Five UWA students awarded Neville Stanley Bursaries

25/7/97

Five honours students from the University of Western Australia have been awarded Neville Stanley Bursaries to help them complete their studies.

All five will work with leading WA organisations on research projects covering engineering design, mineral processing, industrial recycling, agriculture and medicine.

The $5,000 bursaries, administered by the Department of Commerce and Trade, will help cover the cost of books, equipment and other expenses related to the students' honours projects.

Commerce and Trade Minister Hendy Cowan said the students had been selected from a strong field of 22 applicants.

"The Department of Commerce and Trade offers Neville Stanley Bursaries to students undertaking an applied honours project in conjunction with a private sector organisation," Mr Cowan said.

"The bursaries were introduced primarily to promote interaction between industry and tertiary institutions.

"Feedback from industry indicates that previous projects assisted through the bursaries have contributed significantly to improvements in productivity, efficiency and export potential."

The bursary winners are:

·      Kylie Stephens, of Orelia, who is working with Kvaerner RJ Brown Pty Ltd to assess the feasibility of a floating semi-submersible LNG production, storage and offloading platform (LPPSO) in WA conditions;

·      Chanelle Carter, of Noranda, whose project with Alcoa of Australia Pty Ltd is to examine the effect of solar radiation on the organic contaminants present in liquids used as part of the bauxite refining process;

·      Marghanita Johnson, of Mt Pleasant, is completing a project with the Swan Brewery Company Pty Ltd which aims to develop a process by which waste diatomaceous earth from the brewing industry can be used as an input for another industry;

·      Ryan Whitford, of Hillarys, is conducting a comparative study of methods for discriminating among barley varieties to develop protocols to assist The Grain Pool of WA in eliminating the misnaming of barley varieties received from growers; and -

·      Janni Mirosevich, of Alexander Heights, is working with Delta West Pty Ltd on a study aimed at increasing knowledge about prostate cancer to help in the development of new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of prostate cancer.

The bursaries were named in honour of Professor Neville Fenton Stanley, a world renowned microbiologist who was instrumental in WA gaining an international reputation in microbiology.

Since 1989, 18 bursaries have been awarded to students in a variety of industry sectors.

Media contact: Peter Jackson 9222 9595