Lumen Summer 2015 - Flipbook - Page 29
story by Genevieve Sanchez
To be able to put a smile on these
beautiful young faces is very rewarding.
We want to see this support enable their
growth, their happiness, their satisfaction
in life and hopefully they’ll put something
back when the time comes.
Ashok also supports a scholarship for students at
the Elder Conservatorium. Established in memory of his
mother who was a keen singer, the Kamala Khurana music
scholarship provides financial assistance for musicians
to attend master classes and performances with leading
exponents worldwide.
“As a child, watching my mother and women from all
walks of life getting together for religious soirees showed
me the enormous power of music as a cohesive force that
brings people together. It seems to me to be a common
language regardless of people’s origins and cultural
backgrounds,” he said.
During his time as General Manager Development at
Santos, Ashok was instrumental in setting up the Petroleum
School at the University of Adelaide. He helped develop
the original curriculum and was a member of the School’s
Board. He went on to become Professor of Petroleum
Engineering from 2002 to 2006.
He was also Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Curtin
University of Technology in Perth, starting the Petroleum
Engineering School there and held professorial positions at
the University of New South Wales and CSIRO.
Aside from his academic career, Ashok has more than
30 years of industry experience with Santos Ltd, with Esso/
ExxonMobil and as a consultant to numerous companies
and governments worldwide. He now works part-time as an
advisor to Petronas, the national oil company of Malaysia.
“The most satisfying part of my academic career,
including my time at the University of Adelaide, was
teaching undergraduate students,” said Ashok.
“I have always found interaction with young students
very satisfying and intellectually stimulating. They don’t
seem to have any inhibitions about asking the seemingly
naive questions which are often very incisive and the
hardest to answer.
“It is time to give back and help pave the way for other
Indian students who may not otherwise have an opportunity
to advance their career without a scholarship.”
Even small scholarships have a big impact on students
lives. To find out more about supporting students
through scholarships at the University of Adelaide visit
www.alumni.adelaide.edu.au/scholarships
or contact Natalie Gibbs on +8 8313 1716
or natalie.gibbs@adelaide.edu.au
Bequest
to support
the sciences
A diagnosis of a serious and ultimately
fatal illness inspired George Southgate to
consider the impact he could make, both
today and for the future.
It is thanks to George’s own intellectual
curiosity and his lifelong interest in physics and
chemistry, that a new generation of thinkers
can explore and seek new knowledge for the
future benefit of all.
In an interview with the University before his
death in 2010 George said: “The illness made
me focus on the fact that I wasn’t immortal,
which made me think, what am I going to do
with my estate? I’ve always admired the brains
of the scientists, engineers and chemists that
have built the knowledge that we have today.”
The George Southgate Fellowship now
provides fares and travel expenses for faculty
members from the School of Chemistry
and Physics to attend overseas meetings,
conferences and conventions. It also provides
travel expenses for selected physicists from
overseas to visit South Australia for the
purpose of teaching and gaining knowledge
in any branch of physics.
For further information about bequests or
to arrange a confidential discussion please
contact Sue Fox on +61 8 8313 3234 or email
susan.fox@adelaide.edu.au
|e University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 27
