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Sixty lab visits in 12 days - that is the aim of the National Youth Science Forum, in Western Australia this week.Students from all around Australia who are about to go into Year 12 are at The University of Western Australia for a range of science-based experiences inspiring them to become the nation's next generation of researchers. And nobody would be surprised if a Nobel Laureate or several might be among them.

As well as visiting UWA, the 144 students - 10 are from WA - have been to HMAS Stirling, the Water Corporation and Curtin University.

The annual forum - which has been going for 30 years - gives students information about the options available to them in biomedicine, engineering and computer science, physics, chemistry, biology, and earth and environmental sciences.

The students are selected by their local Rotary clubs not only for their interest and skill in science, but also for their ability to communicate and for their involvement in the wider community.

Alicia Jackson from Esperance Senior High School is the first student chosen from her school in six years to attend the forum. She visited UWA's Clinical Training and Evaluation Centre (CTEC) to learn about aspects of medicine including laparoscopy and suturing. CTEC has become the most established medical simulation training centre in the Asia Pacific region since its inception in 2000. It has trained more than 25,000 medical professionals in some 2,000 training courses - and Alicia hopes to become more familiar with it when she becomes a UWA student after finishing Year 12.

Also at CTEC was Daffodil Joseph-Anton who lives at New Norcia and is a boarder at St Brigid's Lesmurdie. Tamil-speaking Daffodil hopes to become an obstetrician and is looking forward to joining a group such as Doctors without Borders to help in India.

Mt Claremont resident Megan Baxter, a St Hilda's student, hopes to become a clinical geneticist and do research on genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis. She also hopes to join Projects Abroad and volunteer in Nepal.

All three girls said the forum had opened their eyes to the career choices available to them - and had enabled them to meet other young scientists from around Australia.

Media references

Tom Grace (NYSF) (+61 4) 33 052 358

Amanda Caldwell (NYSF) (+61 4) 01 148 173

David Stacey (UWA Public Affairs)(+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716