Professors Patrick Sexton, Arthur Christopoulos and Roger Summers have been given the go-ahead to work on new techniques to make medication more effective.
26 March 2008
26 March 2008
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Professors Patrick Sexton, Arthur Christopoulos and Roger Summers have been given the go-ahead to work on new techniques to make medication more effective. |
A new $6.5 million research program being undertaken at Monash University aims to improve the effectiveness of drug treatment for heart disease, mental illness, diabetes and obesity.
Professors Patrick Sexton, Arthur Christopoulos and Roger Summers have received $6.5 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council to fund research work on receptor proteins.
The research targets G protein-coupled receptors, which are the major class of proteins that transmit messages from the outside to the inside of the cell. They are found on the surface of every cell in the human body.
"The majority of all drugs on the market act on these proteins; every pharmaceutical company in the world is targeting these proteins," Professor Christopoulos said.
Professor Sexton said the knowledge gained by the work in the program would improve the mechanistic understanding of these drugs.
"Many potential drugs that make it into clinical trials are never registered for use," Professor Sexton said. "In up to 30 per cent of cases this is due to mechanistic failure -- the drug not doing what it was intended to do."
Each of the three scientists brings a different facet to the research and they hope their collaboration will result in improved treatments for schizophrenia, anxiety and depression, diabetes and obesity.
26 March 2008
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Director of the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre Professor Jayashri Kulkarni. |
Australian women are missing out on treatment due to a lack of a gender focus in mental health and mental illness. As a result, women can receive poor treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression and schizophrenia according to one of Australia's most eminent psychiatrists.
Director of the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre in Melbourne Professor Jayashri Kulkarni said disturbing trends in women's mental health were largely ignored and under-funded in Australia's public health system.
"The general impact of hormonal imbalance on women's psychological well-being, particularly in pregnancy, immediately after birth and at the menopause, has been described anecdotally for centuries," Professor Kulkarni said.
"But through sophisticated imaging techniques, genetic research and the ability to record electrical signals and activity in the brain, we are starting to understand more about the biological relationship between massive hormonal changes and mental state.
"Importantly, we are also identifying significant differences between men and women in the prevalence and impact of conditions such as schizophrenia.
"There are also growing environmental and social pressures on women, ranging from domestic violence to post-traumatic stress disorder, which have major psychosocial ramifications. Aggression against women is still a big issue in this country and around the world. There are incidents of physical and other assaults on women patients in Australian hospital psychiatric units, which is a totally unacceptable situation."
Professor Kulkarni presented several research projects at the third International Congress on Women's Mental Health, held at the Melbourne Convention Centre.
Global and national leaders in psychiatry, psychology, obstetrics, gynaecology, family health care, social work, nursing and community health gathered in Melbourne for this landmark event.
Professor Kulkarni said the congress, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates, also provided a forum for consumers to present their perspectives and experiences on women's mental health issues.
26 March 2008
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Director of Monash's Social and Economic Interface Research Network Professor Charmine Härtel has helped launch the Wisdom of Oz website. |
A special network at Monash is using its skills to give every Australian the opportunity to contribute to the 2020 Summit being held next month to map out a strategy for Australia's long-term future.
The Social and Economic Interface Research Network (SEIRnet), in the Faculty of Business and Economics, has teamed up with Brandaide Communications to launch the Wisdom of Oz website, which allows all Australians to submit their views.
The website has been set up to ensure everyone, not just the experts invited to the 2020 Summit scheduled for April 19 and 20, get an opportunity to air their opinions on the issues of importance for Australia's future.
SEIRnet's analytical and research expertise and its governance and ethical controls will play a key role in analysing submissions to the website and forwarding them to the Federal Government.
SEIRnet Director, Professor Charmine Härtel, said: "Unlike blogs and social networking sites that generate data without insight, Wisdom of Oz uses specialised analysis tools and algorithms to identify the real issues that are critical to all Australians."
All submissions to Wisdom of Oz will be considered on their merits and there will be no editing of critical comments.
For more information visit the Wisdom of Oz website.
26 March 2008
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Dr Graeme Pearman presents issues to an international discussion on climate change on behalf of the Monash Science Centre. |
Monash Science Centre partnered with a local school, Camelot Rise Primary School, paleo-reconstruction artist Peter Trusler (who scored the cover of Time Magazine in 1993) and climate scientist Graeme Pearman for an international video conference to discuss global warming.
