2 April 2008
2 April 2008
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From left: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Adam Shoemaker, Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike, Premier of Victoria John Brumby, Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Campus Coordination) Professor Phillip Steele. |
The Berwick campus of Monash University is to be the home of a new selective-entry State Government senior school.
Premier John Brumby and Education Minister Bronwyn Pike made the announcement at a media conference at the campus yesterday (Tuesday 1 April).
Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Adam Shoemaker and Campus Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Phillip Steele were present for the announcement.
Mr Brumby said the Victorian Government would invest $40 million to establish two new selective-entry schools in Melbourne's growth corridors, providing greater opportunities and choice for students in regional and outer suburban areas.
Monash University Council has agreed to put aside land to the north of the campus for construction of the new co-educational school, which is expected to be up and running in 2010. The area is recording one of the fastest population growth rates in Victoria.
The other school will be built in Melbourne's west in a partnership with the University of Melbourne.
Mr Brumby said locating the schools in the outer growth corridors would provide greater access for more high-achieving academic students from a broader range of suburbs and regional areas.
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The Victorian Government will invest $40 million to establish two new selective-entry schools including one at the Monash Berwick campus. |
He said both new selective-entry schools would take an initial enrolment of up to 200 Year 9 students in 2010, including places for highly-able students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
"This government is taking action to ensure Victorian families have the best schools. Parents want choice in the public education system and these two new schools will allow more students to get a place at a selective-entry school," Mr Brumby said.
Professor Larkins welcomed the announcement.
"Monash University is delighted that the new selective-entry high school is to be situated at the Monash University Berwick campus," Professor Larkins said.
"It will allow school students to see the opportunities presented by a university education and we hope inspire many of them to study at Monash University Berwick or other university campuses.
"There will be many synergies through shared facilities and services; it will make Berwick a real education hub."
Mr Brumby said the new school would have strong links with Monash.
"These partnerships will allow highly-able students to work on joint research projects, attend special classes and lectures and share facilities with a tertiary institution.
"There will be exciting opportunities for staff from the universities and schools to work together, share their knowledge and develop joint projects that will benefit students as well."
See also map of Berwick campus (pdf 1112kb) showing the proposed site of the new selective-entry school.
2 April 2008
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Dr Cave said he was pleased and honoured to be conferred with the honorary degree. |
Musician, novelist, actor, film score composer and screenwriter Nick Cave has been presented with an honorary degree from Monash University.
The honorary degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred by University Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins and Chancellor Dr Alan Finkel at a ceremony in Melbourne last week.
His mother Dawn, wife Susan, and twin sons Earl and Arthur also attended the ceremony.
Nick Cave studied for a Diploma of Art and Design (Fine Art) at the Caulfield Institute of Technology in 1977 and '78, in what is now the Faculty of Art and Design on the Caulfield campus of Monash University. He left his studies, which were primarily in painting, to successfully pursue a music career.
Dr Cave said he was pleased and honoured to be conferred with the honorary degree.
"Today I look back at my time at the arts school as one of the most important parts of my life," Dr Cave said.
"My time there was hugely influential; it's where many of my ideas were formed that I still hold today.
"It was of great benefit going to an arts school. To come from a very sports-oriented school to an environment full of like-minded people was incredibly exciting.
"What I learnt during that time was enormous; I've never been in the same kind of environment since. There was a generous and diverse exchange of views between students."
Professor Larkins said Nick Cave was one of Australia's most successful and prominent artists with a near 30 year career spanning music, novel-writing, acting and screenwriting which has had a major impact on contemporary "alternative" culture.
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Dr Nick Cave shows his honorary degree to gathered media at a press conference last week. Dr Cave is pictured with Chancellor Dr Alan Finkel (left) and Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins (right). |
"Nick Cave's substantial achievements in the creative arts and in raising Australia's profile internationally make him a worthy candidate for recognition by Monash University. In addition to his musical contributions, Nick Cave has shown an outstanding ability to contribute to writing and acting -- he is truly an extraordinary creative talent," Professor Larkins said.
"His reputation and popularity crosses age and culture barriers. As an Australian largely based out of London, and previously in Sao Paulo, Los Angeles and Berlin, Nick Cave has been successful in increasing the profile of Australia internationally, particularly in terms of our nation's creative and artistic capabilities."
Dr Finkel congratulated Nick Cave on his honorary degree, the first presented this year.
