14 December 2005
14 December 2005
Victoria's highest-achieving Year 12 students have been offered scholarships to study at Monash.
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| Some of the students who were awarded Monash scholarships on Monday gather in the city to celebrate. |
The university has offered 10 Monash University Scholarships for Excellence to the highest achieving Year 12 students. The scholarships cover the cost of a Commonwealth-supported place, plus a $6000 allowance for each year of the students' chosen courses.
A further 100 high-achieving students, who have overcome adversity, have been offered Monash University Scholarships for Excellence and Equity. These provide $6000 for every year of the recipients' courses to help with education costs.
Students offered the Excellence and Excellence and Equity scholarships were recognised at a function at Flinders Street Station this week.
Monash Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins congratulated the students and said they had all worked hard to receive excellent results at the end of their high school years.
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| Professor Larkins congratulates David Bowly, who was awarded a Monash University Scholarship for Excellence. |
"This is a remarkable achievement and you should feel very proud," he told the students.
Monash Pro Vice-Chancellor (Planning) Professor Merran Evans said the scholarships aimed to ensure high-achieving students perceived Monash as a top-quality university that encouraged and rewarded academic excellence.
"The students who have been offered scholarships are among the highest achieving VCE students in the state," she said.
"These scholarships are recognition of the students' achievements, but also highlight the university's commitment to academic excellence."
14 December 2005
Forty students have been selected to be part of Ancora Imparo, the university's program designed to support and inspire tomorrow's leaders.
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| Arts student Ms Emily Greco is looking forward to a bright future. |
The program will run for the first time in 2006.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins described it as a flagship program of the university.
"Ancora Imparo's objective is to inspire and develop the capacity of students with leadership potential to serve and bring about constructive change in society," he said.
At the end of each year, 40 first-year students will be chosen from Monash's Australian campuses to participate in the program during their second year of studies.
The program includes a three-day residential course before the first semester of the students' second year and monthly seminars throughout their Ancora Imparo year. Many of the seminars will be led by distinguished Australian leaders -- especially Monash alumni.
The Ancora Imparo students for 2006 are:
14 December 2005
From 2006, all six of Monash's Victorian campuses will aim to become plastic-bag-free zones.
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| Plastic bag free: Professor Richard Larkins and Ms Elana Welsh. |
All departments and Monash-affiliated groups will be expected to encourage people to bring their own bags to campus and discourage the provision of plastic bags to customers.
Each year Australians use about six billion plastic check-out bags. At least 80 million of these end up littering beaches, streets and parks.
Environmental advisor Ms Elana Welsh, from Occupational Health, Safety and Environment, said she expected most vendors would participate in the project immediately.
"However in some areas, such as Monash hosting external conferences, the process will take some time to implement," she said.
"This initiative shows that Monash is taking a lead role in environmental policy. Hopefully this will also encourage other communities and universities to act in a more sustainable way."
The plastic-bag-free program is an initiative of the university's Environmental Policy Committee and is supported by the Vice-Chancellor.
Monash staff and students will be educated about the program through signage and service initiatives.
At enrolment and Open Day, some campuses will issue 'enviro' bags to students, while others will ask students to support the program by bringing their own bags.
In 2003, more than 110,000 plastic bags were issued to customers at Monash campuses.
"This represents a significant environmental footprint that will be improved greatly through the elimination of plastic bags on campus," Ms Welsh said.
14 December 2005
Two Monash staff members and three administrative units have received the 2005 Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Exceptional Performance.
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| From left: Individual winners Ms Kemp and Ms Price (and baby Cyrus) with Professor Larkins. |
The awards recognise contributions made by general staff over a three-year period that exceed the normal requirements of their positions. The awards are equivalent to the Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Distinguished Teaching.
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Manager Ms Janet Kemp and Ms Lilyanne Price, Academic Programs Administrator from the Department of Chemical Engineering, received individual awards.
Ms Kemp was recognised for the outstanding, consultative and inclusive leadership she has consistently demonstrated while managing significant change and development in the faculty's budget, staffing, structure and systems.
Ms Price was commended for the exceptional service and administrative support she has provided to undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
A team award was presented to the Faculty of Education's Development Team, which plays a key role in the faculty's business planning and development strategies. Through the team's work, the faculty's teaching and research activities have broadened to include significant numbers of non-teachers as well as industry and community partnerships.
