Vice Chancellor Visits Tamworth Challenge and UDRH

Monday 23 May 2005

The University of Newcastle's Science and Engineering Challenge for Year 10 students is being held in Tamworth on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 May. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Saunders will visit the Challenge and attend the Challenge dinner on the 24 May.

"The Challenge is an extremely successful collaboration of our Faculties of Science and Information Technology and Engineering and Built Environment," said Professor Saunders.

"There has been a direct link between the students participating in the Challenge and an increase in the number of students electing to take Physics, Chemistry and Advanced Mathematics in years 11 and 12," he said.

The Challenge has received Federal Government funding to help expand it nation wide.

Professor Saunders will also take the opportunity to inspect the new Multi-disciplinary Education Centre in the grounds of Tamworth Base Hospital.

The recently opened $4.2M Centre is the home of the University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) Northern New South Wales.

"I have looked forward to visiting the University Department of Rural Health in Tamworth ever since I took up the position at the University of Newcastle late last year," said Professor Saunders.

"I understand the state of the art Centre could not have been built without the help and support of the local community,"

The Education Centre was funded through a $2.2M grant from the Commonwealth Government with an additional $2 million raised through contributions from the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Area Health Service, the North-West Charitable Trust of visiting medical officers, a substantial bequest from the Dowdell family and a grant from NSW Health to establish a clinical skills laboratory and community fundraising.

The Education Centre provides for the education, training, recruitment and retention of health professionals in New England.

The UDRH-Northern NSW is part of the Faculty of Health of the University of Newcastle working in collaboration with Hunter New England Area Health Service and the University of New England; it is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health.

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