19 September 2007

	Carla Bissett.

The future of the world’s precious water resources and how they are managed are a key concern of UNSW Engineering graduate Carla Bissett, who has just won a scholarship to study the topic at Oxford University.

Carla will investigate the social, environmental and governmental issues involved in water supply after winning a British Chevening-Oxford Australia Scholarship Award, one of just six scholarships awarded this year by the Oxford Australia Scholarship Fund to a field of 65 highly qualified applicants.

The scholarship will enable Carla to read for Oxford’s one-year Masters of Science degree in Water Science, Policy and Management.

Newcastle-born Carla, who entered UNSW on a Co-Op Program scholarship, graduated with first-class honours in industrial chemistry last year.

It was during a six-month undergraduate work experience term with Sydney Water, working on the planning study for the city’s desalination plant, that she took a keen interest in the governance issues around water.

“It sort of gave me a bit of an insight into what little role technology plays and what a big role politics plays in some decisions,” Carla said.

“The relationship between governance and policy, community needs, environmental concerns and technical requirements in the Sydney Water Desalination project was fascinating and complex and certainly encouraged me to take a greater interest in water issues at a community, national and global level.”

Carla said her qualifications as an industrial chemist will provide “a good technical background” for working on policy matters and, while the Oxford program has a global focus, she is keen to bring her knowledge back to Australia.

When she’s not studying at Oxford, Carla will pursue her hobby of drawing ( “I’ve been doing it since I was a kid – It’s a way of escaping”) and playing hockey.

“I play hockey for UNSW so I hope to keep doing that and maybe rowing as well,” she said.

UNSW head of Chemical Sciences and Engineering Professor Robert Burford said: “We like to see graduates from this school have a broader skill set – we have electives in things such as business management, for example.”

The British Chevening-Oxford Australia Scholarship Awards are jointly funded by the British High Commission and the Oxford Australia Scholarship Fund.