Scholarships help engineer better naval architects
Australian Maritime University
May 30 2013
Academic excellence has paid off for two naval architecture students from the Australian Maritime College. Reuben Kent and Samuel Smith, both in their second year of a Bachelor of Engineering, have each received prestigious awards as part of the Civilian Defence Engineering Scholarships Scheme (CDESS).
CDESS is offered by the Department of Defence to students in the second year of a four-year naval architecture degree. The scholarship is valued at $12,000 a year for three years and includes two 12-week paid industry work placements within Navy and the Defence Materiel Organisation.
The award aims to attract talented engineering students to an Australian Public Service career with the Department of Defence. Applicants are assessed on academic merit and a variety of key personal qualities and skills, and they receive professional mentoring for the life of the scholarship.
Reuben and Samuel were officially presented with scholarship certificates by Martin Grimm, the Principal Naval Architect from the Directorate of Navy Platform Systems, at a ceremony that was also attended by past AMC CDESS recipients Caitlin Hoey and Lauchlan Clarke.
Both Reuben and Samuel said the scholarships would make a big difference, both financially and in terms of work placements.
“It can be hard to line up a suitable work placement, so this is a fantastic opportunity,” Reuben said.
A boat-builder by trade, he said that naval architecture had seemed like the natural next step for him.
Samuel, from Western Australia, said he was overwhelmed to have been chosen to receive the scholarship.
“It’s the first academic award I have ever received, so to get something like this is amazing. The financial aid included in the scholarship will ease a lot of stress while I am studying.”
Caitlin and Lauchlan took the opportunity to share the benefit of their scholarship experiences with the pair.
“I enjoyed my experience so much that I have applied for next year’s Defence graduate program,’’ Lauchlan said.
Caitlin, who did her first work placement in Canberra over the 2012/13 summer, said that the graduate program provided a fantastic networking opportunity.
“The current graduates have been a great source of advice and knowledge for me,” she said.
Applications for the next CDESS round are expected to open to second-year Naval Architecture students in mid-2014.