The Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland and former Queensland Premier Wayne Goss are among 400 graduands expected to attend two University of Queensland ceremonies at Mayne Hall, St Lucia tomorrow night.
6pm ceremony
About 200 students from the Arts Faculty; Schools of Engineering, Land and Food Systems, Dentistry, Veterinary Science; and the former Medicine faculty will graduate at a 6pm ceremony at the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus on May 14. Graduates include the following:
- Reverend Dr David Pitman, Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland, will receive his PhD from the University's Studies in Religion Department. Dr Pitman was appointed Moderator, the Church's highest post in Queensland, in October last year.
Dr Pitman's thesis analyses the positions of 10 20th century theologians' in relation to other world religions and finds the three main types of Christian attitude - exclusive, inclusive or pluralist - too simplistic. In his thesis, Dr Pitman instead develops a more sophisticated spectrum of nine responses. His thesis also finds that the traditional Christian way of relating to other religions - exclusive or inclusive - inappropriate for modern times, preferring instead a classical pluralist response. 'This response embodies a spirit of mutual respect and openness to dialogue and relationship with other religions,' Dr Pitman said. Contact: telephone 3377 9777 (work) or 3279 0323 (home).
- Dr Alexandra Clavarino will receive her PhD from the University's Anthropology and Sociology Department. Dr Clavarino, who works as a researcher in the Social and Preventive Medicine Department's Centre for Health Promotion and Cancer Prevention Research, studied the quality of life and changes in the quality of life of patients with incurable cancer over the course of the disease until death. Contact: telephone 3365 5065 (work).
- Dr Anne Tanner will receive her PhD from the University's German and Russian Studies Department. For her thesis, Dr Tanner analysed the fictional writings of leading East German novelist Christa Wolf, 67, who lives in Berlin. She is one of Germany's leading and most decorated contemporary authors whose life and literary career coincided with the establishment, development and decline of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Supervised by the Department's Professor Manfred Jurgensen with Dr Alan Corkhill as associate supervisor, Dr Tanner's thesis explored the author's main motivations and ways she criticised the regime through the language, style and composition of her writing. Contact: telephone 3237 0385 (work) or 3369 6174 (home).
- Graduating student speaker at the ceremony is Ian Field, who says his bachelor of engineering (honours) in computer systems became so interesting that he extended his study into a masters degree. Parallel high-speed computers, the focus of his study, could speed up some processes by 10 times, he said. Contact: telephone 3365 3864.
- Recognized leader of the Australian dairy industry Pat Rowley will be presented with an honorary doctorate and deliver the guest speech at the ceremony. Mr Rowley is being honoured for his work in developing and rationalising the industry. He has held senior offices in agricultural organisations at state, national and international level for more than 20 years. In particular, Mr Rowley has a vision for education and research to which the University of Queensland will add through the new Australian Tropical Dairy Institute at Gatton College.
8pm ceremony
About 200 students in the Biological and Chemical Sciences; Business, Commerce and Economics; Education, Music, Architecture and Planning (including bachelor of regional town planning and bachelor of design studies), Social Work and Social Policy, and Information Technology will graduate at a ceremony at the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus at 8pm on Wednesday, May 14. Graduates include:
- Former Queensland premier Wayne Goss says regardless of whether his next move is to Federal politics, a State Government front bench position or business, his master of business administration (MBA) from the University of Queensland will be an asset. Mr Goss, MLA for Logan, will receive his degree at a graduation ceremony at the University's St Lucia campus at 8pm on Wednesday, May 14. Mr Goss began his degree with the University's Graduate School of Management in February 1996 shortly after resigning as Premier. He said he had always entertained the prospect of further study since gaining his LLB from the University of Queensland in 1975.
Mr Goss will be available for a photo session in the Great Court at 10.15 am on Wednesday May 14. (see separate news release) Contact: telephone 3805 1126 or 3224 5727 (work).
- Abeba Iyassu Gebru is the first graduate of the master of professional economics (MProfEcs) course now offered through the University's Economics Department. Ms Iyassu Gebru, who began the course in mid-1994, received an Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB) scholarship to study at the University. From Eritrea, Ms Iyassu Gebru holds a bachelor of arts (economics) (1987) and a diploma in statistics (1991) from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. She said Department staff were very supportive of international students. Contact: telephone 3365 6570.
- Dr Tony Moran, who will receive his PhD from the Mathematics Department, has successfully combined a love of mathematics with a love of cricket. Dr Moran operates a part-time business, selling cricket books and memorabilia by mail order. 'Cricket is a sport in which statistics are paramount, with most cricket books containing a few pages of statistics and many being entirely devoted to statistical analysis of individuals, matches and series,' he said. Dr Moran's interest in the statistical side of the game as a primary school student developed firstly into an interest in the literature of the game and eventually into the business Moran Cricket Collectibles. The business now has customers in 12 countries (including Germany and Israel) selling books and collectibles dealing with all aspects of cricket from 1864 to 1997. Dr Moran's thesis on Combinatorics - the selection and arrangement of objects in a finite set - was supervised by Professor Anne Penfold Street. A mathematics teacher at secondary and tertiary levels, Dr Moran said he chose to study for a PhD to further his knowledge and employment opportunities. Contact: telephone 067 71 24 65.
- Dr Eva Abal will receive her PhD from the Botany Department. Dr Abal, now working as scientific co-ordinator for the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay Wastewater Management Study, examined light, nutrient and water quality interactions of the seagrass Zostera capricorni . Seagrasses comprise one of the richest and most productive components of the coastal ecosystem in Moreton Bay. The bay supports approximately 25,000ha of seagrass meadows which serve as important habitats for commercially harvested prawns and rock lobsters, and food for dugongs and green turtles. Zostera capricorni is the dominant seagrass species in the bay. The study's results show that seagrass depth distribution appears to be a sensitive indicator of water quality parameters, and therefore, has application for water quality management. 'Monitoring changes in seagrass depth distribution over time was found to be a useful tool in monitoring long-term trends in water quality in Moreton Bay,' Dr Abal said.
She said the change in seagrass distribution in five years (1987-1992) and the observed decrease in seagrass depth ranges in less than two years (1993-94) in the western areas of Moreton Bay indicated changes could take place over a relatively short time. 'The disappearance of seagrasses over the five-year period near the mouth of the Logan River, a turbid river with increased land use in its watershed, represents an on-going decline which may be linked to a deterioration of water quality,' she said. Research for her thesis has led to a seagrass monitoring program currently being implemented by the Department of Environment South-East Queensland Region. QDoE, in collaboration with the Marine Botany of the University of Queensland, has been regularly monitoring seagrass depth distribution in key areas in Moreton Bay since 1993 and relating any changes in seagrass distribution to changes in water quality which may be linked to increased land use and watershed development. Contact: telephone 3403 3305 (work), 0419 719 140 (mobile) or 3371 7227 (home).
-During research for her bachelor of science (honours) degree, valedictory speaker and University medallist Kathryn Hall found that a group of fish species classed as a family should be reclassified. Ms Hall will continue to study fish parasites for her PhD at the University. Contact: telephone 3365 6979.
For further information, contact University Manager, Protocol and Ceremonies, Robin Calcutt, telephone 3365 3159.
