When UNE alumnus, Peter Newman, was in his final years of high school, he had big dreams to use his love of STEM for the greater good.
“I made the decision then that I didn’t want to merely be a consumer, waiting around for others to solve problems for me. I wanted to be an active participant in creating new technologies and solving problems for myself.”
Whether it was working with the Questacon Science Circus, rolling out a national CAD education program for teachers, or his current role inspiring the nation’s future scientists as a Challenge Leader for the University of Newcastle’s Science and Engineering Challenge (SEC); Peter has certainly made progress on his teenage aspirations.
“STEM careers are so frequently non-linear and take people to fascinating parts of the world and into areas they wouldn’t have guessed when they started. This has definitely been true for me.”
Image: Pete during his time working with the Questacon Science Circus.
It was during his time at UNE that the wheels of his colourful career were set in motion. Sitting in his first chemistry lecture as a wide-eyed fresher, he met Dr Peter Lye, who has run the Highlands SEC at UNE for the past 21 years. Eventually, Peter began volunteering with Dr Lye as an activity coordinator, and now, ten years on, the two reunite annually to run the two-day challenge in Armidale.
“It’s wonderful to come full circle, and we’re enormously grateful for the many years of commitment, support and enthusiasm that Dr Lye has brought to the Highlands Challenge events.”
It wasn’t just Dr Lye that left a mark on Peter during his time at UNE. Over the span of his studies, he forged many lasting connections while living at Duval College and studying a Bachelor of Science and Master of Teaching (Secondary).
“I made many friends for life there and I don’t know if I would have had the same sense of community at a larger university or residential college.
“On the academic side, I loved my small class sizes and actually getting to know my lecturers and academics. I’m still in contact with some of them. Their passion for their subjects, the interest they took in us as their students – these impressions will stay with me always as something to aspire to.”
It’s that same passion that Peter brings into his own role as Challenge Leader.
“Most days in this job do not feel like work. When I’m on the road, I get to work with a huge array of amazing community partners and teachers across the country. I get to see students surprise themselves with what they can accomplish when they just dive in and give things a go and, for some of them, the ignition point for a lifetime of passion for problem-solving.
“When I’m back at the office, I’m playing around with new and exciting ideas for activities, working with experts in their fields to create new experiences for the next generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians.”
It’s something he hopes to continue doing well into the future, while expanding the reach of the Challenge to even more students around the country.
Image: A group of primary school students testing a bridge at this year's Highlands Science and Engineering Challenge in Armidale.
“Coming out of COVID times, it’s been enormously encouraging that we’ve been approached by more potential collaborators than we’ve known how to deal with over the last couple of years. This is what I’m most looking forward to: seeing the passion of many churning out new, updated activities that expose students to the next generation of tricky problems we face in the world. I’m very excited to see what we come up with over the next few years.”
You can find out more about Pete and his accomplishments to date here, and you can keep up to date with his work via LinkedIn.
