60 seconds with graduate: Samantha Ewart

Samantha Ewart studied Bachelor of Music (Hons) at Kingswood campus and graduated in 2010. Since graduating from this degree, Samantha has created Music Cubes project (as part of her PhD) to entertain sick children in hospital. The Music Cubes have been programmed with different musical genres that can be controlled by touching the sides of the cubes and can be changed to suit each young person’s individual musical taste.

Not only do the cubes create sound, they also light up and flash with the music. As a result of this work, Samantha won the Highly Commended award at the Young Women of the West Awards in 2012 and was featured in Time Out Sydney’s Thirty Under 30, highlighting 30 young, innovative Sydneysiders. Samantha’s supervisors are Dr Amanda Third, Associate Professor Garth Paine and Professor Michael Atherton.

What are you doing now?
I am still studying. Currently, I am in my second year of a PhD at the Kingswood campus.

Best UWS experience or memory?
I found that the most memorable experience to date was the Young Women of the West Ceremony 2012, where I was lucky to be in a room full of inspiring women who are doing great things for the community.

What will we find you doing when you are not working/studying?
On the rare occurrence, I try to spend some time outside enjoying the sunshine, or try to catch up with family and friends.

My UWS degree helped me to...
Think about different avenues that I never would have dreamed to be possible before studying at UWS, such as helping sick young people in hospital through music and technology.

Advice to current UWS students?
If you can study what you love or incorporate things that you like into study, it makes university just that little bit easier and more enjoyable. And try to think outside the box and be creative with your study – you never know what interesting things will come out.