Secret Life of STEM
13 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -Surprising stories behind STEM careers. A podcast from the University of Melbourne exploring the fears, hopes, and misconceptions about studying and working in STEM.
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Episodes
BONUS: Spaghetti Machine & Endeavour Exhibition
December 03, 2020 04:15 - 26 minutesWe're back for a final bonus episode! In 2018, Secret Life of STEM visited two events: the Spaghetti Machine competition, and the Endeavour exhibition. Both events encompass Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, and are hosted at the University of Melbourne for different age groups. If you're in Year 10, the Spaghetti Machine competition is for you - by participating you'll join a team of fellow students and build an overly complex machine that performs a simple task. If you're a mas...
A STEM of advice
January 31, 2020 06:00 - 20 minutesWe’re back! After a brief hiatus, we’re proud to unleash our series finale: A STEM of Advice. It’s our most jam-packed episode yet, featuring tips and tricks from almost every guest we’ve interviewed so far. Our guests will take you through their greatest STEM achievements - and their greatest failings - in order to prepare you for your own upcoming adventures. Still unsure about a career in STEM? Feeling worried about your studies? Fear not - these reactions are normal, and will soon pass. ...
BONUS: In conversation with Alan Finkel, Chief Scientist of Australia
October 17, 2019 02:00 - 23 minutesIn this special bonus episode of Secret Life of STEM, our resident Science Advisor Dr Andi Horvath speaks to Australia’s Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel. Listen in as Alan Finkel talks about his inspirations and biggest tips for aspiring scientists, and answers year 10’s burning STEM questions. That’s right, you submitted your questions, and now Alan Finkel has the answers. What is Alan Finkel’s earliest ‘STEMmory’? What challenges has he overcome in his career? What advice would he give his y...
Growing pop cultures
September 25, 2019 23:00 - 23 minutesFuturists often use popular science-fiction stories to predict future STEM trends. Many technologies previously seen only on Star Trek and similar shows have now become everyday objects, like the iPad. Can you think of something you use today that might have come out of a sci-fi movie in the past? Also in this episode, we ask who or what inspired you to undertake STEM studies - did you have a favourite science character growing up? Or perhaps it was your teacher! We brought in the hosts of s...
STEM in society
September 12, 2019 02:30 - 30 minutesWant to use STEM to build a better, brighter future? You better listen up! The world of STEM is rapidly changing, just like you will be. In this episode, we speak to politicians, journalists, researchers, lecturers, event planners, and students about the big picture - that is, how STEM fits into society and the world beyond. So if you’re curious about where STEM research ends up once a paper is published, or how interactive experiments can help make the world smarter, our influential guests ...
STEM gets down to business
August 28, 2019 14:00 - 28 minutesHow do you turn your STEM studies into a living wage? Or even better - how do you turn your golden STEM idea into actual gold? You might just find out in this episode of Secret Life of STEM. We talk to select entrepreneurs from the Melbourne Accelerator Program, a start up fund that helps grow Australian businesses. These people combined their knowledge of STEM and business, and are now using it to improve the world with the companies Beyond Ag and Curvecrete. You’ll also hear from a teacher...
STEM: Will I fit in?
August 14, 2019 14:00 - 29 minutes“I want to have a career in STEM - but will I fit in?” - this is a question on the minds of many young STEM students! And for good reason: for many years, the fields of STEM have been overwhelmingly dominated by workers who are straight, male and white. But it’s been proven that the best and most effective teams are diverse teams - whether they are diverse in race, gender, sexuality, ability or neurodiversity. Diversity brings together many different perspectives, which allows for more effic...
How to support your STEM student
July 31, 2019 14:00 - 23 minutesSo, you’re near the end of high school and you’ve started to look at options for tertiary STEM study. A natural step is to attend a university open day. But how are you going to make the most of your time? And what if your parents are pushing you in a different direction? In this episode, you will hear from students and parents who are getting ready to navigate the next university open day, or have already been there, done it, and bought the postcard. You’ll also get some insider tips on nav...
STEM for Artsy Types
July 17, 2019 14:00 - 23 minutesSTEM is a multidisciplinary pursuit. The truth is you can’t separate the Arts and Humanities from the Sciences, nor the Sciences from the Arts. It’s particularly exciting to see the Arts and Sciences collide. In this episode, you will meet women using both the science and the arts to weave together fascinating careers. You’ll discover that when multidisciplinary teams work together, they come up with extraordinary things. It's very likely if you work as a scientist you will work with artsy ...
What else can I do with STEM?
July 03, 2019 14:00 - 25 minutesWhat if you like science subjects but are not too sure you are the lab science type? The ‘future you’ may take a path like one of the guests in this episode. They have one thing in common, they started in science but changed gear and completely reinvented their careers. One thing is for sure a STEM background was key to their new adventures in law, business, politics and journalism. Studying STEM allows you to combine it with your other interests for jobs that probably haven't been invente...
Future proof your career
June 19, 2019 14:00 - 30 minutesEpisode Two: Future proof your career The Future is STEM. Find out if it’s true. In this episode of The Secret Life of STEM, you’ll hear from creative robotics students at the Los Angeles-based Marlborough School. Listen in if you’re curious about prerequisites and flexibility in university courses, and discover how university can offer experiences (like volunteering) to fine-tune your communication and leadership skills. These are all assets for future you! Sure, you can plan a solid car...
Where Can STEM Take Me?
June 05, 2019 14:00 - 20 minutesSTEM careers can take you around the world and back again. Find out why these people have ventured to extraordinary places. Like most things in life, careers don’t always have a clear and straightforward path. Meet Frances Separovic who was from a poor migrant family, dropped out of uni for a while, but retained her curiosity and keenness to learn. Time jump to now, and she’s professor of a chemistry department. You just never really know what you are capable of, and sometimes you have to f...
Secret Life of STEM - Trailer
June 03, 2019 02:13 - 2 minutesCan I future proof my career? Can I blend arts and sciences? Some of it’s luck, right? If you are looking for answers, this podcast from The University of Melbourne can help. It's full of engaging stories about STEM-related study and careers. Explore the range of STEM courses we have on offer by visiting study.unimelb.edu.au.