"Nick is a now a proud part of the Monash community. The University is Australia's largest research-intensive university, with more than 55,000 students, 200,000 alumni, a presence on three continents and a proud history of going boldly onto the world arena in both creative and scientific endeavours," Dr Finkel said.
In the 1980s, Nick Cave was one of the first Australian musicians to achieve considerable international prominence. As the front man for bands including The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, he has released more than 20 albums. His unique musical style has been attributed with influencing countless other bands.
Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design John Redmond congratulated Nick Cave on his honorary degree and said he was one of the most high profile students to have studied within the faculty.
"The Faculty of Art and Design is a community that fosters student creativity and inquiry and, as Nick Cave shows, encourages experimentation and excellence in many artistic spheres. I am delighted that we can call Nick Cave a Monash graduate."
2 April 2008
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Daniel Yore and David Humphreys highlight the Global Health Conference website. |
Two Monash students studying their third year of medicine at the Gippsland Regional Clinical School are taking a lead role in raising the profile of global health issues in Australia.
Daniel Yore and David Humphreys are convening the 2008 Global Health Conference, one of the main events of the Australian Medical Students' Association (AMSA). The conference, unique to AMSA, will bring 500 medicine students and junior doctors together in Melbourne this July.
The delegates will travel from across the Asia-Pacific region to attend the conference, which aims to address the key underlying social, political, economic and environmental determinants of health on developing communities.
Mr Yore and Mr Humphreys were selected as conference conveners in May of last year, and since then they have been leading a 50-strong organising committee of Monash and Melbourne University students.
"Preparing for the conference continues to involve an enormous commitment of time and energy," Mr Yore said. "However we are passionate about the issues we are seeking to address and feel it is important that Australia's future doctors graduate having had the opportunity to learn about health issues affecting marginalised and disadvantaged communities the world over."
The conference's academic program includes workshops, case-studies and keynote addresses from prominent Australians including Reverend Tim Costello, Julian Burnside QC, Sir Gustav Nossal and the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma.
"One of the key academic themes of the conference centres on Indigenous health, and particularly what we as a nation can do to improve the quality of life of Australia's Indigenous populations," Mr Humphreys said.
"Similarly, refugee and asylum seeker health is an area given little attention universally within medical curricula, yet is a reality many doctors will be faced with in their clinical practice."
The 2008 AMSA Global Health Conference takes place at the University of Melbourne from 4-6 July. For more information visit the AMSA website.
2 April 2008
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PhD student Azadeh Dastyari will conduct a comparative study of US and Australian immigration and refugee law at Georgetown University. |
A PhD student and a Monash graduate are among 24 Australians awarded with scholarships from the Australian American Fulbright Commission this year.
Researcher Azadeh Dastyari, who is also an assistant lecturer from the Monash Law faculty, has won the Fulbright Postgraduate Alumni (WG Walker) Scholarship.
Ms Dastyari will conduct a comparative study of US and Australian immigration and refugee law at Georgetown University starting in September this year.
Her research will examine the interception, detention and offshore processing of asylum seekers by Australia at Christmas Island, Nauru and Papua New Guinea and the US in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"My research will also examine the implications of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between Australia and the US which means each country now has a vested interest in the other's offshore processing regime," explains Ms Dastyari.
Monash alumnus Cameron O'Reilly received the Fulbright Professional Australia-US Alliance Studies Scholarship.
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Monash alumnus Cameron O'Reilly will study US and Australian approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the US from March next year. |
Mr O'Reilly, who completed a Master of Management and Public Policy at Monash in 2000, will carry out a comparative public policy study of US and Australian approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"The US and Australia share much in common as low energy-cost countries with significant domestic sources of fossil fuels," Mr O'Reilly said. "As allies and democracies we also have a strong interest in cooperating to meet the challenge of climate change."
Currently the Executive Director of the Energy Retailers Association of Australia, Mr O'Reilly will begin his study at the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Texas and Georgetown University in March 2009.
The prestigious Fulbright program is the largest educational scholarship of its kind, created by US Senator J. William Fulbright and the US Government in 1946. Aimed at promoting mutual understanding through educational exchange, it operates between the US and 150 countries. In Australia, the scholarships are funded by the Australian and US Governments and corporate partners and administered by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission in Canberra.
Applications for Fulbright Scholarships in 2009 open on 1 June. Visit the Fullbright website for details.
2 April 2008
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Fr Peter Knowles OP, who served the Monash community for its first 25 years, died in Adelaide on 11 March after a long illness. |
A memorial Mass will be held at 12.10pm on Wednesday 9 April in the Main Chapel at Monash University to celebrate the life of one of our longest serving and best loved chaplains.
