Open Day Highlights
Nova’s Nathan and the Action Battle Team Crashed Curtin
Nova’s Nathan Morris joined forces with Matt and Dan from the Action Battle Team and the Casanovas to get the party started. The Nova tent was busy handing out cool prizes.
Fun Zone
The Fun Zone on Alcoa Court and the John Curtin Forum was packed with exciting activities:
- Futuristic inflatable suits at the air-bot wars game
- The chance of to be safely propelled into the air by the aerobungy
- The gingerbread bakehouse where kids of all ages enjoyed decorating their very own creation
- The balloon typhoon where they can enjoy a whirlwind of flying balloons
- The ever-popular petting zoo.
The Box©
Those who brought The Box to Open Day had the chance to win an Apple MacBook Pro. There were also some great giveaways exclusive to The Box.
Don’t forget to plug in The Box before the day to receive all the latest news and activities on Open Day.
Live bands
Day of the Dead, Harlequin League, and Sneaky Weasel Gang rocked out at the John Curtin Forum stage.
Curtin Stadium
Visitors to Open Day had the opportunity to meet the great staff at the brand new Curtin Stadium, who provided information about the facility, memberships and an information pack.
Sports club representatives were also displaying their equipment in the main hall. You could also get a quick evaluation of your blood pressure, strength and flexibility in just 10 minutes while being in the running to win some great prizes.
Zorbing
Ever wondered what it would feel like to be a hamster in a hamster ball? Visitors on the day could squeeze themselves into one of the two zorb balls located near the Curtin Stadium!
Curiosity Carnival
With an American travelling carnival atmosphere, the Curiosity Carnival presented science as you've never seen it before. From fortune telling to laughing clowns, an inertia chair to medical imaging, a plasma ball to curiosity alley, the carnival showed Open Day 2009 visitors how human curiosity has led to some amazing scientific discoveries.
A ringmaster enticed the crowds to experience the hands-on exhibits and intriguing science demonstrations and science sideshow alley hosted an exciting array of games.
iZone
Visitors to the iZone in the Robertson Library saw some of the cutting edge facilities available to Curtin students. The iZone is Curtin’s innovative learning space, encompassing a presentation area, a ceiling mounted projector a wall-mounted LCD screen, Bluetooth and webcam capability.
Library tours were held throughout the day, showcasing what's on offer to Curtin students and the community. There were also quizzes, activities and prize giveaways between 11am and 3pm.
Innovation display
Our research staff and students are doing amazing work and it was on display at the Innovation Display in building 100.
Visitors learnt about the $3 billion Square Kilometre Array, saw how nursing connects with Second Life and took control of a robotic hand.
Free hugs!!!
Hugs for everyone!
The worldwide campaign that is free hugs came to Curtin on Open Day as Curtin students offered free hugs to anyone who wanted one. You can get more info at the Free Hugs Campaign website.
Getting around was easy
Your chauffeur for the day!
Those who wanted to head to the far reaches of Curtin, or just wanted to be chauffeured around for a while, caught small buses around the campus. The bus took visitors to new facilities including Curtin Stadium, the Resources and Chemistry Precinct, and the Curtin Aquatic Research Laboratory at Technology Park.
Those who drove to Curtin enjoyed free parking.
Resources and Chemistry Precinct
Tours of the new $115 million state-of-the-art Resources and Chemistry Precinct were run on Open Day. The soon-to-be-complete Precinct will be part of an education, research and training powerhouse, bringing together the expertise and experience of key government agencies with university and industry bodies involved in resources and chemistry related research and education. It is a major advance for the resources and minerals sector and tertiary education in WA and nationally.
The Precinct will enhance Western Australia’s national and international reputation as a leader in resources, minerals and chemistry expertise and education. The main building of the Precinct will house the relocated Chemistry Centre (WA) and Curtin’s Department of Chemistry in purpose-built facilities. Undergraduate chemistry units from all faculties will be taught at the Precinct, giving students access to state-of-the-art laboratory facilities.
The combined establishment of the Curtin Chemistry Department, in conjunction with the Chemistry Centre (WA) and the adjacent CSIRO Minerals facility, will involve than 300 professional scientists, engineers and support staff in key areas such as hydrometallurgy, water quality and treatment, energy, forensic science, environmental and food chemistry, corrosion and biotechnology.
A key feature of the project is Curtin’s alliance with BHP Billiton. Through the Precinct, Curtin and BHP Billiton have made a joint investment in education, research and regional training to underpin the future expansion of the resources industries. The Precinct will play a central role in educating and training the next generation of scientists and engineers in a range of professional and technical disciplines directly relevant to the resources, minerals, petroleum and chemical industries.
Regional Open Day, September 13
Visitors to the Regional Open Day at Muresk campus gained an insight into agribusiness and could view the campus facilities including the residential accommodation and equine facilities.
Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities was a hive of activity on Open Day. In addition to chatting with staff and student about the options available to students, visitors enjoyed:
- Tours of the Department of Art and media facilities
- Screenings of short films produced by screen arts students
- Multicultural Marquee
- DJ
- Barbecue and multicultural food stall
- Fashion parades showcased the innovative designs of our fashion and textiles students
- Japanese drumming demonstrations
- Live theatre performed, written and directed by our Performance Studies students
- The ‘Be a Super Star’ competition promoted the launch of the new Bachelor of Arts.
Faculty of Science & Engineering
The Faculty of Science and Engineering had a range of displays and opportunities for prospective students to chat with staff and students from the faculty. A few of the displays, which were set up in the Science and Engineering buildings and the marquee in Henderson Court were:
- Information on the amazing nanotechnology research being undertaken
- Interactive computing demonstrations
- Amazing rocket display
- Spaghetti bridges
- Infrared sensors
- The magic of chocolate.
Curtin Business School
Curtin Business School gave visitors information and one-on-one advice their options in the faculty, and gave VIP members the royal treatment in the VIP Tent. Visitors could check out:
- Guided tours and sessions with essential information about studying business at Curtin
- Displays from each of the seven teaching areas (Accounting, Business Law & Taxation, Economics & Finance, Information Systems, Management, Marketing and the Graduate School of Business)
- Various competitions with lots of great prizes
- VIP Club members who brought their membership card enjoyed exclusive access to the VIP Tent - pinball, dance mania, henna tattoos and slushies!
Faculty of Health Sciences
The Faculty of Health Sciences can always be relied upon to provide engaging displays and information at Open Day and this year was no exception. Along with chatting to staff and students of the faculty, visitors could:
- See what they'd look like aged 65
- Make their lips more kissable after developing their own lip balm
- Discover the psyche behind 'flashmobs'
- Try to tell the difference between foods that had been genetically modified and those that hadn’t.
Centre for Aboriginal Studies
Visitors to the Centre for Aboriginal Studies learnt about indigenous cultures and the many courses on offer at the Centre. There was the chance to enjoy:
- performances from local Indigenous artists,
- Indigenous story telling,
- a sausage sizzle and bush food.