St Mary’s College Broome’s all-girls science club encouraging more girls into STEM

Young girls at St Mary’s College Broome have been given an exciting look into a possible future career in STEM with the school’s girls-only science club.

Organised by St Mary’s science teacher Jacob Windle, the inaugural club meeting discussed the importance of being COVID smart, before launching into experiments with dry ice and creating their own soda water.

Mr Windle said the turnout had been impressive, with many expressing a desire to one day work in science, technology engineering and mathematics fields.

“With the girls-only STEM club we discussed that girls can achieve anything they want as long as they put their mind towards it and put in the hard work,” he said.

“It’s so nice to hear that girls are saying to themselves that they want to be scientist and mathematicians and teachers.

“I like to think that I have a little something to do with that new attitude.”

A nationwide survey recently revealed women represent just 29 per cent of the university-qualified STEM workforce, with the Federal Government in January throwing its support behind the next generation of women by offering grants of up to $1 million to kickstart their careers in the fields.

In 2017, a national science blueprint warned that the number of school students doing science and maths subjects had fallen to its lowest level in decades.

The National Science Statement, released by the Federal Government, said Australia risked being unable to supply the skilled workforce needed for the future if the decline continued.