16 November 2005
16 November 2005
More than 80 years of educational history was celebrated at Monash's Back to Caulfield Reunion yesterday.
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| Mr John Dann, who joined the campus as computer centre manager in 1971 was one of the guests at the reunion. |
About 500 former and current staff and students of the campus gathered to reminisce and see how the campus had changed.
Monash's Caulfield campus opened in 1922 as the Caulfield Technical School, enrolling more than 200 students in wheelwright and blacksmithing courses.
By 1969 it had become the Caulfield Institute of Technology and in 1982 it amalgamated with the State College of Victoria at Frankston and became the Chisholm Institute of Technology.
In 1990, Chisholm merged with Monash and the site became the university's Caulfield campus.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins said the number of people attending the reunion was evidence of the great affection many former staff and students felt for the campus. He said the campus would maintain its unique quality but would continue to develop as an important part of the university.
"This is rapidly becoming a jewel in the crown of Monash," he said.
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| Professor Larkins, Professor Willis and Mr Ramler at the Back to Caulfield reunion. |
Monash Deputy Chancellor Mr Paul Ramler, a former student of the campus and a member of Chisholm Institute's board when it merged with Monash, said the event provided an opportunity to highlight changes to the campus.
"Today we want to proudly show you the many changes that have taken place and what the future holds for Monash Caulfield," he told the audience.
"The tuck shop on the old quadrangle has been replaced by a large number of eateries both on, and adjacent to, the campus.
"Parking on the infamous bog on Dandenong Road has been replaced with a multi-storey car park, and tutorials once taught in the flats across the road are now conducted in world-class teaching facilities.
"Times have changed many things, but there is one constant -- Caulfield always was and always will be a caring, friendly innovative campus with staff that go the extra mile for their students and students who come to the campus wanting to learn and enjoy the experience of being part of a special community."
Academic Director Professor Rob Willis said past staff and students had helped make the campus what it is today.
"You should feel justifiably proud and I hope you enjoy reconnecting with the campus and friends you have made here," he said.
16 November 2005
Monash researchers have received $32 million, including $6 million from industry partners, for 85 projects announced last week through the Australian Research Council's (ARC) National Competitive Grants Program.
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| Discovery grant: Dr Jamie Rossjohn is chief investigator of the team that will investigate the processes that control infection. |
Monash received funding for research into how immunity and infection are controlled, earthquake prediction, traffic flow in ant colonies, predicting the behaviour and spread of bushfires, why people choose teaching as a career and how the brain controls people's response to stress.
The university's largest Discovery grant of $1.7 million is being led by senior research fellow Dr Jamie Rossjohn from Monash's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr Rossjohn, in collaboration with Professor James McCluskey from the University of Melbourne, is using synchrotron radiation to investigate the processes that control infection.
Monash led the Victorian universities in funding received through the ARC's Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities grants, receiving $5.4 million to fund five projects including $570,000 for research into new techniques for disease diagnosis.
The vice-chancellor, Professor Richard Larkins, congratulated the researchers on their efforts.
"The scope of projects receiving funding this year emphasises the diverse range of areas Monash staff are working in," he said. "All staff should feel proud of their success."
The largest Linkage Project grant awarded to Monash went to the Civil Engineering department, which received more than $720,000 from the ARC and $350,000 from industry for a project that aims to predict, control and reduce water and gas leakage in underground pipes.
Monash's second largest Linkage Project grant, totalling $712,000, was awarded to a team led by the School of Chemistry for a three-year collaborative research project with Australia's largest chemical manufacturing company, Orica.
16 November 2005
The efforts of 84 Monash teams, who 'walked' from Queensland to Tasmania as part of a university-wide fitness challenge, have been rewarded.
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| Professor Rob Willis (second from left) congratulates the Fiery Footnotes team, from left: Ms Shelley McCormick, Mr Peter Lausch, Ms Hui-Hsing Lin and Ms Samaya Sukha. |
The teams of staff, relatives and friends from all Victorian campuses aimed to walk the equivalent road distance of Port Douglas to Hobart by each walking 10,000 steps a day in the 10,000 Steps Challenge.
Mr Paul Barton, manager of Occupational Health, Safety and Environment, said he was delighted by the commitment of the 10-person teams during the walk from 25 September to 30 October.
