Round 2 Grant Recipients 2017

Project

Project Coordinator

Project Description

Amount Funded

1. Unimelb Adventures blog

Isabella Barker, Student, Unimelb Adventures

The Unimelb Adventures blog is ‘for students, by students’. The blog’s primary aim is to help students navigate University life. The blog is run by a volunteer team of students and the funds will be used to purchase a Business WordPress subscription, which will significantly improve the user experience.

$399

2. Supporting students for transition to employment: building conservation careers across Australia

Robyn Sloggett, Faculty of Arts

This project matches students with partners in community-based cultural organisations to establish a national program of work opportunities. These organisations include as follows: Grimwade Centre's academic and professional consultancy staff, Grimwade Centre alumni, professionals in partner organisations, and members of the national professional body (AICCM). Students will build professional networks and consolidate career options by applying and developing their knowledge and skills in a range of workplace settings, particularly with organisations currently under-served by the conservation profession.

$200,000

3. Indigenous Sport Program

Jean-Luc Garlick, MUSport

The Indigenous Sport Program aims to improve the University’s Indigenous student campus experience by increasing participation in a range of sporting, fitness and recreational opportunities. Community engagement programs will also be a focus, providing Indigenous students with leadership opportunities that develop employability skills. MU Sport will employ a Program Coordinator of Indigenous Heritage to implement this culturally appropriate program in conjunction with Murrup Barak.

$180,000

4. Pedal Projections

Jeremy Taylor, Chancellery Projects, partnering with UMSU and GSA

Pedal Projections is a battery powered mobile projection bicycle that brings stories to life through sound, light and film. It is a custom designed cargo bicycle complete with a high-powered projector and sound system that transforms any public space or surface into a captivating work of art.  The grant will support the Pedal Projections bike being co-created with students and will provide opportunities for students to activate walls, buildings and laneways not previously accessible to audio visual displays.

$29,889

5. Access and Union House Theatre

Petra Kalive, UMSU

Union House Theatre (UHT) will provide Audio Description training for students so they can use these skills in their own theatre work and will be qualified to work in other professional settings. UHT is keen to improve its accessibility for Student Theatre with a focus on Audio Description and Auslan Interpreting. In addition, UHT will introduce a grant system so that Student Theatre Groups have the opportunity to apply for Auslan Interpretation of their theatre productions.

$7,000

6. University of Melbourne Global Health Case Competition

Philip Batterham, MDHS

This grant will support the University of Melbourne Global Health Case Competition for three years. The participants will be postgraduate students from diverse Faculties, assembled into multidisciplinary teams of six students. Each team will tackle the same challenging global health issue, competing to present the best case response to a panel of expert judges. The winning team from this competition will represent the University at the Emory Global Health Case Competition in Atlanta.

$120,300

7. Rejuvenation of Snowboard Club Hire Equipment

Tom Proctor, Student, Melbourne University Snowboard Team

The Melbourne University Snowboard Team operates a snowboard equipment hire program which is available to club members and University of Melbourne students. The grant will be used to rejuvenate the hire program with the purchase of new high-quality equipment. The rejuvenation will aid the club in continuing to encourage students to participate in snow sports by providing equipment at a fraction of the cost of typical hire services in Melbourne.

$10,000

8. UniMelb StartUp 2017 - Entrepreneurship Program

Isha Kaur, FBE

This project aims to improve entrepreneurship opportunities for students such as start-up incubator placements and improved training by broadening existing collaborative agreements and opportunities with Austrade in San Francisco, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong School of Entrepreneurship & Innovation in China. The UniMelb StartUp competition plays an important role in the University's entrepreneurial ecosystem, fostering multidisciplinary business team building, and the formation and refinement of student ideas through expert industry mentoring and feedback.  The grant will support seminars, industry speakers, travel, accommodation and audio visual production.

$70,000

9. The University of Melbourne's Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team

Tiffany Miller, Melbourne Meat Judging Team, FVAS

The Melbourne Meat Team comprises students from a cross section of Faculties who compete in the annual Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition. In order to prepare students for the competition it is essential that the underlying principles of meat judging are communicated and practised. The objective of this activity is to enhance the knowledge of students about meat production industry in order to provide a potential pool of younger generation participants in this important Australian and international industry.

