Ashlee Caddell first began enjoying science when she was 10 years old. Now 28 and a University of Queensland astrophysics doctoral candidate researching dark matter, she has had a long struggle with gender stereotypes – from being one of just a few girls in a Sunshine Coast state high school physics class, to coping with mean schoolboys …read more

Girls still trail boys in mathematics and science in Australia, according to regular nationwide surveys. Despite extensive government ­efforts to encourage girls to buck historic trends and consider STEM education and STEM ­career paths, the gender differential has proved hard to shift. Helen Watt, professor of educational psychology at Sydney University, says in one indication, …read more

A molecule discovered in funnel-web spider venom can prevent the cascading cell death that often follows a heart attack or stroke, according to research by Glenn King and a team of his colleagues at the University of Queensland. More than 55,000 Australians have a heart attack each year and 68,000 have a stroke – physical …read more

When Hutchins School boys climb the steep face of a cliff or spend time entirely alone in a self-built wilderness shelter, or cook their own food over a campfire, they are building essential qualities of maturity: resilience, independence, self-reliance and flexibility. “The boys love anything outdoors and hands-on, and certainly having challenge-based activities, especially when we …read more