Meet inventors at work!
There are plenty of gadgets and gizmos that can make life easier, and way more fun! But how does new tech get invented?
Digital entrepreneur: Mikaela Jade
Mikaela founded Australia’s first Indigenous edu-tech company, Indigital. Mik is a proud Cabrogal woman, and her app uses augmented reality to help Indigenous people share extraordinary stories.
Software engineer: Meredith Lane
Meredith discovered her love of STEM through music! Now, she’s a software engineer at Google.
Working on the Chrome Accessibility team, Meredith adds features to the web platform to ensure people with disabilities can use it well.
Aerospace engineer: Dr Renee Wootton Tomlin
Renee is a proud Tharawal woman who joined the Australian Air Force Cadets at 15. She studied aerospace engineering at uni to understand more about how planes work.
Today, Renee is working on how to create more sustainable jet fuel and ensuring there’s enough of it.
Astronomer and science communicator: Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith
Lisa wants to know the secrets of the universe! She grew up loving the night sky and followed that curiosity all the way to becoming an astronomer. Lisa has worked on massive telescopes that help us understand how stars are born.
Fun fact
Lisa left school at 11 and was home-educated before finding her way into science. There’s no single path into a STEM career – just follow what excites you.
Meet Future You: These profiles are adapted from Future You. There are plenty more people to meet
on their website!
True or false?
You have to get straight As to be an inventor = False!
You don’t need perfect marks – you just need great ideas, determination and a willingness to try again when something doesn’t work the first time.
Be an inventor!
For example:
• Product designer: Create new objects we use every day, from toys to tools.
• Internet-of-Things specialist: Work out systems where gadgets can “talk” to each other. Think: smart lights, doorbells, cameras and other tech that send messages to other devices.
Only geniuses work in STEM = False!
STEM careers need all kinds of creative thinkers: storytellers, artists, helpers, adventurers, makers and dreamers. The best teams are made up of people with different strengths.
Be a creative thinker!
For example:
• App designer: Plan how an app looks and feels, from colours and buttons, to sounds and style.
• Digital animator: Create animations for movies and games.
• Augmented reality storyteller: Overlay the world with digital labels, pictures and more! Kind of like Pokémon GO or Pikmin Bloom.
Robots will take all the jobs = False!
Robots and AI help people do tricky, dangerous or boring tasks, but humans still need to design, build, fix and guide them. With humans involved, tech creates new jobs too!
Work with robots!
For example…
• Robotics engineer: Build robots to explore space, help with surgery in hospitals, keep people company or go deep underground.
• Automation specialist: Program robots to help factories, farms or warehouses work faster and safer.
• Data scientist: Explore huge piles of info to help AI learn new things.
• Environmental engineer: Make inventions that help look after our planet, like water filters or clean energy systems.
This article was created in partnership with Future You and first appeared in Careers with STEM: Primary Issue 1.
Main image: Shutterstock
Illustrations: Future You
