18 May 2020

It's hard seeing so many problems in the world, problems that you’d really like to help solve. You sign online petitions and join protests, but sometimes you still feel helpless.

There’s a lot of noise out there trying to convince you that this course or that degree can help you make a difference in the world… but can they really?

The evidence is there to say they just might.

One person can obviously make a difference in their own little sphere (just see how much less garbage you create if you actually compost your kitchen waste), but with technologies and resources, big science brains and the know-how to actually get stuff done, the difference you can make with a uni degree behind you can be huge.

Southern Cross University has several specialist degrees in forest, environmental and marine science, and a long history of involvement in environmental issues – from tracking pollution in water to actually regrowing degraded sections of the Great Barrier Reef.

Take a recent PhD graduate at Southern Cross University, Dr Cooper Schouten. During his undergrad studies, Cooper worked with Associate Professor David Lloyd on a project to find out if beekeeping would be viable in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, providing income for farmers, a sustainable industry for the community and – importantly – more bees (because the world basically can never have too many bees).

This project has been so successful that it has expanded to other countries like Papua New Guinea and Fiji, where they have not only trained hundreds of new beekeepers, they have also worked with local people to help solve local problems such as developing low cost, non-chemical pest control and how to get higher yields from hives. Pretty cool.

Marine scientists at Southern Cross Uni are also doing some amazing stuff for the environment and many of them started as students. At the University’s National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour, Dr Ben Mos specialises in sustainable aquaculture and how we can fight things like over-fishing by developing more efficient methods of farming in the ocean.

The University is also home to psychology and sports scientists like Dr Christian Swann, who co-developed a mental health program for young people that will be a part of the 2021 Rugby World Cup; social scientists like Dr Liz Reimer who are coming up with ways to combat social disadvantage, especially for kids; and legal eagles like Alessandro Pelizzon who looks at the way we can protect our natural environments by giving them legal status.

Pretty amazing stuff, and universities are at the centre of it.

One of the latest specialisations to be offered at Southern Cross University in the environmental science degree is regenerative agriculture. Taking care of our land is so important and not all farming areas are in good nick these days thanks to overuse, chemicals or bad management. But imagine what could happen if farmers got together with scientists who have spent years working this stuff out to come up with solutions to take care of the land and the soil? Less pesticide, cleaner water, organic food – you don’t have to be a farmer or a regenerative agriculture student to care about this stuff.

That’s why a uni degree might just make the difference between a great idea and a great idea that is put into action. Dare we say, a great idea that might just change the world.

Want to suss our more about Southern Cross University and their degrees? Jump over here for all the info.