Sam Flood and Oscar Rainger – NYSF application process
Hi, this is Oscar Rainger and Sam Flood, writing to you about our experience so far with applying to the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF), and how Rotary has helped us out so far. In early autumn we were first notified about NYSF through Ms. Julie Clendinning who approached us about the opportunity to go to either Brisbane or Canberra to participate in the forum, and we were to go about applying.
The first step of the process was writing a response to NYSF to determine whether we were the type of people that they wanted at the forum. We had to write a little bit about ourselves, and aspirations for our future regarding STEM, our reasons for wanting to go to NYSF. We had to get these done by mid-June, and we both managed to pass through to the next round of selections. Whilst doing this we also had to get in touch with our local rotary club, Inverell East, to determine if we could get a Rotary scholarship. While the first bit of the task was largely self-directed, we needed a bit of help for the next part.
The interviews were scheduled for September 5th – 6th in Walcha, however as the year went on it became apparent that they would have to probably be online. We still needed to prepare though, and that’s where Ms. Clendinning came to our rescue. She guided us through the process, acting as our mentor in regards to what we would need to know, and what to expect during the interview process.
The actual interview went really well for the both us. It was split into four separate individual panel interviews. First the situation regarding covid was discussed, in regards to how NYSF will work, with all activities being now online or at an in-state uni. It then proceeded to the science-based interview, in which we had a prepared speech, as well as a presentation on a piece of scientific equipment where the two of us covered Geiger counters (Oscar) and cathode ray tubes (Sam). After this there was an interview about achievements and community involvement, followed by one about general knowledge, rotary facts and a discussion. Thanks to Ms. Clendinning we were prepared for all of this.
We are very grateful for Rotary’s support throughout the process, particularly Ms. Clendinning who has helped us throughout and kept us in the know about what’s going on.
Regards,
Oscar Rainger & Sam Flood