La Trobe alumna Dr Rebecca Kippen will discuss her findings on the question of gender preferences of Australian parents at this year’s GS Watson annual public lecture to be held at La Trobe University, Bendigo campus, tomorrow.

Ms Kippen graduated from La Trobe University Bendigo with a bachelor of business in 1996.

Since then she has undertaken postgraduate studies in demography at the Australian National University.

She now works as a fellow in the ANU’s Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute.

Deputy Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics Dr Simon Smith said Ms Kippen had made a significant contribution to public debate in areas such as population growth and immigration.

“Her research provides soundly based forecasts for future population trends under different scenarios in what is often an emotional public debate,” Dr Smith said.

The GS Watson Annual Lecture is a public lecture presented by La Trobe University’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

The lecture series is named in memory of Professor Geoffrey S. Watson, who was born and educated in Bendigo and whose distinguished career in the mathematical sciences saw him become professor and head of department at Princeton University.

Interested community members are welcome to attend the lecture tomorrow at La Trobe University Bendigo at 4.30pm.

The hour-long lecture will be held in the Applied Science 1 Building, room 303.

For more information visit www.latrobe.edu.a u