MICHAEL Myers is the executive chairman of a Castle Hill based non-profit group called Re-engineering Australia Foundation which gives students in years 5 to 12 the chance to design and race their own model Formula One racing car, using $2 million computer-aided engineering software, as used by Boeing, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Ford.
"It's all about putting something back into society and it all started out of guilt," said Dr Myers, of Glenhaven, who was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the general division.
In 1998 three of his four daughters attended Pennant Hills High School and, feeling guilty for being so busy with work, Dr Myers asked the principal how he could help.
The engineer was pointed to a group of kids who had been meeting after school with their dads to build a car that could go the furthest on the least amount of fuel.
"Theirs blew me out of the water — it could do 3200 miles a gallon," he said. "It got me thinking. If these kids could be the best in the world with no knowledge, what could they do with the best technology in the world?'"
He came up with the idea of kids designing and racing their own model Formula One racing car.
As well as being fun, the F1 in Schools Challenge would, he felt, encourage an interest and understanding of science, technology, engineering and maths, hopefully leading to careers.
He completed a doctorate in the motivational drivers of children's career-decision choices and initiated the F1inSchools Challenge in 2003.
By 2010 more than 300 Australian secondary schools, many universities and TAFE colleges had joined. It was also implemented in Canada, France, China, Malaysia and New Zealand.
"Australia has been on the podium seven of the eight years and many schools involved in the program have reported up to 400 per cent increases in enrolment in design and technology related subjects," he said.
"And 68 per cent of boys and 38 per cent of girls have changed their career paths through their involvement."
Matt Cruickshank, for example, is now part of the Formula One engineering team of Aussie driver Mark Webber.
A team from Trinity Grammar in Victoria won the 2006 International F1 in Schools World Championships and were offered a $1.5 million scholarship to attend City University in London, as was last year's winning team from Tasmania. Dr Myers said students work with industry partners on their cars, enabling them to see a direct relationship between enjoyable classroom activity and work.
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