The video conference was organised by IGLO (International Action on GLObal Warming) an international organisation of science centres and museums dedicated to furthering the public understanding of science.
Science centres in the United States, China, Portugal, Wales, Mexico and Egypt took part in the web cast. A live audience was also invited to listen to presentations and perform demonstrations.
Monash Climate expert Dr Graeme Pearman summed up the threat of climate change this way:
"This science tells us that the world's climate is changing and that the change is primarily because of an increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities. We are changing the climate."
"Very recent science suggests that climate change may be happening faster than we expected and that we and other species on the planet are more vulnerable to change than we thought. This is now forcing serious consideration of rapid responses by all nations as we work to tackle this shared problem.
"Challenges in this quest include a general community lack of appreciation of the significance of what appears to be small shifts in global average temperature, incompleteness of the knowledge-base and the need to respond using risk management."
26 March 2008
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Dr Ceridwen Spark, Dr Eliza Burke, Vice-Chancellor Richard Larkins, Professor Denise Cuthbert, Dr Caroline Elston and Dr Millsom Henry-Waring at the awards ceremony. |
Professor Denise Cuthbert, from the School of Political and Social Inquiry in the Faculty of Arts, is the 2007 winner of the Vice-Chancellor's Prize for Postgraduate Supervision.
The prize was presented earlier this month at a graduation ceremony attended by many of Professor Cuthbert's former students.
The Vice-Chancellor's Prize is the third distinction Professor Cuthbert has received in recognition of her work in supervising many graduate students.
In 2006, she was awarded the Faculty of Arts Excellence in Research Supervision Award and in 2007 she was awarded a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the Carrick Institute.
Professor Cuthbert's work as a supervisor of graduate research reflects a wide range of disciplines. Her graduates have come from the fields of English, Women's Studies, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, Anthropology and Sociology. Current students include graduate researchers in Italian Studies and Applied Ethics.
Professor Cuthbert said open, trustful communication and intellectual development as well as providing prompt, critical feedback on written work were essential aspects of the effective supervision of research students.
"However I consider the development of a framework to analyse the research process to be of the greatest value to my students (and to me). I consider this to be very beneficial to the intellectual growth of my candidates as researchers," Professor Cuthbert said.
Former student Dr Margaret Mishra said Professor Cuthbert's feedback was always extensive and, more importantly, critical and honest.
"Although my specific area of research was new to her, Denise would engage with my findings quite easily and was always eager to learn more about the women of my country (Fiji)," Dr Mishra said.
"She also directed me to numerous methodological and theoretical texts that I was unfamiliar with. These shaped the direction of my field research and ultimately enhanced the body of my dissertation."
26 March 2008
A Botswana student's debating prowess has earned him a scholarship to study at Monash South Africa (MSA).
Bakang Phokoletso was awarded the prize for Best Male Speaker and Best Speaker Overall at the inaugural National Debating Championships held at St Joseph's College in Gaborone recently.
The championships, organised by the MSA Advancement Department in conjunction with the Botswana Department of Education, brought together 26 teams from senior schools across Botswana.
Bakang said he didn't expect to be the best speaker or be awarded a scholarship.
"I was just focusing on the competition," he said. "I feel honoured to be the first winner and am very excited to be given an opportunity to attend Monash. I encourage other learners to take part in extra-curricular activities such as debating and know that there are no limits if you believe in yourself."
Bakang will take part in his final school exams at the end of 2008.
MSA International Recruitment Executive Tshidi Khunou said the championships introduced a new style of debating to Botswana secondary schools, known as the 'Parliamentary Debating System'. Mr Khunou said the championships would become an annual event.
"The championship aimed to encourage students to embrace their educational opportunities and highlight the importance of exchange of opinions by means of debate," he said.
"Topics debated included: whether schools have the right to search students' lockers, whether smoking should be banned in public places, and whether the benefits of tourism overweigh the costs."
The overall winner of the championships was Maru-A-Pula School, which was presented with a trophy and individual medals for team members.
In second place was Gaborone Secondary School and Lobatse Senior Secondary School took third place.
26 March 2008
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Waterfront will be exhibited during Contempora 2 Festival of Sculpture, an outdoor exhibition of sculpture to be displayed at Docklands until 20 April 2008. |
The prestigious 2008 Contempora Sculpture Award has been won by Melbourne artist and Monash University lecturer Dr Dan Wollmering.
Dr Wollmering's work Waterfront is a sculpture that references the waterfront dispute that took place on docks around Australia in 1998. The work commemorates the tenth anniversary of one of the largest and most significant industrial disputes in recent history.
