We bring to life subjects that illustrate the impact our students, teaching, research and graduates make in the world.
The Stand exists to unlock the knowledge and expertise inside the University of Wollongong (UOW), telling stories about our people and their accomplishments that inform, educate and inspire. This magazine was born out of a renewed sense of place, purpose and values that will guide the University in fulfilling its role in exploring how to resolve society’s large and complex social, environmental and economic challenges.
We believe education is one of the most powerful transformative forces on communities and individuals. It opens minds and helps people find purpose, meaning – and solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges.
This is our unified story – a story that draws on our past, understands the present, and looks to the future.
Articles
Students
Five STEM degrees you can study at UOW
Love STEM subjects but don't know which one to study at UOW? Read this article to get inspired.
Alumni
Celebrating women in engineering
Considering studying engineering? Here’s how a Bachelor of Engineering can open doors to a wide range of careers.
Alumni, Community
National Volunteer Week: Something for everyone
This National Volunteer Week, we caught up with a student, graduate and community members on why they choose to give their time.
Research, Science and Technology
Using big-data and genetic analysis to improve plant breeding around the world
In farming, it’s crucial to evaluate the best varieties of any given crop to plant each year based on how well different genetic lines perform in varied environments.
Alumni
The leading women of STEM
We caught up with UOW STEM graduates have each forged successful careers in their chosen fields.
Alumni, Science and Technology
UOW students exploring the next frontier
Like a lot of young people, Jay Archer was fascinated with astronauts and space. However, for Archer it wasn’t just a dream - the UOW graduate made it a reality.
Students
What’s it like to study engineering?
Are you still trying to decide whether a STEM degree is the right fit for you?
Environment and Energy
Setting the stage for greener housing
Team UOW Australia reminisces on how they retrofitted the first-ever net-zero house and won Solar Decathlon China
Business and Economy, Science and Technology
Growing globally, working locally
For Scalapay, the fast-growing Australian e-commerce company, the world is its oyster, but the Illawarra is its home
Community, Education, Students
Bright minds, bold ambitions and boundless passion
Three UOW alumni share the stories of coming of age and finding their dream jobs right after uni
Community, Science and Technology
Tackling gender inequality through a global pandemic
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have seen the growing number of stories on the news in Australia about gender equality and the under-representation of women sitting in senior roles in businesses, politics, and STEM.
How UOW gets you ready for your dream career
To get a job after Uni, you need more than just great marks and a piece of paper. Here, international graduates Joel and Kaiyang talk about stepping out of their comfort zone to get the edge in today's competitive job market.
Alumni
Blasting into a promising mining career
UOW Engineering alumna Ellie Hawkins' mining engineering career has started with a bang.
Alumni
Life in lockdown
UOW Bachelor of Engineering alumnus Paul Batten lives and works in Barcelona, Spain and started living the quarantine life from March 1, 2020.
Alumni
Life in lockdown
Jiayuan Liu tells us that while the lockdown period was not easy - there were some silver linings. The UOW Master of Engineering alumna lives and works in Wuhan, China, and like many thousands in her community, was only able to leave her home after the nearly two-and-a-half month lockdown was officially lifted on April 8, 2020.
Science and Technology
Astrophysicist visits UOW for Public Lecture
The University of Wollongong has welcomed world renowned astrophysicist Professor Peter Quinn to the campus in January, as he gave a public lecture on “The Square Kilometre Array: Project status, Australian developments and future data challenges.”
International, Study areas, Science and Technology
Chernobyl: a lesson in truth
There was a time when no one knew what happened at Chernobyl. Secrets were kept, mistakes were made, and people were exposed. Now, more than 30 years later, and with the release of HBO’s successful mini-series, the disaster is once again in the spotlight.
How to future-proof your career
Are robots equipped with artificial intelligence replacing people and making jobs redundant? With constant developments in digitisation and automation, it’s fair to say “the future” has arrived. But, there are still a number of human-based, natural intelligence-driven jobs robots simply can’t match…yet.
Alumni
Bring it back to Earth
Think of space and what comes to mind? Missions to Mars or the Moon, and searching for life on distant planets.
Alumni
In pursuit of excellence
The UOW Alumni Awards shine a light on inspiring alumni working to make a sustained difference in the world. Meet the 2019 recipients, bringing their passion and expertise to advance research, innovation and education, reshape industries and save lives – now and into the future.
Alumni
Out of the box
There’s no substitute to hands-on training – or is there? Two University of Wollongong alumni are proving there is.
Alumni
Space without borders
Meet Usman Iftikhar, a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur on a mission to democratise space to drive sustainable development.
Alumni
Working for change
In the early 90s Paul Power landed what was then considered a sought-after job in journalism on a regional daily that was one of the first in Australia to embrace colour in its page design.
Alumni
A numbers game
Mathematics is not only a lot more fun and creative than most of us realise; according to Professor Aidan Sims, it is fundamental to nearly every aspect of our modern lives.
Business and Economy
UOW Three Minute Thesis winner
Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences research student Chuhao Liu took home the winners prizemoney for his talk titled ‘Find the best jeans for railway foundations’.
Award reinforces contribution in structural engineering
A strong track record of exploring novel, composite materials for structural engineering has seen UOW’s Professor Tao Yu receive the 2018 Distinguished Young Researcher Award from the global organisation for researchers in the field.
Top 20 skilled careers in 2023
With rapid changes in technology, it can be hard to know which jobs will still be around in a few years' time.
