Science Victoria Magazine

Learning and applying scientific concepts isn’t confined to a high school class or a capital city – there are opportunities to engage with STEMM fields right across our state. This month, we look at the education, engagement, and application of STEMM in Victoria. Also in this edition, we celebrate National Science Week 2024 (10 - 18 August), and showcase some of the events on offer in-person and online.

A solid foundational understanding of science and the scientific method is an increasingly valuable tool. Whether it be adapting our communities and industries to the changing climate, pursuing a career in a STEMM field, or using critical thinking to review the quality and value of information, building the level of scientific competency in our state is essential for our collective future.

The impacts of human-driven climate change are increasingly visible. Temperature records are being repeatedly broken, extreme weather events are increasing in frequency, ice sheets are melting, and coastal communities increasingly under threat. In this edition, we focus on climate change in our corner of the planet, and what needs to be done to avoid reaching a point of no return.

If only one group of people encountered barriers in accessing STEMM education and careers, we might consider that group as an outlier. However, when many different groups of people encounter multiple barriers related to access and inclusion in STEMM, it suggests a systemic issue rather than isolated and unrelated incidents.

Climate Change. Loss of Biodiversity and Extinction. Pollution. The Rise of Misinformation. In this edition, we focus on these four human-driven crises that currently threaten life on Earth, and what needs to be done to meaningfully address them.

Victoria is home to more than a thousand native animal species, but as at June 2023, 378 of these are under threat of extinction (FFG Act Threatened List, June 2023). As with our unique flora, the pressures from climate change risk this number rising unless we act. In this edition, we look at the value of and threats to our native animals.

The February 2024 edition of Science Victoria is focused on the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). From speech recognition and search algorithms, to the many types of machine learning models that can recognise patterns in data, AI is poised to fundamentally change the course of humanity. For better or worse, we must come to terms with how best to utilise and govern these incredible new tools in our work, education and play. We also take in lessons on Green Chemistry, and new techniques for dating the age of humankind's earliest ancestors.