The Broome Civic Centre recently turned into a buzzing hub of discovery as The Kids Research Institute Australia proudly presented the 2025 Broome STEM Festival.
The two-day event marked its third successful year of bringing together curios young minds and dedicated researchers for a wonderful celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
More than 670 enthusiastic students from eight local schools, including remote Kimberley communities like Derby, Beagle Bay and Bidyadanga dived into all sorts of hands-on experiments. They got to figure out how much sugar is hiding in their favourite soft drinks, and got up close with blood samples to see what they’re made of. Many of these activities were inspired by the research happening at The Kids, bringing real-world science right to Broome.
Students were encouraged to ask questions, try new things and enjoy the pure fun of learning something new – sparking many “aha!” moments.
Local community groups like the Broome Library, Environs Kimberley, Kimberley Aboriginal Health Research Alliance, Kimberley Land Council, and Rangelands NRM also joined our passionate researchers, adding to the fun.
We heard some really touching stories, including a child who hadn’t been to school much who made a special effort to come and was completely absorbed in the activities. One student even called it “the best excursion I’ve ever been on!”.
Another child was captivated by a microscope, saying they "wanted to look at the slides all day" and, when asked about future careers, confidently replied, "maybe a scientist." This is what the STEM Festival is all about – inspiring kids’ dreams and showing them how many exciting possibilities STEM holds for them.
In the afternoons, the Festival welcomed around 600 community members, making it a family friendly and welcoming atmosphere with live music and a free BBQ put on by The Kids.
We’re grateful to our generous sponsors: the Broome Civic Centre, Broome International Airport, CFC Group Foundation, and Engineers Australia for their support in making this event happen.