School of Science, Engineering and Digital Technologies

Toowoomba World Environment Day 2026!

Last week, our Agriculture and Environmental Discipline team had a fantastic time at Toowoomba’s World Environment Day event!

It was a great opportunity to connect with local environmental groups, share ideas, and engage with our community around the future of our planet.

The 2026 theme, Climate Change, sparked important conversations—and even attracted a special visitor to our stall: Toowoomba Mayor Geoff McDonald! 🙌

Interested in making a difference? You can explore climate and water science as part of UniSQ’s Bachelor of Environmental Science and be part of the solution. 🌱💧

Link to our program: https://www.unisq.edu.au/study/degrees-and-courses/major/climate-water-science-bachelor-environmental-science




University of Southern Queensland - Australia

It's graduation day!

Here's some students with Senior Lecturer Dr Meg Edwards on their graduation day. Congratulations to Valedictorian Georgia Fox 👩‍🎓, Shivani Reddy, Michael Wilson, and Reindert Toia. We can't wait to see what you get up to next in your environmental careers 🐭🌳

Congratulations to Honours graduate Georgia Fox for the award of ACEDD Scholar for 2025!

Georgia's Honours project looked at fungi consumption by small mammals, and now she's been rewarded for her hard work with an award from the Australasian Council of Environment Deans and Directors! Well done Georgia!

Build your pathway in Construction with UniSQ 🏗️

Looking to start a career in the construction industry? UniSQ’s Associate Degree of Construction is your entry point to gaining practical knowledge and skills that are in high demand—setting you up for real-world success from day one.

Want to take it further? Explore additional study options including the Bachelor of Construction (Honours) and diploma pathways to advance your expertise and career opportunities.

Discover your options here:
https://www.unisq.edu.au/study/degrees-and-courses/associate-degree-of-construction
https://www.unisq.edu.au/study/degrees-and-courses/engineering-and-surveying/construction-management

Structural Engineering at the Science and Engineering Challenge!

Our civil engineering team had a fantastic time supporting the Science and Engineering Challenge in Toowoomba this week.

High school students from across the surrounding region competed in a bridge design activity, testing structures under moving loads and putting their engineering problem-solving skills into action.

Congratulations to all students who took part, and best wishes to the state-winning team as they prepare for the national competition in Canberra later this year.

University of Southern Queensland - Australia The National Science and Engineering Challenge

Animal Science Residential School highlights!

Our Animal Science students hard at work in our course residential schools! from the classroom, to the lab, to visiting industry - these experiences deepen their understanding of animal health, production systems, and industry standards, preparing them to contribute meaningfully to Australia’s evolving agricultural sector, and beyond!

JBSAussieBeef
Mort & Co

Key bridge risk management: reducing uncertainty with better evidence!

After renewed national attention on ageing bridge infrastructure in 2025, including the Story Bridge (see link below), the structural health of the Tasman Bridge has come into focus.

Our structural engineering academic Dr Andy Nguyen, who has previously highlighted the need to safeguard ageing bridges in The Conversation, has provided expert commentary on recent reporting about the Tasman Bridge. He is calling for urgent, targeted investigation and monitoring — not because the bridge is necessarily unsafe today, but because the level of uncertainty is too high to rely on business‑as‑usual inspections alone. He also notes that maintenance may not be sufficient if the underlying issue is a fundamental structural capacity limit, and highlights the importance of evidence‑based assessment of remaining life.

The article by journalist Rob Inglis (The Mercury) reports that a government RTI brief acknowledges uncertainties in the condition of key bridge components, particularly the foundations, where inspection becomes difficult in deep water. It also highlights structural capacity constraints, including the potential for very extreme events to place higher demands on the structure, and points to the broader challenge of planning for the long‑term future of the Derwent crossing.

🔗 Read the full article here: https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/state-government-engineers-admit-uncertainties-over-condition-of-tasman-bridge/news-story/cf734c39a2d434748e203d11c5589199
🔗 Related background: https://theconversation.com/ageing-bridges-around-the-world-are-at-risk-of-collapse-but-theres-a-simple-way-to-safeguard-them-260005

SHM - Structural Health Monitoring Bridge

Field testing matters

This week, Advance Queensland Fellow Dr Andy Nguyen, together with colleagues from his School (Prof Zahra Gharineiat and Dr Desmond Zhang) and two research students, conducted a night‑time field trial in a road tunnel in Brisbane, testing a research prototype for vision‑based crack inspection under real operational conditions.

The system leverages AI‑assisted image segmentation to support crack identification, alongside high‑resolution spatial data capture to provide geometric context for the inspected area. The field deployment highlighted important practical considerations around geometry and workflow that are difficult to replicate in controlled environments.

These learnings will directly inform ongoing system refinement and final system integration. The research can be extended to support the development of a high‑fidelity digital twin for the tunnel.

This work is supported by the Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship (AQIRF101‑2022RD5), funded by the Queensland Government through Advance Queensland. Special thanks to our research collaborator (Dept of Transport and Main Roads Queensland) and their contractor (UGL Transport) for their support during the trial.

Ag Tech students getting serious about farm safety

Last week we held our Ag Tech Residential school which focusses on several key aspects of farm safety. It was a busy week where students completed a range of competencies including mustering and handling cattle at Corinda High School, driving Quad bikes, operating side by side vehicles, and flying a range of different UAVs on campus in Toowoomba. The week also included a tour through Dalby Saleyards to showcase animal welfare best practices. We even had a chance coffee break with Member for Maranoa, David Littleproud in our travels.

AGR2104 is a key course in our Bachelor of Ag Tech degree and is optional for Science and Agricultural Engineering degrees.

David Littleproud MP