In the Loop

Learning at school may teach you about science and maths, but it

can’t give you a real feel for what working in a science career is actually like.

But The Sci-Tech Experience, a taster course for senior students, can. The

three-day course is run out of Auckland University of Technology but also takes

in Unitec and Manukau Institute of Technology. It showcases ‘science on the

job’ — from engineering to biology to robotics.

One student who attended last year is Sa’o Foutanu, 16, from Auckland’s

McAuley High School. She says she got a lot out of the course.

Sa’o was really taken with the toy robots she saw on the course.

“There were heaps and heaps of students there, and they showed you

the different degrees on offer, such as engineering. It was really cool.”

Sa’o was really taken with the toy robots she saw on the course. These

were made out of Lego but had small microprocessors in them, so you could

control them from a computer and get them to move, she says.

The students also got to dissect a sheep’s heart and see how it works —

something Sa’o says students don’t really get to do at school.

“You don’t really know what you are getting yourself into with a career. When

you actually do it, it’s different. It’s a hands-on experience at Sci-Tech and it

tells you if this career is what you’d like to do or not.

“You have to be passionate about what you do. Sci-Tech makes you look at

subjects from the different perspective of what you actually have to do in a career.”

Another student who attended an earlier Sci-Tech says there was a lot of

emphasis on how practical engineering careers are, and how you don’t have to

get bogged down in theory. This could appeal to the hands-on kind of student,

rather than the intellectual. She thought it was as valuable to find out what you

wouldn’t really like doing as a career, as what you would like. Sci-Tech led to her

choose a university physics course rather than engineering.

Although Sa’o is still not sure what career she might like to pursue, she

strongly recommends Sci-Tech. “If anyone out there is interested in

science they should definitely go.” Interested? Sci-Tech runs from 8 to

10 July. It is open to students from the wider Auckland region and Northland.

It costs $75 and financial help for students who might need it (especially

if they come from out of town and need accommodation) is available through

your school’s careers teacher. You can also check out The Sci-Tech

Experience website: www.sci-tech.org.nz

These were made out of Lego but had small microprocessors in them,

so you could control them from a computer and get them to move

Activ8