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Tuesday, 23 December 2014

Two undergraduate students and one PhD student from The University of Western Australia (UWA) have been awarded prestigious scholarships by the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA).

PhD student Shane Morrissy received a grant of $3000 as the winner of the Tony Noon Scholarship which aims to assist postgraduate students aspiring to a career in the upstream petroleum industry. Shane is undertaking a PhD in Chemical Engineering at UWA's Fluid Science and Resources Division and is keen to pursue an industry career in flow assurance or energy technology.

Tarun Zachariah and Shahbaz Rind were the winners of the APPEA Oil and Gas Industry Engineering Scholarships 2014. APPEA provides two of these scholarships each year - one of them specifically for indigenous Australians - to encourage engineering students looking to enter the oil and gas industry:

Shahbaz and Tarun will each receive $5000 per year while completing their engineering degree and have the opportunity for paid vacation work experience with an APPEA member company within Australia.

Tarun is completing a double degree in Mechanical Engineering and Commerce and holds an executive position in the Society of Petroleum Engineers' UWA student chapter. He plans to work as an engineer in the oil and gas industry upon his graduation in 2015.

Shahbaz is in his second year of a Chemical Engineering degree and dedicated to the Aboriginal community. "I am honoured to have been selected for the APPEA Scholarship and will work hard to make the most out of this opportunity, both for myself and my community" he said, and I look forward to taking up vacation work with Inpex in 2015."

"It is fantastic to see APPEA's commitment and vision to invest directly in the future of our promising students," says Jill Stajduhar, Associate Director at UWA's Energy and Minerals Institute (EMI). "Industry-funded scholarships play an important part in identifying and promoting talent to develop Australia's next generation of business leaders, who have the skills and motivation to deliver real benefits both to industry and the wider community."

Photo courtesy APPEA. From left: David Byers (CEO, APPEA) with scholarship winners Shahbaz Rin, Tarun Zacharias, Shane Morrisy, and with Hon Bill Marmion MLA (Minister for Finance; Mines and Petroleum, WA)

Media references

Jill Stajduhar (Associate Director, UWA Energy and Minerals Institute) (+61 8) 6488 4745

David Stacey (UWA Media Manager)  (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716

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