I-WiSH Conference

After participating in the Matthew Flinders Anglican College I-WiSH conference, alongside a team from St Catherine’s, Melbourne, the Pymble Institute is looking forward to hosting our own I-WiSH Conference in 2025. The event will extend our connections with First Nations women, including parents of First Nations students at the College, who are working in science and health, as we recognise both NAIDOC Week and National Science Week celebrations in mid-August, 2025.

I-WiSH stands for Inspiring Women in Science and Health. The I-WiSH conference was initiated by Dr Louise McCuaig, the Director of the Flinders Discovery Institute, the research centre at Matthew Flinders Anglican College. Dr McCuaig has been running this unique event since 2021, in collaboration with two Science Heads of Department, Mrs Emmie Cossell and Mr John Fitzgerald. The event explicitly identifies, empowers and nurtures a pipeline of talented women and girls into Health-Related, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (HeR-STEM) careers. Employing entrepreneurial approaches such as design sprints, I-WiSH further aims to equip young and experienced women with skills that promote their resilience and capacity to overcome barriers and thrive within HeR-STEM industries.

Pymble is seeking interest from women academics working in HeR-STEM fields, especially female First Nations academics and those working on projects using Indigenous knowledge and research methods, to act as mentors. Teams of girls from other schools are also welcome to participate. Contact Sarah Loch for more information via pymbleinstitute@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.