$7,354

10. Enterprise Showcase - Focus on China

Kerry Haines, FBE

The Faculty of Business and Economics Student Employability and Enrichment team will coordinate a three hour showcase for students encouraging engagement with Chinese firms (local and international). The firms will be given the opportunity to engage with our students to encourage graduate employment and internship opportunities. Each employer will be provided with a table for direct one-on-one interaction with students and an opportunity to present (15 – 20 mins) to a seated audience. A timetable of presentations will be promoted via posters, social media, and newsletters.

$11,799

11. Women in Physics Camp

Jacinta den Besten, Science

A weekend retreat open to all women physics undergraduate and research students to network with School of Physics staff and special guests to discuss physics based careers and the issues regarding the minority of women in the physics field.

$5,050

12. Melbourne University Biomedicine Students' Orchestra

Emily Sun, Student, Melbourne University Biomedical Student’s Orchestra

The Melbourne University Biomedical Student’s Orchestra (MUBSO) is an UMSU-affiliated club for students with a love of classical music and passion for charity. Whilst not exclusively for Biomedicine students, MUBSO has a strong medical focus through medicine-related community concerts and events. At its heart, MUBSO allows students to cultivate their emotional expression through music. MUBSO holds three major concerts a year: an inaugural concert in May, a community concert in July and a concert in October.

$9,188

Robogals Melbourne and Robert Schmid, MSE

Robogals Melbourne is a University of Melbourne student organisation that conducts robotic workshops in primary and secondary schools. In 2017, Robogals has 50 active members, mostly drawn from the Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degree programs. The chapter’s primary aim is to encourage interest in STEM fields among female primary and secondary school students. This grant will enable substantial renewal and expansion of Robogals activities.

$25,650

Jacinta Way, FVAS, Dookie campus

This grant will support students at the Dookie campus to play in a night netball and indoor cricket competition in Shepparton during Semester 2, 2017.   Four teams will be formed and the grant will provide a sports shirt, participation fees and transport.  The majority of participants will be from Melbourne or interstate who do not have local connections to the area.  The grant will enable connections between students, their new community and will support mental and physical health.

$8,340

Stacey Wardrop, FVAS, Werribee campus

This project will deliver an upgrade of the recreational facilities in the Kendall Hall of Residence Common Room by providing a modern, welcoming social space for Kendall Hall students and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) cohorts who attend the Werribee Campus for lectures and Veterinary Hospital placements.

$9,120

16. Werribee Campus - Student outdoor relaxation space

Ted Whittem, FVAS, Werribee campus

This project will redevelop a lawn space that is currently unused to create a space for student relaxation and social events. The redevelopment will cover the lawn with modern wooden decking, provide outdoor furniture, and rejuvenate and replant the surrounding garden. The adjacent wall of Kendall Hall's Dining Hall will also be upgraded to create a seamless indoor-outdoor flow. The space will provide an area away from scheduled building activities.

Jacinta Way, FVAS, Dookie campus

The grant will fund a bush dance for first year Bachelor of Agriculture students.  Students from Parkville and Dookie will meet for a 3 day intensive subject and the function will enable connections between staff and both cohorts of students.

18. Dookie Campus Student Yoga Sessions

Jacinta Way, FVAS, Dookie campus

The funds will provide students with weekly yoga classes throughout Semester 2, 2017 and during swot vac, mid-semester break and the exam period. This program of classes will promote health and wellbeing for students and enhance the student experience by encouraging participation.

$2,500

19. Improving the cohort experience in a large first year Biology class

Dawn Gleeson, Science

First year Biology in the Bachelor of Science has over 1800 students enrolled each semester. The transition from school to University can be a difficult time for many students because of the expectation for independence. The aim of this project is to improve the cohort experience in a large subject by funding a series of social events for smaller cohorts of students. Meet and Greet morning teas, Biology BBQs and Pizza Pop-ins will allow students to mingle with each other and staff in a relaxed atmosphere.

$10,000

Laura Dooley, FVAS

This project will support a Professional Development Week for Bachelor of Agriculture students. Sessions will facilitate exploration of students’ personal interests and values, and exhibit the breadth of career opportunities available to them.  An evening industry event will provide an opportunity to engage with industry partners and develop discipline-specific professional networks. Sessions will focus on presentation skills and CV writing, and will encourage students to seek out career development opportunities while they are undergraduates.

