UTAS are bringing the university to the community at this year’s Agfest
Tobias Hinds

Tobias Hinds
Posted on 05 May, 2023

UTAS are bringing the university to the community at this year’s Agfest

The University of Tasmania site aims to showcase the research and projects happening at the University, with a highlight on community engagement and enrichment.

The University of Tasmania are once again at Agfest, showing the latest research and projects being done at UTAS.

“UTAS have been coming to Agfest for a very long time. We use it as an opportunity to bring the University to the community. We like to show all the engaging research we do, talk about our learning and teaching, and our place in the community,” says Leanne Arnott, Director of Tasmania Engagement for the university.

“It is a great opportunity for us to hear back from the community as well, and how they would like to engage with the university,” says Leanne.

One project being showcased this year is the Nature Connection Project.

Dr Pauline Marsh is the co-lead of the Nature Connection Project, that is working to create a website dedicated to presenting ways in which we as a community connect with nature.

“The Nature Connection Storytelling Project aims to collect stories about how people connect with non-human nature, and how nature impacts and benefits them,” says Pauline.

“We are just about to launch a website where people can upload their story in any form they would like, whether that be written, visual, musical, poetry, anything like that. This will help us build a picture of how Australians connect with nature and the impacts that they notice,” says Pauline.

“We are being run through UTAS and we are funded by the National Environmental Science Program and the Department of Environment.”

Just behind the Nature Connection Program is an area dedicated to educating people on indigenous culture.

Riawunna Centre for Education are running an area where people can learn more about indigenous culture, and enjoy activities including traditional rock games, language education, and painting for the kids.

The UTAS site also includes displays of motor engineering, drone usage, wildlife assistance and dementia education. These can all be found at site N105.

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