Female students take the wheel at ‘Girls on Track’ Grand Prix event

A group of RMIT students connected with industry leaders and Formula 1 professionals at a special luncheon for female motorsport enthusiasts during the Australian Grand Prix.

Living near a racetrack comes with its drawbacks – the main one being the loud noise of engines revving, which for some people can sound like a million angry mosquitos.

But for Juris Doctor student Jordyn Harvey, the whooshing sound of cars racing has always been comforting and intriguing.

“I remember being curious about motorsport when I was younger, but I properly got into it when I started living near a track,” Jordyn said.

“I had to know what all the noise was about!”

Jordyn was part of a group of six students from across RMIT who participated in a ‘Girls on Track’ luncheon at the recent Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

The event offered a unique platform for young women to step into the world of motorsport, where they networked with industry professionals and heard from inspiring guest speakers, including engineers Hannah Schmitz and Krystina Emmanouilides, and 17-year-old F1 driver Aiva Anagnostiadis, who shared insights into their career pathways.

RMIT's soccer robots.

Student Viviene Beins, who is studying a double degree in the Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Business, said that the event was empowering and opened her eyes to a future in F1.

“Simply reading and viewing the leaps forward for women in STEM is one thing, but having a personal connection to these role models ignites a different kind of motivation,” Viviene said.

After the Girls on Track event, it’s clear to see how many pathways there are in motorsport. I can say that if an opportunity opened, I would take that step.

In addition to participating in the event, Viviene also volunteered at RMIT’s Grand Prix marquee, which showcased the University’s innovative STEM technologies, such as race simulators, virtual reality and soccer robots.

Viviene is a member of RMIT’s Motorsport team, which displayed one of their cars at the marquee.

“Talking to prospective students, parents, peers and other motorsport enthusiasts at the GP, it was just so lovely to see how open the community was,” she said.

The opportunity to speak to young women about motorsports was particularly meaningful to Jordyn, who believes representation is very important in STEM.

“I felt intimidated away from hard sciences as a teenager and was never exposed to gender diverse role models in STEM careers,” she said.

"Diversity isn't just tokenism; it drives innovation and achievement. Bertha Benz invented the world's first brake linings whilst taking her husband's invention out for its maiden voyage."

“I hope to see many more initiatives that help young women believe in their own abilities so that they can innovate too,” Jordyn said.

25 March 2025

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