Geoscience Australia’s education program aims to spark curiosity, build geoscience literacy and inspire a life-long interest in science.

Engaging girls in STEMGeoscience Australia’s Girls in STEM Statement outlines our approach to increase female participation in science,

technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and identifies strategies to help us meet our commitment to girls in STEM. While Geoscience Australia’s broader education program serves all Australian students and teachers, we

recognise that some students face barriers to participation in STEM education and future STEM careers.

Girls in STEMGirls face particular barriers to STEM participation. Unconscious bias, gender stereotypes, and a lack of female role models greatly influence the decision of girls to enter and remain in STEM education and careers.1,2

The Earth sciences are more gender balanced in senior school than most science disciplines.3 However, as girls move further in their education, the disparity increases. Earth science enrolments at university drop to 39% for females, while the difference is even more marked in the vocational education stream with a ratio of 25% female to 75% male.3

Strengthening education programs to better support STEM teaching and learning will enable and encourage girls and women at all levels to study STEM courses, and equip them with the skills to participate in diverse STEM careers.

Girls in Earth science

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

MalesFemales

VocationalUniversityYear 12

Figure 1: While girls are better represented in Earth and Environmental studies than in other sciences there is still a gender imbalance.

Women in STEMIncreased diversity in STEM can improve economic performance and strengthen research impact.2

The changing landscapeSupporting STEM education at all levels ensures that Australians are able to participate in an increasingly science-driven society. Embedding science in Australian communities will deliver continuing economic and social benefits, vital to ensure the country’s ongoing prosperity.

It is widely acknowledged that girls, Indigenous, rural and regional students are under-represented in access and engagement with STEM education initiatives. Geoscience Australia is addressing gender equity and inclusion, including the complex challenges associated with improving the retention of women in science.

Geoscience Australia has identified the engagement of girls with STEM, particularly the Earth sciences, as a specific area of focus to be addressed within our education and outreach programs.

“Gender diverse businesses are more productive and prosperous, and industries with access to more employees with STEM skills are more adaptive and innovative...”

Advancing Women in STEM

As such, the Australian Government’s strategy for Advancing Women in STEM aims to increase gender equity in STEM education and careers, retaining and progressing girls and women through the STEM pipeline.2

Diversity & InclusionAs part of our commitment to improving gender equality in our organisation, we were awarded Athena SWAN Bronze Accreditation by the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative on the 20 February 2020. We are now committed to implementing a four-year Action Plan underpinning our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to continue building a workforce that embraces diversity, is inclusive and supportive of all people, and encourages our staff to be their most creative selves.

Geoscience Australia’s Education ProgramGeoscience Australia has been providing science education to students for over 20 years. Our onsite science programs and educational resources draw on current research and strategies to enhance STEM engagement and education for students and teachers alike.

“Attracting girls to STEM careers starts early in their education. Research shows that children begin to aspire to careers in early primary school.”

The Women in STEM Decadal Plan

Our co-educational programs already provide girls with exposure to strong science role models and engaging STEM experiences. They provide opportunities for girls to build confidence, science literacy and capability. They expose girls to real world science and challenge their perception of science careers.

Building on our existing programs and experience we have introduced targeted initiatives for girls aimed at increasing their awareness of, and engagement in, the opportunities that arise from studying STEM.

Strategies to engage girls in STEMGeoscience Australia has identified six key strategies to increase engagement and education of girls and young women in the Earth sciences.

Increasing visibilityGeoscience Australia increases the visibility of women in STEM through the delivery of curriculum-based education programs by female science-qualified educators. We also draw on Geoscience Australia science and technical staff to expose students to a variety of female subject matter experts, role models and career paths during specialist programs.

Educating teachersGeoscience Australia builds teacher confidence, capability and career awareness through geoscience-focussed professional development programs and mentoring of teachers. We also partner with the Australian Science Teachers Associations (ASTA) and Teacher Earth Science Education Programme (TESEP) to develop quality resources and training for science teachers, particularly non-specialist primary teachers.

Promoting STEM in a positive gender-neutral wayGeoscience Australia promotes STEM in a positive gender-neutral way by delivering education programs that feature both men and women subject matter experts and diverse role models.

Making science enjoyableGeoscience Australia makes science enjoyable and social via engaging programs, and accessible online resources that are customised and designed to meet the needs of specific audiences, including girls. Our focus on hands-on and inquiry-based learning provides a fun and engaging learning environment.

Building capacity through collaborationGeoscience Australia works with other science and community organisations to extend our reach to under-represented groups. Working collaboratively on STEM programs has cumulative benefits, including broader outreach possibilities, building community skills and capacity, and stronger relationships and linkages with our science peers and community.

