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Students in the news 2010
November / December
Amberlee Marker
Bachelor of Science Honours
20-year-old Amberlee Marker's research into the genetic diversity of local kangaroos has been featured on Channel Ten television program Totally Wild.
The Honours student’s research is believed to be the first Australian study of the faecal microsatellite DNA of kangaroos, a type of DNA used in forensic science.
Sally Kendall
Bachelor of Environmental Science
Buderim's Sally Kendall is just weeks from finishing her USC degree and has already secured a full-time job as a Transport Project Officer with Sunshine Coast Council’s TravelSmart team.
The job offer followed an internship that Sally completed with the council while studying and working part-time at a café on campus. She also received a $500 Women in Science encouragement award from the Zonta Club of Noosa recently.
Casey Manns
Bachelor of Nursing Science
Casey's desire to help others through her nursing degree has been recognised by the War Widows Guild Maroochydore Sub-branch who have awarded her a A$500 bursary.
Casey said the bursary, which assists the next generation of women to embark on nursing careers, would help pay for University fees as she juggled part-time work and study.
Monica Romanyk
Bachelor of Regional and Urban Planning
A USC student is set to launch her career in Germany with a six-month internship with ICLEI, a local government organisation committed to sustainability.
Having finished her study, Monica will now put theory into practice as an intern helping to plan the first EcoMobility World Congress in Korea in October 2011.
Cameron Scott
Bachelor of Business
21-year-old Cameron is fulfilling his dream to become an entrepreneur, launching his first online company before he has graduated.
Working with his partner, Calum Shand, 23, the pair's brand Bonvoy Apparel offers modern, unisex clothing with screen-printed designs influenced by photography, music and local art. The products are all 100% Australian made.
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Dave Gilbert
Bachelor of International Business
Newly appointed General Manager of the Eastern Australia and South East Asia divisions of AGC-Ausgroup credits study at USC with setting him on the path to a high-flying career. Once a Diesel Mechanic, the 41-year-old now commutes regularly from the Sunshine Coast to Singapore and Scotland, from Perth to Papua New Guinea as part of his role.
Phil Barker and Leigh White
Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Two budding doctors have used their Science studies at USC to win places in the 2011 intake at the University of Wollongong Graduate Medical School. The pair were among 72 postgraduates accepted to the school.
Nola Murray
Bachelor of Nursing Science
Starting work at Townsville Hospital after finishing her Nursing Science degree, marks the final phase of Nola's transition from lawyer to nurse.
She has worked in a variety of legal roles including litigation in Brisbane but said the decision to study nursing came after caring for her terminally ill grandfather.
Ebonie Humbert
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education
Ebonie, 23, of Tewantin has won a special Rural and Remote Practicum Award from the Isolated Children's Parents' Association (ICPA).
Ebonie completed a three-month placement at Charleville as her final practicum during her study and her enthusiasm and love of teaching in a rural location was a key factor in her winning the ICPA award. Charleville State High School sought to employ her Ebonie next year but Oakey State High School had already secured a contract with the USC student.
Cao Dinh Hung (first name Hung)
PHD
Hung's breakthrough research in new methods of using synthetic seeds to grow native eucalypt and African mahogany trees has great potential for both industry and the environment.
The 36-year-old Vietnamese student's research into the science of propagating tropical hardwood trees, which are traditionally difficult to propagate, could result in an easier, quicker method of growing a stronger selected tree.
Simone Harkin
PHD
Simone Harkin received a Rural and Remote Education Bursary from the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation in Semester 2 and has used the A$1,200 to work as a pre-service teacher in the remote north Queensland town of Pormpuraaw.
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Laura Simmons
Bachelor of Environmental Science
Laura Simmons has spent a fortnight on World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island, 500km east of Port Macquarie, to do fieldwork on the Big Mountain Palm, an endemic species found on the mountainous island above altitudes of 400 metres to the cloud forest-covered summits.
Amy Lalonde
Master of Integrated Coastal Zone
Amy has spent three weeks in Fiji examining coastal zone management and climate change a study made possible due to a A$4,000 bursary from Sunshine Coast civil engineering firm Hall Contracting.
