Girls in Tech Expo 2026: Discovering Possibility
Girls in Tech Expo brings energy, curiosity and purposeful learning to every Year 5 and 6 girl who attends. Held on Thursday 26 February, our signature Junior School STEM initiative welcomed students from across Adelaide for a day designed to expand how they see themselves in STEM — at a stage when curiosity is high, ideas are bold, and new possibilities are beginning to take shape.
From the moment schools arrived, the sense of excitement was unmistakable. Outside the Arts Centre, Alpha the robotic dog both greeted and entertained our visitors, quickly becoming a crowd favourite. For many girls it was their first encounter with advanced robotics, and it set the tone for a day grounded in discovery. Across workshops and within our Innovation Hub, students engaged with mentors working across Cybersecurity and Digital Safety, University Pathways and Research, Innovation and AI, and Industry and Entrepreneurship.
The Expo opened with keynote speaker Associate Professor Melissa Humphries from the University of Adelaide — only the fourth woman in the University’s 150-year history to be appointed Associate Professor in Mathematics. A creative mathematician working in fields such as explainable AI, she challenged the girls to think expansively and to trust their intellectual instincts, reminding them that their curiosity, ideas and abilities already belong in these spaces.
Across the School, learning quickly became hands-on and immersive. Girls tackled cybersecurity challenges, built and programmed robotics, explored engineering design, analysed GIS mapping data and stepped into virtual simulations. There was focus. There was genuine enthusiasm. And there were those satisfying moments when something suddenly worked or a difficult concept clicked into place. The joy came not from ease, but from being stretched by complex ideas and solving problems together. Just as powerful was seeing girls from different schools connect so naturally sharing ideas, encouraging one another and collaborating with a real sense of camaraderie.
The Innovation Hub added another layer of exploration. Girls moved confidently between exhibitors, gravitating towards areas that sparked their curiosity from e-sports and interactive technologies to the outdoor robotic mower demonstration. In the Future Me – Big Sister STEM Mentor zone, conversations deepened as students spoke with entrepreneurs, researchers and cybersecurity specialists. Seeing and speaking with women working across these fields reinforced something powerful: you cannot be what you cannot see. Pathways suddenly felt clearer. Careers felt more human. STEM revealed itself as creative, collaborative and full of possibility.
Our APEX leaders were exceptional throughout the day. Their warmth, responsibility and genuine care for visiting schools represented St Peter’s Girls’ School to the highest standard. Our Year 5 and 6 students also welcomed their peers with maturity and confidence, modelling the curiosity, kindness and collaborative mindset the Expo seeks to nurture.
Girls in Tech Expo does more than showcase technology. It builds belief and for many of the girls who attended, it quietly shifted the way they see themselves and their place in the future of STEM.
Melissa Lee
STEM Innovation Leader
We thank the following organisations for hosting workshops or booths in our Innovation Hub on Thursday 26 February – Girls in Tech Expo 8th annual event:
- Schools: Burnside Primary, East Marden Primary, Marryatville Primary, St Andrew’s, St Raphael’s Primary, Stradbroke, Trinity College and Year 5 and 6 girls at St Peter’s Girls’ School.
- Organisations: Adelaide University, AI Camp, Australian Information Security Association (AISA), BAE Systems Australia, Civil Engineering & Construction Management at AU, Creart Digital Media, De Stefano & Co, Flinders University, Grok Academy, JB Hi-Fi Education, KIK Innovation, Maker Space, Mindflight-7, MyEmpire Group, Oz Grav and Dark Matter Centre, Reality Bytes Media, Robotic Lawn Mower SA, Saab, STEM Punks Education, SPGS APEX Drone, E-Sports, Photography, Saints TV and Leaders, TeachTEK, The Logic Lab, ThincLab and Young Engineers
