Young engineers win defence support
by
Michele Nardelli
Six of UniSA’s most promising engineering students have been
presented with annual scholarships awarded by the Defence Science and
Technology Organisation (DSTO).
All second year students of the Bachelor of Engineering (Information Technology) – Darren Milligan of Payneham; Benjamin Sladden of Golden Grove; Christopher Thomas of Lewiston; Gregory Richards of Port Augusta; Andrew Orth of Tranmere; and Michael Eaton of Heathfield – each received a $2,000 cheque and framed scholarship certificate of achievement as an encouragement to pursue studies and research in information science.
Director of DSTO’s Information Sciences Laboratory, Neil Bryans, said the scholarships were especially important in a year when the valuable contributions of pioneering scientists was being celebrated across the world, the International Year of Physics.
“This important support to students at the undergraduate level is a demonstration of DSTO’s commitment to developing the intellectual capital needed to broaden Australia’s scientific skills base by inspiring a new generation of scientists and engineers,” Bryans said.
“As a major employer of scientists, engineers and information technology specialists, it is vital to DSTO that Australian universities continue to produce high quality graduates.
“So we are more than pleased to support this endeavour by awarding these scholarships and encouraging students to strive for excellence in their chosen field.”
UniSA’s Head of School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Professor Andrew Nafalski, thanked DSTO for its institutional commitment to furthering its collaboration with UniSA in many areas but particularly in enhancing educational development for students.
“DSTO’s Centre of Excellence in Systems Engineering - Systems Engineering and Evaluation Centre (SEEC) – is one example of this collaboration, with SEEC’s Professor Stephen Cook jointly appointed by DSTO and UniSA,” Prof Nafalski said.
“DSTO supports a large number of consultancy, research and educational
projects, and a flagship of that support is the continuing education initiative
which strongly underpins postgraduates continuing education.”