Science camp for rural Wairarapa girls

GIRL POWER: The free Science Workshop held at Solway College last year for primary schoolgirls from throughout Wairarapa, which was the predecessor of the upcoming two-day science Camp Sol-Sci. PHOTO/FILE

Solway College is to run a science camp mainly targeting girls from rural Wairarapa schools as part of the $1 million first round of the Unlocking Curious Minds pilot fund.

Rozleen Chand, Solway College head of science and lead organiser for the camp, said the two-day event would be held at the college on July 6-7 and involve 48 participants, aged from 10-12, from Wairarapa schools.

The Sol-Sci camp, which would cost each participant $155, was aimed at girls in rural and semi-rural schools in particular, she said - "who otherwise have limited opportunities to learn what science might be like as a subject in secondary school".

Mrs Chand said William Levack, who is associate dean of research and postgraduate studies for the Wellington campus of the University of Otago and has children attending Solway College, would be the lead researcher, and research adviser Christine Groves would help with project management.

The course would be built about STEM - science, technology, engineering and maths - activities, Mrs Chand said, and would also involve Department of Conservation and Civil Defence personnel, Wairarapa ecology researcher Joseph Potangaroa, and staff at Stonehenge Aotearoa, where an evening element of the camp would be held as an introduction to astronomy and anthropology.

Other activities will include introductions to biology, microbiology, engineering, applied physics and chemistry, translational research, genetics, environmental sciences and ecology, information technology and the science of magic.

Mrs Chand said Solway College had funded and run a highly successful one-day camp at the school last year. Dr Levack had developed the concept for the two-day camp and helped win almost $6500 from the Unlocking Curious Minds fund to help operate the upcoming camp.

"This year we applied for funding from the Government and we were really lucky to be successful. It really helps a lot. People from Otago University will back us up and we will have their expertise backing us up over the two days, along with staff from the school who will be volunteering their time as well."

Schools will be approached to nominate up to five pupils each for the camp, especially from towns and settlements including Pahiatua, Pongaroa, Eketahuna, Masterton, Castlepoint, Riversdale, Tinui, Carterton, Greytown, Featherston, Martinborough, Pirinoa, Lake Ferry and Ngawi.

"Girls are a particularly important group to target for programmes like this. While the number of women involved in science-related careers has been increasing, women are still significantly under-represented in the workforce for science professions when career paths in medicine and veterinary sectors are excluded," Mrs Chand said.

"We had a lot of success with the camp last year and there are students who are still talking about it, at Solway and out in the community, and we get a lot of positive feedback on our Facebook page as well because we're doing this purely for the community and Wairarapa region."

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce last week announced the successful applicants for the $1 million Unlocking Curious Minds scheme, which offers two levels of grants.