Her preliminary report, presented to supervisors on campus last week, recommends that Fiji establish a body to better manage water and land uses in the flood-prone and degraded Suva Lagoon catchment.
October
Brodie Gardner
Bachelor of Science Honours
Studying human movement as part of a Bachelor of Science Honours degree at USC has given Eudlo triathlete Brodie Gardner a distinct edge over many of his rivals.
Brodie, 24, used his knowledge to push himself to 7th at the Australian University Championships at Mooloolaba in March and to 8th in the hotly-contested 20-24 age group at the Triathlon ITU World Championship at Budapest, Hungary, last month.
Health students inspired by Cambodia
A USC student who worked to reduce illness among Cambodians in a village with an arsenic-tainted water supply has been inspired to continue helping from Australia.
Tynan Narywonczyk, 27, of Narangba, was one of three USC Health Promotion students who spent almost three weeks in Cambodia on work placement. Laura Willoughby, 24, of Twin Waters, and Meah Paans, 26, of Minyama, also self-funded their trip, which is being assessed as part of their degrees.
Tommy Butterfield
Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science
A 22-year-old USC Sport and Exercise Science student has been selected for the Australian Universities Rugby League (AURL) team to tour England and France next month. The tour from 20 November to 10 December will be another sporting highlight for Kippa-Ring’s Tommy Butterfield who plays hooker in the Redcliffe Dolphins’ Queensland Cup side.
Julie Burton
Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts graduate
Brisbane’s Julie Burton has realised a long-held dream of starting a career as a secondary teacher. Aged in her mid-40s when she started the Arts/Education double degree, Julie hopes to inspire more mature-aged students to consider USC.
Julie, who now teaches English at Wellington Point State High School, has been employed continuously since she finished her degree at the University of the Sunshine Coast two years ago.
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September
Design students get creative in contest
A cylinder of vodka foam for desserts and a can of shaving foam for women have earned national product design commendations for two University of the Sunshine Coast students.
Third-year Arts students David Dixon, 22, of Morayfield, and former Hervey Bay resident Jane-Maree Vortman, 20, were recognised in the recently-announced 2010 Southern Cross Package Design Awards.
USC alumni share success stories
More than 60 USC graduates now working in sectors as diverse as health, business and the arts shared their success stories at the 2010 Outstanding Alumni of the Year Awards.
The winners were popular children’s author Dr Gary Crew, the CEO of Hong Kong’s Financial Reporting Council Dr PM Kam and Townsville-based Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Prevention Coordinator Madonna Kennedy.
Karina Hamilton
Bachelor of Science (Accelerated Honours)
A USC Accelerated Honours Science student who conducted an Australian-first study of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil supplements has published her first scientific paper at age 19.
The paper by former Hervey Bay schoolgirl Karina Hamilton is published in this month’s national journal Nutrition and Dietetics.
Michael Hanisch
Bachelor of Regional and Urban Planning
An award-winning 24-year-old USC student will become a planning officer with the Whitsunday Regional Council before he graduates this year.
Michael Hanisch will start work at Proserpine in September. He expects to gain his USC Bachelor of Regional and Urban Planning by November.
Aaron Hill
Doctorate of Creative Arts
A Maleny illustrator is collaborating with USC academic Gary Crew on a book for young adults. Aaron Hill moved to the Sunshine Coast hinterland to study a Doctorate of Creative Arts at USC with Associate Professor Crew, the University’s Head of Creative Writing and author of more than 70 books.
The book, Damon, will be published by Hachette and is at the first draft stage. It is his second published book with Gary Crew. He was shortlisted for the esteemed Crichton Award for the first, called Automaton.
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August
Katie Roberts
Bachelor of Environmental Science
A former fashion buyer and Melbourne design graduate now studying Environmental Science at USC aims to make alterations to the clothing industry’s pattern of waste.
Katie Roberts, 25, said an eye-opening year working on a fabric design team at a garment export factory in India helped spark her desire to improve the industry’s economic, environmental and social sustainability.
Chris McKenzie
Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology)
A USC Psychology student who’s a former high school teacher and professional sculptor has turned his hand to co-authoring a textbook in Japan.
