Students flock to university open days despite fee deregulation protest
Thousands of prospective students and their families have flocked to the ACT for a behind the scenes glimpse at study options and on-campus life at Canberra's universities.
It comes as small groups of protesters interrupted today's open day welcoming address of the Australian National University's (ANU) vice chancellor Ian Young, in a protest over his support for the Abbott Government's deregulation of university fees.
The ANU, University of Canberra, Australian Catholic University and the University of NSW's ADFA campus were all open to potential students today, with talks, workshops and displays.
Inside the John Curtain School of Medical Research
One such display included the ANU's John Curtain School of Medical Research, which allowed visitors a rare opportunity to see inside the school's labs, normally off-limits to the public.
Professor Thomas Priess is a leader in the school's RNA biology group, heading a team of 10 researchers who are looking into non-coding RNA.
"What was discovered by the human genome project was that our genome has large portions of what was initially called junk DNA - regions of DNA that we didn't know the function of," he told 666 ABC Canberra.
"But it turns out that these regions are copied into RNA and these RNAs are thought to have important but somewhat difficult to detect regulatory roles."
In particular, Professor Priess and his team are interested in micro RNA, which play a role in health problems such as heart disease, cancer and malfunctions in the brain.
It is research that ultimately could inform new therapies and cures in these major disease areas.
Today Professor Priess and his team gave a presentation to guests about the work that they do, in the hope of attracting the next generation of RNA researchers, also guiding them around the lab and giving them hands-on experience with some of the group's high-tech equipment.
ADFA hoping to attract young military leaders
At the ADFA open day the bells and whistles were out, with a fly-by display from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) elite formation aerobatic team, the Roulettes.
There were also fencing, abseiling, parachuting, band and drill displays on offer, among many other events.
The Commandant of ADFA, Air Commodore Alan Clements, said the open days was about allowing those interested in a career in the military to gain an insight into life as an Officer Cadet or Midshipman at ADFA.
The ADFA Open Day provides potential applicants, families and the public with the opportunity to speak with those currently training at the academy and to learn about the challenges, rewards and experiences offered to Officer Cadets and Midshipmen.
It was also an opportunity to for potential students to learn more about the array of university degrees available.
"UNSW Canberra has proudly provided a world-class tertiary education to the future leaders of the Australian Defence Force for half a century. UNSW Canberra's excellence in research and teaching is reflected in the high quality and currency of programs offered to our students," rector of UNSW Canberra Professor Michael Frater said.
Protesters disrupt VC's address
Amid the open day festivities, a small group of students at the ANU interrupted the welcome event at the university to stage a protest.
A handful of students interrupted the vice chancellor's opening address, in a show of dissent over his support of fee deregulation.
The students said the Government's plan would mean higher fees for courses at ANU.
The Government has introduced legislation into Parliament to deregulate fees from the start of 2016 but is facing an uphill battle to get its higher education reforms through the Senate.
The reforms also propose a 20 per cent cut in course funding and an increase of interest rates on student loans.
