Recently, the 2025-26 Curious Minds program held its second Connect Event, with a range of stories shared by alumni about their experiences, projects and current achievements that were insightful and inspiring. These online events happen throughout the program, providing students with an opportunity to catch up, learn and engage.

Students participate in monthly online sessions that include alumni talks, interactive sessions and activities, networking or social events, and question‑and‑answer sessions with STEM and industry experts.

Toni Falusi, Curious Minds Head Coach, opened the session with an Acknowledgement of Country, where she introduced the audience to the ’50 Words Project’ and ‘First Languages Australia’. Toni explained that both language programs are, “…reawakening language so that you can hear how it’s spoken, and learn how to say some of the words of the Traditional Owners of the lands where you are.”

A range of topics and activities were covered, including an icebreaker question answered in the chat section ‘If you wrote a book, what would it be about?’ A three-minute activity also invited students to choose a STEM topic of interest and write down everything they already knew about it, what they wanted to find out, and any questions they had.

Kelsie Dadd, Program Director, welcomed everyone and provided an overview of the Curious Minds Alumni Program. She introduced the alumni attending the Connect session, who shared insights into their experiences and STEM projects within Curious Minds.

Malak Omer, an alum from 2024-25, shared her STEM interests and program experiences. Malak’s STEM Exploration project began with her interest in stem cells and Type 1 diabetes, inspired by her passion for biology. “I wanted to do something more. I wanted to do a research project, I wanted to get into a lab and actually do something with my hands.”

Malak did just that. She spent the six months of the project at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), a medical research centre, focused on improving the way we deliver islet cells (insulin-producing cells in your body) in patients. She won a Gold Medal from CSIRO for her project, and has been selected to represent Australia at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Arizona, USA, in May. Congratulations and good luck to Malek, who has these words of wisdom for us, “You can take your project really far, you don’t have to limit yourself.”

We also heard from Anya, a participant in the 2024-25 Curious Minds program, who described the program as “such an amazing experience”. She said she was excited but a bit anxious about her project exploring the neurological transformations involved in Alzheimer’s disease. She told us her STEM Coach, Sabrina, helped her move beyond surface-level statistics and learn many skills and valuable lessons including that “Curious Minds isn’t about arriving with the answers, it’s about arriving with the right questions. It’s a space where ‘I don’t know’ is simply the beginning of a conversation.”

Ari, an alum who is interested in aeronautical engineering, astrophotography and quantum physics, told us that a highlight of the Curious Minds Summer Camp was visiting Questacon.

Angel, who participated in the 2024-25 program, said that for her STEM exploration project she investigated marine debris and how it affects the environment, particularly for her local area in Far North Queensland.

Agnes told the audience that she had considered several other ideas before deciding her project would investigate whether Jupiter’s moon, Europa, had the conditions to sustain life. She reassured the cohort not to worry if they had not yet decided on their research question. Her STEM Coach is an instrumental scientist who conducted research on Jupiter’s icy moons, so together they were able to narrow down Agnes’s project to focus on planetary science.

Lani is about to begin a Bachelor of Engineering at the Australian National University (ANU), a decision she said was “inspired by the Curious Minds program”. During the 2022-23 Curious Minds program, Lani did her research project on bionic limbs and prosthetics. Her advice was not to stress about finding the ‘perfect’ topic, but instead to think about “learning something for the sake of enjoying it and sharing it with other people”, and to avoid focusing too much on the three-minute final presentation. She encouraged students to explore their topic fully so they don’t miss out on learning interesting stuff.

Matilda, an alum from the 2024-25 Curious Minds group, said she had initially considered undertaking a project based on space but ultimately completed her STEM exploration project on criminal psychology. It proved to be a great start to her STEM journey, as she conducted surveys and learnt more about the research process. After Curious Minds, she returned to space and physics as her future study and career interests.

Saskia, who participated in the 2023-24 Curious Minds program, based her project on bioluminescence. Coming from regional Victoria, Saskia said she had no access to labs or facilities. She described it as a highlight experiencing a demonstration at ANU. She later undertook the International Baccalaureate, completing a 4,000-word essay on chemiluminescence that included a major experiment she said had never been done before at her level. “You don’t have to end your research when you finish Curious Minds!”

Freida, who participated in the 2024–25 Curious Minds program, said she “really loved the program” and described it as “a wonderful experience.” She completed her project on astronomy with a focus on science communication, culminating in a TikTok video about the Orion constellation. Freida said, “I went through so many ideas before I got to that…” and although she didn’t create more TikToks as originally planned, she said it was a really fun project.

An engaging question‑and‑answer session followed the inspirational talks and messages from alumni. Thank you to all alumni who attended the Connect event to share their experiences, and for motivating and reassuring the current cohort.

Photos:

• Students programming their robot during Engineering Supercharge session at the 2022-23 East Camp.
• A 2024-25 East Camp group photo taken of the students at ANU.
• Nitrogen ice-cream making activity in the Physics Supercharge session at the 2024-25 East Camp.
• 2023-24 students creating their robots, guided by their Physics teacher, Grace.

“Thank you to everyone who made the effort to connect with their Curious Minds peers and team, giving their attention and interest to really make it a special session.”