The forum is fully residential and takes place in January at the Australian National University (http://www.anu.edu.au/). The cost includes travel to and from Canberra. All activities are fully supervised by student staff and resident Rotary counselors. The program is extremely intensive with little time for outside activities except for meeting those people already in the program.

The most important aspect coming from the NYSF is a network of friends, colleagues and support groups throughout Australia which will be of value to participants for the whole of their lives.

The NYSF continues after January, first in the form of university seminars and industry site visits in March and April and afterwards as a long term personal network of people with common aims.

Encouraging Excellence

The NYSF helps students moving into Year 12, who wish to follow careers in science, engineering and technology by introducing them to research and researchers, by encouraging the achievement of excellence in all their undertakings, and by helping to develop their communication and interpersonal skills. It also fosters discussion of, and interest in major national and global issues and emphasizes the importance of maintaining continuing active interests in sport, arts and music.

In the January program, the NYSF places equal emphasis on pure research, applied research and engineering in both the physical and biological sciences. However in the human biology fields the emphasis is placed on biomedical research and biotechnology rather than medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, physiotherapy or similar professions.