29 - 07 - 2022

Join us for this week's roundup of inspiring Scholar news...

^{Image left to right: Adam Lees, Chief Advisor Indigenous Affairs, Rio Tinto; Annemarie Rolls, CEO General Sir John Monash Foundation; Kellie Parker, Australian CEO Rio Tinto; Dr Arjuna Dibley, 2016 Woodside John Monash Scholar}

The General Sir John Monash Foundation and Rio Tinto have formed a new partnership to fund scholarships for outstanding individuals with leadership capabilities. On Wednesday evening, the two organisations celebrated this partnership surrounded by a broad range of industry supporters.

Our Chief Executive, Annemarie Rolls said “A perpetual scholarship from Rio Tinto is a great investment in Australia’s future and the sustainability of the Foundation, to continue its work identifying and nurturing leaders across many disciplines, who will shape our future.” 

Dr Arjuna Dibley, 2016 Woodside John Monash Scholar, shared his reflections on what he has learned about the future and preparing for falling into the 'unknowns'.

"People with the intellectual fortitude, curiosity, diversity and humility to understand the problem from different perspectives, adapt and respond to the circumstances which face them, regardless of whether they have seen those circumstances before, or not," Dr Dibley said. "For this reason, we are thrilled and grateful for Rio’s perpetual investment in the Foundation, and more to the point, its investment in the future of this country.”

Arjuna is a researcher and adviser working on climate change law and economics. In addition to his doctoral research at Stanford University on clean-energy innovation, he is also an adviser and board member of a number of private and public organisations. 
Read more here.

Monkeypox declared a global health emergency: Here’s what a Scholar has to say 

Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Monkeypox a public health emergency and advised international countries to take greater precaution when it comes to this disease. Dr Alexandra Phelan, 2013 Pratt Foundation John Monash Scholar, spoke to NPR Radio discussing the positive impact of bringing global attention to Monkeypox and its potential negative effects. 

"There is a lot of value in bringing global political attention and ideally governments will perhaps provide money to WHO or directly to affected countries. Or even if it's happening in their own country, provide that financial and technical response."

Alexandra has worked as an intern for WHO, and as a lawyer for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation in Geneva. She is currently an Adjunct Professor in global health law at Georgetown University.

Since the global pandemic emerged in 2020, it is no secret that the arts industry has faced devastating consequences due to the loss of events, venues and social connection.

In an article published by Spectator Australia, Dr Ben Etherington, 2005 John Monash Scholar, explains that by funding the arts sector, the abundance of artistic and literary platforms framed around conflicting values may improve our ability to understand different perspectives on controversial issues.

“It is fiction to think that art flowers without support. That it is only a calling that does not require resources.”

Ben graduated from the University of Cambridge with a PhD in English in 2010, where he stayed on for a further two years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of English. He is now a lecturer at the Western Sydney University and a member of their renowned Writing and Society Research Centre. 

Creating a more inclusive approach towards abortion terminology

Last month when the Roe vs Wade abortion laws were overturned in the US, human rights, justice and gender equality became a rising concern throughout global communities. 

Associate Professor Kate Manne, 2006 John Monash Scholar, was a guest on the latest episode of The Brian Lehrer Show discussing how the phrase 'pregnant people' bothers many people on all sides of the political spectrum and encourages society to recognise a more inclusive choice of terminology. 

With her John Monash scholarship, Kate completed a PhD in philosophy at MIT, Cambridge MA in 2011. She is currently an Associate Professor of philosophy at Cornell University and has published two books: Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny; Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women.