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New livestock degree attracts top students

May 03, 2005

TarshaWill.Richard.jpgThe newest undergraduate degree program in The University of New England’s School of Rural Science and Agriculture is attracting outstanding students. Two of them have just won Wool Industry Undergraduate Scholarships worth $36,000 each.

Tarsha Macklinshaw from Werris Creek (pictured here at left) and Tim Salmon from Oberon are enrolled in UNE’s Bachelor of Livestock Science program, which began this year. Another of the wool scholarships went to Richard Flavel from Tamworth (pictured here at right), who is enrolled in UNE’s Bachelor of Rural Science program.

The three UNE students are among only six new recipients of the scholarships throughout Australia. This is the second year the scholarships have been awarded.

The Australian Sheep Industry Cooperative Research Centre (Sheep CRC) administers the scholarships, which are worth $9,000 a year for four years. UNE’s Professor David Cottle, who manages the Sheep CRC’s education program, said the sponsors of the scholarships had been impressed with the quality of the candidates. “They felt that, in attracting young people such as these, the Australian wool industry could be optimistic about its future,” Professor Cottle said. The scholarship sponsors include Australian Wool Innovation Ltd (AWI), the Australian Wool Education Trust, and other wool industry organisations.

All three of the UNE students have experience of the wool industry and are interested in careers related to rural science. For example, Tim Salmon said he had spent most of his life in an agricultural setting and was committed to pursuing a career in the agricultural sector. He said he had been fascinated by experimental projects on his family’s property involving collaboration with the Sheep CRC and NSW Agriculture. (Tim’s scholarship, unlike the others, is sponsored entirely by AWI.)

Professor Cottle explained that Wool Industry Undergraduate Scholarship holders needed to complete at least two sheep/wool units of study in the course of their degree program. (UNE is offering four such units this year, and plans to be offering as many as 12 units by the beginning of 2007.) During summer holidays, scholars work for one or other of the scholarship co-sponsors.

The three wool scholarships were among more than 200 undergraduate scholarships, worth a total of more than $2 million, presented to students at a special ceremony at UNE on April 21.


Media contact: Professor David Cottle, School of Rural Science and Agriculture, UNE (02) 6773 2178 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.

The photogrtaph displayed here shows Tarsha Macklinshaw and Richard Flavel with Will Pearson, District Wool Manager for Elders Limited, which is one of the sponsors of the Wool Industry Undergraduate Scholarships. For copies of this photograph, please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at May 3, 2005 10:09 AM