School of Mathematics and Statistics: Prizes and Scholarships 2006 - 2007

The School held its annual Prizes and Scholarships presentation ceremony in the Darlington Centre on the evening of April 30th. The presentations were made by the Chancellor of the University, Justice Kim Santow, and the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor David Day. The guest speakers were Dr Paul Scully-Power and Mr Richard Finlay.

Paul Scully-Power, who in 1984 became Australia's first astronaut (on the 13th flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger), is a world expert in remote sensing: visible, infra-red, radar and acoustic. He is Chairman and CEO of SensorConnect Inc.. As well as recounting some interesting stories from his days as a mathematics student at the University of Sydney, Dr Scully-Power emphasized that his education here was an ideal preparation for his later career in the USA. In particular, his training as a mathematician meant that he was well equipped to tackle diverse problems requiring innovation and lateral thinking.

Richard Finlay is a recent graduate of the School, now working for the Reserve Bank. He also stressed the value of mathematical training for problem-solving in the work-place.

Some photos taken at the conclusion of proceedings are available below. Click on the thumbnails to see larger versions.

Prizes

Established in 2002 by donation from Mr Ian Edward Joye LLB and Mr Christopher Ronald Edward Joye BCom, the Joye Prize is awarded annually to the most outstanding student completing fourth year Honours in Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics or Mathematical Statistics (provided the work is of sufficient merit).

Recipient: Han Qing Zhu

Honouring the late T. G. Room, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Sydney from 1935 to 1968, the Room Medal may be awarded for a PhD thesis considered to be of outstanding merit.

Recipients: James East and James Parkinson

The KE Bullen Memorial Prize, for proficiency in Applied Mathematics Honours, awarded jointly to Han Qing Zhu, Daniel Campos and Andrew Miller.

The MJ and M Ashby Prize, for the best Honours essay in Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics or Mathematical Statistics, awarded to Hamish Law.

The Barker Scholarship fund was established in 1853 by a gift of £1000 by Thomas Barker, for the encouragement of mathematical science. It funds the Barker Scholarships (see below) and the Barker Prize, for proficiency in Honours Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics or Mathematical Statistics. Awarded jointly to Daniel Campos, Andrew Miller and Graeme Pope.

The Australian Federation of University Women (N.S.W.) Prize in Mathematics, to the most distinguished woman candidate graduating with first class honours in Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics or Mathematical Statistics, awarded to Anna Ougrinovskaia.

The Norbert Quirk Prize, for the best answer by a senior student to a question in the annual problem competition conducted by SUMS (the Sydney University Mathematics Society), awarded to Dhruv Saxena.

The Applied Probability Trust Prize, for proficiency in STAT3905 (Markov Processes), awarded to James Kelly.

The Tim Brown Prize for Senior Statistics, awarded to Robert Franklin.

The Norbert Quirk Prize, for the best answer by an intermediate student to a question in the SUMS competition, awarded to Laurence Field.

The Tim Brown Prize for Intermediate Statistics, awarded to Laurence Field.

The Norbert Quirk Prize, for the best answer by a junior student to a question in the SUMS competition, awarded to Christopher Leong.

The Veronica Thomas Prize, for proficiency in STAT1021 and STAT1022, awarded to Phillip Booth.

The Thomson Learning Publisher Prizes I and II, for proficiency in junior advanced level mathematics and ordinary level mathematics (respectively), awarded to Yu Heng Lau and Robert Dolton.

In memory of Dr David G. A. Jackson, for creativity and originality in Pure Mathematics by an undergraduate, awarded to Katharine Turner.

Scholarships

For a year 11 student in NSW who has gained selection in the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Team. Awarded to Vinoth Nandakumar.

For proficiency in Intermediate Mathematics, awarded to Laurence Field.

For proficiency in Junior Mathematics, awarded to Rachel Wang.

For proficiency in HSC Mathematics, awarded to Imran Haque.

For proficiency in HSC Mathematics, awarded to Stephanie Wang.

These three scholarships, one for each of Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics and Statistics, are awarded to students enrolled in the Honours year, on the basis of results in Senior Mathematics and Statistics. Awarded to Danya Rose (Applied Mathematics), Jonathan Sun (Pure Mathematics) and Joanna Wang (Mathematical Statistics).

Honouring the late K. E. Bullen, Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Sydney from 1946 to 1971, these Honours Applied Mathematics scholarships are awarded for proficiency in Senior Mathematics and Statistics. This year the KE Bullen Scholarship No. I is awarded to Dhruv Saxena and the KE Bullen Scholarship No. II is awarded to Prudence Philp.