Affordable and Clean Energy
Local Community Outreach for Energy Efficiency
The University of Newcastle delivers community and school outreach that helps people explore energy efficiency, clean energy technologies and the role of engineering in a lower-emissions future.
Clean energy innovation in the Hunter
On 2 April 2025, the University's I2N Startup Stories program at the Honeysuckle Innovation Hub featured University alumnus Peter Richardson, founder and CEO of Facet Amtech. The public event explored how a Newcastle cleantech startup is making ammonia production cleaner and more energy efficient, using less energy while reducing emissions and manufacturing costs.
The session connected clean-energy research and entrepreneurship with the Hunter's startup community, showing how energy-efficiency innovation can move from the laboratory into practical industrial applications.
Peter Richardson, founder and CEO of Facet Amtech.
Energy learning through the Science and Engineering Challenge
The University's Science and Engineering Challenge is a nationwide STEM outreach program delivered in partnership with communities, Rotary clubs, universities and sponsors. In 2025, more than 26,800 students from over 873 schools took part, including Challenge and Discovery Days in Newcastle, the Central Coast and other regional communities.
Energy and sustainability are built into the program's hands-on activities. In ElectraCITY, students design an electricity network for a model city and must find the most efficient, lowest-cost way to supply buildings while accounting for cable resistance and infrastructure costs. Other activities include wind-turbine design and environmentally responsive housing.
The 2025 event calendar included Newcastle Challenge Days from 4-10 April and Newcastle Discovery Days from 8-12 September, alongside events throughout New South Wales and every Australian state and territory.
The National Science and Engineering Challenge
Building energy literacy through practical outreach
These programs give school students, community members, innovators and local industry practical ways to engage with energy efficiency and clean-energy solutions. They connect technical concepts with real-world decisions about electricity use, industrial processes, renewable technologies and sustainable design.
2024 Annual Spring School
The University of Newcastle's centre for organic electronics (COE) successfully hosted its 14th annual spring school. In 2024, this three-day event provided undergraduate students from various disciplines, including Science, Math, IT, Engineering, and Medical Sciences, with an opportunity to explore cutting-edge research in organic electronics. The program featured lectures from local and international experts, hands-on experiences in COE labs, and interactive think tank sessions aimed at inspiring students to pursue research careers. Highlights included fabricating organic solar cells, operating advanced microscopes, racing simulated EV cars, and learning about Printed Solar and its recycling. Accredited by CIFAL Newcastle and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), students received formal recognition for their participation. The event, sponsored by Spruson & Ferguson Intellectual Property and the Australian National Fabrication Facility, saw students awarded for solar cell efficiency and EV racing. Following the event’s success, many students expressed interest in continuing their research journey with the COE.
COE, the University of Newcastle Australia 5:43
Learn more
News • 07 Oct 2014
Honorary Fellowship for former UON Chancellor
The Australian Psychological Society rarely bestows the title of Honorary Fellow. We are proud to announce that Professor Trevor Waring is a recipient.
News • 03 Oct 2014
International health leaders gather in Newcastle
Compassion and care in a changing world is on the agenda this week as UON hosts the 3rd Asia-Pacific International Conference on Qualitative Research in Nursing
News • 02 Oct 2014
Young women becoming more active, and more stressed
Young Australian women are fatter, fitter and more stressed than they were in the mid-’90s, according to the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health
News • 02 Oct 2014
Researchers work to save languages from extinction
UON has been awarded three UK research grants from the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme, to help preserve a threatened Vanuatu language
News • 01 Oct 2014
Smoking and male fertility breakthrough finding
Mothers who smoke while they are pregnant or breastfeeding may be damaging the fertility of their sons, according to research published in Human Reproduction.
News • 29 Sep 2014
Childhood obesity research accolade
Research into childhood obesity in developing Asian countries has earned Wai Yew Yang a 2014 Nestle Nutrition Institute Young Researcher Award.
News • 25 Sep 2014
Teaching expertise honoured
The teaching expertise of UON staff members has been recognised by the Commonwealth in the 2014 Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning.
News • 25 Sep 2014
Award for excellence in public health teaching
An innovative flagship course is educating students at The University of Newcastle about public health.
News • 24 Sep 2014
UON ranked Australia’s number one university under 50
The University of Newcastle is Australia’s number one university in the 2014 QS ‘Top 50 Under 50’ rankings, announced today.
News • 23 Sep 2014
Mine rehabilitation in spotlight
The University of Newcastle’s Tom Farrell Institute for the Environment will host its 4th annual Mine Rehabilitation Conference in Singleton on Thursday.
News • 22 Sep 2014
Scopus Young Researchers
Associate Professor David Lubans and Dr Tracy Burrows have scooped two of the five catergories in the 2014 Scopus Young Researcher of the Year Awards.
News • 19 Sep 2014
Innovation accolade for UON’s international student engagement
UON's Language Centre has received national recognition for an innovative approach to teaching English to international students.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.