Elizabeth Blackburn School of Sciences launched

VOICE: How will the Elizabeth Blackburn School of Sciences contribute to the learning and teaching of the sciences?

Field Rickards (FR): The new science school is not just a training facility for the next generation of scientists, but also a science education laboratory where we can investigate different teaching techniques and see what is effective. 

The Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) has had an extraordinary partnership with University High School for six years – it’s been a fundamental component of development of our innovative Master of Teaching program. 

Tony Bacic (TB): Developments in science and technology are taking place faster than the education system can respond.  At the Elizabeth Blackburn School of Sciences (EBSS) we are working to counter these trends by increasing the number and level of performance of school and university science, maths and engineering graduates and their teachers.

VOICE: Who can attend the school and what are the requirements to get in? 

TB: The select entry sub school of University High caters for 200 high performing and passionate students in year 11 and 12, in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and is open to students across Victoria.

VOICE: What is the vision for the school in how it will contribute to Victoria?

TB: The Elizabeth Blackburn School of Sciences will build access for the University in a socially inclusive way to high achieving secondary school students who are interested in science and maths. The school will make a significant contribution to the University’s goals for engagement with the local community.

Inspiring the next generation of scientists and teachers is the fundamental basis to the school’s vision. By improving science education at both the school and university level, the EBSS is a great investment in helping keep Victoria (and Australia) globally competitive, by increasing the number and quality of people in science.

VOICE: What is the benefit of the school's location at Bio21 Institute site and what is unique about the building? 

TB: The Bio21 Institute’s vision is to develop an environment that connects ‘school to bench to workplace’. By co-locating the EBSS at the Bio21 Institute site we are able to facilitate the development of relationships between school students, teachers and scientists at the University and the Parkville Precinct. This not only exposes students and teachers to the types of professions and career options available in science but also provides insight into the latest in scientific discovery and translation as well as cutting-edge technologies used to drive innovation.

The new school is an outstanding, state-of-the-art facility. Purpose-built, it includes two lecture theatres, science laboratories and multiple break-out spaces for both formal and informal learning. The design caters for an environment that supports the needs of senior science students.

An exciting inclusion is a geothermal heating and cooling pilot system that will also be a living experiment for students as they monitor data generated.

VOICE: Is the teaching program at the school unique? 

TB: EBSS is an innovative teaching and learning environment that will assist students to transition from school to higher education. This is further enhanced by incorporating programs that allow them to be part of the broader scientific community and by providing each student with a science mentor for their extended research project.

VOICE: How will the school contribute to the learning experiences of MGSE Masters of Teaching Students?

FR: The Master of Teaching is unique in that it focuses on teaching as a professional, clinical practice that uses evidence-based interventions to meet the needs of the individual learner.

MGSE candidates who are drawn to teaching science will be able to do their placements at the EBSS. There, they will experience teaching for the first time in an environment where the students are there because they love science too.

In addition to that, they will be working alongside the researchers from the Bio21 Institute who are mentoring the students. So effectively, the researchers will deliver the science, and teachers will deliver the pedagogy – the science of teaching – and they will learn from each other and from the student at the EBSS.

VOICE: How important are scientists as figureheads in secondary education?

TB: Scientists play a vital role in engaging students, teachers and the broader community. They provide insights into the wide range of science disciplines and the significant impact science has in tackling some of society’s major challenges. As science mentors, they will not only inspire the next generation but help foster a future workforce of high achieving scientists for Victoria.

The Elizabeth Blackburn School of Sciences is the result of a partnership between the University of Melbourne, University High School and the Victorian State Government, and is located at the Bio21 Institute site. Applications for 2015 are currently being accepted. For more information visit http://www.unihigh.vic.edu.au/

Elizabeth Blackburn is a professor of biology and physiology at the University of California (San Francisco) and a graduate of both University High School and the University of Melbourne. She is Australia’s first female and 11th Nobel Laureate. She was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in the field of Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of the way chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.

Read more about Professor Blackburn’s views on women in science at: 

www.research.mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/news/women-outside-box