Science ASSIST

[Teresa]

Hi Everyone,
I am pleased to be able to announce some exciting developments with a national online advisory service called Science ASSIST.

Science ASSIST is a national online advisory service for school science educators and laboratory technicians. This service will provide free, timely and accurate advice and support to teachers and school science laboratory technicians from all year levels (preschool through to senior secondary), in all education sectors and jurisdictions across Australia.

Through the ASTA online portal, teachers and school science laboratory technicians will be able to access advice, new and innovative resources, and information on safe practices in school laboratories. To enable us to provide resources and advice that is relevant and useful, and a service that is readily accessible to all teachers and technicians, the Science ASSIST team is conducting a brief survey.

You are invited to go to http://tinyurl.com/ASSIST13 to complete the survey. At the end of the survey there is an optional question where you can add your email address to the mailing list for the project to be kept up to date with future developments.
We would like to receive responses from as many teachers and laboratory technicians as possible, so please forward this link to your friends and colleagues and ask them to complete the survey too.

For more information about Science ASSIST you can download the attached flyer.

Thank you for your assistance with this request. If you have any questions or queries on the survey in particular, or the Science ASSIST project in general, please email me at the address below.

Kind Regards
Teresa

Teresa Gigengack
Laboratory Technician Support Officer
Science ASSIST
Mob 0437 749 153
Email labsupport@asta.edu.au

[Teresa]

Science ASSIST Update: Survey and Call for Applicants for Expert Advisory Groups

Dear Science Technicians,

I would like to update you on two matters regarding Science ASSIST:

1. Science ASSIST Survey
Firstly a huge thank you to everyone who has completed the Science ASSIST survey so far. The response has been fantastic, with over 1500 people responding so far and science technicians being well represented. The survey is open for another week only, closing on Friday 27 September. If you have not yet completed the survey, could you please do so.
We would still like to receive responses from as many teachers and laboratory technicians as possible, so please forward this link to your friends and colleagues, especially any primary school teachers and ask them to complete the survey too. At the end of the survey there is an optional question where you can add your email address to the mailing list for the project to be kept up to date with future developments.

The direct link to complete the survey is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ASSIST13
There is information about the project, and also a link to the survey, on the ASTA website: http://www.asta.edu.au.


2. Science ASSIST Call for Applicants for Expert Advisory Groups
The Science ASSIST project is currently seeking applications from experienced teachers of science and school science laboratory technicians to form two expert groups. These groups will develop resources initially and use their expertise to help provide advice to clients when the online advisory service goes live in 2014. Ideally these advisors will be sourced from different states and territories and educational sectors. Please pass this information onto suitably qualified people who have the expertise to advise into this project.

Details including Terms of Reference, role descriptions and application forms are available on the Science ASSIST page of the ASTA website http://asta.edu.au/programs/assist
Please note: Applications close 5pm, 10 October 2013

I will keep you up to date with further news as this project progresses.

Regards
Teresa

[smeee]

The Science ASSIST project is currently seeking applications from experienced school laboratory technicians to form an expert advisory group. This group will develop resources initially and use their expertise to help provide advice to clients when the online advisory service goes live in 2014.

Details including Terms of Reference, role descriptions and application forms are available on the Science ASSIST page of the ASTA website
http://asta.edu.au/programs/assist

Due to the school holidays, the application deadline has been extended until Thursday, 17 October 2013.
Please forward this information to any colleagues who may be interested in applying to be an expert group member.

[smeee]

This link should get you to the relevant information

http://asta.edu.au/programs/assist#OLTAG

[sunray18]

my browser coudlnt open it as it was not compatible

[Teresa]

Hi Everyone,
Just reiterating a previous post and wanting to remind you that the closing date is tomorrow for applications for the Online Laboratory Technicians Advisory Group:

The Science ASSIST project is currently seeking applications from experienced school laboratory technicians to form an expert advisory group. This group will develop resources initially and use their expertise to help provide advice to clients when the online advisory service goes live in 2014.

