Glen Innes High School Physics and Biology teacher Matt Dodds has won a national award for excellence in secondary science teaching.
Mr Dodds received the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools in the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science, which are Australia’s most prestigious and highly regarded science awards. The secondary teaching prize recognises excellence in any STEM area that must be part of the teacher’s state or territory syllabus and awards $250,000.
Mr Dodds takes a real‑life approach to make abstract concepts practical. His students design and build solid fuel rockets in computer‑aided design software and run simulations to estimate the rocket’s potential height. He developed a lesson using NASA’s Kepler Telescope data so students can calculate the mass of stars, and his “Build a Teaching Tool” assessment has Year 12 students create a physical aid and record a YouTube explainer in their own words.
Those hands-on strategies are linked to clear results. Physics enrolments at Glen Innes High School have lifted from a 10‑year average of 5.5 students to 14, and the number of female students has risen from a 10‑year average of 1.1 to 9 girls currently studying Physics in Year 12. Female students now fill the majority of the top student rankings in Physics at the school.
Beyond the classroom, Mr Dodds created the annual two‑day Astronomy and Astrophysics Depth Study Program at Siding Spring Observatory in Coonabarabran, now in its seventh year and attended by over 280 students from regional schools. He also shares resources with colleagues across Australia and his Hot Wheels projectile‑motion lesson plans, which have been adopted by over 100 teachers.
“I’m passionate about teaching in regional areas of Australia. Just because we’re in rural Australia, it doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t have access to high-quality STEM experiences” Mr Dodds said.
“I tell students that studying science (and particularly physics) teaches you how to think critically and can open many career pathways, including engineering, dentistry, medicine, rocketry and even economics.”
“I’m humbled to receive the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools. It’s great recognition for the science teaching that happens not just at Glen Innes High School, but around Australia in regional and remote areas” Mr Dodds said.
Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science, Senator Tim Ayers congratulated the winners, and encouraged people to nominate other great science teachers for next year’s awards.
“Science and research are essential to Australia’s future economic growth, and teachers like Matt Dodds ignite a passion in our young people to pursue a career in STEM – paving the way for a skilled workforce of the future,” Senator Ayers said.
The achievements of all 2025 prize recipients can be found at industry.gov.au/PMPrizes.
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