UNI SPK
UNISPEAK ISSUE 1 APRIL 2013
YOURS TO MAKE
YOUR CHOICES MATTER. With every year they’ll matter more and more. What you do will change lives. Where you go will change your mind. What you learn will open your eyes. Who you are will never be a short answer.
UNI SPK UNISPEAK / ISSUE 1 APRIL 2013
Contributors Meet the UOW people doing what they do best, and making things a little better while they’re at it.
Kimberley Abbott
Anthea Jirgens
Emily King
Philanthropist and engineer, accidentally started a jewellery business one time.
Arts and commerce student, Master of Ceremonies, dedicated amateur painter.
Traveller, student, on exchange outside the comfort zone in Karlstad, Sweden.
Chris Richards
Ryan Holcroft
Engineering student and research assistant, thinks nanoscience is going to be big.
Has carried his love of cricket across two continents and twenty years.
C O V ER P H O T O s FRONT: Kimberley Abbott with a Rŏka stone necklace made from granite dust and sold to fund education in Indian slums. BACK: Chris Richards with titanium jewellery produced by selective laser melting at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science in UOW’s AIIM research centre. The pattern design is inspired by the structure of graphene, a material of great importance to nanotechnology research.
PAINT YOUR OWN
PICTURE WORDS BY ANTHEA JIRGENS
Hey guys, it’s Anthea here! You guys may remember me as the girl who spoke for a really long time about painting your own picture at Discovery Days this year. I hope all of you have settled into the swing of Year 12, and are enjoying the last few months of being in high school. I’ve started back at uni, and I’m trying to reconcile the fact that in 6 months I’ll officially graduate! Until then, I have a few goals: ONE: Finish my last four subjects; throw a hat in the air. TWO: Travel the world. From island-hopping in Greece to couch-hopping in the UK, I have about 1 year’s worth of awesomeness planned. THREE: Join real world, get a job, make parents proud, etc.
There are definitely some huge parallels between leaving school and leaving university: both are terrifying, both require huge life-changing decisions, and both have taken me further away from my Mum’s amazing home-cooked lasagne. Whether it’s leaving high school or finishing uni, remember, it’s the decisions that we make that define us. These decisions are not destinations—they are the journeys! So good luck with powering through the HSC, and get excited, because your future, whatever you decide it to be, is just around the corner.
NEW HOPE IN THE DUST WORDS WITH Kimberley Abbott Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Mechanical) – Bachelor of Science (Exercise Science)
During her undergraduate degree, UOW graduate Kimberley Abbott received a grant from the University to travel overseas as a volunteer with the 40K Foundation, an organisation building affordable education centres for the very poor in India. During her time as a volunteer, she struck upon the idea to turn waste product from a quarry into jewellery—and the profits from its sale into an income for the village women and more education centres for the children. “It was confronting going to India. For several days we stayed in the village of Maranahali in Karnataka. These people had no running water, there was no electricity and they slept on dirt floors. Most of the men and women there are employed to break rocks in a local granite quarry, working 12-hour days, six days a week for $1.50 a day,” says Kimberley. Organised crime is rife in the slums, and many people are caught paying off loan sharks indefinitely because their lack of education makes them vulnerable to cons. One of the original ideas for creating new revenue in the village and breaking the poverty cycle was making chess pieces from granite. “I didn’t think that would work. Granite’s a famously hard rock, how would you carve it with no tools, no electricity?” “Really, I looked at it as an engineering problem. That’s the great thing about an engineering degree. It’s not just what you’re taught, it’s learning how to think, how to solve problems.” That’s how Kim struck on the idea of using granite dust, a waste product, to make stone jewellery beads. They would call this jewellery line Rŏka, from the Hindi word for ‘stone’. The choice of jewellery wasn’t accidental. “Jewellery is significant to these women, it’s a status symbol in India. Whatever jewellery they have, they wear. It was important that the women felt empowered and proud.” Rŏka faced serious limitations. “No electricity, no tools, and unskilled workers. We had to consider this even when looking at jewellery beads. There’s no way the village could operate a kiln without power, for example.” It became clear to Kim that helping break the poverty cycle went hand in hand with improving education in Maranahali . “I always hear people talk about the very poor saying ‘oh, they have nothing, but they’re so happy’,” she says. “They’re not happy to be poor, not at all. What they are is resilient, resourceful and generous. And they know the value of education, which is why they’ll spend everything they have sending their kids to school.” “It’s been really important to think of Rŏka as a social enterprise, something the women can be proud to be a part of.” Kim’s now a graduate, working full-time with a major multinational engineering firm in Melbourne, but she couldn’t give up her involvement with Rŏka, remaining as one of the enterprise’s directors. “I thought: even if the project fails, I’ll have learned so much.”