The Infrastructure Services team from the Information Technology Services Division received an award for the successful installation of an IT network across the university's Victorian campuses. The project has significantly improved network reliability and performance.
A team award was also presented to the Content Management System (CMS) self-selecting key user working party, made up of representatives from the library, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Information Technology Services.
A total of $20,000 will be distributed among the winning individuals and teams.
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| Back row (from left): Ms Joanna Donagan (Faculty of Education), Mr Sheldon Gonsalves (IT Services Division), Professor Larkins, Ms Sarah Newton (Faculty of Education) and Mr Craig Wetjen (Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences).
Front row (from left): Mr Robert Jamieson (IT Services Division) and Ms Kerryn Jackson (Faculty of Law). |
14 December 2005
Monash Memo and the Notices and Advertising bulletins will be merged into one online publication from 2006 to help staff more easily access university information.
The move comes after a university-wide review of internal communications found 64 per cent of staff would prefer receiving only one email per week highlighting news, announcements and events, and 70 per cent said Memo was the preferred forum.
The Media Communications office conducted the review.
Staff surveys revealed the preferred source of information was Monash Memo, but that more prominence should be given to event and seminar information, news on university achievements and initiatives, and staff development opportunities.
The new-look Monash Memo, highlighting events and advertising and notice items in a more reader-friendly format, will be launched in the new year.
The online publication will feature university news, as well as faculty-specific news, events, lectures and seminars, workshops and university announcements and will be emailed to all staff every Wednesday from 1 February.
The Monday Notices Bulletin and the Friday Advertising Bulletin will continue to be sent to staff throughout January, but will be merged into Monash Memo from 1 February.
The changes do not affect urgent global emails, which will still be emailed to staff when necessary.
For more information, contact Media Communications on +61 9905 9314 or email media@adm.monash.edu.au.
14 December 2005
Monash academic Professor Hatem Salem has been given the Victorian Health Minister's Award for outstanding individual achievement.
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| Ms Pike congratulates Professor Salem on his achievement. |
Professor Salem, Director of Monash's Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, received the award from Health Minister Ms Bronwyn Pike at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards.
Ms Pike said Professor Salem stood out for driving cultural change within the Eastern Health group and his commitment to training junior doctors.
He was instrumental in leading Box Hill Hospital from a general community hospital to a tertiary referral hospital with a reputation for excellence in clinical care, she said.
"Professor Salem has made an outstanding contribution to the Box Hill Hospital community for some 15 years and had a wide impact over 30 years of medical education, training and research," Ms Pike said.
"During his time at Box Hill Hospital, Professor Salem established specialty training programs for junior doctors, proving himself a supportive and generous teacher."
Professor Salem is President of the Australasian Society of Hemostasis and Thrombosis and has had more than 140 articles published in medical journals.
The Public Healthcare Awards are judged by 95 experts from the Victorian healthcare industry.
Professor Salem said he was honoured to receive the award and thanked the Minister for establishing them. He acknowledged the importance of the healthcare awards in ensuring the commitment of medical practitioners to the public health sector.
14 December 2005
Monash has held an inaugural symposium to discuss developments and improvements in teaching at the university.
About 200 staff attended the Vice-Chancellor's Showcase of Teaching Excellence at Monash 2005, which featured presentations by Monash staff on different aspects of teaching as well as a keynote address by Dr Sheryl Bond from the Faculty of Education, Queen's University, Canada. Dr Bond discussed internationalisation of curriculum -- a major theme of the symposium.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Larkins, also addressed the audience, saying it was important that Monash teaching staff explore continuous improvement.
"Monash is committed to the highest quality of learning and teaching," Professor Larkins said. "Just as research has expanded our knowledge in so many other fields, our understanding of effective educational methodology is constantly evolving.
"Integration of web-based sources of information into our teaching, and the emphasis on the development of generic skills and a complex set of graduate attributes, makes it harder than ever to develop excellence in teaching."
The two-day symposium for Monash teaching staff was held at Clayton campus on Thursday 8 December and at Gippsland campus on Friday 9 December.
For more detail of the showcase visit the Vice-Chancellor's Showcase of Teaching Excellence website.
14 December 2005
A bio-engineering laboratory, expected to cut vaccine development times, has been officially opened at Monash by Mr Matt Viney, Victoria's Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry.
