The search for China’s best and brightest is on, with the launch of nominations for the first ever awards to recognize the stellar achievements of China-based graduates of Australian universities.
More than 200,000 Chinese students have studied in Australia since the 1970s, and the inaugural Australia China Alumni Awards will acknowledge some of their successes.
The awards are an initiative of Australia China Alumni Association (ACAA).
CPA Australia is proud to be the Awards’ principal sponsor, according to President of CPA Australia’s Beijing Committee Ms Rebecca Mak. “We’re delighted to be involved in this venture to recognize Australian educational excellence, especially as CPA Australia is also committed to educational development”, Ms Mak said.
ANZ, one of Australia’s largest investors in China and a Top 40 bank globally, will sponsor the Banking and Finance award. "We're delighted to sponsor an award that recognises the valuable contribution Chinese graduates from Australia are making to the advancement of China's finance industry", ANZ CEO North East Asia, Mr Alistair Bulloch said.
Australian government departments have shown strong support for the awards, with Austrade and AusAID sponsoring Entrepreneurship and Development awards respectively, and Australian Education International will sponsor a “Young Alumni of the Year” award.
Award winners will receive their trophies at a high-profile five star gala awards dinner in Beijing in November.
To nominate, visit www.AustChinaAlumni.org/awards where all details can be found. Alumni (of any nationality) may self-nominate or be nominated by a third-party. Nominations close 25 September 2009.
Packed event in Guangzhou to celebrate merger and launch of Australia China Alumni Association - South China
South China residents who studied in Australia now have a reminder of their student days, with the launch of the Australia China Alumni Association’s (ACAA) South China branch in Guangzhou on 16 July 2009.
Alumni of all ages gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Tianhe at a VIP-studded five-star event to celebrate the launch.
Addressing an audience of over 140 alumni and VIP guests, Australian Consul-General Sean Kelly formally announced the launch and toasted the new 'ACAA - South China' committee (below, with ACAA Beijing and Shanghai staff).
Guests happily mingled, celebrating the event with Australian wine and a delicious buffet dinner in the Grand Ballroom of Guangzhou’s sumptuous Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
The new ACAA –South China committee, under the leadership of its inaugural president Mr Kevin Li, will help ACAA to drive growth across the South China region, home to many thousands of Australian university alumni.
New ACAA Director of Development, Guangzhou
ACAA is also delighted to announce the appointment of its South China Director of Development Mr Jason Huitao Li (pictured, with Guangzhou Consul-General Mr Sean Kelly). An Australian university alumni himself (University of Queensland and QUT) and with many years of business and community work in Australia and South China, Mr Li brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the ACAA team. Get in touch with Jason at Jason@AustChinaAlumni.org.
ACAA representative to present at international education conference, Cairns, Australia
In a recognition of ACAA's growing influence and expertise on international alumni relations, an ACAA representative has been invited to speak at the 'University Relations in the Asia-Pacific 2009' International Summit to be held in Cairns, Australia, 18-20 November 2009.
This inaugural event is about bringing Asian Pacific institutions
together to network and to discuss the big challenges facing our
region and to strengthen regional ties through partnerships. The Summit
seeks to develop organisational and cultural understanding and will
look at how countries and institutions can extend their presence and
influence within their neighbouring countries. Find more information on the Conference website.
UTS Alumni gather across China, July 2009
Hundreds of University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) alumni – new graduates and graduates from years’ past – reunited at events throughout Asia in July, with outstanding speakers and senior UTS staff. In Shanghai, more than 100 UTS alumni gathered at Westin Bund Centre on 7 July for a cocktail-style reunion, where special guest Andrew Whitford, President of Westpac China, gave an inspiring and informative speech about workplace change. In Beijing, alumni enjoyed an intimate gathering at the exclusive 50th floor Capital Club in the Embassy district.
This successful event also celebrated 15 years of partnership between the University of Technology, Sydney and the Sydney Institute of Language and Commerce (SILC).
