Back to UQ 2023 (in person)

UQ's biggest alumni day is back as part of UQ Open Day! Join us for alumni-exclusive talks, behind-the-scenes tours, and breakfast at Patina at Alumni Court. Tickets are strictly limited – get in quick to secure your place and plan your activities for the day.

Need more information? Read our FAQ page.

• Breakfast at Patina
  8–9am, Patina at Alumni Court
  Start your day the tranquil way, with a delicious breakfast on the lawn framed by the sandstone cloisters and rainforest garden.
  Cost: Adults: $25 per ticket, children (3-10 years): $15, children (under 3 years): free. Tickets include a selection of hot and cold food and drinks (orange juice, tea and coffee). The early bird misses the traffic! Food will be served between 8am - 9am. We invite you to stay and enjoy the court before your next activity.
   
• Junior Scientist Hub 
  9–9:45am, 1–10:45am, Queensland Bioscience Precinct (80), Auditorium
  If you have young people in your life who are curious about the microscopic world around them, the Institute for Molecular Bioscience’s Junior Scientist Hub is a great place to explore how nature inspires scientists. Come along and complete mini experiments, investigate items at a micro level, create science-themed craft and so much more. There will even be a wildlife display to meet friendly critters up close and personally.
  Cost: $5 per ticket. 
   
• Tour: The science and business of beer
  9-9:45am, Andrew N. Liveris Building (46), Forecourt
  Beer. Part of Australian life since the 18th century - But what of the science of beer?   
  Learn from Professor Ben Schulz about the role yeast plays in biological processes like viral infection and cancer, while you tour UQ’s very own nano-brewery. Get an inside look at the ups and downs of the beer business, and hear from UQ alum David Kitchen, founder of Ballistic Beer Co, who will share his non-traditional journey.
  Cost: free
   
• Talk: Can mushrooms improve your memory? 
  10–10:45am, Forgan Smith Building (1), Room E109
  Professor Frederic Meunier from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute is one of the researchers who discovered the active compound from lion's mane mushrooms, used in traditional Chinese medicine since antiquity, that boosts nerve growth and enhances memory. Extract from the mushroom could aid the treatment of neurodegenerative cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
  Cost: free
   
• Tour: Engineering and computing tour
  10–10:45am, 11–11:45am, 12–12:45pm, 1–1:45pm, Andrew N. Liveris Building (46), Forecourt
  Experience the ultimate behind-the-scenes tour with our student ambassadors! Step into our state-of-the-art facilities and labs in engineering and computing, as well as our expansive makerspaces. Staff and students will be on hand to answer questions and explain the exciting research and student projects enabled by our world-class facilities.
  Cost: free
   
• Tour: Architecture and design tour
  10–10:45am, 11–11:45am, 12–12:45pm, 1–1:45pm, Andrew N. Liveris Building (46), Forecourt
  Tour UQ's architecture and design studios and workshops, and view the amazing sketches, models, and prototypes created by our community. Staff and students will be on hand to explain what it's like to study architecture and design at UQ.
  Cost: free
   
• Philanthropy Trail
  10–10:45am, 11–11:45am, 1–1:45pm, Patina at Alumni Court
  The UQ Philanthropy Trail, established in 2021, offers fascinating insights into the individuals and groups whose generosity has had a transformative impact on St Lucia campus since its very beginning. Enjoy exploring hidden campus histories and learning the stories behind named campus buildings, facilities and features on a tour of the trail.
  Cost: free
   
• Tour: IMB kids lab tours
  10–10:45am, Queensland Bioscience Precinct (80), Reception
  Treat the Junior Scientist in your life to a child-friendly tour of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience’s labs. This specially designed tour will allow alumni of all ages to see inside working labs through the safety of glass windows. Guided by IMB’s scientists, you will hear how researchers turn to nature to discover cures.
  Cost: $5 per ticket.
   
