Traditional Knowledge – Empowering STEM for the next generation

Join us for a special webinar in the Shape Your Future series, proudly presented by ATSE – the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering – to honour NAIDOC Week 2025. This year’s theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy, celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of young Indigenous leaders, the vision of Indigenous communities, and the legacy of their elders.

Date

Thursday 31 July 2025

Location

Online via Zoom

Time

1:45 PM - 2:30 PM

🔍 Why should you attend?

The Traditional Knowledges of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have supported the sustainable management of land, water, sky and biodiversity for tens of thousands of years. Today, they offer critical insights into modern challenges—from climate science and health equity to engineering design and digital technologies. Hear from Traditional Knowledge holders, bringing their expertise and their culture to their work helping people live better lives.

🌟 What will you learn?

Discover how Traditional Knowledge systems are being integrated into contemporary STEM practices in fields from health, climate, culture and immersive technologies.
Explore the intersection of science and culture and the opportunities it creates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ leadership in STEM innovation.
Be inspired by career pathways that respect, uplift and are enriched by Indigenous knowledge.

🌱 Whether you’re a student, educator or future changemaker, this is your chance to reflect on how diverse perspectives are essential to solving the complex problems of tomorrow — and to celebrate the unique contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australia's STEM future.

🖤💛❤️ Join us this for this event honouring NAIDOC Week as we celebrate the knowledge of the oldest living cultures on Earth — and explore how it empowers the next generation in STEM.

FREE CAREERS IN STEM WEBINARS — Brought to you by STELR
Shape Your Future webinars show students the different pathways that Australian scientists, engineers & technologists have taken in their careers. To watch previous sessions, visit Shape Your Future webinars

STELR
ATSE’s STEM in schools' education initiative — STELR (Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance) — modules include equipment, curriculum resources for classrooms, and teacher support. Teachers can access professional learning sessions as well as online and telephone support.

Speakers

Professor Alex Brown

FTSE FAHMS

Telethon Kids Institute and The Australian National University

Professor Alex Brown is a trailblazing Indigenous medical doctor and genomics researcher. He is Professor of Indigenous genomics and Director of the National Centre of Indigenous Genomics at the Australian National University and The Kids Research Institute Australia. He provides scientific and operational leadership with the Australian Alliance for Indigenous Genomics, a national network established to ensure that Indigenous peoples are at the forefront of genomics efforts nationally and internationally.

His research achievements span diverse fields – from genomic medicine to epidemiology to health services – with a focus on empowering Indigenous Australians, identifying and overcoming health disparities, and addressing chronic disease in vulnerable communities. The programs he leads have actively grown the next generation of Indigenous researchers.

He was the first Indigenous scientist appointed to the board of CSIRO and has made significant and wide-ranging contributions to national policy in Indigenous health. From the Yuin nation, he has family connections to the far south coast of New South Wales.

View profile

Dr Rhett Loban is the Director of Indigenous Education in the School of Computer Science, and Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney. His research and educational work is at the intersection of interactive immersive technology, culture and activity-centred learning and pedagogy. Rhett seeks to promote positive and strengths-based representations of Indigenous Australia to the public and international community through his original game design and pedagogical approach.

Rhett’s work has gained recognition through media outlets (e.g. The Guardian, ABC science show, CSIRO news), national organisations (e.g. CSIRO Awardee, Western Australia Parliamentary Witness, eSafety Commission Peer Reviewer), international universities (e.g. University of Malaya, Medan University), among peers (e.g. Melbourne University, University of Adelaide) and young people in schools (e.g. NSW Department of Education Ambassador, presenter at Indigenous Science Experience @ Redfern).

PhD student Nicole Boyd is working on a project titled ‘Centring on a Biocultural Framework: A Case for Utopia Eastern Anmatyerr and Alyawarr determined Desert Habitat Method benefits’ at RIEL.

Nicole’s project sits within the Nature-based Solutions area of research at RIEL. Prior to this project, Nicole began to run regular high school bush trips, supporting bush food enterprises and the successful transfer of intergenerational knowledge at a remote Central Desert school. Following this, Nicole earned a Master of Philosophy degree (Education) at Queensland University of Technology's Yumi Deadly Centre in 2021. She has supported Indigenous-led social change projects at Melbourne University. Nicole has previously presented seminars for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mathematics Alliance.

Nicole is supported by a scholarship from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering to continue the development of women and girls in managing wild harvested Akatyerr (desert raisin).

Nicole is based in Alice Springs on Arrernte Country.

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Traditional Knowledge – Empowering STEM for the next generation

Traditional Knowledge – Empowering STEM for the next generation

Date

Location

Time

Speakers