The future of the world’s energy supply is a challenge that excites University of Queensland graduate, Rhianna Cardamone.

The Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Valedictorian is about to start a job with ConocoPhillips, an exploration and production company, and said her chosen industry must optimise production opportunities, while simultaneously managing climate-related risks.

“The role the industry holds in deciding what the future of the world’s energy supply looks like is one of immense responsibility, but also immense opportunity,” Ms Cardamone said.

“I am excited to see how innovation and teamwork will lead us to develop responsible and sustainable energy production methods, particularly within the context of ConocoPhillips' LNG production in Australia.”

Ms Cardamone participated in the New Colombo Plan during her studies with a sponsored visit to Japan, and then took a semester off for an internship with Oshima Shipbuilding Industry, which involved practical work and industry research.

She said the mentorship she received at the University made all the difference.

“UQ presented me with opportunities and pathways I never even knew existed, and more than that, the staff consistently encouraged me to pursue them,” she said.

“I think the University does an outstanding job of personally investing in its students and encouraging them to pursue pathways which embolden them to achieve excellence.

“ConocoPhillips is a company that UQ helped connect me with in my second year of studying engineering.

“This company consistently supported and took an interest in my studies, which was of immeasurable impact to my university experience and built my competency as a graduate engineer.”

She said the semester away and its practical experience helped her contextualise her studies when she returned to UQ and was something she’d recommend to future students.

“It helped me to appreciate the teaching methods I was exposed to - the importance of understanding concepts from first principles, why I had to work in groups all the time and how important economic understanding is to engineering.

“Even more so, I gained understanding of how all these different aspects - technical, relational and business - needed to work together.”

She is now looking forward to a busy and meaningful future.

“I was drawn to engineering because there was always a purpose behind the projects, and I hope my career reflects this,” she said.

“I want to work hard to always maintain integrity, promote teamwork, operate ethically and in doing this, strive to achieve excellence.”

And perhaps lead the way in developing clean energy.

Image above left: Rhianna Cardamone with her supervisor at Oshima Shipyard.

Media: UQ Communication, communications@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3365 3439.