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| At the launch, from left, Professor Alan Trounson, Professor John Sheridan, Mr Matt Viney, Dr Gareth Forde, and Head of Chemical Engineering Professor Martin Rhodes. |
The Victorian Endowment for Science, Knowledge and Innovation -- VESKI -- funded the new facility.
VESKI has awarded a Victorian Innovation Fellowship to Dr Gareth Forde, an expatriate Australian who has returned to Victoria after several years at Cambridge University, UK.
The new laboratory will allow Dr Forde to continue developing the technology needed to produce a new generation of DNA-based vaccines. The new technology is expected to cut development times for vaccines from nine months to one month.
Professor John Sheridan, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and Professor Alan Trounson, Director, Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, also spoke at the ceremony.
The opening of the new facility at the Clayton campus followed a half-day bio-engineering symposium at which Professor Trounson, as keynote speaker, discussed the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
14 December 2005
Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins relinquished his waste bin last week in line with the university's commitment to a sustainable environment.
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| Ms Kat Lavers with Professor Larkins. |
The Vice-Chancellor's office has been added to a growing list of waste-bin-free zones at the university that to date includes Occupational Health, Safety and Environment, Facilities and Services (Clayton and Peninsula), the Monash Health Research Precinct, Monash Medical Centre and the ITS Web Resources and Development team.
'Bin there, done that' is the latest initiative of the Monash Green Office Program, which promotes sustainable practice in offices throughout the university.
Under the scheme, individual waste bins under desks are replaced by individual paper recycling boxes, and all participating areas have recycling stations and landfill bins installed at easily accessible and central locations.
Green Office coordinator Ms Kat Lavers said Monash had been a member of EcoRecycle's Waste Wise business program since 2001.
"The university has worked to develop systems to recycle paper, cardboard, bottles, cans, printer cartridges, batteries, furniture and fluorescent tubes," Ms Lavers said.
"Our experience has shown that individual waste bins are becoming redundant. The range of materials that can be recycled is always increasing, and the convenience of having a bin under each desk provides no incentive to use these recycling systems appropriately."
In 2003, about 79 per cent of the 348 tonnes of waste Monash sent to landfill was reusable or recyclable, a figure that reduced to 58 per cent in 2004.
Ms Lavers said the 'Bin there, done that' scheme avoided unnecessary environmental and economic costs while allowing cleaners to focus on other tasks. It also promoted staff activity and awareness of environmental issues.
Staff interested in implementing the scheme in their offices should contact Ms Lavers on +61 3 9905 9060 or email kat.lavers@adm.monash.edu.au.
14 December 2005
More than 100 members of the Australian and international human rights community have attended Monash's Castan Centre for Human Rights Law's fifth annual review conference.
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| Dr Watchirs discussed the Australian Capital Territory Human Rights Act 2004 at the conference. |
The conference, Human Rights 2005: The Year in Review, focused on international issues, including human rights in relation to the Boxing Day tsunami relief effort and the possible implications of the United Nations' reform process.
Presentations were made by Australian and international academics, former Vice President of the International Court of Justice Judge Christie Weeramantry, World Vision Policy and Advocacy Manager Ms Kirsty Nowlan, and ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner Dr Helen Watchirs.
Monash Law School's Associate Dean (Research) Professor Bernadette McSherry discussed human rights and mental health in light of the immigration detention of Cornelia Rau.
Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Professor Sarah Joseph said the conference was an important information and discussion forum for the human rights community.
"It is essential for human rights experts to get together and discuss issues that people are facing around the world," Professor Joseph said.
The Castan Centre is the Monash Law School's biggest research centre and brings together human rights scholars, practitioners and advocates from a range of disciplines to promote and protect human rights. The centre's key activities are research, teaching, public education and consultancies.
The centre is named after Mr Ron Castan AM QC, a passionate advocate of human rights.
14 December 2005
Monash is training Indonesian Government officials to manage electronic documents and archives relating to the drafting and administration of Indonesian law, and to publish them on the internet.
The Faculty of Information Technology is leading the training through the Caulfield School of Information Technology and the Monash Law Library.
The training program is providing participants with the skills to establish, use and maintain a new computerised legal document retrieval system and website proposed by the Indonesian Cabinet Secretariat.
Course leader Professor Sue McKemmish said the group would be expected to play a key role in managing the change from manual to electronic systems and internet-enabled access to Indonesian law, when they returned to Indonesia.
