Finding the scientists of tomorrow was the goal of two talented young women in our region this week.
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Catch a Rising Star is a National Science Week initiative that takes women in science to rural and regional Queensland to talk about their research.
As part of the program this year Drs Angela Daly and Emma Gagen toured Mount Isa, Cloncurry and Julia Creek doing hands-on and fun experiments with kids.
“I’m doing a strawberry DNA extraction and mineral samples and then we talk to them about careers and some of the exciting places science can take you,” Dr Gagen said.
Dr Gagen could certainly talk from experience in terms of travel around the world.
“I’m a geomicrobiologist, geology is studying rocks and microbiology is studying small living organisms so I study bacteria that eat rocks,” she said. ”My career is now based in Brazil on the edge of the jungle and there’s questions about jaguars and monkeys, a bit off topic but the fascination is there.”
Dr Daly talks to kids about an alternative career in science and technology.
“I’m actually a legal academic working on the regulation of new technology,” Dr Daly said.
“We were in Spinifex High School yesterday and I was talking about how I work with science and technology from a different discipline looking at how you should govern new inventions and what the legal and ethical questions can be.”
Dr Daly said having a dual qualification in areas like science, law and engineering were valuable in dealing with some of our more complex problems.
“I work with 3D printing and I work with autonomous vehicles, and particularly with driverless cars I ask the children what do they think might go wrong if there is not someone in the car and they’ve got very good answers,” she said.
“I also work on how the law should treat robots and whether they should be treated the same as people and the responses the children give are the same as those who study in the field.”
Dr Gagen said the focus of Catch A Rising Star was to young girls and boys interested in science.
“We are breaking the stereotype they might have in their mind, particularly for women ” she said.
“It would be great if rural kids got into science but especially the girls need to see role models.”