Out in the cold WORDS BY EMILY KING Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies (Advertising and Marketing, International Media and Communications) on Exchange to Karlstad University, Sweden
Emily King went looking for a unique experience while studying. She found it, plus new friends and a lifetime of memories, on the other side of the world, 16,000 km away from the everyday. It has been three months now since I arrived in the land of vikings, IKEA, Volvo, and stunning blondes, and as cliché as it sounds, I can’t believe that it has gone so fast. The decision to complete a semester abroad was a nobrainer for me: the hard part was deciding where to go. After months of deliberation I am so glad I’ve made my new home in the tiny town of Karlstad, Sweden, despite the cold! Karlstad’s surrounded by rivers, and my student residence backs onto a forest and lake—so on those days when it’s a bit warmer than minus 20 degrees it is incredibly beautiful to explore. I’m located between Oslo, Gothenburg and Stockholm, making travel plans unbelievably easy. It still astounds me that I can be in another country in a few hours for less than what I would pay for a night out. There is so much variety in culture and history in Europe so close together that travelling even short distances is an eye-opening experience. It’s the people that I’ve met on exchange who have made the last three months the best of my life. I have never laughed so much! Being the only Australian in Karlstad, I was pushed out of my comfort zone to make friends from all over the world. I’ve even started to learn German! I would recommend the experience for anyone with a sense of adventure, anyone who likes to travel, or anyone who likes to laugh with people from all corners of the planet. The precious memories, friendships and knowledge you gain will last a lifetime. uow.edu.au/student/exchange
NANOTECHNOLOGY: BUILDING THINGS A THOUSAND TIMES THINNER THAN THIS SHEET OF PAPER. THIS TINY TECHNOLOGY WILL CHANGE MILLIONS OF LIVES. WORDS BY CHRIS RICHARDS Bachelor of Science (Nanotechnology)
Chris Richards is in the third year of his science degree, and has just completed a paid summer internship at UOW’s nanotechnology research facility, the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials. His work in the research centre has included additive fabrication—better known as ‘3D printing’—the technology that is already revolutionising how we make things like lifesaving medical implants.
I originally started a Chemistry major then took a nanotechnology elective and loved it. It’s a new field of study—I love that pioneering feeling. When I was in high school, I’d only heard snippets about nanotechnology; I only really got to see what it was really about once I got to uni. Basically, nanotechnology is anything that happens in the ‘nano-domain’, objects and structures smaller than 100 nanometres. It brings together disciplines like chemistry, biology and physics. Because it’s a new field, advocacy is really important. One of the first projects I worked on when I started my internship was working on media promotions for UOW research. You need to be able to communicate what’s going on, inside and outside the scientific community.
The main part of my work with ACES (The ARC Centre for Excellence in Electromaterials Science at UOW) has been the first steps of adapting commercial 3D printers to reduce wastage. For example, a commercial printer might ‘flush’ 200ml of printing solution when it self-cleans. In research, we use very precious materials, so it’s important to reduce waste levels. I’ve also worked on electroconductive polymers—things you can print to make custom-made medical implants. I’ve attended workshops and seminar series at ACES, meeting people from all over the world who work in the field I love. Meeting these scientists and academics was the first time I really felt a part of something important.
WORDS BY Ryan Holcroft Bachelor of Commerce (Accountancy, Finance) University of Wollongong Cricket club playing SCHOLARSHIP
I’ve played cricket since I could walk, since I can remember. I started when I was maybe three or four. Now I’m in my third year at UOW and I’m still playing. I grew up in Zimbabwe and lived there until I was twelve years old. We moved to South Africa after that. I played cricket for my schools, which is how it is over there, we didn’t play in clubs like you do in Australia. We moved here when I was in Year 10. It took some adjusting to something different, but cricket helped me meet people and fit in. That’s the great thing about UOW cricket, too: meeting lots of new people. I always knew I’d keep playing after school. Now I receive the University of Wollongong Cricket Club Playing Scholarship, where I represent the University in first grade cricket and the club supports my studies. Maths was always my strength in school, and I’ve done some work in accounting before—now I’m really eager to try finance, see where that takes me. For information on UOW scholarships, see www.uow.edu.au/about/scholarships For more on sport at UOW, see www.urac.com.au
coming soon & things to do
ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
1 / What degrees do you offer that relate to my interests, HSC subjects, and career ambitions?
6 / Are there any compulsory job placements in the degrees I’m interested in?