The University is planning more alumni events across Asia in the coming months, so stay tuned to the UTS: Alumni website for updates: www.alumni.uts.edu.au
Sichuan cuisine with University of Newcastle Alumni
A meeting with old friends of the University of Newcastle was a key event in the recent itinerary of a visit to Beijing by Professor Kevin McConkey, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and Global Relations) and the Director of the International Office, Ms Tracy McCabe. Professor McConkey visited partners in Shanghai, Beijing, Harbin and Wuhan in June 2009.
Photo L to R: Leo Mian Liu, Amy Jia, Molly Wen Li, Liu Xian Peng, James M Jiang, Professor McConkey, Tracy McCabe, Jun (John) Wang, William Jiang
The Sichuan food was delicious and the company had a wonderful time reminiscing about Chinese restaurants in Newcastle and how the city has changed since they were last in town. Keep reading...
La Trobe University to host centre for Biosciences research
La Trobe's new multi-million dollar Biosciences
Research Centre will further enhance La Trobe and DPI with one of
Australia's leading research facilities, providing a major boost for
agriculture bioscience and biotechnology research. The centre will
create 390 new jobs while injecting about $690 million into the
Victorian economy.
La Trobe has recently started construction on the $230 million Biosciences Research Centre, due to open in 2012. The Centre recently received important funding from the Federal Government ($59.6 million), which is an indication of how much the La Trobe research facilities and scientists are regarded. Keep reading...
La Trobe appoints new Dep. Vice-Chancellor International
ACAA Gold partner, La Trobe University, has appointed distinguished academic Professor John Rosenberg as its new DVC international. Prof Rosenberg will lead La Trobe's program of internationalisation, joining the University at an exciting time of change and renewal. ACAA congratulates Prof Rosenberg on his appointment and looks forward to working with him and La Trobe in the future.
UWA research project explores health benefits of Chinese green tea
Image, right: Dr
Min Zhang pours green tea for her colleague Professor D’Arcy Holman
In
China,
where drinking green tea is a centuries-old tradition, the rate of breast
cancer is 18.7 per 100,000 women. In Australia, where fewer than one per cent of the population drink green tea every day, the
rate is 94.9 per 100,000.
The parallel seems obvious but, of course, turning anecdotal evidence into epidemiological proof is harder than it appears.
Dr Min Zhang, a senior research fellow in the School of Population Health University of
of Western Australia, an ACAA Silver Partner, is directing an Australian-Chinese project to do just that.
She has been working on green tea as an
anti-carcinogen for 10 years.
A gynaecological oncologist at
Zhejiang
University, Dr Zhang
moved to Australia in
1997 to study hospital management. But
she changed direction and moved into epidemiology, completing a PhD on dietary
and lifestyle factors associated with ovarian cancer, and joining the
School of
Population Health five years ago. Keep reading...
University of Queensland Alumni of the Year awards: nominations now open
This prestigious award recognises and celebrates the achievements of UQ’s international alumni community. The award honours a UQ alumnus who has made an outstanding contribution to their community by demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovation in their field. If you know of a UQ alumnus, or you are a UQ alumnus who should be recognised for achievements abroad, please click here for more information. Nominations close on 4th September 2009.
ACAA planning fundraising scavenger hunt in Beijing
Think you know your city? Want to spend a great day out in China's beautiful capital whilst raising money for the nation's elderly?
Then join us for the ACAA's inaugural Scavenger Hunt on Saturday 24th October. Organised with local Beijing charity Community Alliance, funds raised will go straight to helping the elderly in China ahead of the nation's 'Double ninth festival' to recognise the importance of Older Persons on 26th October 2009.
Teams (maximum of four) are welcome, be they by Australian university, state, workplace or just a bunch of friends. Or sign up by yourself and we'll place you in a group on the day.
We're also looking for volunteers to help out with planning and on the day, so get in touch with Amanda at Amanda@AustChinaAlumni.org for more information.
Hello from ACAA!
As the long hot China summer comes to an end, ACAA has been out of the sun and keeping busy with our regular events, our alumni awards, and our expansion into South China. We’ve also been hiking, talking, boating and planning great events for the rest of the year.
July was another milestone for ACAA as we expanded into South China with a merger and launch event in Guangzhou. We’ve combined resources with the existing Australian Alumni South China group, and now have an extremely supportive local committee to drive growth across the region.
