STELR - Inspiring students to study science

CIGRE Australia seeks to encourage and promote interest in science and engineering among students and graduates. 

The Australian National Committee has contributed to the STELR programme (Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance) which was designed at the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering to improve understanding of science, technology, engineering and maths education across Australia and New Zealand.

The programme is a hands-on curriculum project designed for Year 9 and 10 students on the theme of renewable energy and global warming to encourage more students into these areas.  The sponsorship was granted in 2013 to support both Australian and New Zealand schools for provision of working kits which demonstrated renewable energy technology.

The programme’s renewable energy kits provide hands-on workshops for solar, wind and hydroelectricity. Brian Sturman, the Head of Science at Tawa College said, "The kits really engage students because they support a hands-on enquiry style of learning.  Students are interested in the environment and sustainability so the kits provide a relevant context for learning, particularly with a wind farm (Mill Creek) being constructed near Tawa."

This photo below shows some of the students using equipment at a recent session delivered by Peter Pentland (STELR Project and Education Programme Manager from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering) at Tawa College in Wellington, New Zealand.

As a CIGRE member, Transpower have been supporting and helping implement the programme in New Zealand.

For more information on the STELR project go to this link.