Celebrating resilience and creativity

The Swinburne University of Technology’s Vice-Chancellor Awards 2020 has recognised a range of achievements amid challenges and disruptions during the year. Under the theme ‘Celebrating resilience and creativity’, the awards ceremony was held virtually for the first time. 

In her opening remarks, Swinburne’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pascale Quester said she has been impressed by the way the Swinburne community showed resilience and strength during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In what was a challenging year for students and staff alike, I have been impressed to see that these disruptions did not overcome  our will and drive to succeed,” says Professor Quester.

“Today’s acknowledgements are to recognise the great work that took place throughout the year, as well as celebrate some lifetime achievements. While the future looks very different for many sectors, including higher education, post COVID-19, it is clear that the Swinburne community has the resilience and innovative drive to embrace a new and exciting future,” she adds.

The 2020 winners and highly commended nominees are:

Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award (Higher Education)

Individual: Jessica Balanzategui (Authentic industry-engaged screen curriculum)

Team: Georgina Willetts, Laurina Schmidt, Loretta Garvey, Michael Olasoji (Establishing nursing excellence through innovation in pedagogy and best practice)

Highly commended: Aaron Down, Anita Kocsis, Christine Thong, Pauliina Mattila, Tiina Tuulos (Design Factory Melbourne: Inspiring and motivating interdisciplinary collaboration experiences through design-led innovation)

Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award (Vocational Education)

Individual: Carin Grant (Laboratory Technology, School of Health, Science and Community)

Team: Andrew Cookson, Anita Mahoney, Karen Hall, Nadine Hantke (Online mental health simulation: education change in response to COVID19)

Highly commended: Anagha Karandikar, Craig Voltz, David Jarratt, David Noordhoff, George Naguib, Jane Clancy, Jean-Claude Emmanuel, Jennifer McNish, John Harrington, Mark Howard, Vanessa Langdon, Will Joske (Advanced Construction Technology Department, Hawthorn)

Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award

Individual: Karl Glazebrook (Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing)

Team: Derui Ding, Qing-Long Han, Xian-Ming Zhang, Xiaohua Ge (Distributed control and estimation of networked systems)

Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award (Early Career)

Individual: Justin Trounson (Building resilience and wellbeing throughout our communities, Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science)

Individual: Amie Hayley (Effects of methamphetamine and alcohol on neurocognition and driving performance, Centre for Human Psychopharmacology)

Vice-Chancellor’s Engagement Award – Industry Engagement

Individual: Unlocking the power of digital inclusion and social data - Anthony McCosker

Team: Co-creating with enterprise to drive a global innovation community - Aaron Down, Amelia Iverson, Angela Pye, Anita Kocsis, Christine Thong, Clementine Thurgood, Esther Wilding, Jon Callander, Pauliina Mattila, Tiina Tuulos 

Vice-Chancellor’s Engagement Award – Community Engagement

Individual: Taking global learning to Melbourne's isolated female Islamic community - Ashir Ahmed

Team: National telehealth counselling and support services for residential aged care communities - Aida Brydon, Deborah Koder, Jenny Linossier, Mark Silver, Rebecca Collins, Sunil Bhar

Highly commended: Embracing STEM: Shaping future of young generations in rural community – Sarawak - Esther John Perry, Irine Runnie Ginjom, Shella Georgina Beatrice, Ling Chui Ching, Su Sueh Ing, Tan Vie Ming, Yii Kwang Jing

Vice-Chancellor’s Global Initiatives Award

Team: Strategic global partnership with FPT Vietnam - Carolyn Chong, Jessica Morales-Morin

Team: Swinburne X LinkedIn international program - Alicia Pridgeon, Goran Gambiroza, Janine Shearer, Jogvan Klein 

