Aspiring to be a “world changer” is a goal for a University of Queensland graduand from Graceville, who has balanced a brilliant academic career with sport and extensive community service.
Joseph Lovie-Toon is graduating as part of the first cohort from the four-year Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) program at UQ St Lucia on Saturday, 9 December.
Joseph, selected as valedictorian for his ceremony, won a scholarship to study at UQ and has subsequently been recognised with prizes for excellence in tutoring and in his discipline of chemistry.
He is involved in the O’-4 mentor program, and has been a Young Achievers Program and Faculty of Science mentor.
Joseph was selected to represent UQ at an Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering Winter School and to visit the OPAL nuclear research reactor.
His supervisor, Deputy Head of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences Professor James De Voss said Joe was a “truly outstanding Honours student”.
“I can give you a list of his academic achievements but I suspect the GPA of 7, a clear First Class Honours degree and being a stellar Honours graduate in chemistry speak for itself,” Professor De Voss said.
Co-supervisor Dr Elizabeth Krenske said: “Joe did a fantastic job on a ground-breaking project which involved a challenging combination of synthetic organic chemistry and computational chemistry.“
Following his graduation, Joseph plans to commence a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics at UQ in 2018.
“I’d like to combine these disciplines with my science training to create meaningful, science-informed solutions to challenging social problems,” he said. “But who knows, that might change.”
He recommended that students wanting to study at UQ should keep their study as broad as possible, for as long as possible; to know that it was OK to not have all the answers; and to work things out as you go.
“Learn about yourself, about others and the world. Contribute, and your time at university will be well worth it,” he said.
If you’re a high-achieving student with a keen interest in science and looking for a career in science research or industry, learn more about studying UQ’s Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours).
