Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins congratulated Merilyn for her contribution to Monash at a special function to celebrate her retirement last week.
7 May 2008
7 May 2008
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Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins congratulated Merilyn for her contribution to Monash at a special function to celebrate her retirement last week. |
Monash Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins has acknowledged the magnificent contribution made by Professor Merilyn Liddell at a special function to celebrate her retirement.
Until recently Professor Liddell was the Pro Vice-Chancellor and President of the Sunway campus, Malaysia.
Professor Liddell is an experienced medical practitioner both in Australia and the UK. She came to Monash in 1992 and progressed rapidly through the ranks of the University.
During her time she played a key role in promoting medical education.
In 1998, she received the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Teaching, one of only two such awards made annually at that time across all disciplines of the University.
Professor Liddell commenced as Pro Vice-Chancellor Sunway campus in July 2003 overseeing the development of the new campus, coordinating the establishment of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and increasing the profile of Monash in the region.
Professor Larkins said Professor Liddell held a number of key roles during her time at Monash, but the contribution she made during her time in Malaysia was of particular significance.
"Merilyn championed the proposal for a Monash Medical School in Malaysia, which is now a reality," Professor Larkins said.
"She has also developed strong relationships with government, industry and educational institutions in Malaysia and the region which have been vitally important to the growth and depth of teaching and research at the Sunway campus.
"On behalf of Monash, I congratulate Merilyn for this contribution and thank her for all her other achievements at Monash University. I wish her well in the next phase of her life."
7 May 2008
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Dr Farzad Sharifian's research will explore the failure of the education system to improve literacy outcomes for Aboriginal-English speaking students. |
A Monash academic hopes the outcomes of his research will improve Indigenous literacy education in Australia.
Dr Farzad Sharifian, a senior lecturer in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics will explore the failure of the Australian education system to improve literacy outcomes for the vast majority of Aboriginal-English speaking students.
Dr Sharifian's research will focus on whether this failure is due to the differences that exist between Aboriginal-English dialect, spoken by many Aboriginal students, and current school literacy materials.
Dr Sharifian said Aboriginal literacy was a high-priority national issue.
"Aboriginal students have a right to quality education to give them skills for full participation in Australian society," Dr Sharifian said.
"The education system in Australia has largely failed to improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal students and equip teachers of Aboriginal children with relevant professional development.
"Indigenous Australians operate in a bi-cultural world and negotiate their identity within two English languages -- Aboriginal-English dialect and what they are taught at school."
Dr Sharifian said the results of his research would be used in Aboriginal teacher education.
"Aboriginal students have often been identified as having difficulty in achieving literacy outcomes, yet the fact that their primary form of English is not the form in which literacy is being imparted is rarely taken into account," Dr Sharifian said.
"It makes sense then why Indigenous people, who in many cases are much stronger in Aboriginal-English than in Australian English, tend to suffer discrimination when it comes to receiving services intended to be equally available to all Australians.
"I hope this research will forge a new partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, overcoming disadvantage and providing practical pathways to the future."
7 May 2008
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Professor David Copolov will join former Telstra CEO Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Vice Chancellor of the University of Queensland Professor Paul Greenfield, and Chancellor of Swinburne University Mr Bill Scales on the board of ANSTO. |
A Monash professor has been appointed to the nine-member board of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
Senior Advisor in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor Professor David Copolov will join other prominent board members, former Telstra CEO Dr Ziggy Switkowski, Vice Chancellor of the University of Queensland Professor Paul Greenfield, and Chancellor of Swinburne University Mr Bill Scales.
ANSTO describes itself as the centre of Australia's nuclear science capabilities and expertise. It produces radiopharmaceuticals that assist in the diagnosis of serious illnesses and also helps to solve a range of environmental and industrial issues.
Monash researchers interact with ANSTO extensively via the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) and travel to Sydney on a regular basis to make use of its facilities.
Monash and ANSTO are also partners in the Cooperative Research Centre for Biomedical Imaging Development which is developing new radiopharmaceuticals for the earlier and more accurate detection of malignant tumours.
Professor Copolov said he was delighted to be appointed to the board.
"ANSTO is well renowned for harnessing the power of the atom - especially one of its constituents, the neutron - for peaceful purposes, enhancing medical diagnosis and treatment and conducting research in areas that are vital to Australia's future including the environment, agriculture, manufacturing, minerals, materials and counter-terrorism," Professor Copolov said.
"I hope to play a role in ensuring that ANSTO continues to make the best possible use of its staff's high-level expertise and technical excellence, and its superb suite of equipment including its centrepiece, the 18 month-old $400m OPAL nuclear reactor."
Professor Copolov is a psychiatric researcher and clinician whose area of expertise has been research into and the treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders. He was the Director of the Mental Health Research Institute (MHRI) of Victoria from 1985 to 2004 and continues to research this area of mental health.
In his current role he facilitates major growth strategies for the University.
He is also Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute and a Director of the Governing Board of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment.
