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July 22, 2014

Mid year UOW graduation ceremonies set to begin

Graduands acknowledged for studies ranging from mobiles distracting drivers; aid for epilepsy sufferers; to tipping in restaurants and cafés

More than 1200 students will graduate from UOW this week with ceremonies being held from Wednesday 23-Friday 25 July.

UOW will play host to about 4,000 people (of whom 1200 will be graduands) for the mid year graduation ceremonies. Among the guest speakers will be Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb, who will deliver the Occasional Address at the Wednesday afternoon ceremony; the Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Australia, Mr John Borghetti, who will deliver the Occasional Address (and receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree) at the Thursday morning ceremony; the Chief Information Officer at Woolworths Ltd, Mr Clive Whincup, will deliver the Occasional Address at the Thursday afternoon ceremony; and Senior Honorary Research Fellow from UOW’s Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts, Aunty Barbara Nicholson, will deliver the Occasional Address at the Friday morning ceremony (she will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree).

Six ceremonies will be held over the course of the three days. The morning ceremonies begin at 9.45 and the afternoon ceremonies begin at 2.30 with all the ceremonies being held in the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Hall.

Graduating student highlights include:

• Sanjeev Murthy will receive a Master of Engineering Management degree at the Wednesday morning ceremony. Overcoming adversity in his own first session, Sanjeev has become a role model of an international student wanting to make a difference volunteering across a range of organisations.
   
• Willo Grosse will receive a PhD at the Wednesday afternoon ceremony for her development of a drug delivery brain implant to treat epilepsy.
   
• Phoebe Thomas and Hayley Woolsey have been lifelong friends since their kindergarten days and they will now graduate together at the Wednesday afternoon ceremony.
   
• Liam Cooper is a marketing major Bachelor of Commerce student graduating at the Thursday morning ceremony who is using his acquired business skills in the area that he loves most – the music industry. Liam recently started a marketing internship at Universal Music and is currently the Vocal Co-ordinator for Southern Stars. Southern Stars brings together more than 2,500 students from across southern NSW to an event held at the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Entertainment Centre. Liam is also vocal directing the Arcadians production of Phantom of the Opera and, as well, has been managing the Thirroul Academy of Music and Drama for the past 18 months.
   
• Nathan Turnbull is graduating from his Bachelor of Business degree at the Thursday afternoon ceremony. Currently an honours student in marketing, Nathan is looking at using social marketing to reduce driver distraction -- specifically mobile phone use by young drivers.
   
• Josie Tamate from the South Pacific island country of Niue will receive a PhD at the Friday morning ceremony. Josie has been offered a position as the Director-General, Ministry of Natural Resources, Government of Niue.
   
• Amelia Gow will receive a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) at the Friday morning ceremony. For her final year research project, Amelia wrote a paper called 'The Reality and Legality of Tipping in Australia'. This 10,000-word essay combined empirical research (Amelia conducted 18 in-depth interviews with wait staff, owners and managers of restaurants in the Illawarra region), comparative research (the essay examined the cultural, social and legal context of tipping in Australia compared to that of the US) and a comprehensive analysis of case studies and legal rulings related to tipping in Australia. The essay was also informed by Amelia's six years of experience as a casual worker in the hospitality industry in the Illawarra -- a common means by which university students support themselves during their studies. Her results show a disturbing lack of clear understanding in the hospitality industry about the ownership of tips. Also, the Australian Taxation Office declares unequivocally that tips are to be considered as income, and tax is payable accordingly. Yet Amelia's research shows that this rarely occurs. Given current public discussions around the reduction of penalty rates and its projected impact on workers in the hospitality industry, tips may become an important constituent of a casual wait-person's income, as is the case in the US.
   
• Joanna Russell will receive a PhD at the Friday afternoon ceremony. Her research into food security and diet quality was on track until the middle of her second year when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The rest of the year was taken up with surgery, chemo and radiation therapy. She was then writing up her thesis in early 2013 when she had to return suddenly to the UK to be with her mother following her father’s death. Her mother has now flown out from the UK to celebrate Joanna’s graduation. Joanna is working at UOW as a lecturer in public health.
   
• John Kitchener was the co-recipient of the Robert Hope Memorial Prize in December 2013 but was unable to be present to receive his honour at that time. He will now receive the ¾«¶«´«Ã½’s most prestigious student prize at the Friday afternoon ceremony. John has made an impressive contribution to the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ region and wider community through a number of initiatives. In 2011, John spent 12 months fundraising for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, embarking on a solo bicycle ride from Sydney to the Gold Coast to raise funds and awareness about the foundation. He was selected to volunteer for three months with the Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation, working with Indigenous youth in the community of Lajamanu in the Northern Territory. John has graduated with a Bachelor of Public Health with Distinction majoring in Indigenous Health. In engaging with the wider community and sharing his passion for social equity, John has made an enduring contribution to the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ of ¾«¶«´«Ã½ and the broader community.
   
• Jonnell Uptin will receive a PhD at the Friday afternoon ceremony for her examination of how former refugee youth negotiate their whole identities while resettling in Australia. Jonnell comes from a tiny town in central NSW and is the first in her family to go to university. She did a lot of work with orphans in Thailand years ago and ended up adopting one of the children with whom she worked. Jonnell is currently undertaking work with UOW’s Woolyungah Indigenous Centre.
   
• Four Honorary Awards will be made over the course of the graduation period – Professor Jinghai Li will be admitted as an Honorary Doctor of Science at the Wednesday morning ceremony; Professor Rob Whelan will be admitted as an Emeritus Professor of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ at the Wednesday afternoon ceremony; Mr John Borghetti will be admitted as an Honorary Doctor of Laws at the Thursday morning ceremony; Aunty Barbara Nicholson will be admitted as an Honorary Doctor of Laws at the Friday morning ceremony. [Professor Li has made a distinguished contribution to engineering and strengthened the friendship between China and UOW; Professor Whelan was UOW’s former Dean of Science and former President of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ of ¾«¶«´«Ã½ in Dubai; Mr Borghetti is being recognised for his outstanding contribution to business leadership; and Aunty Barbara Nicholson is being recognised for her overall significant and ongoing service to UOW and her outstanding contribution to law and social justice in Australia.]

Media contact: Bernie Goldie on +61 412 454 124 or Nick Hartgerink on +61 418 424 085.