Tushara Rose (OQ 2005 - 2012) Redesigning Australian universities to be more sustainable “Queen’s was an empowering environment to grow up in.” Can you tell us about an important transition in your career? Immediately after leaving Queen’s, I spent my gap year at EDF Energy in Gloucester, working as a graphite core engineer for nuclear reactors. Accustomed to wearing fancy dress and dancing through the halls of Harley Street, I suddenly found myself in ironed shirts and pencil skirts, in a dimly lit box on an industrial estate, with 3,000 fellow employees. At Queen’s I had been encouraged to share my thoughts; now I was just the intern. It became my mission to excel at work and inject fun into the office. I joined as many projects as possible and pushed them beyond scope, which resulted in two awards and sponsorship through university. What are your main work projects right now? I now work as an Environmentally Sustainable Design Engineer in Melbourne and have recently been involved in projects at Australia’s two largest universities. With Monash University, my team has been redesigning their pharmaceutical laboratories, including a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance facility. Due to the sensitive nature of pharmaceutical research, we must consider temperature and humidity control, potential contamination and interference with a magnetic field. RMIT University has employed us to minimise the carbon footprint of its three campuses. Having conducted energy audits and modelling, we are now in the design phase, using innovative technologies to meet the heavy demand of the sites, while aiming to eliminate energy wastage. How has lockdown been for you?
What is your main memory of Queen’s? Queen’s was a place that allowed me the freedom to be an individual, providing a safe space to push boundaries both socially and academically. I was allowed to wear ridiculous hats every day, sing outrageous songs at end-ofterm entertainments and coordinate many extra-curricular activities. It was an empowering environment to grow up in.
I’ve rather enjoyed it. Most of my projects have been put on hold, so I have been playing music and writing songs in all genres, from free jazz to electronic ambient. I cycle to the beach at least weekly and have even built a synthesiser! Also, for the first time since the 1st Juniors, I have finally caught up on sleep. What advice would you give current students? Define your value system and set your goals from there. Establish your personal philosophy. Read! If you can understand your drivers, you will be more secure in your decision making and able to act towards personal fulfilment. Separate what others expect of you from what you expect of yourself and trust that you know what is best for you. Don’t be embarrassed if you get things wrong, just try again.
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