Transforming Lives the Generosity That Inspires Our Brightest Minds
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TRANSFORMING LIVES the GeneroSity that INSpireS OUR BriGHTEST minDS SYDNEY ANNUAL THE 2012 REPORT ON ACHIEVEMENT & PHILANTHROPY CONTENTS Your generous 02 WELCOME 02 A message from the Chancellor donations are helping 03 A message from the Vice-Chancellor our people to create 04 Fast facts about the University new discoveries that 06 DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS IN 2012 07 Personal chemistry will transform lives in Dorothy Lamberton has honoured her late husband by Australia and overseas. supporting scholarships for PhD students. 11 Volunteer rescues refugee language program Colin Williamson has singlehandedly ensured that a In the 2012 edition of literacy program for refugees can survive and flourish. the Sydney Annual, 13 10 ways an arts degree can change the world Professor Duncan Ivison highlights how arts and social we find out what has sciences degrees can shape the future. 16 A sustainable future for our energy and water inspired some of our Michael Boyle and Robin Craig hope their engineering donors to make a scholarship will lead to a sustainable solution to our energy and water issues. difference, and meet 18 “I have had experiences my parents could only dream of” some of our people Mimi Zou reflects on the invaluable support she has received through University of Sydney scholarships. who have benefited 20 Supporting new thinking in nursing from their support. A chance meeting led David and Josephine Skellern to set up a scholarship that will deepen our understanding of nursing. 23 GIFT REPORT 24 HONOUR ROLL 24 Individuals 36 Organisations 43 Challis Bequest Society members 46 Bequests 48 FOUNDATIONS 49 INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT REPORT 2 A MEssaGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR The University of Sydney is a truly With continued support we are exciting place at the forefront of able to help more students achieve research and teaching. As this year’s their potential, initiate exciting new Sydney Annual demonstrates, it is a interdisciplinary research projects in place of original thinking, academic areas such as project leadership and excellence and inspiring staff and sustainability, and address some of students who are committed to making the world’s most pressing medical and a real difference to Australia and health challenges. the world. I am honoured and privileged to The generosity of our many donors become the University Chancellor. As and their commitment to our vision a Sydney graduate with strong family is tremendously heartening and links to the University, it gives me a encouraging. 2012 was a remarkable great sense of pride and responsibility year when more than 10,400 individual to be involved in its future. I look donors helped us raise a record forward to working with the whole $80.3 million. The University is indeed University community as we continue extremely grateful for each and every to build on our considerable successes. contribution and is looking forward to the launch of our first ever institution-wide fundraising Belinda Hutchinson AM Chancellor campaign later this year. welcome 3 A MEssaGE FROM THE VICE-CHANCELLOR I never cease to be amazed and students of all backgrounds fully which will focus on land management delighted by the generosity of our achieve their potential. We are looking and urban development, and the Judith donors and benefactors. For the forward to the launch of our first ever and David Coffey Life Lab to support second consecutive year, Sydney has institution-wide fundraising campaign research into sustainability and generated more philanthropic support later this year. complex systems. than any other Australian higher As this edition of the Sydney Annual With your help, the University is taking education institution. More people than demonstrates, our donors are really major steps forward. Thank you for your ever before have contributed to the making a difference. Funds provided continued support. University and we are indebted to every in 2012 are providing more than individual donor. 100 bursaries to support students in Dr Michael Spence Your generosity is important in a need. Nearly 1500 donors chose to Vice-Chancellor and Principal number of ways. It underlines that provide additional support to many of you understand and share our vision the 500 undergraduate scholarships for the University, whether in major across the University. collaborative interdisciplinary research Major gifts spearhead pioneering projects or new teaching spaces for interdisciplinary research ventures such group learning, or by providing more as the John Grill Centre for Project undergraduate scholarships to help Leadership, the Henry Halloran Trust, $80M raiSED from 4 more THAN 10,000 DONORS – 5511 BeinG firST-time DonorS – THE UNIVERSITY more THAN any other OF SYDNEY AUStralian UniverSity F EDUCATES O 50,000 MODEL ONSTANTINE C STUDENTS F LEGO RCH O USEUM A M #FOR STUDENT1 EXPERIENCE SINCE 2006, ICHOLSON N INCLUDES LARGEST