Two Science, Enterprise and Technology tours have recently touched down in Melbourne after a whirlwind two weeks of international learning. The Middle Years Science, Enterprise and Technology tour (known as MYSET) traversed the west coast of the USA. Along the way, the girls visited the Boeing factory, the Chabot Space and Science Centre and San Francisco’s Autodesk Gallery, featuring exhibits that showcased pioneering design and inventive engineering.

A trip to the California Academy of Sciences, Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Centre were among the highlights of what proved to be not only a full but fulfilling itinerary. Whilst overseas, the girls gained a greater appreciation of the varied and vibrant careers that could await them in coming years. Similarly, they saw firsthand the power of contemporary science, technology and enterprise and its ability to positively impact global communities.

Meanwhile, the Senior Years Science, Enterprise and Technology tour (SYSET) was, for the first time, based in Europe. Paris provided a picturesque welcome and then the group headed to the International Red Cross and the United Nations.

Highlights of the tour included going underground in CERN where our girls were introduced to the imposing CMS detector of the Large Hadron Collider. The Euro Space Centre in Belgium delivered an incredible space camp where our girls were given an insight into the life of an astronaut. From grappling with gravity to simulating shuttle launch briefings – this was an experience best described as out of this world!

Later, a visit to Volkswagen was the perfect vehicle to test our girls’ design skills. Then, a two-day conference at global consultancy NoTOSH Design Thinking gave them the opportunity to practice pitching projects and ideas. They responded with confidence and clarity — needless to say, they were right at home on the world stage.

In June, our girls are heading to Sri Lanka and Nepal.