News and Events
NSW International Student of the Year
May 2013
University of Newcastle Bachelor of Medicine student Mohamed Ehsan Ebrahim has been named the New South Wales Higher Education International Student of the Year.
The 2013 NSW International Student of the Year Awards, announced by Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner, showcase the initiatives and achievements of NSW-based international students across a range of educational programs, including higher education, vocational education and training, and schools programs.
Since arriving at the University of Newcastle in 2007 Mohamed has balanced a demanding Bachelor of Medicine program with a wide range of community roles. He has advocated for the rights of international students; represented the interests of Muslim and international students on various student bodies, and worked tirelessly toward cross-cultural understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims in schools and the local community.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Andrew Parfitt, congratulated Mohamed on receiving the award that acknowledges the valuable advocacy role he has played at the University of Newcastle since 2007.
"Mohamed’s efforts to represent the interests of international students, as well as his work to increase cross-cultural understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims in Newcastle, is of great importance.
“The University of Newcastle is immensely proud of Mohamed and as a community we congratulate him on this prestigious accolade.”
As president of the Islamic Society for over three years, Mohamed organised cross-cultural activities on campus with the aim of countering negative stereotyping and misperceptions about Muslims. His passion to help his fellow students regardless of their background saw him elected as an executive of the International Students Department of Newcastle University Students’ Association (ISD-NUSA) and as the Public Relations Officer for the Council of International Students Australia (CISA) in July 2012.
Mohamed has also played a key role in the Department of Education’s Multicultural Ambassador program. In January 2013, Mohamed was part of a taskforce, headed by the NSW Police Commissioner, to look into student safety in Newcastle. Since February 2013, as elected Vice-President of the Newcastle University Students Association, Mohamed has advocated for local and international students welfare on campus.
Visit by Barry Marshall
Nobel Laureate Barry Marshall spoke at three events during his visit to the Callaghan campus for Graduation 2013. Around 100 students interrupted their mid semester break to attend the student event. Professor Jolly managed to delve behind the scenes of Professor Marshall's life and discover the man behind the research. You can view the personal interview and student Q&A session here
The David Maddison Lecture where Professor Marshall talked about 'How to Win a Nobel Prize' is also available to view on the Faculty website.
Looking for PhD students?
The Research Higher Degree and Study Abroad Programs, International Division at the University of Newcastle have established relationships with several universities in the Asia region. If researchers have PhD projects for which they are seeking students, International Division will forward details to contacts within these Universities and they will promote these to students. Details of interested students will then be passed on to the researcher for consideration. Any interested staff should provide a one page summary of their project to Andrea Windley smph-research@newcastle.edu.au