Around 200 guests attended the awards night earlier this month.
"It is a wonderful honour to win such a prestigious award. Waterfront has been an exciting project. The work is constructed in durable materials that include stainless and galvanized steel, treated pine, hardwood, marine plywood, steel mesh and anodized etched aluminium," Dr Wollmering said.
"At a height of two metres the sculpture has a positive presence that suggests action, empowerment and triumph."
Dr Wollmering immigrated to Australia in 1975 from Minnesota, United States of America.
In the last thirty years he has exhibited his work in 24 solo exhibitions and 45 group exhibitions.
He is a senior lecturer in sculpture and coordinator of research in the Department of Fine Arts.
26 March 2008
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Monash staff are embracing video conferencing to replace some face-to-face meetings. |
The Education Faculty saved so much time, money and carbon emissions during its trial of video conferencing units last year that it has now bought six of the units for use in its day-to-day activities.
With much assistance from IT Services, the Education Faculty undertook a six-month trial in which staff at the Clayton, Peninsula and Gippsland campuses held meetings via video conference, rather than traveling to one campus for the meeting.
Project manager Penelope Goward said the trial was a huge success, saving staff a combined total of about 20,000 km in road travel and preventing the fatigue, road dangers and carbon monoxide emissions associated with driving.
She said the faculty also saved thousands of dollars in petrol and efficiency costs, and more than 40,000 km in air travel by conducting meetings with academics based in Canada and the United States via video conference, rather than flying them to Melbourne.
The Education Faculty has now purchased a fixed and a portable video conferencing unit to be based in each of its offices at the Clayton, Peninsula and Gippsland campuses, so they can be available for education staff to use for meetings whenever needed.
The units were chosen for their simple-to-use interface, which means that meetings can often be run without the need for technical assistance.
There is also the possibility the units could be used to assist research projects in the future, and facilitate telecommuting and other environmentally and family friendly work practices.
Ms Goward said it was a great result and it was pleasing that other faculties were also using video conferencing.
"There are times when a face-to-face meeting is the best option, but video conferencing certainly has a place and has many benefits associated with it," Ms Goward said.
Contact Pam Miller at Information Technology Services on +61 3 9905 4779 if you would like to book a video conference room, or visit the Videoconferencing at Monash website for more information.
26 March 2008
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Arts/law student Anna Landau with a young girl in Petra, Jordan. |
I was sent to the non-government organisation Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), which works on environmental cross-border issues between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories.
With head offices in Tel Aviv, Amman and Bethlehem, FoEME's primary objective is promoting cooperative efforts of sustainable regional development and protection of shared environmental heritage. Water management issues are a main focus, the Middle East being one of the world's most water scarce regions.
The Jordan River, a sacred river to the world's three monotheist religions, is described in the Bible as a thriving water source. But in reality the river hardly flows in most areas due to diversions by Israel, Jordan and Syria and has been reduced to little more than a raw sewage canal.
Many people would be shocked to know that tests show that if a person is baptised at the baptism site of Jesus in Jordan, they are likely to come out with a rash due to the pollution.
The diversion of freshwater from the Jordan River has also resulted in the shrinking of the Dead Sea, the world's saltiest water body and the lowest place on earth. Sitting on the Israeli and Jordanian borders, the Dead Sea basin is a cradle of human cultural, historic and religious value with sites dating from Ancient Near East civilisation; and the Dead Sea's remedial and therapeutic properties see millions of people flock to its waters annually.
Yet the Dead Sea is dropping one metre each year, having diminished to a third of its original surface area and twenty-five metres in depth. Moreover, in the last decade, more than 1,600 sink holes have appeared - spots where the land, once covered by water, has collapsed in on itself. This environmental damage is affecting the important tourism industry of the surrounding area.
The World Bank, with the support of the Israeli and Jordanian governments, has decided to build a water conduit over 200km long, bringing sea water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. This risky option would include dredging the coral reefs in Eilat/Aqaba and changing the composition of the waters of the Dead Sea itself. The World Bank has thus far refused to look at alternatives to this conduit, such as rejuvenating the Jordan River, the Dead Sea's historical, natural fresh water source.
I was in charge of writing a letter requesting an inspection of possible breaches of World Bank policies and procedures for failure to study vital alternatives. I also joined FoEME's international delegation from Kenya, Italy, Germany, England, the United States and Israel on a week-long tour through Jordan, Israel and the West Bank. The 'Politics of Water' tour covered the diverse micro-climates of the region -- the beautiful mountains of the Syrian-African Rift Valley, the silent, Wadi/Arava desert, and all the problems in between.
