Many say that the amazing experience of the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum cannot be described in words and after attending it ourselves, we can finally understand why.

The forum was held in Auckland in January and we, Samantha Couper and Abigail Thompson, were lucky enough to be selected to attend. We spent two weeks staying with 166 other students from all over New Zealand at O’Rorke Hall, the oldest residential hall in the city.

During the forum, we were split into six groups. Within these groups we attended our lectures and played in the highly-competitive volleyball tournament. Although we struggled to remember the names of people in our groups in the first few days, by the time we left, the friendships forged were so strong that we had truly become a family.

From Monday to Friday of both weeks, we had two three-hour modules every day that each focussed on a specific area of science. These ranged from biomedical engineering and robotics to nutrition and psychology. Each session was designed to give us insight into what it would be like to study in that field and were led by top academics and lecturers from the University of Auckland, AUT and Massey University. For example, in molecular biology, we got to isolate our own human DNA and in robotics we programmed a robot to navigate its way through a maze. We know we can speak for everyone at the forum when we say that our eyes were opened to so many different science areas that we hadn’t even considered.

What helped even more with this, was the technical visits around Auckland. Every student visited three different businesses involved in the science and technology area such as BECA, Medical School and the NZ Police.

As well as the academic programme, we all took part in some incredibly fun social activities. These included recreational options (Skytower, laser tag, rock climbing etc.), an explore Auckland day, the disco, the volleyball tournament and a beach day.

One of the great things about the forum was being surrounded by so many like-minded people. We all had similar passions, ambitions and goals, which made our friendships even stronger and leaving the forum even more difficult. We got to meet so many different people, who, despite being from different places and backgrounds were all similar to us. Everyone fitted in.

We would both strongly recommend applying for this opportunity because, like us, you will gain so much invaluable knowledge about yourself and your passions. The science you experience and the people you meet will be with you for life. For us, attending the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum was one of the most incredible things we have experienced and has had a profound effect on our lives. It will enable us to pursue our passions with certainty and confidence.