Former Lord Mayor of Brisbane Clem Jones, AO, will toss the coin to decide which team will bat first in The University of Queensland's Town vs Gown Cricket Match.
The Brisbane community is invited to attend the event, which will be held on Sunday, May 29 from noon to 5pm at the Wep Harris Oval, Sir William MacGregor Drive at UQ`s St Lucia campus.
All proceeds from the fundraising match will go to UQ`s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI).
A major goal of the QBI is to promote excellence in neuroscience by fostering the exchange of ideas, establishing new collaborations and augmenting partnerships within Queensland and across the Asia Pacific region.
Business leaders will make up the Town team while UQ Secretary and Registrar Douglas Porter will captain the University 11. Queensland Bulls players Mitchell Johnson, Brendan Nash and Ryan Le Loux will also attend.
The event, which is being organised by UQ`s Development Office, is free to the public and refreshments will be available for purchase.
Director of Development at UQ, Margaret Burke, said the match was the first of its kind to be held at the University.
“Bring family, friends and a picnic basket and enjoy a great day out,” Ms Burke said.
Scientists at the QBI have discovered several new mechanisms that control the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie normal brain function, especially those governing the generation of new nerve cells.
UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay, AC, has secured $20 million grants from both The Atlantic Philanthropies and the Queensland Government, as part of its Smart State strategy, for a dedicated Institute building.
Construction of a new building to house the QBI is underway at UQ`s St Lucia campus.
Director of the QBI, Professor Perry Bartlett, who will umpire the match, said neuroscience was entering an exciting era of accelerated discovery.
“Significant advances in determining the molecular regulation of nerve cell function will have a major impact on our understanding of more complex areas such as memory and learning and this knowledge will be applied to the development of new therapeutics to treat mental and neurological diseases,” he said.
For details please contact Keiran Hargreaves (telephone 3346 3903, email k.hargreaves@uq.edu.au).
Media: for more information contact Keiran Hargreaves (telephone 0417 715 859) or Chris Saxby at UQ Communications (telephone 3365 2479).
