Charles Sturt University

Rebecca Groat

With two Dean’s awards and a GPA of 6.5 Rebecca is an outstanding scholar. Motivated by her passion for the environment and the well-being of others, Rebecca is an emerging leader in Environmental Science. In her role as President of the student Enviro Club, Rebecca has instigated and led several initiatives that benefit her peers both academically and socially. Her desire to improve environmental outcomes is demonstrated through her role as a Sustainability Advisor. Continuing this trajectory, as well as being a leader in her chosen field, Rebecca will have significant positive impact on the broader community.

Curtin University of Technology

Christopher Watts

Christopher is an accomplished Environment and Agricultural Science undergraduate with a strong academic record, demonstrated through an exceptional course weighted average. He is passionate about the environment and sustainable agriculture and has actively volunteered on native revegetation projects and national park weeding initiatives, showcasing his dedication to environmental conservation.

He is mentoring first-year science students, providing invaluable guidance, and nurturing younger students on their path. Currently, he is involved in two industry projects. One on sustainable water use in agriculture, the other investigates industry bi-products as nutrients within horticultural systems, demonstrating his commitment to innovative and environmentally sustainable practices.

Christopher has a passion for propagating native plants and aims to develop an integrated ecosystem-driven approach for agriculture in Western Australia. His curiosity, hands-on experience, and unwavering dedication position him as an asset in shaping a sustainable, environmentally focused future for the agricultural industry.

Swinburne University of Technology

Isabelle MacAdie

Isabelle completed a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Environmental Science) in 2022 as the highest achieving science graduate with a GPA of 3.812/4.

As part of her final project, Isabelle focused on the effectiveness of wood-charring and base activation as a technique for creating a hydrophobic biosorbent for heavy metals. Isabelle’s project was a demonstration of her research skills and creativity in the field.

Beyond her studies, Isabelle is passionate about sustainable community living and volunteered with Friends of Merri Creek and Food Angels mutual aid throughout her degree to expand her impact in both the environment and community.

University of New England

Elly Gooch

Elly completed the Bachelor of Environmental Science at UNE majoring in conservation ecology and has graduated at the top of her cohort with the highest GPA (6.46). Elly was also the recipient of the CEC Spence Memorial UNE Country Scholarship. During her degree Elly grasped all opportunities to build her experience and skills, including a year-long internship with the UNE Insect Ecology Lab. She is now completing a BSc Honours degree at UNE researching the population dynamics of feral cats, aiming to inform current management strategies in eastern Australia. Elly is passionate to bring about actionable and positive impact to the field of environmental science.

University of South Australia

Evan Boutsalis

Evan is in the final semester of his degree at UniSA, having received the Chancellor’s Letter of Commendation twice. He has already contributed to a published paper on the dieback of stringybark eucalypts and worked in university breaks with a not-for-profit group to help develop systems for reducing herbicide usage in paddocks via aerial imagery. Longer term, Evan would like to combine his knowledge of ecology, earth science, GIS, photogrammetry, and programming to restore degraded landscapes at the large-scale, possibly using drone seeding technologies to accomplish this.

Western Sydney University

Lauren. Clackson

Lauren is completing her Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Environmental Futures, demonstrating excellence in achieving a top GPA.

Lauren writes,” Studying environmental science at has been a rollercoaster of learning weird and wonderful facts about the natural environment coupled with the challenges we face as a society to value and conserve our natural spaces for generations to follow. During my studies, Western Sydney University has supported me with collaborative learning and opportunities to network with academics, government bodies and higher degree research students within the final year Field Project units and the Summer and Winter Research Scholarships. From these experiences, I have gained valuable information about myself and potential career opportunities. I have an open mind with where my studies will take me, but I know that I want to be part of the solution.”

University of the Sunshine Coast

Fien VanDenSteen

Fien has a GPA of 7 showing outstanding academic achievement. She has begun an Undergraduate Research Fellowship to develop sustainable ecosystem services-based business in the First Nations Communities of Arnhem Land. She is a member on UniSC Council, Academic Board, and student senate co-chair (and representative for Science, Technology and Engineering Students (STE), and for international students (ISG)). Fien was a Green Ambassador to the Green Summit in the UN headquarters in Bangkok. She participated in panel discussions for Students as Partners National Roundtable and the Gender Equity Panel on International Women’s Day 2023. She helped organise the ‘Outback Tour’ in 2022, to encourage interchange and collaboration between students and industry/ businesses/ agriculture/ science.

Fien received a Students as Partners Award in 2022. She relaunched the Enactus division and lead it to win the award for New coming Team Nationally for Allie of voicing First Nations Culture.

Edith Cowan University

Kayla Moore