From being the first person in her family to study at university to preparing to study overseas, Shu Weih (Cassandra) Ooi is turning her ambitions into reality with the help of a national scholarship.
The University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) third-year undergraduate has been awarded a New Colombo Plan Scholarship, which will take her to Japan for an exchange program in July.
The scholarship supports Australian undergraduates to study, learn languages and undertake internships across the Indo-Pacific for up to 19 months, covering travel, accommodation, tuition and study resources.
“I’m beyond thrilled to receive a scholarship that allows me to study overseas as part of my degree,” Cassandra said.
“I’m beyond thrilled to receive a scholarship that allows me to study overseas as part of my degree,” Cassandra said.
Cassandra said she knew from the beginning of her Bachelor of Marine and Antarctic Science major in Sustainable Aquaculture that she wanted to experience study abroad.
“Japan has a very different relationship with seafood. It’s a huge part of their diet, and I’m really curious on how that affects demand, preferences and quality,” she said.
“Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology kept coming up throughout my degree when we looked at topics like animal feeds and stress testing in shrimp. I’m excited to see that research environment and learn more about how industry works over there.”
Cassandra is interested in Japan’s management of sea urchins, an approach with parallels to Tasmania where range-extending sea urchins are spreading along the east coast.
“Our kelp forests share the same threat, so I am really interested in how Japan approaches sea urchin fisheries management and marketing. Professionally and culturally, there is a lot of knowledge to be exchanged for a better, more sustainable future,” she said.
“As the first person in my family to go to university, being able to take my studies feels incredibly special. I’m excited to connect what I’ve learnt at IMAS with opportunities in Japan and hopefully one day work in building stronger Australia-Japan partnerships in seafood and marine research.”
Cover image: Cassandra majors in Sustainable Aquaculture at IMAS and is pictured here with fellow IMAS students on a fieldtrip.