Primary Industries Centre for Science Education (PICSE)

Summary

The Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (PICSE) program is collaboration between agencies, universities, their regional communities and local primary industries.  Through the direct engagement of the PICSE program with students during school years and university, these students are specifically encouraged to become the next generation of researchers and industry scientists working in the primary industries and their supporting businesses.
The University of Tasmania and Meat & Livestock Australia have collaborated to deliver a project, through the PICSE program, that delivers science class activities, teachers' professional development, teaching resources, student camps and student industry placement programs.  The activities focus on building strong and sustainable relationships between students and teachers, plus local scientists and employers in primary industries.  The focus is on attracting students into tertiary science and increasing the number of skilled professionals in science-based primary industries through an "experiential / seeing is believing focus".
The project objectives were:Engage with the University of New England Activity Centre and Charles Sturt University Activity Centre (2012) to foster inclusion of red meat industry materials, demonstrating interesting careers in the livestock industry, within the PICSE resources and activities program
 Show positive impact that this project is delivering results, by demonstrated increased interest from teachers and students in the red meat industryCreate defined secondary school lesson materials, regarding the sciences of the meat and livestock industry that also demonstrates to teachers a suite of meat and livestock industry career opportunities for students.  These materials to be used during teacher professional development programs at the CSU and UNE Activity Centres.
Overall Completion of the Project
The project work is now completed.  There were a suite of direct activities focussed on Activity Centres based at CSU and UNE as outlined in the objectives.  However there was spill-over to the national PICSE program at other locations.  There are opportunities to continue to build on these objectives within the framework of MLA's capacity building activities.
MLA funding for this project has enabled PICSE to undertake activities that will benefit the red meat industry into the future.  Along with funding from other key stakeholders including government, agri-business, peak industry bodies, and Rural Development Corporations, this has allowed PICSE to create a fully integrated program of activities that will support all of the primary industries.  Particular red meat industry outcomes were achieved within the context of the wider primary industry benefits.