Hawthorn grandmother Anne Scott tackles the big question of today’s technology era

At 85, most people are winding down and enjoying their retirement. But Hawthorn grandmother Anne Scott is still studying, becoming Swinburne University’s oldest PhD student, and her subject matter may surprise you.

Learning never stops and Hawthorn grandmother Anne Scott is out to show Swinburne’s younger cohort how it’s done.

At 85-years-young she knows the majority of her peers are enjoying their retirements without a care or a deadline in the world.

But with an inquisitive mind and a thirst for knowledge, she said she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do a PhD at Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus, making her the university’s oldest PhD student, when she moved back to the area two years ago.

The subject matter may surprise; she’s looking into the interaction between humans and technology and their capacity to work together.

Anne Scott at Swinburne. Picture: Hamish Blair

So while other retirees grapple with their old Nokia’s or struggle to work a television remote control, Mrs Scott has found herself tackling one of the biggest questions of our digital age.

And sci-fi fans can breathe a sigh of relief — she said she doesn’t believe robots will take over the world any time soon.

“(The idea for my PhD) came out of a discussion with one of my sons who was looking at changing his employment and I suggested he look at becoming a corporate philosopher because I thought it suited him,” Mrs Scott said.

“He chuckled and thought it was a stupid idea, but he did say one of the things that was worth looking at was how humans and machines were going to work side-by-side.

“In the AI (artificial intelligence) community I haven’t come across anyone who doesn’t think that’s possible (robots and humans working together). It seems everybody thinks we will eventually have machines equivalent to another life form.

“The idea of robots taking over is scary, but in the philosophy arena one doesn’t think about it in those terms. Why would they want to take over?”

One year in and with up to three more to go, Mrs Scott said she was enjoying the subject and the experience of studying alongside younger people.

Accessing lectures and other learning materials online was sometimes tricky — back when she was at school Mrs Scott said they were still using typewriters.

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But she said she didn’t feel intimidated and she encouraged others to also consider taking on a course later in life.

“I was a science teacher and always part of the science world … I think learning anything is important, just learning and stretching your brain.

“Part of the reason I’m doing this PhD is to encourage people at any age (to pursue learning). If you want to do it there are people who are overanxious to help you.

“The brain is churning around and that’s the biggest part of the value of what I’m doing, the brain is being tested.

“Learning is a lifelong enterprise and it’s going to be more so in the future.”

WHY I WENT BACK TO UNI

Anne Scott

My decision to study for a PhD arose two years ago after the death of my husband. Now a widow, an octogenarian, living alone in an apartment virtually in the shadow of Swinburne University, and having been a learner and teacher throughout my life, I could not resist the urge to be a part of the action at this seat of learning. Being a part of the student body, fine enthusiastic young people, apparently predominantly international, offered an opportunity to learn further, to contribute to the learning of others, and to show by example that being old does not entail being irrelevant.