Dookie Day 2018: Celebrating 130 years of agricultural teaching and research
The University of Melbourne will open its gates to the community and local industry for Dookie Day 2018 on Sunday, 9 September 2018.
Dookie Day provides a unique opportunity to discover Victoria’s 2440-hectare ‘living laboratory’, where students and researchers engage directly with the agricultural industry, test innovations and develop solutions in plant and animal health, farming, food and agribusiness.
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences Dean John Fazakerley said the day will celebrate Dookie as a place of research, teaching and technological development that is helping shape the future of agriculture in Australia.
“Dookie Day will feature work from the Faculty’s School of Agriculture and Food, including the subjects taught at the campus, the work of postgraduate students and our work in the community in the Goulburn Valley,” Professor Fazakerley said.
“We invite visitors to see the continuing developments of the campus, as well as celebrate the role Dookie has played in the development of the agricultural industry and teaching and learning in Australia since 1886.”
Events on the day will include interactive research and science displays such as advanced drone-based sensors, virtual reality education for vet students, a talk on the potential of silica to mitigate drought and heat stress in crops, lab-grown meat and a keynote presentation on sustainable agriculture by Dookie Professor in Residence Timothy Reeves.
Activities will also include an exhibition celebrating Dookie’s 130-year impact on Australian agriculture, a festival market with local traders, sheep-shearing demonstrations, as well as family-friendly activities throughout the day.
Visitors can tour the campus’ student housing, teaching spaces and robotic dairy and participate in industry seminars by leading agricultural and veterinary science researchers.
This free event will run from 10am-4pm at Dookie Campus, 940 Dookie-Nalinga Road, Dookie Campus 3647.