Published Wednesday, 18 June, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh
Queensland/Washington educational exchange program announced
SAN DIEGO: A new Fellowship Agreement between the University of Queensland (UQ) and the University of Washington will provide funding for faculty, student and research collaboration exchanges between the two universities.
Ms Bligh said the Trans-Pacific Fellowships would fund exchanges of both researchers and undergraduate students, and would further grow the expanding links between the two institutions.
“The University of Washington and UQ will provide up to $150,000 over three years to support the Fellowship,” Ms Bligh said.
“It represents an exciting opportunity for talented students and researchers in both Queensland and Washington.
“There are already a number of groundbreaking collaborations underway between Queensland and Washington research institutes and organisations in the fields of vaccine development and bioengineering. This Fellowship initiative can only lead to more which is good news when it comes to addressing global challenges.”
Ms Bligh took the opportunity to praise several other educational partnerships between Queensland and Washington.
“The Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology at Toowong is linking with Seattle’s Overlake School to participate in Challenge 20/20 – an internet-based program that pairs classes from schools in the United States with their counterpart schools in other countries,” Ms Bligh said.
“Together these students tackle real global problems to find solutions that can be implemented at a local level in their own communities.
“First up they are working on a project addressing infectious diseases.”
Ms Bligh said plans were also underway to send 20 Queensland Year 11 students to Seattle in early December as part of a pilot program which will see them participate in a four-day workshop at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute BioQuest Academy.
“There is so much going on between Queensland and Washington and it’s extraordinarily positive,” Ms Bligh said.
“It bodes well for our future reputation as a regional hub for biotechnology.”
Ms Bligh is currently in San Diego leading a Queensland biotechnology delegation to BIO 2008, the world’s largest biotechnology convention.
18June 2008
Media contact: 3224 4500
Ms Bligh said the Trans-Pacific Fellowships would fund exchanges of both researchers and undergraduate students, and would further grow the expanding links between the two institutions.
“The University of Washington and UQ will provide up to $150,000 over three years to support the Fellowship,” Ms Bligh said.
“It represents an exciting opportunity for talented students and researchers in both Queensland and Washington.
“There are already a number of groundbreaking collaborations underway between Queensland and Washington research institutes and organisations in the fields of vaccine development and bioengineering. This Fellowship initiative can only lead to more which is good news when it comes to addressing global challenges.”
Ms Bligh took the opportunity to praise several other educational partnerships between Queensland and Washington.
“The Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology at Toowong is linking with Seattle’s Overlake School to participate in Challenge 20/20 – an internet-based program that pairs classes from schools in the United States with their counterpart schools in other countries,” Ms Bligh said.
“Together these students tackle real global problems to find solutions that can be implemented at a local level in their own communities.
“First up they are working on a project addressing infectious diseases.”
Ms Bligh said plans were also underway to send 20 Queensland Year 11 students to Seattle in early December as part of a pilot program which will see them participate in a four-day workshop at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute BioQuest Academy.
“There is so much going on between Queensland and Washington and it’s extraordinarily positive,” Ms Bligh said.
“It bodes well for our future reputation as a regional hub for biotechnology.”
Ms Bligh is currently in San Diego leading a Queensland biotechnology delegation to BIO 2008, the world’s largest biotechnology convention.
18June 2008
Media contact: 3224 4500