2012 Alumni Awards

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Tags: summer-2012

Leading minds in nanotechnology, medicine, environmental engineering and academia were honoured at UQ’s annual alumni awards ceremony on October 23.

The awards recognise those who have achieved outstanding success in their fields and made exemplary contributions to their communities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Høj acknowledged that after just three weeks in the leadership role he can see the role alumni play in making UQ one of the world’s top 100 universities.

“It is not only research and teaching that makes UQ competitive but also its alumni, by simply doing what you do, and doing it well, you enhance the name of UQ,” he said.

The 2012 Alumnus of the Year, Dr Jean Calder, was honoured for her work with disabled children in Lebanon, Egypt and more recently in the Gaza Strip.

The Young Alumnus of the year was awarded to Professor Mark Kendall, a biomedical engineer at UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, who has created the revolutionary Nanopatch – a needle free drug-delivery vehicle, which he hopes will change the way vaccines are delivered throughout the developing world.

Hong Kong-based Professor Kin-Man Ho, received the International Alumnus of the Year Award. Professor Ho is regarded as a pioneer of the environmental engineering and wastewater management sector in South-East Asia and beyond.

Graduate of the Year awards were given to Hilary Chenevix Martin, now working towards a PhD at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University and Mitchell Watt who is completing a Graduate Diploma in Economics at UQ.

Professor Høj spoke of the strong role alumni play in defining UQ as a borderless university.

“If we play even a small role in an alumnus’s development, their success and their drive to contribute to society, then it makes us very proud,” he said.

Alumnus of the Year

Dr Jean Calder AC

Dr Jean Calder AC

Diploma in Physical Education – ’58, Certficate in Education – ’63Certificate in Teaching and Training Sub Normal Children – ’67, Bachelor of Arts – ’6From the early 1980s, Dr Calder has worked in the Middle East as a specialist in assisting disabled children in Lebanon, Egypt and, more recently, the Gaza Strip. Over many years, Dr Calder has made enormous contributions to the Gazan children, and influenced policy and practice within the Palestinian territories. Throughout her career, she has continually supervised research students, sharing her insights with the next generation of education and aid workers.

International Alumnus of the Year

Professor Kin-Man Ho

Professor Kin-Man Ho

PhD in Chemical Engineering – ’95
Professor Kin-Man Ho has more than 20 years of experience in the sewage and wastewater treatment industry. He is a leading entrepreneur in the environmental engineering field and has been involved in the engineering, design and implementation of more than 200 sewage and wastewater treatment plants across South-East Asia.

Young Alumnus of the Year

Professor Mark Kendall

Professor Mark Kendall

Bachelor of Engineering Honours – ’93 PhD in Mechanical Engineering – ’98Professor Mark Kendall is considered a world-leader in the field of needle-free gene and drug delivery. He has been an inventor of over 50 patents and is the lead inventor of the Nanopatch, a device that has the potential to replace needles and overcome key challenges in vaccine and medicine delivery in the developing world.

Graduate of the Year

Hilary Chenevix Martin

Hilary Chenevix Martin

Bachelor of Science in Genetics – ’10Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry First Class Honours – ‘11
In September 2011, Hilary Chenevix Martin began her PhD at the Welcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University. She is currently analysing the ‘next generation’ of DNA sequencing data, aimed at evaluating the potential of whole genome. Hilary was the winner of the University Medal, and was awarded the Biochemistry Alumni Prize and a UQ Exchange Scholarship.

Graduate of the Year

Mitchell Watt

Mitchell Watt

Bachelor Science in Mathematics – ’10Bachelor of Science in Mathematics First Class Honours – ‘11
Mitchell is currently undertaking a Graduate Diploma in Economics at UQ, and has plans to join a Masters program in the UK. He hopes to return to UQ to undertake a PhD in mathematical economics. He continues to teach in mathematics tutorials and practicals and was the winner of the UQ Dean’s Excellence and Equity Scholarship, the UQ Abroad Exchange Scholarship and the University Medal.

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