High school students attend Indigenous engagement day

On Thursday 13 July, the UNSW Faculty of Engineering hosted an Indigenous engagement day in collaboration with Nura Gili – UNSW’s Centre for Indigenous Programs.

86 Indigenous high school students from across Australia visited UNSW, with two groups participating in an array of engineering activities.  

The first group was from the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program, also known as Nura Gili’s Winter School, which consists of students from years 10 and 11. In addition to the day spent with the Faculty of Engineering, they also participated in four additional days of diverse activities across all faculties at UNSW.  

The second group of students were from the Aurora Foundation High School Program - an initiative that spans over a seven-year period, supporting students from year seven onwards with academic improvements through a cultural lens. This group visited for one day and specifically requested engagement with the Faculty of Engineering.

The students participated in a range of activities involving leadership, sustainability, and connection to country. These activities included:

• bridge-building with the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, led by Kurt Douglas; 
• a hydrogen toy car and water filtration activity with the School of Chemical Engineering, led by Sarah Grundy and her team; 
• an introduction to resourcing technology with the School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering, led by Bindya Subba and her team; and
• a 3D printing activity with Makerspaces, led by Melissa Wimborne and Gabriel Graterol Nisi. 

The goal was to introduce the students to engineering’s multidisciplinary approach, and to demonstrate how engineering is used to solve real-world problems. The students were able to expand their understanding of engineering while forming new friendships.