9 November 2005
9 November 2005
Paramedic training at Monash has been boosted with the launch last week of the RACV Trauma Simulation Complex at the Centre for Ambulance and Paramedic Studies.
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| From left: BEH Student Olivia Mackie-coop, Karen Zaleski (Seconded Officer) and Brad Cummins (SES) practise their skills at the new simulation centre. |
The complex, at the Peninsula campus, contains a dedicated trauma simulation site with vehicles and high-tech mannequins that can mimic the physical signs of distress people may exhibit during a road accident.
The head of academic services at the centre, Mr Mark Chilton, said the complex would provide in-depth training to students on site, using the sophisticated mannequins in simulated road trauma scenarios. Monash trains about 200 student paramedics in emergency healthcare each year.
"It is vitally important that paramedic students receive training in situations that are as close to real life as possible," Mr Chilton said. "This complex will allow students to experience how a road trauma might progress, providing skills in dealing with multiple medical issues."
The complex will focus on simulated motor vehicle accidents but can include features that might be associated with other accidents such as those involving pedestrians, bicycles, tractors or ladders.
"The mannequins are as close to real life as you can get," Mr Chilton said. "They are designed to facilitate the real-life health complications of road trauma. Students can practise a range of techniques including patient handling, immobilisation, ventilation and administering an IV without causing harm."
The mannequins' features include carotid, radial and brachial pulses, replaceable skin and veins, the ability to set systolic and diastolic blood pressures and to respond to electrical and oxygen therapy.
"The key to the complex is that the simulations allow for error and hence provide a valuable teaching and learning tool," Mr Chilton said.
The $50,000 complex has been part-funded by a $20,000 RACV Sir Edmund Herring Memorial Scholarship. The centre has provided the rest.
9 November 2005
The Art and Design faculty has established Australia's first clay modelling studio for industrial design students specialising in automotive design.
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| From left: Industrial design fourth-year (honours) student Mr Tom Marminc with Ms Sheryl Garrett and Mr William Mattana. |
The head of the faculty's Department of Design, Associate Professor Arthur de Bono, and transport design lecturer Mr Mark Richardson have facilitated the studio, which began operation in September at Monash's Caulfield campus.
The studio is being used by third-year and honours students to create three-dimensional scale models of their automotive designs.
The new studio is a result of the Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) corporate alliance involving Monash's Engineering and Art and Design faculties, General Motors (represented in Australia by Holden Limited), Electronic Data Systems, Sun Microsystems and software provider UGS.
Mr Mike Chester, head of the clay modelling studio at General Motors, is conducting twice-weekly studio sessions as part of General Motors' commitment to the PACE agreement.
Such is the interest in the new facility that executives from General Motors' headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, visited the studio last month as part of a worldwide audit of 20 universities from which the organisation recruits graduates.
Monash was the only university in Australia visited by the GM team, which included Mr William Mattana, senior creative clay design manager, and Ms Sheryl Garrett, manager, creative resources.
Industrial design course coordinator Mr Selby Coxon said the studio was creating considerable interest in the automotive industry.
"There is a world-wide shortage of clay modellers, and the Monash studio is a way of developing this expertise in our students and adding to their skill set," Mr Coxon said.
"It is also another example of the way in which Monash is supporting and expanding educational opportunities for its students, and further underpins our commitment to the relationship with PACE."
Nine of the students working in the studio were finalists in the 2005 Wheels Automotive Design Award for Young Designer of the Year, which was won by industrial design honours student Mr Adam Ty Dean Smith.
The designs currently taking shape include cars, a school bus, an ambulance, a utility, an off-road vehicle and a three-wheeled motorcycle.
Mr Coxon said the studio could be expanded to include other areas of industrial design such as consumer goods.
9 November 2005
A judge of the Supreme Court of Israel discussed the importance of protecting human rights in times of conflict at a public lecture hosted by the Monash Law School last week.
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| Law dean Professor Arie Freiberg (left) and Justice Rivlin. |
Justice Eliezer Rivlin said there should be no difference in the legal process between times of calm and times of war.
"Only by maintaining an unwavering devotion to freedom of expression, even in the face of grave risks to state security, will humanity ensure this basic right is properly protected during peace," Justice Rivlin said.