Health and Medicine, Study areas
Shining a light on brain cancer
Elette Engels, winner of the Australian Institute of Physics Postgraduate Excellence Medal, is part of a team of scientists searching for a better way to treat brain tumours.
Education
Engineers with empathy
A few years ago, Dave Walker had a brainwave while on a plane to Rwanda. The UOW Rwanda Project was born.
3 things Rhiannon wants every STEM girl to hear
Rhiannon shares three things she wants every Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) girl to know.
Community, General tags, Innovation, Study areas, Science and Technology
Access for all
How accessibility means more than just installing a couple of wheelchair ramps.
General tags, Innovation, Study areas, Science and Technology
Up to the challenge: a life in research
As Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) she has led UOW’s efforts to solve some of the world’s biggest, most complex problems.
General tags, Innovation
3D printing, the future of surfing
Ever dreamed of surfing some of the world’s best surf breaks all in the name of research? That was the task for researchers from the University of Wollongong on a project to test the performance of 3D-printed surfboard fins.
Alumni
Window of opportunity in Illawarra Flame House
If you’ve ever wondered how to get a whole house through customs, Lloyd Niccol is your man.
Alumni
Putting heart into homes
UOW alumni Clayton McDowell and Emily Ryan want to shake-up standard practice in the construction industry. They focus on building homes that are sustainable and fit for all stages of life.
Alumni
Mike's TV reality
There’s not a suit or a tie in sight on the 20th floor of Mike Sneesby’s Kent Street headquarters in Sydney. There is clean, barely furnished spaces and sweeping views over Darling Harbour, Western Sydney and to the Blue Mountains beyond.
Alumni
Recognising exceptional alumni
Meet this year’s recipients, delivering real and sustained impact across research, innovation and business and create a better society for us all.
Alumni
Making an impact
The UOW alumni community is made up of some pretty incredible people. Here we celebrate younger members of our global community who are establishing themselves as tomorrow’s leaders.
Alumni
The secret to truly smart cities
Smart lights, smart water meters, smart waste disposal, even smart parking are great ideas, but if only a section of the community can use it, is it really as smart as we think?
Alumni
Residents bloom in Desert Rose House
Cameron Porter explains that a well-designed home can be inexpensive and maintain the quality of life for our ageing population.
Alumni
Beyond the laboratory
Dr Dixit uses his scientific background and profile to address health and environmental issues affecting developing countries, including his home country of Nepal.
Alumni
A house like no other
It is almost impossible to think of Sydney without conjuring to mind one or both of the city’s major landmarks: the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
Science and Technology
Professor Cook and his fantastic voyage
Professor Chris Cook has seen the University of Wollongong transform from “a carpark, an oval, a pond and a couple of buildings” into a world-class institution.
Study areas
Passion for the job
From being left at a bus garage to helping companies leverage automation technology, Professor Valerie Linton is breaking new ground for women in engineering.
Alumni
Using the brain on the bench
Electromaterials pioneer and NSW Scientist of the Year, Professor Gordon Wallace has discovered an innovative way to read your mind.
Alumni
The gift of innovation
Dr Roland Bigg’s uncle taught him what the big things in life were about. Now his gift will have a big impact on the lives of many others.
Alumni
Start-ups igniting the world
Bernie Goldie spoke to the UOW graduates taking on the world as global entrepreneurs.
Community, Health and Medicine, Study areas
A house for all
A people-focused approach to building design will lead to better quality of care for people living with dementia.
Hope flows
A humanitarian project to provide clean drinking water to some of the world’s poorest people is showing UOW students what it takes to make a difference in the world.
Alumni
2016 Alumni Awards
Across the globe UOW alumni continue to dissolve the boundaries of what’s possible.
Alumni
Making an impact in 2016
A celebration of alumni aged under 35.
Alumni
Finding the 'why'
When Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, Professor Alison Jones, was also appointed as UOW’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health Strategy) in April, the appointment turned heads in Australian university circles.
Alumni
Breaking through boundaries
New drugs to combat cancer, a ‘game-changing’ renewable battery made from salt, and a remarkable discovery that changed our understanding of early human dispersal and evolution.
Alumni
A dream come true
"Getting up and running in a high pressure, high expectations environments on the other side of the world was like climbing a mountain."
Alumni
One degree, two paths
Though they have each ventured down different paths in their careers, each could not be prouder of the other's achievements.
Alumni
Quantum computing
There is much excitement about the global race to develop a quantum computer. But only recently has the warning been sounded that a more important race must be run first – one to prevent this new technology from crippling current cybersecurity methods, which could expose vaults of data to snoops and hackers.
Alumni
From the waiting room to the boardroom
"You need to have strong drive and the passion and motivation to take a company to new heights to be able to meet the challenges you will face in business."
Alumni
Women, STEM and mentoring
We spoke with Catherine Feldhausen, Director Strategy and Marketing Enablement at Asia Microsoft Services about her global career, the importance of gender diversity in STEM and the power of connections.
Alumni
The ones to follow
The talent, creativity and impact of UOW alumni and academics reach far and wide. These are just a few we like to follow. This is the world from their perspective.
Alumni
Blazing a trail
Women are still the exception in the upper echelons of management and power despite decades spent trying to smash the glass ceiling. Keeli Cambourne reflects on her experiences and spoke to those leading the way on workplace gender equality.
Alumni
Garnering Googlers
UOW alumnus Sunil Chandra leads the team that not only hires and assesses the best candidates to work at the ultimate tech-heads’ dream job, but supports them once they’re on board.