Seeding the plants of tomorrow – Celebrating World Bee Day

In celebration of World Bee Day, this session explores the diverse career pathways in agricultural science and the critical role of technology in securing our food future. From the proteomics of gluten-free barley to the engineering of regional supply chains and the commercialisation of native foods, our panellists discuss how they are shaping the agriculture of tomorrow.

Host: Emily O'Neill (Elevate Program Coordinator at ATSE)

Moderator: Professor Michelle Colgrave FTSE (Deputy Director at CSIRO Agriculture and Food)

Guests:

• Mandy Walker: Regional business owner, AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award winner (WA 2024), and Elevate Scholar.
• Amelie Cox: Undergraduate student at the University of Queensland and ATSE Elevate Scholar.

Key Discussion Points

1. Pathways into STEM careers

• Michelle [09:29]
• Mandy [16:35]
• Amelie [26:12]

2. Modern agriculture & tech

• Creating pesticides from plants that are lethal to pests but safe for bees [11:03].
• Developing gluten-free barley and nutrient-dense crops for global food security [13:31] – https://www.csiro.au/en/research/plants/crops/Grains/Kebari-barley.
• The importance of study hubs that allow students to study STEM without leaving their communities [22:18] – https://www.education.gov.au/regional-university-study-hubs.

3. Native foods & First Nations Knowledge

• The unique way native bees pollinate Australian plants [30:31].
• Researching how to farm native species on an industrial scale [28:21] – https://uniquelyaustralianfoods.org.
• Recognising some of the world's oldest agricultural engineering [46:04] – https://deadlystory.com/page/culture/history/Gunditjmara_people_build_sophisticated_Budj_Bim_eel_trap_system.

4. Advice for students & educators [33:35]

• How much mathematics you really need.
• Look at subjects like humanities to understand the "human factor".
• Take risks and don’t let anyone tell you your dreams are too crazy.

Notable Quotes

"A career is not a linear function. It is very convoluted and can take many twists and turns... don't be scared of the unknowns because reinventing yourself is pretty exciting." - Mandy Walker

"Science is a wide field, and I guarantee there is something out there that combines your interests. Don't be afraid to make a change, even if it's scary." - Amelie Cox

"Everything in agriculture has moved on... we're using sensors, drones, robots, and AI. Math is a critical factor, but it's really just a tool to help solve the big problems." - Professor Michelle Colgrave

Useful Links

• STELR Program (www.stelr.org.au): ATSE’s national STEM education initiative for schools
• Elevate Scholarship (atse.org.au/elevate): A university scholarship supporting women in STEM.
• IMNIS Program (www.imnis.org.au): An industry mentoring network for PhD students.
• World Bee Day: Learn more about why pollinators matter – https://www.worldbeeday.org.au.
• CSIRO Future Protein Mission: Addressing global food security – https://www.csiro.au/en/about/challenges-missions/Future-protein-mission.

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52VWTkUbfU0