Audio Transcript

[00:00:04]
Sarah Chapman: Townsville really is a great centre for STEM. There’s a lot of national and internationally recognised STEM organisations based in Townsville and North Queensland. Yet there’s not really an organisation that brings them together in order to be able to celebrate, communicate, inform and engage the community about those things. So I started to talk about the idea of, well, we should have this Townsville STEM Hub, and I actually called it the Brain STEM to begin with.

[00:00:37]
Ben Newsome: And from that frame of mind that Sarah Chapman went about setting up the Townsville STEM Hub. Seriously, today we’re going to hear from a highly passionate and motivated educator who’s making big waves right across Queensland and beyond.

[00:00:47]
Announcer: You’re listening to the Fizzics Ed Podcast. For hundreds of ideas, free experiments and more, go to fizzicseducation.com.au. And now, here’s your host, Ben Newsome.

[00:01:04]
Ben Newsome: Yes, welcome again to another Fizzics Ed Podcast. It’s a really big week this week because Sarah Chapman is involved. Now, you may have run into Sarah Chapman on Twitter because she seriously has some credentials when it comes to science education. She’s been involved with the Science Teachers Association of Queensland, she’s on the expert advisory board for Women in STEM Australia, she’s the founder of the Townsville STEM Hub, and she’s a Head of Science teacher as well.

[00:01:30]
Ben Newsome: Sarah is a very busy person and in amongst that, she also got to travel overseas on a Barbara Cail Fellowship. So, you’re going to find out lots about where she’s coming from when it comes to STEM and what really drives her. Let’s dive right into this interview. I know you’re going to have a bit of fun with this.

[00:01:42]
Announcer: This is the Fizzics Ed Podcast.

[00:01:45]
Sarah Chapman: I’m a Head of Department of Science at Townsville State High School. I’m a high school teacher specialising in senior biology and chemistry, and I also teach junior science. Within our programme, we have an integrated STEM programme in our junior units as well. I did a science degree with honours before I was a teacher and worked a little bit in research and science communication and event management.

[00:02:34]
Sarah Chapman: I’ve worked a lot in the community and have had some acknowledgements along the way for my work, which has been very lovely. I’m a strong advocate for promoting girls in STEM and am involved in a range of organisations as a volunteer on their executive to advise on STEM education. For example, Women in STEM Australia and the Australian Girls’ STEAM Collaborative, as well as the Science Teachers Association of Queensland. It’s really enjoyable to contribute to those organisations, but also within my local community, which is Townsville, and also region-wide in North Queensland.

[00:03:13]
Ben Newsome: I sometimes wonder, I’m sitting here with a bit of a smile thinking, the number of times I chat with people and I wonder, they wear all these different hats. Where do you store these hats? Let alone actually wearing them at the right appropriate time! And that’s all happening almost at once, because I know that you’re involved with Women in STEM Australia and the Townsville STEM Hub and all this stuff literally at the same time, as well as being involved at your own school. We could go down the rabbit hole of just time, but where did this all begin? When did you go, you know what, science is for me?

[00:03:49]
Sarah Chapman: In some ways, I love inspiring people and the community as well as kids with science, and I think it’s a passion. It’s not just a job. So doing what I do, you don’t mind putting in the extra hours and collaborating with other people. Probably a pinnacle moment was being nominated for and winning the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in 2013.

[00:04:21]
Ben Newsome: Well done, that’s awesome.

[00:04:23]
Sarah Chapman: Thank you. That platform really inspired me to step up and utilise that opportunity to be a voice for the profession, but also to try and drive opportunities for the young people in my region, because a lot of times regional areas are forgotten. As well as being an advocate for girls in STEM, which is something I’m passionate about as well. I guess all of those hats and juggling those balls in the air, it means being involved in different organisations and running things yourself in order to try and fulfil those passions.

[00:04:58]
Sarah Chapman: It requires a lot of time, but the worth in terms of what benefits other people receive from my efforts and from working with others is extraordinary and certainly worth it. To go back to when science became my thing, it was actually my Year 8 science teacher. He acknowledged that I was really good at science and thinking scientifically. My parents wouldn’t have agreed because I used to just question everything and drive them nuts.

