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Vietnamese PhD student fosters USC links
A University of the Sunshine Coast PhD Science student whose research into tropical hardwood trees is set to boost both industry and the environment in Australia and Vietnam will be an ambassador for USC in his home country.
Tree scientist Cao Dinh Hung (first name Hung), who came to USC from Vietnam a few years ago, said his recent breakthrough in the speed and ease of propagating native eucalypt and African mahogany trees was already of interest to plantation timber companies.
Hung, who hopes the research will assist in reducing deforestation, will return to Vietnam later this week after finishing his PhD but hopes to do further postdoctoral study in Australia.
“My ongoing aims are to contribute to the socio-economic development of both Australia and Vietnam and I will be encouraging more Vietnamese students to travel here to study at USC,” Hung said.
His message will draw a wide audience when a documentary about his achievements screens on Vietnamese national television station VTV1 in September.
A seven-person film crew from Vietnam recently visited the USC campus and a local plantation technology company to interview Hung, his lecturers and fellow students about the potential real-life applications of his PhD work.
“The filming will bring great benefits to both countries in terms of educational collaboration,” he said.
“More and more Vietnamese students want to study at Australian universities, particularly USC, in the hope of advancing technologies and widening their knowledge.”
– Julie Gatehouse