4 April 2016: The University of Canberra will hold its graduation ceremonies in the Great Hall at Parliament House starting tomorrow (5-7 April).
More than 2,200 students will receive their degrees in eight ceremonies. They include:
- Single mum Tanya Stiller, who managed to care for three children with special needs and a rare genetic disorder of her own, to complete a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics.
- PhD graduate Adrian Dusting, who has researched the global spread of an invasive snail species.
- Forensics graduate Yvonne King, whose love for TV cop shows led her to leave Hong Kong to study her dream degree at UC.
- Bachelor of Arts and Design graduate Hakim Abdul Rahim, who spent two years searching through the University’s treasures to unearth a slice of Canberra history.
- Bachelor of Information Technology graduate Wafa Alnuzha, who has secured work in Saudi Arabia and has made a whirlwind trip back to Canberra to attend her ceremony.
This round of graduations will be the last with Professor Stephen Parker as the University’s Vice-Chancellor. Professor Parker will step down from the role on 1 July, after more than nine years in the position. He will be giving the Occasional Address at the final ceremony on Thursday 7 April at 2.30pm.
He estimates that he has seen more than 25,000 students graduate from the University during his tenure.
“I have always looked forward to graduation because it is a time that acknowledges and celebrates years of hard work and dedication,” Professor Parker said.
“As our graduates are now ready for careers in industries including education, nursing, science and law, I congratulate them on their achievements and wish them all the best for long and successful careers in their chosen field.”
Professor Parker also looks forward to the musical aspect of each ceremony. In this occasion, the Graduation Ensemble will pay tribute to the late Sir George Martin, one of the top music producers in the 20th century, by performing a Beatles song in each ceremony.
Ceremony 1 - 10.30am Tuesday 5 April
Faculty of Business, Government and Law
Guest speaker: Mr Médy Hassan, Managing Director, Haus Holdings
Ceremony 2 - 2.30pm Tuesday 5 April
Faculty of Business, Government and Law & Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis
Guest speaker: Ms Renée Leon PSM, Secretary, Department of Employment
Ceremony 3 - 6pm Tuesday 5 April
Faculty of Business, Government and Law
Guest speaker: Mr Glen Brennan, Head of Indigenous Business Development, National Australia Bank
Ceremony 4
- 10.30am Wednesday 6 April
Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics
Guest speaker: Ms Fiona Godfrey, Principal, Radford College
Adrian Dusting, Doctor of Philosophy
University of Canberra PhD graduate Adrian Dusting has handled more than 5,000 tiny mud snails over the course of his degree and has found that the spread of the invasive species comes down to its ability to tolerate a range of environments.
Dr Dusting will graduate on Wednesday after spending two and a half years with the University’s Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE), with his sights firmly set on the miniscule mollusc.
Not much larger than a grain of rice, the snail, otherwise known as Potamopyrgus antipodarum has been highly invasive, spreading to Australia, Asia, North and South America and Europe.
“These tiny snails show up everywhere, they really dominate the environments which they have moved into, making up a large proportion of the total number of organisms in any sample,” Dr Dusting said.
“We know that the invasive snails are asexual, they don’t breed with males and females, and the entire population is self-cloning females.”
“My research has found three prevalent genotypes, or distinct individual DNA fingerprints, which is surprisingly low diversity for something which has spread so far.”
The tiny snails can be found in locations from thermal springs to the open sea around river mouths and even living just inside the lip of garden taps.
“We found that these snails are great generalists; rather than evolving to adapt to the conditions, the original clones were really tolerant of a range of environments and they’re capitalising by spreading further and further.”
Dr Dusting described IAE as a great working environment and said he loved working and studying at the University of Canberra.
“The collegiate atmosphere at IAE really made it a fantastic working environment, I had leaders in ecology mentoring and providing advice throughout my studies, it was great,” he said.
“I’m proud to have finished my PhD, but it shows that there are far more questions to be answered in addressing or controlling the spread of the mud snail."
Yvonne King, Bachelor of Applied Science in Forensic Studies
When Yvonne King watched police procedural TV shows with notepad in hand in her native Hong Kong as a teenager, little did she realise her enthusiasm would lead to a coveted award from Australia’s federal police agency.
As a high school student, she dreamed of turning her love of chemistry into a career in forensics and her research into available courses led her to the University of Canberra website.
“I was doing some research online as I was about to finish high school and I stumbled across this degree at UC. I soon found that this whole degree was just exactly what I needed to prepare myself to work in forensics,” she said.
Upon relocating to Australia, she soon realised in lectures that the fictionalised portrayals on TV didn’t quite reflect the real world situations, but that didn’t stop her from giving her all.
Her tenacity paid off, as she won the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Forensics High Academic Achiever Award, which is awarded to the student that gets the highest grades in the Bachelor of Applied Science in Forensic Studies course.
“I didn't even know there were awards to be won at first - I only wanted to do my best so I can be more competitive when I am out finding work one day,” she said.
After accepting an invitation to complete an honours project at the University, Ms King is now delving into the forensic examination of fibres, and hopes her research leads to the coveted AFP Forensics Research Excellence Award.
Ceremony 5 - 2.30pm Wednesday 6 April
Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics & Faculty of Health
Guest speaker: Dr Samia Goudie, Senior Lecturer, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, ANU
Wafa Alnuzha, Bachelor of Information Technology
University of Canberra graduates travel to Parliament House for their ceremonies, but few have travelled as far for the occasion as Wafa Alnuzha.
