Penrith’s Generation STEM showcase their work

Penrith’s future is in safe hands with a range of creative solutions to local issues delivered by the first round of students to complete CSIRO’s Generation STEM Community Partnership Program.

A collaboration between CSIRO and Penrith City Council, the program connects students with local industry mentors to inspire them into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) pathways. Importantly, the program showcases the exciting career opportunities in the region, highlighting the variety of jobs of the future.

The culmination of the program was a virtual showcase event held last month. Students from Glenmore Park High School, St Paul’s Grammar High School, Penola Catholic College, Colyton High School, and Kingswood High School shared their STEM ideas and solutions to an audience of Council, CSIRO and community members.

With support from their teachers and local industry mentors, students engaged in inquiry projects that focused on addressing challenges and developing solutions to real-world community issues relating to water, heat stress, transport and the aerotropolis. Their projects were creative, and the students delivered forward-thinking responses to these real-world issues.

Highlighted solutions include designing a flood app to communicate with affected citizens during a flood, having a drone fleet equipped with water buckets and sensors to identify fire hazards and prevent fire outbreaks, and a construction of a 300-Megawatt thorium-plutonium reactor to provide enough energy to power the aerotropolis and surrounds.

Karen McKeown OAM spoke at the showcase, expressing her enthusiasm for the program and commended the students who were involved.

“I’d like to congratulate the students who took part, not only for persevering through home learning, but for extending themselves through the STEM Community Partnerships Program. You’ve all made an outstanding effort and shown true determination.”

“You’ve also placed yourselves in a good position to take advantage of the massive potential in Penrith and our region, and I encourage you to grab that opportunity with both hands,” Mrs McKeown said.

The CSIRO STEM Community Partnership Program will operate in Penrith again in 2022. If you are interested in becoming an industry mentor for the 2022 program you can find out more on the CSIRO Generation STEM website or reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.