He said Israel's war against terror presented a difficult challenge for a democratic state -- the need to balance the fight against terrorism with safeguarding democratic principles.
"The challenge is particularly acute in the area of human rights, with conflicting needs to ensure national security while protecting the individual, including the terrorist, from the tyranny of the state," he said.
"Traditionally, one of the first fundamental rights to be sacrificed during such threats is the freedom of expression."
More than 170 people, including several senior judges, attended the lecture, at Monash's Law Chambers in Melbourne.
Justice Rivlin has been a Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel since 2000. He has worked in private practice, served as a judge in the Traffic Court, Magistrate's Court and the District Court of Israel.
9 November 2005
A partnership between Monash and aid organisation International Outlook has resulted in the construction of a much-needed demountable medical clinic in Indonesia's tsunami-devastated Aceh province.
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| Aceh demountable clinic team (from left) Professor Gary Bouma, Mr Ian Staring, Mr Bas Koesasi and Mr John Baldock. |
The head of Monash's School of Political and Social Inquiry, Professor Gary Bouma, Indonesian studies senior lecturer Mr Bas Koesasi, International Outlook executive director Mr John Baldock and builder Mr Ian Staring, owner of Grainway Pty Ltd, are facilitating the project.
The clinic, to be operated under the Gadjah Mada University Health Program, was donated by a consortium of religious groups led by Vietnamese Buddhists. It will be located at a site 40 kilometres inland from Meulaboh, the second largest city in Aceh.
Professor Bouma said Monash had a longstanding and effective association with Gadjah Mada University through research and exchange of students. "These contacts, plus the Indonesian university's close ties with local Aceh officials, meant this project could get off the ground quickly, while other projects in the region have stalled," Professor Bouma said.
"There were some 233,000 people dead or missing in Aceh alone following the tsunami, and there are currently no medical facilities in this region where several thousand people reside.
"The clinic is part of a program to rebuild for the future by providing equipment, facilities and people, and it's great that Monash is involved in such a project."
The demountable clinic, which is being built, fitted out and shipped to Aceh at a cost of $450,000 is being constructed by Mr Staring at his factory in Broadford over three months.
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| A building similar to that being erected in Meulaboh, Aceh. |
The pre-fabricated, storm-resistant building is 210 square metres and includes five consulting rooms, an office, a seminar room and a reception area. The building, due to be completed in December, will be disassembled and shipped in five containers from Port Melbourne to Aceh.
The trek to the site will be undertaken either overland from Medan over 4000-metre-high mountains and damaged roads, or via barge to Medan, which has no wharf facilities, and then trucked to the site.
A team of volunteers from Aceh and Australia will then erect the building. The shipping containers will be converted for use as temporary student accommodation. The project should be completed early in January 2006.
Local health authorities in the Meulaboh region will staff the facility, and negotiations are under way with Melbourne hospitals to stock the clinic.
Mr Koesasi and Mr Staring are also involved in organising training for local people in building and construction trades, as part of an ongoing project.
9 November 2005
Monash University has signed an agreement with Indonesia's Bunda Mulia University that will give information technology undergraduates from Bunda Mulia access to Monash's IT program.
After completing two years of study in Indonesia, the IT students will be able to enter Monash's Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems in Australia or Malaysia.
On completion of their studies, the students will receive dual degrees from Bunda Mulia University and Monash.
Monash University Malaysia's pro vice-chancellor, Professor Merilyn Liddell, said the agreement was a strategic move by the university to enhance academic links with high-calibre universities in the region.
She said the collaboration would create an effective and economical pathway for IT students from Jakarta to undertake quality education at any of the Monash campuses, including the Malaysia campus.
Indonesian students form the largest group of international students at the Malaysia campus, ahead of Sri Lanka and China, she said.
"There are plans for similar articulation agreements to be extended to other programs at Monash University Malaysia, particularly for the business courses.
"If everything goes as planned, the first batch of students will be joining Monash during the July intake next year."
Professor Liddell signed the agreement in Jakarta, Indonesia, with Miss Rita Djoko Susanto, the chairperson of the Bunda Mulia Education Foundation.