• Talk: Understanding the wild world of social media algorithms
  10–10:45am, Forgan Smith Building (1), Room W332
  Social media platforms like Instagram are constantly learning about us. They use algorithmic machine vision models to classify, sort and cluster the photos we post, and to shape our feeds as we scroll, swipe and tap. Join us to hear from Associate Professor Nicholas Carah and chart the development of digital media platforms, and their algorithms, and discover the differences between how humans and machines 'see' the same images, as our visual culture becomes increasingly entangled with algorithms.
  Cost: free
   
• Behind the scenes: Archaeological science lab
  11–11:45am, Michie Building (9), Room 325
  Go time-travelling in the UQ Archaeological Science Laboratories. Join a tour of the labs to see extraordinary samples of archaeological materials including ceramics, artefacts, and human evolution specimens, as well as the technologies used to locate and study them.
  Cost: free
   
• Talk: Trolling and internet toxicity – the impact on the next generation
  11–11:45am, Forgan Smith Building (1), Room W332
  Have you ever experienced online hostility? 65% of Australian girls aged 15–25 have, and half of those who experience abuse report suffering mental and emotional distress as a result. With more than one third of young Australians admitting they have 'trolled' online, social media has amplified the effects of bullying and can be a difficult environment to navigate. Hear from Dr Renee Zahnow as this presentation considers the social and psychological harms of online hostility for all involved, and outlines strategies to engage in digital spaces safely and responsibly.
  Cost: Free
   
• Talk: In conversation on food sustainability
  11–11:45am, Forgan Smith Building (1), Room E109
  Don’t miss this rare opportunity to learn from international expert and UQ alum Professor Glenn Denning, Columbia University, as he discusses the growing challenge of food security in a turbulent world. Glenn’s new book Universal Food Security: How to End Hunger While Protecting the Planet explores the transformation needed to end starvation and malnutrition, in the face of a changing climate and populations outpacing food supply.
  Cost: free
   
• Museum crawl: Tour through 3 of UQ's museums
  12–12:45pm, 2–2:45pm, Michie Building (9), Antiquities Museum 
  Go behind the scenes of UQ's 3 museums and view some of the most significant collections in Queensland. Our tour starts in the Antiquities Museum, home of the foremost collection of classical Mediterranean antiquities on view in the state. We then visit the Anthropology Museum with its wealth of art, photographs and artefacts, and finish at the UQ Art Museum, with its collection and exhibitions of progressive works of art.
  Cost: free
   
• Tour: IMB lab tour
  12–12:45pm, Queensland Bioscience Precinct (80), Reception
  UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience are opening their lab doors to guests aged 16 and over, inviting you to put their research under the microscope. Come and explore how IMB researchers are looking to nature to tackle disease and find cures.
  Cost: $5 per ticket. 
• Talk: Can exercise prevent dementia?
  1–1:45pm, Forgan Smith Building (1), Room W332
  Discover the exciting Brain Training Trial at UQ's School of Human Movement and Nutrition Science, investigating the role of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and progressive strength training for improving mild cognitive impairment in older adults. How does it work, how long does the effect last, and can it really make a difference? Join us and hear from PhD candidate Naomi Ferstera to find out.
  Cost: free
   
• School of Music Tour & Performance
  1–1:45pm, Zelman Cowen Building (51), The Noel Nickson Room (434)
  Join UQ School of Music staff and students in the fabled Nickson Room for an intimate performance of chamber music. Hear the School of Music's world-class performance staff join forces with the next generation of young musicians and learn about the School's plan for music into the future.
  Cost: free
   
• Talk: a world without melanoma
  1–1:45pm, Forgan Smith Building (1), Room E109
  It is estimated that without critical action being taken, by 2030 a further 14,000 Australians will die from melanoma, 205,000 will be diagnosed with the disease, and the economic cost to the nation will be $8.7 billion. The Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis, a joint venture between the University of Sydney, and Monash University, leads the world’s largest melanoma imaging trial and enables skin cancer to be detected earlier and even remotely from the other side of the country. Hear from Professor Peter Soyer to understand how the centre is progressing its vision of a world without melanoma, providing access to advanced technology and healthcare services for Australian's most in need.
  Cost: free

*See staff at the alumni desk outside Patina at Alumni Court on the day to collect your coffee/tea voucher. Limit of one voucher per attendee (alumni only), redeemable only on Sunday 6 August 2023.