Community: Edition 1, 2012
Vice-Chancellor’s COMMENT
Busy year ahead as University prepares for regional expansion
2012 is already shaping up as a crucial year in the development and growth of the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Added impetus for the University’s expansion came in December 2011, when the Prime Minister announced we had won a competitive Structural Adjustment Fund grant of $24 million.
The money has been committed to a $33 million Collaborative Futures Project, involving the University, the Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE and the Wide Bay Institute of TAFE.
This project will deliver outstanding new physical facilities, as well as enhanced blended learning and simulation learning capability.
A $4 million Gympie Learning Hub at WBIT’s Gympie campus will be built this year and open in early 2013, while construction of a $24 million Sippy Downs Learning Hub is forecast for completion a year later.
USC’s move to a two-faculty structure has proceeded well, with new opportunities for teaching and research presenting themselves.
This will help us to position ourselves for the future.
A focus on the future also was a key feature of the University’s recent Undergraduate Scholarships Ceremony, at which 56 new high-achieving students received awards.
The difference that these scholarships make to students, by giving them more time to concentrate on their studies rather than work in paid employment, is enormous. This is highlighted by a story inside this edition about 2008 Renouf Family Scholarship recipient Karina Hamilton, whose current PhD research project at USC has attracted national attention.
Professor Greg Hill
Vice-Chancellor and President
Around USC
01 John Dobson OAM has been re-elected unopposed as the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Chancellor for a second five-year term starting in April. John Dobson has been a USC Council member for 14 years and was first elected Chancellor in 2007 after pastoralist Ian Kennedy AO retired from the role. “I’m very happy to be re-elected as Chancellor,” Mr Dobson said. “There is a new energy and direction of the University and it’s good to be part of such a success story.”
02 USC student Paula Lambert’s ambitions to join the front line of hospital health care received a shot in the arm recently in the form of a $20,000 scholarship. The scholarship was awarded under the Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship and Support Scheme, which is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing and administered by the Royal College of Nursing Australia. Paula of Maroochydore aims to specialise in either emergency ward or intensive care unit nursing.
03 USC will soon have its first Occupational Therapy graduates. Seventeen students celebrated the completion of their four-year OT degree last November with a function that featured speeches, industry sponsored awards and an official welcoming of students into the profession by Occupational Therapy Australia Limited’s Dr Kieran Broome. Georgia Powell won the OTAL Student Diligence Award, Renea Szumowski of Nambour received the Adapt USC Student Award and Cotton Tree resident Trevor Smith collected the Surgical Synergies Student Award.
04 The Australian Computer Society has awarded a fellowship to the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Director of Information Technology Services Maureen Klinkert. This prestigious award recognises Ms Klinkert’s 33-year contribution to information and communication technology (ICT) in Australia. The fellowship citation states that Ms Klinkert “has made a distinguished contribution to ICT through her sustained leadership and achievement in both the private and public sectors across four industries for more than three decades”.
05 Popular children’s author and USC’s Associate Professor of Creative Writing Gary Crew has accepted an invitation from the State Library of Queensland to be one of six Queensland Ambassadors during the National Year of Reading. During 2012, libraries across Australia will partner with organisations and well-known individuals like Dr Crew to promote reading through inspirational programs and events.
Students hit the ground running at Orientation
Students battle it out over 800m course in annual Great Court Race
Master of Health Promotion student Adam Hulme of Caloundra was a clear winner in the University of the Sunshine Coast’s annual Great Court Race on 15 February.
After a tough battle for the lead in the first half of the race, Hulme, 24, turned up the pace in the final few hundred metres to finish well ahead of his rivals.
Second and third place went to Business student Benjamin Hayward, 19, of Caboolture and American Study Abroad student Aaron Hoven, 21, of Buffalo, New York.
In the women’s event, 21-year-old Kirsten Sim of Ocean View also had a clear victory.
