A year of innovation, success and defying challenges
Whether opening pathways to dream careers, protecting our natural environment and wildlife, or creating safety nets for those who need it most, The University of the Sunshine Coast and its valued collaborators have united to deliver impact for the region in 2021.
Together, USC and our partners helped implement important initiatives and research that will continue to have benefits locally and globally as we move into the future.
We stood behind campaigns to preserve and research the lives of koalas, sea turtles, native birds and manta rays, were involved in long-term strategies for preserving coastal dunes, and championed causes which aid homeless youth and military veterans.
In the medical field, our many strides included clinical trials to improve treatments for breast cancer, melanoma, malaria and COVID-19, simultaneously maintaining a position as a leader in mental health and suicide prevention research via the Thompson Institute.
With partnerships central to all we do, USC continued to join forces with events and organisations far and wide, including Sunshine Coast Council and local health providers, through to international wildlife research collaborations.
Our athletes were given a platform, shining on a global stage at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. And as a community we celebrated their success by hosting a welcome home event at USC Stadium. The Australian squad collected a record-equalling 17 gold medals, while the Sunshine Coast Paralympic contingent snared 14 medals alone – almost 20 percent of the nation’s total haul.
Closer to home, USC experienced its best-ever returns at the 2021 universities multisport carnival on the Gold Coast.
In challenging and uncertain times for our cohort, we’re extremely proud to have again secured a five-star rating in the ‘student support’ category by the Good Universities Guide. It’s indicative of the student-first ethos that shapes our culture.
A destination for making a difference
Research by a USC PhD student will help protect 40-plus kilometres of pristine beachfront, the region’s hallmark.
Brittany Elliott completed an extensive survey of coastal dunes from Kings Beach in the south to Peregian Beach in the north, with the potential to assist local council and environmental groups to target sites for rehabilitation.
Her methods combined advanced genetic techniques made possible in USC’s Sippy Downs laboratory with on-site observations and sampling.
“My results suggested four key tree species would be key to planting along the Sunshine Coast dunes,” Ms Elliott said.
“We also identified important locations where highly invasive weeds are likely to thrive. We’ve used models to create maps which reveal the optimal zones where each species should or could occur."
Mapping was also at the heart of a USC collaboration which has allowed people to look at coastal impacts through the eyes of a turtle.
Geography lecturer Dr Javier Leon worked with USC Mapping with Drones students to create an immersive virtual reality environment that mimics what turtles see when light pollution or coastal flooding take place.
Three-dimensional worlds were created and the new tool was showcased at Sunshine Coast Council’s TurtleCare training day in November and made available to other organisations, community groups and schools interested in turtle awareness.
The long-term survival of koalas – particularly in South East Queensland – could be greatly enhanced by ongoing trials for a chlamydia vaccine, developed at USC.
Several wild populations around Moreton Bay are being vaccinated in a trial involving approximately 400 koalas in a collaboration between USC, Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Moggill Koala Rehabilitation Centre, RSPCA Wildlife Hospital, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, CSIRO Manufacturing and QUT.
USC Professor of Microbiology Peter Timms has been at the forefront of research into infectious diseases in animals for more than 40 years, with his tenure at USC attracting significant support from federal, state and regional incentives, international animal foundations, and passionate philanthropists.
Chlamydia is particularly cruel to koala populations, causing debilitating conjunctivitis, painful bladder infections and, at times, infertility.
USC was named the nation’s best for something we love doing – helping to create real change across our communities by giving back.
Our ‘G-Day’ fundraising campaign was awarded ‘Best fundraising campaign – small team’ by Universities Australia after raising almost $280,000 to find solutions for mental health challenges, help koalas devastated by bushfires and disease, and support financially disadvantaged students.
Director of USC’s Development Office Russell Ousley said the message for this year’s Giving Day was that kindness could change everything. “And thanks to the incredible generosity of USC alumni, staff, supporters and friends, we showed just what a difference we could make across three key areas of need.”
A platform for saving and changing lives
USC’s Medical Science program has a knack for engaging OP1 students from the Sunshine Coast and surrounding regions, and allowing them to stay in the area.
Five such students in 2021 were Nambour students Zawad Aziz and Halimah Reynolds, Buderim duo Madeleine Prager and Christopher Klingsch, along with Noosa District graduate Jasmin Smith.
Each year, 20 highly motivated students are welcomed into USC’s three-year undergraduate degree, from which graduates gain provisional direct entry into Griffith University’s Doctor of Medicine program at the Sunshine Coast Health Institute, part of Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
“I want to become a doctor so that I can have the privilege of helping and curing illnesses, contributing to a happier and stress-free society,” Mr Aziz said.
“I chose USC due to its location and its student-oriented approach. It acknowledges the diverse range of students and tailors its teaching to individuals.”
Also inspired to a career in medicine was 33-year-old Brad Lines, who took an indirect route via a USC Bachelor of Psychology, after leaving school many years earlier without an OP.
A Landsborough resident, Mr Lines previously worked as a fly-in, fly-out driller in mines, prior to electing for a change in career.
“I didn’t know a career in medicine was an option for me as a mature-age student until I began studying at USC,” he said.
“It’s helped me identify my strengths and given me confidence to pursue the goal of becoming a medical doctor.
“My wife works at Sunshine Coast University Hospital as a nurse and we have family nearby, which is wonderful for our baby daughter and will be an essential support over the next few years.”
A silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has allowed all students, no matter their discipline, to gain a fuller appreciation of what action needs to be taken in a health crisis.
USC partnerships with local health providers such as Sunny Street, who set up a vaccination clinic for students at the Sippy Downs Campus, demonstrated first-hand the collaboration, stakeholder management and logistical planning necessary.
