Indigenous STEM Awards
Between 2016 – 2021, the Indigenous STEM Awards recognised 54 winners for their outstanding contributions in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Since the awards were launched in 2016, 44 winners and 120 finalists have been recognised for their outstanding contributions in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In 2021, there are seven categories of awards that cover high school and undergraduate students, STEM professionals, schools, teachers and mentors.
Awards winners
Virtual Indigenous Astronomy Panel event
On 30 June 2020, A special Indigenous Astronomy Panel took place in a virtual event, inspired by and in celebration of Alana Doohley the 2019 Indigenous Student STEM Awards STEM Achievement Winner.
Indigenous STEM Award social video
[Music plays and an image appears of photographs of Alana Dooley, Kirsten Banks, Dr Stacy Mader and another male and text appears on the left: Indigenous Astronomy Panel inspired by Alana Dooley, 2019 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander STEM Student Achievement Award Winner]
[Image changes to show Alana Dooley talking to the camera and text appears: Alana Dooley, 2019 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student STEM Achievement Award Winner]
Alana Dooley: To CSIRO and the BHP Foundation who do such amazing work in the Indigenous STEM Project which has allowed me to meet other indigenous students from across the country who all have a passion for STEM. Each of you has inspired and encouraged me so much and I’ll be always be grateful for the role you have played and shared in my STEM journey. I’m so excited about the future and honoured to be the recipient of this award.
[Image changes to show Kirsten Banks talking to the camera and text appears: Kirsten Banks, Astrophysicist and science communicator]
Kirsten Banks: I love your passion so much. I see myself in you when I was in Year 12. A very important thing about science is not just doing the science but it is communicating that science to the general public to share that excitement and share why we do what we do as scientists, to share what we’re researching, why we’re researching it, how we’re researching it, inspire the next generation of scientists and astrophysicists just like you Alana.
[Image changes to show Alana talking to the camera again]
Alana Dooley: So, I think it’s really important that people like Kirsten are sharing their scientific ideas and making them really understand more because I’ve only got that high school level of understanding so in order to, you know, evoke that interest it’s really important that people can get that information out there in a really exciting way.
[Image changes to show Djai Hunter talking to the camera and text appears: Djai Hunter, 2019 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student Science Award Winner]
Djai Hunter: Considering your experience of studying science as an indigenous student, what do you wish you knew back then as a young high school student that you now know?
[Image changes to show Dr Stacy Mader talking to the camera and text appears: Dr Stacy Mader, Astrophysicist and Senior Experimental Scientist, CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Parkes Observatory]
Dr Stacy Mader: What is your interests? What is your passion? You need, if you can separate those two it’ll make your pathway to the future a lot better.
[Image changes to show Kirsten talking to the camera again]
Kirsten Banks: There is so much support out there from your indigenous community. It’s a great support network to have and I’m so grateful to have that.
[Image changes to show Alana talking to the camera again]
Alana Dooley: Take up every opportunity you can to learn because you will not regret it and it will just be amazing, amazing experiences.
[Image changes to show Kirsten talking to the camera again]
Kirsten Banks: So, I think we need to be more diverse with what we portray science as because science is very diverse and we should be showing that to the world.
[Image changes to Stacy talking to the camera]
Dr Stacy Mader: We need more indigenous people out there to spread the word that, you know, we are capable, we can do it, and we are doing it.
[Image changes to show Alana talking to the camera again]
Alana Dooley: It’s all about changing the face of science but also really encouraging people to ask questions. At the end of the day that’s what I think science is. So, keep encouraging kids to ask questions because that’s who’ll make the great scientists of tomorrow.
[Music plays and the CSIRO logo and text appears on a white screen: CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency]
Indigenous Astronomy Panel 2020