The Regional and Urban Planning student finished well ahead of Journalism student Jaime-Lee Thomasson of Noosaville and Kirsten’s mother, Bronwyn Kay of Nambour, who is studying Commerce.
The first three runners received cash prizes, while Adam and Kirsten were presented with the Dean Van der Helm Memorial Shield by Dean’s mother Roslyn Dalgleish.
The race was part of USC’s annual Orientation Week activities.
USC gains $24m for regional expansion
New buildings planned for Sippy Downs and Gympie
The University of the Sunshine Coast recently secured the largest single funding boost to its development since it opened in 1996 by winning a $24 million Commonwealth Government competitive grant.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Federal Minister for Tertiary Education Senator Chris Evans announced the grant in December 2011 under the Government’s Structural Adjustment Fund.
The funding will go towards a $33 million Collaborative Futures Project, involving the University, the Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE (SCIT) and the Wide Bay Institute of TAFE (WBIT).
The bulk of this money will fund construction of two new buildings — one valued at $24 million at USC’s Sippy Downs campus and the other valued at $4 million at the WBIT’s campus in Gympie.
USC’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill said the construction work over the next two years would provide a welcome boost for the regional economy and give USC the facilities it needed to continue its planned expansion.
“The buildings will be shared by the University and the TAFE institutes, with rooms also available for community groups like the University of the Third Age and The Smith Family, which supports the educational endeavours of disadvantaged students,” he said.
Professor Hill said the funding would help the University deal with the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
“I’m relieved because USC won’t face any restrictions on growth because of a lack of infrastructure or a lack of access to a broader regional community,” he said.
Professor Hill said the collaboration with SCIT and WBIT would have an initial focus on nursing and other health disciplines, along with special bridging programs like USC’s popular Tertiary Preparation Pathway program.
Nursing Science is most popular degree
The University of the Sunshine Coast’s student population exceeded 8,500 for the first time during the first week of Semester 1 this year.
Among the 8,549 students enrolled at that time, 3,372 were new students.
The most sought-after study program is the Bachelor of Nursing Science, which has attracted the highest number of new students every year since it was first introduced in 2007.
At the start of semester, Nursing Science had a total of 679 students, including 262 new students.
It was followed by the Bachelor of Business (190 new students), Primary Education (110), Sport and Exercise Science (108), Paramedic Science (104), Psychology (95) and the Bachelor of Science (91).
USC hosts Fulbright Senior Specialists
Boost for climate change and forest engineering research
The University of the Sunshine Coast scored a major research coup recently in attracting two of the eight US academics who will visit Australia this year under the prestigious Australian-American Fulbright Commission.
Lematta Professor of Forest Engineering Dr Loren Kellogg of Oregon State University and Professor of Geography Stephen Walsh, who is the director of the University of North Carolina’s Centre for Galapagos Studies in Ecuador, both arrived in February.
Professor Walsh started his three-week stay on 5 February. It centred around a workshop involving experts from Australia, Ecuador, South Africa and the United States aimed at forming a collaborative research team to investigate the impacts of climate change on tourism in internationally protected areas.
Professor Kellogg arrived on 19 February for a five-week stay, during which he delivered a public seminar at USC before embarking on an extensive consultation tour of Australia’s forest industry.
During his stay, Professor Kellogg delivered seminars and met with stakeholders in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, ACT, Western Australia and Tasmania.
USC is exploring how best to provide specialised training for Australian forest engineering as part of a broader effort to deliver industry relevant research in forest operations.
Property academics win industry awards
Two property academics from USC won four major awards between them at the 18th Pacific Rim Real Estate Society (PRRES) Conference in Adelaide in January.
This was the highest number of awards achieved by any university attending the event from 15 countries.
Teaching and Research Fellow Pam Wardner received two awards for Best PhD Scholar and Best Refereed Conference Paper.
