Celebrating our best students with Dean’s Honours

The Dean’s Honours list comprises the top 3% of undergraduate students, the top 3% of honours students and the top 5% of graduate students within the Faculty.

The Faculty of Science’s top performing students for 2019 have been included in the Dean’s Honours List, and the year’s top individual undergraduate and graduate students have been named.

Dean of Science, Professor Aleks Owczarec,  congratulates all the students who are on the 2019 Faculty of Science Dean’s Honours list and recognises the hard work, focus and determination they have all shown by performing so highly.

Special acknowledgement goes to the top undergraduate student, Michelle Chen and the top graduate student, Alex Rafaniello, who are profiled below.

Bachelor of Science Medal winner – Michelle Chen

Michelle is now doing a Master of Computer Science, after completed her BSc with a major in Computing and Software Systems, but she began her first year studying very assorted subjects: Maths, Computing, Physics and Jazz. Despite the subjects differing greatly she says they all shared a common element, “the amazing enthusiasm the lecturers had for what they were teaching.”

“As I went through my degree I grew to realise that if I wanted to see what things were out there, I needed to more actively seek these things out, for instance by looking for internships and research projects.”

“The greatest challenge I faced during my degree was trying to keep some sort of balance between work, study or leisure,” she says. “I found an effective way of tackling content was to start by just looking at the overall picture, then later go back and work on the details.”

Michelle cites the support of her friends and family as the reason for her achievements. “I think it's important to realise that everyone has good days and bad days, and that there are always people out there who are willing to help you get through your degree.”

Highest achieving Graduate student – Alex Rafaniello

Alex completed his Master of Science (Chemistry) last year with  research focused on the synthesis of naturally occurring bioactive molecules - what we call natural products. Specifically it was devising a synthesis for a newly discovered derivative of trachyspic acid that showed promising anticancer activity. He will be starting a PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Cambridge later this year as a recipient of the Cambridge Australia Poynton Scholarship.

“I'm so thrilled to be named the 2019 high-scoring graduate student in the Faculty of Science. I have to thank my supervisor - Professor Mark Rizzacasa first and foremost for his support in all of my endeavors. Whether it was a roadblock in my research, working to publish together or even planning my future - Mark was there,” says Alex.

Looking back at his time studying Alex says his research “had its ups and downs” but that he couldn’t have done it without the support from his family and friends – both in and out of the lab. Alex notes the difficult time a lot of researchers are facing right now and says his advice is “to use this time to read, write and think more broadly. It's what we do best as academics and there's never been a better time to put our minds to use.”

Congratulations again to all of the students who received the Dean’s Honours list award. We wish you all the best into your future whether you’re still studying, about to enter the workforce or already there.