Founder of UniSC Community fund represents Alex Rotary at Awards Dinner

The Alex club was well represented at the ScUni Community fund dinner on Wednesday night. Dave Woodrow is one of the founders of the University community fund, and Wendy Gilson - long serving secretary of the fund were there, mixing with the current Rotary and University executives. 

 

Here's some pics of your favourite people..

 

 

Both Wendy and Dave have overseen the awarding of over 60 research bursaries and community grants to post graduate students to allow them to continue their studies. Well done both of you. 

 

Ian Barnett from Mooloolaba Rotary and Chair of the Community fund, did the honours as MC for the night, and 3 post graduate students were awarded with their grants from UniSC Vice-Chancellor Kate Evans, and DG Tim Keeler. 

 

The grant recipients were Juliette Savage, for studies into creative writing, specifically revisionist female mythology. There's a novel coming out as part of Juliette's studies on the role of women in mythology.

 

Grace Smith accepted a bursary to support her studies into peat's eco structure, which apparently can be identified almost 10,000 years into the past. So we can see how the climate on the coast has changed over the year where these peaty areas have preserved the past. Also a certain scribe found out how important those crustaceans provide homes for the other animal life in the ocean. 

 

Ashley Williams received her bursary for studies into biomedical science in the area of the placenta, specifically how oxygen levels in the placenta cells affect fetal growth and infant development. 

 

All the students spoke enthusiastically -  and interestingly all women. This theme continued after dinner with guest speaker Kassie Bromley who gave a talk about the teenage brain and her passion of delivering workshops to teenagers and educators called "Brain Charger Workshops".

 

We were given an overview of how physical growth of the brain structure has been shown to affect behaviour in teenagers. Specifically how the teenage brain doesn't reach full maturity till 25 years old when the limbic and pre frontal cortex structures stops growing. Reassuringly neurons within the brain structure can be regrown by drinking moderate amounts of red wine. (This may have been misheard. Ed.) 

 

Overall, a very interesting evening, topped off by Wendy and Val grabbing goodies from the raffle run by The Caloundra Rotary Club.  

 

Well done to everyone involved.