An Australian water expert delegation, who met with me and Israeli FoEME director (and former Australian resident) Gidon Bromberg, also visited Israel. Israel and the Middle East have been dealing with water scarcity issues for a long time now, and I believe there is much Australia can learn from this region's experiences -- both good and bad. Water is precious, as we are well aware here in Australia. It is a resource everyone needs. The beauty of FoEME's work is that it is able to advance sustainable regional development and create peaceful dialogue and cooperation within the turbulent region. To find out more visit the FoEME website or join a study tour by emailing info@sktours.net.5 March 2008
The first two graduations for 2008 have been held at South Africa and Gippsland. The progress made by both these Campuses in the last 5 years has been quite remarkable. At the South African graduation, 178 students graduated in a moving ceremony. Most of the graduands were the first in their families to attend university and their experience will have a transformational effect on their families. The graduands came from all the southern African countries. Over 2400 students are expected at the Campus by second semester this year, a far cry from the 480 of 2004.
The Gippsland Campus is also making stunning progress. New student commencements are about 100 above target. The Graduate Entry Medical School has taken its new students in state of the art new facilities. A large, environmentally friendly new auditorium and function centre is nearing completion. It will replace the "Binishell" which although distinctive has reached the end of its lifespan and will be demolished. The new auditorium will be the site of the regional meeting of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in October this year. New student residences will be constructed with the help of Commonwealth and State funding. Research activity is increasing markedly. Contrary to many regional campuses, Gippsland is now breaking even financially and its future is bright. The new Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Helen Bartlett will take up her post in August. The Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor, Associate Professor Harry Ballis is doing a wonderful job in the interim.
With the new Federal Government, it is a frenetic time in relations between the universities' sector and government. The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr has announced a broad-ranging review of innovation strategy. He has also announced that the Research Quality Framework (RQF) in the form which the previous government intended is to be abandoned and a new approach has been signalled. The Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative, is to be developed by the Australian Research Council (ARC) in conjunction with the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) and will assess research quality using a combination of metrics and expert review. Health and medical research will have evaluation driven by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Guidelines for the allocation of funding from the Higher Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) are to be released and consultations will be held in relation to them. The Government is also undertaking consultation following the introduction of the so-called "VSU" legislation on how student support activities and facilities are to be supported. The Federal Government has signalled that it will use individually negotiated funding "Compacts" with each university to drive diversity in the sector and to support the individual missions of each university. There is no clarity about how these will work and it is possible that there will also be a review of higher education funding. The 2020 Summit has education as one of its subthemes. In addition to this activity at the Federal level, the State Parliament has announced a review of the legislative framework for Victoria's universities.
These activities are occurring at a time when the Federal departments are in a state of great change with the former functions of the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) now distributed between the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) and the Department of Innovation, Industry and Research (DIISR). It is clear that policies relating to universities will be split between two departments and that there will be many aspects separate from universities and indeed from education that will compete for the attention of these Departments. Effective advocacy will be required.
Meanwhile, at Monash, Orientation Week activities have been completed successfully and the teaching year has begun. The Senior Management Summit and Council Summits conducted during February have identified the priorities for the University for the next five years as it works towards its goals for 2025.
Despite the turbulence in the sector, all the signs for Monash University in its 50th year are positive.
26 March 2008
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Name: Chris Nash
Org. Unit: School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences
Title: Professor
How long have you been with Monash University?
Four weeks.
Prior to working at Monash, where were you located and what was your role?
UTS; Director of the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism.
What exciting challenges are ahead in your current role?
Development of an already large journalism program into a national and international leader in the field.
What is it about your job that holds your interest or is particularly satisfying?
The relationship of journalistic research and reporting to scholarly research and publication, and what the two modes offer each other.
Of all the places in the world you would like to visit/re-visit, where is your favourite destination and why?
Cuba, a muy simpatico society and culture. I was last there in the mid-80s and there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then. The current conjuncture is particularly interesting.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
"Impatience is the big mistake" (Franz Kafka).
What is something about yourself that most of your colleagues wouldn't know?
Probably just about everything in the circumstances, but I do like to dance.
26 March 2008
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In 1977 Monash engineers developed a method of simulating complex fluid behaviours leading to applications in cinema special effects. The technique was used in such box office hits as Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.