”China’s leadership isn’t big on religion. And apparently they don’t see any upside in war. They handle their money wisely. They put a lot of energy into building infrastructure. And they care more about stability than human rights. In other words, they value efficiency over feelings. It’s exactly the way you’d expect a bunch of engineers to run a country. Obviously this approach has served China well.”

Food for thought.

The mathstars were Andrew Price (Melbourne) and Sampson Wong (Sydney) picking up gold, with other teammates picking up one silver, two bronze and an honourable mention.

Australia finished 23rd out of 104 nations. The top positions were taken out by neighbours China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and North Korea. New Zealand finished 66th.

Well done to the team, you have made Australia proud! More info and the full medal tally is available at the Australian Mathematics Trust site.

(Source & Image: Australian Mathematics Trust)

For some top students their scientific knowledge has become their passport to don the Green and Gold and compete for Australia.

The International Science Olympiad is a program where top science students compete in a range of subject areas. This year the Physics students will head to Mexico, Chemistry students to the UK, Biology students to Japan and Infomatics students to Bulgaria.

Last year Australia picked up two gold, six silver and four bronze medals. Good luck to this year’s Olympians and let’s see if we can do better!

(Source: Brisbane Times | Image: Brisbane Times)

Now working in the field of structural engineering she has been involved with the design and construction of hundreds of bridges through Queensland and the NT.

Have a read of her profile in the Brisbane Times.

‘Anything is possible when you follow your passion…’ That’s the message from the new campaign from the South Australian Government designed to encourage students to study maths and science and look to future careers in the field.

The campaign includes an interactive website, career ambassadors and a competition to win an ultimate worksite visit.

SA Deputy Premier, Kevin Foley announced, “We need more students thinking about careers in science, engineering and technology, as well as the mechanical, electrical and construction trades.” Adding, “Choosing the right subjects in the final years of high school is a vital prerequisite to working in these dynamic sectors.”

South Australia has a high demand for these industries, particularly due to defence, research, information technology and mining sectors.

This is an excellent resource for anyone considering their future. This campaign has the same core goals as EngVibe, so we’re big fans. Check it out, the main site is here:

 www.TheresMoreToIt.com.au

Overall, this is an outstanding initiative by the SA Government.

(Source: SouthAustralia.biz | Image: TheresMoreToIt)

Is this to be expected? There is always going to be the group of top students who do well in a range of subjects and then settle on the area that interests them most. No doubt the contrast does also exist where some students perform well in English and then choose to study in engineering or science.

The proposed solutions include making the sciences more appealing and fun for student and to improve the understanding of the career pathways in scientific fields. Agreed.

(Source: AdelaideNow | Image: TheTruthAbout)

There are four scholarships available, one to be awarded to a female engineer in each of four regional groups: NSW/ACT, VIC/TAS, QLD and WA/NT/SA.

Scholarship

Each scholarship is for $5,000 towards leadership development activities or programs.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply:

• You must be an Australian Citizen or have Permanent Resident status
• You must have a recognised engineering qualification and a minimum of five years experience post qualification
• You must be currently working in Australia
• You must be female

Submitting an application

To apply for this scholarship, you need to provide the following information:

• Your CV (maximum 2 pages)
• An essay addressing the topic of “Looking Forward, Looking Back”, as related to your engineering careers, previous experiences and leadership aspirations (maximum 2 pages)
• A proposal for the use of the scholarship funds to assist your leadership development (maximum 1 page)
• A reference from your current employer supporting your application (maximum 1 page)
• Specify which Regional award you are applying for

To apply, forward your application to: CEW WIE Scholarship Program, c/o The Executive Officer, Chief Executive Women, Level 12, 37 Bligh Street, Sydney.

Applications close:  31st May 2009

(Source: Engineers Australia | Image by LynasUK)

He conducted an experiment where he associated a beacon with the feeding of fish. Over a period of three weeks he would feed the fish and activate the beacon. Six days later he returned the beacon and found the fish had retained the memory.

An interesting school science project - read the full article from the Sydney Morning Herald.

(Image by kakki)

The award, which was selected on academics, leadership, community and cultural participation, will assist Rhys as he heads to Griffith Uni to study a Bachelor of Engineering.

“I’m very maths-science orientated,” said Rhys who chose engineering ahead of other options including medicine or humanities.

A high-achiever, Rhys already has his next major goal in mind - a university medal. We have no doubts he’ll get there.

(Source: Ipswich News)

Simone was the first indigenous student to graduate from the university’s Bachelor in Pharmaceutical Studies program.

Congrats to Simone, it is excellent to see young science types being recognised at this level!

(Source: NT News)