2021 UTS Alumni Awards honour innovative graduates
We are very pleased to announce our Alumni Award recipients for 2021.
Now in their 13th year, the Alumni Awards recognise UTS’s outstanding graduates by naming a winner from each faculty and presenting four further awards to acknowledge our exceptional young, Indigenous, International, and Community achievers.
The 2021 award winners include one of Australia’s most well-known playwrights, Alana Valentine. Alana collaborates with a range of Australian communities to ensure the most marginalised voices are heard through her visionary works. Her work has been produced by leading theatres across Australia and studied by HSC drama students in NSW.
Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building award recipient, Emma Foster-Geering, is an advocate for sustainability who doesn’t hesitate to call out industries who treat it as a ‘buzz word’. Emma is recognised for the work she does to help organisations manage the impact their supply chains have on biodiversity.
The awards also recognise the work of Karen Mundine and Melanie Briggs who have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. Proud Bundjalung woman and Indigenous Alumni Award winner, Karen has played a leading role in the national journey toward reconciliation. She has worked in community engagement, public advocacy, communications and social marketing with many government and reconciliation organisations. Faculty of Health Award recipient, Melanie is a Dharawal and Gumbayngirr descendant who has made a profound difference to the health of Indigenous mothers and babies as the first endorsed Aboriginal midwife in New South Wales.
Also honoured are Dr Sarah Benson and Dr Rolanda Lam who are celebrated for their work in improving public safety. As the chief Forensic Scientist with the Australian Federal Police, Dr Benson is recognised for her rigour and excellence in research and public service and as a world leader in forensic science. Dr Lam was an inspiring mentor to students and peers while completing her PhD at UTS. The International Alumni Award acknowledges her research into novel methods to detect fingerprints on difficult surfaces which has improved crime resolution globally.
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