More than 100 students in the Aboriginal community of Wadeye — more than 420km south-west of Darwin — have explored firsthand how culture, community and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can work together to shape future opportunities.

The University of Newcastle's National Science and Engineering Challenge, SMART program and the Wollotuka Institute travelled to the remote NT community to deliver a series of hands-on STEM activities which connect learning with culture.

According to the University of Newcastle, the initiative showed how Indigenous knowledge and contemporary STEM practices can work together to support local aspirations, create new opportunities and help shape the future for young people in the region.

Bandjin woman and University of Newcastle Pro Vice-Chancellor of Indigenous Strategy and Leadership, Loren Collyer, said STEM is fundamentally about knowledge, and Australia's oldest continuing knowledge systems have a vital role to play in shaping our future.

"As the saying goes, you can't be what you can't see. That's why representation matters. Through the leadership of the University of Newcastle and its Wollotuka Institute, we're helping our people see that our Indigenous knowledges belong alongside science, technology and innovation," Mrs Collyer said.

"Whether they're growing up in Newcastle or in some of Australia's most remote communities, like Wadeye, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students should be able to see themselves succeeding through education and pursuing pathways in STEM.

"When our people see their knowledge systems valued and reflected in education, it broadens aspirations, creates opportunities and reinforces that Indigenous ways of knowing have an important place in shaping Australia's future."

From caring for Sea Country to supporting sustainable industries, many of the concepts explored during the program reflected knowledge and practices already familiar to students.

The University of Newcastle said a key component of the visit was the collaboration with Thamarrurr Sea Farmers, an Indigenous-led commercial seafood and aquaculture enterprise which combines traditional Sea Country knowledge with modern industry practices.

They said Sea Farmers' work provides a powerful example of how cultural knowledge and environmental stewardship can create local employment and industry opportunities.

For many students, it demonstrated that STEM is not something distant or confined to classrooms and laboratories.

"The initiative reinforced that STEM is already woven throughout life in Wadeye," the University of Newcastle said.

The University's National Science and Engineering Challenge Event Manager, Mick Cassey, said the program encourages students to think like engineers.

"In our flight challenge activity, students build and modified model gliders, adjusting the flap design and weight distribution to improve flight performance," Mr Cassey said.

"Our other activity drew on inspiration from sustainable fishing practices. Using 3D-printed rocks and marbles, students designed fish traps that captured targeted species while allowing younger and breeding-age fishes to pass through.

"The exercise combined sustainability, engineering and problem solving in a practical, hands-on way."

For many young people in remote communities, opportunities to engage directly with universities, STEM educators and industry professionals are limited.

The University of Newcastle said programs such as the Wadeye initiative help Indigenous students broaden their aspirations and explore pathways that may once have seemed beyond reach.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Thamarrurr Catholic College Head of Pastoral - Secondary College, Carol Dixon, said STEM is embedded in students' everyday living, even when they don't realise it.

"Our students are practicing STEM-related skills every day. Whether they're building fish traps, crafting spears or caring for Country, they're constantly thinking critically and solving problems," Ms Dixon said.

"Programs like these help bring those skills into focus and show students that the knowledge they already have connects directly to STEM. It allows them to see just how capable they are and the opportunities that are open to them."

The University of Newcastle-led initiative was made possible through a partnership with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Thamarrurr Catholic College, Thamarrurr Development Corporation, the Traditional Owners of Wadeye and Thamarrurr Sea Farmers.