The six-week program includes training in governance and accountability, business analysis, international standards for electronic document and records management, designing and implementing electronic document and records management systems, archiving strategies and web technology.
Monash International Pty Ltd was contracted by the Indonesia Australia Specialised Training Project Phase III (IASTP), a bilateral initiative of the Indonesian and Australian governments, to deliver the program.
The IASTP program, administered through AusAID, aims to provide short training courses in Australia and Indonesia for members of Indonesian ministries, state enterprises, non-government organisations and commercial institutions.
14 December 2005
Monash medical graduate and staff member Dr Rosana Hage-Ali has been named an Australian Arabic Young Achiever for 2005.
The awards are presented to young people of Australian-Arabic background who have achieved in a particular area. They aim to identify young people who can act as role models for other young people.
Dr Hage-Ali, who received the award for academic achievement, graduated this year from the Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery at Monash. She has also worked in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine as a research assistant for the past two years.
She is a first-generation Australian whose mother and father moved to Australia from Lebanon in the late 1970s and early 1980s respectively.
As part of her award, Dr Hage-Ali won an overseas trip to the Middle East. She plans to use it to visit Lebanon and the Emirates in July next year.
Dr Hage-Ali said she was surprised to receive the award, as she was just following her dreams, but was proud to be able to inspire young Australian-Arabs to achieve their goals and contribute to and interact with the wider community.
"What I realised from this is that there are very few role models for young people," she said.
"A lot of the young people I have spoken to have been surprised that I have done all this, and that may encourage them to work harder in school to achieve their goals. I also tried to focus on a sense of unity and belonging and identification of oneself as Australian, regardless of original cultural background."
Ms Hage-Ali was recently invited by the Victorian Arabic Social Services Group to speak to high school students about the impact of the global war on terror on Arab youth and their sense of belonging.
14 December 2005
A new book conceived by the Director of the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements, Professor John Nieuwenhuysen AM, has been launched at the annual symposium of the Academy of Social Sciences.
The book focuses on how research and analysis in the social sciences has influenced public opinion and government policy. It was co-edited by Monash politics professor and Fellow of the Academy Professor James Walter and provided the framework for the symposium.
In launching the book, Head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Dr Peter Shergold AO, also a Fellow of the Academy, said the book brought a welcome sense of history to the uncomfortable tension that often existed between academic researchers and policy makers.
He said the relationships between social science and public policy, and between academics and public servants, were crucial but not in "particularly good shape".
"If this book can help improve the workability of the 'scholarship policy interface', it will have made a major contribution," Dr Shergold said. "We need to build bridges based on empathy and agreement."
Professor Nieuwenhuysen said the volume was a challenging and important analysis of current practice and an argument for how communities might achieve a more workable policy of broad social -- as well as political -- benefit.
"This shows that expert knowledge can shape better futures," he said.
It was the first occasion in the academy's history on which a single volume formed the foundation for the full day of an academy symposium.
14 December 2005
The Department of Accounting and Finance has hosted a study program for senior accounting professionals from China.
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| Professor Langfield-Smith with Madame Liran. |
The 21 delegates visited Monash's Caulfield campus earlier this month as part of a project coordinated by the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CICPA) in Beijing.
The project was the result of a cooperative program in financial services education and training between the Victorian Government and Monash.
The Acting Head of the Department of Accounting and Finance, Professor Kim Langfield-Smith, said the department enjoyed hosting the visit of Deputy Secretary-General of the CICPA, Madame Wang Liran, and the other delegates.
"This is the first program we have worked on with the CICPA, which is a very large and important accounting body in China," Professor Langfield Smith said. "We hope to continue to engage with the CICPA in the future."
The training program presented extended knowledge of accounting and auditing from an academic and an industry perspective.
Monash academic staff and industry professionals, including speakers from KPMG -- one of the world's leading professional services firms -- delivered some of the seminars, including a session on risk and quality control.
14 December 2005
Twenty-five-year-old alumnus Mr Justin Moore was last week presented with a Sir John Monash Award in recognition of his contribution to research on the human brain.
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The talented researcher was one of eight people to win the award, described as Australia 's most prestigious postgraduate scholarship.
The awards are presented annually to outstanding graduates and include a funding incentive of up to $150,000 over three years, allowing the award winners to study abroad.
