January 28, 2015
Student and staff contributions to Illawarra recognised at Australia Day awards
UOW students and staff have been recognised for their contributions to the community at the 2015 Wollongong City Council Australia Day Awards.
Professor Naj Aziz (centre) has been mentoring and guiding UOW mining engineering students for more than three decades.
PhD student Michael De Santis from UOW’s Centre for Translational Neuroscience (CTN) and engineering graduate Ashley Heath were awarded joint Young Citizens of the Year.
Swimmer and Bachelor of Business student Emma McKeon won the sports achievement award after her impressive medal haul at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Professer Naj Aziz, from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, won the first award for Innovation in recognition of his leadership in mining engineering.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings congratulated the Australia Day award recipients.
"The broad range of recipients and their contributions reflect who we are as a university community and our commitment to the region.
"UOW has a proud and strong tradition in training skilled engineers and driving innovation in the steel industry. It’s particularly pleasing to see Professor Naj Aziz, a long-time servant of the University, recognised for driving innovations in mining engineering as well as mentoring and guiding students for more than three decades.
"Forty years ago UOW was born out of a community hungry for higher learning and we can all share the pride in seeing that community continue to make their mark on the world."
Young Citizens of the Year: Michael De Santis
Michael’s community efforts include the Telstra Beach to Bush Program that helps pupils from the rural areas understand risks associated with the surf and teaching them basic water skills so they can enjoy the beach safely. Michael is heavily involved with surf life saving and a number of charitable organisations.
He is currently a PhD candidate at CTN and has volunteered at Careers Fairs for the School of Medicine in Wollongong and Sydney.
Joint winner: Ashley Heath
Ashley hails from the NSW/VIC border town of Jerilderie and came to UOW to study mechanical engineering and maths after being impressed with the campus at a UOW Open Day. This year he will start a PhD in sustainable development using mathematical modelling.
In his time outside university, Ashley volunteers for the State Emergency Service and the Rural Fire Service as well as fundraising at the Cancer Council and Leukaemia Foundation.
He has been heavily involved in the organisation of the Port Kembla Billy Cart Derby for past three years. Ashley has also won the Weeronian of the Year award twice running, a prize given to students living at Weerona College who possess leadership qualities and help to fellow student residents and friendliness.
Outstanding Achievement or Innovation: Professor Naj Aziz
Professor Aziz has been a core member of UOW’s proud history in mining engineering and established the mining engineering degree in 1981, which has gone on to continually produce one of the largest, most successful cohorts of mining engineering students in Australia.
He established the only research laboratory for mine gas and outburst control in an Australian university and has world-recognised expertise in roof bolt testing for underground mines.
Professor Aziz has been the long-term convenor of the annual Coal Operators Conference, Australia’s premier technical coal event. He is the author of more than 130 technical papers as well as being widely regarded by peers, industry and students.
In 2013 Professor Aziz was awarded a University Fellowship in recognition of outstanding achievement, exceptional service and significant contributions to UOW.
Sports Achievement: Emma McKeon
Business student Emma McKeon demonstrated excellence in swimming at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. She won four Gold medals (200m Freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay and 4x100m individual medley relay) and two Bronze medals (100m freestyle and 100m butterfly).
Notable mention
Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health student support officer Kay Kent was nominated for the City of Wollongong Citizen of the Year award. Kay has been the Administrator of UOW’s Student Health Alliance for Rural Populations (SHARP) since first establishing the club as part of the National Rural Health Network. She has been credited with inspiring many students to consider a rural health career and establish networks with students who have similar interests.
A full list of recipients can be viewed on the Wollongong City Council website.