This semi-final was very exciting, the contestants explained to the panel of online judges their ground-breaking science research live. Similar to last year, contestants had only 3 minutes to present to a live panel of judges online their extraordinary stories and ongoing research. They used their remarkable and innovative minds to communicate their messages across.
The judges deliberated and agreed that Winner Dr Saffron Bryant from RMIT University, Runner-up Vivian Tran from La Trobe University and Kate Huckstep as the Wild Card from The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health would go through to the National Finals to be held on Thursday 22 July.
The 2021 semi-finalist winners for Queensland are:
- WINNER: Dr Saffron Bryant, RMIT University – Cryopreservation isn’t just for Science Fiction
Discovering thousands more cryoprotective agents to help use cryopreservation more widely and for more fragile uses like organ donation. - RUNNER UP: Vivian Tran, La Trobe University – Taking on the weight of the world.
Gaining insights of what role gender plays in gaining weight and related diseases and identify how fats, immune cells and sex hormones can impact hormone function. - WILD CARD: Kate Huckstep, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health – Why a favourite pub could trigger relapse: uncovering the biological mechanisms behind context-induced relapse.
Understanding that boosting and suppressing certain brain signals can result in reducing relapsing behaviour and creating medication which targets this biology driving people to relapse.
Watch the videos here and vote for your favourite VIC STEM superstar to be named the Audience Favourite for 2021.
