Two undergraduate students have been awarded APPEA Oil & Gas Engineering Scholarships for 2013.
The scholarship for an indigenous student was given to Anthony Bailey who is about to enter the final year of a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree at the Queensland University of Technology.
The other scholarship was awarded to Sindee-Rose Wong, a Curtin University student who is about to enter the final year of a five-year double degree in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry.
The award for each scholarship is $5,000 per year up to a maximum of five years full-time or part-time equivalent. Scholarship recipients also have the opportunity to undertake paid work experience with an APPEA member oil and gas company during university vacation breaks, providing valuable industry experience.
Additional funding of up to $5,000 per annum is available for the Indigenous Australian Scholarship recipient for agreed mentoring services in association with APPEA’s member companies.
These scholarships are made possible by an industry training fund established in 2009 by Brunel that is now supplemented with contributions from other employers.
Sindee-Rose was presented with her scholarship at an APPEA members’ cocktail function last night, following APPEA’s annual general meeting. APPEA Chief Executive David Byers noted that Sindee hasn’t followed a traditional pathway into engineering.
“She worked for six years in customer service after leaving school before enrolling at an adult college to complete physics, chemistry and mathematics courses in order to realise her long-held dream of becoming an engineer,” Byers said.
“Sindee has excellent grades, but her extra-curricular activities are also impressive. She is a Curtin University Student mentor for first-year science students. Each semester, she offers guidance and information to between 10 and 20 students, helping them settle into university life in a program that has been shown to improve retention rates.
“Sindee is also the Vice-President of the Curtin University Division of Engineers Without Borders. This organisation promotes awareness about humanitarian engineering in remote Australia and developing countries through its High School Outreach program.”
The indigenous scholarship winner, Anthony Bailey, is a Karingbal man from Queensland’s Central Highlands. He is keen to become involved with the mentoring scheme that this scholarship offers.
David Byers said: “APPEA takes a keen interest in education and is pleased to assist students with a strong interest in the oil and gas industry. I’m sure these engineering scholarships will help Sindee and Anthony complete their degrees and double as a springboard into exciting careers.”