21-07-2023
We have had an exciting start to our Scholarship Selection for 2024, receiving over 280 applications from passionate young Australian leaders looking to expand their horizons. We are thankful for the generous volunteers who will be reviewing our applicants and look forward to the upcoming interview panels to be held around Australia.
In this edition we see our Scholars sought by Governments to contribute as leaders in field, we celebrate newly appointed positions, and are welcomed by esteemed guests in Brisbane. We also say farewell to a great friend of the Foundation.
We hope you enjoy the news that follows.
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A record number of federal MPs and senators are seeking expert advice from leaders in the STEM community, with 26 new STEM ambassadors named in a program that matches politicians with experts.
The program from Science and Technology Australia was created in 2019 to expand politicians’ access to experts in STEM fields. The ambassadors regularly meet with the MP or Senator they have been matched with over a two-year period.
Dr Maja Arsic, 2017 BHP John Monash Scholar and Winanga-y CERC Postdoctoral Fellow CSIRO will be meeting with Angie Bell, MP for Moncrieff, Qld, to provide advice on STEM policy issues.
BHP John Monash Scholar attends World Mining Congress |
BHP CEO Mike Henry and 2023 BHP John Monash Scholar Nicholas Maurer at the World Mining Conference.
Nicholas Maurer, the 2023 BHP John Monash Scholarship recipient, recently participated in the World Mining Congress (WMC) in Brisbane, Australia, where industry leaders and over 3000 delegates from 58 countries, including BHP representatives, gathered to discuss the future of global mining.
Attending the WMC, Nicholas had the opportunity to join several presentations, including the plenary keynote by CEO Mike Henry and the decarbonisation technical keynote panel led by BHP team members. He appreciated the candid discussions about the challenges of achieving net-zero emissions in the mining sector and society as a whole. Nicholas completed his Bachelor Degree in Engineering and Physics at The University of Queensland, earning first-class honors and a University Medal. As a BHP John Monash Scholarship recipient, he will soon pursue a PhD in Engineering at Princeton University in the United States.
Nicholas has focused his studies on future decarbonised energy systems and has received recognition for an award-winning paper on this subject. He believes that attending industry events like the WMC contributes to his growth as a successful and well-rounded academic.
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Jillian Segal AO, Chair with the Governor of QLD Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM Last week the General Sir John Monash Foundation held a celebration dinner at Customs House, Brisbane as part of the 20th anniversary of the Foundation awarding scholarships. The event, hosted by board director Tonianne Dwyer and Charman Jillian Segal AO welcomed Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, Professor Graeme Nimmo RFD along with esteemed local guests and John Monash Scholars. |
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Georgia Behrens, 2022 Roden Cutler NSW John Monash Scholar is celebrating a new appointment as an Assistant Director in the Australian Government’s National Health, Climate and Sustainability Unit where she will be developing Australia’s first National Health and Climate Strategy. Georgia is currently completing her Master of Science in Public Health - Environment and Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, which she hopes to complete in September. Welcome home Georgia!
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Dr Fernando do Campo, 2014 Australian Cultural (Tim Fairfax AC and Australia Council of the Arts) John Monash Scholar has been mentioned in artdaily.com as a feature of their 2023 Gallery Highlights, for a showing at Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert. In this exhibit Fernando continues to explore his interest in the histories carried by nature, placing the lens on introduced tree species to uncover histories within the Australian landscape.
Fernando is the first John Monash Scholar to receive a Scholarship for Fine Arts, which saw him complete an Masters in Fine Arts at Parsons School of Design. He has undertaken residencies at the Chelsea Westminster Hospital, London; Cite International des Arts, Paris and BMUKK, Austrian Ministry of Culture, Vienna. His major solo exhibition To companion a companion is being co-presented by Contemporary Art Tasmania, Hobart; UNSW Galleries, Sydney; and Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Perth across 2021-22. Since 2017, Fernando has been a Lecturer at UNSW Art & Design
Shooting for the stars
Chris Lowe, 2012 Origin Foundation John Monash Scholar is hard at work at SpaceX as a Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Engineer on the Dragon spacecraft. This role involves planning and flying missions with both crew (astronauts) and cargo to and from the International Space Station and making sure Dragon safely docks with the station. His next mission is NASA Crew-7 in August, with an international crew including astronauts from America, Russia, Japan and Denmark.
You can learn about his upcoming mission here.
Congratulations from all of us at HQ on his growing family. Thanks for keeping in touch!
A bien tout
Dr Martin, Seneviratne 2017 Roden Cutler NSW John Monash Scholar, Dr Maja Arsic 2017 BHP John Monash Scholar, Emma Howard 2016 Origin Foundation John Monash Scholar, Thomas Jenkins 2020 Wesfarmers John Monash Scholar, Annemarie Rolls, CEO, Jessie, Hughes 2020 Lee Liberman John Monash Scholar, Nicholas Maurer 2023 BHP John Monash Scholar and Andrew Hudson 2005 John Monash Scholar – sharing memories at the 20th Anniversary Celebration Dinner at Customs House in Brisbane.
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Creating a landscape for global disease response
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Dr. Alexandra Phelan has contributed to a new platform, launched by Georgetown University to help navigate Laws Governing the Prevention of Infectious Disease Emergence Worldwide. The platform – named AMP for EID (Analysis and Mapping of Policies for all Emerging Infectious Diseases), will provide a landscape assessment of the policies and governance regimes relevant to emerging infectious diseases and outbreak response. The data gathered by AMP for EID can also help researchers and policy makers identify areas where policies are unclear or lacking, as well as which policies would be most helpful for stopping infectious disease spread. Dr Phelan is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Senior Scholar at the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is internationally recognised as an expert in global health law, specialising in international law and infectious diseases and the impact of global change events on health, including planetary health issues like biodiversity and climate change.
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Farewell to our CEO Annemarie Rolls
This week will mark the end of an era for the Foundation, as we say farewell to our CEO Annemarie Rolls. Annemarie joined us in 2017 and has been a dedicated and passionate leader. We wish her the best of luck with her new venture.
PODCAST: Dr Sally Thompson
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This weeks podcast features Dr Sally Thompson, 2006 John Monash Scholar. Sally completed her PhD in Environmental Science at Duke University (North Carolina, USA) in 2010, studying the how changes in the pattern of vegetation growth on landscapes predicts changes to ecosystems. She worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University, and as a Visiting Scholar at Princeton University and Teaching Scholar at Purdue University. Sally was an Assistant Professor in Surface Water Hydrology in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley from 2012-2017, before being tenured and becoming an Associate Professor and the Claire and Hseih-Wen Shen Distinguished Research Chair. In 2019, she started work at the University of Western Australia as an Associate Professor of Hydrology. Her research focuses on vegetation as a major driver of the water balance. In this episode, Sally also talks about the current challenges she's facing outside of work.
In the media
Dr Mark Schembri has been mentioned on 9news.com.au after reuniting with Olympic equestrian Vicki Roycroft, who provided lifesaving intervention earlier this year. Ms Roycroft's aorta burst during an event at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in April, Dr Schembri said there was no pulse and no response from Roycroft so they began multiple cycles of CPR before paramedics arrived. Read More
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Dr Alexandra Phelan was quoted in the Washington Post regarding an urgency for a new pandemic preparedness office, amid growing concerns about response capacity for the USA for the next global health crisis. |