[00:05:29]
Sarah Chapman: But then when I put a name on it and that it was called science, which I found out at high school, it all made sense. I think from there, my passion for science grew because I was able to question things and test things. That continual sense of wonder and exploration, which in some ways is being a big kid but learning about the world that you live in, really is an extraordinary thing. And I think science in terms of being able to continuously be explored and learnt about is just such a fascinating thing, and to me it’s just the best.

[00:07:01]
Ben Newsome: Someone once described to me that science in a lot of ways is big kids playing.

[00:07:05]
Sarah Chapman: Yes.

[00:07:06]
Ben Newsome: The reality is little kids can be doing exactly the same thing, right?

[00:07:09]
Sarah Chapman: Absolutely. We’re born scientists really. We’re pretty good at it when we’re children. I think we forget to question as we get older. So maintaining that sense of wonder, like people like Sir David Attenborough who do that very well. I think the world that we live in, there are so many extraordinary things that science just enables us to learn about them and know more. With technology developing and people being able to collaborate across the world, we get to learn more and more and that just makes everything even more extraordinary.

[00:07:49]
Ben Newsome: How do you develop, you’ve got a whole bunch of students in your high school let alone all the other stuff that you do. How do you continually work on and develop kids’ own mindsets in questioning the world that they live in? Some do it naturally, but I wonder about others. How do you do that with the cohort that comes through your years every single year?

[00:08:11]
Sarah Chapman: A lot of times it’s reminding them how to be big kids and finding those carrots or the things that intrigue them that they want to know more. A lot of times that will be something that perplexes them and they’re questioning how did that happen. Or a lot of times it’s doing simple experiments and then saying, well if you had to change that or if you had to explain that, how would you?

[00:08:41]
Sarah Chapman: I really like incorporating everyday things because a lot of times students don’t necessarily think there’s science involved. So it’s nice to look at the everyday and then say, well did you know that this is the science there or this is the science behind a particular thing? That enables them, when they’re an expert in that everyday thing, to then link the science in it. Which generally students like because they can go home and say, did you know that this certain thing has science within it?

[00:09:18]
Ben Newsome: Absolutely. You see a lot of even the kitchen chemistry books and those sort of things made for primary school, which can be embellished for high school and beyond. The idea that there is science all around us, it’s often just said, but the reality is funnily enough it’s actually quite true. Knowing that obviously you do a lot of experiments for your own faculty and everything else, if you were given half an hour to quickly just whip into the lab, grab some stuff to show a Year 8 group, what’s your favourite go-to experiments that help kids understand exactly that science is everywhere? It’s in everyday stuff. I don’t need a burette and beakers and Bunsen burners.

[00:10:04]
Sarah Chapman: Probably one of my go-to ones which I’ve shared with a lot of primary teachers, which I do use from primary school kids through to Year 8, is looking at exploring the properties of materials. Generally in a science lab you’d be doing chemistry experiments and looking at different chemicals and exploring things like that. But we actually start with looking at lolly snakes. Most students have examined them, most students have eaten them, so we look at something that most kids have looked at.

[00:10:48]
Sarah Chapman: We look at the elasticity of snakes and actually how brand or colour or where they’re stored affects the property of that particular thing and its elasticity. Something that is very attractive to eat becomes the subject of the scientific investigation. From there you start talking about what could we do in terms of a scientific sense and turn it over into using more formal chemicals and things like that.

[00:11:24]
Sarah Chapman: There’s lots of examples of things where you try and incorporate that everyday context because students are more likely to be going, oh well, I’ve used that before and I hadn’t seen the science in it. So it simply puts that science into something they already know. Even taking that then up into chemistry, we look at the reaction between the salt within the solutions and the alginate which react to form a gelation reaction and actually creates the jelly that you have that makes your lolly snakes. You can look at the reactions up into a chemistry level as well. So it sort of has a broad appeal along from primary through to senior chemistry, the same sort of topic, which is pretty exciting.

