Students travel 350km to meet our Nobel Laureate

Students from Rushworth College P-12 at Hooked on Science Lecture

With the support of veski bursaries, students and teachers travelled more than 350 kilometres to attend a unique learning experience with Australia’s first female Nobel Laureate Professor Elizabeth Blackburn at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

The veski bursaries, which help meet the costs of travel and casual relief teachers associated with attending events such as the Hooked on Science lecture, are part of veski's involvement with activities to lift participation rates in science amongst students in Victoria.

The students from Rushworth College P-12, Tyrrell College, Upper Yarra Secondary College and Keysborough College joined more than 200 Victorian students and teachers for the final stop of the National Hooked on Science Lecture Tour.

Professor Blackburn began her distinguished science career at University of Melbourne and is now Morris Herzstein Professor in Biology and Physiology in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco.

Her inspiring presentation generated a wide range of questions from students and teachers. After talking about her career and the exciting work she has been part of around the world, she had some advice for the next generation of bright young minds in Victoria.

Professor Blackburn told students if they don’t know which area of science to pursue they should search for an area that really interests them. She said they should also try to make the process as organic as possible.

Dr Alicia Oshlack, Head of Bioinformatics at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Dr Marnie Blewitt, Laboratory Head of Molecular Medicine at WEHI focused on epigenetics also participated in the lecture.

This national tour organised by the Australian Academy of Science received support in Victoria from The Atlantic Philanthropies, veski and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.