Department of Civil Engineering Annual Dinner and Awards 2018
One of our favourite times of the year is the Department of Civil Engineering’s Annual Dinner when we honour current staff and students and also invite back graduates from 10 and 25 years past. The night was a wonderful celebration also bringing together industry partners who have supported the Department over the past year.
Some award highlights include Dr Edoardo Daly winning both the award for Excellence in Research and Excellence in Teaching. Edo is a Senior Lecturer in Water Engineering and his research focuses on ecohydrology--how ecosystems simultaneously drive and are affected by the water cycle. His research portfolio is strong across publishing, research training, securing funds and peer recognition. Edo is recognised for his excellence in teaching for his passion and adaptability, restructuring his classes this year to incorporate additional video lectures to support student learning. Dr Tharaka Rathnaweera won the award for ‘best tutor’ for the deep respect he has for his students and for his ability to communicate his incredible knowledge of geotechnical engineering in ways that are meaningful to his students.
We jam a lot into the night including networking, some great food, and of course we award the Alumnus of the Year. This year the award was won by Dr Dasarath Jayasuriya who now works at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology as the General Manager, Public Safety. Dr Jayasuriya has moved ahead in his career to be one of Australia’s most influential experts on forecasting natural hazards and advises the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on Climate, Water and Food Security. We are very proud to have Dr Jayasuriya as Monash Alumnus of the Year and he gave a spirited address the dinner attendees and graciously accepted his award.
A full display staff and student award winners is listed below. Congratulations everyone.
 Alumnus of the Year Dr Dasarath Jayasuriya and his wife Nira |  Winner of the AECOM Civil & Environmental Engineering Practice Prize |
 Winner Award for Research and Teaching Excellence - Dr Edoardo Daly |  Winner of Best Tutor award, Dr Tharaka Rathnaweera |
Photos are taken by Derek Chan of Black Avenue Productions. Facebook and Instagram
Staff and Alumni awards
| Award Name | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2018 Alumnus of the Year | Dr Dasarath Jayasuriya |
| 2018 Award for Best PhD Thesis | Ashani Savinda Ranathunga |
| 2018 Award for Best MEngSc (Research) | Bertrand Binene Teodosio |
| 2018 Best Tutor Award | Tharaka Rathnaweera |
| 2018 OHS Award | Wanniarachchillage Ayal Wanniarachchi |
| 2018 Professional Staff Member Award | Noi Souvandy |
| 2018 Team Player Award | Kristie Hunter |
| 2018 Award for Excellence in Research | Dr Edoardo Daly |
| 2018 Award for Excellence in Teaching | Dr Edoardo Daly |
| 2018 Eric Laurenson Award (PhD) | Dr Ashley Wright |
| 2018 SSSI Award (PhD) | Alex Holmes |
| 2018 Walker Family Prize for Best Graduate in the Master of Advanced Civil Engineering | Mr Shulun Liu |
Student Awards
Department award
| Top level 1 student entering Civil Engineering | Ben Cressall |
| Top level 1 double degree student entering Civil Engineering | Michael Natalizio |
Scholarships
| Golder Associates Scholarship 2018 | Lachlan Lane |
| Level 2 Traffix Group Scholarship | Luke Hall |
| Level 3 Traffix Group Scholarship | Andrew Fitzgerald |
Level 2 Prizes
|
Railand Prize for water engineering at level 2 Best overall performance in the level 2 water engineering unit CIV2263 | Robert Rae |
|
SRIA Prize for Concrete Structures Best overall performance in the level 2 Structures unit CIV2226 | Jervis Lai & Aonan Xue |
|
Coffey geotechnics Prize for Geoengineering at level 2 Best overall performance in the level 2 Geomechanics unit CIV2242 | Brayden Morrow |
Level 3 Prizes
|
Australian Steel Institute Prize Best overall performance in Steel Structures unit CIV3221 | Sarah Chancellor-Goddard |
|
Railand Prize for Water Engineering Best overall performance in the level 3 Water Engineering unit CIV3264 | Jian TSEN GOH |
|
Douglas Partners Prize for Geomechanics Best overall performance in level 3 geomechanics units CIV3247 & CIV3248 | Xinjun Liu |
|
GHD highway design Prize To the group who submitted the best highway design project in CIV3283 | Lachlan Hawthorn, John Baker, Georgina McMenamin & James Sissins |
|
Institute of Civil Engineers Fred Green Award Highest performing student in their penultimate year | Xinjun Liu |
Level 4 Prizes
|
GHD Civil Engineering Award Top ranking graduate in Civil Engineering 2017 | Dulan Dantanarayana |
|
GHD Prize in Water Engineering Greatest proficiency in both level 4 Water Engineering units CIV4261 & CIV4268 | Jeremy Erlich |
|
Foundation industry Prize for Soil Engineering Best foundation design in Soil Engineering CIV4249 | Cal Taylor |
|
Traffix Group Prize at Level 4 Best overall performance in all transport units from levels 2-4 | Joshua Richardson |
|
AECOM Civil & Environmental Engineering Practice Prize Highest scoring group in CIV4212 | Julian Lynch, Anna Loughnan, Jason Durand & Phillipa Solly |
|
Sustainable Transport Prize in CIV4212 Best Transport Component in CIV4212 | Aaron Wu, Qiqin Yu, Priya Argawal, Gunyie Li & Erdem Sen |
|
Civil Contractors Federation Ian Jacka award Top student in Civil Engineering Construction CIV3203 | John Baker |
|
The Geofabrics Pty Ltd award Best Geosynthetics final year group project in CIV4248 | John Baker, Aaron Wu, Joel Docker & James Sissins |
|
Golder Associates Prize Best overall performance in Geotechnical & Geo-environmental Engineering | Joshua Williams |
|
SMEC Prize Best Geotechnical Final Year Project 2017 | David Beaumont |
Resources awards
| Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources Award for Women in Resources Engineering | Keely Simpson-Bull |
| Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources Award for Best International Resources Student | Amanda Huang |
| Resources Advisory Board Encouragement Award in Mining | Tram Nguyen |
| Mining One Award for best numerical modelling project | Jay Rezai |
|
Resources Advisory Board Award Overall best student in MNE1010 | Jack Edgerton |
|
Fl Smidth Award Progress achievement in MNE2030 | Adam Sederkenny |
|
UPC Renewables Australia Transmission Award Best female student in MNE1010 | Shinian Qian |