• Click here for Roma State College workshop photos
• Click here for Miles State High School workshop photos

Young minds were powered up this week with workshops about energy at two local high schools delivered by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) in partnership with Origin Energy.

More than 100 students from Roma State College completed a Lighting the Way workshop on Tuesday – examining the physics of light refraction and how it can improve work safety.

The following day Year 7, 8 and 9 students from Miles State High School got their mind motors going in a Future Hy-Way workshop, exploring future fuels and their role in the energy mix.

Katrina-Lee Jones, Policy Director (Skills, Education and Diversity) at the Queensland Resources Council said the workshops had a mix of practical experiments and real-life applications.

“While most students realise energy is essential for daily life, they may not have considered the sources of energy and the potential for emerging technologies to create more diversity in the energy mix.”

Origin Energy’s General Manager Asset East, Steve Thatcher, said Origin, as the upstream operator of Australia Pacific LNG, was proud to once again support QMEA workshops across the Western Downs and Maranoa.

“These workshops help students see how important energy and light are to our everyday lives and highlight the need for a diverse energy mix to meet future power demands,” Mr Thatcher said.

“They also give students a window into how dynamic our sector is and the exciting career opportunities it offers, especially in a region where the energy industry plays such a vital role.”