9 November 2005
The foundation dean of the Faculty of Education, Emeritus Professor Richard (Dick) Selby Smith, has died.
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Professor Smith (pictured), who was dean from 1964 to 1971, was 91 when he passed away in Hobart on 22 October.
Emeritus Professor Peter Fensham, dean of Education from 1982 to 1988, said Professor Smith saw the Education faculty as an important part of the Monash vision to create a first-class research university.
"This was a very big challenge for Dick, since every other education faculty in Australia was primarily for the initial preparation of teachers and involved in only a minor way with higher-degree students and staff research," Professor Fensham said.
To facilitate research, the faculty provided research scholarships for teachers who were well established in their careers.
"Soon, some outstanding research students were busily preparing their doctoral dissertations -- the forerunners of a steady stream of PhDs," Professor Fensham said. "By the 1970s and well into the 1980s, this meant the faculty was producing one-third of all the doctorates in education from Australia's 19 universities."
Professor Smith is survived by his two sons, Christopher and Peter.
9 November 2005
Three innovative teaching projects developed by Monash staff were recognised at an awards ceremony at Clayton campus last week.
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| Outstanding work: Professor Willis presents first prize to Mr Williams. |
The awards, developed by the HEPCIT (Higher Education Partnerships in Communication and Information Technology) committee, have been designed to reward staff who incorporate innovative and best-practice use of the online medium in their teaching.
Professor Rob Willis, academic director of the Caulfield and Clayton campuses, presented the awards.
First prize went to Mr Brett Williams, from the Centre for Ambulance and Paramedic Studies, who was recognised for his development of online teaching sites based around medical cases for paramedic students.
Two other entries were awarded certificates of commendation.
These went to Ms Lesley Hewitt, from the School of Primary Health Care, for her social work and aged-care site. The other commendation went to a team from the Department of Accounting and Finance and the Educational Design Group, CeLTS, for developing online assessment for Introductory Accounting. The team included Mr Les Hardy, Ms Jodie Maxfield, Ms Robyn Dyt and Dr Robyn Benson.
9 November 2005
Monash PhD researchers Mr David Menzies and Mr Matthew Belousoff have won the $10,000 prize for their new business venture, Barracouta Pty Ltd, in the inaugural Monash New Enterprise Challenge.
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| From left: Mr Guest, Ms Lu, Dr Jordan, Mr Belousoff, Mr Menzies and Associate Professor Reed. |
The challenge, which required teams of graduate students to submit a proposal for a new business venture, was launched in April as a university-wide competition.
Hosted by Monash's Graduate School of Business and sponsored by Monash Commercial, the challenge was funded by the National Innovation Awareness Strategy -- the Australian Government's program to motivate young people to pursue innovative and entrepreneurial careers.
The final stage of the contest was held late last month, when four teams had to present detailed business plans to an adjudicating panel.
The winning enterprise, Barracouta, makes specialty aquarium glass that inhibits the growth of algae on the glass, dramatically reducing the maintenance time and cost associated with aquarium maintenance.
Mr Menzies, from the Faculty of Engineering, and Mr Belousoff, from the School of Chemistry, were supported by a team of technology and financial experts including Nanotechnology Victoria program manager of nanostructured materials Dr Larry Jordan, Nanotechnology Victoria chief executive officer Dr Peter Binks, Department of Materials Engineering research fellow Dr Raoul Cervini, RMIT student Mr Joshua Guest, and Monash graduate Ms Sylvia Lu.
Mr Menzies and Mr Belousoff will represent Monash at Australia's national venture capital competition for graduate students, the John Heine Entrepreneurial Challenge, in December.
Mr Belousoff said the challenge gave students a fantastic opportunity to commercialise a new enterprise.
"Thanks to Monash and the National Innovation Awareness Strategy, we now have $10,000 to invest in Barracouta as well as greater knowledge about what investors are looking for," he said.
MBA director and challenge co-coordinator Associate Professor Peter Reed said the Monash New Enterprise Challenge fostered the spirit of entrepreneurship for graduate students throughout the university.