Her conference papers were entitled, “The value proposition of master planned communities to non-retail commercial firms ... assessing demand and establishing options in South-East Queensland” and “Understanding the Role of Place in Office Location Decisions”.
Former Property Law Lecturer Dr Lucy Cradduck also won two awards: One for the Best Innovative Refereed Conference Paper and the other a First Time Author Award in recognition of an outstanding first property research publication in the Pacific Rim Property Research Journal in 2011.
Both Dr Cradduck’s publications drew on research from her doctoral thesis on the challenges facing the implementation of the Australian National Broadband Network.
Students shine in global business contest
THREE University of the Sunshine Coast students have demonstrated their CEO potential by finishing third in a global online competition which required them to transform a struggling business into a profitable enterprise.
International Business students Jan Niemeyer 27, Josua Bayerlein 25, and Khaled Amir 26, beat 900 students from 280 universities world-wide to win a place in the 2011 Fall Capstone Business Simulation Challenge in late 2011.
The trio were faced with a virtual scenario in which they had 48 hours and $1,000,000 to change the future of an electronics component company, which had sacked its CEO and was in a dire market position.
The final involved competitors from around the world playing online at the same time.
Free shuttle bus trial extended
Express buses for students from Gympie and North Lakes
Dozens of students from North Lakes, Caboolture, Gympie and Cooroy are travelling free to USC this semester on express shuttle buses.
The University trialled a free bus service for Noosa students last semester and decided to extend the trial to include students from other fast-growing areas in neighbouring regions.
The once-daily services from Noosa (via Coolum), Gympie (via Cooroy) and North Lakes (via Caboolture) began at the start of semester on Monday 20 February and are being well patronised.
The buses are running each week day of semester, arriving at the University campus at Sippy Downs about 7.50am and departing at 5.10pm.
USC’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill said the new bus services were part of the University’s goal to encourage greater use of more sustainable transport options.
“We have put on these new bus services to support our students from Gympie and Moreton Bay council areas where an increasing number of our students are from,” he said.
USC is also funding new direct TransLink bus services from Sippy Downs to Caloundra (route 607) and Nambour (route 636) at 9pm each week night of semester.
Direct services to these centres previously finished about 6pm, with passengers having to travel via Maroochydore after that time.
The University’s innovative U-pass scheme, which has already provided thousands of students with subsidised bus travel, has continued this semester as a joint initiative of USC, the Sunshine Coast Council and TransLink.
About 2,000 first-year students received $65 worth of free bus travel after signing up for the U-Pass scheme during Orientation Week.
Council’s Sustainable Transport Portfolio Councillor Vivien Griffin praised the U-Pass scheme, which is partly funded by the Sunshine Coast Public Transport Levy.
New CEO for Innovation Centre
Business development and investment specialist Mark Paddenburg was recently appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the Innovation Centre Sunshine Coast (ICSC).
Mr Paddenburg, who has a strong background in the development of companies ranging from small start-ups to large multinational corporations, has replaced founding CEO Colin Graham who left late last year to pursue his own business interests.
The ICSC was established in 2002 and will this year celebrate 10 years of supporting start-up businesses.
Mr Paddenburg previously worked as Manager of Invest Queensland, was a partner at Venture Commander, a senior policy advisor for the State Government and a senior project manager at Brisbane City Council.
He began his career as a chartered accountant and has worked for Shell Exploration and Mining in London, Peregrine Capital, the Office of Economic Development for City of Brisbane Ltd, Brisbane City Council, Venture Commander and the State Government (most recently as Manager of Investment Attraction).
Mr Paddenburg, who has a Graduate Certificate of Management from The University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Commerce from Griffith University, is now tasked with creating new jobs in new industries for the Sunshine Coast region.
“I am very excited about my new role,” he said. “The ICSC has so much to offer and the location is obviously one of the best in the world for business success.”
Medical project gains grant
PhD student researches the healing properties of bee propolis
Researh by a USC PhD student into the medicinal properties of a sticky substance made by native Australian bees has gained funding from the Australian Government.