Degree names vary from uni to uni, and college to college. For example if you are interested in a career in business, this may be called ‘commerce’ or ‘business administration’, depending on who you’re speaking to.
Are there any other ways to gain work experience within the degree?
2 / What assumed knowledge and recommended studies apply to the degrees I’m interested in? Remember: at UOW, assumed knowledge isn’t a prerequisite for admission, but if you haven’t studied those subjects you may find the degree very difficult. 3 / What are my options if I don’t get the ATAR for my course? Are there any other ways to get into the course I am interested in?
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW AT UNI INFORMATION DAYS
Ask if you can transfer from one degree to another (e.g. business to law) or ask about TAFE or college programs which will make you eligible to apply to your chosen uni. Ask about bonus entry point schemes too.
We’re in the season of careers markets and information evenings where you’ll have an excellent opportunity to talk to reps from universities, colleges and businesses about your future career direction—and it pays to come prepared. If you want to be informed, you have to ask the right questions.
4 / Are there any early admission options into the course I am interested in? Many universities offer programs like UOW’s Early Admission program, but details can vary significantly from one university to the next, so be sure to get as much information as you can.
When it comes to unis, everyone will want to know different things. However, we think there are some essential questions that any keen student will want to ask. Here are UniSpeak’s Top Ten things to ask a university rep at a careers market.
5 / What are the job prospects for the career that I’m interested in? Also ask what job-seeking assistance the uni provides.
7 / What is the workload for the degree like? Ask about the hours per week; types of assessments; fulltime and part-time study options. Where are the lectures and tutorials held? 8 / What scholarships are available? Which ones are available to students starting their degree? Check for academic, regional and accommodation scholarships. 9 / Are there international exchange options? Do any of their degrees offer international study options? How many international partner universities do they have, in which countries? 10 / What are my accommodation options? Things to look for: Is it catered? Is it on campus or off campus? What kind of student community activities can you get involved in? Keep your eyes open for careers markets that are coming up in your area or at your school. You can talk to UOW oneon-one at the events outlined on the next page and pick up all of our course materials. To see what is happening on-campus at UOW, please visit www.uow.edu.au/future/events
TWO NEW EARLY DEGREES ADMISSION OFFERED IN SYDNEY CBD REWARDING EXCELLENCE
The UOW Sydney Business School will offer two new undergraduate degrees in 2014 from its campus in the heart of central Sydney. The Bachelor of Banking & Financial Service and Bachelor of Accounting and Financial Services* are for high-achieving students who want to work in financial services—banking, finance, financial advice and insurance. They’ll include extended learning opportunities including academic placements with Sydney firms. uow.edu.au/business/sbscourses/undergraduate *
degrees subject to final approval.
Early Admission recognises and rewards students who are excelling academically in their HSC and who we believe will thrive when given the opportunity and support. Ultimately, we’re interested in students who have the skills, strengths, qualities and passion to succeed at UOW. This program gives eligible students the chance to secure a place in the UOW course that best suits them, before their HSC exams even commence. Register your interest at uow.edu.au/future/early-admission
where are you going? connect: CAREER MARKETS If you can’t make it to one of our oncampus events, don’t worry—we’ll soon be coming to a town near you. Come and discuss UOW degrees and the careers they’ll help start. Talk to us about: UOW degree selection Graduate outcomes Scholarships and special programs Exchange Accommodation Early Admission May 2013
June 2013 1–2 3 6 6 17 18 19 20–23 24
July 2013 16–17 18–19 30 31
Career Search Expo (Bankstown) Nepean Careers Market Far South Coast Careers Expo (Moruya) Canberra Careers Market
August 2013 1
2 7 8 9 14–15 16–17 21 22 23 30–31
SMH HSC Careers Expo CBD Schools Careers Expo (Sydney) Macarthur Area Careers Expo Smiths Hill Careers Evening Leeton Tertiary Awareness Day Wagga Wagga Tertiary Day Albury Wodonga Tertiary Day Western Sydney Careers Expo (Sydney Olympic Park) Young Careers Expo
Canberra Careers Market
Southern Districts Tertiary Info Day (Sutherland) Forbes Tertiary Information Day Western Plains Tertiary Info Day (Dubbo) Bathurst FACTS Day Illawarra Careers Expo Northern Beaches Careers Market Moree Careers Day Tamworth Careers Market Hunter Valley Careers Expo SMH HSC Careers Expo
The University of Wollongong attempts to ensure the information contained in this publication is correct at the time of production (April 2013); however, sections may be amended without notice by the University in response to changing circumstances or for any other reason. Check with the University at the time of application/enrolment for any updated information. UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG CRICOS: 00102E
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MAKE IT BETTER