USC’s Medical Science program has a knack for engaging OP1 students from the Sunshine Coast and surrounding regions, and allowing them to stay in the area.
Five such students in 2021 were Nambour students Zawad Aziz and Halimah Reynolds, Buderim duo Madeleine Prager and Christopher Klingsch, along with Noosa District graduate Jasmin Smith.
Each year, 20 highly motivated students are welcomed into USC’s three-year undergraduate degree, from which graduates gain provisional direct entry into Griffith University’s Doctor of Medicine program at the Sunshine Coast Health Institute, part of Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
“I want to become a doctor so that I can have the privilege of helping and curing illnesses, contributing to a happier and stress-free society,” Mr Aziz said.
“I chose USC due to its location and its student-oriented approach. It acknowledges the diverse range of students and tailors its teaching to individuals.”
Also inspired to a career in medicine was 33-year-old Brad Lines, who took an indirect route via a USC Bachelor of Psychology, after leaving school many years earlier without an OP.
A Landsborough resident, Mr Lines previously worked as a fly-in, fly-out driller in mines, prior to electing for a change in career.
“I didn’t know a career in medicine was an option for me as a mature-age student until I began studying at USC,” he said.
“It’s helped me identify my strengths and given me confidence to pursue the goal of becoming a medical doctor.
“My wife works at Sunshine Coast University Hospital as a nurse and we have family nearby, which is wonderful for our baby daughter and will be an essential support over the next few years.”
A silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has allowed all students, no matter their discipline, to gain a fuller appreciation of what action needs to be taken in a health crisis.
USC partnerships with local health providers such as Sunny Street, who set up a vaccination clinic for students at the Sippy Downs Campus, demonstrated first-hand the collaboration, stakeholder management and logistical planning necessary.
A community drawn closer together
Addressing and healing segregation of the past, Cherbourg elder Hope O’Chin reached a landmark point for both herself and her community when she graduated from USC with a Doctor of Philosophy.
Dr O’Chin combined 40 years of experience in education and art to document how storylines, songs, ceremonies and other creative pursuits helped maintain Indigenous culture during colonial oppression.
In the process she became the first person in her family to complete a PhD.
“There were lots of opportunities to learn from a diverse range of students here,” she said.
“As a Kabi Kabi, Kos, Wakka-Wakka and Koa First Nations member, it seemed right to study at USC on the lands of my mother’s family heritage.”
USC continues to do its utmost to ensure all sections of the community have access to tertiary education.
A free, two-day University Skills For You course was held for Sunshine Coast adults contemplating university or TAFE study.
Designed to build confidence and introduce academic writing, researching, speaking and critical thinking skills, the course was followed by individual sessions to help develop study and career plans.
An additional free course helped 120 business owners and managers from the local region learn new skills to strengthen their resilience and longevity.
Held over two months, the USC Business Planning Course allowed participants to improve their abilities, while learning about business support initiatives, bounce ideas off other participants, and pitch their best ideas to a panel of business experts.
“Although most were experienced and successful operators, many had been unsure how to organise information into a formal business plan when seeking loans, investment or government grants,” Senior Lecturer Dr Wayne Graham said.
At a younger age level, students aged 8-15 were invited to feed their creativity and innovation at a series of eDiscovery sessions.
A call was made for “all aspiring scientists, explorers, artists and actors” to get involved in activities as diverse as robotic sumo wrestling, micro-drone adventures, magical flowers, drama, improvisation and characterisation.
The workshops were led by USC academics, alongside innovators and artists from the community.
USC also threw open its doors to Year 10 students for interactive lectures and campus tours as part of the initiative Experience USC.
In 2022, USC will offer even greater options, with new one-year diplomas in Animal Ecology, Business, Allied Health Assistance, and Primary and Early Childhood Education made available online and on campus.
SUNSHINE COAST GRADUATES
Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies: 560
Architecture and Building: 105
Creative Arts: 1539
Education: 2318
Engineering and related technologies: 256
Health: 3960
Information Communication Technology: 348
Management and Commerce: 3277
Natural and Physical Sciences: 1772
Society and Culture: 3268
A hub for innovation and adaptation
It’s no wonder the area presents an ideal environment to teach students about how we approach the future, highlighted by USC's contributions to COVID-19 research and finding ways to understand and lessen its ever-changing impacts.
USC Clinical Trials began research on a possible next-generation COVID-19 vaccine that is hoped to provide better protection against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
USC released a report based on a survey of almost 700 business owners that showed the Sunshine Coast was one of the regions which best demonstrated a proactive response in the face of rapidly-changing circumstance.
The Queensland Regional Innovation Benchmark Report found organisations quickly adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic by embracing new ways to do business and offering new services.
USC Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Dr Retha de Villiers Scheepers led the research and said it challenged traditional thought that “cities are the places where innovators gather”.
“With the influx of people to Queensland’s regions – including the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Noosa, Gympie and the Fraser Coast – this report highlights innovation opportunities for future growth,” she said.
“The levels of innovation shown in regions were much higher than expected. After coming to terms with the initial shock of COVID-19 restrictions, many small regional firms quickly started embracing different types of innovations.
“The findings reflect these regions are a great place to innovate and contribute strongly to Queensland’s economy.”
USC also conducted research to better understand COVID-19’s impact on the health and wellbeing of Sunshine Coast businesses, as part of an initiative by the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce.
And after finding one-third of owners and operators reported they felt depressed, down, or hopeless, we worked together to help tackle the problem, announcing a joint Thompson Institute and Chamber campaign to provide local business owners with mental well-being support.
See you in 2022!
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