How many female scientists are mentioned in high school science curricula here in Australia? This question kicks off today’s Teacher Staffroom podcast that highlights some of the key articles, podcasts and infographics we’ve published this month that celebrate women and girls in STEM.

Each year, the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science Teaching recognise the critical role primary and secondary school educators play in inspiring and encouraging students to take up an interest and consider careers in STEM. Last night, Judith Stutchbury and Donna Buckley were named winners of the 2023 prizes.

In this episode from our Global Education podcast series, we’re venturing to New Zealand’s South Island, to find out about the Central Otago Youth Employment Program, which is keeping Year 11 program in high school while setting them up for job success.

In the latest episode of our podcast series, The Research Files, we spoke with Dr Kathryn Ross about the gender bias evident in Australian high school science curricula. In this article, we speak with primary school STEM teacher Megan Hayes about how she ensures her students learn about the contributions of Australian female scientists in order to improve girls’ participation in STEM.

The 2023 winners of the annual Australian STEM Video Game Challenge have just been announced. This year, students in years 4-12 created their own video games inspired by the theme ‘construction and destruction’. In this article, we share the winning entries.

It's well-known that women are underrepresented in participation in STEM education and the STEM workforce. The 2021 Youth in STEM study surveyed participants about their awareness and perception of STEM subjects and careers. As this infographic shows, the findings reveal age is important for girls when it comes to interest in studying engineering.

‘Addressing the gender imbalance in digital technologies education and careers is an important goal. The research highlighted several areas where educators can contribute.’ Research from ACER for CSIRO has identified several factors that could support greater engagement of young women in digital technologies education. Find out more in this article.

In the second of 3 articles about research into Problem Based Learning in schools, teachers involved in the project discuss how it has enabled them to reconsider their classroom practice and the conditions necessary for meaningful STEM learning.

The Australian space economy is set to triple in size and create another 20,000 jobs by 2030. In this article, we speak to Dr Scott Sleap, the latest recipient of the Park Family Churchill Fellowship, about the work he is doing to inspire young people to consider careers in space.

The latest winners of the annual Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science teaching are George Pantazis from Marble Bar Primary School in Western Australia, and Veena Nair from Viewbank College in Victoria. They both join us in this episode to discuss the work they’ve been recognised for.