• Charles Sturt to host competition in Bathurst for school students interested in STEM careers
• PitchIT competition will offer a broader understanding of working in STEM industries
• Events like PitchIT encourage students to be innovative and develop their communication skills

Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) in Bathurst will host a competition for primary and secondary school students in the region who are interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).

The ‘PitchIT’ competition is part of the Charles Sturt Engineering program’s annual 2019 Engfest and the final will be judged on Tuesday 11 June on campus in Bathurst.

Charles Sturt Foundation Professor of Engineering Euan Lindsay said, “The pitching competition is an opportunity for students to present any STEM project they have recently completed to a room of academics, members of industry and peers.

“They will be judged on how clearly they communicate the background, problem solving process and solutions that they developed.

“Strong communication skills will unlock a world of opportunity for students pursuing a career in STEMM, and this competition will give students a chance to flex their communication skills while they learn from audience feedback and the judges’ evaluation,” Professor Lindsay said.

Entering PitchIT is a two stage process; firstly schools need to upload their video entry and entry form for PitchIT to be judged by 29 May 2019, via email engineering@csu.edu.au

From these submissions four primary and four high schools will be selected to progress to the second stage of the competition and present in the PitchIT finals at Engfest on Tuesday 11 June 2019.

“We hope the success of PitchIT encourages students to dive into STEM study further, where a world of opportunity awaits,” said Professor Lindsay.

“We assume the schools will be primarily from central NSW, as they need to travel to Bathurst for the final.

“There is no limit on how many students can be in a group from each school.”

The finals will determine which primary and secondary student group will win a $250 JB HI FI voucher for their school.

The ‘PitchIT’ competition at the annual 2019 Engfest will be judged between 10.30am to 12.30pm on Tuesday 11 June at the ‘Pitch Zone’ at the Charles Sturt Engineering (building 1305) off Village Drive at Charles Sturt in Bathurst.

For more information about PitchIT contact the event organisers Ms Kayla Downey via kdowney@csu.edu.au or Ms Lisa Ditchfield via lditchfield@csu.edu.au