Fr Peter Knowles OP, who served the Monash community for its first 25 years, died in Adelaide on 11 March after a long illness.
A Dominican Friar, an Archpriest of the Byzantine rite of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and a former Master of Mannix College, Fr Knowles' chaplaincy covered the period of the Vietnam war and its aftermath.
Though he never took out a degree, Fr Knowles was widely read and deeply learned. He mastered several ancient and modern eastern languages, wrote articles for scholarly journals and was reviewing manuscripts and submitting articles until late in his life.
It was in its culture and political awareness, not just its learning, that Monash made its mark early in its history and Fr Knowles was great friends with academics from various faculties.
A gifted preacher, he was highly literate, articulate and in his sermons centred on matters of the Faith.
It was at Mass that the gathered student body learned to examine life with the light and the learning that he brought; here they learned that their education was good for its own sake and not just for their chosen vocation or career.
His other great quality was his ability to listen, which in the days of vigorous protest and assertive self-expression, was a great gift to the students. To one student who was contemplating whether to undertake further studies at Harvard, Cornell or Monash, the chaplain confidently asserted "You can achieve anything you want to right here at Monash."
He loved good music and the theatre.
In this 50th anniversary year of Monash University we can acknowledge a chaplain whose love for people both young and old lay at the very heart of his ministry.
2 April 2008
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Organisers of the Ozzawa medical education conference implemented simple initiatives to reduce their global environmental footprint. |
The Ozzawa medical education conference held recently in Melbourne has been praised for its efforts to 'go green.' The conference, jointly sponsored by Monash University, was held over three days in March. Organisers placed a particular emphasis on reducing their global environmental footprint, a move applauded by the more than 1000 international delegates in attendance.
Some initiatives included:
Monash Director of Environmental Sustainability Paul Barton said it was fantastic that conference organisers made an effort to reduce their impact on the environment by implementing the simple initiatives.
"I would particularly like to commend the efforts of Professor Brian Jolly from the Faculty of Medicine," Mr Barton said.
"He was a driving force behind these initiatives and really has helped highlight how we can all adapt our usual behaviour and in doing so significantly reduce our environmental impact."
For more information on 'Greening up our Act' go to the Monash environment website. For further information on the conference visit the Ozzawa website.
2 April 2008
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Alicia Cruickshank works as a Scientific Officer at the Australian Sustainable Industry Research Centre. |
Recent honours science graduate Alicia Cruickshank is paving the way for environmental change after gaining employment at the Australian Sustainable Industry Research Centre.
Ms Cruickshank works as a Scientific Officer at the Centre after completing an internship there during her studies.
Ms Cruickshank said she chose to study science at the Gippsland campus when she was made aware of a cooperative internship program with the ASIRC.
This program encourages students and employers to build strong relationships throughout a student's university studies.
"When I received the internship it gave me the confidence that the science course was compatible with employment," Ms Cruickshank said.
The experience also gave her the opportunity to continue her studies through a research honours degree at ASIRC, during which she investigated the ability of biological water treatment to break down natural pesticides produced by trees.
For now, Alicia is happy to be enjoying a break from studying and is savouring the experience of working at ASIRC where she evaluates current and potential waste treatment processes with the aim of promoting sustainable industry.
2 April 2008
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Monash South Africa staff have participated in a computer-based Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) program. |
As part of its commitment to staff development, Monash South Africa (MSA) has introduced an Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) program at its campus in Ruimsig.
A MSA staff member and MSA student volunteer were initially trained as ABET course facilitators, then during March, 12 Monash staff members from the housekeeping, security and maintenance departments began the first computer-based ABET English Literacy course.
Skills Development Facilitator Christine Maritz said the ABET program focused on English literacy and numeracy skills training.
"At the beginning of the course, participants are introduced to English literacy skills, learning to read and write, pronounce words and spell correctly as well widen their vocabulary," Ms Maritz said.
"Once basic literacy levels are in place many other life skills are taught including an introduction to computers, using a telephone directory and an ATM, study techniques, exam writing skills and wildlife conservation.
"Monash also intends to gradually extend the ABET program to members of the surrounding community on Saturday mornings."
Ms Martitz said a group of five participants had already begun the first community-based course which was being facilitated by a Monash student volunteer.
2 April 2008
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Dr Carlo Salzani completed his PhD at Monash in 2007. |
Monash graduate, Dr Carlo Salzani has been awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship award for a post-doctoral study at a German university.
