Tayla GarrattFebruary 2017

National Youth Science Forum

Session C 2017I would like to start off by saying thank you to you and all

the work you put into getting me to Session C of NYSF, I had the time of my life and I don't think I can thank you enough.

My NYSF journey started with me getting onto a bus at Cowra that had come all the way from Brisbane so you can imagine the many sleep deprived faces on it. Nevertheless, many of them were still awake enough to have a chat. One of the biggest shocks upon arriving at ANU’s Burgmann College was meeting the very energetic staff members. They wouldn't stop dancing and chanting, which I later found out is a disease that is very contagious, as even today I find myself standing and dancing to music that isn't there.

Our first big adventure was a lecture at the dome with Tanya Munro, the first of many leading scientists’ I was honored to meet. She discussed the possibilities in which physics has come to help a developing world. What interested me most was her section on nano-technology and nano-diamonds.

Our first workshop was on critical thinking and the choices involved of using system one and system two thinking. In other words, it was thinking about our thinking while thinking, thus making our thinking better. System one thinking being your initial feeling or your gut feeling and system two is a more processed way of thinking using your mind.

I was also able to attend a lecture from David Caldicott who is from the Australian Drug Observatory and he enlightened us with the problems that we will have to potentially face as leading scientists of Australia.

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Tayla GarrattFebruary 2017

As I was in the biology, food and agricultural group I was privileged to go to a permaculture farm, the Mulloon Institute. We heard from Luke Peel an agriculturist for the institute. He spoke about his work with natural weir’s in the local ecosystem, the use of natural herbicides and how cultivation is destroying the environment.

I was also very privileged to have taken apart in the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) videoconference. This is where we talked to a scientist employed by CERN and we had the most amazing Q and A session ever.

These were only some of the amazing activities I got to attend but these were my favourite. All these life changing lab visits, lectures and workshops were amazing but they needed to be broken up so we could have a rest. These "rests" were filled with institution visits to the National War memorial, National Portrait Art Gallery, Questicon, Old Parliament House and Telstra tower. Even though these visits were fun they there was plenty

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My buddy and myself at the permaculture farm

ANZAC Parade from the National War Memorial

Tayla GarrattFebruary 2017

of time for socialising and networking, thus making them even more worthwhile.

The Science and Partners dinner was a great way to network myself through my fellow NYSF'ers but more importantly connecting myself with scientists and the university partners. These scientists are leading their fields of study and many of them spoke about their journey to get where they are

today.

NYSF was an experience of a lifetime and I feel as though my expression of thanks isn’t close to good enough. This is something that will stay with me forever and help me find my way through life.

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