Chris McKenzie, 45, spent a decade specialising in large public sculpture commissions for governments and institutions, from a two-tonne carved wooden bilby at Charleville to a 20-tonne granite stockman at St Joseph’s Nudgee College, Brisbane.
Hailey Szoke
Bachelor of Social Science 
Former Siena Catholic College student Hailey Szoke, who is in her second year of a Social Science degree at USC, is on the cover of the winter edition of Smoke Signals, the magazine of the Rural Fire Brigades Association Qld Inc.
Hailey has volunteered with her local Ilkley and Districts Rural Fire Brigade for a year. She has deferred University for a semester after also gaining part-time work as an auxiliary at Buderim Fire Station. It’s a big step towards her goal of joining the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service permanently.
Chris Martin
Master of Psychology (Clinical)
A USC Psychology student who’s always wanted to help people is already achieving this through his work in three communities—Gympie, Mountain Creek and on campus at Sippy Downs.
Chris Martin, 24, is juggling part-time jobs and part-time study to gain his Master of Psychology and become a clinical psychologist. Chris gained the paid Gympie job in April during an internship as part of his University studies.
Erin Pyers
Bachelor of Public Relations
Promoting a film called Dirt! The Movie might sound like a challenge custom made for top advertising executives on ABC’s popular TV program The Gruen Transfer.
But it’s a challenge that USC Public Relations student Erin Pyers of Alexandra Headland is happy to accept in her work for a local company, Food Matters, at USC’s Innovation Centre.
Kelsie Fahey
Bachelor of Business (Accounting) graduate
A Business degree from USC has taken 20-year-old Kelsie Fahey from Gympie to Noosa to Brisbane, straight into a job with the fifth largest accountancy network in the world. Kelsie was offered the graduate position as an accountant with BDO’s Audit division in May last year, while living at Noosa and studying at Sippy Downs.
The job was kept for her to start in March this year, after completing her degree and moving to Brisbane.
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July
Bright minds work to change the world
Environmental Science student Chelsea Hopkins-Allan and Michael Hansich (Regional and Urban Planning) were two of 100 people selected for the Brightest Young Minds (BYM) Foundation summit in Sydney.
Delegates were selected for attributes including leadership, passion, creativity, initiative, intelligence, charisma, communication and perseverance.
Games cheers for determined students
The women’s volleyball final of the 2010 Northern University Games was an ankle-twisting as well as nail-biting event for the silver medal-winning University of the Sunshine Coast team.
“I rolled my ankle severely in the second set and was sidelined, but the team played amazingly in the remaining three sets,” said USC team manager Bronwyn Sawyer.
Medal results for USC were: Second in women’s touch football, second in women’s volleyball, third in women’s netball, third in men’s Rugby 7s.
Clean sweep for USC's journalism students
The University of the Sunshine Coast has already claimed victory in a category of the 2010 Queensland Clarion (Media) Awards, even though the award winners will not be announced until late August.
That’s because all three finalists in the “Most Outstanding Journalism Student–Regional” category of the awards are from USC. They are Graham Reeks, 31, of Landsborough, Jamie-Leigh Carter, 20, of Kippa-Ring and Alice Campion, 20, of Peregian Beach.
Exercise student wins annual race
Clinical Exercise Science student Aaron Turner of Sippy Downs clinched victory in the University of the Sunshine Coast’s ninth annual Great Court Race on Wednesday 21 July. Aaron, 28, edged his way from fifth to first over the last 200m to finish several paces ahead of his nearest rivals, placegetters Luke Grimley, 19, of Valdora and Michael Gibson, 19, of Alexandra Headland.
In the women’s event, 32-year-old Lene Knudsen of Denmark had a clear victory. The Master of Climate Change Adaptation student finished well ahead of German exchange student Annmarie Conrath, 22, and International Business student Anne Gasper, 20, also of Germany.
June
Glen Mahoney
Bachelor of Business
A USC Business student has finished in the top one percent of a national share trading competition run by J.P. Morgan.
Glen Mahoney, of Buderim, showed it was possible to make a 10 percent gain on a $200,000 outlay during a volatile time between March and May when the Australian Share Market suffered major setbacks.