The fellowships are offered world-wide on a competitive basis with the most important criteria for selection being the applicant's publications and the quality and feasibility of their research proposal.
The Fellowship will fund Dr Salzani's research into Pure Violence: Between Messianic Redemption and Radical Destruction at the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of Bonn.
Dr Salzani completed a PhD on Constellations of Reading: Walter Benjamin in Figures of Actuality at the Monash Centre for Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies in 2007.
This is the second Humboldt fellowship to have been awarded to a graduate of the centre in the last three years with Dr Dimitris Vardoulakis awarded in 2006.
2 April 2008
The Senior Management Summit and the Council Summit were held in February. These meetings concentrated on identifying the priorities for Monash University over the next five years. This month's report will summarise these priorities.
The ten values listed in the Strategic Framework 2004-2008 will continue to underpin the activities of Monash University for the next five years. Thus, although the University has made great progress towards achieving excellence in education, research and management, much remains to be done. The University will continue to have a strong international focus. It will continue to value fairness, innovation and creativity, diversity and integrity and to strive for increased engagement with governments, industry and the community and for a greater degree of financial self-reliance.
The recruitment, retention and development of the best possible staff and students will therefore remain absolute priorities because ultimately the University will only be as good as its human capital. Similarly, equity objectives and, particularly, strategies to increase the number and educational outcomes of Indigenous students will continue.
But within this framework a number of specific priorities can be identified for the next five years which if realised will help us to become one of the world's great universities.
The Priorities:
1. Develop and badge an innovative approach to learning and teaching
A lot of time and effort has been invested in reviewing our coursework structure. We must now put this together to develop an innovative educational program built around the principles agreed during the review. We must be able to describe the principles on which our programs are based in terms which are simple and persuasive so that Monash degrees become synonymous with innovation and educational excellence. New educational technologies will be incorporated into all programs and will facilitate intercampus educational programs and a virtual international experience for all students.
2. Engage more effectively with business and industry
In both education and research, it is essential that Monash University enhances its relations with business and industry. In education, periods of work experience in relevant business and industry environments enable students to become more focused on their studies and to recognise the relevance of what they are learning. In research, Monash must become the most successful university at developing partnerships with industry that lead to substantial industry-funded research.
3. Develop the Clayton precinct around Monash, CSIRO and the Australian Synchrotron as a key centre for innovation
The Clayton campus of Monash University is strategically located adjacent to the largest division of CSIRO and the Australian Synchrotron in the heart of the light-manufacturing sector of Victoria. A nanofabrication facility is to be constructed adjoining the Synchrotron. This precinct should gradually be transformed by research and innovation emanating from Monash University and CSIRO and by investment by government and industry into an innovation precinct driving the economy of Victoria and Australia.
4. Consolidate the biomedical and health research being undertaken in Monash University, affiliated institutes and hospitals
Monash University now has the top-ranking biomedical research departments in the country and also houses the world-ranking Monash Institute of Medical Research, the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, clinical departments with diverse research interests and one of the leading public health and epidemiology departments in the country. Extensive research relevant to health also takes place in the faculties of Pharmacy, Science, Engineering, Arts, Law, IT and Business and Economics. There are a number of medical research institutes and teaching hospitals affiliated with Monash University. We must develop a governance structure that encourages sharing of research platforms, optimal research collaboration and effective translation of basic research into new approaches to disease prevention and treatment.
5. Develop research themes for all campuses
Monash University has a complex multi-campus structure. This provides opportunities to engage with local industries and communities taking advantage of the geographic location, while also being able to tap the research expertise of all of Monash University. We should not try to create eight campuses with identical research strengths. Each campus must conduct excellent research, taking advantage of its particular opportunities. A similar differentiation is occurring or has occurred in educational programs, responding to local needs.
6. Achieve university status for Monash South Africa with student numbers greater than 5000, a better than break-even budget and a strong research focus
Monash South Africa has made stunning progress over the last four years with the number of students quadrupling to over 2100 and the budget deficit halving. New academic programs have been developed although emphasis has been placed on strengthening the existing disciplines rather than developing extensive new programs. The next five years are crucial for the campus. The growth in student numbers must be maintained, with a larger proportion of students from South Africa. Corporate support for student bursaries must be increased to ensure that able students from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to increase in number and the academic programs should diversify to include aspects of health sciences, education and science at undergraduate and graduate levels. The campus must develop a strong research program, relevant to the needs of Africa and building on the strengths at Monash in Australia.
