When Penny Tassicker joined the Curious Minds program, she was a science-loving student from regional Tasmania with big curiosity and few local opportunities to explore her passion for STEM. Through Curious Minds and a range of Australian Science Innovations extension programs, Penny found a community of like-minded peers, developed her scientific skills, and opened doors to experiences she had never imagined.

Penny is an alum of the 2021-22 Curious Minds (CM) – girls in STEM program, who went on to participate in Australian Science Innovations (ASI) Science Olympiad programs. She was selected for Junior Science Olympiad (JSO) extension programs, the 2021-22 JSO Training Squad, and JSO Academy in 2022, designed to assist regional students like herself.

These opportunities helped Penny gain the skills and results needed to be selected for the 2022 International Junior Science Olympiad team. Unfortunately, the team did not travel to compete that year due to heightened safety warnings in the host city in Colombia.

Penny was selected for the team representing Australia at the 2023 International Earth Science Olympiad, which was hosted by China but held online, where she won a gold medal. In 2024, Penny represented Australia at the International Chemistry Olympiad held in Saudi Arabia, where she earned a silver medal.

An engaged and inspiring alum, Penny has taken on an ambassador role representing ASI and CM at events and open days, and tutoring for Curious Minds at the 2024-25 and 2025-26 camps.

Penny is currently studying a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) – Science at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. She is in her second year of study and has recently returned from doing an exchange semester at the University of Edinburgh.

“I’m focusing my degree on Chemistry, though I keep being side-tracked by interesting subjects. For example, I’m taking an evolutionary biology course in Edinburgh, and it has perhaps been my favourite subject I’ve ever taken at uni!”

Let’s spend five minutes with Penny to hear about her experiences with the programs.

---

What else have you been up to since participating in the Curious Minds program?

Quite a lot! I ended up participating in a lot of the other programs run by ASI when I was still in high school, resulting in me representing Australia in three of the International Science Olympiads. That defined my high school years, so I’ve been trying to focus on the other aspects of university, outside of just academics! I’ve been trying to travel more, which is why I’ve gone on exchange.

I’ve kept sailing and kitesurfing when I’m at home and have taken up climbing since moving to Canberra for university. I’ve started playing a lot more board games since uni started, since ANU has a really active board games club.

I’ve gotten some awards, but none for chemistry – which is a bit embarrassing as that’s my favourite subject!

Did you have a female STEM role model growing up, or someone who encouraged you to explore STEM?

Not really, for the first part of my life. I come from north-west Tasmania, and I didn’t really have anyone encouraging me to do STEM. I did a couple of online programs provided by my primary school, but my high school did very little to foster my love of STEM.

That changed when I started the JSO Academy program, and Curious Minds (they happened at the same time, which made for a pretty interesting time). They showed me how awesome science could be and introduced me to like-minded peers.

What inspires you in the STEM field? Are there any current projects, developments or people that continue to motivate you?

I do STEM for the joy of it. I really enjoy puzzles and finding out new things about the world! I don’t really need external motivation, as I enjoy learning enough on its own.

How do you handle challenges, like when a project or experiment doesn’t go as planned? 

I’ve had a pretty challenging semester, having taken on my first research project synthesising a novel lantern-shaped organometallic cage. It’s involved some more difficult reactions than anything I’ve done before and even now, at the end of the semester, I never managed to make the cage my project was centred on, and that’s ok!

It’s important to remember that what you’ve learned is the most important – I’ve learnt a lot of techniques, and also a better mindset for organic chemistry in general.

Did your participation in Curious Minds and ASI Programs influence or impact your studies/ careers? 

Curious Minds acted as a gateway to other programs for me. It taught me about how awesome science was, motivating me to study for the Science Olympiad exams. It was these that ended up determining my future – I think a large part of the reason I’m currently studying Chemistry was my experience in the Chemistry Summer School, and the things I learnt while there!

Do you think the Curious Minds Program has a positive impact on the future of STEM, and women in STEM?

Yes! Anything that gets people, especially people with diverse opinions and viewpoints, into STEM is good. STEM thrives on ideas and participation, and by showing young people how incredible it is, we can only improve it.

What would say to someone thinking of applying to be a student with the Curious Minds Program?

Do it! You can travel across Australia and participate in a lot of cool science activities (and I should know this, as I’ve been a junior tutor at several camps – you get to do some pretty cool things in both Canberra and Adelaide!) You can meet other young people like you and get to experience every scientific discipline.

Thank you, Penny, for sharing your story… it’s a powerful reminder of what can happen when talented young people are given the opportunity to explore their potential and follow their curiosity.