On Monday 29 August Jua O, Lana W and Tina T represented QASMT and QLD in the BIOTech Futures Challenge in Sydney. The students first competed against several other schools in the QLD round at QUT and came second. This achievement secured them a place at the BIOTech Futures Challenge symposium in Sydney which had schools from Sydney, Melbourne and NZ presenting.
The BIOTech Futures Challenge is an innovation and mentorship program that aims to empower the brightest young minds. Students are challenged to think creatively about scientifically inspired solutions to challenges in the field of health, medicine, sustainability, humanitarian aid and the environment. Students present their innovations to a panel of academic experts. Jua, Lana and Tina presented their medical innovation “Self-test kit and subsidiary app for early detection of troponin levels indicating heart attack". They specifically focused on delivery in rural areas to help reduce the high mortality rate due to cardiovascular diseases. Their product was well received by the judges, and they were given feedback on future possibilities.
The calibre of presentations was incredibly high and while our students didn't place, they should be extremely proud of themselves and their ingenuity. As well as the student presentation, Prof. Robert Langer from MIT gave an introductory video speech and Prof. Alyssa Goodman from Harvard joined the symposium via ZOOM to talk about big data communication and the future of data analysis and visualisation. The students were also treated to a Q&A with Prof. Goodman afterwards which lead to some insightful discussions.
QASMT would like to thank the School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering at QUT and the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Joint Biomechanics for this amazing opportunity and for supporting our students to get to Sydney.