Students develop export plans for business
Eight USC students have been nominated for a Statewide award for their projects to help a Caloundra pet food business expand into Europe.
The three teams of International Marketing students, who worked on the research projects this year as part of their degrees, have been selected as USC’s finalists in the Australian Marketing Institute’s Queensland competition.
Chris Raine
Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations and Marketing)
USC graduate Chris Raine is using skills developed in his degree to shift Australia’s dysfunctional drinking culture. He is delighted with the snowballing effect of his community blog, “Hello Sunday Morning”.
It has grown from an individual blog into a website where more than 75 people are undergoing the program that encourages a three-month minimum break from alcohol.
USC students help provide food for needy
There’ll be food on the table this winter for many needy Sunshine Coast residents following a concerted effort by a team of University of the Sunshine Coast students to “can hunger”.
USC’s Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team collected hundreds of cans of food by doorknocking around Landsborough, Beerwah and Sippy Downs in April and May for the Let’s Can Hunger Challenge, sponsored by Campbells Soup.
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May
Cathrine Evetts
Bachelor of Nursing Science (Graduate Entry)
Ms Evetts, who returned to study after 35 years practising physiotherapy, has completed her Bachelor of Nursing Science (Graduate Entry) and secured a place in the Graduate Nurse program of the Toowoomba and West Moreton Health District in Texas, in the state’s far south west.
Ms Evetts said she appreciated the practical scenarios provided by USC tutors who were still working in their fields of expertise and was grateful for the level of support she received by University staff.
Lee-anne Bye
PHD
PhD student Lee-anne Bye's will examine how hospitals can better retain their experienced nurses in research that could help overcome the anticipated critical shortage of nurses across Australia. Lee-anne is one of three PhD students who received $2,500 scholarships from the combined Rotary clubs of the Sunshine Coast during a Rotary celebration at USC on Wednesday 12 May.
Kate Willson
Bachelor of Business
/Science
Former Nambour State High School student, Kate Willson has been promoted to Curator of Fishes at UnderWater World on the Sunshine Coast. Ms Willson majored in Tourism and Environmental Science at USC before graduating in 2004. She completed research at UnderWater World on the common moon jelly (Aurelia aurita) in the third year of her degree and this sparked her interest in the Sunshine Coast's amazing marine ecosystem and led to a career at the premier tourist attraction.
Michelle Pike
Bachelor of Arts (Design and Communication)
Successful Buderim illustrator Michelle Pike will offer sneak peeks of new children’s books when she presents at the Voices on the Coast literature festival at the University of the Sunshine Coast from 7-12 June.
The mother of two, who illustrated TV celebrity Andrew Daddo’s children’s book ‘Letters to Santa’ after an offer from a major publisher who visited her Eumundi Markets stall, will be among 27 presenters.
April
Nicole Ertl
Bachelor of Science (Microbiology and Biotechnology)
2010 University Medal recipient
University of the Sunshine Coast graduand Nicole Ertl, 29, of Doonan has been awarded the 2010 University Medal at the USC Graduation ceremony at Sippy Downs on 9 April. The medal is presented annually to the highest-achieving undergraduate student across all faculties.
Nicole majored in Microbiology and Biotechnology and achieved a perfect grade point average of 7, no mean feat given her mother tongue is not English.
Tomas Passeggi
Bachelor of Social Science (Community Work) Honorary Senior Fellow of the University
Tomas Passeggi has become an Honorary Senior Fellow of the University at April's Graduation ceremony, recognising his significant contribution to enhancing the social life and student experience at USC.
The USC graduate from Buderim entertaining and tongue-in-cheek presentations at major University events have become well known. He has regularly surprised guests with his casual banter with the Vice-Chancellor and humorous slideshows outlining how to best annoy lecturers and how to recognise the symptoms of being a uni student.
Emma and Kate Love
Bachelor of Business
Nambour twins Emma and Kate Love have received top prizes at the annual Faculty of Business Awards and Prizes Ceremony in April. Emma claimed the $1,500 Juniper Development Group Prize for the Outstanding Third Year Management Student while Kate collected the $500 Wicked Wolf Events Prize for the Best Student in the subject Sport and Event Marketing.