Details including Terms of Reference, role descriptions and application forms are available on the Science ASSIST page of the ASTA website
http://asta.edu.au/programs/assist

Due to the school holidays, the application deadline has been extended until Thursday, 17 October 2013.
Please forward this information to any colleagues who may be interested in applying to be an expert group member.

You can access the information by going to the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) website and following the links. We are hoping to have representation from every state and territory across all areas of science. No one person needs to be an expert in every area, but collectively we should cover all aspects of science.

Regards
Teresa

[Teresa]

Hi Everyone,
To those on the Science ASSIST mailing list you will already have this information. Here is the first e-Newsletter from Science ASSIST with information on our progress.
Kind Regards
Teresa


Welcome to the first Science ASSIST eNews!

The management team will regularly update stakeholders with progress and activities, as we rapidly head towards a launch mid way through 2014. We encourage you and your organisation to get behind this exciting and innovative initiative and welcome your feedback, questions and comments. Please email your thoughts to Science ASSIST Project Manager Delese Brewster, delese@asta.edu.au

Survey

Thank you to all 1902 respondents of the Science ASSIST preliminary survey that closed in late September. The information received has provided the management team with some insights into those areas we have identified as strategic implications. Results and analysis of the survey and the strategic implications can be found on the ASTA website http://asta.edu.au/programs/assist

The project team is keen to seek your views and input and will be conducting a number of future surveys to inform the Science ASSIST program. Please take a few minutes to respond (to future surveys) and so continue to be a part of this exciting initiative.

Science ASSIST Project Reference Group

On 23 October 2013 the Science ASSIST Project Reference Group had its inaugural meeting in Canberra. The group has broad representation from education departments, organisations and professional associations across the sector.
• ACARA
• ASELL
• Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA)
• ATSE
• Australian Academy of Science (AAS)
• Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers
• Australian Catholic University
• Australian Council of Deans of Science (ACDS)
• Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA)
• Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA)
• CSIRO Education
• Department of Education (DEEWR)
• Education Queensland
• Education Services Australia (ESA)
• National Catholic Education Commission
• NSW Department of Education and Training
• NT Department of Education and Training
• Office of the Chief Scientist
• PrimaryConnections
• RACI
• SA Department of Education and Child Development (DECD)
• Safe Work Australia
• Science Education technicians Australia (SETA)
• TAS Department of Education
• University of Canberra
• WA Department of Education
There is strong support for the Science ASSIST project from the Project Reference group and the project team look forward to close collaborations with each organisation to ensure that their views and priorities are regularly considered as the project progresses.

The Reference Group will meet again in August 2014 for an annual progress report.

Science ASSIST expert groups appointed

Late last week the members of Online Science Teaching Expert Group (OSTEG) and the Online Laboratory Technicians Advisory Group (OLTAG) were selected. The ASSIST team were most impressed by the level of interest in the expert groups and also by the quality of the applications received. We look forward to working with this group of experienced and skilled educators.

OSTEG members are: David Keystone Vic, Shelley Murphy Qld, Marianne Nicholas SA, Helen Silvester Vic, Julie Weber WA, Alicia Brown Vic, Geoff Quinton WA, Craig Tilley Vic.

The role of OSTEG will be to provide expert teaching and learning advice to teachers of science F–12 through the Science ASSIST online portal.

OLTAG members are: Rita Steffe NSW, Joanne Mills ACT, Deb Barnett QLD, Virginia Ward SA, Peter Turnbull SA, Kris Nelson Szalai Tas, Dale Carroll Vic, Marilyn Miles WA.

The role of OLTAG will be to provide consistent and authoritative advice and technical support in safe practices in school science laboratories to guide school science technicians and teachers through the Science ASSIST online portal.

The OSTEG and OLTAG will meet in Adelaide on 9 December 2013 for an induction workshop.

