The winner of the STANSW Young Scientist of the Year Award and three of her Young Scientist team-mates won Grand Awards at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), in Phoenix, Arizona. STANSW is the Science Teachers' Association of NSW.

Jade Moxey (left), who recently presented her investigation ‘The Spread of Seeds through Cattle’ to a Science Advisory Group at BOSTES, was one of four students who won a Grand Award at the largest school science fair in the world. Jade, a Year 11 student at Sapphire Coast Anglican School, reports “from the opening ceremony, to the mixer event, to the Grand Awards, each and every second was uniquely special and will be cherished forever!"

The other NSW students who received Grand Awards were Macinley Butson (Illawarra Grammar School), Aniruddh Chennapragada (James Ruse Agricultural High School) and Nga Nguyen (Sydney Girls High School). James Poyitt (Redeemer Baptist School) also won a four-year scholarship, worth $48,000 USD to the University of Arizona.

BOSTES Science Inspector, Kerry Sheehan, praised their achievement. "It is wonderful to see our talented and innovative young students being celebrated like this. I hope this international endorsement of their work will give other budding NSW scientists confidence to pursue their passion."

With only 26% of the 1767 students from 77 countries winning a Grand Award, the coordinator of the STANSW Young Scientist Awards, Stuart Garth, described the six-strong team’s performance as a “tremendous and significant boost for STEM education in NSW”.

With the respective professional teachers’ associations for Mathematics (MANSW) and Technology (IIATE), joining forces with Science (STANSW) in the promotion of the new Working Mathematically, Working Technologically and Working Scientifically categories of the 2016 Young Scientist Awards, the future of STEM education in NSW is looking bright.

Further information about the STANSW Young Scientist Awards scheme can be found on their website or contact their email address.

For more information, contact:
Kerry Sheehan
Inspector, Science
kerry.sheehan@bostes.nsw.edu.au
(02) 9367 8144