After finishing high school in 2017, Andrew wasn’t sure what he wanted to do next.

“I had most enjoyed environmental science at school, and could see myself enjoying a career in that field,” he said.

With a strong connection to nature and the outdoors, Andrew ultimately decided to enroll in a Bachelor of Science (Biodiversity and Conservation) in 2019.

“I chose the Bachelor of Science because it offered me the versatility of a ‘generic’ science degree, while also allowing me to pick and choose my major.

“I was able to specialise my study by taking more practical courses, even through the pandemic.

“In particular, I undertook an industry placement course and worked alongside the Department of Primary Industries Forest Science Unit, which has been one of the most useful experiences in my life,” he said.

Andrew says another highlight was participating in the SCIE2002 Interdisciplinary Challenges subject. In this program, students work for a University client on a real-world problem, and collaborate to provide recommendations to the client in a professional report.

Andrew’s team were tasked with the challenge of reducing the impact of mosquitoes on Callaghan Campus.

“We decided to try and combine our range of smaller ideas into a broader solution, which would slightly alter the ecosystem of the campus to make it less mosquito-friendly.

“My key contribution involved the introduction of microbats to the campus, so that they could eat the mosquitoes, he said.

“Personally, I also learned a lot about microbats and gained an interest in their ecology,” he said.

This fascination with microbats helped form Andrew’s current Honours project, which he commenced in 2022.

“Originally, I wanted to continue the same line of inquiry, assessing their viability for controlling (reducing) mosquito populations on campus, but I realised this was too big to try and answer in a single year of Honours.

“Instead, I’ve narrowed the scope to focus only on microbats. In particular, I am hoping to create a species list for both the Callaghan and Ourimbah campuses which has not been done before.

“I want to assess what parts of the campus different species use. For example, comparing ‘natural’ environments compared to ‘man-made’ environments,” he said.

Andrew has the support and advice of a team of experts, including renowned ecologist, Dr. Brad Law,  his team at the Department of Primary Industries’ Forest Science unit, and Professor Matt Hayward from UoN’s Conservation Science Research Group.

Looking forward, Andrew sees himself as an ecologist working for a government or industry organisation.

“It will all come down to the specific job and team that offers to take me on.

“Of course, I am also considering further work as a researcher with the University of Newcastle, however that depends on how my Honours project goes!” he said.

Learn more about the Bachelor of Science at the University of Newcastle

Andrew Quinn `

Andrew Quinn

After graduating from a Bachelor of Science, current Honours student Andrew Quinn is researching the role of microbats on Callaghan Campus.

Ultimately, I chose the Bachelor of Science because it offered me the versatility of a ‘generic’ science degree, while also allowing me to pick and choose my major.