OneSchool’s pioneering global program aimed at boosting interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects by supporting global student collaboration will run for a second year after success in 2024.
We sat down with OSG Secondary Teacher Dr Peter Wilson, the lead educator behind the innovative program, to learn about the outcomes it drives for OSG students.
“Encouraging students to engage in STEM education is vital for fostering critical thinking, innovation, and preparing them for a future driven by technology and scientific advancement,” says Dr Wilson.
“We developed the OSG STEM Scholars Program precisely for this reason – to encourage deeper learning.
“Reflecting on the first year of the program, we found that students were eager for more opportunities to explore what makes things work. Using OneSchool Global’s network of campuses combined with the wonders of remote technology, the program transcends geographical boundaries, with students collaborating with their peers from across the world. Students worked on their projects for at least two hours a week, collaborating through fortnightly Zoom meetings, sharing ideas, presenting their findings, and inspiring each other.
“Last year’s theme for the 2024 program was water and ice, with students focusing on aspects of supercooling, freezing tardigrades, looking at how super hydrophobic coatings work, and more. We witnessed some incredible discoveries, like proving that the so-called Mpemba Effect – where hot liquids may freeze faster than cold ones – is not an enigma but a function of both Newton’s Law of Cooling and the random nature of supercooling. By the end of the program, the students knew more about supercooling water than any of their peers – and likely any of their teachers too!
OSG Regional Director of Education Paul Maher shared: “The STEM Scholars Program is a great example of the OneSchool Global approach, using technology to support students to take control of their own learning. Through our self-directed learning approach our students can work together no matter where they are in the world, and our teachers can provide targeted support to students tailored to their interests.”
In 2024, 43 students across 35 campuses took part in the program, with similar numbers expected in 2025.
About Dr Wilson
Dr Peter Wilson is an OSG Secondary Teacher based at OneSchool Global’s Sydney Campus. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Physics at The University at Albany in New York and The University of California San Diego.
