July 13, 2018

Future leaders in business, engineering celebrate at winter graduation ceremonies

Renowned metallurgist to receive Emeritus Professorship

Hundreds of students will celebrate the culmination of their studies when the University of Wollongong holds its winter graduation ceremonies this week.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences and the Faculty of Business will be honoured in four ceremonies held across two days, from Wednesday 18 July to Thursday 19 July.

The ceremonies will recognise the outstanding achievements and personal triumphs of students from a range of academic disciplines, including commerce, business, physics, mathematics, information technology, and engineering.

Professor Nicholas Standish, an internationally renowned metallurgist, will be honoured with an Emeritus Professorship during the morning ceremony on Wednesday (18 July).

A pioneer who has lived a remarkable life, starting in the former Yugoslavia in 1932, Professor Standish has been associated with UOW for more than 40 years, since its formative days.

In addition to establishing offshore study and work-based learning programs, he spearheaded the development of materials research in the early 1990s, which has led to the University’s recognised strength in advanced materials, metallurgy, and steel processing.

On Thursday (19 July), Mr Peter Robson AO will be recognised with an Honorary Doctorate during the morning ceremony.

Mr Robson has devoted his career to helping individuals to improve their outcomes, initially by advocating for employees’ rights and job security during his work with Australia’s trade unions and later by helping students from all walks of life to access tertiary education.

Among the undergraduate cohort, Jacob Bradd will be one of the extraordinary students celebrating the end of their degrees. Jacob, who has completed a Bachelor of Advanced Mathematics (Honours), is graduating just weeks after he turned 19. He started studying at UOW at the age of 13 and is now bound for Pennsylvania State University in the United States, where he will begin his PhD.

The University’s post-graduate research will also be in the spotlight this week. Dr Joseph Tonien, a lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Information Technology, will receive his PhD in pure mathematics, his second completed doctorate.

Nadeera Ranabahu Mudiyanselage will receive her PhD from the Faculty of Business for her thesis, which examined how female entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka uses micro-finance to build their business ideas and expertise.

From the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, Mehdi Robati’s research explored the structural design of a building over its lifetime with the aim of reducing its carbon footprint and energy usage.

Since its foundation, UOW has awarded more than 140,000 degrees and diplomas.