$9,388

Sunchit Bahuguna, Student, Global Consulting Group, FBE

Global Consulting Group (GCG) is a student organisation that provides pro-bono consulting to not-for-profit organisations, and training, mentorship, and practical experience for students. Training events are held regularly with sponsors, including LEK Consulting and Bain and Co. These are open to all students, many then apply for roles with GCG. GCG members come from diverse Faculties and many pursue careers with leading consulting firms, often becoming mentors for the next generation of student members. Through this Increased Access Project, GCG aims to reach a greater proportion of the student cohort.

$5,000

Anthony Morphett, Science

The Maths Skills Drop-in Centre will be a place where students from across the University can come for support with the numeracy and quantitative skills they need to be successful in their studies. The Drop-in Centre will offer worksheets, addressing common areas of difficulty, and provide tutors who can help with individual problems. The centre will be staffed and managed by students, with students-as-partners in the delivery and management of the program.­

$62,000

Lisa Mansfield, SC@M, Arts

The Student Conservators @ Melbourne (SC@M) organisation will present the SC@M Professional Practice Workshops series for students of Master of Cultural Materials Conservation and Master of Art Curatorship. These workshops will be fun and socially inclusive and help students develop practical hands-on skills in the areas of: ceramics, painting, paper and frames. This program will help student conservators meet fellow graduate students, learn from artists and industry professionals, and gain confidence in handling cultural objects for treatment and exhibition purposes.

$9,920

Emily De Rango, GSA

This project is a drop-in peer networking program for research students. Coordinated by a contracted research student, trained volunteer research student facilitators will hold regular sessions in a dedicated location for their peers to come and meet each other, and discuss the challenges they face as research students. The project will address the isolation often felt by research students, to provide meaningful peer support, and to facilitate interdisciplinary connections between research students across the University.

$24,650

Beornn McCarthy, GSA

The Storytelling Night Program is inspired in part by The Moth, a New York-based storytelling series that has reached over forty million listeners. The program will promote a shared student community, and help students develop useful skills in communication and presentation. The project will employ a graduate student organiser or lead storyteller, who will organise a team of students to target different graduate study areas, decide on themes, and run the event. If successful, the project will become part of a stream of community building programs at GSA.

$9,352

26. Graduate Education Society (GES) Student Engagement and Development Program

Andrew Murray, Student, Graduate Education Society

The GES will support students to develop their employment skills through a series of professional development seminars with speakers including principals, recent graduates and leading teachers.  A BBQ networking event will be organised to connect students with their peers and teaching staff. Students will also be provided with avenues to write news or opinion articles and produce artwork for a society website and annual magazine. The grant will also support the development of a society website, a membership database, communication materials and event banners.

$7,378

27. Campus running group

Nicholas Earl, Melbourne University Athletics Club

A running group for students guided by qualified and accredited coaches, using the Melbourne Marathon as a focus for the year. Delivered by MUAC and based at the Rawlinson Track, the program creates connections among students and delivers positive benefits to mental and physical health.  The program will connect with Murrup Barak and other divisions in the delivery of the program.  The grant will fund professional coaching, event entry and social events.

$10,000

28. Data Storytelling for Researchers

Kim Doyle, University Services

Data Storytelling is a two-day interactive event for students focusing on telling interesting stories with data. The event focuses on different methods of narrativisation using digital tools. Instead of learning to use digital tools the standard way via an instructor-student approach, participants will develop their own datasets, problem-solve, and learn to approach data creatively through hands-on, intuitive methods. Students will be mentored in groups and supported in answering self-guided research questions with new digital approaches, from data collection to communicating research stories with data visualisations.

$20,000

29. Melbourne Ideas Program

Maddy McMaster, Academic Services

Melbourne Ideas is a challenge-based program for University of Melbourne students to collaborate with other students and staff to develop ideas and solutions to problems. The topics for the challenge are proposed by students and staff who comprise the 'home team'. Participants share ideas and generate solutions using an online crowd-sharing product.  Melbourne Ideas is a 'for students, by students' program that provides an opportunity for a diverse range of students across the University to advocate students' interests through improvements to the student experience. For the University, the program offers an opportunity for co-creation of ideas to improve student satisfaction, and provide insights into student perspectives, regardless of their background or circumstance.

$119,000