7 May 2008
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The beginning of absence by Ruth Maddison (1996) one of the many photographs on display as part of the Reveries: photography and mortality exhibition at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. |
At first glance, death and art seem an unlikely combination.
But the match makes perfect sense in the case of a touring exhibition on the topic of death curated by the National Portrait Gallery.
Reveries: photography and mortality presents images inspired by the cycle of life and death.
Some of the photographs explore the idea from an abstract angle. Others, like the self-portraits of iconic 1970s photographer Carol Jerrems, who died aged just 31, present the stark reality of physical decline.
The Palliative Care Research Team at Monash University and the Peninsula Hospice Service will host a morning tea on Monday 12 May to discuss some of the ideas conjured by this unique exhibition.
Vivian Bullwinkel Chair in Nursing, Palliative Care Professor Margaret O'Connor expects the modern-day nature of the images will strongly resonate with viewers.
"Dying should be everybody's business, and these images make us face our own mortality," Professor O'Connor said. "Many people, even health professionals, refer to death using euphemistic language.
"Through the experience of an exhibition like this, you're actually putting images of death and dying among the ordinary experiences of life. It isn't something out of the ordinary, it isn't something unexpected."
The exhibition also includes photographs by Olive Cotton, Max Dupain, Rod McNicol, David Moore, Anne Noble, Jack Picone, Michael Riley and William Yang.
Professor O'Connor said the morning tea would give guests an opportunity to reflect on the collection.
"One of the pictures is of the shoes that your mother might have worn. There's a much more ready point of identification.
"We have many examples of death and dying depicted in art, because it's long been a subject of art.
"What's different about this exhibition is that it's very contemporary and because it's in a regional art gallery, it is being offered in a way that makes it accessible to the community."
Reveries: photography and mortality is on at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Dunns Road, Mornington, until Sunday 18 May.
The café conversation morning tea will be held from 10am to 12noon on Monday 12 May.
RSVP for the session by calling +61 3 9783 6177 by Thursday 8 May. Session cost: $12.
7 May 2008
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Undergraduate student Jarrod Bayliss-McCulloch will present his winning solutions to Oxfam Australia as winner of the first round of the inaugural Chartered Accountants Student Challenge. |
Monash University student Jarrod Bayliss-McCulloch has taken out the first round of the inaugural Chartered Accountants Student Challenge.
An industry-first, the Student Challenge is the latest initiative from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and utilises Facebook and the Figured it Out Yet website to engage with students in an online environment.
The competition allows students to develop real-life business challenges for three global not-for-profit organisations, introducing them to practical chartered accounting.
For the first challenge, students nationwide were asked to identify Oxfam Australia's six key business risks and ways to mitigate them. Mr Bayless-McCulloch’s team, Total Risk Solutions, now has the opportunity to present his winning solution to Oxfam Australia, before spending two weeks at one of the locations where Oxfam Australia operates.
Each team had just two weeks to prepare and submit their solutions with responses and were then judged on four main criteria -- technical knowledge, innovation, presentation and participation.
"We were very impressed with the quality of entries and the depth of analysis the students had taken," Oxfam Australia Director of Finance and Information Systems Craig Barry said.
"Some of the ideas for mitigation had not been previously considered by Oxfam and I look forward to meeting Jarrod when he presents to our management to discuss his ideas."
Mr Bayliss-McCulloch said: "I saw the challenge as a fantastic opportunity to combine my personal interest in not-for-profit organisations with the opportunity to put some professional skills into practice."
The final Student Challenge concludes in July 2008. For more details visit the Figured it Out Yet website.
Meanwhile, third-year Commerce and Law student Gregory Shinsky has been selected as a finalist for this year's St Gallen Wings of Excellence Awards and will participate in the St Gallen Symposium in Switzerland later this year.
The aim of the symposium is to stimulate thought and action for the sustained success of companies and societies in a globalised world. Entrepreneurs, top managers, politicians, scientists and students from more than 60 nations will attend.
Mr Shinsky was selected as a student finalist on the strength of an essay he wrote called The economic relevance of values: cause for political, philosophical or entrepreneurial thought on the foundation of global capitalism.
7 May 2008
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Education faculty lecturer Dr David Zyngier (right) with Professor John Portelli at the University of Toronto. |
A Peninsula campus Faculty of Education lecturer has used a trip to North America to develop networks involving Monash and some prestigious education institutions.
Dr David Zyngier travelled to Canada to visit McGill University in Montreal, and the University of Toronto, developing formal applications for a series of International Linkage Research Grants.
He is currently working with colleagues from these universities to research the engagement of children in school education, particularly those from culturally, linguistically and economically diverse communities.
As part of the trip, Dr Zyngier also travelled to the US to deliver a series of seminars to academics and teachers on educational leadership and social supports in teaching with the aim of encouraging future joint research and publishing projects with Monash. He also visited the Amistad Dual Language Elementary School in Upper Manhattan, New York, to study how significantly disadvantaged school had managed to achieve excellent results.
Dr Zyngier said it was a productive trip which could have positive outcomes for Monash in terms of future research collaborations. "Monash has a firm international focus and there are great opportunities all over the world to expand it," Dr Zyngier said.
