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A passionate teacher believes in the continuing relevance of the Classics Professor Elizabeth Minchin is one of only a handful of Classics professors in Australia and, with chairs at the University of Queensland and at Macquarie currently being filled, she is presently the only woman holding a Classics chair. Together with about 30 or so other classicists in Australian universities she battles to lead the way in what is an inexplicably shrinking field. She ticks...
A trail-blazing academic urges her students to get active in law reform As a young lawyer, Molly O’Brien did battle with the best in American courts where she defended clients including a man accused of murdering his baby and another up on rape charges. Now an associate professor in the ANU College of Law, she is campaigning for a less adversarial approach to law, even if that means action to change practice style. Molly was...
A cutting edge immunologist with a passion for the creativity of medical research Medical research is always portrayed to the public in terms of diseases and the search for cures and exciting new therapies. However, Professor Helen O’Neill admits that the process of research is tough and much more esoteric. It is the creative side of the endeavour that appeals to her most as a researcher. Having spent many years experimenting with cells of the...
The difficulties of returning to work after being a stay-at-home parent Getting back into the workforce after taking time out to have children was the biggest hurdle Robyn Petch has faced in her career. But perseverance and chutzpah paid off, and after stints in retail and more than ten years in banking, Robyn landed her dream job – as an area administrator in the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences (RSES). “I’ve never considered moving...
The head of a residential hall creates a gentle and accepting environment for students new to Canberra Marion Stanton recalls the long train trip in the 1980s from Armidale, in northern NSW, to Canberra, where she was about to start undergraduate studies at the Australian National University. It was her first trip to Canberra, and the 17 year-old’s emotions fluctuated between excitement and apprehension. The journey would change her life. Marion was to spend her...
An manager looks back on her career with quiet contentment and ahead with great optimism As she moves from her current position as the Director of Marketing and Communications at Crawford School of Public Policy to act in a newly created role as its School Manager, Cecily Stewart sees that “careers reflect the opportunities you create and find, while the goals you set and the challenges you face see you grow immeasurably. The people around...
A chemist and physicist sees science as an unduly gendered kind of world – but that need not be the case Art and science are often thought to be polar opposites. Science is objective and logical by definition, whereas art tends to be emotional and expressive. The Director of the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS), Professor Sue Stocklmayer AM believes this needn’t be the case and that capturing the emotion...
