Kamilaroi man Corey Tutt is out to “decolonise the lab coat” and encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school kids into science, technology, engineering and maths.
As the founder of Deadly Science, a not-for-profit group that provides STEM books and other resources and learning experiences to regional and remote schools, he wants Indigenous youths to know there’s more than one way to follow your dreams.
Mr Tutt’s childhood dream was to be a zoo keeper.
“My toys and interests were reptiles,” he said.
“I loved reptiles and all animals that I could get my hands on or watching them from a distance and just investigating them.”
When he was in Year 10, Mr Tutt sat down with his school career advisor and explained that he wanted to be a zookeeper or a wildlife documentarian.
“He told me that I’d need a double degree in zoology, a PhD and that kids like me don’t go to university and so you’re better off sticking to a trade, or you’ll probably end up dead or in jail,” he said.
After completing his Year 10 certificate, Tutt left school, saved a few thousand dollars and went to Boyup Brook in Western Australia, where he worked in a wildlife sanctuary called Roo Gully.
From Roo Gully, Tutt travelled back home to Nowra on the NSW south coast for a job at the Nowra Wildlife Park, now known as Shoalhaven Zoo.
“When I started there I was told not to be too keen and excited because I wasn’t gonna last long and that kinda stuff but I did it and I became a zoo keeper,” Mr Tutt said.
Although the zoo was enjoyable, financially it was not going to sustain him long term so he became an alpaca shearer, travelling around Australia and New Zealand.
Eventually he moved to the RSPCA then thanks to an apprenticeship with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research he became an animal technician and moved into the world of STEM.
“I went full circle and Deadly Science started between all that,” Mr Tutt said.
“Because I wanted our kids to see that yes, there is the traditional way of going in and doing a science degree, but for kids like me, who don’t have the self-belief or have grown up in low socio-economic conditions, that there are actually ways into STEM that are not the traditional routes.”
Mr Tutt said First Nations representation was important in STEM because most of the time students will only see scientists as old white men.
“Imagery is really important and when I say ‘decolonise the lab coat’ it is not to diminish any form of science, it is actually to include our science, the first science,” Mr Tutt said.
STEM poverty is the driver behind Deadly Science.
A school in metropolitan Australia will have access to a science lab with Bunsen burners, solar kits and other resources to engage their students in science.
“When I am talking about STEM poverty I am talking about the communities that are often forgotten about and do not have access to basic STEM literacy resources,” Mr Tutt said.
“You need STEM to order food, to use the internet, to operate a phone properly, you need it to do everything today and our kids need these skills to live.”
Since 2018 Deadly Science has grown and is now working with more than 800 schools and community organisations across all states and territories to provide better learning resources.
Mr Tutt has authored several books in his Deadly Science series and in recognition of his advocacy he was named NSW Young Australian of the Year in 2020.
Australian Associated Press