UNIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT
A Quiet Pursuit Of The Extraordinary: The University of Tasmania Source: Sally Wood Over 130 years ago, a sandstone building in Hobart was the home of three lecturers who began imparting their wisdom to 11 students.
Today, the University of Tasmania is Australia’s fourth oldest university. It boasts a wide range of courses for Tasmania’s 541,000 residents, and supports mainlanders who come to thrive on the island From science, technology and engineering; to earth, sea, Antarctic and environmental studies; the university offers an impressive feat of specialised courses. At the height of the pandemic, the university made the decision to reduce its subject offerings, and present students with a set of clear, compelling, and specialised choices. In its 2020 Annual Report, the university said some undergraduate courses were “duplicated, disconnected and confusing”. As such, the university shifted from
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209 courses to 60 nests containing 93 courses, with a focus that is “clear, aligned, and presents a compelling array of choices, offering students a better experience from enrolment onwards”.
Investing in Nature Students are encouraged to invest in nature and work outside the classroom. For example, pupils who are learning about environmental economics have travelled to Tasmania’s Derwent Valley to learn about bushfire assessment impacts. Similarly, geology students have mapped the tessellated pavement at Eaglehawk Neck, where coastal erosion has created striking patterns. By next year, the university will also have 25% of first-year undergraduate students completing an assessment item on Indigenous knowledge and culture. These progressive decisions are paying off on the global stage. The university was recently ranked first
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in the world for its action on climate change. Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said he was proud of the result. “We face an urgent climate crisis, a fact that drives our efforts to do all we can to effect real change and support the development of a zero-carbon economy. Our approach is concerted and comprehensive. We strive to have a positive impact through our research, our teaching, our work with the community and our operations, including how we invest and how we build,” Professor Black said. The University of Tasmania has also been certified carbon neutral since 2016 and moved away from carbonintensive investments last year.
Island Research With Mainland Impacts The University of Tasmania’s College of Sciences and Engineering is at the forefront of Antarctic, marine, maritime, terrestrial and built
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