Edition #3 - "it's Science, Jim"

Before we get started, I’m Rob Sattler – '2nd boss' at Study Work Grow, an international career education resource provider working with nearly 1,200 secondary schools in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and 36 other countries. As employers, we can all do better for our young people. Here are my thoughts.

Ok, I don't really know how that headline popped into my head, but I think it's something to do with Star Trek ("It's life Jim, but not as we know it" or something like that 😆).

However, the title is spot-on for this edition - as we're talking about Science.

And that's not only because National Science Week coming up in Australia next month, but it's also because more and more, science & technology is becoming engrained in every part of our lives.

Food: Nearly everything we eat has been modified in some way (even when it didn't involve microscopes and lab coats). Even simple fruits and vegetables have been cross pollinated and grafted for years.

Energy: Battery storage technology - we know how to make renewable power, but how can we densely and safely store it and transport it (I'm thinking electric planes, lightweight electric cars, electric cargo ships).

Healthcare: Science is what we can thank for our long lifespans, but how do we make them even longer and healthier?

Technology: Do I really need to mention that AI word to anyone?

Climate: If ever there was a problem that applied science can help, it's this one

Housing...

Would you live in a 3D-Printed House?

I have to admit, I've always been fascinated by how things work and the incredible ways that people use science to solve problems.

But 3D printing a house?

Yes. That's a thing, and right now, you can actually buy a home in the USA right now that's 3D printed - not in colourful plastics, but in concrete.

When you normally build a house, it takes many different trades and several steps just to get the foundations in place, let alone the walls. It can take months.

ICON however will set up their robotic printer on your building site, arrange for the cement mixture to be delivered, and then literally 3D print your home for you, while you watch. It's absolutely incredible. Their new 'printer' called Phoenix looks more like a fancy crane arm than a normal 3D printer, giving them the ability to make complex shapes and double storey heights.

Could you imagine watching your entire house foundations, walls, and roof get built in just a day or two?

It requires a lot of science, not just 'tradies'

In standard home construction, you have the tried and true methods and materials of building which have literally been used for millions of buildings over the past few eons.

With a 3D printed house though, that goes literally out the window. Here are just some of the scientific challenges in building like this:

Materials Science - "ok, we need a super smooth concrete slurry that will pump through a nozzle nicely, dry quickly, be super strong, by not too dry, or too wet, and..."

You get my point. You can't just use normal cement for this, as it won't set in time for the next layer that will come along literally minutes after the previous one is laid on. I'd mention chemistry separately, but it's so intertwined in the mix (see what I did there) that it's a key part of the process.

Structural Engineering - it's one thing to be making straight walls (even they require quite a bit of engineering, but to be making multi-curved structural walls that are 9 meters high? The thing is, you wouldn't waste 4 or 5 tonnes of mortar to experiment for the fun of it - you need to model and calculate what complex shapes like these will be able to handle so that it works first time. Or you're going to need a 3D printer AND a rockbreaker!

Robotics - If it looks like a robot and does things like a robot, it's probably a robot. Jokes aside, the technical challenges in optically, mechanically, hydraulically, and spatially controlling a huge boom crane printer like this is just mind-boggling. And it's not something that an engineer is driving either - they're just overseeing the machine's work, so it needs to be able to sense, move, monitor, and control itself.

Software Engineering - Much of the control of a machine like this comes down to lines and lines of code, requiring expertise in software engineering. Without this, you've just got a fancy looking robot.

And that's why we need young people to study Science

Sticking with the U.S. based theme for a little longer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the growth in STEM (Science. Technology, Engineering, and Maths) based roles will outpace all other roles by more than double in the next decade.

Sure, they're not all going to be 3D printing houses (or plastic knick-knacks), but they will be drawn in by the massive demand for employees in key growth categories like biotechnology, quantum computing, AI & Machine Learning, cybersecurity, space defence, blockchain, data science and more.

If you've got a young person in your life, a knowledge of science could be really beneficial to their future - even if they don't want to work in a science-based role.

They can be an Innovator

The Career Clusters puts these roles into the Innovator Cluster based on the motivations, interests, strengths, skills, and work tasks.

Of the six (6) career clusters, it's the one where people use science most frequently to solve problems and make improvements in our lives and the world around us.

Here is their Cluster description:

But science is also used in a wide variety of roles

As I mentioned earlier, science is heavily tied in with our lives these days, especially with our ubiquitous use of technology.

So whilst you might not fit into the 'Innovator' Career Cluster, you might be using science and scientific methods in roles across the other five Clusters.

Here are just a few examples:

• Manufacturing Technician (Maker)
• Environmental Consultant (Informer)
• IT Pre-Sales (Linker)
• Public Health Officer (Guardian)
• Quality Control Manager (Coordinator)

I even asked ChatGPT to give me a tonne of examples of roles that match the Clusters, but I won't bore you with them here (so many of them are descriptions of the jobs we all do every day, reinforcing my point!).

Get involved in National Science Week

Coming up in August this year (10th -18th) is an exciting week where science comes to the forefront across the country.

You and your industry/organisation can take part in promoting science in the work you do by running your own Science Week events to share with students and schools.

It's not only a great way of supporting young people in exploring and considering roles in science, but it's also a good opportunity to show off the pathways you offer too.

I've seen a lot of different 'Week' event pages, but I hope you'll agree with me that the National Science Week website is awesome!

Here is the page you'll need to check out: Hold an Event page.

Like to share your opportunities, events, and news?

If you don't know much about Study Work Grow yet, we find, collate, create, and share career development resources with secondary schools all over the world - helping Career Advisors, Students, and Parents to discover opportunities and pathways in a wide variety of fields.

If you've got a student-friendly item you'd like to share (scholarship, competition, apprenticeship, event, open-day, work experience etc) then feel free to share them directly with us here.

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I'd appreciate it.

Cheers,

Rob.

P.S. I always welcome contact from schools and industry, so do reach out. Just connect with me here on LinkedIn and send me a message, or hit Contact Us on the Study Work Grow website. It'll be great to hear from you.

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