Biomedical Science researcher Karina Hamilton, 21, of Sippy Downs, will receive $75,830 over three years from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Ms Hamilton aims to determine the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and wound healing properties of propolis, a resinous mixture made by the Trigona carbonaria bees.
“The bee collects sap from a tree or bud and returns to the hive and mixes it with pollen or wax, for example, to form propolis,” she said.
“We already know that bees from different regions around the world make propolis and it has medicinal properties. So far, no-one has looked at the propolis from the Australian native bee, so we are hoping to discover that it has similar healing abilities.”
Ms Hamilton completed USC’s three-year Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree in two years, followed by a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at USC. During her first year at USC in 2008, she received a $12,000 Renouf Family Scholarship.
USC to host Healthy Minds conference
Forget left brain-right brain … a University of the Sunshine Coast academic is working on a much grander scale of northern hemisphere-southern hemisphere in a bid to better understand how people use their grey matter.
USC’s Associate Professor in Education Dr Michael Nagel will chair the first Australian Biennial Conference on the Brain and Learning, to be held in Brisbane in mid-July with the theme “Building Healthy Minds”.
The event will be the southern hemisphere’s answer to the prestigious Brain Development and Learning Conference held every two years by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, which attracts up to 1,300 delegates.
Keynote speakers are Alzheimer’s disease prevention specialist Professor Gary Small, autism spectrum disorders expert Professor Tony Attwood of Australia, language development specialist Dr Roberta Michnick Golinkoff of the United States, and cognitive neuroscientist Professor Iroise Dumontheil of the United Kingdom.
Other speakers will include top Australian researchers in child psychology, childhood development, mental health, criminology, diet, and drug prevention.
The conference will be held at Brisbane’s Sofitel Hotel on 13-15 July and is expected to attract up to 600 delegates from across Australia and abroad, particularly around the Pacific Rim.
“This conference will focus on improving the lives of young people by making cutting-edge research in neuroscience, psychology, education and health understandable and applicable to those who work with young people on a daily basis,” he said.
Dramatic start for USC performing arts group
Students’ group to offer theatre sports, dance and music workshops
An exciting new performing arts group has been established at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The Performing Arts Kollective (PAK) announced its arrival on campus during Orientation Week in February by staging a “flash mob” performance.
PAK coordinator Monique Morgan, who is a second-year Psychology student, said the group aimed to create a cultural hub at the University. She said PAK would offer daily theatre sports, dance and music workshops to USC students and staff, with a view to showcasing a music and dance production at the end of the year.
“This is about supporting like-minded students who have an interest in theatre, music and performing arts, and giving them an opportunity to explore this interest,” she said.
“To be a part of this group, you don’t need any previous dancing or singing experience—just enthusiasm.”
Pool technology enables research
A visiting Japanese academic is using state-of-the art technology at USC’s swimming pool to conduct new research into human movement under water.
The revolutionary Orca Swim Tracker at USC’s pool has enabled Koichi Kaneda, 31, to compare joint angle and acceleration of the human body during walking, sitting and using stairs in water and on land.
The camera is the first of its kind in Australia and transmits above and below water images to a screen on the pool deck.
Dr Kaneda, as a Research Fellow of the Japan Society of the Promotion of Science, said the research findings could be used by health industry professionals and sports trainers to develop water exercise and rehabilitation programs for the frail and the elderly.
USC Post Doctoral Research Fellow and co-investigator Dr Mark McKean said USC was in a unique position to assist Dr Kaneda in his research.
Headstart to Indonesian gets underway
THE study of Indonesian language received a major boost in January when USC launched an Australian Government supported program for senior high school students and teachers.
Forty Year 11 and 12 students and 20 teachers from 18 different schools in the region were awarded scholarships to participate in USC’s new Headstart to Indonesian program.
