Year 10 students from across Australia converged on ANSTO at Lucas Heights earlier this month to put forward their 'big ideas' of how science can better the world.
At ANSTO, scientists spend each day trying to solves the biggest scientific problems and developing big ideas, so it is only fitting that it should play host to the annual Big Ideas Forum, which brings together the brightest STEM students from across the country and their teachers.
A total of 22 students and 11 teachers took part in this year's forum, where they got to hear about the latest innovations in science and discuss their own 'big ideas' with some of ANSTO's leading young researchers.
They also toured some of Australia's most advanced science infrastructure, including Australia's OPAL multipurpose reactor, the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering and the Centre for Accelerator Science.
ANSTO Discovery Centre leader Rod Dowler said the four-day event allowed like-minded students to come together to put their wildest scientific dreams to the test.
"The Big Ideas Forum is a great way for students to understand how science can turn a simple idea into a huge innovation which can significantly impact the world," he said.
"This year's successful students raised a diverse range of great ideas including how energy could be saved by making solar panels out of recycled resources to how robot fish could be used to clear plastic from the ocean."
Other big ideas included finding a way to remove oxybenzone from sunscreen to prevent damage to Australia's coral and developing alternatives to anti-rejection drugs for transplant patients.
Students wishing to take part in the 2020 Big Ideas Forum must first speak to their teacher, who can register their interest before applications open next April.
This year there were 48 applications, which were judged by a team from ANSTO's Discovery Centre. The winners were selected based on their question, and the creativity and quality of their submission.
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