STEP has given a prize for environmental projects in the Science Teachers Association of NSW Young Scientists Awards for 22 years.

This year more than 800 students submitted projects, and STEP’s winner is Isabel Fisher from Roseville College. Her project investigated the effects that the presence of a mycorrhizal (fungal) network has on seed germination and growth for Acacia linifolia and Acacia ulcifolia.

The project showed that the fungal network had a positive impact. This finding could have a direct relevance to local bush regeneration methods.