5 APAC Science Schools instilling innovation in their students

There’s not a single one of us that doesn’t regularly check their phone, ride the train to work, or browse the internet for the latest news. We even sometimes take for granted that these products exist and have become ubiquitous, vastly improving lives and the way we choose to live them.

What we don’t always appreciate when we look at our latest iPhone, take an antibiotic, or jump in to a Hybrid car, is that they are all the product of a powerful mind, forged through innovation.

Whether it’s in the tech world, medicine, business, physics, design or the environment – innovation is crucial across the board and having the mindset ready to tackle it is a powerful tool.

Employers are keen to employ graduates who have the skills and outlook to push forward in their work. Recognising more and more that any company that builds a culture of innovation is on the path to growth, while a company that fails to innovate is on the road to obsolescence; employers are appreciating the fresh ideas and news perspectives that innovative new graduates can bring to their team.

Not to mention the impact innovative research and invention can have on the world of tomorrow. The next big discovery or breakthrough treatment is often the result of progressive and radical workings.

Investing in this future is becoming a key criterion for many universities wanting to instil this revolutionary ethos in their graduates.

By combining cutting-edge technologies and hands-on experience with the best minds in the business, universities are increasingly providing an environment in which students can explore the possibilities and go beyond what they and society could have possibly imagined possible.

Here are 5 universities instilling innovation in their students…

FACULTY OF SCIENCE (UTS SCIENCE), UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY – AUSTRALIA

UTS is an innovative, young university that draws the very same from its students. Rated the #1 young university in Australia under 50 years old for three consecutive years, and ranked in the top 200 best universities in the world, this dynamic institution is firmly placed as one of Australia’s leading educators.

UTS Science inspires its graduates to be thinkers of the future, and invests in providing the best possible facilities to support learning and research, and the UTS Data Arena is a prime example of this.

Source: UTS Science

This remarkable virtual-reality space allows students and researchers to literally throw themselves into research and the problems they are trying to solve. Immersed within a 360 degree 3D screen, the technology allows researchers to interact with their data from a 3D perspective, observe it and understand patterns as they surround themselves with visualisation of what was once spreadsheets and numbers on a page.

Innovative, applied and collaborative learning is central to the faculty and the UTS Super Lab is at the heart of this. The UTS Super Lab not only provides students with the opportunity to work in a modern and sophisticated laboratory but also the opportunity to take a sneak peek into future practical. The UTS Super lab can accommodate over 220 students and run 12 different classes concurrently ranging from physics to chemistry and biology.

Being taught by faculty that has been showered with accolades – such as the Australian Museum Eureka Prize – and recognised as ‘world leaders’ and ‘visionaries’ for their ‘breakthrough research’ means that students are learning from the best, gaining inspiration from the brightest minds in the business and learning current and relevant science.

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY (UC) – NEW ZEALAND

The learning facilities and resources at the College of Science at UC are hard to rival. With the most field stations of any university in New Zealand and plenty of opportunity for hands-on learning in exotic places, the institution is, quite literally, out of this world. The Department of Physics and Astronomy proudly runs the renowned Mt John Observatory, allowing students to explore the heavens with insight and in depth.

UC believes that students should do science rather than just learn it, placing a strong emphasis on applied learning that can be carried out at their extensive array of science laboratories, research hubs and field stations.

Scattered across the globe, these field stations can be found in some of the most remote regions, including the beautifully stark Antarctica and the amazingly diverse and ecological important Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve in Nigeria. These incomparable stations support the fine teaching and research that students of the college pursue. Going out into the field, students are challenged to see their subject areas from new perspectives and appreciate them on a real-life scale.

FACULTY OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, DEAKIN UNIVERSITY – AUSTRALIA

Source: Deakin University

The Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment prepares graduates for the careers of the future by focusing on innovative research and harnessing emerging technologies. Committed to extending the boundaries of science, technology and design, Deakin challenges students to solve the problems of today with the solutions of tomorrow.

This progress is achieved through a close collaboration with professional associations, other education providers, industry and government across Australia and the world. This valuable symbiotic relationship with fellow leaders in the field ensures students are exposed to, and form part of shaping, best practice models in industry and ensuring knowledge remains relevant and forward-thinking once they enter the job market.

The School of Engineering has redefined engineering education in Australia. It’s taken the traditional learning model and shifted to a design-based approach through their new Centre for Advanced Design in Engineering Training, changing the way students learn and train to become engineers.

FACULTY OF SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA – MALAYSIA

The Science degree programmes at the University of Malaya emphasise the economics, political, historical, ethical and social aspects of science, technology and innovation, engaging students in leading research with state-of-the-art equipment.

Founded in 1905, UM is Malaysia’s oldest university, but that doesn’t stop it from being at the forefront of technology. The Department of Chemistry is home to the Central Facility that includes hi-tech modern physical, analytical and imaging laboratories, and provides students access to advanced equipment such as Gas Chromatography, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Elemental Analysers, and Spectrophotometers.

Other departments include Geology, Physics, Science and Technology Studies, Mathematical Sciences, and Biological Sciences.

UM was ranked an impressive 114^th in the world in the QS World University Rankings, gaining a notable five stars and climbing up a remarkable 32 places in just two years. The research at the university is also considered to be of ‘very high’ quality.

FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCE AND TEXTILES (FAST), HK POLYU – HONG KONG

Source: HK PolyU

Students at FAST get the freedom to play and explore their creativity in the faculty’s top-notch facilities and labs.

Students at the Institute of Textiles and Clothing have free rein over a whole bunch of exciting new toys to execute and test out their designs; including a super cool 4D visual fashion retailing theatre, 3D body scanning laboratory, fashion design studio, and ‘Walter’ the sweating manakin.

The Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology offers similar opportunities to explore your subject area and get your hands dirty doing what you love. Students are afforded the freedom to pursue research that can have immediate application in areas that make a real difference.

The Lo Ka Chung Centre for Natural Anti-Cancer Development and Food Safety and Technology Research Centre allow students to develop their own research projects in these complex yet rewarding avenues.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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