[00:12:21]
Ben Newsome: Actually those snakes are really handy just as a resource to always have on hand. I was just sitting here thinking about some of the ways we’ve used those particular snakes. You know the really long ones, the giant pythons, the really big ones, you can actually use them as quite a good backbone for DNA in a lot of ways. I agree with the elasticity totally. I’m guessing the whole cold versus hot would kind of make a difference on elasticity.

[00:12:44]
Sarah Chapman: Yeah. And if you heat it too much.

[00:12:47]
Ben Newsome: Especially the ones I find on the back seat of my car because I have young kids. You find out more about elasticity, you find out about how well it gels to other things.

[00:12:55]
Sarah Chapman: Yes, yes.

[00:12:57]
Ben Newsome: So wind forward to the present year. You’re involved in a whole bunch of different boards and bits and pieces. You’re highly passionate about getting girls into STEM and in general. What sort of projects, workshops, things like that do Women in STEM Australia do?

[00:13:16]
Sarah Chapman: Women in STEM Australia have a symposium that’s every two years and their symposium is coming up this year in July. That’s a really good melting pot to bring people together to talk about particular issues in engaging girls in STEM and engaging girls with mentors. It’s also a great place to inspire young people. So actually allowing them to come along to parts of the symposium and hear inspiring talks in order to build their aspirational connections. That symposium is a really good event to bring people together.

[00:14:04]
Sarah Chapman: But in terms of the everyday, Women in STEM are very good at advocating for girls in STEM as well as women in STEM, and connecting people with relevant resources and information in order to take back to their workplace or school. Which is very useful in this day and age that you don’t need a particular place or space. It’s about connecting people so they can utilise the information they need to be able to do their job properly and make sure girls are very well informed, and also their parents and guardians too.

[00:14:43]
Ben Newsome: That’s fantastic. It actually reminds me of a chat I had only last week with Alex Harrington out of the Warren Centre in the University of Sydney. They’re working on Inclusion Squared, which is looking at that trajectory pathway that girls becoming early career scientists and then beyond, how they get mentored into basically being STEM entrepreneurs. It’s very powerful and knowing that it is a path that has been trodden by others is usually the first step.

[00:15:14]
Sarah Chapman: Yeah, that’s great.

[00:15:16]
Ben Newsome: It’s fantastic. There’s that part, but there’s also the broader picture where you’re involved with Inspiring Australia and helping out with the Townsville STEM Hub. What’s all that about?

[00:15:29]
Sarah Chapman: That I guess was a bit of my passion project that started from the Prime Minister’s Prizes. Basically when I went to Canberra, I spoke to every politician that I could manage about the fact that Townsville really is a great centre for STEM. There’s a lot of nationally and internationally recognised STEM organisations based in Townsville and North Queensland, yet there’s not really an organisation that brings them together in order to be able to celebrate, communicate, and inform and engage the community about those things. So I started to talk about the idea of, well we should have this Townsville STEM Hub, and I actually called it the Brain STEM to begin with.

[00:16:16]
Sarah Chapman: Then I wrote to the likes of people like Alan Finkel, Ian Chubb, pitching my idea, Graham Durant from Questacon, and asking them their advice about this idea. A lot of them said, oh Sarah, that’s a massive thing, I’m not sure how you’re going to pull it off but maybe start with trying to get some like-minded people.

[00:16:46]
Sarah Chapman: In 2014 started connecting with some people and met with Inspiring Australia. Through the Queensland Inspiring Australia person, Jane King at the time, we in 2015 brought together a group of STEM organisations from Defence through to schools, through to government organisations, businesses and industry to say, well we’re all here, how can we make this happen?

[00:17:16]
Sarah Chapman: From there in 2016 it’s grown to around 50 organisations being represented. We had a sharing event where a range of businesses came together and organisations sharing their expertise and how we wanted to go forward.

