UOW: University of Wollongong, Australia

An internship can be the bridge between university and the workplace, giving students the opportunity to put their learning into practice. 👏

Read how Mackenzie and Curtis did it. 👉 uow.info/2mo7nf

Over the weekend Hack the Gong 2026 brought together coders, creatives, builders and big thinkers for 30 hours of innovation, collaboration and problem-solving at iAccelerate.

Teams worked around the clock to tackle real-world challenges, develop new ideas and pitch innovative solutions, all while making new connections and learning from industry experts along the way.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part, mentored, judged and supported the event. Congratulations to all participants for taking on the challenge and bringing their ideas to life. 👏

On Wednesday, ABC Illawarra broadcasted live from our Wollongong campus for National Science Week! 📡

Nick Rheinberger toured labs and learning spaces across campus, recorded science segments with researchers from a range of disciplines, chatted with students and hosted hands-on science challenges. 🧫

Did you catch the team on campus?

UOW spin-out company Hysata has been named a finalist in the Research Commercialisation category at the 2026 Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards. 👏

This recognises its journey from a UOW laboratory breakthrough to a global hydrogen technology company with a growing workforce in Port Kembla.

Hysata has raised $220 million in private capital and received significant Australian and NSW Government support, including over $30 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency towards their mission of moving the world away from fossil fuels.

The 8,500-square-metre headquarters in Port Kembla, opened in 2023, now employs 130 people in high-tech manufacturing and engineering roles.

Congratulations to UOW student Micah Gibson, who has been named a joint recipient of the 2026 Sir Frank Espie/Rio Tinto Leadership Award from AusIMM, the peak body for professionals in the mining and resources sector. 🎉

Micah, who is studying a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) and Bachelor of Business (Finance), was recognised for his leadership, industry engagement and commitment to the future of the resources sector.

His involvement with the AusIMM Illawarra Student Chapter began in his first year at UOW. Since then, he has progressed from student member to Chapter President, helping connect fellow students with industry through networking events, site visits and professional development opportunities.

A $1.5 million commitment from the Parkinson’s Research Foundation (PRF) will accelerate cutting-edge Parkinson’s disease research at UOW.

PRF has funded an Opera Phenix automated cellular imaging system and a JANUS Automated Workstation, which prepares and loads assays for rapid, automated imaging and analysis. The two systems will enable UOW researchers to rapidly analyse complex biological processes underpinning Parkinson’s disease.

New South Wales Minister for Health and Member for Keira the Hon Ryan Park MP officially commissioned the platform yesterday.

"This gift from the Parkinson’s Research Foundation is an extraordinary investment in our research. It also reflects strong confidence in our researchers and the work underway at UOW. We are grateful for that confidence and conscious of the responsibility that comes with it,” UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Max Lu AO said.

This week, four UOW alumni psychology careers in sport, education, and clinical psychology spoke on our UOW Psychology Alumni Panel.

Christian Frederiksen, David Barracosa, Rebecca Meers, and Sara Hamden spoke with students, providing practical career tips and honest advice about navigating the industry.

Thank you to the panellists for donating their time, and inspiring the next generation of UOW psychology graduates.

Yesterday National Science Week 2026 was officially launched by The Hon. Paul Scully MP at Science Space Wollongong. 🔬🎉

This inspiring evening explored how First Nations wisdom and Western scientific research come together to deepen our understanding of the natural world. 🌿

Check out all the UOW Science Week events and register. 👉 uow.info/wjz3bc

UOW's Distinguished Professor Noel Cressie has been awarded the 2026 Jerome Sacks Award by the US National Institute of Statistical Sciences, recognising his sustained contribution to cross-disciplinary research in the statistical sciences. 🔬

Professor Cressie's work uses statistics to tackle some of the world's biggest environmental challenges, from climate and carbon emissions to air pollution, glacier movement and ocean health.

His research has supported collaborations with CSIRO, NASA and Antarctic scientists, including the development of WOMBAT, a multi award-winning framework that helps estimate greenhouse gas processes from satellite data.

Primary care researchers from around the world gathered at UOW's Innovation Campus for the 2026 Australasian Association for Academic Primary Care Annual Research Conference recently.

Over two days, delegates explored key challenges and opportunities in primary care through keynote presentations, workshops and research sessions covering digital health and artificial intelligence, workforce development, chronic disease management, health equity and more.

UOW's Professor Liz Halcomb said, "Bringing together leading academics from across Australia and around the world at the Innovation Campus has enabled us to showcase innovative primary care research, strengthen multidisciplinary collaborations and help shape future research priorities."

Following the event, UOW hosted the second annual National Multidisciplinary Primary Care Research, Policy and Advocacy Consortium Think Tank, to identify research priorities that will strengthen multidisciplinary primary care.