Vice Chancellor’s Service Excellence Award

Individual: Contact tracing for COVID-19 - Leanne Aldous

Team: Supporting our student community with the Swinburne Student Emergency Fund - Hansi Balasuriya, Luisa Tamayo Cuesta, Adalina Coelho, Alison Evans, Anna Gigliotti, Annie Peake, Belinda Collins, Bruce McDonald, Cheong Koo, Cindy Nitsos, Courtney Agate, Damian Tyson, Danielle Rush, Desma Smith, Drianne Deang, Ellie Lawler, Geri Skillicorn, Jamey McIntyre, Jeff Siow, Jessica Power, Joanne Choong-Liew, Jonny Lontayao, Justine Knapp, Katherine Goldman, Kirsty Richards, Lea Williams, Lily Taylor, Louise McCarthy, Marcus Lim, Marie Quetel, Marketa Fillingerova, Marybel Schwartz Parra, May Dang, Michelle Gillespie, Michelle Setiawan, Neil Lamborn, Pratik Shah, Sandra Kozelj, Sarah Ireland, Sharon Chan, Susan Smith, Sutha Nadarajah, Victoria Jenkins-Dubois 

Highly commended: Creatively adapting and supporting teaching under a global pandemic “cloud” - Antoinette Mukendwa, Barbara Kompe, Carol Aeschliman, Charlotte Brack, Clare Dyson, David Yammouni, Effie Koutsis, Ekaterina Pechenkina, Gerard Rayner, Gertie Brunner, Jack Williams, Juliet Buchanan, Juliet Eardley, Kerina Pereira, Kim Flowers, Linda Corrin, Min-Hui Law, Rafael Rodriguez Penaranda, Rebecca Goodway, Sarah Jellie, Senni D'Intini, Tash Hobbs 

Vice-Chancellor’s Leadership Excellence Award

Individual: Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing - Glenn Kacprzak 

Vice-Chancellor’s Reconciliation Award

Team: NAIDOC student artwork competition - Cecilia Distefano, Cyan Earnshaw, Damian Davitt, Jenn Sheehan

Vice-Chancellor’s Culture and Values Award

Individual: Jonathan Lang

Team: PP&C COVID-19 team: Creating a safe and informed community - Adriana Karavidas, Bekki Davis, Camille Bergman, Cherish Philip George, Christie Byrne, Helene Hofman, Jane Sewell, Jessica Dennis, Jonny Lontayao, Karina Ibbetson, Kate Romaniotis, Katherine Moody, Lea Kivivali, May Dang, Miles Reay, Nick Adams, Nicola Smyth, Paul Kozina, Sarah Byrne, Scott Saunders, Tayla Botelho, Vida Ivan 

Highly commended: Jason Rogers

Vice-Chancellor’s Inclusion and Diversity Award

Individual: Mob Matters Network - connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff - Angie Martin

Team: The preferred student name project - Nicola Howard, Michelle Gillespie, Vivian Allard, Julia Prendergast, Deanne Fisher, Tom Evershed 

Highly commended: Swinburne Accessibility Careers Hub - Chardee McEwan, David Eckstein, Edward Osano, Genevieve Smith, Grace Mackley, Jonathan Wood, Rebecca Riley, Rob Vague

Vice-Chancellor’s Innovation Award

Team: Swintopia (the event formerly known as Open Day) - Amy Whitehead, Carolyn Bendall, John Sinistaj, Jordan Capp, Laura Iakovidis, Lisa Bugg, Matt Kingerlee, May Ling Yong, Nishan Bandaranayake, Rachel Bennett 

Team: PAVE Collaboration project – Together we are stronger - Amy Lindner, Eddie Cheung, Jane Clancy, Joshua Reitano, Karen Ward, Kathleen Estoesta, Mathew Jakobi, Nashata Yoosuf, Vanessa Langdon, Verges Chan, Vicky Peters, Wednesday Dessauer 

Vice-Chancellor’s Sustainability Award

Team: Cross-functional team delivering 100 per cent renewable electricity - Matthew Parnell, Mhairi Donohoe, Oliver Moritz, Suzanne Jackson

Lifetime Achievement Award

Individual: Professor Matthew Bailes

Individual: Mr Chris Goetze

Individual: Ms Isabella Chor

Individual: Professor Syed Masood

Individual: Associate Professor Mary Elizabeth Dunkley

Congratulations to all the winners and highly commended nominees of the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards 2020.