[00:17:40]
Sarah Chapman: At the end of last year we secured some funding from Inspiring Australia to fund some community events. So this year we’ve announced what those events will be and we’ve got some school-based or student-based activities as well as some community activities that will occur across the year. We’ve got some committees that involve all of those STEM representatives.

[00:18:04]
Sarah Chapman: Essentially we’re letting the strength of the community and the people speak and get together to drive this movement. Hopefully the space comes and the place comes in the long run. But the strength of people coming together has certainly started to build the knowledge and capacity of STEM in Townsville and really bring people together so we can celebrate the expertise we have here, but also provide opportunities for the young, keen, talented people that are here that are wanting to engage more, which is so very exciting.

[00:18:47]
Ben Newsome: Where can you see this going? I can imagine it like an inverted pyramid, just growing and growing and getting more and more organisations involved and events are coming on board. Where do you picture this say five years from now? I guess you could have the blue sky version versus the realistic version, but where could you see this going?

[00:19:10]
Sarah Chapman: I’m definitely a blue sky thinker or maybe even going out into space. Let’s just keep going.

[00:19:16]
Ben Newsome: Yeah with nice sunrise, the whole deal.

[00:19:20]
Sarah Chapman: Yeah. But certainly I’ve spoken to a range of community organisations about the possibility of building a space that is part of some STEM developments that are occurring, being planned for in the future in Townsville.

[00:19:43]
Sarah Chapman: Worked with Townsville Enterprise around the development of a North Queensland STEM Strategy, which is being put into motion at the moment. I’ve been working with them around that and they’re going to be talking with Alan Finkel around how we can implement this STEM strategy in North Queensland.

[00:20:05]
Sarah Chapman: In the blue sky feeling I really hope that potentially we have this space. We might have a specialist school, but we have apprenticeships that are STEM-based for school leavers to be able to be upskilled in a range of STEM trades. But also we have from the specialist STEM school connections with universities both in Australia and overseas where young people can really connect with experts.

[00:20:31]
Sarah Chapman: Have mentoring, but that divide between high school and tertiary is so blurred that you kind of wonder whether there’s any difference. I really think there are so many talented young people that are really looking for opportunities to extend themselves.

[00:21:00]
Sarah Chapman: Providing this space and these opportunities locally to tap into what the experts are doing here in Townsville, I think it will be just an absolutely amazing opportunity for the young people in North Queensland. But as a region to have I guess an exemplar for other regions to be able to look at and be able to say this is how we can actually upskill our young people and enable them to have that head start and connect with the broader STEM ecosystem.

[00:21:16]
Ben Newsome: What I love about what you’re doing is it makes complete sense. You can have a national framework strategy, whatever words you want to give it, but if it just sits on a website or sits in some sort of policy steering committee or document, it doesn’t really do much. When you actually make it happen on the ground with local communities, that stuff actually happens and that’s perfect.

[00:21:31]
Ben Newsome: Is there much playing around with how that fits with the National STEM Strategy?

[00:21:52]
Sarah Chapman: It does reflect the National STEM strategy, but it does have a differentiated aspect to it in order to meet the needs of a regional community. In order to be specific to the industries and businesses that are located within our North Queensland region, and also the research organisations that are located here. By all means what we’re driving is something that’s informed by the bigger picture.

[00:22:31]
Sarah Chapman: A lot of times regional areas do get a little bit left behind. Because we’ve had some mining downturn and high unemployment rates, I really believe that STEM could be a vehicle to change our community and provide opportunities that we’ve not seen before.

[00:23:00]
Sarah Chapman: We might actually be a place that could be an exemplar for other regions to be able to look at and be able to say this is how we can actually upskill our young people and enable them to have that head start and connect with the broader STEM ecosystem.

[00:23:16]
Ben Newsome: What I love about what you’re doing is it makes complete sense. You can have a national framework strategy, whatever words you want to give it, but if it just sits on a website or sits in some sort of policy steering committee or document, it doesn’t really do much. When you actually make it happen on the ground with local communities, that stuff actually happens and that’s perfect.

