[Music plays and the Coat of Arms and an image appears of a Prime Minister’s Prize badge, and text appears: 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools, Veena Nair]
[Image changes to Veena walking towards the Viewbank College sign, and then the image changes to show a close view of Veena walking towards the camera]
Veena Nair: My name is Veena Nair and I am the Head of Technology and STEAM Project Leader at Viewbank College in Melbourne.
[Image changes to show Veena talking to the camera]
We run a lot of curricular and co-curricular activities.
[Images move through of Veena showing students 3D printers and talking to them, and the camera zooms in on one of the students smiling]
We offer emerging technologies, such as 3D printing, as a curriculum option for students from Year 9.
[Image changes to show the students watching Veena open a 3D printer, and then the image changes to show Veena talking to a male student, and then to two female students]
Teachers are our nation builders, and we want our teachers to introduce our students to these emerging technology skills.
[Image changes to show Veena talking to the camera]
Many people know about STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths.
[Image changes to show a side view of Veena talking to the camera]
But STEAM is with an A, which is for Arts.
[Images move through to show Veena demonstrating to a group of students, and then close views of Veena and the students looking at fabric structures]
It brings in out-of-the-box thinking, and it brings in creativity for students.
[Images move through of a close view of a male student doing an electronics project, and then the image changes to show a close view of the student looking up at Veena]
Students need STEAM skills to innovate, to become resilient, and to take risks.
[Image changes to show Veena working with a group of students]
One of our successful initiatives is the STEAM Club.
[Images move through of Veena and a male student looking up, and Veena smiling at some students]
STEAM Club offers students an opportunity to become change makers and use their skills for the greater good.
[Images move through to show Veena and a colleague walking along a verandah, Veena and her colleague in conversation while they walk through a lab, and Veena working with students]
As a part of the STEAM Club, we've started an initiative called the STEAM Futures Conference, where students, teachers, and industry from Victoria come together and develop new emerging technology solutions and lesson plans that can be incorporated in every school.
[Images move through of the students working on a laboratory project, and a close view of test tubes being put into a test tube tray]
One of these initiatives is the Young Persons' Plan for the Planet.
[Images move through to show different views of Veena working with the students on a laboratory project, a close view of a female student syringing up liquid, and then Veena talking to the students]
This initiative allows students to use their STEM skills and enterprise skills in developing solutions for global and local problems, along with their peers in different countries.
[Image changes to show Veena talking to the camera, and then images move through of Veena and a male student working on a circuit board, and then Veena talking to the camera]
The Swinburne Youth Space Innovation Challenge offers our students a unique opportunity to work with space scientists in developing experiments that can be sent to the International Space Station.
[Images move through of Veena working with the students on an electronic project, a close view of one of the students talking, and then Veena talking to the camera]
I've seen a large number of students take up engineering after doing VC Systems Engineering, especially females.
[Image changes to show a side view of Veena talking to the camera]
To be recognised in the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science, I'm deeply humbled.
[Images move through to show Veena and a male student smiling, Veena talking to the camera, and then Veena smiling at the camera while students can be seen in the background]
I'm very grateful to my school, to my colleagues, to my students, and to my family.
[Music plays and the image changes to show the Coat of Arms and a Prime Minister’s Prize badge, and text appears: 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools, Veena Nair]
