The Morrison Government has today awarded a record 25 scholarships to women studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at 13 universities across Australia.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Defence continued to lead the nation in promoting STEM workforce diversity, with the Defence Women in STEM Undergraduate scholarships playing a significant role in building the talent pipeline.
Seventeen previous scholarship recipients have completed their degree programs, with seven continuing on to Defence STEM Cadetship programs and a further four women now employed by Defence.
“Clearly these scholarships are helping facilitate greater engagement from women across Australia with Defence,” Minister Price said.
“We are enabling the best talent to successfully complete their degrees and ensuring the workforce of the future is secured.”
This year’s scholarship program also honours the late Leisa Condie, who made outstanding contributions to cryptology and the high performance computing program in Defence and the Australian Signals Directorate.
The Leisa Condie Defence Women in STEM Undergraduate Scholarship was awarded to Edith Cowan University student Hannah Rice, whose studies align with Leisa’s work area.
The scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrated academic excellence and who displayed positive attributes such as community leadership and extra-curricular engagement.
The recipients were:
| Recipient of Leisa Condie Scholarship: | ||
| Hannah Rice | Edith Cowan University | Bachelor of Science (Cyber Security) |
| All other Scholarship recipients: | ||
| Natasha Moy | University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Mechanical)/Bachelor of Science |
| Holly Wilson | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) | Bachelor of Space Science |
| Rosanna Xu | University of New South Wales (UNSW) | Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic)/Bachelor of Advanced Science |
| Paige Sedgwick | UNSW | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Arts |
| Ruby Mattingley | Monash University | Bachelor of Applied Data Science Advanced (Hons) |
| Melanie Ward | Flinders University | Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)/Bachelor of Archaeology |
| Georgia Odlin | University of Sydney | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Bachelor of Science |
| Bushra Khan | Charles Sturt University | Bachelor of Information Technology |
| Caroline Andersson | Flinders University | Bachelor of Science (Hons) |
| Catherine Cheng | UNSW | Bachelor of Advanced Science (Hons)/Engineering (Hons) |
| Caitlin Buchan | La Trobe University | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Science |
| Alexandra Stephenson | University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Advanced)/Diploma in Arts |
| Jessie Lum | UNSW | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Science |
| Kylie Chapman | University of Southern Queensland (USQ) | Bachelor of Science |
| Jessica Stafford | University of South Australia | Bachelor of Mathematics (Industrial and Applied Mathematics) |
| Dana Edwards | University of Melbourne | Bachelor of Science |
| Olivia Griscti | University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Mechanical)/Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Science |
| Kate Morrison | University of Melbourne | Bachelor of Science |
| Halle Taylor-Pritchard | Griffith University | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Bachelor of Information Technology |
| Selina Phillis | Charles Sturt University | Bachelor of Geospatial Science |
| Jacqueline Gregg | Monash University | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) |
| Gazel Harabati | RMIT | Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering)/Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology) |
| Philippa McMurtrie | University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Mechanical)/Bachelor of Science |
| Michelle Therese Wilson | University of Adelaide | Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Mechanical)/Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology) |
The scholarships are a key initiative under the ‘More, Together – Defence Science and Technology Strategy 2030’. The program is aimed at encouraging high-performing women to continue their studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields and boost representation and job opportunities in the workforce.
For more information on the scholarships, visit https://www.dst.defence.gov.au/partner-with-us/university/scholarships.