STEM innovation on display in WA

Students from across Western Australia have showcased the innovative ways they are learning STEM subjects at the STEM Enterprise Showcase in Perth.

Projects featured advanced technology including virtual reality, animatronics and robotics at the event, which was co-located with the Resources Technology Showcase.

The Showcase is a component of the STEM Enterprise Schools initiative, which is delivered in partnership with the Department of Education and the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation to support the State STEM Skills Strategy.

Students and staff from 83 schools participated in the two-day event in June. Over 90 schools also attended the event on school excursions, providing an opportunity for students to experience a range of groundbreaking technological innovations happening in and around WA.

The activation stations, set up as hands-on, contemporary STEM learning spaces, included robotics, virtual reality, animatronics, drones, dancing robots and On Country STEM. Student presentations from ‘The Cube’ were live streamed to enable schools to participate who were unable to attend the event.

Jim Bell, Deputy Director General, Student Achievement, said events like this provided students the opportunity to develop STEM and enterprise skills for the jobs of the future.

“The STEM Enterprise Showcase celebrated the incredible level of innovation and creativity in our public schools,” he said.

“Teachers and students demonstrated some exciting learning projects, from state-of-the-art virtual reality lessons to interesting discoveries on climate change.

“STEM education is a very rich area where students develop creativity, problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills.

“These are all essential skills to make sure our young people are ready for the jobs of the future, even those we don’t know about yet,” Bell said.

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