The University held a special ceremony on Friday 20 January to present the 60 participants with scholarships that will cover their Indonesian course tuition fees and materials.
The Australian Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, through the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program, awarded a $309,851 grant to USC in 2010 for the development of the Headstart to Indonesian program.
Engineer digs Antarctic assignment
Academic enjoys leading icy road engineering project
A USC academic has just returned to the Sunshine Coast after completing an exciting three-month scoping study into alternative road options in Antarctica.
USC Lecturer in Science and Engineering Dr Adrian McCallum was deployed by the Australian Government’s Antarctic research arm, the Antarctic Division, to assess the viability of an existing manufactured gravel road from Casey Station to the nearby wharf.
Dr McCallum left on the Aurora Australis in December amid commemorative celebrations marking 100 years since Douglas Mawson led an Australasian expedition to the frozen continent.
“The problem in Antarctica is that the roads are often built over ice and every year the gravel warms up and melts into the ice and the road gets washed away by meltwater,” Dr McCallum said.
“So the seasonal provision of gravel for this use is not sustainable. We were able to dig down and find bedrock under the ice which means the ice is founded on solid rock and not over part of the ocean as was theorised.
“I have come up with a plan, based on what is practised in Canada and the Arctic, where you insulate the layer of ice by essentially placing foam between the ice and the gravel. By containing the gravel, material won’t be lost and the road base should remain intact and strong.”
Dr McCallum said he planned to incorporate his Antarctic experience into his science and engineering teaching at USC. He said cold region engineering was a niche field in which global employment opportunities existed for graduates.
Communication key to a brilliant career
Communitcation will be the key to a brilliant career for high-achieving student Lucy Petrou, 17, of Mooloolah.
Lucy, who completed Year 12 at Caloundra State High School last year and achieved an Overall Position (OP) of 2, is now enrolled in a Bachelor of Communication at USC.
“I chose the Bachelor of Communication because it was very diverse and it sounded like I could concentrate on writing, which I really enjoy,” she said. “And it can lead to many different careers.”
Lucy said she chose USC ahead of other universities for several reasons.
“I really wanted to stay living here on the Sunshine Coast with my family,” she said. "The location of the University is very convenient. It’s only 20 minutes from home. It’s a good choice for me."
“The campus is really modern and the people I’ve met have been friendly and helpful.”
High achievers gain $12,000 scholarships
Academic Excellence scholarships for promising new undergraduates
Nine high-achieving students starting degrees at the University of the Sunshine Coast this semester have each received $12,000 Academic Excellence scholarships.
They were among 56 students who gained scholarships, ranging in value from $3,500 to $12,000, at USC’s annual Undergraduate Scholarships Presentation Ceremony at the Innovation Centre auditorium in mid-February.
The ceremony was attended by scholarship sponsors, high school principals, the students’ family members and University staff.
Shelby Daye of Shalom College in Bundaberg, Vanessa Evans of Nambour State High School and Maroochydore State High School graduate Sarah Thompson received the three Renouf Family Scholarships for 2012.
Jessica Quinn of Pittsworth State High School and Kerry-Anne Turner of North Bundaberg State High School received the two Tim Fairfax Regional Scholarships.
The four USC Chancellor’s Scholarships for 2012 went to Mason Vozzo of Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Corin Seric of the Brisbane School of Education, Harriet Smith of Sacred Heart College in Geelong, Victoria, and Frances Weichelt of the Tasmanian Academy.
Various businesses, community groups and individuals presented seven other major scholarships, and USC awarded 40 Vice-Chancellor’s Merit scholarships valued at $6,000 each.
Sisters share awards honour
SISTERS Vanessa and Delia Evans of Yandina have both received prestigious academic scholarships from the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The siblings, who were consecutive school captains of Nambour State High School and who share a love of netball and music, also shared the limelight at USC’s annual Undergraduate Scholarships Presentation Ceremony on 13 February.
