Swedosh

Philip Swedosh received a BH Neumann Award at a function at the Riverwalk Hotel, Melbourne, on Saturday 16 August 2008. The Award was presented by AMT Executive Director Professor Peter Taylor.

Peter Taylor presents the award to Philip.

Philip with son William, wife Julie and daughter Serena.

Citation

Philip was educated at McKinnon High School, where he enjoyed mathematics. He won a Commonwealth Scholarship to study at University but withdrew from his studies to work in the corporate sector.

At the age of 25 Philip was managing the Melbourne office of Time Life, with a staff of 45, but in the early 1980s due to an economic recession Time Life closed 75% of its offices world wide, including Melbourne.

As a result of this experience it was difficult to find work. He met Julie and married her in 1984. Julie had a job in a merchant bank and Philip trained to become a mathematics teacher. Bruce Henry was one of his lecturers.

After marrying and graduating Philip and Julie went overseas for six months and on returning Philip became a mathematics tutor in the University of Melbourne. Here he collaborated with Frank Barrington and John Clark while completing a PhD in mathematics eduction.

Since 1993 Philip has been a VCE mathematics examiner. He has also been on the setting panel for Specialist Mathematics since 1997. From 1998 he was a group leader for the combined Department of Education and MAV camp, which he also directed from 2000 to 2002.

Philip has been a moderator for the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians since 1993 and Victorian Director of the Australian Mathematics Olympiad Committee since 1998. He was also a member of the organising committee for the Melbourne Conference of the World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions in 2002. Since 2001 Philip has been Head of the Mathematics Department of St Leonard's College.

Peter Taylor

Saturday 16 August 2008