Many teams exceeded the steps required to reach their goal. The best performers overall were the Fiery Footnotes from the Caulfield campus library with a total of 8,094,391 steps.
The best Clayton team was the Quantum Leapers with 4,973,869 steps; and the best individual walker, with 1,278,660 steps, was Ms Amy Noble, who joined the Clayton Steppers as a friend of Ms Georgiana Godfrey of Green Chemistry.
The best teams at all other campuses were: the Berwick Boomers with 3,817,078 steps; Peninsula Admin with 4,097,294 steps, Walking Feat of Gippsland with 4,968,895 steps, These Boots are Made for Walking of Parkville with 4,120,804, Twinkle Toes from Monash Bendigo with 4,610,161 and the Epistars Alfred of The Alfred hospital with 2,707,514 steps.
The 10,000 Steps Challenge launched the university-wide program WHAM (Wellbeing Happens at Monash) that aims to promote physical and mental wellbeing for staff and students through exercise.
Further WHAM activities are planned, and more information is available from the OHSE website.
16 November 2005
Two Monash projects have been acknowledged in the Victorian Public Health Awards for Excellence and Innovation.
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| At the ceremony, from left: Dr Harry Schwarz, Dr Deborah Glass, Associate Professor Andrew Forbes, Ms Bronwyn Pike, Dr Helen Kelsall, Ms Jill Ikin, Associate Professor Malcolm Sim and Mr Dean McKenzie. |
The Australian Gulf War Veterans' Health Study received the 2005 Victorian Public Health Award for Research Excellence, while Andrology Australia's Men in Australia Telephone Survey received the award for Research Innovation.
Victorian Health Minister Ms Bronwyn Pike presented the awards at a ceremony on 8 November.
Associate Professor Malcolm Sim from Monash's Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (DEPM) led the Gulf War study, which was funded by the Australian Government's Department of Veterans' Affairs. It was the first comprehensive health study of an entire group of Australian war veterans involved in a single theatre of war.
Other members of the DEPM research team included Professor Michael Abramson, Associate Professor Andrew Forbes, Dr Deborah Glass, Ms Jill Ikin, Mr Peter Ittak, Dr Helen Kelsall, Dr Karin Leder, Mr Dean McKenzie and Professor John McNeil.
The research was a collaborative effort with, among others, Professor Mark Creamer at the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, University of Melbourne; Dr Harry Schwarz and his team from Health Services Australia Ltd; Dr Keith Horsley and the Department of Veterans' Affairs' contact and recruitment team; and Dr Lin Fritschi from the University of Western Australia.
The study investigated the physical and psychological health of 1871 Australian veterans of the 1991 Gulf War compared with a comparison group of Australian Defence Force personnel who were operational at the time of the Gulf War but who were not involved in that conflict.
The Men in Australia Telephone Survey provided a snapshot of general and reproductive health issues in men over the age of 40.
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| Dr Carol Holden with Professor David de Kretser. |
The study was led by Andrology Australia chief executive officer Dr Carol Holden and director Professor David de Kretser.
Almost 6000 men took part in the study, which focused on socio-demographic issues, general health and lifestyle, sexual function, relationship issues, and knowledge, attitudes and beliefs on male reproductive health.
Andrology Australia is an Australian Government initiative administered by the Monash Institute of Medical Research,
The Victorian Public Health awards recognise innovation, use of evidence-based approaches, capacity to enhance public health, strategic partnerships, quality processes, communications of findings and impact on public health.
16 November 2005
A new program developed at the Gippsland campus will see the university and business collaborating to give students practical work experience during their studies.
Gippsland Water is the first organisation to take up the challenge, announcing it will take two students next year as part of the Cooperative Education program.
The manager of marketing and public affairs at Gippsland, Mr Justin Kohlman, said the program would help employers retain young university graduates in the Gippsland region.
Students in the program would work with employers for up to seven months over three years, he said. The agreement is expected to help both students and employers.
Mr Kohlman said students would receive paid employment, extra training, academic credit and industry contacts, and employers would gain motivated staff.
Thirty-six students across most faculties applied to take part in the initiative, which starts next year.
Mr Kohlman said students would have a range of choices, such as on-campus or off-campus learning, so that the placement would not significantly affect their study.