Vanessa, 19, gained one of three $12,000 Renouf Family Scholarships, while Delia, 17, was this year’s recipient of the Sunshine Coast Daily Kathleen McArthur Memorial Scholarship, valued at $3,500.
Delia graduated with an OP7 last year and is studying a Bachelor of Environmental Science, while Vanessa scored an OP1 in 2010 and is undertaking USC’s Bachelor of Occupational Therapy.
Delia said she had been looking forward to starting at USC and to having her sister with her on campus.
“It’s going to be pretty cool studying together, although a little weird to be in some of the same classes as my older sister,” she said.
Vanessa, who began studying a dual Science/Arts degree in Brisbane last year, said she decided to change universities after attending USC’s Open Day last August.
“I really wanted to stay on the Sunshine Coast because I love it here,” she said. “Because the campus is smaller, it feels more personal and more connected.”
Company sponsors Mechanical Engineering scholarship
USC will soon present its first Mechanical Engineering scholarship, thanks to a donation by Weir Minerals Multiflo, a business unit within the multinational company, The Weir Group PLC.
A $9,000 scholarship will be awarded to a second-year Mechanical Engineering student with good academic standing and who has an extracurricular interest or involvement in engineering.
The scholarship winner will receive payments of $3,000 a year for the remaining three years of his or her degree.
The Weir Group PLC is a UK-based company that designs and manufactures high-quality engineering equipment solutions for the minerals processing, oil and gas, and power industries. The company employs about 13,000 people worldwide.
Weir Minerals Multiflo recently opened a new purpose-built facility at its base in Coolum to help service its clients in Australia and throughout South East Asia.
Weir Minerals Multiflo Managing Director Paul Avey said his company was proud to have an association with the discipline of Mechanical Engineering at USC.
“We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership,” he said.
USC’s Vice Chancellor Professor Greg Hill praised the company for establishing the scholarship, which will be presented to one student each year from 2012 to 2014.
Applications for the scholarship will close on Friday 20 April.
Graduate is Queensland’s Young Aussie of the Year
Chris Raine recognised for his efforts at changing binge drinking culture
Energetic social entrepreneur Chris Raine, 25, now has the title of Queensland’s Young Australian of the Year for 2012.
Since graduating from USC with a combined degree in Arts and Business in 2008, Chris worked in the advertising industry while developing an anti-binge drinking program to help change the drinking habits of young people.
He is now the founder and CEO of Hello Sunday Morning (HSM), an organisation that challenges young people to give up alcohol for three, six or 12 months at a time.
Chris said his not-for-profit organisation’s goal was to help break his generation’s unhealthy obsession with binge drinking.
In 2009, Chris decided to abstain from alcohol for a year and began writing a blog to record his journey. This led to the development of his Hello Sunday Morning blog and website, which are now encouraging people to reconsider their drinking habits.
To change Australia’s drinking culture, Chris said young people needed to believe in an alternative that would improve their lives, provide a sense of purpose and help build meaningful relationships.
HSM has so far helped thousands of people share their short-term abstinence experiences.
Chris said he was thrilled to have received the Queensland Young Australian of the Year award at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane in December.
“It was an incredible honour to win in Queensland,” he said. “It’s really nice to be recognised for your work.
“Winning this award is a good opportunity to promote what we’re doing with Hello Sunday Morning and get more people involved. We hope to get 10,000 people registered and I plan to use this award to talk to as many people as possible, from all backgrounds and walks of life.”
Chris travelled to Canberra in late January for the announcement of the Young Australian of the Year award, which went to Marita Cheng of Victoria.
“The week in Canberra was amazing,” he said. “Every single person you met was some sort of high achiever, in this field or that. It was like a who’s who alphabet soup. Meeting Geoffrey Rush was definitely a highlight.”
Three years ago another USC graduate, Jonty Bush, was Queensland’s Young Australian of the Year. Jonty, an anti-violence campaigner and former CEO of the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group, went on the win the Young Australian of the Year award for 2009.