[00:23:36]
Ben Newsome: I was actually just thinking as a total side note, which I wasn’t aware of until this chat was coming up, but you got lucky enough to get involved with the Barbara Cail STEM Fellowship. What’s that all about?

[00:23:49]
Sarah Chapman: Yes, I was very fortunate to be selected to apply for the Barbara Cail Fellowship, which was to look at best practice in engaging young people, particularly girls in STEM. A range of people across Australia were asked to apply and I didn’t kind of think I had any chance, but was very ambitious with my proposal. We had to say where we would go, so it took probably two months of research to put together my proposal.

[00:24:29]
Sarah Chapman: From that, five people were selected for interview and two people were awarded the Barbara Cail Fellowship from the Chief Executive Women and funded by the Australian Government Office for Women. This extraordinary opportunity, I think is still sending ripples in my world because it’s just been unbelievably wonderful in terms of what it’s done for me personally, but also for young girls across Australia and also internationally.

[00:24:59]
Sarah Chapman: I got to travel to five different countries. So Singapore, Finland, the United Kingdom, about 10 places in the United States, and New Zealand. I got to visit businesses, industry, schools, community groups and fundraising organisations that engage with girls and engage with young people in STEM. Essentially those organisations, I had to research and find that they’re actually very successful in this, and then go along and visit these organisations, visit the people and get the history of how they developed it, how they were successful, and collect that information.

[00:25:25]
Sarah Chapman: Visiting the New York Academy of Sciences, going to a school in Finland and being able to watch kids learn for a day, going to a school in Singapore. I then worked with the other fellow, Dr Rebecca Vivian from Adelaide, and we put together our research findings. She had more of an IT or computer science focus and I went more the broader STEM focus.

[00:25:52]
Sarah Chapman: We put together our research and in March last year, nearly a year ago today, we launched our report called Engaging the Future of STEM. I still need to pinch myself quite regularly to realise that I got that extraordinary opportunity. To visit the likes of Google, the National Girls Collaborative Project in the United States, the head of Girl Scouts in the United States, going to the World Trade Centre and visiting the New York Academy of Sciences.

[00:26:22]
Sarah Chapman: We put together our research and in March last year, nearly a year ago today, we launched our report called Engaging the Future of STEM. I still need to pinch myself quite regularly to realise that I got that extraordinary opportunity.

[00:27:03]
Sarah Chapman: All those experiences are just extraordinary and to me, being able to give back and share that knowledge, share the report, but also speak to a range of different people from then has just been so very special. I honestly probably can’t think of the appropriate words to show how grateful I am for that opportunity.

[00:27:31]
Ben Newsome: I think you’ve done a pretty good job.

[00:27:37]
Ben Newsome: So as of March last year that report went out, where do you send this report to? Because it could go to anyone, right? It could go to politicians or executive directors, all sorts of places. Where do you send something like that so something actually gets done based on the findings that you did?

[00:27:52]
Sarah Chapman: Well pretty much anybody that I knew I sent it to. I got to go to Science meets Parliament last year, so I met a range of politicians at that event. So I personally sent them all a copy of that report.

[00:28:18]
Sarah Chapman: I’ve given a copy of the report to the Australian Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel. It’s been given to my local university, women in STEM organisations. It’s been distributed on Twitter. I’ve given it to all of the international organisations that I visited. I’ve certainly distributed it in local council, state council and federal government. It’s something that has been shared a lot in a lot of different realms. I’ve shared it with my colleagues at teachers’ conferences, to all of my colleagues within the state and nationally that I’ve met.

[00:28:47]
Sarah Chapman: But certainly it’s not something that necessarily has an expiry date. So anybody listening, if you haven’t read it, I certainly would pick it up and have a bit of a read and share it with every person that you think might appreciate it because it can apply from anyone working in a community organisation such as a library through to schools, through to industry and businesses that engage with young people and STEM organisations. It has a lot of different applications and talks to a lot of people, which I think is something quite extraordinary for one report.

[00:29:48]
Ben Newsome: We will definitely put that link into the show notes for sure, without a doubt.

