On-campus activities and competitions

Explore engineering at UQ through workshops and events for school students and teachers organised by the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology.

Future Experiences in Agriculture, Science & Technology (FEAST) is a five-day residential program that inspires high school students about rewarding science careers in the agriculture, animal, plant and food industries.

It is open to students in years 11 and 12 and is held in June.

UQ's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit holds several science-related events for high school students who are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin.

InspireU Junior STEM Camp

The InspireU Junior STEM Camp provides insights and information about science to Year 9 and Year 10 students.

It is held each January.

Activities include workshops and investigations into a range of areas, including biology, 3D printing, mathematics and physics, palaeontology, bioengineering, nanotechnology, plant science and molecular bioscience.

InspireU Senior Engineering Camp

The InspireU Senior Engineering Camp gives students a taste of engineering at UQ and outlines graduate career options.

The camp is open to Year 11 and Year 12 students and is held each January.

Activities include aerospace engineering workshops, a tour of UQ's engineering precinct and virtual mining practice in UQ's Immersive 3D Visualisation Laboratory.

The Junior Physics Odyssey (JPhO) is a four-day non-residential program for Year 10 students with an interest in physics, science and mathematics.

The immersive program encourages students to develop their understanding and appreciation of physics, confront and solve problems, and take part in hands-on learning.

JPhO is held annually in July.

Participants tour UQ's innovative research facilities, take part in research forums, experience UQ life and even learn a few magic tricks.

UQ Science's annual Earth & Environment Day  gives students the chance to experience the applications and relevance of geography, planning, earth sciences and environmental management, and to discover how studying these subjects can lead to a career with real-world impact.

Open to students in years 10, 11 and 12, the event includes a careers session presented by UQ Science graduates and two interactive workshops. Teachers can attend an optional discussion and information sharing session with our staff.

UQ Earth & Environment Day is held in July.

The UQ Queensland Mathematics Summer School (QMSS) introduces Year 10 students to the beauty of advanced mathematical ideas and new ways of thinking.

The week-long non-residential program is open to talented students who are going into Year 11 and have chosen to study Mathematics B and Mathematics C.

It is held each year in January.

Participants gain mathematical knowledge, problem-solving skills and confidence to use in a possible career in maths and science, in maths competitions or for their own interest.

The UQ/QAMT Problem Solving Competition is held annually on a Saturday at UQ St Lucia, close to International Pi Day in March.

Open to all Queensland secondary high school students, the competition sees students complete a two-hour maths paper in three categories for junior, middle and senior students. The questions encourage ingenuity and thought.

The event includes a professional development session for teachers.

Schools unable to attend the St Lucia event can run their own competition on the day or the previous school day.

RACI holds annual regional Titration Competitions, culminating in national finals. 

The competition aims to inspire Year 10, 11 and 12 pupils who are interested in chemistry, and to acknowledge those who are becoming proficient.

It is held in May.

Our School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences has hosted regional Queensland competitions for 30 years. 

Senior Five-Day Research Immersions , organised by UQ's SPARQ-ed, give secondary high school students the chance to take part in real-world biomedical research.

The programs are open to Queensland students in years 10, 11 and 12, and teachers. Several programs are run each year.

Student participants are introduced to research, attend seminars and learn how to use academic research resources.

SPARQ-ed is an educational facility established by UQ's Diamantina Institute and Queensland's Department of Education. 

The Australian Brain Bee Challenge encourages Year 10 students to learn about the brain, neuroscience research and careers, and misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses. 

The challenge tests participants' knowledge of intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movement, stress, ageing, sleep, Alzheimer's disease and stroke.

Competition rounds are held at UQ's Queensland Brain Institute in March and May.

We're inviting school groups of Year 10 students who have selected to study senior science subject(s) and their teachers to attend our on-campus experience to further develop their scientific research skills.

We'll be running workshops that address critical thinking, experimental risk management, science literacy, and science communication, as a head start into senior science.  

Our Senior Science Skills Days are held in November at UQ St Lucia campus.