Engaging the communityGeoscience Australia actively supports the involvement of passionate scientists in community engagement and outreach activities like school science fairs, community science initiatives and citizen science programs.

Future DirectionsGeoscience Australia’s co-educational programs already provide girls with exposure to quality science role models and engaging Earth science experiences. Our capacity building approach to programs designed specifically for girls has proven to be both successful and effective in delivering targeted engagement.

With Geoscience Australia’s diversity of female STEM experts we have an opportunity to expand our reach particularly in the mentoring, career advisory and teacher professional development spaces.

Research indicates that role models and mentoring are effective in addressing issues such as self-confidence and knowledge about careers for girls. Our continued attention to the primary and early secondary years will help to address issues of unconscious bias and stereotypes.

Engagement directly with teachers, particularly female teachers will enable us to address teacher confidence and competence in teaching Earth Science for all.

To increase the engagement of girls and other under represented groups in the Earth sciences, potential areas for future focus include:

• Developing career profiles featuring STEM women to highlight the diversity of career pathways available in the geosciences;

• Strengthening staff engagement in mentoring programs;

• Facilitating unconscious bias training for staff presenting to students;

• Providing access for teachers and students to a pool of highly engaging female STEM role models and subject matter experts;

• Supporting professional development of teachers through face-to-face and online approaches, and creating opportunities to expose teachers to a modern geoscience work environment including short-term placements within GA;

• Developing new teaching resources that maximise problem-based learning using real-world geoscience scenarios; and

• Supporting STEM engagement with students from rural and regional areas and Indigenous students, who are also known to be under represented in STEM education.

Figure 2: Our summer school programs give girls the opportunity to experience real world science here at Geoscience Australia.

2020STEM initiatives supported by Geoscience AustraliaGreenlight for GirlsGeoscience Australia has collaborated with other Australian science and technology agencies and companies, to deliver Greenlight for Girls@Canberra. Greenlight for Girls is an international program delivered world-wide by committed science agencies. This one-day girl focused event demonstrates the fun in science through hands on workshops and activities run by volunteer role models in STEM fields. In 2019 g4gDay@Canberra hosted 150 girls for a day of STEM inspired activities and workshops.

GEMS: Girls into Earth & Marine SciencesGeoscience Australia and the School of Earth Science at the Australian National University have partnered to deliver a program for girls focused on Earth and marine science. This one day workshop is aimed at Year 10 girls in the ACT. It showcases and introduces the students to the diverse range of Earth science topics. In 2018 GEMS hosted 37 Year 9 and 10 students, in 2019 a further 26 girls.

Curious MindsGeoscience Australia encourages and supports female staff to participate in the girls mentoring program Curious Minds. Curious Minds is aimed at highly capable girls in Years 9 and 10 who have an interest in STEM learning areas. The mentoring program matches girls with a female mentor. Together they construct personal goals for the student and complete a STEM project. A number of GA staff have acted as mentors as part of this program.

STEM WomenGeoscience Australia encourages female staff to register with the online directory of women in Australia working in STEM—STEM Women. STEM Women aims to promote gender equity in STEM by showcasing the breadth of scientific talent in Australia, enabling a diverse range of women to be offered exciting opportunities to progress their careers and personal capabilities.

Superstars of STEMGeoscience Australia supports female staff to nominate for Superstars of STEM. Superstars of STEM aims to break down society’s gender assumptions about scientists and increase the public visibility of women in STEM. Superstars of STEM was started to create a critical mass of Australian female scientists and technologists—role models for young women and girls—and to work towards equal representation in the media of women and men working in all fields in STEM. In 2019 Geoscience Australia had Dr Steph McLennan selected as a Superstar of STEM.

National Youth Science ForumThe NYSF delivers youth-led residential programs to encourage young people’s passion for science technology, engineering and maths. Geoscience Australia has supported its flagship Year 12 summer school program for the past 15 years. While NYSF is a co-ed program it is an example of a general STEM program that provides strong support for girls and other under-represented student groups. In 2019 NYSF provided 40 equity scholarships, 63% of participants were young women and 43% were remote and regional students. A number of GA staff are alumni of the program.

Figure 3: Students discover the wonders of Earth science at Geoscience Australia’s Education Centre.

Figure 4: Hands on science exploring sampling methods in the Geoscience Australia lab.

1. Advancing Women in STEM strategy, April 2019

2. The Women in STEM Decadal Plan, April 2019

3. National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Total VET students and courses. 2018.

References

For Further Information:P: +61 2 6249 9673 | E: education@ga.gov.auwww.ga.gov.au/education

© Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2020. This material is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.

GA

PP

-3542 | eCat 140025