Full STEAM ahead for Yarwun State School students


18 August 2017

Industry professionals from Rio Tinto and Orica today brought STEAM activities to local Yarwun students.

Representatives from the industry leaders conducted interactive activities for Yarwun State School students from Prep to Year 6.

The sessions encouraged students to explore the possibilities of STEAM by applying the theories they have learnt in class to real life applications.

The experiments explored chemical reactions, how quicksand works and electricity generation.

Rio Tinto Yarwun operations general manager Colin McGibbon said "This was a great chance for Rio Tinto to support the local Yarwun community and encourage science education outside the traditional classroom setting.

"STEAM knowledge leads to rewarding careers and is a vital part of everything we do in the manufacturing industry," he said.

Orica Yarwun General Manager Scott Reid said "We’re passionate about getting students interested in careers in science and technology. This is a great opportunity for us to help inspire a new generation of students in Yarwun."

Yarwun State School Principal Amanda Ryan said "Our students love these interactive sessions. Thanks to Rio Tinto and Orica we are able to provide a fun space for our students to learn and explore an interest in STEAM."

Note to Editors

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Queensland State schools have a STEM strategy that focuses on building teacher capability to transform STEM learning and increasing student engagement in STEM learning. With employment in STEM growing two times faster than non-STEM occupations, Queensland students need a strong foundation in STEM.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) takes the fundamentals of STEM to include Arts where creative thought is integrated into how students learn STEM subjects.