Ella Strachan, who is studying for a Bachelor of Marine Science Advanced – International Studies, and Liam Frappell, who is undertaking Honours in Computer Engineering in his Bachelor of Engineering were announced as the UOW recipients of this year’s funding.

Ella is planning to undertake research for her honours thesis while in Fiji. She will study for one semester at the University of the South Pacific and plans to undertake internships in Samoa and India for 11 months.

“Fiji is a really exciting place in terms of marine science, fisheries and climate change policy, which are all areas that I’m really interested in exploring,” she said.

“It [the NCP scholarship] is a fairly unique way to meet some pretty incredible people and expand my networks in a region I haven’t had much exposure to,” she said.

Mr Frappell will study engineering subjects for two semesters at Beihang University in China for 12 months and plans to undertake mining and technology-related internships.

He said choosing the world’s most populous nation as a study destination was an easy decision to make, particularly after meeting Chinese students at university in Wollongong.

“China seems like an area of strong growth; they put a lot of stock into the technology industry and I was encouraged by a few of my classmates who are from China on exchange,” he said.

He believed the scholarship would bring more than simply academic knowledge – and even a chance to further his chopstick skills.

“It’s a really prestigious scholarship and a great opportunity to travel overseas, learn about a new culture and further my employment opportunities,” he said.

“I’m also really excited about the food.”

The scholarship recipients were named by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in an event at Parliament House late last month. UOW Vice-Chancellor Paul Wellings attended and said the diverse study opportunities will greatly benefit the students. 

“The exposure to our partners in the region not only encourages a two-way flow of students, it also gives participating students a fantastic opportunity to gain invaluable experience that will ultimately benefit their future careers,” he said.

The 2017 NCP Scholars program is funded by the Australian Government in a bid to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific region. About 100 scholarships were available and each university was permitted to submit up to 10 nominees.