That is the type of questions students face when they attend the UNE GRASS Industry Placement Scholarship.

But this year the organisers have a very real dilemma to solve.

It's the year 2020, the world is facing a pandemic and you cannot get into schools to promote the scholarship to interested students. How do you solve that?

For more than a decade UNE has run the industry placement scholarship for year 11 and 12 students interested in a science career.

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The program has been providing students with this opportunity for 12 years, and those attending the camp, where the scholarship winners are chosen, have come from an area that stretches from the Northern Tablelands to Nambucca on the coast, as well as from Tamworth, Gunnedah, Inverell and many places in between.

While COVID-19 restrictions mean the organisers have not been able to attend schools this year to promote the program to students, the camp itself has also been delayed.

Normally held in June, the camp has been rescheduled to the end of the year.

Applications are now open for year 11 and 12 students who are looking at science based careers and organisers are trying to get the word out to interested students without visiting the schools.

One method has been to contact the media and see if word can reach students that way.

GRASS stands for the UNE Growing Regional Students in Science program, which is addressing the skills shortage in agricultural science by offering highly motivated tertiary-bound students the opportunity to meet and work directly with scientists, innovators and industry leaders.

Applications are open to Year 11 and 12 students considering a career supporting our primary industries sector.

The scholarship offers a"try before you buy" experience at the University of New England, where students will be offered the information and insight necessary to make wise decisions about their career choices.

This year the two-day student camp is going to be held on November 16-17, with applications closing August 31.

Following the camp, 10 students will be selected for the full UNE GRASS Industry Placement Scholarship, which includes a five-day industry placement working with a scientist in an area of their interest being offered between the months of December 2020 and January 2021.