SciX@UNSW Summer School

A week-long research-integrated-learning-experience for senior high school students fostering critical thinking and enhancing their scientific pursuits

What is SciX?

SciX is a summer school program designed for senior high school students providing them with a firsthand experience of the world of research. Mentored by Ph.D. candidates at UNSW, the students investigate a research project of their own choice, learning about how to design and execute a research project, as well as how to present their results to a general audience. Students are placed into small groups depending on their research area and techniques they will be using.

You can find more information about SciX here.

I have been a mentor in the Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy group from 2021 to 2023, supporting more than 40 students in their scientific pursuits.

Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy

Recognising the huge role that computational quantum chemistry plays in research, the Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy project introduces the basic concepts of quantum chemistry and explores its applications in astrochemistry, infrared spectroscopy, climate change, and more!

Students gain valuable transferable skills such as Python programming (through interactive Python Jupyter notebooks), data handling and storage, hypothesis formulation, and figures generation.

Training Resources

I have been actively involved in designing and developing training resources for students in the Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy SciX project. These include Python Jupyter notebooks and lecture-type presentations that are used to enhance the students experience during the summer school.

Python Jupyter notebooks

These notebooks provide students with a set of data analysis and visualisation tools that helps them pursue their research. Using the notebooks does not required prior programming experience, but the raw code is available for keen student wanting to enhance their programming skills.

By the end of the summer school, the students' Python programming confidence is increased considerably (by 2 points as recorded from pre- and post- summer school surveys).

Lecture-type presentations

Students engage in different lecture-type sessions where they learn the basics behind each project. For the Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy group, these sessions include an introduction to:

Quantum chemistry and molecular spectroscopy
Astrochemistry and climate change
Hypothesis design and research project development

Invited Panelist

As part of the 2022 and 2023 SciX summer schools, I was invited as panelist to the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion sessions to discuss and share my experience developing science outreach content that celebrates diversity and inclusion.

These sessions have been watched by 100+ attendees online (2022) and in person (2023).

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