Elyse Wohling
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business
Chancellor's Medla recipient
22 year old Elyse Wohling has received the Chancellor's Medal at the April Graduation ceremony at USC, in recognition of her excellence in academic performance, University governance, community service and student welfare. In her fifth year at USC, the former Beerwah State High student is doing Honours in politics while working full-time for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Nathaniel Kraak
Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts
Gympie 23-year-old Nathaniel plans to move to Canada with his wife later this year having graduated from a combined Arts and Education program at USC's Graduation ceremony in April.
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March
Jane-Louise Lampard
Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours)
A USC Honours student researching the human health risks associated with constructed lakes has identified “poor microbial water quality” and physical hazards in the Chancellor Park Lakes. Jane-Louise Lampard said a key message from her recently-presented thesis, which was based on testing in summer 2008-09, was that people could safely enjoy the lakes but should not swim in them or ingest the water.
February
Kristy Ellis
Bachelor of Business
Studying international business at USC is now helping surf life saving champ Kristy Ellis (nee Munroe) take her sport to Egypt. “There is a base of surf life saving in Egypt but it will be the first time the world titles are contested there,” she said of the October event called Rescue 2010.
More than 3,000 athletes will compete at Mamoura Beach at Alexandria, a city of five million along the Mediterranean coastline. Her outstanding contribution to the community was honoured on Australia Day when she won the Sunshine Coast Regional Council’s Sport and Recreation Award 2010.
Janine Symons
Bachelor of Business (Tourism)
USC graduate Janine Symons has just become UnderWater World’s new Sales and Promotions Executive, and is eager to tell the University’s 3,000 new students all about the iconic tourist attraction at Mooloolaba.
Janine finished her Bachelor of Business (Tourism) degree in 2005 and has since worked for a variety of companies in marketing and promotional roles.
January
Chelsea Parish and Hannah O'Brien
Bachelor of Business (Honours)
Two USC Honours students have landed $10,000 scholarships from the Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) to study the nation’s prawn farming industry. Chelsey Parish, 22, of Caloundra will investigate the export readiness of Australian prawn farmers, while Hannah O'Brien, 21, of Maleny will assess the relationships and communication along the supply chain to local seafood outlets.
Phil Gabel
Doctor of Philosophy (Science)
A Coolum sports physiotherapist studying a PhD at USC has been recognised for his research into whiplash injuries.
Phil Gabel is a former professional triathlete and current Coolum surf life saving patrol captain who has practised physiotherapy for 25 years. He investigated why it took some patients longer than others to recover from whiplash and how individual recovery times could be better predicted.
Katie Fraser
Bachelor of Arts (Journalism)
A budding travel journalist from Noosa Heads is packing for her first European adventure as one of five USC students awarded Education Australia Ltd scholarships worth $25,000 in total.
Instead of starting the third year of her Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) at the Sippy Downs campus, 19-year-old Katie Fraser will leave on 23 January to spend six months studying at the Amsterdam campus of INHolland University.
N.C. Prinsloo
Bachelor of Arts
On Thursday 11 February N.C. Prinsloo is off to the city of Daegu in South Korea after gaining a 12-month job contract to work for the Provincial Office of Education, teaching English in schools.
N.C.’s successful job application followed six months in South Korea last year, when he studied at Kyungpook National University as part of USC’s Global Opportunities (GO) program.
Jacqui Burns
Bachelor of Business (Marketing)
When Coolum Beach musician and mother of three Jacqui Burns goes on air at 6am on Monday 1 February to launch Noosa Community Radio 101.3’s new breakfast program, she will be living a dream. With 20 years in amateur performance and a work history in retail, Ms Burns found new direction in a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) at USC.
Jodi Almond
Doctor of Philosophy (Science)
USC researcher Jodi Almond wants to make staying fit easier by developing the most time-efficient exercise program for those aged 45-65. Jodi, 37 of Sippy Downs, is assessing the short-term physiological effects of different types of exercise training regimes as part of her PhD. She is currently assessing a group of 10 middle-aged volunteers – putting them through their paces once a week for six weeks in various exercises that offer a mixture of resistance and aerobic workouts.
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