Work Experience & ‘Next Gen’ science for next generation GISS Scientists.

In Term 2, all Year 10 students undertook two weeks of workplace experience in companies and organisations of their choice. Scout and Kerem from Year10A spent this time at Aegros, a Macquarie Park plasma fractionator company.

With less than 10% of students choosing STEM classes, Aegros was doing its part to nurture a budding interest in science in the two Year 10 students from GISS.

Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths, collectively known as STEM, are vital sectors for Australia’s future.

The environmental, social, and economic changes of the 21st century, including climate change, integrating technological changes into society, and creating a sustainable and interconnected world of opportunities for future populations, will all require the advanced STEM skills and understandings to solve them. Despite being critical to Australia’s future, industries are already flagging that the future workforce will likely face skill shortages and recruitment challenges in key STEM areas.

“Showing students what goes on in a commercial laboratory environment, complete with clean rooms, commercial grade equipment, and which produces world-leading innovations and research, can show students the career options available to them, and how STEM workers can have a real impact; in our case on patients’ lives.”  said Dr Hari Nair, Co-founder of Aegros.

Scout and Kerem learnt about Quality Control (QC) protocols and how to maintain compliance with Australia’s therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) licensing. They performed genuine research tasks involving a range of laboratory techniques such as gel-electrophoresis to separate and visualise protein bands, just like on CSI. In addition, they also used Aegros’ proprietary technologies to extract proteins of medical importance from blood plasma; it’s ‘next gen’ science for the next generation of scientists.

I was so grateful for the opportunity to spend two weeks at Aegros learning about their product, and at the same time gaining practical experience from working in a lab. I have always had an interest in science, and my placement has given me a better idea of what I want to study in university, which will help with my subject choices next year.
The team there were extremely welcoming, but they also pushed us and challenged us every day to attempt things outside our comfort zone. It was really valuable insight into a role that I don’t think I would have otherwise had the opportunity to experience.  - Scout. 

The amazing time I spent working in Aegros really gave me a lot of insight in STEM and the workplace, I think I am lucky to have experienced this and worked in a lab of such detail.
Thanks so much to the Aegros scientists for letting us stay in the lab and teaching us an immense amount about the STEM workplace, this really was an experience I don't plan on forgetting.
Overall, my time in Aegros Therapeutics was well spent and I learned a lot of Biology that even university students wouldn’t get to learn. - Kerem
 

Work Experience is an important part of the German and NSW school curriculum. It takes students out of the school environment, placing them in workplaces where they can gain a hands-on taste of the work life their parents and the other adults they know engage in day to day.

“Research and Development (R&D) is an integral activity at Aegros; we answer todays’ problems and prepare for the future. The GISS students are part of that future and we’re delighted to nurture their budding passion for STEM with hands-on R&D activities.” said Prof. John Foster, R&D Director at Aegros.

Mechtilde Broehl-Foster