Swimming with penguins, sea lions, sharks and turtles during a trip to the Galápagos Islands is something University of Queensland biomedical sciences student Joshua Deerain will treasure forever.
His visit to the islands, made famous from Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory of natural selection, was Mr Deerain’s chosen destination when he won the UQ Discovery Tour competition last year.
With the $10,000 prize money, Mr Deerain went to South America for five weeks on a biology-based tour – spending one week living on a boat on the Galápagos Islands.
Since his return early this year, the second year Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences student is more motivated than ever to specialise in immunology and infectious diseases.
He said the trip not only reinforced his interest in natural selection and evolution, but also helped him further understand the nature of viruses and bacteria.
“Having travelled to South America, I can begin to understand what factors assist in the spread of infectious diseases in such places,” he said.
“Viruses and bacteria like the animals at the Galápagos are subject to natural selection and evolution, so to witness first hand the results of natural selection as described by Charles Darwin has helped me appreciate evolution in my specialised field.”
The UQ Discovery Tour was an online competition, launched on UQ's Facebook page last year, and offered entrants the opportunity to win $10,000 worth of travel to explore the world.
Entrants used Google Earth technology to find five discovery locations around the world, where UQ staff, students and graduates are making a difference.
In addition, they were asked to write, in 25 words or less, where they would go on their Discovery Tour and why.
Mr Deerain demonstrated his love for biology in his winning entry; I'd go to the Galápagos Islands to discover the place where my hero, Charles Darwin did some of the greatest biological research of all time.
“I now completely understand the beauty that Charles Darwin found so inspirational on the islands,” Mr Deerain said.
“To be able to witness endemic animals such as the numerous species of tortoise in their natural habitat is something I will always remember,” he said.
“Going there was truly a dream come true and I will definitely be going back there one day to further explore the spectacular place that it is.”
Media: Caroline Bird, 07 3365 1931 or c.bird1@uq.edu.au
