CONFERRING OF AWARDS CLASS OF 2020 CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE TO GRADUATES We are in rapidly changing and unprecedented times, and this year we have found new ways to celebrate your extraordinary achievements whilst we continue to ensure everyone stays safe during the pandemic. What remains constant, however, is the great pride we share with you in your graduation. Since its creation in the wake of another global upheaval last century, The Australian National University (ANU) has continued to play a critical role for our nation. From your very first day as a student here, you have been part of that mission to advance our knowledge of the world and Australia’s place in it through research and learning of the highest calibre. We continue to face significant challenges − from pandemics, climate change, technology and resources inequality to shifting geopolitical relations. We also face challenges in our communities but we will work together to make them stronger and more sustainable. No matter the scale of the issue, your time here has equipped you to help shape things for the better. As you make the transition from student to graduate, The Hon Julie Bishop we know you will continue to engage and contribute with the same rigour and commitment you have demonstrated Chancellor at ANU. The Australian National University You are joining our 100,000-strong family of international alumni working in research, government, business, industry, healthcare and many other fields of endeavour. Whatever your next steps, I am sure you will continue to make us proud. I offer you my sincere congratulations and best wishes for the future. 2 The Australian National University VICE-CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGE TO GRADUATES To our graduating students, I commend you for your resilience and remarkable achievements. Resilient because of the ways you have stepped up during a time of great challenge to advance and complete your studies, adapting to new ways of conducting research, learning and connecting with others. Remarkable because of the incredible quality of thought and work you’ve shown here as part of The Australian National University. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that the only way we can work through complex problems is together. We are very fortunate to have a highly connected and talented community here at ANU. We come from different backgrounds, have faced different challenges and bring different perspectives to bear, whether we are students, staff or alumni. There’s no question we are stronger because of that diversity, which in turn strengthens how we engage with our broader communities in Australia, around our region and internationally. You have made the leap from student to graduate. We know you have worked hard and have also been supported by your peers and loved ones, for which we are all grateful. But this transition doesn’t mean you’re leaving ANU. Far from it. As one of our alumni, you will always be welcome here and, we hope, will always stay connected. Professor Brian P. Schmidt We know you will continue to make a positive impact to our Vice-Chancellor and President world wherever the future takes you. Like the many proud The Australian National University family, friends and community members who are joining us to honour you, we will keep watching your careers with pride and continue celebrating your achievements. So thank you and congratulations. Savour the moment, but also go out and make the most of the future opportunities that await. Conferring of Awards Summer 2020 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The Australian National University acknowledges the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the Traditional Owners of the land upon which this conferral takes place. This Ngunnawal Ngambri land has supported our students throughout their time at ANU and will continue to hold a space for future generations to come together, learning from Country and one another. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, past, present and future and acknowledge that this land from which we benefit has an ancient history that is both rich and sacred. The ANU community makes a commitment to always respect the land upon which we stand and ensure that the voices of this land’s First Peoples are both heard and listened to so that we may move towards a future marked by cooperation and a shared respect. 4 The Australian National University THE UNIVERSITY Since the University’s inception, ANU Reconciliation at ANU academics have taken their ideas to the The University has made a formal commitment to world, and the world’s best have come reconciliation with Indigenous Australians; launching in July 2009 one of the first Reconciliation Action Plans within the here to collaborate with internationally higher education sector. The Plan and its implementation renowned colleagues. ANU is Australia’s provide a whole-of-institution approach to enhancing broad engagement with Indigenous education, research, most research-intensive university and employment and culture. is consistently ranked among the best The ANU Reconciliation Action Plan is testament to the universities in the world. University’s conviction that it must contribute to righting the wrongs of the past. ANU knows that the future has to be ANU collaborates closely with other research organisations, founded on relationships of mutual respect and meaningful national institutions and Federal, State and Territory partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Governments. Generations of ANU scholars, teachers Australians – a future where Indigenous culture, connection and graduates have shaped government policy and public to country, and world views are treated with respect. debate, making a very real contribution to the economic, The University’s vision for reconciliation is to be a place cultural and social prosperity of the nation. of learning that respects Indigenous culture and diversity: ANU is the only Australian member of the International a place where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people Alliance of Research Universities (IARU)–a strategic come together to engage with their chosen discipline, partnership between the world’s best education and contextualised by an understanding of our shared research institutions. The Alliance shares a focus on history. ANU aims to make an important contribution to research-led teaching, a commitment to educating reconciliation by furthering scholarly learning, research and future leaders and tackling some of the century’s public knowledge of Indigenous issues. biggest challenges. ANU provides a supportive learning environment where ANU provides an environment in which learning and Indigenous Australians can realise their potential and research sit side-by-side. The University’s academic achieve their aspirations. It aims to make a significant profile is dictated by what we research, and we teach contribution to improving higher education and employment what we research. outcomes for Indigenous Australians. The University community has strong and mutually beneficial partnerships ANU graduates go on to take up leadership positions in with local, national and, indeed, international Indigenous government, industry, research and academia at home communities. These relationships provide for the sharing of and abroad. knowledge and ideas and the opportunity to listen and learn from Indigenous Australians about the past, their current As Australia’s national university and Australia’s circumstances and their vision for the future. finest university, ANU sets the standard in research, education and public policy, on issues of national and international importance. The culture of ANU The distinguishing culture of ANU is one where the notion of discovery pervades all that we do. For all staff, it is the discovery of new and better ways to research, to educate and to support ANU students and scholars. For academic staff, it is the discovery of new knowledge and new insights, and the creative use of these innovations in further research and education. For students, it is the discovery of new understanding, in breadth and in depth, in their fields of interest. Conferring of Awards Summer 2020 5 PRIZES Student awards University Medal The University Medal recognises students who have obtained First Class Honours (or Masters Advanced Equivalent) and demonstrated exceptional academic excellence across their studies. Awardees for 2020 are: Semester 1 > Christopher Bottomley > Matthew Kenna > Lu Wang > Ashleigh Buckley > Paul Reid > Hongyi Xu > Janet Davey > Emma Roff > Michael Howes > Aidan Smyth Semester 2 > Grace Barclay > Liam Maldoni > Callum Sutton > Gracie Beck > Donghee Nam > Tandee Wang > Zixian Cai > Anna Normyle > Brenda Wang > Alexander Cox > Sarah O’dowd > Nuoya Wang > James Hayne > Helen Pretorius > Julian Widdup > Lucy Kirk > Shoshana Rapley > Henry Wu > Olivia Leslie > Ellen Shi > Alexandra Wulff > Shiqi Li > Brandon Smith > Joy Zeng Tillyard Prize The Tillyard Prize is the oldest and most prestigious prize available to bachelor degree students of the University. Originally established in 1940, the Prize is awarded to the student whose personal qualities and contribution to University life have been outstanding and who in the year of the award has completed a Degree of Bachelor with Honours. The Prize commemorates Dr Robin and Mrs Patricia Tillyard, who were important contributors to the formation and early life of the University as well as to the wider Canberra community. Awardees for 2020 are: > Eleanor Armstrong J G Crawford Prize