The 2025 Sydney STEM Teacher Festival promises a dynamic day of professional learning, collaboration, and inspiration, followed by Optional Activities, culminating with an exclusive evening Dinner with industry stakeholders. Designed around parallel streams, the program focuses on the integration and design of STEM subjects using multidisciplinary approaches to empower educators and enhance teaching practices.
Streams
The festival features distinct streams, tailored to specific areas of STEM education together with addressing curriculum requirements:
1. Primary STEM
2. Secondary STEM
3. Cross-curricular STEM
4. STEM Educational Leadership
These streams provide focused learning opportunities, highlighting innovative strategies and real-world applications to bring STEM concepts to life in the classroom.
Conference Day Agenda
| Session time | Detail |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Registration and light refreshments |
| 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Opening ceremony and plenaries |
| 10:30 AM – 11:10 AM | Move to streams and morning tea |
| 11:10 AM – 1:00 PM | Each stream: First session with keynotes and workshops |
| 1.00 PM – 2:00 PM | Each stream: Lunch and networking |
| 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Each stream: Second session with focused learning opportunities in curriculum areas, activities and curricular approaches |
| 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Optional USYD Activities: Networking drinks or Engineering tour |
| 5:30 PM for a 6:00 PM start | Move to dinner |
| 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Dinner at the University of Sydney; with additional registration |
Opening Ceremony and Plenaries (Venue: Eastern Avenue Auditorium)
| Session time | Detail |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM – 9:05 AM | MC – Manjula Sharma and Scott Sleap |
| 9:05 AM – 9:15 AM | Acknowledge Country – Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver |
| 9:15 AM – 9:25 AM | Official Opening – Pro-Chancellor Dr Lisa McIntyre |
| 9.25 AM – 9:45 AM | Plenary: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki – Future Careers |
| 9:45 AM – 10:05 AM | Plenary: Dr Catherine Ball Technology Futurist |
| 10:05 AM – 10:25 AM | Plenary: Associate Professor Jennifer Way – Promoting STEM Education in schools |
| 10:25 AM – 10:30 AM | MC – Manjula Sharma and Scott Sleap |
Cross-Curricular Stream (Venue: J03 Engineering Precinct)
| Session Time | Detail |
|---|---|
| 10:30 – 11:10 | Morning Tea |
| 11:10 – 11:15 | MC – Associate Professor Tom Goldfinch |
| 11:15 – 11:40 | Professor Stuart Khan: Future proofing water supplies for a thirsty nation |
| 11:40 – 12:05 | Professor Marjorie Valix: Critical Minerals and reaching Net Zero |
| 12:05 – 12:30 | Dr Jeremy Qiu: Sustainable energy planning and trading |
| 12:30 – 12:55 | Dr Elliot Varoy: Innovative Learning with VR, AI, and Programming |
| 1:00 – 2:00 | Lunch |
| 2:00 –3:15 | Choice of: Net Zero Initiative (NZI): Enabling Rapid Change for a Thriving Planet or Engineering in Action: Civil, Aeronautical, Mechatronic and Mechanical Engineering |
| 3:15 –4:30 | Choice of: Sydney Manufacturing Hub or Sydney Quantum Academy |
Primary STEM Stream
| Session Time | Detail |
|---|---|
| 10:30 – 11:10 | Morning Tea |
| 11:10 – 11:15 | MC – Associate Professor Jennifer Way |
| 11:15 – 11:40 | Dr Katherin Cartwright: The M in STEM |
| 11:40 – 12:05 | Dr Vanessa Pirotta: From whale snot to creating non-fiction children’s books |
| 12:05 – 12:30 | Sophie Poisel: Designing learning for a future worth inheriting – STEM education with purpose |
| 12:30 – 12:55 | Helen Silvester: The LIA Framework: Enhancing science education through student agency |
| 1:00 – 2:00 | Lunch |
| 2:00 – 2:50 | Choice of: – What can students learn while making a terrarium? – Story-Driven STEM: Cultivating Curiosity, Thinking and Creativity through Picture Books – Expanding the Acronym – STEM across the Curriculum – STEM 123 |
| 2:50 – 3:40 | Choice of: – Creating Cross Disciplinary STEM Experiences – Adaptation Innovation: Engaging Students through STEM based – Enrichment Design – Plastic Makers: A Hands-On STEM Journey for Primary Teachers – Start STEM in Kindy |
| 3:40 – 4:30 | Choice of: – Sparking STEM Curiosity in Upper Primary Students – Drawing for STEM – Transdisciplinary Learning: Making Learning Meaningful and Connected – Building STEM |
Secondary STEM Stream