"The challenge was not an academic exercise -- there was an expectation that the business proposals would be capable of proceeding to commercialisation," he said.
"The quality of the four enterprises in this year's competition was outstanding, but unfortunately there can only be one winner."
It is expected the challenge will be held each year.
9 November 2005
The 65th birthday of Professor Margaret Kartomi from Monash's School of Music -- Conservatorium has been marked by the publication of a 'Festschrift' (celebration publication) in honour of her academic achievements.
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| Professor Margaret Kartomi (centre) with Associate Professor Craig De Wilde and Dr Kay Dreyfus. |
A special double issue of the internationally renowned Journal of Musicological Research on Ethnomusicology (November 2005) has been dedicated to Professor Kartomi; it charts her contribution to the study of ethnomusicology and musicology.
The journal features essays by noted academics such as famed US ethnomusicologist Dr Philip Bohlman, who has written an appreciation piece and theoretical article based on Professor Kartomi's work.
Other contributors include former PhD students of Professor Kartomi, and Dr Regina Randhofer, who worked with Professor Kartomi to set up the Australian Archive of Jewish Music, in the School of Music -- Conservatorium .
Monash research officer Dr Kay Dreyfus, who edited the special edition, and the head of the School of Music -- Conservatorium, Associate Professor Craig De Wilde, presented Professor Kartomi with a copy of the journal last week at a gathering of colleagues from the school.
Dr Dreyfus has worked with Professor Kartomi at the school for the past 10 years but has known her personally for more than 35 years.
"This issue celebrates Margaret's work over a period of 40 years," Dr Dreyfus said. "Her achievements in the teaching and research of Asian music have been remarkable, and she has defined the field of ethnomusicology."
Professor Kartomi said she had been pleasantly surprised by the honour. "This is very moving and meaningful to me," she said. "My thanks to Kay and all those involved in the project."
Dr Kartomi joined Monash in 1969 after completing her PhD at Humboldt University in Berlin. She headed the School of Music -- Conservatorium for most of the period between 1989 and 2001 and has published numerous books and research articles on Indonesian and Southeast Asian music, as well as Australian Aboriginal, Baghdadi-Jewish and European music, and research methodology.
In October, an Indonesian translation of her book The Gamelan Digul was launched in Melbourne. This book will also be launched in Jakarta, Indonesia, later this month.
9 November 2005
Healthcare companies need to think beyond the patient when developing products, the head of Johnson and Johnson's corporate office of science and technology, Dr Ted Torphy, told a Monash forum recently.
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| From left: Deputy vice-chancellor (research) Professor Edwina Cornish; managing director and chair, Johnson and Johnson research, Dr Susan Pond; and Dr Ted Torphy. |
Dr Torphy, speaking at the Innovation Exchange Network event hosted by Monash Commercial, said there were enormous challenges ahead for healthcare systems worldwide.
"Most healthcare companies have been product-oriented," he said. "But there are two things I think are changing that, or at least changing our mindset in terms of what innovation really means, going into the next 10 to 15 years.
"Firstly, we need to think beyond the patient to the payer, the practitioner and the regulatory authorities, and we need to think about those stakeholders from the outset of product development.
"Secondly, medical breakthroughs and innovations will increasingly be in the convergent technology domain. This is the case in everything from devices that contain a drug to cell therapy and artificial or inartificial organ engineering."
Dr Torphy said new health technologies could involve aerospace or IT, and more people were needed who could relate what was occurring in one field with what might be needed in another.
"Convergent technologies increasingly need to be created by multidisciplinary teams," he said.
"It has to be recognised that convergent technology solutions, such as those that combine wireless, device and pharmaceutical technology, are so complex that individual teams from any one of those industries alone cannot get the job done.
"But there has to be a change in the culture because people need to be willing to share the information."
Monash Commercial holds regular forums to raise issues relevant to the university community.
9 November 2005
Education faculty staff are part of the team that has won the Victorian Government's Sport and Recreation Industry Awards for the Most User-Friendly Club.
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| Dr O'Connor (centre) with Minister for Sport and Recreation the Honourable Justin Madden and Ms Janne Errington-Smith, a member of the Australian Paralympic Basketball team, at the awards ceremony. |
Dr Justen O'Connor and Dr Trent Brown, as members of the Warragul Cycling Club, were part of the winning team.
