Physics students are in decline. Our education program aims to change that
The challenge
We need future physicists
The number of physics students and teachers is falling. According to a report by AMSI and AIP, the proportion of students studying physics dropped from 14.9% in 2015 to 12.1% in 2023. This decline is potentially influenced by perceived subject difficulty and relevance.
Does it matter? Yes – because physics underpins much of our modern-day advancements that we take for granted: safe transport, medical imaging, engineering feats and technological breakthroughs.
Peter Thurgood and Sonya Palmer showing Viewbank College students how physics can be used in the real world.
Our response
Making physics accessible in schools
To show how physics is used in the real-world and what a career pathway in physics looks like, we conducted a 6-week lunchtime pilot program with 28 students from year 7-9 at Viewbank College.
We co-designed an educational program with six of our PhD students and Postdoctoral researchers from COMBS to deliver programs in the school, aligned with the Victorian School Curriculum.
Jamie Low and Evan Diamandikos at Viewbank College.
The results
Students feeling less overwhelmed by physics
Each of our demonstrations aimed to show how physics underpins real-world applications.
These experiments spanned:
- using a ‘sensing smorgasbord’ to show how COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) work
- sunburning UV activated paper to show how to make photonic chips that have light engraved in them
- Seeing how clean room jackets look under the microscope
- Experiencing the evolution of precise timekeeping skills (from a sand clock to our phone’s timer).
Post-program survey results showed that the year 7-10 students:
- had a great understanding of the role of physics in everyday life
- felt less intimidated by physics
- gained a better understanding of a career in physics
COMBS will be repackaging this program and sending it to other nodes around Australia.
Please enquire if you are interested in trialling this program in your school.
Caitlin Murray and Jackson Jacob Chakkoria explaining how we send information to Viewbank College students.