[Ocker]

I always thought Science assist was called chemtalk

[mtg]

I thought so too.

[rae]

Me too! They would be silly to not use it as and excellent resource!

[sunray18]

I know this may sound obnoxious - BUT I have found through my long life that the moment something is organised by government and authorised and all that.. then it ends up being a bureaucratic monster.. I do hope this won't. I love the casual way we all interact on chemtalk... friends from a distance brought close by computer.
TOO MUCH OF OUR LIFE INAUSTRALIA IS NOW BEING REGULATED BY GOVERNMENT.

[Lyn]

I wouldn't be surprised if many of the issues brought up on the Chemtalk site have been responsible for instigating the development of this Science Assist. It has been pretty obvious that over the years there have been many lab people in schools who have needed assistance for a variety of issues for which there has been excellent advice from others but occasionally there have been things that have had no definitive answers. These include WHS issues, dealing with chemical storage and disposal issues and dealing with administration to get the proper facilities, equipment and storage for science. I for one would like defined Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) rather than being given a vague guideline and being told to make my own. If I mess up and something goes wrong I wouldn't have a leg to stand on if it became a workers comp case. The blame would come back to me because I didn't set up the SOP properly to start with. That is only one example but I'm sure you guys out there will think of others. I do think Chemtalk will still provide moral support for those of us who deal with teachers and other various issues which are part of our job. We will still have very good advice on how we have managed pracs and on what pracs have worked well for us.
Lyn.

[rae]

Here Here!! I concur!!

[sunray18]

as to SOPs.. they are supposed to be GIVEN to us by our employers!
They are the ones who are legally responsible

[linotas]

I sort of agree with Sunray. I really hope the system will be of benefit but the fact is the people providing the advice will not necessarily have any more idea of legal/ admin stuff like WHS issues, disposal of chemicals and the like then us here. I have tried to get information about chemical disposal locally ( as per the SDS's saying contact local authorities for disposal information) and hit a brick wall when the local water authority wanted me tell them the individual chemical and then they could maybe tell me the legal volume that may be disposed down the sink or what process needed to be taken. So how a "national" body will tackle things like that I don't know. I know the Tas rep is many council areas away from me and whilst she is a very lovely person (Hello if you are on chemtalk ) with many many years of invaluable labbie experience, in things like WHS I probably have more relevant, up to date knowledge through my recent studies and the fact it is a bit of a hobby of mine. I think that is where chemtalk works so well in that we each have out own little niche of knowledge that we can all pool.

[Ocker]

I almost put in my application for this job last March, but backed away from it as it was put up by Kevin as part of the Gonski review, decided that Kev didn't have a chance and after chucking Job here would then be told Govt. had a change of mind.

[sunray18]

I think you were wise Ocker.. Abbott is still oscillating on his decision - Bunnings is a better option!

[Teresa]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanting to clarify that the impetus for Science ASSIST came in part as a result of recommendations contained in the 2009 report by Professor Mark Hackling “The Status of School Science Laboratory Technicians in Australian Secondary Schools” as well as a report released in 2012 by the Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb titled “Health of Australian Science”. To download the 2009 report follow the link on the SETA page at http://moodle.asta.edu.au/course/view.php?id=32 and to download the 2012 report go to http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-con ... 200912.pdf [3MB]

Science ASSIST is not meant to replace technician associations or web based discussion forums but to provide authoritative information and support for school science teachers and technicians. It is a very exciting project and information and past newsletters can be found at http://asta.edu.au/programs/assist Here is a copy of the second e-newsletter that was sent out in December with an update on the progress.

Kind Regards
Teresa

[Teresa]

Hi Everyone,
Things are progressing well with Science ASSIST and the team have been busy.

I am attaching the third e-newsletter, providing an update.

Past e-newsletters as well as the fourth e-newsletter (which is too large to post here) can be found at http://asta.edu.au/programs/assist

Kind Regards
Teresa