Opportunities for local high school students in engineering, construction and surverying were virtually unl and now all-the-more accessible thanks to the University of Southern Queensland’s new F Block Engineering Laboratory at its Springfield campus.
Officially opening the $5.8m state-of-the-art building today, local Senator Paul Scarr said courses and research & development run at the lab were truly inspiring and should be a magnet for students from local high schools as well as further afield.
“This offers such a wonderful opportunity for local high school students to study world-leading courses and work with world-leading companies, right here at Springfield,” Senator Scarr said.
“Stay local, study local and work local with the best …from our great schools through to these world-class courses at USQ Springfield, through to working with local industries, including our defence industries in the Ipswich-Springfield regon.
“Students interested in engineering, robotics, construction management and surveying could do no better than look at what’s on offer at USQ and the rewarding career opportunities.
“Here at Springfield, USQ has achieved a landmark outcome for on-campus engineering programs to PhD level in civil, mechanical and electrical engineering and research and development for associated students and staff.
“It underlines USQ’s commitment to providing high-quality engineering programs to the fast-growing population centres from Springfield City, in the south-western corridors of Brisbane, and the Ipswich and West Moreton – where I am based.”
Senator Scarr said alongside the world-leading courses at USQ, local manufacturing and defence industries offered many outstanding opportunities in the Ipswich-Springfield region.
He said the Laboratory could also connect with regional secondary STEM schools students and staff and also connect research and development with local regional industry.
A key feature of the building is that it has multiple sensors embedded throughout to allow students to monitor structural health performance in real-time for their studies.
“The ‘health monitoring system’ acts as a ‘living lab’ to students and visitors, creating valuable opportunities for research and teaching collaboration across different engineering disciplines.”
Contact: Bruce Mills 0408 713 610
