How Scitech helped spark a passion for engineering

As kids, Ashley and Morgan Ure were fascinated by the world around them and uncovering how things worked.

Passionate about science and maths, the twins loved watching TV shows like MythBusters, Top Gear and Scrap Heap Challenge.

From the age of four, Ashley and Morgan would visit Scitech on the weekends with their parents, and when they were a little older, take part in Scitech school holiday programs.

“Scitech was a place we could go as kids that helped us realise there were so many different applications for STEM,” said Morgan.

“Whether it was music production, playing with special effects, dissecting owl scat, or designing a spaghetti bridge to withstand a bucket of sand, you never knew what you were going to experience at Scitech – and that was pretty cool as a kid.”

After eight-year-old Ashley and Morgan attended a Lego Mindstorms school holiday program at Scitech, they campaigned their parents for their very own robot for Christmas, which they then programmed to compete and win in RoboCup Junior WA.

Ashley and Morgan competed in RoboCup Junior WA.

Their love of robotics continued throughout high school and led to them enrolling in a double degree in Mechatronics and Computer Science at Edith Cowan University (ECU).

In what they describe as a “full circle” moment, Ashley and Morgan returned to Scitech, this time as employees.

“We started volunteering at Scitech as ‘SciGuides’ in their first year of university, before transitioning into science communicator roles, and then had the opportunity to start working in the Scitech workshop as software engineers,” said Ashley.

“It was an amazing job to have while being a student.

“As software engineers, we were designing the Scitech exhibits you see on the floor, so we got to do all of the development, ideation, design of the systems, the physical testing, the wiring, all the way up to the programming.

“It utilised all of our mechatronics and computer programming backgrounds, and it was really exciting working on Scitech’s new gallery Here, There and Everywhere.”

Having now graduated from university, Ashley and Morgan are pursuing the next step in their careers, building on their engineering experience with graduate programs at Fortescue.

Ashley and Morgan’s journey from curious kids at Scitech to graduate engineers is a powerful reminder of the impact early access to STEM can have. Their story reflects Scitech’s mission to ignite curiosity, nurture talent, and provide experiences that open pathways to future careers.