USC library named after founding Vice-Chancellor
USC has named one of its most iconic buildings in honour of founding Vice-Chancellor, Emeritus Professor Paul Thomas AM. The USC Sunshine Coast Library was renamed the Paul Thomas Library at a ceremony in May. Professor Thomas, who retired from the position in 2010, became inaugural Vice-Chancellor in 1996 and led USC through massive growth in enrolments and degree options, combating the talent drain from the Sunshine Coast and boosting the region’s status and economy. The three-storey library, with its jagged roof line and slatted Queensland-style verandah, won multiple awards including the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Buildings in the year it opened, 1997. It reflected Professor Thomas’s vision for the campus as an innovative, welcoming and distinctly subtropical blend of the built and natural environment. Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill said the library naming was a fitting tribute to the commitment, determination and ethos of Emeritus Professor Thomas.
USC scientist joins world-first lobster research hub
A USC molecular researcher will play a vital role in a joint project to establish the world’s first land-based rock lobster aquaculture industry in Australia. Senior Lecturer in Science Dr Tomer Ventura will join an ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Onshore Lobster Aquaculture – a project led by the University of Tasmania. Part of the project will include the development of a lobster farm at Townsville, providing an alternative, sustainable source of high-value seafood. Dr Ventura said the project to develop commercial-scale, land-based production of rock lobsters was the first of its kind in the world. Dr Ventura will lead the molecular genetics component of the research, developing techniques that will inform the culture of rock lobsters from egg to product-size on a commercial scale. USC is nationally and internationally recognised for its leadership and strength in aquaculture biotechnology research.
USC student wins social media marketing award
An emotive social media campaign designed by a final-year USC Bachelor of Communications student has taken out the Best Student Campaign in the Social Media Marketing Awards for Australia and New Zealand. Amy Roberts, 27 (left), is majoring in public relations, minoring in social media and advertising, and was recognised for her impactful storytelling campaign designed for the Australian Starlight Children’s Foundation. Amy said: “The campaign included sharing stories of adolescent friendships formed throughout both Australia and New Zealand using a safe and supportive environment. The idea was that the foundation would then help the two friends meet in person for the first time, documenting the emotional moment to share with audiences online.” Amy was named a finalist alongside two fellow USC Social Media students, Kirsty O’Callaghan and Cinty Buxton. Lecturer Dr Karen Sutherland was also acknowledged as a finalist in the Best Social Media Educator Award. She was formally recognised at the awards evening for her work as the Academic Ambassador for the Social Media Marketing Institute.
Aspiring diplomat inspired by Tokyo and Bangkok trips
Interning at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo and attending a high-level meeting simulation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok has given a 24-year-old USC student amazing insight into global relationships. Raymart Walker was one of 14 students selected by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to attend the 5th ASEAN Foundation Model ASEAN Meeting, known as AFMAM, where students from member nation universities role-played government decision-making on issues in South East Asia. Raymart also enjoyed an internship at the Australian Embassy in Japan and a study exchange at Akita International University. He travelled on a New Colombo Plan scholarship awarded by DFAT. Raymart has since accepted a role as an education officer with the ASEAN-Australia Strategic Youth Partnership while continuing his USC studies on campus at USC Sunshine Coast.
Professor of Sustainability recognised for life work
USC Professor of Sustainability Tim Smith has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Australian Geographers (IAG) in recognition of more than two decades of human geography research. A pioneer of understanding the dynamic relationships between social-ecological change and coastal livelihoods, Professor Smith said he was honoured to have received the award. “I’ve dedicated my professional life to understanding the implications and interactions between societal and ecological change and I’m still passionate about what geography as a discipline can do in the face of climate change. We’re living in an age where people are the dominant force in changing the planet, which means humans aren’t only responding to change, we’re actually causing it. Over the next decade geographers will play a leading role in understanding the implications of the relationship between people, place and change.” USC is rated at ‘world standing’ by the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) for research relating to human geography.
USC 1996 Society granted excellence award
USC is one of six Australian universities recognised in the 2019 Circle of Excellence awards held by the global Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The USC 1996 Society was the only entry from the Asia Pacific region to be awarded in the category of Emerging Programs. The society was started as a giving club in 2017 by USC Foundation Board members, staff and leaders in business and the community. It is open to donors of at least $1,996 annually to the University’s general endowment. The amount references the year USC opened at Sippy Downs. Development Office Director Russell Ousley said the award was wonderful acknowledgment of an important program. “The endowment will strengthen USC’s investment in current and future students and innovative research. Donations are held in perpetuity while the interest is used for important university projects and programs. The fund currently stands at more than $250,000 and is growing.”
‘Hidden victims’ of tiger poaching: the tapir
A tiger conservationist is set to continue her USC research into poaching deaths of the tapir – an endangered mammal that lives in the forests of Sumatra. Animal ecology graduate Kassie Campbell, who received an academic excellence medal, had her first paper published in the leading international journal, Biological Conservation. Her joint research found an increased risk to Malayan tapirs becoming caught in illegal snares set by poachers in the lucrative black-market trade for tiger products. Ms Campbell said: “The Sumatran tiger is critically endangered and the focus of many campaigns, but there is less emphasis on the Malayan tapir, which lives alongside tigers and gets trapped in tiger snares accidentally.” The journal publication recommends the immediate assessment of the Sumatran population of Malayan tapirs to determine their status. It’s believed there are fewer than 2,500 tapirs left in Asia. Ms Campbell is continuing the research in a USC Honours degree with Senior Lecturer in Animal Ecophysiology Dr Christofer Clemente, who was principal supervisor of the project.
USC graduates named top local businesswomen
Two USC graduates have taken out top honours in the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network 2019 Awards. Frances Cayley won Outstanding Business Woman of the Year and Jade Law won Young Business Woman of the Year. Ms Cayley, who heads the council’s property branch and is project director of the Sunshine Coast City Hall development at Maroochydore, gained her Bachelor of Property Economics and Development and Faculty Medal from USC in 2011. Ms Cawley said studying at USC helped her land the senior management position – a position where she applies skills learnt in her degree on a daily basis. Ms Law, who graduated earlier this year with a USC Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology), is a human resources officer in the council’s recruitment division. She said her degree gave her an invaluable understanding of people – critical skills to have in a human resources role.
USC Art Gallery Redevelopment
USC Art Gallery is embarking on an ambitious capital works project made possible through the generosity of the late Arija Austin. The project will see an expansion of the gallery’s footprint through the construction of additional exhibition space, storage for our growing University art collection, and much-needed space for programs and events. It has temporarily closed while undergoing this transformation. USC is committed to its communities and this revitalisation will give us the capacity to present inspiring world-class exhibitions and programs that encourage curiosity, inquiry and exchange. The project is due for completion in the first half of 2020. Keep up-to-date with progress by visiting usc.edu.au/art-gallery
For a larger serving of news, visit usc.edu.au/newsbites