Area served New Zealand | Website Realise the Dream | |
Type Sciences and Technology event Location Wellington, New Zealand | ||
Realise the Dream is a prestigious national event which celebrates and rewards students who have undertaken a piece of excellent science research or technology development. The event is organised by the Royal Society of New Zealand and Genesis Energy is the principal sponsor. It is a 7-day event which begins in Auckland and the participants travel down the North Island visiting science organisations along the way. The event culminates in an award ceremony usually held at Government House.
Contents
Nomination Process
Nominations are mostly received from the following competitions:
Each competition can submit a maximum of five nominations. For each nomination, students are required to submit, along with a 10-page summary on their project, a 5-minute video of them outlining what they have done. A panel of judges is then selected to choose approximately 20 students to attend the event.
The Week
Realise the Dream is a seven-day science camp held in early December. On the first day, participants receive extensive media training in preparation for the promotion that they undertake after the event. The three main focuses of the training are communication, radio interview and media writing.
There are many science activities that students attend during the week. This includes a visit to DairyNZ, Leigh Marine Research Centre, The University of Auckland (Liggins Institute), Massey University (Palmerston North), Genesis Tokaanu Plant, NIWA and Hamilton Zoo. Guest speakers are invited to give lectures on science-related topics such as intellectual property and affordances.
The participants also get to experience many opportunities they may otherwise had the opportunity to do. In 2011, participants conquered their fear of heights climbing the Auckland Harbour Bridge and even did a high ropes course in Turangi. Some of the other social outings included dessert at Strawberry Fair, seeing "Aladdin" at the Circa Theatre and a Treasure Hunt!
On the last night, all the participants attend an Awards Ceremony, celebrating the work they have done. In 2011 this was held at Government House. Travel awards were presented, offering trips to Taiwan, Antarctica/Melbourne and Slovakia. As well as those, many cash awards are presented too. There are also team building and leadership awards, valued at $500 each. The Supreme Winner receives $7,000, plus a trip to Europe.
After the official ceremony, students are given the opportunity to "mix and mingle" with family and guests invited from the science community. The event finishes with a farewell dinner for the participants.
Promotion
After the event, all participants become an Genesis Ambassador for a period of three months while they work on their promotion of their experiences. This includes speaking to student groups and sending out two media releases. There are also optional extra activities for those wishing to put more time and effort in the promotion. Choices include but are not limited to radio and television coverage, on-line promotion, merchandise and mentoring younger students. There are two awards for the students who do the most promotion.