Stories of STEM Q

Anna Barwick is an award-winning pharmacist and entrepreneur. Her innovative new business PharmOnline was brought to life at the beginning of the COVID lockdowns to help people remotely access the advice and services of pharmacists. As well as running the business, she is also conducting research into how telehealth services such as PharmOnline are accessed by communities, which forms part of her PhD research being conducted at the University of New England.

She was just announced as one of this year’s Superstars of STEM; a role in which she will engage with communities and encourage more young people from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM. In this interview we chat about what the role of a pharmacist is, how it fits in to the health care industry, and what the future of pharmacy in Australia looks like. We also talk about the different career paths available to Pharmacy graduates, and how this is changing with advances in technology and the growing demands on the health care industry.

How much children are exposed to technology, and in particular how long they spend looking at screens and devices, is a heated topic. Dr. Jo Bird from the University of New England studies how young children interact with technology and how imaginative play can incorporate technology just as any other object in their environment. By working with early childhood education centres, she works to improve how kids can play with technology constructively and intentionally. She and James also talk about the growing initiatives to introduce computer coding and computational thinking to kids at younger and younger ages. New technologies in the expanding digital age will require new forms of literacy and problem-solving skills. By introducing children to computational thinking skills, we can open opportunities for children who can excel creatively and intellectually using these skills and tools. 

Omelia is a new digital story-telling tool being developed by entertainment industry experts that is being developed right here in Armidale. In this interview we chat with Kate Armstrong-Smith, one of the co-founders of Omelia, to hear about how this new story-telling technology works. With a background in science and the entertainment industry, the team behind Omelia found that advances in technology could open up different ways of developing stories for new media such as video games, the meta verse, and cinematic universes. We also chat about the decision to bring this startup to regional Australia, and how a fortuitous pandemic lockdown experience convinced them that a regional town could be the home for a revolutionary tech-startup. 

Welcome to Season 2 of Stories of STEM Q! James has put together a fantastic show for the first episode of the brand new season - Tamara Miller is a Moree local who left her hometown to study and build a career in biotechnology in the pharmaceutical industry. She has recently returned to Moree where she continues to work remotely for Actinogen Medical, an Australian pharmaceutical company developing treatments for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and Fragile X Syndrome. In this interview we talk about the role of medical research companies in developing pharmaceutical drugs for the market, and how this involves large collaborations across different fields from chemistry, medicine, law and business. We also chat about the pros and cons of working from home and working remotely in a regional town. 

Professor Linda Agnew is the Head of the School of Science and Technology at the University of New England. This special bonus episode of Stories of STEM Q is a recording of her speech given as the occasional address to students during the Autumn graduation ceremonies in 2022. As one of the first round of graduation ceremonies to be held on back on campus after the nationwide lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, Professor Agnew reflects on what world we are returning to, and what the future looks like for current science graduates. Using her own expertise in immunology she provides insight into how scientific principles can lead to real world outcomes for the benefit of humanity. She also looks back on her own career in science, and passes on her own wisdom as to what a life spent in science and research actually looks like.

The Poultry Hub, situated on campus here at the University of New England, is a world renowned research centre working to improve practices in the livestock industry. Dr Tamsyn Crowley is the Director of the Poultry Hub, and a researcher at UNE with a focus on improving animal wellbeing by using molecular markers to quantify stress levels in livestock. In this interview we chat with Dr Crowley about how the research conducted at the Poultry Hub finds its way into industry and helps improve agricultural practices. We also chat about the different career paths available in the poultry industry and how university studies and postgraduate studies can help you find the right path in an agricultural career. 

Aurora Howland is the Schools Liaison Officer for the University of New England. She works with local schools and communities to introduce high school students to university life. This can include introducing them to the courses and career pathways available, but also looks at what kind of lifestyle awaits students on a university campus. In this interview we talk about how students choose the best degree pathway for them, the many ways in which people can navigate career decisions, and whether it matters whether or not you make the right decision early on. As a university focused on online education, we also chat about the alternative study and career path options available to people at UNE. As with all aspects of our lives, study has been affected by COVID-19 and we explore what this has looked like for on-campus and online university students.

Associate Professor Melanie Fillios is an archaeologist that specialises in human-animal interactions throughout history, and is currently the Director of Place Based Education and Research at the University of New England. In this interview we chat about the changing role of universities and the expectations that students and society place on universities. We also chat about Melanie’s research as an archaeologist, including the reality of what a career in archaeology looks like. More recently Melanie’s research has been looking into the history of dingoes in Australia and what their status is as a native Australian animal. Using archaeological knowledge to help answer these questions is crucial for properly managing Australia’s animal populations and understanding our cultural and ecological history. 

Shonelle Gleeson-Willey is the founder and CEO of Moss Environmental, an environmental consultancy based in Tamworth, NSW. She is also the President of the International Erosion Control Association and hosts her own STEM podcast ‘Beyond the Green Line’. In this interview we chat about how she made the decision to move from being an employee of other companies, to working freelance as an environmental consultant, to then eventually starting her own consultancy. Shonelle believes strongly in empowering and rewarding regional STEM experts to attract and retain skills in regions. This means more than just offering a tree change and regional lifestyle, it also means offering career growth prospects and the promise of a rewarding future. We also chat about the importance of sharing knowledge and stories as a part of being a STEM professional.

Andrew McConville came from an agricultural background, having originally studied at the University of New England, to go on to become the CEO of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration (APPEA). As an advocacy organisation APPEA represents the interests of oil and gas producers in Australia. In this interview we chat about the enormous changes that the oil and gas industries have been going through in recent years under pressure to reduce emissions and environmental impact, as well as adhere to net zero carbon emissions targets in the near future. As a spokesperson for the industry Andrew is committed to highlighting the positive changes that can be made by STEM professionals that work within the oil and gas industries and he was more than willing to bring some of his expertise to the show!