Griffith Uni is giving science teachers the cutting-edge research and skills to inspire their students to be scientists of the future.
TheScience on the GO!‘Cutting Edge STEM Professional Development Day for Teachers and Scientific Operations Officers’ was held across the Nathan and Gold Coast campuses this week.
Griffith is a leading institution in the field of science and Cutting Edge aims to inspire teachers to equip their students with the skills required for a successful career. Griffith contributes to the science field and STEM agenda through real people and real stories that teachers and their kids can relate to.
The conference aims to develop participant confidence with regards to knowledge and skills in the areas of cutting-edge science and science education to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes in the classroom setting.
![Participants exploring new science resources and research.](https://news.griffith.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Picture1-300x200.png)
Participants exploring new science resources and research.
Expert knowledge
Griffith School of Environment PhD Candidate, Mariel Familiar-López, ran a biology workshop on the best methods for ‘Specimen preparation in the lab’ across both campuses. There were a range of other workshops including ‘Physics projects in STEM’, ‘Parkinson’s disease: new genes, drugs & adventures’ and ‘DNA Mugshots’, among many others.
![Specimen dissection and preparation.](https://news.griffith.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Picture3-300x168.png)
Specimen dissection and preparation.
Dr Lara Herrero, Future Research Leader from the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith was the keynote speaker for the conference. In 2004, Dr Herrero was diagnosed with Ross River Virus, and a decade later her research now focuses on similar arboviruses to prevent others from suffering as she did.
Emily de la Pena, Advance Queensland’s 2016 Community Digital Champion from Coding Kids delivered the Nathan campus closing address and Associate Professor Adam Brumm from the Environmental Futures Research Institute at Griffith delivered the Gold Coast campus closing address.