Massey to begin student exchange programme with EU

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Massey to begin student exchange programme with European Union

Massey has won funding for a project that will see students study climate change in the European Union, and top European students study at Massey.

The government announced today it would provide $525,000 over four years for the programme, with a similar contribution coming from the European Commission. The programme will focus on developing better technology to monitor the parameters of climate change such as temperature, gas concentration and water quality.

Massey will lead the programme in New Zealand in partnership with Victoria University. Both universities will work with the lead European university, the University of Limerick in Ireland, and its partner institutions, Universität Rostock in Germany and City University in the United Kingdom.

Project leader Associate Professor Subhas Mukhopadhyay says he School of Engineering and Advanced Technology will send six undergraduate or Masters students each year to the partner institutions.

“Students will be able to study the leading research being carried out in Europe and add it to what they learn here,” Dr Mukhopadhyay says. “And of course the students coming here as part of the exchange will add what we teach to their knowledge.”

Massey’s area of expertise concerns censors for quality inspection of seafood, water quality and control and clothes for the environment, he says. “But the University of Limerick, for example, specialises in optical fibre sensors for environmental monitoring.”

The students will have their air travel paid for by a scholarship and receive a $1500 per month allowance during their stay.

Dr Mukhopadhyay expects the first students will begin the exchange in semester two next year.

“This project will no doubt attract more engineering and computer science students to Massey, as the chance to take up the scholarship and add world-leading research to their study programme is an exciting opportunity.”

Tertiary Education Minister Pete Hodgson says the programme will strengthen tertiary education links between New Zealand and Europe.

“New Zealand students will emerge with a better understanding of the issues surrounding climate change,” he says. “This knowledge will place them in a strong position to contribute to the ongoing international debate in this area.”

ENDS

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