Alexander Wyatt (BE/BSc, 2005) was awarded one of two 2009 Fulbright Western Australia Scholarships to undertake research in the United States. He was presented with his Fulbright Scholarship, at the Annual Fulbright Presentation Dinner, held in March at Moorilla Estate in Hobart along with twenty-two fellow Australian awardees.

Alex Wyatt is currently a PhD candidate in the School of Environmental Systems Engineering at UWA. While in the US, he will be based in San Diego at the University of California's Scripps Institution of Oceanography one of the world's leading institutes in this field. Alex's research work will focus on the role of oceanographic processes in the function of coral reef ecosystems.

"The aim of my project is to increase scientific understanding and therefore aid the management of coral reefs which are subject to increasing pressure and degradation, particularly Western Australia's iconic Ningaloo Reef".

"It is widely recognised that coral reefs may be lost within this century unless engineering and science can support more effective management. The Fulbright Scholarship offers me a unique opportunity to add an international perspective on top of the excellent training that I received at UWA, and in doing so develop a better understanding of how oceanographic processes affect coral reefs and influence their degradation", Mr Wyatt said.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Robson said "the Fulbright Scholars at UWA were to be congratulated on their outstanding achievement. Our University has an ambitious vision of achieving international excellence and these prestigious scholarships suggest we are well on our way to reaching that goal," Professor Robson said.

Other outstanding UWA Fulbright Scholars who have graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics include Harold Clough (BE 1951), John Wager (BE 1964), Giacinta Parish (BE 1996), Tri Suseno (BE 2001) and Martin Soh (BE 2005).