Mr Moore (pictured) will use the scholarship to complete a PhD at Oxford University in the UK and is aiming to establish his own research laboratory.
Mr Moore, who completed a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Medical Science at Monash, hopes to use the skills acquired during his PhD to set up a program that will place Australia at the forefront of neurosurgical research.
"The field of neuro-regeneration and prevention of neuro-degeneration is currently in a period of rapid development," Mr Moore said.
"I hope to contribute to the direction that neurosurgery, particularly neurosurgical research, takes in Australia through the Australasian Neurosurgical Society and by a leadership role in hospital management, which will use my legal training."
Mr Moore said he was passionate about research into brain repair for chronic disorders such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, and motor neurone diseases, acute brain injury, trauma and congenital abnormalities.
The young neurosurgeon said his life had been guided by two important principles.
"The first is a determination to get the absolute best out of myself in all endeavours by hard work, focus, planning and teamwork.
"The second principle has always been to contribute to and improve Australian society, to ensure that it continues to provide the wonderful opportunities it does," he said.
14 December 2005
Monash International Projects and the Department of Accounting and Finance have hosted a three-week training course in current auditing techniques for senior officials of the Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit.
Monash was contracted to offer the training through the AusAID-funded Rehabilitation Assistance Facility: Iraq Program. The Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit is an independent public institution empowered to enhance the economy, efficiency, effectiveness and credibility of the Iraqi Government.
The board sets rules, practices and standards for the management, accounting and auditing of public funds in Iraq.
Associate Professor Grant Gay, from the Department of Accounting and Finance, led the training into elements of the Australian auditing framework. The training also included site visits to the Australian National Audit Office and state audit offices.
Acting Head of the Department of Accounting and Finance Professor Kim Langfield-Smith said staff in the department enjoyed exchanging views and ideas with their visitors.
"Such collaborations highlight common issues and concerns we all share across the accounting and auditing profession," she said.
14 December 2005
Monash Obstetrics and Gynaecology Registrar Dr Kate McIlwaine has received the Gold Medal in the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Membership Exam.
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| From left, Associate Professor Euan Wallace, Dr Perri Dyson, Associate Professor Beverley Vollenhoven, Dr Gareth Weston, Dr Danielle Wilkins, Professor Healy, Dr Rebecca Zachariah and Dr Kate McIlwaine. |
Dr McIlwaine was one of five Monash candidates to sit the exam - the highest ever number of Monash candidates -- which must be passed for admittance to the college. The gold medal is awarded to the candidate receiving the highest marks in the final exam.
All five Monash candidates were among the 24 successful applicants throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The registrars were all studying obstetrics and gynaecology through Monash at the Monash Medical Centre.
Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Professor David Healy said it was a fantastic achievement by the candidates.
"This is the culmination of years of hard work by tomorrow's specialists and all have excelled," he said.
14 December 2005
More than 30 of Monash's top marketing students have been recognised for their academic achievements at the 34th Annual Marketing Awards for Excellence.
Around 350 staff, students and industry professionals attended the event, held on Monday evening at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne.
A committee of final-year marketing students organised the evening as part of an internship unit in their degree, under the supervision of Department of Marketing lecturers Mr Brian Imrie and Professor Steve Worthington.
Mr Imrie said the organisation included planning, raising sponsorship money, managing finances, arranging publicity and maintaining the event's website.
"The winners received a trophy and an industry-sponsored cheque, and internships were available for selected undergraduate marketing students," he said.
"The event also provided students with valuable networking contacts, with industry leaders in attendance to head-hunt the year's most promising graduates."
Industry-sponsored unit and course awards were presented to outstanding students.
Among the winners were final-year marketing student Ms Kirsten Darbyshire, who received the $30,000 Sidwell Scholarship, and Ms Jennifer Elmer, who won the postgraduate course award for her efforts in the Master of Marketing.
GE Money sponsored the awards, with additional support provided by Coles Myer, National Foods, Danks, Toshiba, Dekro, Media Sales Cadetship, Mont Blanc, The Hour Glass, Pearson Education Australia, L'Oreal, Encore, Spinach, Roberts Research Group, Professional Sales Solutions, McGraw Hill, TNS, Libra, Marketing, Leading Solutions, Foster's Group, Southern Cross Computer Systems, Mars, Monash Print Services and Corporate Express.
For further information, visit www.monashawards.com.