Postgraduate students from across the country came together to network and share their research at Natural Hazards Research Australia’s first student engagement session, representing the future research capability of the emergency management and resilience sector.
Held immediately prior to the Natural Hazards Research Forum in Brisbane, the event bought together 13 Centre postgraduate scholars and associates for the first time. The student engagement session was an opportunity to introduce the Centre and its Education program, but more importantly, introduce the students to each other to build capacity and networking.
The session began with an introduction from Research Services Project Officer Dr Supriya Gurung, followed by a welcome from CEO Andrew Gissing.
“Students supported through our scholarship programs contribute to our mission of building safer, more resilient and sustainable communities through research,” Andrew said. “This student engagement session is a great way to engage with our students to better connect and support you in your research journeys. It’s fantastic to see the energy in the room as we connect and learn.”
Dr Shiva Prasad, the Centre’s Research and Implementation Director, then gave a detailed overview of the education and training program, before Communications Officer Radhiya Fanham outlined the support offered specifically by the Communications team at the Centre.
The students then heard from the 2022 Early Career Research Fellow, Dr Phillipa McCormack (University of Adelaide), who spoke about her research into bushfire mitigation and hazard reduction in Australian law, as well as her experience as an ECR Fellow.
The bulk of the session was spent allowing each student three minutes to present their research, which was followed by an activity named ‘Research speed dating’. The idea was to help break the ice and build the students’ networks by rotating through rapid conversations between each student about themselves and their research.
Finally, the student session saw a presentation from two doctoral degree holders—Dr Josh Whittaker (NSW Rural Fire Service) and Dr Jennie Fluin (Department of Environment and Water SA)—who are now accomplished professionals after making a successful leap from academia to industry.
Dr Whittaker spoke on his PhD experience with the Bushfire CRC, explaining that “the value of engaging with end-users throughout the research process has great benefits for your research project and, importantly, the implementation of your research.”
The student engagement session received positive feedback from the students who expressed keenness to continue engaging with each other and the Centre at similar events going forward. Frequent student sessions are being planned and will be rolled out consistently over the coming years.