| Session time | Detail |
|---|---|
| 10:30 – 11:10 | Morning Tea |
| 11:10 – 11:15 | MC – Professor Scott Sleap |
| 11:15 – 11:40 | Associate Professor Cameron Webb: Beyond the Lab: The Human Side of STEM and Global Problem-Solving |
| 11:40 – 12:05 | Associate Professor Helen Georgiou: Engineering a Future for STEM: Beyond the Pedagogy Wars |
| 12:05 – 12:30 | Dr Sham Nair: Teaching scientifically: Transforming science education with scientific principles |
| 12:30 – 1:00 | Dr John Bartholomew: Why quantum science matters: a brief history from 19th century light bulbs to Australia’s billion-dollar investment |
| 1:00 – 2:00 | Lunch |
| 2:00 – 2:50 | Choice of: – Teaching mathematics through the proficiencies – From Data Fear to Data Fluency: Igniting data infused Reasoning in Your Science Classroom – How do we teach collaboration? Exploring framework for learning – Integrating First Nations Science into Teaching – Making for all: TapeBlocks for creative accessible circuits – Computational Thinking – Biodiversity Detectives: Exploring Nature with Citizen Science – STEM Teaching and Learning in Action – Fun experiments which explore the human body! |
| 2:50 – 3:40 | Choice of: – 50°C: Climate, Heat and Resilience – Bushfires: An exploration in maths and science – The Maths Behind the Magic: How Working Mathematically Powers STEM – Integrating First Nations Science into Teaching – AI Solutions for STEM Ecosystems – NSW DoE Zoo Education Programs – Biodiversity Detectives: Exploring Nature with Citizen Science – Fun experiments which explore the human body! – Sydney Quantum Academy |
| 3:40 – 4:30 | Choice of: – Practical activities and approaches to support teachers in embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in STEM learning – Connecting STEM Capacity, Culture and Community – Designing Thinkers: Nurturing STEM Brains Through Mathematics – Integrating First Nations Science into Teaching – Pathways and Partnerships: How Business and Education Can Transform STEM Outcomes (IASE) – Using CSIRO’s real-world science to increase student engagement – Unlock Creativity with Canva for Education – Fun experiments which explore the human body! |
STEM Educational Leadership
| Session time | Detail |
|---|---|
| 10:30 – 11:10 | Morning Tea |
| 11:10 – 11:20 | MC – Professor Manjula Sharma |
| 11:20 – 11:45 | Megan Kelly, Executive Director of Curriculum, NSW Department of Education |
| 11:45 – 12:10 | Professor Eddie Woo, Professor of Practice, The University of Sydney |
| 12:10 –12:35 | Professor Kelly Freebody, Head of the Sydney School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney |
| 12:35 – 1:00 | Educational Leadership Panel – Curriculum, teachers, and initial teacher education |
| 1:00 – 2:00 | Lunch |
| 2:00 – 2:10 | Master of Ceremonies |
| 2:10 – 2:35 | John Phillips: Explaining the E in STEM: Making Engineering Visible in Primary Classrooms |
| 2:35 – 3:00 | Dr Simon Crook: STEM the Tide: What are the factors working against STEM education and how can we overcome them? |
| 3:00 – 3:25 | Dr Frederick Osman, Dr Danica Solina, Professor Miroslav D. Filipovic: Partnering for Impact: Advancing STEM Teaching Through Outreach and Innovation |
| 3:25 – 3:50 | Professor Manjula Sharma: STEM in-service professional learning |
| 3:50 – 4:15 | Educational Leadership Panel |
| 4:14 – 4:30 | Wrap up |
Optional Activities
Engineering Tour
4:30 – 5:30 PM
Join us for a tour of the Engineering facilities at the University of Sydney. Please note numbers are limited for this tour.
Networking Drinks
4:30 – 6:00 PM
Chat with STEM professionals and your fellow colleagues over wine and cheese at this networking event sponsored by PIEFA.
Festival Dinner : featuring Dr Karl Kruszelnicki
The day culminates with an exclusive Festival Dinner, a perfect opportunity to network and foster partnerships in an elegant setting.
6:00 PM – Cocktail Reception
7:00 PM – Festival Dinner
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM – Festival Presentations & Networking
Venue – The Refectory Banquet Hall, The University of Sydney
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10 June 2025
The University of Sydney,
Camperdown NSW
Conference: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Activities: 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Countdown to 2025
Registration open
Conference: $250 +GST
Festival Dinner: $100 +GST
Registrations closing soon!
Claim your ticket now before it is too late!