16 November 2005
World-renowned scientist Professor Elizabeth Blackburn is visiting Monash this month as the Louis Matheson Distinguished Visiting Professor.
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Professor Blackburn is spending three weeks with the School of Biomedical Sciences, giving lectures, participating in seminar programs and speaking to academic and research staff as well as postgraduate and postdoctoral students.
Last week, Professor Blackburn (pictured) gave a well-attended public lecture at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image at Federation Square in which she explored new developments in the fight against cancer and diseases of ageing.
Professor Blackburn is the Morris Herzstein professor of biology and physiology in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco.
She is one of the world's leading cancer biologists and was a member of the US Council of Bioethics appointed by US President George Bush to consider the use of human embryonic stem cells in research.
In 1984, Professor Blackburn and her colleagues discovered telomerase -- the enzyme that replenishes the DNA molecules of telomeres, which protect the end of chromosomes from damage.
Recently, Professor Blackburn and colleagues have found that low telomerase in white blood cells is associated with six of the known major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including chronic psychological stress.
Dr Blackburn has been accompanied on her visit by distinguished molecular scientist Dr John Sedat, who is professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr Sedat has made many distinguished contributions to the understanding of chromosome structure and function, including the pioneering of new imaging approaches.
16 November 2005
An academic from King's College London, Professor Alison Richardson, is nearing the end of a three-week stint as Windermere Visiting Fellow at the School of Nursing at Monash's Peninsula campus.
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Professor Richardson (pictured) is professor of cancer and palliative nursing care at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King's College.
She conducts research into palliative care nursing and has been widely published in this field.
Earlier this month, she gave a public lecture on the role of palliative care nurses in caring for people with cancer and how the role might be improved.
The lecture, 'Creating a culture of compassion: developing supportive care for people with cancer', was attended by more than 60 people -- many of them palliative care clinical staff.
While in Australia, Professor Richardson has met staff from the Department of Human Services and the Monash School of Nursing, as well as from a range of palliative care services.
The fellowship was set up by Professor Margaret O'Connor, who holds the Vivian Bullwinkel Chair of Palliative Care Nursing, and Ms Joan Yalden from the School of Nursing, to support the developing relationship between Monash and King's College in the area of palliative care research.
16 November 2005
Monash's Art and Design faculty is leading an ambitious national project to develop an Indigenous visual culture network.
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| Indigo network manager Ms Cathy Arena. |
The Indigo project aims to create an extensive database of organisations supporting, developing and promoting Aboriginal art and design in Australia, with research initially focused on Victorian Aboriginal art.
A major part of the project is the development of an online network and website for Aboriginal art and design groups across Australia. The site will include a comprehensive list of museums and Indigenous art galleries. Membership to the network will be free.
Senior lecturer in visual communication Mr Russell Kennedy, lecturer in art and design theory Ms Julie Roberts and head of the Department of Theory of Art and Design Associate Professor Robert Nelson are leading the project, which is being funded by a Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements grant .
Ms Cathy Arena, who has been seconded from the Education faculty at the Peninsula campus, is facilitating the project. Ms Arena recently traced her birth parents and is rediscovering her Aboriginality through her involvement with Indigo.
"This is a project to reconnect with the community," she said. "Some of the places and organisations I have contacted in the Cairns region, for instance, know my birth family. Before working on this project I knew very little about Aboriginal art, and this is a great way to learn what is out there."
Ms Arena is sending questionnaires to more than 150 Indigenous artists and groups around Australia. The information will be used to compile an individual web page for each group.
One of the first groups to come on board is Merrima, an Indigenous design group that provides consultation and architectural design services for Indigenous and other communities.
Weavers, painters and those working with textiles, fashion and interior design are also being targeted.
Ms Arena said the website would be a useful resource for practitioners and people wanting to find out more about Aboriginal art and design.
Mr Kennedy said there were plans to expand the project into a comprehensive international Indigenous art and design network.
"The purpose of such a network will be to promote constructive exchange between indigenous cultures around the world," he said.
Other members of the research team include the chair of Monash's Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies and director of Monash Aboriginal Programs Professor Lynette Russell, head of the Gippsland Centre for Art and Design Ms Julie Adams, Switchback Gallery exhibition coordinator and lecturer in sculpture at the Gippsland centre Mr Mark McDean, and Ms Robyn Heckenberg, lecturer at the Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies at the Gippsland campus.
