore opportunities in STEM, but also lead to a much-needed influx of talented women into these sectors” she said.
Dr. Rou Jun Toh, a postdoctoral research fellow from the CSIRO, is just one of the female STEM professionals who will mentor students at the Monash University Clayton campus on Girl’s Day.
“I am really looking forward to showing the students what my work as a scientific researcher involves. Not only will the girls go on a tour of the CSIRO site, they will also participate in fun hands-on experiments and meet with other scientists. Girls’ Day is a fantastic initiative and one that I hope will persuade more young girls to get involved in STEM” she said.
Our current Girls’ Day hosting partners:
- CSIRO at the Monash University Clayton Campus – Melbourne
- Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity – Melbourne
- Gruen EcoDesign – Melbourne (all program places filled)
- Murdoch University – Perth
- University of Queensland – Brisbane
Students wishing to attend one of the Girl’s Day programs should register online by October 25th.
More information
To register and find out more information, visit our Girls’ Day online information page located at www.goethe.de/australia/girlsday
About the Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is the cultural liaison between Germany and Australia. We are a not-for-profit, independent cultural organisation with a global reach. Our mandate is to promote the study of the German language abroad and to encourage and facilitate international cultural exchange.
The Goethe-Institut has 159 branches in 98 countries. Our branch in Melbourne was founded in 1972, followed by the Sydney branch in 1974. We work with partners and networks across Australia.
goethe.de/australia
facebook.com/goetheinstitut.australien
instagram.com/gi_australien/
twitter.com/GI_Australien