Adelaide students receive John Monash Awards

Friday, 10 December 2004

Two young female Adelaide engineers can set their sights on a global career after each being awarded a prestigious Australian scholarship.

Katherine Daniell and Olivia Thorne, both aged 23, have become the first South Australians to receive a General Sir John Monash Award. The awards are considered to be among Australia's most prestigious scholarships, and are up to the value of $150,000 over three years. They are awarded for academic excellence, leadership and community service, without any age barrier.

Olivia and Katherine both graduated with University of Adelaide Engineering degrees and will now use their scholarships to undertake postgraduate studies in Europe.

Katherine graduated with a double degree in Civil Engineering and Arts in 2004, and in March 2005 will head to the renowned Ecole Nationale du Genie Rural des Eaux et des Forêts (or ENGREF) in France, to undertake her PhD in sustainable water resources research.

The scholarship isn't Katherine's only connection with General Sir John Monash: her great-grandfather, Edward William Mattner, fought under Monash in the First World War at the Somme, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Messines, Ypres, Menin Road and Passchendaele. He was awarded the Military Medal and bar, Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Military Cross, and later became a Federal Senator for South Australia.

Olivia graduated with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2002, and has since completed her Masters at Cambridge University in the UK. She will return to Cambridge in October 2005 to study for her PhD which is also in the field of sustainable water resources research, with a focus on the impact of climate change on the Australian water industry.

University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor Professor James McWha says after producing two Rhodes Scholars in a year for the third year in a row, Olivia and Katherine's success is another excellent example of the calibre of student the University continues to produce.

"I congratulate Katherine and Olivia on their achievements, and wish them well in their postgraduate studies," Professor McWha says.

"Their achievements demonstrate the qualities and potential of the young people who choose to study at the University of Adelaide."

 

Contact Details

Katherine Daniell
Email: katherine.daniell@adelaide.edu.au
General Sir John Monash Scholar
Mobile: 0419 848 256


Olivia Thorne
Email: oliviathorne@yahoo.com.au
General Sir John Monash Scholar
Business: +61 8 8301 1509
Mobile: 0431 829 693


Media Team
Email: media@adelaide.edu.au
Website: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/
The University of Adelaide
Business: +61 8 8313 0814


Mr David Ellis
Email: david.ellis@adelaide.edu.au
Website: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/
Deputy Director, Media and Corporate Relations
External Relations
The University of Adelaide
Business: +61 8 8313 5414
Mobile: +61 (0)421 612 762