Students win Endeavour Awards for Asia study

Ben English
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Sally Dipell
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Adam Kilpatrick
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Friday, 7 December 2012

Three University of Adelaide students have won prestigious Australian Government scholarships to research and study in Asia next year.

The Prime Minister's Australia Asia Endeavour Awards last night were presented to PhD student Adam Kilpatrick (Postgraduate Award valued up to $63,500) and undergraduate students Sally Dipell and Benjamin English (Undergraduate Award valued up to $53,500).

The awards are competitive, merit-based scholarships that give high-achieving individuals an opportunity to enrich their academic experience at leading universities in Asia.

Adam Kilpatrick is completing a PhD in Sciences. He will go to the Indira Gandhi National Open University in Delhi, India, to help develop remote sensing technology for conservation management in the Thar Desert.

"The Thar Desert is the most heavily grazed and densely populated desert on the planet with more than 20 million people reliant on its fragile natural resources for their existence," says Adam. "Monitoring this desert effectively is vital for management into the future." The technology and experience he gains also will be applicable to rangeland management in Australia.

Sally Dipell is studying Law and will go to Waseda University, Japan, to study Japanese Constitutional Law and the public legal context in which it operates.

A former full-time Army officer who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sally wants to develop a better understanding of the implications of Japan's 'Article 9' Constitutional constraints on security alliances.

Ben English is studying Law, Arts and Languages and will go to the University of Hong Kong to study international law, Chinese law and public affairs, focusing particularly on international immigration law.

"One of the great challenges confronting all countries in our region is the protection and management of refugees," says Ben, who has worked with refugees in South Africa with the Office of the United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

University of Adelaide Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) Professor Kent Anderson said: "These three outstanding students have a wonderful opportunity to build their global experience and broaden their skills and knowledge in an international arena.

"They will establish life-long connections that will be of significant benefit in their future careers."

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