We also extend a warm welcome to our newly-appointed ACAA Director of Development for Guangzhou, Mr Jason Huitao Li (a UQ and QUT alumni). Welcome aboard, Jason!
We're also excited to announce two new partnerships for ACAA. One is with AusAID, to help them find and connect with the hundreds of AusAID scholarship recipients based in China. The other agreement is with Austrade, who will be foundation sponsors of the ACAA's new Entrepreneurs Club programme. Stay tuned for an exciting calender of events from the Club for 2009 and 2010!
ACAA also formally launched the nomination period for our inaugural Australia China Alumni Awards at a packed media launch in July at the Australian Embassy in Beijing. With over 50 reporters present from newspapers, magazines, TV and online news, the launch was a great success.
Remember to check our regular emails for event updates, job offers (for example for Shanghai expo, details below) and more. With regular events now in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, there’s never been a better time to come along and find out what ACAA is all about – connecting Australian alumni across China.
Warm regards,
The ACAA Team, Sarah, Amanda, Edward, Jessica and Rona
ACAA Beijing will also launch the
Austrade-sponsored ACAA Entreprenuers club in October, Scavenger Hunt
fundraiser in October and a great Christmas party already in the works!
Stay tuned!
ACAA Shanghai will also
be working with URBN Hotel and Roots and Shoots on a special event for 350 Day,
hosting a joint event with the UK alumni network, and hosting several guest
speakers over the coming months, check our website regularly for
details!
Central Equity's Australian Property Info Sessions are coming to Beijing for
3 days only, September 11 to 13.
This is a unique opportunity to hear from one of Melbourne's largest residential developers and discover how easy it is to buy, lease and manage a freehold Aussie landed property or city apartment while living in China.
You can also browse a large range of brand new freehold Melbourne apartments and landed properties for sale from approx AUD$400K.
Seats are limited at this free event so book your seat now at www.centralequity.com/beijing or call Central Equity in Beijing on (010) 5128 8718.
Want to work with ACAA in 2010?
Australia
China Alumni Association is pleased to announce we'll be hosting an
Australian Youth Ambassador for Development starting from April 2010.
The successful applicant will work on an number of ACAA projects
including regional engagement, AusAID scholarships alumni, and
assisting with event management. This position is open to Australian
citizens only.
Applications
for the Beijing-based position close 25 September 2009, and should be
made directly to the AYAD program. More information is available on our
website.
ACAA thanks its funding partners for their support:
Gold Partners
Silver Partners
Media Partner
SAVE MONEY. EAT WELL. DO GOOD.
Save money with CAI’s
Meals that Matter Voucher Booklet, containing great discounts at over
fifty of Beijing’s top dining establishments.
Eat well and dine for 50% off your entire bill at Hatsune, 20% off at The Den, and much more!
Do good and empower underprivileged children in China through arts and sports.
Contact Australian uni alumni Xian Warner on 1343 9229 636 or mtm@cai-china.org
CPA Australia is proud to be the Awards’ principal sponsor, according to President of CPA Australia’s Beijing Committee Ms Rebecca Mak. “We’re delighted to be involved in this venture to recognize Australian educational excellence, especially as CPA Australia is also committed to educational development”, Ms Mak said.
ACAA is also delighted to announce the appointment of its South China Director of Development Mr Jason Huitao Li (pictured, with Guangzhou Consul-General Mr Sean Kelly). An Australian university alumni himself (University of Queensland and QUT) and with many years of business and community work in Australia and South China, Mr Li brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the ACAA team. Get in touch with Jason at 
La Trobe has recently started construction on the $230 million Biosciences Research Centre, due to open in 2012. The Centre recently received important funding from the Federal Government ($59.6 million), which is an indication of how much the La Trobe research facilities and scientists are regarded. 
UWA research project explores health benefits of Chinese green tea
This prestigious award recognises and celebrates the achievements of UQ’s international alumni community. The award honours a UQ alumnus who has made an outstanding contribution to their community by demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovation in their field. If you know of a UQ alumnus, or you are a UQ alumnus who should be recognised for achievements abroad, please 