[00:29:56]
Ben Newsome: Keep an eye out. I mean it’ll be just pretty simple, right? If you just type in Barbara Cail Fellowship…

[00:30:00]
Sarah Chapman: Yes, C A I L by the way.

[00:30:03]
Ben Newsome: Barbara Cail Fellowship and just you’ll find articles and articles about this stuff.

[00:30:11]
Ben Newsome: Actually I guarantee there’ll be someone walking the dog or driving the car going, I wonder if should I maybe apply. I’m guessing that you’re an advocate. What would the process be that would help them on that journey?

[00:30:25]
Sarah Chapman: In terms of that, the Chief Executive Women were the people that oversaw this fellowship. I am not aware that there is another one at the moment, so possibly it’s contacting them to indicate your interest would be a place to start.

[00:30:46]
Sarah Chapman: There certainly is a range of different opportunities though, something like the Engaging Science Grants that are out there at the moment. That may be a way to consider engaging in something like a STEM research fellowship.

[00:31:07]
Sarah Chapman: But I certainly would encourage people to do a bit of research and reading because STEM is such an important area and those skills can be used in pretty much any occupation. It’s growing every day. So having a good knowledge of who are the front runners, what’s happening locally, nationally, internationally is a good place to start. So then if that opportunity does come up, you’re well versed to be able to speak your mind and connect with it.

[00:31:39]
Ben Newsome: Absolutely. So I guess what we need to do as a job, we got a job for everyone. So everyone has to apply, knock down their doors and say look, we really want this to happen again.

[00:31:52]
Ben Newsome: But mind you, there is another one which might actually help you out. I was lucky enough to be involved with the Churchill Fellowships, and so it’s a similar travelling fellowship. At the end of February, it’s the closing date on the 27th of April. If you want to apply and perhaps do something that Sarah got to do as well, which is fantastic. There’s more ways to string that bow.

[00:32:23]
Sarah Chapman: Absolutely.

[00:32:24]
Ben Newsome: Thank you so much for getting involved with this podcast and all the stuff that you’re doing up in North Queensland. I must say, as an ex-person who used to live in Rasmussen up in Townsville…

[00:32:32]
Sarah Chapman: Oh right.

[00:32:33]
Ben Newsome: I definitely did. My dad was in the army. So I ran around a little bit there. I love what you’re doing up there and it’s really good for the community and frankly, Australia as a whole and beyond, which is fantastic. What advice would you give for a brand new pre-service teacher or someone who just wants to really make STEM happen in their community? What sort of advice would you give them?

[00:33:02]
Sarah Chapman: Something that I guess I started sharing with teaching colleagues last year, and this is a bit from my experience, is teachers can see themselves in two ways. Firstly, you are a teacher in your profession and that profession is within your school, and you have a direct influence in your classroom, in your school community, and with the parents and citizens that engage with that school. A lot of teachers think of themselves that way and that that is their only influence.

[00:33:41]
Sarah Chapman: The other part of a teacher is the teaching professional outside of school. I see myself as an educator and an educating professional that can educate people in any domain, not necessarily just within schools.

[00:34:00]
Sarah Chapman: As an educating professional outside your school, you can engage with the community and volunteer and educate and inspire people right where you are outside the school walls. Which could benefit your class because those people might decide to return the favour for what you engage with outside your school.

[00:34:20]
Sarah Chapman: You might decide, oh well, I want to expand my knowledge and read some articles. So you could become a member of your science teachers association or maths teachers association depending on what STEM profession, and gain knowledge through the STEM papers and magazines and articles that come from those professional organisations. Or you could join the National Science Teachers Association of America, for example, and they send loads of emails per week about different resources and ideas.

[00:34:50]
Sarah Chapman: The idea of stepping outside the classroom and contributing that way reflects what you expect your students to do when they leave school. And that is to have that global perspective and be able to compete in a global STEM ecosystem. Having a knowledge of what you’re trying to reflect in them and engaging yourselves a little bit broader enables people to be able to connect with people beyond school.