7. Increase student numbers at Monash University Sunway to greater than 6000, complete stage 2 of campus development and create strong research and research training programs
The new campus of Monash University at Sunway provides a wonderful underpinning for the next phase of this exciting university. The campus must become a real flagship for Monash University, located strategically in South East Asia. The growth in student numbers must continue and the research program should be expanded so that Monash University at Sunway will be recognised as one of the research power houses of South East Asia with extensive collaborations with the leading research universities in Malaysia and Singapore and substantial support for research from industry and the Malaysian government.
8. Further develop our international strategy in India, China, Europe and North America
The proposed research academy with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) must be successful in recruiting high quality PhD students and attracting sufficient industry support for research and PhD scholarships.
Over the next five years we must take advantage of our opportunities in China by developing extensive student exchange and research collaborations with Sichuan University and other Chinese partner universities as well as developing industry-funded research with China.
Monash University's Prato Centre has raised the profile of Monash University in Europe. We must continue to develop our academic programs at Prato so that it truly becomes a venue for international education and an avenue for research collaboration in Europe. We must also take advantage of Australia's associate membership of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory to develop the major node of an EMBL partner laboratory at Monash.
We must leverage our international partnerships in North America and Europe to obtain more international research funding and international experience for our students.
9. Continue our capital development program and renewal of our facilities
Although the last decade has seen a major renewal of physical facilities at our campuses, much remains to be done. Priorities in our capital program for the next five years will be completion of the Menzies refurbishment, the Caulfield Western Precinct redevelopment including a new Law faculty building, refurbishment and remodelling of the Matheson and Caulfield libraries and a major redevelopment of the science and engineering precincts at Clayton. There will also need to be further capital development to cope with increasing student numbers at Monash University Sunway and Monash South Africa. We have also made a commitment to reduce energy use and to work towards carbon neutrality for our campuses. This will require a major program of retrofitting existing buildings and of course ensuring that new buildings are built to the most demanding environmental standards.
These developments will require major additional income and in some cases external funding schemes. They emphasise the need to increase the degree of philanthropic support, and the need to be successful in acquiring funds through the Higher Education Endowment Fund and other government sources.
10. Increase operating dollars per student in real terms
There has been a decrease in the funding available per Commonwealth Supported Place of about $1200 per student in 2008 terms since the early 1990s. To be internationally competitive in terms of the quality of our education and research we must increase the funding per student. We must continue to attract international students, increase the number of Australian postgraduate students and ensure that our fees represent the true cost of delivering world quality degrees. We must also ensure we are successful in the new funding environment of the "Education Revolution" of the Rudd Labor Government.
Conclusion:
Monash University has been very successful in its first fifty years. It is well-placed to become one of the world's great universities. This is not an end in its own right. Its importance lies in the benefits that will come to the Australian and international community from having the outcomes of principled, quality education and outstanding research addressing problems of national and global significance.
2 April 2008
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Name: Professor Rod Hill
Org. Unit: Industry Engagement & Commercialisation
Title: Pro Vice-Chancellor
Dept: Office of DVC-Research
How long have you been with Monash University?
4 months.
Prior to working at Monash, where were you located and what was your role?
I was working as the Group Executive for Manufacturing, Materials and Minerals at CSIRO's Clayton site.
What exciting challenges are ahead in your current role?
Helping to develop and implement the Master Plan for a Science and Technology Innovation Precinct at Clayton; increasing the impact of Monash's innovations through industry engagement and commercialisation; helping to attract significant industry alliances; and building a culture of 'impact through innovation' through cross-discipline collaborations.
What is it about your job that holds your interest or is particularly satisfying?
Discovering all of the great research innovation that is being done at Monash and helping to deliver it into industry and the community.
Of all the places in the world you would like to visit/re-visit, where is your favourite destination and why?
Kimberleys, Antarctica, Patagonia, Nepal, Flinders Ranges, St Petersburg, New York City. I have no favourite as I have only visited the Flinders Ranges and NYC!
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Do what you have targeted to do with passion and commitment.
What is something about yourself that most of your colleagues wouldn't know?
I am an eclipse chaser and a tektite hunter.
2 April 2008
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There are more than 2000 different species of Australian plants at the Clayton campus. The Peninsula and Berwick campuses also showcase Australian flora.
Monash campuses have been shaped to encourage student and staff interaction while preserving intimate outdoor spaces for quiet contemplation.