Golden Key: Engaging with Entrepreneurialism, 6th Sep. 2005

On the evening of 6 September 2005, the University of Sydney Chapter of Golden Key enabled a capacity audience to engage with entrepreneurialism by facilitating an event during ÔSmall Business September, a month-long initiative of the NSW Department of State and Regional Development. Uur audience, ranging from students, graduates, professionals and self-employed entrepreneurs, heard how they could launch into the business world by combining their entrepreneurial ideas with their university degree Ð and how their university degrees did not necessarily have to lead to a corporate career.

Our first speaker, Charmaine Soh (Atomic Solutions) spoke about the key lessons that she had learnt between graduating from The University of Sydney and establishing her own consultancy business. In addition to candidly outlining the pros and cons of running a business, and highlighting the importance of networking, goal setting and having effective written and verbal communication skills.

Afterwards, Mark Moreland (Morelands Pty Ltd), delivered an action- packed speech, illustrating his roller-coaster existence of being an entrepreneur through drawing upon 30 years worth of experiences in industries spanning retail, fast food, television, direct response marketing, communications, IT and education. After outlining his experiences with the dot-com tech boom, Marks advice for budding entrepreneurs Ð there are plenty of opportunities; you just have to open your eyes Ð clearly resounded with many members of the audience, and provided them with ample food for thought.

Our final speaker, Helen Smith (NSW Coordinator, Young Achievement Australia) spoke about how university students could engage in entrepreneurialism by becoming involved in the Young Achievement Australia (YAA) program, through which they would have the opportunity to create, run and liquidate a company Ð all within the space of 24 weeks. Interestingly, Charmaine Soh, Mark Moreland and Golden Key Chapter President Emma Leung were all former participants of the program, suggesting that the YAA program truly does provide students with the opportunity to dabble in the business world before seriously committing to it.

After an insightful Q&A session, during which Charmaine, Mark and Helen responded to questions from the audience, the evening concluded with refreshments in the boardroom, This provided a perfect opportunity for our presenters and audience members to mingle and network with one another Ð a truly fitting end to an evening of entrepreneurialism.

On 23 April 2005, the inaugural Golden Key Science Colloquium provided a unique opportunity for secondary and tertiary students to discuss "The Future of Science" with a diverse group of industry-leading speakers. Topics included the role of ethics in science, scientific innovation in Australia, careers in science, science education, and future developments in nanotechnology and robotics. The Golden Key Science Colloquium indicated that the study of science is truly without boundaries - the future of science is, therefore, very much dependent upon those who care; those who are motivated and driven to create the kind of world they want to see.

We were privileged to hear presentations from the following noteworthy individuals: Professor John Hearn (Acting Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, The University of Sydney), Professor David Day (Dean, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney), Emma Leung (Asia-Pacific Student Representative, and President, Golden Key – University of Sydney Chapter), Dr Karl Kruszelnicki (JSM Fellow, Department of Physics, The University of Sydney), Dr Jurgen Schulte (Executive Director, Asia-Pacific Nanotechnology Forum), Dr Stefan Williams (The Australian Centre for Field Robotics), Dr Calum Drummond (Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Molecular Science) and Mr Tim Longhurst (Project Director, The Futures Foundation).

The day concluded with an informal, interactive panel discussion between the audience and Dr Calum Drummond, Mr Tim Longhurst and Dr Stefan Williams. The diversity of thought-provoking questions posed reflected not only the audience’s active engagement in the material that had been presented throughout the day, but also their clear interest in the world of science. The insightful answers provided by the panelists similarly showed not only their significant expertise in their fields of endeavour, but also their willingness to actively engage with student participants. Through the ‘future-focused’ nature of the questions asked, it was evident that the audience was very interested in the role that they, as individual actors, could play in the future of science. Further, the scope of issues indicated that the audience was particularly interested in not only the local impact of scientific issues, but also the global impact of scientific developments.

The University of Sydney Chapter of Golden Key hopes to build on the success of the inaugural Golden Key Science Colloquium, and to establish it as an annual event. We would like to thank all of our presenters, and their respective organisations, for giving freely of their time, knowledge and experience. Thanks also to NewScientist, SciSoc and the University of Sydney Union for their support of "The Future of Science"

For more details, please have a look at Golden Key Science Colloquium report.

 

In keeping with tradition, Golden Key once again supported the Cancer Council's Daffodil Day by raising funds for cancer research by selling merchandise at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. The efforts of our 21 volunteers, who were out and about from 7am until 3pm in the afternoon, raised an amazing $6,166.90 - a 45% increase on last years total!
Thanks to everyone who participated - we look forward to doing our bit for cancer research again in 2006.

At this event, hosted by the University of Sydney Chapter of Golden Key, 134 keen students heard representatives from the public and private sector speak about the "dos and don'ts" of CV writing, recruiting processes and interviews. We were fortunate to hear from Macquarie Bank, represented by Graduate Recruitment Manager Shanan Green and colleague Chania Higgins, and the Office of National Assessments, represented by Deputy Director-General Dr Brendon Hammer.

The feedback that we received from the audience was overwhelmingly positive, with many students commenting that they had picked up some valuable tips from the speakers, and that they were glad that they had made time to attend the event. The presenters themselves had positive feedback for our executive team and, importantly, expressed a willingness to be part of future Golden Key events. Congratulations to all those involved in such a successful and enjoyable night.

2005 Annual General Meeting & BBQ

Our 2005 Annual General Meeting & BBQ, held on Monday 30 May at the Holme Building, provided an opportunity for our Chapter of Golden Key to thank the 2004-2005 Executive Committee for the hard work that they had put in over their term - resulting in our Chapter attaining GOLD CHAPTER status. This is a significant achievement, as our Chapter is one of only four Chapters within the Asia-Pacific Region to have attained this level. The enthusiasm of our AGM attendees clearly showed their high level of interest in getting involved in Golden Key. 15 members were elected to the 2005-2006 Executive Committee; additionally, a group of 20 Active Members was formed. The new 2005-2006 Executive Committee looks forward to its first official meeting in early July!

New Members Reception Ceremony

On Tuesday 24 May 2005, The University of Sydney Chapter of Golden Key held its annual New Members' Reception Ceremony at the Seymour Centre to recognise the achievements of our new members, and to welcome them to the Golden Key network.

In addition to our new student members, our Chapter also welcomed five outstanding individuals, chosen on the basis of their leadership skills and contribution to the community, as Honorary Members. We look forward to developing a mutually beneficial working relationship with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hearn, Mr Hugh Mackay, Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Mr Adam Spencer and Mr Ian Thorpe.

Thank you to all those who attended our Reception Ceremony - photos from the evening can be found here. Thank you especially to Professor John Hearn (Deputy Vice Chancellor - Academic and International) for delivering the Opening Address, Mr Adam Spencer, for his speech about what university should be about, and Mr Jeff McMullen, who spoke about the work of Ian Thorpe's Fountain for Youth, and the partnership between Golden Key and the Fountain for Youth in raising community awareness of indigenous health. Thank you also to our advisors, Mr Peter Dodd and Professor Michael Jackson.

We look forward to welcoming our new members to our upcoming events, and hope that you will all be able to derive as much benefit, and as much fun, from your involvement in Golden Key as we've been able to!