News – 29 October 2019
Science Talent Search 2019
Since 2018, Humanists Victoria has been supporting young students with developing their science talents through sponsorship of the annual Science Talent Search (STS). This science-based competition is open to all students enrolled in Years Foundation to 12 in both Government and non-Government Schools in Victoria. In 2019, the theme for contestants was Destination Moon: More Missions, More Science. An incredible 3,271 excited students from 165 schools entered their work in the competition. Students had a choice of 10 sections in which to enter:
- Computer Programs
- Games
- Science Photography
- Posters – Scientific Wall Charts
- Working Models
- Inventions
- Experimental Research
- Creative Writing
- Video Productions
- Class Experimental Research Project
As an organization heavily committed to the leveraging of science to solving social and global problems, Humanists Victoria is proud to support these awards. With our sponsorship, we are encouraging young students to work collaboratively on today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. Through the inspiration of these awards, these citizens and scientists of tomorrow are communicating their achievements to a wide audience. We especially seek to encourage young girls and women to become scientists and teachers of science.
This year, the awards were presented on Monday 28 October in the Union Hall at La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus. Leslie Allan (Vice President), Rosslyn Ives (Victorian Humanist Editor and Past President) and Stephen Stuart (Secretary and Past President) attended the exhibitions and awards. They were very impressed by the amount of effort put into the displays and the outstanding quality of the student exhibitions. Meeting up with a number of students and their parents and teachers, they heard first hand the enthusiasm these budding scientists felt for this year’s space theme. Perhaps a Victorian will lead the team designing the next lunar module or discovering what kinds of plants will grow on the Moon.
Rosslyn Ives received many notes of thanks from appreciative students. Some snippets are:
I would like to give my greatest sincere gratitude to your Sponsorship of the Science Talent Search. Thank you so much for providing me with your encouragement and support, I honestly cannot show how much I appreciate your help.
Thank you so much for sponsoring the bursary. I really enjoyed completing the project.
I was very excited and grateful to have won a Minor Bursary in the Middle Primary – Poster section. I really enjoyed putting together the project and will put the money in my bank account.
This prize money is my first ever award for Science and I am very excited because Science is my favourite subject. … I hope I become a great scientist one day.
This year, our Humanists Victoria sponsorship provided bursaries to 29 students.
Awards sponsored by Humanists Victoria in 2019
| Student Name/s | School | Project Title | Bursary |
| Kateryna Zikou Jayda Wong | Balwyn Primary School | How to Build a Lunar Home | $30 |
| Anh Ngo | Brighton Primary School | The Dark Side of the Moon | $35 |
| Bethany Orme | Camberwell Girls Grammar School | Moonrise | $60 |
| Seneja Alles Melissa Ludwick | Carwatha College | The Future Moon | $40 |
| Nikita Dhar | Creekside K-9 College | Our Body Connectors – The Joints | $40 |
| Ruby De Silva Jasmine Gellie | Eltham East Primary School | Destination Moon – Then, Now, Next | $35 |
| Darcy Doolan | Fitzroy North Primary School | How to Build a Lunar Home | $30 |
| Stella Karvelas Harriet Lung | Fitzroy North Primary School | I Dig the Moon | $40 |
| Vishnu Bhimaraju | Glendal Primary School | Exploring the Moon | $30 |
| Ethan Wai | Glendal Primary School | Destination Moon | $35 |
| Sandaru Suraweera Arachchilage | Good News Lutheran College | Walking on the Moon | $25 |
| Ishita Jajpura | Haileybury | Lunar Farming – Food on the Moon! | $50 |
| Eshini Siriwardhena | Haileybury | Living on the Moon, One Surprise after Another | $40 |
| Georgia Konstantinidis | Koonung Secondary College | The Dark Side of the Moon | $40 |
| Alana Young | Koonung Secondary College | Creative Writing | $40 |
| Brianna Hulston Madeline Ballerini-Willis | Livingstone Primary School | Why Do We Only See One Side of the Moon? | $40 |
| Ilya Zyuzin | Mckinnon Secondary College | Delta Moon | $45 |
| Angelina Lian | Presbyterian Ladies’ College | Westgate Park Pink Lake | $50 |
| Saloni Patkar | Presbyterian Ladies’ College | Dear Moon, We’re Staying… | $50 |
| Leah Xynos | Shelford Girls’ Grammar | Dear Moon, We’re Staying | $40 |
| Tom Jacob | Solway Primary School | How to Build a Lunar Home | $30 |
| Coen Bulte | St Margaret’s School | Moon Dust Dilemma | $50 |
| Amara Spiteri | The Grange | Smart Hearts | $50 |
| Matthew Schena | Yarra Valley Grammar School | Colonising the Moon | $40 |
Resources:
Download Humanists Victoria List of Awards
Download Science Talent Search Bursary Book 2019
Report by Leslie Allan
