University of Newcastle Indigenous Student Graduates with Double Degree

BY TANYA DU PREEZ

University of Newcastle student Karlie Noon will be the first Indigenous graduate to obtain a double degree in science and mathematics at a ceremony later this week.

The 26 year old is the first in her family to attend university, and hopes to continue in her education by undergoing postgraduate studies.

"I will definitely go on to do my PhD," Ms Noon said.

"It is the epitome of academia and at the moment there are no Indigenous people with a PhD in physics."

Ms Noon also currently works for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

This year the University of Newcastle reached a milestone of 1000 Indigenous enrolments, making up 3.5% of the University's population.

This is the largest number of Indigenous students at any Australian university.

Karlie Noon is the first Indigenous student to graduate with a double degree in science and mathematics in NSW

SMART workshop putting students to the test

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The University of Newcastle's SMART program is hosting a sold out two day coding and computer workshop beginning today, teaching students the importance of computer science for their future careers.

The Coding and Computer Science Workshop will put the students aged between 10 and 14 years to the test, as they learn the fundamentals of coding and its applications by designing and constructing their own apps.

SMART Team Leader Sarah Pilgrim says coding and computer science are valuable skills which should be taught at a young age.

"It's all about getting them engaged with it, showing them that it's something that can be really fun and it's also about showing them the importance of them having these skills to be able to be equipped for the jobs of the future."

Students will be given the opportunity to explore cutting edge technology from around the University in between each coding session.

They will be given the opportunity to experience a robotics and virtual reality session hosted by the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment and also given the chance to delve into another world with Virtual reality headsets from the Faculty of Science and IT.