Page 6 - Journal 2018B FINAL

Ruminations from the outgoing Chief Scientist for South Australia
Dr Leanna Read SASTA Patron
It has been my pleasure and privilege to be the SASTA Patron for the last few years in my capacity as Chief Scientist for South Australia.
Having completed my four-year term as Chief Scientist last June, I thought I would take
this opportunity to reflect on my experiences, particularly as they relate to STEM education.
I am a passionate advocate for STEM education for many reasons, but two in particular.
The first, and most obvious, is the breadth and depth of future career opportunities for STEM graduates. This is driven by the explosive technological growth we have witnessed over the last 50 years – just think of the number of things on the average desk that have been replaced by smartphones. This growth will only accelerate further in the coming decades, as illustrated in the following chart.
The advancements are mind-blowing. In my
own sector, biotechnology, recent developments in cancer therapy have demonstrated that the patient’s own immune system can be orchestrated to attack and completely remove tumours with few side effects. In a couple of decades, getting many cancers may be no worse than a bout of ‘flu.
It is no surprise that most careers in these industry sectors require a solid training in STEM. But it
is perhaps less obvious that a STEM education fundamentally teaches problem solving that can position graduates for a huge diversity of careers.
By way of example, the following diagram illustrates the range of careers that are open to graduates of just the one fields of STEM - biotechnology. There are at least one hundred types of jobs emanating from a degree in biotechnology.
http://asgard.vc/tag/acceleration-growth/
The impact on career opportunities is profound. As recently as 2011, three of the top five global companies in terms of market capitalisation were in the commodities based sectors of mining and energy. Only one – Apple – was in technology. Fast forward to 2016, and all five global leaders are now technology giants – Apple, Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook.
From: Toby Freedman: Career Opportunities in Biotechnology and Drug Development Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
My own career progression is a case in point. After completing a PhD in biochemistry, I commenced my working life as an academic, with a postdoctoral research fellowship and then a university lectureship. However, my passion for putting science into practice led me progressively
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