Australian Science Innovations - Informing Gender Strategy for Australian Science Olympiad Program

Help to improve the Olympiad program, supporting diversity in STEM across Australia.

label Opportunity type
College approved Internship
schedule Application date
14 Mar 2024 | 9am - 2 Apr 2024 | 11:59pm
school Level
Bachelor
Master

About

Australian Science Innovations (ASI) is one of Australia’s leading providers of innovative and challenging science programs, competitions and residential camps for high achievers.  Our vision is to contribute to building Australia’s scientific community through inspiring and developing our best science students.  

Project: Informing Gender Strategy for Australian Science Olympiad Program

Internship details

Internship Availability

Semester 2, 2024

Internship Discipline/s
  • Science communication
  • All sciences

Internship Level

2nd yr or 3rd yr undergraduate; or postgraduate coursework

Available to International Students

Yes

Preferred Project Skills:
  • Strong oral communication, including interview skills
  • Strong written communication skills
  • Research skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Critical thinking skills

Clearances Required

ACT Working With Vulnerable People check. 

See: https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/s/article/working-with-vulnerable-people-wwvp-registration-tab-overview

Host Supervisor

Vanessa Kates

Executive Director, Australian Science Innovations

E: ed@asi.edu.au

T: 0493 961 829

Location

It is preferable that the position is based in the ASI office, however, flexibility to work remotely once established can be negotiated.  The ASI office is located in the ANU Research School of Physics, 60 Mills Rd, ANU.

Project Opportunities/Benefits for the Intern

We are a small, fun and friendly team that does big things for science education in Australia. You’ll gain experience working in an office environment and gain an understanding of the nuances related to working for a not-for-profit organisation. This project is important to our strategic priorities and your work will become practical measures that help refine and improve our Olympiad program, supporting diversity in STEM across Australia.

Summary:

The Australian Science Olympiad Program tests and trains Australia’s brightest students, with the ultimate aim of selecting four Australian teams to compete at a International Science Olympiad, in either Biology, Chemistry, Earth science or Physics. Broadly, the program consists of three stages:

  1. Australian Science Olympiad Exam (ASOE) – sat by around 6,000 students.
  2. Summer School – our residential training school, for the top eligible 96 students.
  3. International competition – three teams of four students and one team of five students.

We believe that, on average, the male to female participation rate of the ASOE is roughly 50:50, but that this skews to favour males for Summer School participation, and the International Olympiad Teams further skew.

We’d like to know why.

Your challenge is to:

  1. Discover the trends of participation across the three stages of the Olympiad Program, in the context of gender.
  2. Analyse ASO exam questions against contemporary research on gender bias in exams.
  3. Provide feedback to ASI as to baseline data on gender representation in the three stages of the Australian Olympiad Programs and present research findings.

You will be required to present your findings as a 20-minute presentation to the Executive Director, ANU Intern Supervisor, and other key ASI and/or ANU staff, supported by a written report.