Queensland STEM Impact

Launched in 2022 during National Science Week, the Queensland STEM Impact website provides a platform to share the Impact Stories generated through the Interview a Scientist Program.

Queensland has a thriving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) community across universities and both large and small businesses. The purpose of the Queensland STEM Impact website is to showcase the innovative and impactful research happening across STEM within the state of Queensland, Australia.

In 2022, Interview a Scientist launched as a pilot program to explore ways to increase secondary students’ engagement with STEM while allowing STEM professionals to build their communication skills and outputs. As part of the program, teams of secondary students from Brisbane high schools team up with higher degree/early career researchers from Griffith University to interview a STEM professional and go on to write an Impact Story on them.

Interview a Scientist 2023 Impact Stories

Winning Story

Where a brave heart can lead you

Authors:
Dr Jun Zhang – Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University
Audrey Walker, Angelina Tan, and Sachi Lifton – Mount Gravatt State High School

Runner Up Story

Towards repairing spinal cord injury

Authors:
Dr Md Alamgir Hossain – Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University
Rhys Heeley and Byron Anderson – MacGregor State High School

Thank you to all the participants from Griffith University, Mount Gravatt State High School, MacGregor State High School and Sunnybank State High School who took part in Interview a Scientist 2023. The Impact Stories generated were all of high quality and can be read here:

Leveling the playing field of life

Authors: Ellis Joch – Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University
Cindy Yin and Amelie Knoeller – Mount Gravatt State High School

Pathways to water health and gender diversity

Authors: Nivethika Sivakumaran – Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery,
Griffith University
Kelsey Evans, Ruby Grant, and Gul Naaz Mohammadi – MacGregor State High School

Using technology to dig deep and detect misconduct

Authors: Md Tanvir Kabir – Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University
Timothy Wang and Sabastian Lee – Mount Gravatt State High School

Turning challenges into opportunities in cybersecurity

Authors: Iqira Saed – Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University
Liliana Bowkett, Annie Truong, and Mehrunnisa Hameed – Sunnybank State High School

A tale of honey fraud, Sherlocking and magnets

Authors: Charlie Tran – Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University
Pasefika Magele, Housen Tarsha Kurdi, and Daniel Labang – Sunnybank State High School

Spreading awareness to stop resistance

Authors: Matilda Houston – Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University
Nabila Abdullahi, Sophia Benedicto, and Muska Meya – MacGregor State High School

Acknowledgements: Interview a Scientist 2023 was organised by Dr Emma Barnes of STEM Avenue and the event days hosted by the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University. It was proudly supported by the Queensland Government – Engaging Science Grants. We’d like to thank MacGregor State High School, Sunnybank State High School and Mount Gravatt State High School and their participating students as well as the Griffith University volunteers and STEM professionals from the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, EY, CSIRO and SolarBuddy who were interviewed in 2023. We’d also like to thank the judges – Aimee Sanderson (AAMRI), Charis Palmer (Refraction Media) and Dr Jeffrey Robens (Nature Portfolio).