The Indigo website will be launched on 14 March next year at Monash's Gippsland campus. The launch will coincide with an exhibition at the Switchback Gallery on contemporary Indigenous weaving.
16 November 2005
Ms Karen Schneider from the Monash Children's Centre on the Clayton campus has been recognised for her work as an early childhood educator.
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| Award honours: Siyang, Andy, Miriam and Clara with their award-winning teacher, Ms Karen Schneider. |
Ms Schneider was selected for the Excellence in Early Childhood Award from more than 250 Victorian TAFE Early Childhood graduates for 2004. The award was presented by Early Childhood Australia Inc.
"I feel extremely honoured to have received this award," Ms Schneider said. "To be nominated by my mentors -- who I admired during my studies -- and acknowledged for my work is wonderful."
Ms Schneider took on responsibility for the three to-four-year-old room at the childcare centre in January this year following a 20-day placement in October and November last year.
"The philosophy of the centre is in line with my own personal beliefs, and it is a wonderful environment to work in," Ms Schneider said.
"The other staff and management here are really supportive and willing to trial new things for the children."
Ms Schneider said working in the three to-four-year-old room allowed her to work with her favourite age of children.
"They are so energetic and provide a real challenge, but I just love it," she said.
16 November 2005
Eight doctoral students graduated from the Department of Management at the most recent Faculty of Business and Economics graduation ceremony -- an unprecedented number at one time for the department.
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| Back from left: Supervisors Professor James Sarros and Professor Helen De Cieri with Dr Freeman; third row: Dr O'Neill and Dr Sendjaya; second row: Dr Fletcher, Dr Kovacevic and Dr Tan; front: Dr Indra, Dr Abbott and Dr Jerrard. |
About 160 students are enrolled in the Department of Management's Higher Degree by Research program.
The eight students -- Dr Jacqueline Abbott, Dr Louise Fletcher, Dr Dodi Indra, Dr Marjorie Jerrard, Dr Savo Kovacevic, Dr Sen Sendjaya, Dr Guo Sze Monica Tan and Dr Peter O'Neil -- each graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy.
The director of the department's Higher Degree by Research program, Dr Susan Freeman, said many of the students had produced numerous journal publications and conference papers by the time they graduated.
"Four students graduated from the department's doctoral program in March, which makes a total of 12 for the year," Dr Freeman said.
"This is a milestone for the department, because it's the first time we have had so many students graduating at once.
"In the past we have had three or four doctoral students graduate in a year, so this really is a big jump for us."
Dr Freeman said most of the graduates were also sessional tutors with the department and two were permanent teaching staff, enabling them to pass their research on to their students.
"This is a very important aspect of the department's research-teaching nexus -- and for the university as a whole," she said.
A range of topics was covered in the research projects, including the differences between management and employee perspectives of work/life benefits, human resource management in multinational hotels, and the processes and challenges faced by Australian remuneration committees.
16 November 2005
More than 800 people gathered for prayers at Monash's Clayton campus earlier this month as part of the Islamic Eid-ul-Fitr festival.
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| Members of the local Muslim community pray at Monash as part of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival. |
The festival came at the end of the holy month of Ramadhan -- a time of fasting that happens once a year according to the Islamic calendar.
The festival is celebrated by Muslims worldwide, with many taking the day off to spend time with family and friends.
Monash staff and students attended the prayers, as did staff and students from Minaret College -- a coeducational Muslim College located in Melbourne's south-east -- and members of the local community.
There were people from countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China, the Philippines and South Africa.
Mr Mohamed Mohideen, a lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and member of the Monash University Mosque Committee, said the festival was a good opportunity for the Islamic community at Monash to gather with the broader Muslim community.
"Everyone brought traditional food and sweets and shared a morning breakfast after the prayers," Mr Mohideen said.
"People started the day with prayers and a sermon and then visited friends and relatives, so it really was a day of celebration."
The Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at Monash were organised by the Monash University Mosque, the Monash University Islamic Society, the Monash University Indonesian Society, Al Furqan -- a school specialising in the teaching of the recitation of the Qur'an, the United Sri Lankan Muslim Association of Australia, the Malay Association of Victoria, the Islamic Society of Deakin University and FAMSY -- a national student and youth Islamic organisation.
16 November 2005
Monash Community Services will next month complete its 2005 program of networking events with a staff breakfast and a discussion on 'Spirituality at work'.
The university chaplaincy coordinator, Reverend Barry Rogers, said the breakfast would allow interested people to hear about the issues involved in spirituality and to discuss their own ideas.
"I am sure this multi-faith focus will be very interesting and challenging for us all," Dr Rogers said.
Two breakfasts titled: 'A critique of Victoria's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act', and 'Islamic communities in Melbourne: spiritual needs and supports', were held earlier this year.
"The early morning get-togethers have been well patronised, and we expect to continue the networking breakfasts next year," Dr Rogers said.
The guest speaker for the 'Spirituality at the workplace' breakfast will be Mr Mohamed Mohideen, a lecturer in the Department of Microbiology, who is also a member of the Monash University Mosque Committee, president of the United Sri Lankan Muslim Association of Australia and prison chaplain for Muslim prisoners in Fulham Correction Centre.
He will speak about general principles of Islam and issues relating to religious support and understanding.
The breakfast will be held at the Monash Staff Club at 8 am on Tuesday 6 December. The cost will be $20. For inquiries or bookings, email judy.bowman@adm.monash.edu.au by Tuesday 1 December.
16 November 2005
Three Monash University Malaysia students have conducted an environmental audit at the Malaysia campus that focused on recycling, water consumption and energy consumption.
The idea was conceived by Ms Ng Ee Ling, a second-year biotechnology student, and developed with classmates Ms Katrin Schmidt and Mr Liew Kong Cheng.
Monash Malaysia pro vice-chancellor Professor Merilyn Liddell endorsed the students' audit proposal, which involved 17 students and four lecturers, who acted as advisers.
"We are a group of students who care about the environment and wish to minimise any adverse impact of university practices on the environment," Ms Ng said.
"While performing the audit, it was found that conservation could be improved with little effort from individuals. We hope that our findings can assist the university in taking appropriate steps."
The students presented a report on their audit to Professor Liddell, including problems encountered and recommendations.
Professor Liddell commended the students' initiative and offered to bring the audit to the attention of the executive committee for consideration and further action.
The students were each presented with a certificate of appreciation for their efforts and initiative.
16 November 2005
Malaysian arts student Ms We Lin Chen has won the Coolcampus Monash Mobility Competition for her design of the campus of the future.
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| CoolCampus competition finalists, from left, Saguna, and Ms We Lin Chen and Mr Saburo Okita on screen. |
Students from the faculties of Arts, IT, Business and Economics and Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences entered the competition that encouraged students to design a university campus, taking into account future technology and staff and student needs.
Ms Chen's design used wireless technology to connect all campuses, enabling students to enrol in subjects at any of the university's campuses and to take part in online discussions. Her artwork depicted a university where geographic boundaries were no longer an obstacle to viable communication.
Mr John Page, from the Faculty of Information Technology at the Caulfield campus, won second prize while Saguna, also from the IT faculty at Caulfield, and Mr Saburo Okita, from the Malaysia campus, received consolation prizes.
The winners were announced at the CoolCampus Monash Mobility Workshop last month at the Clayton campus.
The CoolCampus project aims to connect the university's existing "pervasive computing" research activities and to generate opportunities for its researchers to collaborate with and engage university and industry partners. Pervasive computing research investigates the technical and social challenges of creating computerised environments that will recede into the background of people's everyday lives.
The CoolCampus workshop brought together researchers, developers and users from Monash as well as invited guests from around the world who joined the workshop online using the interactive technology, Marratech.
It aimed to consider the use of mobile technologies to improve connectivity for students and staff anywhere, anytime and with any technology.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for Campus Coordination, Professor Phillip Steele, said one of the challenges of a multi-campus, international university such as Monash was making the university operate as a single entity.
"Technology such as that being discussed at this workshop can play an important role in reaching that aim," he said.
"In many respects we are still learning how we interact effectively across campuses. This workshop is helping us consider the way forward."
For information on CoolCampus go to the CoolCampus website.