Faculty of Science and Engineering

RISE 2024: Building Connections

13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference

 

About the conference
Rise generic header

Our mission statement

The Conference aims to provide a supportive and fun experience for postgrads researching information technology, science and engineering and to engage and share each other’s research, develop confidence and communication skills.

RISE Conference key objectives

  • Engage - RISE aims to involve as many students, academics and researchers to participate, in all the scheduled activities, throughout the conference.
  • Share - RISE will foster all to share their research and/or research stories.
  • Encourage - RISE will be a place for personal and professional development, encouraging supportive peer to peer constructive feedback.
  • Connect - RISE will provide opportunities to make connections and friendships with colleagues from common and other research fields.
  • Enjoy - RISE emphasises the importance of breaking up the pattern of postgrad life and will focus on fitting fun into the program.
Panel of experts in the Lismore conference space

Attend and participate

Tuesday 22 October to Wednesday 23 October

  • Anyone is welcome to attend as participate as part of the RISE conference audience.
  • Postgraduate students are the main target audience and are encouraged to participate.
  • Honours students are also welcome to submit entries.
  • Undergraduates may also submit entries. However, limited numbers will be accepted.
  • Registration is required for anyone wishing to attend the on-campus conference.
  • Get in touch to register or to find out more.

2024 RISE Conference Committee

Portrait of Josh Guvat with koala in background

Josh Guyat

Chair

I am a PhD student and part of the Catchment, Coasts and Communities research group. My research is focused on the input, source and fate of nitrogen in riverine and coastal environments using novel isotope methodologies. My research aims to provide needed detail to further inform land remediation strategies.

Dr. Ben Liu

Ben Liu

Academic Advisor

I am a food and natural product chemist at SCU. I am interested in research of food quality and herbal medicines. I enjoy teaching and working with students.

Joanne Oakes

Joanne Oakes

Academic Advisor

My research is in the field of biogeochemistry – the interaction of biological, geological, and chemical processes. I look at the processing and fate of carbon and nitrogen in environments from the arctic to the tropics, and from bare sediments to seagrass beds, mangrove forests, freshwater ecosystems, and soils.

Adhwaith Das sitting on a cart in a field

Adhwaith Das (AD)

Secretary

As a member of the ZeroWaste Cluster, I am trying to improve the efficiency of bioenergy generation techniques using novel engineered materials, within the circular economy loop and contributing to the sustainable development goals (UN-SDGs).

Xiaoshen (Shen) Sun with plane used for cloud microphysics.

Xiaoshen (Shen) Sun

Finance Officer

My PhD research focuses on cloud microphysics and aerosol-cloud interaction. It is part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) under the Cooling and Shading sub-program. I am investigating the detection of purposely generated sea salt aerosol from marine cloud brightening and their interactions with clouds over the Great Barrier Reef.

Risa Otake standing on rock bridge

Risa Otake

Media Officer

My research is in the field of biopolymer and waste management. I believe sustainable waste management is to recycle the nutrients from waste into agriculture or grading.

Professional portrait of Gabriela Sotelo Castan

Gabriela Sotelo Castan

Program Coordinator

I am an environmental scientist with over 10 years’ research and professional experience in Australia and Brazil. Within South East Queensland, I have environmental assessment, environmental education and management experience in the private and public sectors. I recently commenced a Masters degree at SCU, investigating effective restoration strategies for koala habitat in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

Portrait of Chris Klaas

Chris Klaas

NMSC/Coffs Harbour Representative

I am a PhD candidate at Southern Cross University’s National Marine Science Centre. My research focuses on investigating the feasibility of using the native leaf oyster, Isognomon ephippium, in shellfish reef restoration. This involves studying the physiochemical tolerances, life history and reproductive biology of the species to inform future conservation efforts and develop restoration guidelines in Australia.

Portrait of Banu with trees in background

Banujan Kuhaneswaran (Banu)

Gold Coast Representative

Hey there! I'm Banujan Kuhaneswaran, a PhD candidate at Southern Cross University - Gold Coast Campus. As part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, I'm diving deep into the world of Long Lead Time Flood Prediction using cutting-edge Deep Learning techniques. My research aims to revolutionize how we forecast floods, potentially saving lives and resources.

Video presentations from previous RISE conferences

Former students Jacob, Gloria, Grace and PhD student Conor share fascinating insights into their research areas and experience with the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Video presentations

Researcher Jacob Birch discusses Australian native grass grains

Gloria Rathner video thumbnail

Grace Russel Video thumbnail

Coral researcher Conor Hendrickson in lab

Get in touch

riseconference@scu.edu.au