Well, the Science and Engineering Challenge was entirely the opposite.

The challenge, organised by the University of Newcastle, was held from the CSU gymnasium on Monday, March 25.

And it was all about the application of different technologies in real world scenarios.

This was through the use of different fun, hands-on activities based on either critical thinking or designing and building, all involving principles of science and technology.

Students from eight schools around Bathurst and the region participated in the challenge, including Kelso High, St Stanislaus' College, MacKillop College and Scots All Saints.

And it was all to encourage students to consider embarking on a career in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

According to team leader for the Science and Engineering Challenge Chris Hendry, the target audience for the challenge was students who may be disengaged in school.

"Our exact target audience are those ones who maybe aren't engaging with STEM in a real-world capacity, and the school environment just isn't cutting it for them," he said.

"We aim for Year 10 students to come here on this day and experience these STEM activities, and then go back, and in their Year 11 subject selections, consider a career pathway in science and engineering at their local university."

And for one Kelso High student, it definitely had the desired effect.

Riley Bell, in Year 10 at the Denison College Kelso campus, said that prior to the event, she was already considering a career in STEM.

"I just think it's fascinating. I've always liked computers and all that type of stuff, so I thought it would be a good career if it's something I already enjoyed in the first place," she said.

And the Science and Engineering Challenge only enhanced this.

"In school they don't really teach much of this stuff, in this way, but doing it hands-on is really good because you get to see what people actually do in real life in these situations," she said.

"This helps me understand what a career would be like. I just like the hands-on experience, because I like using that type of technology and it's just interesting in general."

One activity that Riley said was particularly interesting was a new addition to the challenge, based on the concept of Indigenous fishing methods.

During this activity, students were asked to build traps with 3D pieces in order to trap 'fish', which were represented by different sized marbles.

"It was really fun because there was a lot more building and trying and failing over and over again," Riley said.

"It was really fun because we got to figure out how to solve it, and it was just a trial and error thing."

This activity was just one included in the critical thinking portion of the day.

For the design and build section, the day culminated with a competition, where it was school against school in a bridge design, which had to successfully carry weight, and 'transport' vehicles.

But this was only able to take place thanks to funding from the Rotary Club of Bathurst Daybreak, with sponsorship from EyeQ Optometrists, as well as help from volunteers over the course of the day.