Top of the Class

UoN Staff and Students Leading the Way

Staff and students across the University have received accolades for excellence and dedication in their respective fields over the past two months.

Laureate Professor Graham Goodwin was named the 2013 recipient of the Rufus Oldenburger Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), in recognition of his fundamental contributions to automatic control theory and practice. He is only the second Australian recipient of the Medal and the first whose research is based in Australia.

Professor Nikolai Bogduk, who is the Newcastle Bone and Joint Institute’s Director of Clinical Research, received the Order of Australia Medal in recognition of his 40 years of research into medical research and education, particularly in the areas of spinal, neck and back pain.

Senior Lecturer in American History, Dr Michael L. Ondaatje, has been selected by the US Ambassador in Australia and the US State Department to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). He is the latest in a long line of distinguished Australians to have participated in the IVLP, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Governor-General Quentin Bryce, and former Prime Ministers Paul Keating, Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser.

Namira Williams, a research doctorate, was recognised by her peers and the NSW branch of the Australian College of Midwives as the 2013 Midwife of the Year for her 25 years of work in the field and commitment to improving the lives of those in remote and rural areas and women with disabilities.

Michael Sala has been announced as the Pacific Regional Winner of the prestigious Commonwealth Book Prize for his debut novel, The Last Thread. Michael also won the 2013 NSW Premier's Literary Awards: UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing.

Bachelor of Medicine student, Mohammed Ehsan Ibrahim, won the 2013 NSW Government’s International Student of the Year Award for Higher Education for his work in the community advocating for the international student rights, cross-cultural understandings and more.