Chinese trip one big lesson
Barbecue pork, Peking duck and iron ore are at the top of the list for Calista resident Nicola Lynn who has embarked on an 18-day university business trip to China.
The Murdoch University student left for Asia on Thursday to gain insight into one of Australia’s biggest export markets.
The 28-year-old is in her third year of a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in chemistry and minoring in Chinese business.
Miss Lynn said the trip would include a tour of Rio Tinto’s command centre at Perth’s International Airport and a three day stopover in Karratha to view extraction process, rail and port operations before flying to China.
“There will be lectures and learning going on as well as sightseeing and eating, it is a graded trip so we have assignments due while we are over there,” she said.
“We will be visiting ports, a steel mill, ore processing, Chinese Universities and attend lectures by Rio Tinto and BHP.”
She said her inquisitive nature led her to study chemistry.
“When I was about 12 I used to babysit my younger sister and I would do experiments and they would always involve fire or food,” she said.
“The more serious side of it is understanding what is going on, not just looking at it blow up, calculations are definitely something I have to work at but once I get my head around it I find it interesting.”
With one year of study to go, Miss Lynn said she hoped the trip would help her gain a better understanding of iron ore on a whole and give her the opportunity to make business connections.
