Gippsland Grammar student Sophie Alexander has been named a Graeme Clark Oration Youth Ambassador for 2022.
The Year 11 student attended the Graeme Clark Oration Women in STEMM lunch last month (July 12) alongside the event’s keynote speaker, Dr Natalia Trayanova, and 200 women from academia, research, business and government.
Sophie was also treated to a private meeting with Dr Trayanova before she spoke at the Graeme Clark Oration following Dr Trayanova’s keynote address.
The annual Graeme Clark Oration awards the ‘Youth Ambassador’ title to VCE students pursuing studies in one or more of Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM).
The Youth Ambassadors represent all Victorian students during the Graeme Clark Oration Schools Program and at the Graeme Clark Oration, and their aim is to promote the significance of having a STEM-ready workforce to address issues that concern the youth of Victoria and to solve problems of the present and future.
Dr Trayanova is the Murray B Sachs Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and a Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
She has published more than 400 scientific papers and is considered a trailblazer in the use of modern computation and modelling approaches in cardiac arrhythmia research and in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with heart rhythm disorders.
Sophie’s mother Meg Langley was bursting with pride at her daughter’s achievements.
“Sophie has always had a thirst for knowledge, particularly in the areas of STEM,” Ms Langley said.
“And I think this experience will really whet her appetite. She always puts in 110 per cent and her entire family thinks this is really well deserved.”
