Alumni Profiles

We want to hear about your achievements and stories, below is Professor Lance Leslie's Story.

• Read about ISS Alumni in past Alumni News Issues .

Professor Lance Leslie's Story.
Professor Lance Leslie, one of the world's leading authorities on
Environmental Modelling and Prediction, is a University of Sydney
Graduate and an ISS Alumnus (1962).

"When I attended the first ISS in 1962, I was fifteen years old and
lived in rural New South Wales. The teachers at our country school
usually stayed for the required two years and then went straight back
to the city. I was a very bright kid and found it very frustrating
not to have a school that would push you as far as you wanted to go.
I was thrilled to attend the International Science School. I had
never seen a university before and, suddenly being in the academic
environment and seeing the brilliant scientists teaching us, made me
realise that scientists were real people and that achieving in your
field of interest was not out of reach."

"The ISS had a huge impact on me. As I sat surrounded by over one
hundred like-minded students - most of whom have gone on to great
achievements too - I realised I could achieve my dream of a career in
science. The ISS was certainly one of the pivotal points of my life."

Professor Leslie maintains, "There is a need to learn from the
failures of the past and unite the private and academic sectors. This
has already begun in a number of areas and in my field of expertise
(weather) alone those improved partnerships currently benefit such
industries as: Agriculture, Aviation, Air Quality, Emergency Response
Groups, Energy, Fire Services, Forestry, Insurance and Reinsurance,
Public Health, Sport & Leisure, Transportation and Water Supply."

"The importance of maths and science in future technologies right
across the board requires people to be taught and trained in those
fields. The ISS is a program that encourages future scientists to
pursue such careers and, as such, is worth supporting."