Dr O'Connor, club president and Education faculty lecturer, and fellow club member and lecturer Dr Brown have been investigating how cycling clubs such as Warragul can meet the needs of recreational and competitive cyclists.
Their research contributed to the club winning its Most User-Friendly title. Its membership has increased by 50 per cent in the past year.
"It's not that people have stopped riding," Dr O'Connor said. "In fact, cycling is booming in Australia. You only need to look along the Nepean Highway on any given Sunday to see that people are very serious about cycling, kitted out in the latest gear and on very expensive bikes. The difference is that they are not necessarily affiliated with a club."
The research found that people enjoyed the opportunity to ride in groups and competed against each other in their own way and on their own terms.
"These cyclists don't need a trophy or club recognition," Dr O'Connor said. "It is enough to just charge up a hill and boast about it over coffee."
The Go For Your Life Sport and Recreation awards are aimed at encouraging and rewarding outstanding contributions to the Victorian sport, fitness, racing, outdoor recreation and community recreation sectors.
9 November 2005
The Monash South Africa Student Association has hosted a party for more than 50 children from South African Riding for the Disabled (SARDA), which is situated opposite the university in Ruimsig.
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| From left: Monash student Ms Pinkie Motlhabane with Liam and Mr Jon Wallace at the SARDA party last weekend. |
Twenty Monash students and other volunteers hosted the party to better engage with the local community. It included jumping castles, games, face painting and a dog show.
Nine horses are kept at the SARDA stables in Peter Road where physically and mentally disabled children have riding lessons as part of their therapy.
Each week, four Monash student volunteers help out at SARDA, but the party gave a larger group of student volunteers the opportunity to participate and interact with the children at the riding school.
As well as entertaining the children, the event gave local businesses an opportunity to get involved in the community said Mr Fuluhelo Murovhi, Student Association community outreach officer. Local businesses Spar, Mugg & Bean, Nandos, Pizza Perfect and Barney's Paints all made donations to the festivities.
The Monash Student Association also contributed R5000 (AU$1000) from its fundraising efforts.
SARDA branch instructor Ms Jenny Ford said horse riding had been shown to have enormous therapeutic benefits for disabled children.
"It facilitates social integration and produces positive psychological effects as well as improving balance, stamina, coordination and concentration," Ms Ford said.
9 November 2005
New graduates Ms Soh May Yee and Ms Florence Soh Yin Ying have been rewarded for their achievements while studying at the School of Business at Monash University Malaysia.
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| From left: Accounting and finance lecturer Mrs Puan Norita Mohd Nasir, Ms Soh May Yee, Ms Florence Soh, Ms Sanjana Choudhury and Professor V. Sivalingam. |
At the awards ceremony last month, Ms Soh May Yee, who graduated with a business and commerce/business and IT double degree, was named overall best student, while Ms Florence Soh Yin Ying, who obtained a bachelors degree in business and commerce, was named best overall student in the accounting discipline.
Professor V. Sivalingam, acting head of the School of Business, thanked KPMG and CPA Australia for sponsoring book prizes for the students. "Industry and university linkages are highly encouraged due to their synergistic outcomes, which are sure to benefit society," he said.
Ms Soh May Yee, now an assistant investment analyst, said her Monash experience had nurtured her innovation, communication and teamwork skills.
"Consistency and group discussions played a crucial role in my success," she said. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank my course mates for unselfishly sharing their knowledge, which has significantly contributed to our overall success."
Ms Florence Soh, who is working as an analyst in a management and technology consulting firm, said she had gained invaluable skills and experience during her time at Monash.
"The students are constantly encouraged to think, to speak and to ask questions," she said. "We are also encouraged to be proactive and independent in our learning regime. This, coupled with my active participation in extra-curricular activities, enabled me to appreciate time management and planning, which are vital skills needed for my current job."
Ms Sanjana Choudhury, who is studying business and commerce with majors in accounting and banking and finance, was awarded the book prize sponsored by CPA Australia for the overall best first-year financial accounting student.