This January we were selected to represent QAHS at the 2025 National Youth Science Program, amongst the 515 participants chosen in both Canberra and Brisbane Session. This 9-day long program is designed for national-wide STEM enthusiasts entering Year 12 to learn about future pathways and current studies in sciences, as well as connecting with other like-minded students and mentors.
The students had the opportunity to participate in a STEM visit at the Mount Stromlo Observatory, Australian National Uuniversity Chemistry labs, ASD, CyberHub, Universit of Queensland School of Mathematics and Physics, Universal Field Robot, Griffith Institute of Biomedicine and Glycomics, Forensic Science Queensland and many more to expose us to a variety of science expertise.
Our reflections:
Earlier this year, I attended the 2025 National Youth Science Program in Canberra hosted at ANU. Throughout the week, we learnt through lectures, panels and hands-on experiments. Personally, my highlight of this session was meeting different cybersecurity professionals and learning about how the interplay of their roles work to form a safer online environment. The lectures also offered us new perspectives on contemporary topics and issues in current research. From ethics in space research, data science of linguistics, particle physics research at CERN and many more, experts in their respective fields explained how their work and research hold value to them and the science community as technology evolves and our understanding of the sciences improves. Overall, this was an enriching and rewarding experience, presenting a wider view on how STEM knowledge changes and improvements, as well as offering insight into numerous study pathways and future career opportunities in STEM.
Chloe Chan Year 12 Student
Early January I was accepted into the National Youth Science forum where I was able to meet and create relationships between like-minded people. One of the most fascinating activities I took part in was the forensic science session at the Forensic Sciences and Services department. It was an eye-opening experience that gave me a real-world look into how science is applied in criminal investigations. We worked through forensic techniques like drug analysis, trace evidence examination, and crime scene reconstruction. Seeing how small details—things we wouldn’t normally think twice about—can be used to solve cases was both thought-provoking and curious. I found talking to the experts at the scene in their multiple different pathways in the field to be both enlightening about the numerous pathways we have in our search for careers but also curious in how different aspect of forensic sciences from the chemistry to the DNA research work together to support the justice system. This experience broadened my horizons by showing me the practical side of forensic science beyond what’s portrayed in the media. It made me appreciate the level of precision and critical thinking required in the field and gave me a new perspective about the different ways science contributes to justice and society.
Dhivyaa Vittal Year 12 Student
NYSF opened a whole new horizon for me and many like-minded others in STEM. It was a rare and valuable experience, giving high school students a taste of what their futures might look like as scientists, engineers, researchers, science communicators, and many other wonderful STEM-related careers. It’s hard to choose a favourite visit among all the intriguing experiences we had in those nine days. I would say I simply truly enjoyed learning new things every day at NYSF. I remember visiting the UQ School of Chemical Engineering and witnessing the process of how PHAs are made in a lab — bioplastics that could change the future world and help save our plastic-polluted oceans. It was a field I was initially unfamiliar with, yet it really caught my eye in the significant role STEM plays in addressing global challenges and everyday problems. It's fascinating to see how these disciplines can contribute to meaningful solutions.
Yanyan Zhang Year 12 Student
If you are a current Year 11 student who would like to have the same experience next year, we would strongly recommend you give it a go. This program will enable you to expand your knowledge and understanding in both STEM and future studies, where you will make life-long friends and join a community of more than 16000 NYSF alumni.
Applications for NYSF 2026 will be open later this year, visit here for more information.
Chloe, Dhivyaa and Yanyan
Year 12 Students