The Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences is reaching out to the community in a myriad of ways – and one of them is its peer tutoring program in which students volunteer their time to go into schools to mentor and encourage science students.

Dozens of UWA science students are acting as mentors in WA schools under a special program to help spread wisdom throughout the community.

The SEEK (Science Education Engaging Knowledge) program sees undergraduate students devote at least 30 hours a year to tutoring school students. In 2004 there were 58 volunteers who went into 17 primary and secondary schools and senior campuses, and in 2005 there were 48 tutors who helped out at 13 sites.

SEEK co-ordinator Bronwyn Rakimov said the idea was for the university students to bond with school students and help those struggling with science. "The school students have someone who is a bit more their age, a bit more in-tune." she said. "They might do small group work, go on excursions - there is a whole lot of ways they can be used."

The SEEK program draws students from three Faculties – Life and Physical Sciences, Natural and Agricultural Sciences, and Engineering, Computing and Mathematics. Ms Rakimov has surveyed 79 students to gauge their motivation for volunteering. The biggest motivator (59% of students) was to improve communication skills, followed by altruism (43%), improve CV and employability (41%) and foster interest in science (35%).

"What big companies are saying is that if they are looking at two people applying for a position, they want to know what sets them apart," she said.

The tutors' work is purely voluntary but there is some payback - it is acknowledged on their official University academic transcript.

The program is the result of a 2004 government initiative to fund peer tutoring programs.

For more information on the SEEK program visit http://www.science.uwa.edu.au/for/students/peer_tutoring.