Satisfy your travel bug with these initiatives at UQ this winter break
Are you itching to hop on a plane to take you anywhere but Brisbane?
Who knew that we’d actually miss bland airplane food and adrenaline-inducing bumps of turbulence. We’re all pretty much stuck at home these winter holidays and who knows when we’ll feel the pebbly shores of the Mediterranean under our feet or the gratification of a travel-filled Instagram feed again.
So why not level-up your skills and employability while you’ve got some extra time on your hands?
We’ve gathered a few experiences and events at UQ that might just quench your thirst before borders open for travel once again.
Short-term Virtual Experiences
If you’ve been wanting to go on exchange the past year and COVID-19 has shattered your plans to bits, we’re with you. UQ made the difficult decision to cancel all outbound semester-based and short-term exchange trips for the rest of this year.
But don’t give up yet, as UQ now hosts a multitude of universities that offer virtual exchange!
Enhance your employability, improve your intercultural skills and learn another skill or language with some of the offerings available this year.
A European university, the Technical University of Berlin Summer University, covers topics including innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability, which are subjects that you can confidently add to your CV. The prestigious Harvard Summer School is also one of the options where you can learn about anything under the sun: ranging from Film, TV & Media to Mathematics, Classical Languages, Drama and Architecture for undergraduate and postgraduate study with for-credit and not-for-credit options available.
Remember that most of these experiences require live attendance at lectures, webinars and group work sessions at a time decided by the partner organisation. So don’t forget to put in the hard yards to be a part of these experiences!
Take note that applications for Semester 1 2022 exchange will open on 17 May! If you’re itching to study abroad, mark it into your calendar!
For more information, visit UQ’s employability website.
https://employability.uq.edu.au/find-short-term
Winter Research Programs
The Summer and Winter Research Programs are an awesome opportunity to participate in an educational research experience and to obtain credit towards your degree while you’re at it. Open to undergrads and postgrads, all students also receive a scholarship.
Whether you want to develop academic and professional capabilities to enhance employability or experience research as a ‘try before you buy’ before continuing with future research studies, it’s an awesome opportunity to meet like-minded academics and students.
HASS has a number of projects on offer that allow you to explore your ideas and passions. The Schools of Communication and Art, Languages and Cultures, Education and Political Science and International Studies are just a few institutes that have projects available!
Although the 2021 Winter Research Program applications have already closed, pencil in to apply for the 2021/2022 Summer Research Program that opens for applications in August 2021.
To learn more, visit the employability website.
https://employability.uq.edu.au/summer-winter-research
UQ Ventures
Ever wanted to dip your toe into entrepreneurship to see what it takes to build your own start-up?
One of the most exciting UQ initiatives, the Virtual Singapore Startup AdVenture is a four-week remote, global learning experience specialising in innovation and entrepreneurship. Learn alongside one of Singapore's best technology startups and find out how to innovate in the business space.
You’ll be assigned to a start-up by UQ’s innovation partner, Accelerating Asia. After four weeks of hardcore hustle and problem solving, your winter break will be over but your skills and experiences will stay forever!
The 2021 Virtual Singapore Startup AdVenture will take place 22 June - 23 July and there are different funding choices available such as scholarships and grants. Applications close at 12pm 11 May, so get in quick!
Visit the Ventures website for more information.
https://ventures.uq.edu.au/virtual-startup-adventure
UQ Art Museum
Pretend you’re strolling through the Louvre while perusing the fascinating exhibits at the UQ Art Museum.
Currently featured at the museum are several amazing collections, including OCCURRENT AFFAIR by proppaNOW and The City of Ladies by Zanny Begg and Elise McLeod, both which connect with political issues: local and global.
OCCURRENT AFFAIR is a major exhibition that reflects on the ongoing state of affairs affecting Aboriginal communities, which are relevant to all Australians. This collaborative activist gesture addresses “current socio-political, economic and environmental issues, while celebrating the strength, resilience and continuity of Aboriginal culture”.
Another fascinating exhibit, The City of Ladies, is part of the museum’s continuing focus on ideas of ‘union’ throughout 2020 and 2021. Against the scenic and historic backdrop of Paris, this exhibit features young French-speaking actors who are “self-described feminists and activists as they interrogate their own places within a political system built on gender and racially based class divisions”. A multifaceted exhibit with film and wallpaper materials, it truly transports you to a different state of mind.
To see more from the UQ Art Museum, visit their website.
By Nina Sudnitsin, HASS Student