The University of Queensland's Graduate of the Year could be forgiven for dancing for joy this week.
After a hard day's PhD study in the UQ Mathematics Department, Karen Dancer likes nothing better than a waltz or a cha cha, strictly ballroom style.
"I studied ballet for many years and I've been learning ballroom dance for pleasure for the past two and a half years," Ms Dancer said.
"It's a nice change from my academic interests in mathematical physics, supervised by the Head of the Mathematics Department Dr Mark Gould."
Ms Dancer is only the third recipient of the Graduate of the Year award, which she will receive at a May 24 UQ graduation ceremony at Mayne Hall, St Lucia at 6pm, swapping her dance clothes and shoes for a mortar board and academic robes.
After completing Year 12 at Brisbane Girls Grammar with an OP1, she decided to study science at UQ.
"I knew I wanted to do science and that UQ was the best science university in the State," she said. "I didn't know until I got here whether to specialise in maths or physics, but then I found I really did enjoy maths."
She achieved a Grade Point Average of 6.99 for her Science degree awarded with first class honours in Mathematics. Her honours thesis supervised by Dr Elizabeth Billington was in the field of combinatorics, specialising in design theory.
Her current studies centre on algebraic structures in mathematical physics, and may have potential application in condensed matter physics.
"Our department is really strong in mathematical physics, which is an emerging field in the discipline," she said.
Ms Dancer has earned eight Dean's commendations during her tertiary academic career, also winning the Priest Memorial Prize and the James Cecil Stevenson Memorial Prize, both in 1998; the Dulcie Evelyn Williams Memorial Prize in 1999; and the Harriett Marks Bursary and the Ethel Raybould Prize for mathematics, both in 2000.
In 1999 the University's Alumni Association initiated the award for the University medallist with the highest Grade Point Average.
Previous winners are Adrian Seet, a first class honours graduate in engineering and arts, now studying at Stanford University, and first class honours graduate in information technology Karen Henricksen, currently a PhD student in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.
Media: Further information, Karen Dancer, telephone 3365 3258 or Jan King at UQ Communications 0413 601 248.