EVER RATED BY OLOSSEUM AND NATIONAL C UNION OF OMAN 28 STUDENTS R FOUNDATIONS HE WORLD’S ON VIEW IN THE THE T 13,300 ANIMALS: CANINES, CATS, HORSES, KOALAS AND The FACULTY OF SCIENCE MORE TREATED BY THE SecUreD more than $12M IN UNIVERSITY VETERINARY ARC FUNDinG to SUpport 32 TEACHING HOSPITAL INSpirinG DIScovery projectS FORMER CHANCELLOR HER ExCELLENCY PROFESSOR N MARIE BASHIR AC CVO A ATTENDED AND SERVED AT THE 400 N UNIVERSITY FOR MORE THAN A 5000 5000 50 YEARS FOR AFRIC $20M Gift BY LED B John Grill to S EM EStaBliSH the INCLUDES LL MORE TH Ha firST Centre ass T S for Project CROSs- A S LeaDerShip RE G 3 DISCIPLINARY IRTHING KIT N THE MOTHER I VOLUNTEER CENTRES B Dental STUDentS proviDED INCLUDES 5 Dental 4200 treatmentS to patientS in RUral NSW 16 FACULTIES 75 PERCENT OF OUR ACADEMIC FIELDS WERE RANKED WELL ABOVE WORLD STANDARDS 900 FACULTY OF BY EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH EDUCATION AND SOCIAL FOR AUSTRALIA WORK GRADUATES IN 2012 EMPLOYS 7500 STAFF 140 DonorS SUpporteD MORE THAN 720 STUDentS in neeD OLYMPIANS INCLUDING 2 GOLD, 7 Silver AND 6 BRONZE MEDALS at LONDON OLYMPICS AND 1 FOG HARVESTING PARALYMPICS SYSTEM CONSTRUCTED IN PERU TO AID IN DRINKING WATER LUMNI COLLECTION FOR A POVERTY-STRICKEN 55 AUSTRALIA FAMILIES DAY HONOURS WORLDWIDE RECIPIENTS THE COMPASS PROGRAM HAD 12,000 280,000 INTERACTIONS WITH PRIMARY AND HIGH SCHOOL Q STUDENTS ENCOURAGING THEM TO REMAIN ENGAGED IN EDUCATION 300 SOCCER BALLS GIVEN TO CHILDREN IN CaMBODIA IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT HEART DISEasE THROUGH THE 500HEARTS PROJECT 6 7 PERSONAL CHEMISTRY Her scientist husband’s Dorothy Lamberton is the first to agree the chemical understanding of brain struggle to support himself that her life has been enriched by function and malfunction. the relationship with science she as a student prompted developed through the love of her late In a typical year Dorothy supports six husband, John. PhD students. “It just occurred to me Dorothy Lamberton to as the best way to remember John endow annual scholarships Dorothy has reached that stage in life [who passed away in 2002] and to where she can sit back in her garden, to promising chemistry honour him in my own way. John’s enjoying the sun and a good book. intellect was his outstanding feature PhD students. She found She believes it is also time to give and he was such an impassioned much in common with something back to the scientific world scholar. He just really loved to learn her husband was so passionate about. one grateful recipient, about the relationships between In his honour, Dorothy established chemistry and natural phenomena,” Amanda Scopelliti. the John A Lamberton Research Dorothy explains. Margaret Rice reports. Scholarships. The scholarships have Making the scholarships available has been awarded annually since 2005 to created a tangible as well as symbolic University of Sydney PhD students who connection to the University, and it’s are either working in an area of John’s something Dorothy treasures. “The interests – the chemistry of many Chemistry Department has been very classes of natural products, especially generous in the past several years, alkaloids, and developing a greater inviting me to their prizes luncheons understanding of the relationships each year, and I’ve had the pleasure of between chemical structure and meeting most of the current crop of Photography: Ted Sealey biological activity – or researching ‘my’ students,” she says. 8 “Without John a whole area of chemistry would not exist and that’s amazing, absolutely amazing.” AMANDA SCOPELLITI Until recently, one of those she had not The highlight of John’s career as met was pharmacology PhD student a chemist was analysing the flora THE DESIRE TO UNDERSTAND Amanda Scopelliti, who is researching of Papua New Guinea in an era of Amanda is researching the the regulation of glutamate, one Australian scientific discovery inspired regulation of glutamate, one of of the major chemicals of the brain. by similar American successes in the the major chemicals in the brain, “Glutamate disregulation is implicated in Amazon. “It was a really golden era for which is implicated in neurological multiple neurological disorders such as John. They were particularly looking disorders such as Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia and for alkaloids because they’re very disease, schizophrenia and epilepsy. epilepsy. I specifically look at glutamate biologically active compounds. It led to She is specifically investigating transporters, which are the machinery some beautiful chemistry, new classes glutamate transporters and aims responsible for regulating glutamate,” of alkaloids, new ring structures,” to discover how they malfunction Amanda says. Her aim is to discover how Dorothy says. in these disorders. these transporters are malfunctioning in As Amanda listens, her face lights many neurological disorders. up: “It’s huge to be able to discover Dorothy and Amanda met for the first something new and a class of alkaloids. time at the Blackburn Building late last Your name is in history, you’ve changed year.