February 16, 2023

UOW graduate receives prestigious Engineers Australia Graduate Award

Harry Cameron recognised as a dedicated engineering graduate

Being surrounding by ancient ferns, towering stone monoliths and exploring eerie fog engulfed valleys is where University of Wollongong (UOW) graduate Harry Cameron feels most at home.

“The outdoors is where I go to take a deep breath, find beautiful locations to hike and create long-lasting memories,” the former President of the UOW Outdoor Club said.

It’s worlds away from his day job, working at Bluescope’s Port Kembla Steelworks as an electrical engineer.

“I’m currently part of the No. 6 Blast Furnace Reline Project and I get to apply a wide variety of topics I learnt at university to real world engineering problems,” Harry said.

It’s this passion for his work and dedication to the profession of engineering that saw Harry receive the Engineers Australia Graduate Award for 2021 (awarded in December 2022).

The award aims to recognise the hard work and achievements of Australia’s most dedicated engineering graduates and to acknowledge those who will join the engineering profession and contribute to its future.

_{Harry receives his Engineers Australia Graduate Award}

Executive Dean in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, Senior Professor Gursel Alici, said Harry was a deserving graduate of the Engineers Australia award.

“It’s wonderful to see Harry’s hard work and dedication pay off and for him to be recognised for his contribution to the engineering profession,” Senior Professor Alici said.

"Harry was a responsible, dedicated, innovative and hardworking student, a team player with who always demonstrated his engineering application knowledge through numerous projects and professional placements.

“Harry is a very good reflection of how we train and prepare our graduates for real life and make them life-ready graduates with basic research skills."

Harry said he was delighted to receive the Engineers Australia Graduate Award.

“I felt honoured to be recognised by Engineers Australia as a dedicated engineering student and graduate entering the workforce,” Harry said.

“It is also a testament to the quality of teaching, support and fostering of learning that is provided by the School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering and the School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics staff at UOW.”

Harry’s journey at UOW started in 2016 and in 2022 he graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Mathematics and a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Scholar), Electrical Engineering. Harry also received the University Medal for his results in engineering during his time at UOW.

“My favourite part of studying at UOW was getting taught by passionate lecturers in electrical engineering and mathematics,” Harry said.

“Getting to learn the theory in lectures and then apply it in the lab classes in areas such as power and digital communications, with access to high quality laboratory equipment was invaluable to my learning experience.

“The broad range of clubs and numerous club activities during my time was also a favourite. Getting to meet a wide variety of people and partake in interesting activities, ranging from a ski trip with the Snowsport Club to camping trips with the Outdoor Club, was a fantastic opportunity.”

While Harry is no longer the president of the Outdoor Club after finishing up and moving on to the next stage of his career, his love of the outdoors and hiking hasn’t waned. Neither has his innate curiosity and critical thinking of the world around him, whether that be a blast furnace or frost-covered mountain.

He’s developed his own website, Harry’s Hiking, to share his own multi-day hiking itineraries to inspire other people to get outdoors and enjoy the natural beauty of the Australian landscape.

“I’ve always struggled to describe to others why I love delving into wild places, why I’d want to get soaking wet, or lost in the bush,” Harry said.

“At the end, after the days spent hiking, I can always clearly remember the breath-taking parts and look back of the photos to tell a story to others.

 “Through my blogs, photos, and itineraries, I hope to make it easier for people to plan and embark on their own outdoor adventures.”