[00:35:24]
Sarah Chapman: And that might end up being that you put your hand up to present at a conference, or engage with a colleague in a different school in a different state and you share ideas and collaborate. By all means those opportunities are endless.

[00:35:43]
Sarah Chapman: I certainly if you took me back and rewinded the clock when I started this profession, I never would have thought that I would have travelled overseas several times for my teaching profession. I never would have thought I would have spoken at international, national, state and local conferences.

[00:36:04]
Sarah Chapman: I never would have thought I would have done half the things that I did. I think thinking outwardly and thinking about contributing to the community can start with just reading a journal article, through to engaging with conferences or engaging with colleagues in other places and having that willingness to share and be open, but also educate people that don’t necessarily engage with schools that might rethink and want to.

[00:36:29]
Ben Newsome: The teaching profession is an extraordinary one. We get to influence people when they’re making their decisions and they are the people that go on to be our future change-makers. So the best we can be and the best we can be prepared means that we’re going to be inspiring them to be the best that they can, which I can’t give you any better advice than that really.

[00:36:54]
Ben Newsome: I reckon you’re getting a collective applause around the place.

[00:36:59]
Sarah Chapman: (Laughs)

[00:37:10]
Ben Newsome: What we need, and we need more of you, which is fantastic, and which means if we’re going to create more of you, people need to get in touch with you. How would they get in touch?

[00:37:25]
Sarah Chapman: I’m in Twitterverse or Twitter at @chapmansar is my Twitter handle. That’s probably the easiest place to find me. I’m also on LinkedIn, Sarah Chapman. Or I guess Ben I can give you my email address… I’m more than happy to connect with people.

[00:37:46]
Ben Newsome: Absolutely. And if you’re scared off by the number of hats that Sarah actually wears, she’s actually quite nice, I promise. If you just want to even just engage with the report that got produced only recently, just jump on cew.org.au and look for Engaging the Future of STEM…

[00:38:12]
Sarah Chapman: Go for it. That’s some other advice I definitely give. It’s a good Easter read, I would say.

[00:38:31]
Ben Newsome: I’m hoping while you’re munching on an Easter egg or a hot cross bun that that might be what you’re reading at the time.

[00:38:36]
Sarah Chapman: Yeah, you totally can do some variable testing over the chocolate.

[00:38:43]
Ben Newsome: Mind you, as a total side note, I just thought was just the coolest thing. I took kids to a local bakery and they’re doing this thing with these Easter bunnies where they took off the ears and filled it with chocolate milk.

[00:38:57]
Ben Newsome: And then they put fairy floss, cotton candy for overseas, they made a nest with mini eggs on it…

[00:39:12]
Sarah Chapman: Oh yeah.

[00:39:13]
Ben Newsome: We learnt all about solids turning to liquids.

[00:39:15]
Sarah Chapman: (Laughs) Oh yeah.

[00:39:18]
Ben Newsome: Yeah, it was amusing to watch, but there you go. Much appreciate for coming along Sarah. No doubt we’ll cross paths in some way shape or form again.

[00:39:26]
Sarah Chapman: Yeah, I hope so.

[00:39:27]
Ben Newsome: And for now, enjoy your break coming up and we’ll catch you next week.

[00:39:31]
Sarah Chapman: Thanks so much for inviting me on and all the best everyone.

[00:39:34]
Announcer: This is the Fizzics Ed Podcast. We’re all about science, ed tech and more. To see 100 fun free experiments you can do with your class, go to fizzicseducation.com.au. That’s physics spelled F I Z Z I C S and click 100 free experiments.

