It is widely accepted that skills in science, technology, engineering & mathematics (STEM) are critically important for Australia’s future competitiveness and prosperity. But what needs to be done within the education system to support this? Gemma Wildermuth, a 14-year-old student from south-east Melbourne, offers an end-user’s perspective.
Since the age of five when my grandfather took me to my first science event, I have had a keen interest in STEM and I always wanted to make a difference. When I was younger I often found myself looking for ways to get involved in STEM programs outside of school. Unfortunately, due to a lack of options in Australia, I often find myself looking for opportunities outside of the country, particularly in the USA.
Since there are fewer options in Australia, this creates a gap. This gap describes people knowing less about this area and all its potential. That’s why programs like FIRST are so important. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international organisation with the aim to inspire young people to be science and technology innovators by engaging them in competitions. FIRST is such an amazing competition – it takes place in more than 100 countries around the world. But it is not promoted or supported enough in Australia.
FIRST teaches many different skills that aren’t commonly taught in a class environment. In our schools there is a lack of education in the STEM area, which means we are losing the interest of the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.
By participating in FIRST-related competitions, research has shown that 87% of students have an increased interest in doing well in school, 80% wanted to go into a job that involved science and technology, and 98% had a greater awareness of STEM.
My first exposure to FIRST was with FIRST Lego League (FLL). It was amazing because, unlike other programs, it wasn’t just about building a robot. Instead it incorporated a research project based upon that year’s theme and encouraged a set of core values: Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, Fun.
After competing at international level I decided that I was ready to continue on to the next level FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). However, this level wasn’t available because there were no teams in Victoria. Moreover, there were only three teams for the highest level, FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC), and the jump from FLL to FRC is huge. As a result, many FLL students would lose interest in robotics, feeling they don’t have the knowledge to go to such a high level, or simply don’t have anywhere else to go. The outcome is that a lot of young kids would lose interest in STEM at a young age – a time when they should be being encouraged.
To bridge this gap I decided to start a team to compete in FTC, the intermediate level between FLL and FRC. Currently we are the only FTC team in Victoria, along with more than 150 FLL teams and three FRC teams.
We have done this with no corporate backing, though we do desperately need support. At the moment we don’t have enough funding or resources to fully operate and grow teams in these types of programs and raise awareness of their existence in Victorian schools. The support we are in need of could be mentorship, or it could be financial investment. Together we can make a difference and help aspiring STEM leaders and innovators. Supporters of all sizes can help grow this competition. Contributions do not need to be massive, and every little bit helps to grow and multiply local talent so that we can compete on an international stage.
Competitions and programs like FIRST empower and encourage younger generations to get involved in STEM and gives them a stepping stone for their future. We have seen how these programs work internationally. At the moment the statistics show that internationally 89% of FIRST alumni subsequently declare a focus area in STEM at college, compared with 59% of their comparison group; among female alumni, 59% declare a focus area in engineering or computer science, compared to 12% of their comparison group.
Participating in this program also gave me the confidence to stand up on a stage at the Global Table conference in Melbourne in September, where I spoke in front of two thousand people including world leaders in food innovation about my invention and how I want to help change the world. My school and FIRST have encouraged me to think outside the box, and my invention has attracted a lot of interest, which one day will hopefully see it change the way that we farm in Australia and will aid farmers to sustain their livestock during drought.
After going to international events with my FTC team and experiencing it first-hand, the level of STEM education even in developing countries was astonishing. We want to provide the same program to our local talents to encourage them to pursue and excel in the study of STEM-related topics. To make these numbers higher we need to grow the FTC community in Australia.
We’ve seen how these events and programs have been successful and created so much impact for the younger generation across the globe, often with the support of industry sponsors. I’m hoping someone reading this article might extend the same support here in Australia, so that we can increase the interest in STEM among younger generations – because we are the future.
If you would like to find out more about ways you can get involved in helping Gemma and her team in building up FTC and getting the word out to schools, please contact Gemma at teamdangerousminds@gmail.com, or visit the team website: