|
“Fun, yet somewhat surreal” is how Alumnus Clive Rossiter describes being taught by his mother, ANU engineer, Dr Margaret Rossiter.
Mr Rossiter graduated with a double degree — Bachelor of Engineering (hons) and Bachelor of IT — last year and even found himself sharing the stage with her when she was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at the same ceremony.
“Mum and I shared lots of friendly banter about my graduation day becoming her award day, but I was really proud of her achievement. Having two things for the family to celebrate only made the day better,” he recalls.
“I may not be an impartial judge here, but I think that some of the things that made her teaching stand out were her compassion for students and genuine enthusiasm for teaching and the subject matter that she covers. Mum does such a good job of creating a fun and productive learning environment.”
His first-hand experience of his mother’s teaching came as one of 175 students on a compulsory third-year engineering course. Most students were unaware of the connection, but there were amusing moments for Mr Rossiter and his friends, such as the occasion when Rossiter family photos stored on Dr Rossiter’s computer appeared between her lecture slides.
"I find the next generation of engineers inspiring"
Dr Margaret Rossiter
|
Mr Rossiter is now in the graduate program with consulting firm Accenture, where he hopes to use the skills he developed at ANU — as a consequence of the whole experience, not just the third-year course taught by his mother.
“Accenture has a good reputation for hard work, training and development, and will allow me to use aspects of both my engineering and IT degrees.
“During the early years of my career, I will mostly be involved in application development and will be directly using my IT skills, as well as the problem-solving skills developed as part of my engineering degree. As I progress, the project management skills developed through my engineering degree will become directly applicable.”
For Dr Rossiter, sharing her son’s graduation was a unique experience, although her pride as a parent was a stronger emotion than the professional satisfaction she felt at having her quality teaching recognised.
“Teaching is the honour — as was the opportunity to witness Clive’s graduation up close,” she says.
In a minority as a female engineer, she says she hopes more women will follow her into the profession and hopes her teaching will play a part in shaping the engineers of the future.
“A degree in engineering opens so many career doors — opportunities to shape the future. Now more than ever, engineering needs to exercise its social conscience and engage in developing sustainable solutions, and women have a lot to offer that challenge.
“I hope that as a teacher I manage to inspire all my students, male and female. I certainly find the next generation of engineers inspiring, and I will be delighted to see more females among the cohort.”
|
