Professor David St John has committed a lifetime of work to the Materials Engineering industry, campaigning tirelessly to improve the educational facilities available to students at The University of Queensland (UQ).
At the annual Materials Student and Alumni Industry Evening held on Wednesday 25 May, Professor St John was awarded the Materials Australia Silver Medal in recognition of his contribution to the materials engineering industry.
Professor St John’s commitment to improving education within the materials and manufacturing industries was highlighted when he led a successful bid to the Queensland State Government’s Innovation Building Fund for the construction of a new building at UQ on Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing (AMPAM).
In 2009, Professor St John also participated in a bid to the Australian Government winning another $50 million under the Education Investment Fund for the construction of the Advanced Engineering Building, which will house AMPAM, Civil Engineering and new state of the art teaching and learning facilities.
Head of School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, Professor David Mee said that Professor St John was an integral member of UQ’s engineering staff and a worthy recipient of this prestigious award.
“During his time at UQ, Professor St John has contributed greatly to the growth and improvement of the Materials Engineering sector and has proven to be an excellent mentor to his students,” Professor David Mee said.
The Materials Australia Silver Medal was awarded to Professor St John for his outstanding contributions to materials development through fundamental research, technological development and the establishment and management of key national materials research centres.
UQ Materials Engineering alumni, members of Materials Australia, industry representatives, and current Materials Engineering students and staff from Queensland universities attended the networking evening.
Professor of Materials Engineering, Andrej Atrens said the annual Materials Engineering event hosted by UQ in conjunction with HRL and Materials Australia, provided a great opportunity for students and staff to network with industry and to keep up to date with the current trends and issues facing the materials industry.
“This annual event is a great way for students to receive a direct insight into the Materials industry and to network with industry who could potentially become their employers,” Professor Atrens said.
Media: UQ Professor Andrej Atrens, 3365 3748, andrejs.atrens@uq.edu.au or Madelene Flanagan 3365 8525, m.flanagan@uq.edu.au