Nominations open for Outstanding Alumni Awards
If you know an outstanding University of the Sunshine Coast graduate, why not nominate them for the 2012 Outstanding Alumni of the Year Awards?
Each year, these awards recognise graduates who have attained significant achievements in their fields of endeavour since their graduation from USC.
This could include professional, academic (including research), community and/or other achievements.
Nominations can be made by USC alumni, staff, students and members of the community, such as colleagues, family and friends. Self-nominations are accepted if a written letter of endorsement is included.
Nominations will close on 6 July.
The awards will be presented to recipients at the Outstanding Alumni Awards Ceremony later in the year. All alumni are welcome to attend this celebration and learn about the University’s latest developments.
For information about how to nominate or to read about past award recipients contact Anita Edmonds at Alumni Relations at alumni@usc.edu.au or phone +61 7 5459 4564.
Research in France
A USC PhD graduate is showing more interest in fish eggs than frog’s legs after landing a two-year research posting in France recently.
Kelli Anderson, 26, started her Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Universite’ du Havre in Normandy late last year. She is investigating the relationship between environmental pollution and marine reproduction in European sea bass.
Art close to the heart of kart track owner
Company sponsors 2012 exhibition program
Big Kart Track owner Ferre De Deyne is keeping quiet on whether he might be the mysterious motor car driver “The Stig” from popular British motoring television show Top Gear.
However, he is making no secret of his appreciation of art, after sponsoring the 2012 exhibition program at the USC Gallery.
Mr De Deyne and his family have had a long association with the gallery. Annually they support purchases for the student collection and present the coveted Proost-De Deyne Family Prize to the student judged as having the best portfolio of work at the end-of-year exhibition by USC Design students.
Gallery Curator Dawn Oelrich thanked the Proost-De Deyne family for its continued support of the art gallery and for sponsoring this year’s exhibition program.
Gallery exhibitions
Chris Pantano: 25 Years of Glass-Making
8 MARCH–14 APRIL
A 25-year retrospective by this nationally and internationally recognised Sunshine Coast glass artist, Chris Pantano.
Through the Looking Glass
8 MARCH–14 APRIL
Gladstone artist Melanie Jai’s whimsical paintings inspire understanding, compassion and acceptance for those affected by mental health issues.
STUDIO: Australian Painters Photographed by R. Ian Lloyd
19 APRIL–2 JUNE
This exhibition presents large-format photographic portraits of 61 Australian painters in their studio environments by award-winning photographer R. Ian Lloyd. Each image contains extraordinary and revealing details about the artist and their work.
The exhibition by R. Ian Lloyd Productions is curated by nationally acclaimed arts writer and critic John McDonald and is toured by Museums and Galleries NSW.
Transformers: Celebrating International Nurses and Midwifery Day
4–31 MAY
This photographic exhibition by USC’s Nursing Science students aims to challenge outdated or simplistic images of nursing to better reflect the complexity and contribution that nursing makes to contemporary health care.
Design Student Exhibition: Collective Perspectives
7 JUNE–7 JULY
Advanced USC Design students will present large format prints on paper, canvas or vinyl that demonstrate the innovation and creativity practised in their course. Concentrating on digital illustration, students are encouraged to experiment with photography, painting and drawing skills, combined with computer software to produce a dynamic body of art work. The Proost-De Deyne Family supports the purchase of artworks selected from this exhibition for the University’s Collection.
Art lecture series
THE USC Gallery is presenting a lecture series for those wanting to increase their enjoyment and understanding of art viewing. The series is supported by Chris Harris of Ord Minnett Buderim, and will cover the topics of colour and tone on Wednesday 28 March, composition on Wednesday 23 May and dimension, space and form on Wednesday 20 June. All lectures will begin at 6.30pm. Entry is by gold coin donation but seating is limited. To book, telephone 5459 4645 or email gallery@usc.edu.au