Published on the 27th February 2015 by ANSTO Staff
Fourteen new graduates who have been singled out for their talent and potential have just commenced a two year leadership program at ANSTO.
Mr Craig Kelly MP, Member for Hughes, recently visited ANSTO to congratulate the graduates on achieving such a coveted position, competing against over 1000 applicants from across Australia. Craig Kelly has had an interest in ANSTO’s graduate program for several years.
“These past few weeks we have had so many great opportunities. It’s been awesome working alongside the other graduates and develop new skills. We also had the opportunity to meet a member of the government and a broad range of people from across the organisation, including our new teams and the executive group” said graduate Jessica Heinemann.
“We’ve had a lot of training opportunities over the past two weeks, and then to be given the opportunity to meet and network with a high profile member of parliament was really exciting” said graduate Andrew Barley.
The graduates spend the first two weeks learning about ANSTO operations, spend time with the leaders who will act as supervisors and mentors, take part in special activities and routine induction procedures. Individuals from across the organisation provide presentations. They also commence leadership training and career development.
Meet the graduates
Emily Prentice, who has a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Conservation Biology from Griffith University, will be joining the Institute for Environmental Research to pursue her passion for natural environments and the processes that drive them. Last year she completed a research project with CSIRO on the Australian native proteaceae and has been active in wildlife and environmental conservation.
Matthew Shadwell joins ANSTO following studies at the Australian National University, where he completed a joint degree in Engineering (Research and Development) and Science (Honours in Physics). He hopes to apply his passion for elegant, robust and well-presented engineering solutions in applications at ANSTO. Matt has experience in phased array radar systems, x-ray computerised tomography for material analysis.
Matthew Hunt will use his Bachelor of Engineering and Masters of Biomedical Engineering from the University of New South Wales in support of process improvement for Nuclear Business and ANSTO Health. His interest in the nuclear sciences came from a high school science teacher in a small town in NSW, who was very enthused by the opening of Australia’s first nuclear reactor.
Alexandria Nunez does not have a background in nuclear sciences but a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing, Human Resources and Industrial Relations). She chose ANSTO’s Graduate Development Program because it supports learning, growth and development in the early stages of her career following an internship at the Commonwealth Bank and management experience. Alexandra will be working with the Nuclear Business Unit and Financial Planning & Quality.
Michael Heffernan has a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) from RMIT and is particularly interested in the minerals area. He was attracted in the variety offered by the opportunity to rotate placements throughout ANSTO and will also be working with the Nuclear Business Unit.
Jessica Heinemann will be part of the Government and External Relations Team, where she hopes to enhance her skills in science communication. She has a Bachelor of Biomolecular Science, a Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours in Life Science) and a Master’s degree in Science Communication. Jessica , who worked for the Shell Questacon Science Circus in completing her Masters, is committed to the clear communication of scientific processes and challenging scientific stereotypes and misconceptions.
Another graduate with a Bachelor in Chemical Engineering is Georgina Graham, who studied at the University of New South Wales. Georgina completed training in chemical engineering at a steelworks for two years. With an interest in the processes used at ANSTO Health and the taking on the challenges of finding engineering solutions for radioactive products, Georgina will be placed at ANSTO Health and the Nuclear Business Unit.
Lucy Griffith has a dual degree, a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic) and a Bachelor of Maths and Computer Science from Adelaide University. Lucy wanted a well-structured development program and chose ANSTO after seeing friends disappointed with other placements. During her studies she also spent vacation time on a railway signalling project and a high voltage line project.
Joel Forbes chose ANSTO’s graduate program because it offered the chance to work on projects with tangible human effects, in terms of health and furthering scientific knowledge. He completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) at the University of Newcastle and will be place in Nuclear Operations. For his honours project he designed and commissioned a biaxial load frame for neutron stress studies.
Julia Garside will be working with Engineering and Capital Programs following experience in the mining industry and collaboration on the student design of an open wheel motorsport car. Julia has a Bachelor of Science (Mechanical Systems) and Masters of Engineering (Mechanical) from the University of Melbourne.
After finishing a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics and an Honours Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) from Monash University, Ryan Beeby spent half a year working in research for CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science. He will be placed with Engineering and Capital programs.
Alexander Borovskis studied chemistry for a Bachelor of Science and Chemical Engineering for a Bachelor of Engineering at the University of NSW. While studying Alexander worked in industrial engineering for Boeing Aerostructures Australia. He will be working in Nuclear Operations.
The Institute for Environmental Research welcomes Yvonne Armstrong, a graduate of the Queensland University of Technology. She has a Bachelor of Business (Economics) and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Science). Yvonne hopes to make a contribution to domestic and global issues created by climate change.
Andrew Barley is looking forward to using his science communication skills in designing a high school outreach program. Andrew has a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic), Bachelor of Science (Experimental and theoretical Physics) and a Master of Science Communication Outreach. Andrew decided he didn’t want an engineering role and chose to focus on making science relevant for the public after travelling around Australia with Questacon.