7 May 2008
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Facilities and Services Mechanical Services Manager Geoff Brace inspects the converted diesel tank. |
An innovative scheme to harvest storm water at the Monash Clayton campus has been backed with a $50,000 Victorian government grant.
Storm water from nine campus buildings will be harvested and stored in a disused 113,000 litre diesel tank which has been adapted especially for the task.
The water will be used to service cooling towers and flusher tanks for toilets at the Information Technology Services Building 28.
It will also cool high temperature hot water pumps in Engineering Building 38 and fill flusher tanks for toilets in Engineering Building 37.
Facilities and Services Mechanical Services Manager Geoff Brace said the tank, which can handle more than four and a half million litres of water a year, would add to the water savings already achieved by Monash.
"The great thing about this scheme is that it is quite simple and is making use of existing infrastructure," Mr Brace said.
The $200,000 project was awarded the $50,000 grant from the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Fund, run by the State Department of Sustainability and Environment.
Facilities and Services environmental advisor Michelle Giovas, who secured the grant, said: "This water harvesting project has been supported by DSE because it is innovative and will demonstrate that rain water and storm water can be effectively used for cooling tower and cooling water use."
The system is expected to be operational by July 2008.
7 May 2008
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Professor David Abramson and Professor John Rosenberg at the opening of a new exhibition at Monash Museum of Computing Museum. |
The Monash Museum of Computing History has launched a new exhibition to recognise the work of Professors David Abramson and John Rosenberg.
The Museum, located at Caulfield campus, is a visual exploration of computer technology and how it has changed people's lives. It includes computer technology from the first calculating systems to the first computers with memory.
Both Professor Abramson and Professor Rosenberg started their academic careers at Monash University in the 1970s.
Professor Abramson studied at Monash University and received his doctorate in Computer Science in 1982.
He has continued to develop his research work at Monash and specialises in grid computing or the combination of large numbers of computers.
Professor John Rosenberg gained his doctorate in Computer Science from Monash University in 1979 and was later Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology from 1997 to 2003.
The Monash Museum of Computing History is located on Level 2 of Building B at the Caulfield campus, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East. The museum is open from 10am-5pm weekdays.
For more information visit the Museum website.
7 May 2008
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Monash University Centre for Synchrotron Science's Research and Training Manager Karen Siu shows students the XAS (X-ray absorption spectroscopy) beamline. |
A group of fifty second-year chemical engineering students got a first-hand look at the most powerful research facility in Australia on a recent visit to the Australian Synchrotron.
The tour of the $200 million synchrotron was coordinated by the Monash Centre for Synchrotron Science (MCSS) in conjunction with staff at the Australian Synchrotron.
A supporting lecture from MCSS Beamline Research Fellow Dr Rosalie Hocking provided the students with an overview of how the machine works and how it can contribute to research.
A synchrotron is a large machine (about the size of a football field) that accelerates electrons to almost the speed of light. As the electrons are deflected through magnetic fields they create extremely bright light. The light is channelled down beamlines to experimental workstations where it is used for research.
Director of the Australian Pulp and Paper Institue Professor Gil Garnier said the tour, now part of the Bio-Nano Engineering curriculum, aimed to provide the students with the motivation and inspiration to pursue a career in Engineering Science.
"We also wanted to show the students that Australia can be competitive at an international level," Professor Garnier said.
"We hope that the visit will broader the students' horizons and show them that high technology and innovation is within their reach."
MCSS Research and Training Manager Dr Karen Siu said the success of the tour had led to plans to include further tours as part of the coursework of other undergraduates.
"We look forward to providing this fantastic activity as part of the Monash undergraduate experience," Dr Siu said.
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.
7 May 2008
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Name: Richard Overell
Org. Unit: Sir Louis Matheson Library
Title: Rare Books Librarian
Dept: Rare Books Collection
How long have you been with Monash University?
20 years.
Prior to working at Monash, where were you located and what was your role?
State Library of Victoria, Librarian in charge of Rare Australiana.
What challenges are ahead in your current role?
Acquiring and cataloguing material which gives Monash researchers greater insight into the culture of both the present and the past.
What is it about your job that holds your interest or is particularly satisfying?
The regular exhibitions I curate from the material held in the Rare Books Collection. We have one opening today which celebrates the Fifty Years of Monash University. I have asked fifty academics each to choose a book they have used in their research. The result is an exciting cross-section of the riches of the Monash Collection described by the people who use them.
Of all the places in the world you would like to visit/re-visit, where is your favourite destination and why?
London, because of the wonderful rare book collections there.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Never let your section be side-lined.
What is something about yourself that most of your colleagues wouldn't know?
As a young man I was a drummer in various rock bands in Brisbane.
7 May 2008
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The University's new Sunway campus, which officially opened in September 2007, has marked another milestone with the awarding of its first Doctor of Philosophy qualification to School of Business student, Ms Eunice Lim.
Ms Lim is a management consultant with Ernst and Young and her PhD topic was Regional Investment Strategies of Multinationals.
For more information see Monash Newsline.