[00:39:51]
Ben Newsome: Well there we go, we were speaking with Sarah Chapman, who is very clearly a highly motivated educator. Tell you what, she is a total asset for North Queensland because she’s doing a lot for the local community and she’s sharing it nationally and beyond. Love your work Sarah, you’re so very passionate and you know that what you’re doing is making a true difference. Now some of the stuff she was doing in the Barbara Cail Fellowship did remind me of last week’s episode with Alex Harrington…

[00:40:28]
Alex Harrington: That sort of business nous, you know, there’s this misconception that women have poorer business nous than men. I just think that needs to be challenged. And I think the young girls, particularly through the school environment and through their networks, should be supported to understand that you can challenge those stereotypes…

[00:40:56]
Announcer: You’re listening to the Fizzics Ed Podcast. Why don’t you book us for a science show or workshop in your school? We love seeing students get excited about science, and you will too. Go to fizzicseducation.com.au and click on schools for more info.

[00:41:12]
Ben Newsome: Yes, couldn’t agree more. So it’s well worth going checking out last week’s episode with Alex Harrington for the Warren Centre. And you know what, while you’re checking through the back catalogue, go all the way back to episode 5 where we had a chat with Jackie Randles, who is the New South Wales Inspiring Australia manager…

[00:41:31]
Ben Newsome: You can hear all about citizen science and entrepreneurial thinking in STEM. Well worth your time. But until I get to catch you next week, I hope you have a fantastic break. But we will have more still on its way. So I hope you’re making your science classes awesome and everything else for the next term, and I hope you’re having fun doing it at the same time. You’ve been hearing from me, Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education, and listening to the Fizzics Ed Podcast. I’ll catch you next week.

[00:41:52]
Announcer: You’ve been listening to another Fizzics Ed Podcast. We’re excited about science. Subscribe to us on iTunes to download the next episode as soon as it’s released. And don’t forget, for hundreds of ideas, free experiments, our new Be Amazing book and more, go to fizzicseducation.com.au. That’s physics spelled F I Z Z I C S.

[00:42:21]
Announcer: This podcast is part of the Australian Educators Online Network. aeon.net.au

Frequently Asked Questions

• What inspired Sarah Chapman to pursue a career in science?
  Sarah credits her Year 8 science teacher for recognising her talent for scientific thinking. Even as a child, she was naturally inquisitive and constantly questioned the world around her, a trait she now encourages in her own students to maintain their sense of wonder.
• What is the purpose of the Townsville STEM Hub?
  The hub was a passion project started by Sarah to bring together over 50 diverse organisations—including Defence, industry, government, and schools—to celebrate and communicate the world-class STEM expertise available in North Queensland and provide better opportunities for regional youth.
• What was the focus of Sarah’s Barbara Cail Fellowship research?
  Sarah travelled to Singapore, Finland, the UK, the USA, and New Zealand to research international best practices for engaging young people, particularly girls, in STEM. Her findings were published in a report titled “Engaging the Future of STEM.”
• How does Sarah make science relatable for students in the classroom?
  She uses everyday contexts, such as investigating the elasticity of lolly snakes, to teach complex concepts like material properties and chemical reactions. This approach helps students see science in the world around them rather than just as an abstract subject in a lab.
• What is Sarah’s advice for new STEM educators?
  She encourages teachers to see themselves as “educating professionals” both inside and outside the classroom. By engaging with the wider community, joining professional associations, and collaborating globally, teachers can model the global perspective they want their students to adopt.

Discussion points summarised from the Townsville STEM hub & more with AI assistance, verified and edited by Ben Newsome CF

Extra thought ideas to consider

The Power of Everyday Contexts
Sarah discusses using lolly snakes to teach elasticity and chemistry. This highlights the importance of “hooks” in science education. How can educators further audit their curriculum to replace traditional lab chemicals with everyday items to lower the barrier for student engagement and encourage them to share their learning at home?

Regional STEM Ecosystems
Regional areas often face higher unemployment and industry shifts. Sarah suggests that STEM can be a vehicle to change a community’s trajectory. What are the specific advantages regional centres have in creating a unified “STEM Hub” compared to large metropolitan cities where organisations may be more siloed?

Identity and Mentorship for Girls in STEM
Sarah emphasises the need for “aspirational connections.” Beyond just seeing a scientist, how can schools create long-term mentoring programmes that help students, particularly girls, envision themselves as future STEM entrepreneurs and change-makers rather than just consumers of technology?