Michela Salafia NYSF Report NYSF Session A 2017

NYSF REPORT- MICHELA SALAFIA SESSION A 2017

When I first heard about the National Youth Science Forum, I was intrigued. It was unlike anything I had ever heard of before and I was eager to broaden my horizons in science, technology, engineering and maths. I was ready to learn and meet new people, but I was not prepared to have my life changed and mind altered in the most monumental two weeks of my life.

From being welcomed into open arms at Burgmann College at the Australia National University on our first day, to chasing after buses as they drove off on our last, so many memories and experiences seemed to occur in such a small

space of time. Lucky for me, I was paired with New Zealander, Frankie Mackenzie, as a buddy, who turned out to be the most fascinating and genuine person I have ever met. We were made to watch out for each other for the two weeks, and to our great pleasure, we were put into interest group Carson which was Earth and Environmental Science. Now I spent most of the two weeks with these guys, and I am so glad to have met each and every creative, loving and passionate soul in that group. From our chant about the importance of forest fires to the ecosystem, to our beautiful hippie costumes at the disco, I will never forget these guys.

We began our second day in our pristine NYSF shirts, listening intently to Professor Linda J. Richards in The Shine Dome, the epitome of Australian science. Her fascinating lecture on neuroscience would be the first in many awe-inspiring seminars and workshops.

The opening ceremony was held on the first Wednesday at Parliament House, and we even got time to learn some swing dancing that evening.

A 5am wakeup the next day saw my interest group on a 2 and a half hour bus trip to Canowindra where we went fossil digging for trilobites. This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip, despite the intense Australian heat which plagued us on that day, and for the rest of the two weeks. Other science visits included trips to the National Arboretum in Canberra and Geoscience Australia.

There were many extraordinary lectures from scientists, entrepreneurs and NYSF alumni throughout the session, but the seminar that had the greatest impact on me would definitely have to be the one by 2011 Physics Noble Prize

Michela Salafia NYSF Report NYSF Session A 2017

winner and Vice-Chancellor of ANU, Professor Brian Schmidt. From his lecture, not only did I gain an increased awareness of astrophysics and our universe, but he provided some excellent advice for the future, including remaining positive in the face of adversity and to balance life and work throughout year 12 and into our careers. It was fascinating to hear from a man who has achieved so much, yet still values all the little things in life, and for that he will forever be a role model to me.

Not only were we young, budding scientists for two weeks, we were tourists too. I went to many places including the Australian War Memorial, Old Parliament House and Questacon. These institution visits made my time in Canberra a lot more interesting and unique and I didn’t have one second to be bored!

I could sit here and talk for hours on end about how valuable the NYSF has been to me and how worthwhile this experience has been, but I’m afraid I can’t fit the long list of friends I’ve made, all the chants I’ve sung at camp, all the notes I’ve recorded during lectures, all the inspirational people I’ve met and all the passion I’ve gained for science, into a 700 word report.

So finally I would like to thank a few people who helped me achieve this dream. I would like to thank the Rotary Club of Leeton of District 9700 for endorsing my application and being incredibly supportive throughout the program. I hope that in the future, you can continue to provide other aspiring scientists with the great opportunity you have given me. Thanks especially to Leeton Rotary Club President Geoff Beecher for providing everything I’ve needed to get through the application process, for helping me with interviews and for being such an incredible support. Thanks to Laurie Lewin for also helping with interviewing and for coming with me to my orientation in Wagga, your assistance and encouragement was much appreciated throughout the process. I would also like to thank Monique Owen, for guiding me after I had been selected and keeping me organised. My thanks goes out to Sue Moffatt, the District 9700 NYSF Chair for organising everything for us in the district and allowing us all to be presented with the best opportunities. I would like to thank all the staff at NYSF who work behind the scenes to make the experience such an incredible and worthwhile time, your efforts have not gone unnoticed. And to the beautiful, kind and fabulous staffies of Session A, thank you for the laughs, the tears and all the superb memories and good times you have created for us. Without all your energy and positivity, we probably wouldn’t have survived the whole two weeks. Finally, to my fellow young, brilliant scientists who I had the pleasure of sharing the NYSF with, I cannot thank you all enough for your compassion, humour, generosity and plain awesomeness! The experience wouldn’t have been the same without you all, especially my magnificent buddy Frankie and my phenomenal interest group, Carson.

Michela Salafia NYSF Report NYSF Session A 2017

If I look forward to anything in the future, it would be to hear the incredible stories about future sessions from other bright minds who I have convinced to go on this amazing journey. NYSF has no doubt been the best experience of my life. I only wish it was NYSF every day.