In June and July earlier this year, Bath Spa University students Kay Cleghorn and John Stone got the opportunity to visit Adelaide University for four weeks on a Turing Traineeship placement for Creative Computing.

Kay’s Experience

As this was my first time going abroad, let alone by myself, halfway across the world to live in Australia for a month, this program was a real challenge for my confidence and my 3D skills.

The accommodation was very good and I had an amazing view of Adelaide. I was right in the city centre, close to all the shops along with cafes and chocolatiers, which I visited on an almost a daily basis. As Australia is mainly an English-speaking country there were times when I was lost, but the locals were very friendly and seemed to love my English accent. The University of Adelaide was only a five minute walk from my accommodation, which was super handy, especially when there were times I would forget my USB stick.

The internship overall was very informative and what I was to do was to create 3D models of my own, be given a pre-scripted Unity file, and edit this file to create a 3D interactive scene all within VR. I’d had no experience with Unity or VR before, so this was a very new hands-on experience. Learning about how to improve my 3D skills and VR design was really interesting. For my project I created a space shuttle scene with guns and robots. Just having the technology to handle VR and being in it was such a whole new interaction I have never experienced before. 

Throughout the month I saw all tourist attractions possible such as the Cleland Wildlife Park to hold a koala, the zoo and seeing pandas, art galleries and museums, the local japanese garden, shops, and all immersive light displays which was part of the Adelaide Illuminate events. My experience was amazing, giving me such an amazing opportunity to work internationally and have time to explore, but to also give myself the confidence I need within myself and within my skills.

John’s Experience

The trip to Adelaide was a fantastic time that not only exposed me to a new culture but also a variety of invaluable experiences. The opportunity given to me allowed me to gain new skills in 3D modelling and VR development, areas I had little experience in, to produce a VR game as the end product.

The University of Adelaide was extremely supportive in teaching and was great at making me feel comfortable in a city that I had not visited before. As well as educational benefits, there were amazing experiences around the city that I got the pleasure to visit.

My favourite memory from the trip is getting to hold a koala at a conservation park and exploring the rich art background that Adelaide has to offer. At the time of visiting, I also got the chance to see a number of light shows around the city which were amazing! It is a trip that I will not forget and would not hesitate in recommending it to anyone interested!