The Peter Doherty Science Award was established in 2009 as a joint initiative of the Committee for Ballarat and Australian Nobel Prize laureate Professor Peter Doherty.

Open to students in Year 7 to Year 10 in Ballarat and regional western Victoria, the annual award encourages:

First showcased by Epic Games in 1998, Unreal Engine has become the “world’s most successful videogame engine”. Apart from creating blockbuster games like Fortnite, it is now also used as a 3D graphic design platform in other industries for the development of immersive content, including VR and high production entertainment such as the TV series “The Mandalorian”.

3D Modelling (the process of using advanced software to generate detailed 3D models) is having an ever increasing impact on our lives. Engineers, Architects, Filmmakers, Game Designers, Healthcare Workers, Scientists and Industrial Manufacturers are but a few of the professionals using 3D modelling to increase the speed and accuracy of their work, reduce costly design errors and visualise new innovations.

The personal computer is perhaps the most common and essential tool of almost any home or workplace in today’s society. We design, communicate and play on them daily, but how many of us actually understand how they work? Could your house, classroom or business survive
without one?

Rapid prototyping is a critical innovation skill in many of today’s industries where businesses need to adapt quickly to design or improve products. In this exciting new program format, students will be able to develop and refine their skills and understanding of the prototyping process.

The contemporary use of Australian bushfood flavours has enabled unique product development and innovation in the local food industry in recent years.

This program introduces students to the processes behind contemporary food development and innovation while simultaneously celebrating Australia’s thousands of years of rich culinary heritage.

Search and retrieval operations are one of the many industry applications for ground and aerial robotics. Similar processes are used in different environments, from commercial warehouse stocking and delivery packing, to search and rescue in hazardous terrain.

In this one day program, students work in pairs to assemble their VEX IQ robot and explore sensors to replicate a known real world example (e.g. robotic vacuum). As the day develops, increasingly complex programming is introduced so students can devise and execute their own search and retrieval mission.

Humanoid robots have yet to take over the world as many have predicted (in both fiction and nonfiction), but they are becoming more prevalent in certain industries and offer unique solutions in many areas. 

Working in pairs, students will learn to program a NAO robot to speak and listen, constructing branching conversations and building an understanding of how to shape interactions between robots and humans.

The process of automation has changed how we do business in today’s world and it continues to reshape the skills and jobs that will be required in priority industry sectors, such as manufacturing, into the future.

Do your students struggle for inspiration when trying to develop meaningful and answerable scientific questions?

Empower your students to leverage their natural curiosity as they discover that sometimes there is more to the world than meets the eye. They will learn to transform “why” questions into “how” questions, honing their scientific skills to deconstruct a visual experience, discovering how colour is composed, processed, and perceived. Applying this knowledge, they will create their own visual illusion to take home and share.