Founder and Executive Director of the Hear and Say program, Dr Dimity Dornan, AM, whose lifetime has been devoted to helping deaf children communicate, has been announced as the 2011 UQ Alumnus of the Year.
Dr Dornan will be honoured at The University of Queensland’s annual Courting the Greats gala dinner on Saturday September 24 at the Exhibition Hall in the UQ Centre, St Lucia.
Her award will be presented at the event in association with Alumni Friends of The University of Queensland Inc.
The event will celebrate UQ’s alumni community and pay tribute to exceptional alumni who have achieved distinction in their chosen fields and recognition among their peers.
Beginning at 5.45pm, the black tie event will also honour UQ’s Young Alumnus of the Year, and International Alumnus of the Year, to be announced on the night.
For the first time, five Graduates of the Year from the class of 2011will be presented. The five winners received perfect grades all the way through their degrees.
The University has received a large number of nominees in all categories.
“The diversity of this year’s applicants is testament to the success of our graduates both here and overseas in a wide range of disciplines,” UQ Pro Vice-Chancellor (Advancement) Clare Pullar said.
“The calibre of our nominees has certainly reinforced the strong innovation and leadership our alumni community had demonstrated since graduation,” Ms Pullar said.
The event will also feature performances by international ballroom dancers, UQ Pipe Band at Emmanuel College, the School of Music’s Tropical Dance Orchestra, and a special private viewing of the UQ Art Museum Exhibitions.
Registration can be made online.
Alternately, contact the Courting the Greats team via Sandy Squire on 07 3346 3166 or s.squire@uq.edu.au to book a seat or table, or for more information.
A speech pathologist, Dr Dornan founded Hear and Say in 1992.
It is a not-for-profit organisation assisting children with hearing impairments so they can learn to listen and speak through advanced hearing technology. She is also the Founder of Hear and Say Research Innovation and Hear and Say Worldwide.
Since 1992, the program has helped hundreds of children and Dr Dornan has established a telemedicine outreach program for rural, regional, and international children.
Earning her PhD at UQ in 2011, Dr Dornan is a previous recipient of a 1992 Churchill Fellowship, in 1999 received an Award of Distinction for Services to Medicine by the Australian Medical Association, and was the 2010 Suncorp Queenslander of the Year.
Since publishing her doctoral study on the outcomes of children with hearing loss educated in Auditory-Verbal Therapy programs, Dr Dornan has presented her research at 16 major international conferences.
As part of Hear and Say, Dr Dornan has recently initiated an international consortium of 10 universities focusing on similar research and therapy.
Nominees in other categories are:
Young Alumnus of the Year nominees
• Dr David Bryant - Bachelor of Science (Hons) (2002) Doctor of Philosophy (Molecular Bioscience) (2006). Dr Bryant is the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Research Fellow in the Department of Anatomy, University of California.
• Dr Grant Challen - Doctor of Philosophy (Molecular Bioscience) (2006). Dr Challen is an Instructor in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA.
• Ms Laura Gannon - Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning (Hons) (2007). She is a Senior Project Officer with the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.
• Dr Chadden Hunter - Bachelor of Science (Hons) (1995). Dr Hunter has produced wildlife conservation films for the BBC, Animal Planet, the Discovery Channel and National Geographic in diverse locations.
• Ms Anna Kloeden - Bachelor of Arts (2006), Bachelor of Laws (Hons) (2007). Ms Kloeden is a Queensland Rhodes Scholar (2008), currently completing a Doctor of Philosophy in Law (her research relates to the regulation of foreign-run charitable foundations in China).
• Dr Alex Markwell - Bachelor of Science (1998), MBBS (2002). Dr Markwell (AMAQ President-elect 2012-2013) is a highly regarded member of the Australian and Queensland medical communities.
• Dr Kala Mulqueeny - Bachelor of Commerce (1991), Bachelor of Laws (Hons) (1994). Dr Mulqueeny is a 2011 Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a 2010 Yale World Fellow and a Senior Counsel in the Office of General Counsel (OGC) at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• Dr David Noon - Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (1991), Doctor of Philosophy (Electrical Engineering) (1996). Dr Noon is co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of GroundProbe, and co-inventor of the patented Slope Stability Radar and Work Area Monitor technologies.
• Ms Nuraidila Razak - Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Journalism (2009). Ms Razak is a journalist who has spent her career reporting live from street demonstrations and tackling the most contentious of subjects including religious tolerance and race relations.
• Mr John Taylor - Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) (1994). Mr Taylor is an experienced radio and television journalist who has worked for the ABC on the 7:30 Report, Stateline, ABC News, and Radio Current Affairs.
• Dr Miranda Wallace - Bachelor of Arts (Hons) (1994). Dr Wallace is the Acting Curatorial Manager (International Art, and Exhibitions and Research) at the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.
International Alumnus of the Year nominees
• Dr Sunit Hendrana - Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry) (1999). Dr Hendrana is the Head, Division for New Materials, Research Centre for Physics at the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) and Research Manager, Competitive Research Program, LIPI Sub Program Clean and Renewable Energy and Sustainable Water Supply.
• Professor Bermawi Iskandar - Master of Engineering Science (1989), Doctor of Philosophy (Mechanical Engineering) (1993). Professor Iskandar, of the Department of Industrial Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia is Vice Dean of the Faculty of Industrial Technology, ITB.
• Dr Martha Kartasurya - Doctor of Philosophy (Nutrition) (2006). Dr Kartasurya is Head of the Master’s Program in Public Health, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia.
• Mr Edwin Khew - Bachelor of Engineering (1972). Mr Khew is the co-founder, CEO and Managing Director of IUT Global Pty Ltd, a global environmental waste technology and management company with its headquarters in Singapore.
• Associate Professor Yuichi Murakami - Doctor of Philosophy (Nutrition) (2006). Dr Murakami is an Associate Professor at the Fukushima University Faculty of Administration and Social Sciences in Japan.
• Mr Jerico Pardosi - Master of International Public Health (2010). Mr Pardosi is a Junior Researcher at the National Institute of Health Research and Development, Indonesian Ministry of Health.
• Dr Seong-Young Park - Doctor of Philosophy (Museum Studies) (2010). Dr Park is the Acting Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General at the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO.
• Professor Hero Suhartanto - Doctor of Philosophy (Parallel Computing) (1998). Professor Suhartanto is based in the Faculty of Computer Science (Fasilkom), Universitas Indonesia.
• Ms Beate Von Der Osten - Master of Arts (2004). Ms von der Osten is Head of Language Services, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, in Tokyo, Japan.
Graduates of the Year 2011 winners
• Amy Chan - Bachelor of Science in the field of Mathematics with Honours Class 1
• Christian Hoermann - Bachelor of Engineering in the field of Software Engineering with Honours Class 1
• Nicola Stromsoe - Bachelor of Science in the field of Geographical Science with Honours Class 1
• Tee Ernest - Bachelor of Biotechnology in the field of Drug Design and Development with Honours Class 1
• Jack Valmadre - Bachelor of Engineering with an extended major in Mechatronic Engineering with Honours Class 1
