campusreview.com.au
Unis in the fast lane
Curtin, QUT and UTS among those in the Nature
Index ranking of best young universities.
C
urtin University is Australia’s best young uni in the natural
sciences, according to a ranking of institutions under 50
years of age.
The Nature Index ranked Curtin 23rd in the world, above its
closest homegrown competitors, the Queensland University of
Technology (30) and RMIT (31).
Other Australian institutions in the top 50 were the University
of Wollongong (32), the University of Technology Sydney (36) and
Griffith University (46).
Curtin University also ranked 23rd in the Nature Index list of
rising young universities, but QUT and UTS both streaked ahead,
coming in at 6th and 16th, respectively.
The Nature Index spotlighted some efforts of the top nine young
rising universities, including the work of QUT macromolecular
Future-proof degrees
Studying science might leave you in a rut, report finds.
A
new report commissioned by Graduate Careers
Australia, entitled The Future of Work for Australian
Graduates, concluded that while having a degree still made
your job prospects better, industry-related degrees that were in
high demand not too long ago (like maths and science) aren’t as
sought after any more.
A key reason why jobs for science grads were no longer
guaranteed or likely is that less funding is available for public
science research, news.com.au reported.
news
chemist Christopher Barner-Kowollik on a synthetic material that
can shift its structure under different light conditions.
Barner-Kowollik told Nature Index that he’s able to effect change
quickly at QUT and has been given the freedom to explore new
kinds of research questions.
“Innovation occurs at the flanks of research, not within the
mainstream,” he said.
In an attached editorial, Professor Philip Altbach, founding
director of the Center for International Higher Education at
Boston College, said the most successful young universities
are characterised by significant investments, innovative ideas
about governance, curriculum and social responsibilities, and
forward-thinking leadership.
“Whether all will succeed in the long run, as practices become
entrenched and funding may dwindle, is unclear, but these
impressive young institutions are beacons for the future of higher
education,” Altbach said.
In the overall ranking, the University of Chinese Academy
of Sciences came in 1st, followed by Nanyang Technological
University and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne.
Curtin vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Terry said that her
university’s position in the ranking cemented its standing as a
truly global institution.
She added that Curtin was particularly proud of its world top
four placement in earth and environmental sciences, “given the
Nature Index looks to celebrate universities that have strong
interdisciplinary cultures, promote creative thinking, and provide
leadership opportunities for young and mid-career researchers”. ■
For example, biology graduates now have a 15 per cent lower
chance of gaining a full-time job than the general population.
In a harbinger of what’s likely to come, last year roughly a third
of all jobs required a bachelor’s degree as a minimum. According to
the Graduate Careers Australia report, roughly 800,000 jobs over
the next decade across the country will require a degree.
The same report highlighted that, four months after graduating
in 2018, teaching and medicine graduates were enjoying the best
employment rates. Nearly 100 per cent of medicine graduates
secured full-time positions four months after graduating, while
83 per cent of teachers also enjoyed high rates of full employment
shortly after graduating.
Predictably, perhaps, those studying in the communication
and creative arts fields found full-time employment much harder
to obtain four months post graduation. While graduates of more
generalist degrees such as arts have a harder time acquiring
full-time employment, they “nevertheless provide a base of the
broader knowledge and skills for workers today and in the future,”
the report said.
The report also highlighted that automation and robots will be
geared towards freeing up the more repetitive, less sophisticated
tasks humans conduct in the workplace, not usurping us.
“The future of work will be marked by an increased role for jobs
where technology complements human labour, and ‘frees up’
humans to undertake more abstract, cognitive and emotional
labour,” the report concluded.
Previous claims that as much as 50 per cent of Australia’s jobs
were threatened by automation were derided as “overstated”
in the report. ■
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