The value of science and technology was on display in Canberra on Wednesday, when four indigenous schoolchildren from South Australia had the chance to explore key institutions in the capital.
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The students, from Playford International College and Woodville High School in Adelaide, visited Questacon, the Deep Space Communication Complex in Tidbinbilla and the Mount Stromlo Observatory with their teachers.
The trip has been part of a scholarship program that will also have the students and teachers travel to the United States Space and Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama.
The "Space Camp" will take place in July, and they'll be joined by 125 other students and teachers from the United States and Britain.
The scholarship, which is handed out by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, has been going for eight years, with 2016 marking the second time that Australian students and teachers have been able to go.
The director of Strategy and Technology at Northrop Grumman, Richard Farkashazy, says the opportunity is "mind blowing", especially when he sees "the looks on the kids' faces".
"This will change their lives, there is no doubt about it, and I think they can say that and certainly the teachers as well. You know that they are in for an amazing adventure."
The sentiments are echoed by head of Integrated Science and Maths, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths at Playford International College, Sue Elderfield.
She is accompanying the students on their trip to the ACT, as well as the Space Camp. Ms Elderfield says "the opportunity to take these kids who would never have otherwise had the opportunity to travel internationally" was the most exciting aspect of the trip.
"They're going to do some really cool stuff, play with and learn about things that they've never even dreamed of, things they've only ever seen in movies."
One of the students taking part, Tyson Evans, says he has enjoyed "going to new sites, and making new friends" and has already set his sights on a future career within a technological field.
"I want to become an engineer in metalwork," he says, noting that his uncle owns a workshop and that he would like to do an apprenticeship with him.
It is attitudes such as these, and the opportunities that the scholarship has provided in exploring the scientific and technological world, that have Ms Elderfield excited about her students' future.
"I was talking to one of the Northrop Grumman people about how cool it would be in 10 years' time if one of these kids was actually working here in Canberra for this company."
