Faculty highlights
Alan Finkel Scholarships
Eighty final year high achieving Monash engineering students were invited to attend the launch of the Monash Engineering Finkel Scholarships and to celebrate their academic success.
Dr Alan and Dr Elizabeth Finkel wish to support PhD research by providing financial support in addition to a University funded scholarship stipend to enable three outstanding graduate scholars to pursue research in the Faculty of Engineering. Funding for the award is provided by the Finkel Foundation and Dr Alan and Dr Elizabeth Finkel.
Monash University Chancellor, Dr Alan Finkel, is an engineering alumnus. Dr Finkel received his Bachelor of Engineering in 1976 and Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Monash University in 1981, following which he served for two years as a neuroscience research fellow at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, located at the Australian National University.
In 1983, Dr Finkel founded the Californian Company, Axon Instruments, to commercially produce amplifiers that measured nerve activity in mammalian neurons with one electrode. His science and technology based company lead the world in the design of equipment used for cellular research and drug discovery. Dr Finkel has contributed significantly to Australian scientific endeavour and communications.
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Tam Sridhar, addressed the group of distinguished Monash guests, staff and students, "Dr Finkel’s story blends cutting edge research with entrepreneurship and value creation from research. The Engineering faculty is proud of Dr Finkel’s achievements and is grateful to Dr Alan Finkel and Dr Elizabeth Finkel for establishing the Finkel Scholarship to make it possible for you to pursue your research dreams."
"In your undergraduate course you are taught the current state of knowledge in your discipline. The lecturer essentially teaches and tests you on material they already know. The PhD program is more of a partnership between the student and the supervisor – a journey into the unknown. The answers are often surprising."
The Chancellor, Dr Alan Finkel, provided an inspiring speech to students about why he chose research and his passion for supporting research in engineering and at Monash, "As Engineering graduates, you will soon be in the next generation of leaders of this country. As a PhD student you will have the capacity to be not only a researcher but have the potential to be a part of the next generation of leadership will make a difference."