Science and technology will be brought to life for about 40 year-nine Pittsworth and Millmerran students this week with hands-on activities taking them into the world of beakers, robots, and design engineering.

The Beakers, Bots and Build workshop conducted by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) aims to inspire students to follow a pathway into science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers.

Students will program their own robot to enter a ‘mine site’, pick up product at three different points and exit the site safely and efficiently. They’ll also experience basics of chemical processing when they learn to extract a product from a solution.

And, they’ll learn how to efficiently throw away money, by designing a contraption to launch a coin at least one metre. They will have a limited budget and a list of items they can use, giving the exercise a real-world feel.

Intergen Plant Manager Chris Seydel said employees with STEM related skills were in high demand across several sectors.

“Intergen is a proud supporter of QMEA as we believe that our young people deserve to understand the amazing STEM-related careers waiting for them, particularly in the resources sector,” Mr Seydel said.

“It’s particularly important for students in our regional areas to experience how exciting STEM can be and I know our people enjoy sharing their experiences with and mentoring the students.”

The QMEA is the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council and is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under the Gateway to Industry Schools Program.