Report to Donors 2009 - University of Melbourne

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REPORT TO DONORS » 2009 Scholarship inspires top student to obtain PhD » FOR Daniel Taft, being awarded the Elizabeth and Vernon Puzey Graduate Research Scholarship from March 2006 through to August 2009 affirmed his interest in pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy. Daniel Taft (middle) discusses his research with his two supervisors, Professor Anthony Burkitt (left) and Dr David Grayden (right). Photo courtesy of the Bionic Ear Institute Daniel Taft will have his PhD conferred in March this year, in recognition of his research into having the cochlear implant (bionic ear) better mimic sounds so that users of the implant could achieve more realistic hearing. The scholarship is funded from the elizabeth and Vernon Puzey Foundation that supports students undertaking research in Science, Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences or engineering and is jointly managed by the University of Melbourne and equity Trustees. As a younger student, Daniel was initially interested in studying medicine, page 8 » but shifted his focus to engineering after visiting the University at open Day. However, it wasn’t until Daniel’s final undergraduate year that he married his medical and engineering interests. “one of my PhD supervisors was a guest lecturer in one of my classes where he talked about the cochlear implant. After that I read Graeme Clarke’s book and decided to do my research on the implant.” Professor Anthony burkitt was the guest lecturer who inspired Daniel down his research path. Professor burkitt remembers meeting Daniel as a final year “Scholarships are the lifeblood of research. It means the very best students can stay at the University of Melbourne rather than studying overseas.” undergraduate student. “Daniel was a very, very good student. He has an incredible aptitude for research. He is focused, organised and has an insight into the implications of his research.” Daniel was also awarded the Dixson Scholarship in engineering in June 2009. The Dixson Scholarship allowed him to focus on writing a journal article once his PhD was submitted and being considered by the examiners. The article has been accepted by Institute of electrical engineers (Iee) Transactions on Biomedical Engineering journal. “The journal is an international publication which means that my research will be widely available to other researchers. It also gives me some professional recognition for my work.” no doubt Daniel’s work will also contribute to the University of Melbourne maintaining its reputation as a leader in the field of cochlear implant technology. While the research has allowed Daniel to further his own career, it has also generated the potential to improve the hearing quality of thousands worldwide who rely on cochlear implants. “The distance between pure research and application is very close in Daniel’s PhD,” says Professor burkitt. “Daniel worked with patients, using a studio at the bionic ear Institute to test the benefit of his ideas with cochlear implant users.” Does Professor burkitt see the results of scholarships on offer? You bet he does. “Scholarships are the lifeblood of research. It means the very best students can stay at the University of Melbourne rather than studying overseas.”
Scholarship helps students bridge international legal issues » The John and Alison Kearney overseas Scholarships are awarded to students based upon academic merit and financial need. The students must also have been accepted into an approved course of study at an overseas university. The Scholarships, each worth $5000, are being awarded for a period of five years and will support 26 students in total. Devon Whittle, a 2009 recipient, spent a semester at the Centre for Transnational Legal Studies (CTLS) in London. Devon also spent three months in Arusha, Tanzania, after successfully gaining an intern placement at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). 2009 » REPORT TO DONORS Alumni Mr John Kearney AM, QC and Mrs Alison Kearney were inspired to support the Melbourne law School’s (MlS) overseas scholarship program by the School’s Dean, Professor Michael Crommelin AO, and by those who taught Mr Kearney at the law School in the late 1940s. Mr John Kearney AM, QC and Mrs Alison Kearney Food for our future » The CTLS is a joint venture of ten leading global law schools that teach semester length programs to students from partner universities. MLS is the only Australian member of the CTLS. “At the Centre I gained a great deal of knowledge about transnational law – including arbitration, counter-terrorism and international business law, and also experienced a legal education that truly crossed borders and jurisdictions,” said Devon. “The scholarship made it possible for me to fulfill a personal dream, interning at the ICTR, and to learn a great deal about an area of law that is virtually unavailable in Australia.” In donating funds for a new scholarship for the Melbourne School of land and Environment, benefactor Miss Isobel Robinson supports students in researching sustainable food production for Australia. Miss Robinson, a member of the Seymour Agricultural and Pastoral Society, established the Robinson Family Scholarship, for students studying food resources, in memory of her family who farmed in the nagambie district. “I’m very concerned about our country’s ability to produce food in the future,” she said. Miss Robinson donated $100,000 to fund one or more annual scholarships to begin in 2010. She also made a separate donation of $5,000 so that a scholarship could be awarded in 2009. The School of Land and environment, in consultation with the Seymour Agricultural and Pastoral Society, selected James Challis as the scholarship winner. Preference is given to students from the nagambie, Seymour and Kilmore district and it seems that the scholarship was “Without the scholarship, I couldn’t have gone on to do my honours year.” Appreciating the opportunity that the scholarship provided, he secured first-class honours for his thesis. meant for James, who has a farming background and comes from Tallarook. “It was very interesting meeting with Isobel as we have an old family connection,” he said. “My dad advised her sister on livestock. Isobel is still very interested in agriculture and food supply. She wanted to help young people coming through in this area.” Miss Isobel Robinson meets recipient James Challis » page 9
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Report to Donors 2009 - University of Melbourne

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