My farewell to Refraction Media!

This is my last week at Refraction Media, and I’m very excited to be moving into a new STEM leadership role working in the educator programs team at Questacon. More on this to come! I look forward to connecting with my STEM family in my new role.

Eleven years ago I went to a pub lunch at a staff farewell where the then Sydney-based Cosmos Media staff were celebrating the handover of an amazing business. At this lunch Karen Taylor-Brown floated the idea of joining forces to set up our own business, and as easy as swigging a glass of pinot, Refraction Media , STEM specialist communications company, was born. We charged out of the gate with big projects and incredible clients, thanks to the support provided by Cosmos founders; Kylie Ahern , Wilson da Silva , and Alan and Elizabeth Finkel.??

One of the first of many challenges was creating a virtual tour of ANSTO ’s nuclear reactor - collaborating with talented animators Jamie and Leanne Tufrey, filming and working with exceptional educators such as Sally Parker on the design of resources. As our business and project list grew, we hired our first staff, Heather Curry , who helped organise and create a growing pool of resources for clients from Chief Scientists to the CRC Association, universities, industry and government. Working with the best people in media, we worked hard to maintain a reputation for excellence, quickly scaling to work with over 50 staff, interns and contractors. You who worked with us - from the interns up! - created a legacy I am so proud to have been part of.

In 2014, spotting a gap in the market to address declining enrolments in computer science, and with the support of the unstoppable Sally-Ann Williams FTSE and supremely talented Marie Efstathiou , we developed our first issue of Careers with Code and created the platform that soon became Careers with STEM . Rapid expansion to the US followed, with issues of the student magazine being distributed at Harvard University, in correction centres in California, in libraries in four states of the US, and across all of Australia and New Zealand.?

We developed lasting partnerships with long-time supporters at 澳大利亚昆士兰科技大学 , 谷歌 , Edith Cowan University , 悉尼新南威尔士大学 , 澳大利亚阿德莱德大学 , 澳大利亚麦考瑞大学 , the National Careers Institute, and many more. Careers with STEM has now been distributed to over 2 million students, and reaches hundreds of thousands of school kids as well as careers advisors, educators and parents each term through events, job kits, quizzes, magazines, and newsletters.

Now under Karen’s visionary leadership and with an exceptional team led by Charis Palmer , Louise Meers and with the design expertise of Katherine Power and photography powerhouse of Lauren Trompp , plus countless excellent editors and long-time contributors, Careers with STEM continues to grow and address evolving needs of educators and students looking to connect with the changing career landscape as we move into a future with challenges including the net zero transition, evolving AI and engineering social and environment change.?

I can’t wait to see where they will go, I will miss them enormously and know they will do amazing things. Thanks for the rollercoaster ride Refraction Media - I will always be so proud to have built a business, generated employment for people, inspired so many students, and worked with such great partners during my time at your helm.