A group of students supervised by MACSYS Postdoctoral Research Fellow Thomas Williams has won the People’s Choice Award at The University of Melbourne’s Year 10 Work Experience Program.

Hosted by the Faculty of Science on the Parkville campus, this year’s program welcomed over 120 students from 87 schools across Victoria, selected from a competitive pool of more than 3,000 applicants.

The students split into about two dozen groups, including one hosted by Thomas.  His team spent the five-day program diving into the fascinating world of mathematical biology.

“These students came from three different schools and didn’t know each other. I really enjoyed seeing them come together as a team during the week,” said Thomas.

To guide their learning, Thomas taught them about designing mathematical models and interpreting model predictions to gain biological insights. He also introduced them to the basics of coding.

“They put these skills to use on real model input, where they developed visualisations of the data,” said Thomas.

The program culminated in a Poster Expo, where each group showcased their findings. Out of all the posters, the team of Aksha, Constance, and Alesia took home the People’s Choice Award for their outstanding work.  CLICK HERE TO SEE THEIR POSTER

“They were really chuffed. It was a well-deserved award for all the hard work they put in during the week,” said Thomas.

Thomas’ team came from the following three schools:

• Glen Eira College in Caulfield, VIC
• Melbourne High School in South Yarra, VIC
• Emmanuel College Notre Dame in Point Crook, VIC

Thomas was one of more than 30 academics who mentored throughout the program.

Congratulations to Aksha, Constance, and Alesia – and well done, Thomas!