Ms Alnuzha has made a whirlwind trip from her hometown of Medina, Saudi Arabia to her adopted city of Canberra and will receive her Bachelor of Information Technology at her graduation ceremony on Wednesday.
The trip was an opportunity for Ms Alnuzha to visit her siblings who are currently studying at the University and to spend time at some of her favourite Canberra haunts.
“I have two brothers who are currently completing their PhD at the University of Canberra and so this is also a chance to visit them and see my three nieces and my nephew,” she said.
After finishing her studies she was offered a job in the IT department of not-for-profit organisation Namaa Almunawara, which assists with the social and economic development of the city of Madina.
While IT has traditionally been a male-dominated field, Ms Alnuzha said she enjoyed the fact that it encompassed many different topics within the computing sector and offered many job opportunities.
The University of Canberra’s reputation for producing high-quality graduates was the reason she chose to study at the institution.
“I heard UC was educating and training students who ended up being experts in their field and that really motivated me,” she said.
“Another reason was because I liked the UC community and its environment when I visited on Open Day and I really wanted to be a part of this community.”
While studying, Ms Alnuzha immersed herself in the University of Canberra community, working as a student ambassador for the Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics for two years.
“As a student ambassador I worked at UC on Open Day, and got to share some of the community feeling I experienced with future students. Being able to pass that feeling on is one of the experiences that I enjoyed most while studying,” she said.
Although excited about putting all her skills to work when back in Saudi Arabia, she said there were many things she would miss about Canberra.
“We moved to Canberra when I was 11 and so most, if not all, of my memories are in Canberra. I miss Canberra's ever-changing weather, the beautiful clouds, the fresh air, my friends, my car and to be honest, uni.”
Ceremony 6 - 6pm Wednesday 6 April
Faculty of Health
Guest speaker: Mr Richard Nicholson, Paralympian and University of Canberra Athlete in Residence
Tanya Stiller, Master of Nutrition and Dietetics
For single mum Tanya Stiller, graduating from the University of Canberra after five years of study while living with a rare health condition and caring for three children with special needs, is a wonderful reward.
The 43-year-old is graduating with a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics after completing a Graduate Diploma in Nutritional Science in 2013, and is now working as an accredited practising dietician at Nutrition Professionals Australia. All while living with a rare degenerative health condition, that has only affected 100 people worldwide.
“I became a single mother in my last semester of the graduate diploma and have a rare degenerative health condition called Andersen-Tawil syndrome, which made life very challenging,” she said.
“I took each day as it came, tried not to get ahead of myself so I didn't get overwhelmed. My degree gave me so much positivity at a time in my life that had so much turmoil.”
Andersen-Tawil syndrome is a rare genetic disorder, which causes episodes of paralysis, muscle weakness, arrhythmia and developmental abnormalities.
During her studies, Ms Stiller’s children were also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
“It was very challenging but I was very motivated to succeed especially as I had young children who were relying on me,” she said.
She said the support and flexibility she received from the University during her studies was crucial.
“My unit and course conveners were very understanding and flexible. They worked with the University’s Welfare and Inclusion team to ensure I received the support I needed.”
Ms Stiller said she knew she made the right decision to continue with her Masters when she heard her eight-year-old son telling his classmates how proud he was that his mum was at university studying to become a dietitian.
“If I can inspire a lifelong love of learning in them and encourage them to never give up on achieving their dreams then I will be happy,” she said.
Ms Stiller said what she enjoyed most about the degree was how practical the course was and the hands on experience it provided.
“When I did my placement at the UC student led clinic, I was able to apply the knowledge and skills I gained from the theoretical first half of the degree in a real world context.”
“I felt like a dietitian and it only confirmed to me I had made the right choice in career,” she said.
Ms Stiller works at two medical practices and an allied health clinic and has a special interest in gastrointestinal disorders, food allergies and intolerances and maternal and child health.
“I provide clients with the knowledge and skills to autonomously manage their health conditions using nutrition,” she said.
“There is nothing more rewarding than seeing my clients achieve their goals and knowing that I’ve been a part of that.”
Ceremony 7 - 10.30am Thursday 7 April
Faculty of Arts and Design
Guest speaker: Mr John Body, Founding Partner, ThinkPlace
Hakim Abdul Rahim, Bachelor of Arts and Design (First Class Honours), Delivering Student Address
In addition to collecting his Bachelor of Arts and Design degree on Thursday, graduate Hakim Abdul Rahim can also add detective and treasure-hunter to his title.
Mr Abdul Rahim, who also works as a research assistant with the University’s Centre for Creative and Cultural Research, spent more than two years hunting through collections across campus, including unearthing a geological sample collection regarded as nationally significant.
“I was surprised at the huge diversity in the collections held by the University, most of them haven’t been available for public viewing,” Mr Abdul Rahim said.
During his studies, the 30-year-old received the inaugural Australian National Museum of Education prize for Heritage, Museums and Conservation in 2014.
Reflecting on his studies and work at the University, Mr Abdul Rahim described the geological sample collection he worked with as a one-of-a-kind find and a very interesting slice of history.
“The geological collection differs significantly from what you’d probably find anywhere else, because of the way it has been categorised. It features samples of all the minerals that were found at Australia’s major mining sites and was used in teaching economic geology, which is no longer taught at the University.
“The collection was gathered together many years ago and while it is no longer used regularly in teaching, it has been put away for safekeeping, but there was always a risk it could have been lost.”
Ceremony 8 - 2.30pm Thursday 2 April
Faculty of Arts and Design
Guest speaker: Professor Stephen Parker AO, Vice-Chancellor