An electric month for the Tom Farrell Institute

Newcastle was recently taken over by sports enthusiasts of all ages when the Hunter Valley Electric Vehicle Festival rolled into town. Organised by the University’s Tom Farrell Institute, the event received an overwhelming response from the community with just over 10,000 people attending the Electric Vehicle Show Day at the Foreshore.

“The event has brought an incredible amount of focus to the University, as well as stimulating great interest in physics and technology amongst the high school students who competed,” said Professor Tim Roberts, Director of the Tom Farrell Institute.

The Electric Vehicle Festival is designed to showcase the Hunter Region as a leader of industry innovation and growth while having a bit of fun at the same time. Government, industry and developers came together to discuss the Hunter’s potential and how to encourage future business and growth.

Along with business collaborations and impressive displays, The Festival Race Day called upon high school students from around the region to build their own electric bike with assistance from their teachers and put them to the test at Cameron Park raceway.

The electric bikes were thoroughly checked for safety and specifications before being taken out and raced on the track. Almost 20 school teams entered the Endurance Race but Hunter Christian School were named the winners after completing 43 laps of the track.

Tom Farrell also collaborated with the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) last month to host the Best Practice Ecological Rehabilitation of Mined Lands Conference in Singleton. The conference provided information about the scientific research and professional practice involved in restoring mined lands to functional and productive ecosystems.

Approximately 180 people attended the conference and were addressed by three speakers within the School of Environmental and Life Sciences. This is the second year the event has run and the OEH have indicated they will fund the event again next year.

For more information about the Tom Farrell Institute, click here.