Vaughn Grey, UWA mechanical engineering and chemistry graduate (2007), will travel this month for the fifth time to East Timor to install a satellite broadband connection to improve the communication between the UWA' AusAid and local lecturers. He also hopes that in a future program they will upgrade the internet facilities for the students.

Vaughn won the Engineers Australia 2008 National Young Professional Engineer of the Year Award. He led projects in Indonesia, East Timor and within remote regions of Australia focusing on water and sustainability issues. He works in Sinclair Knight Merz in Perth, but takes regular time off to visit East Timor.

Vaughn is also trying to improve the engineering program in the Dili Institute of Technology and the National University of East Timor.

He said that a lot of his work in East Timor was related to communication and organisation, as the engineers in East Timor need to be more practical - they should be able to design and build from scratch themselves the water systems and sanitation facilities.

It's Vaughn's passion to apply engineering in less advanced communities and we are proud that he is our graduate.

Media references

Magdalena Matuszczyk / magdalena.matuszczyk@uwa.edu.au / 6488 4277