Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) Adam Shoemaker said the John Monash Science School would focus on the crucial disciplines of science, mathematics, and associated technologies.
14 May 2008
14 May 2008
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Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) Adam Shoemaker said the John Monash Science School would focus on the crucial disciplines of science, mathematics, and associated technologies. |
Monash University was allocated up to $37 million in education and research projects in last week's Victorian Budget.
The State Government allocated $20 million to design and build the John Monash Science School (JMSS), to be located at the Clayton campus.
The science school will be at the forefront of innovative research and learning and advanced science-teacher training.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Adam Shoemaker said the school was the culmination of more than five years of planning and cooperation between the University and colleagues from the Victorian Education Department.
"It will be a fully operational specialist secondary school, covering Years 10, 11 and 12, and will focus on the crucial disciplines of science, mathematics and associated technologies," Professor Shoemaker said.
"It will be built in a very prominent location on Wellington Road, less than 100 metres from the University's own Science and Medicine Faculties.
"Education, research and mentoring will work in both directions between the partners.
"The JMSS will not just benefit its students, who will be chosen for their aptitude and motivation in these crucial subject areas, it will also provide a key focus for the professional development of science and mathematics teachers throughout the whole of Victoria and potentially Australia with the implementation of the new national curriculum model from 2011."
Professor Shoemaker said it was particularly pleasing that the JMSS would form a key element of the Monash Passport approach to education, which was being launched this year.
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Professor Amanda Lynch believes the Climate Change Adaptation Research Centre will boost Victoria's capacity to respond to the challenges of drought, bushfire and flood. |
"This means that Monash will - by the time the School opens in 2010 - have the most far-reaching secondary school enhancement program of any university in Australia," Professor Shoemaker said.
"This will be just one element of our student-centred approach to learning and teaching."
In other budget outcomes, Monash will partner with the University of Melbourne and the State Government to establish a new $5 million Climate Change Adaptation Research Centre to examine how south-east Australia can respond to climate change.
Projects will include developing adaptation strategies for the health, agricultural and infrastructure sectors, as well as programs that focus on regional communities and extreme events.
Specialist climate and adaptation scientist and Federation Fellow Professor Amanda Lynch said the research program would boost Victoria's capacity to respond to challenges such as drought, bushfire and flood, which were expected to increase due to global warming.
"Some degree of climate change is inevitable," Professor Lynch said.
"However, Victorians have a wealth of experience in coping with our variable climate. We can harness that experience to meet this challenge.
"Early adaptation to climate change will put Victoria in a better position to cope socially and economically to a changing climate."
Professor Lynch said adaptation research was inherently place-based, relying on decisions taken at the state, territory and local level.
In other funding announcements $4.8 million will fund a pregnancy assessment unit at Monash Medical Centre Clayton. This will cater for an extra 200 births per year, improving antenatal management and increasing the capacity of the postnatal wards and birthing suites.
$19 million was also set aside to begin the first stages of Victoria's two new selective-entry schools, including one that will be built directly adjacent to Monash University's Berwick campus.
The Monash Council recently 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.
Meanwhile, yesterday's Federal Budget contained several initiatives for the higher education sector including: $5 billion for the new Education Investment fund, incorporating the existing $6 billion Higher Education Endowment Fund; a $500 million one-off payment to be spread across the sector for infrastructure; commonwealth scholarships for undergraduates doubled to 88,000 over four years; 1000 mid-career fellowships for Australian and international researchers; and reduced fees for new students commencing maths and science courses. More details in next week's memo.
14 May 2008
Three Victorian College of Pharmacy projects have been funded to the tune of $600,000 by the Government Department of Health and Ageing as part of the Community Pharmacy Agreement Research and Development Program.
Professors Colin Chapman and Michael Dooley, and lecturer Kevin McNamara, will head up the three projects which examine the varied roles of community pharmacists.
Professor Chapman will study the nature, extent and impact of triage provided by community pharmacies.
"Every community pharmacy in Australia provides primary healthcare, including referral to other healthcare practitioners, but this core activity has never been adequately assessed," Professor Chapman said.
"This project will focus on Victorian pharmacies, examining the perspectives of consumers, pharmacists and the other healthcare providers."
Professor Dooley will investigate the information needs of pharmacy customers in regards to complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) and the ability of community pharmacists to fill these needs.
"The use of CAMs in Australia is becoming more and more widespread," Professor Dooley said. "Community pharmacies are now one of the main suppliers, selling approximately 40% of the total annual spend of more than $1 billion.
"Pharmacists therefore have a major opportunity and burden of responsibility to ensure that the principles of Quality Use of Medicines are applied to this area of therapeutics."
Kevin McNamara will examine pharmacist assessment of adherence, risk and treatment in cardiovascular disease, building on his previous research in the area.
"This is a great opportunity for community pharmacists to develop a comprehensive role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease," Mr McNamara said.
"This project will also strengthen important links between VCP and several collaborating organisations in general practice, public health and pharmacy."
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Professor Colin Chapman will study the nature, extent and impact of triage provided by community pharmacists. |
Professor Michael Dooley will investigate the information needs of pharmacy customers in regards to complementary medicines. |
Mr Kevin McNamara will examine pharmacist assessment of adherence, risk and treatment in cardiovascular disease. |
14 May 2008
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Professor Clive Probyn from the School of English, Communications and Performance Studies selected a work by the 18th century satirist Jonathan Swift. |
The Sir Louis Matheson Library at the Clayton campus has launched an exhibition that celebrates the University's 50th year.
Fifty books for fifty years includes a cross-section of books from the Monash Rare Books collection.
Fifty academics were asked to choose a book from the collection that they had used in their research and describe its significance.
Most areas of the collection are featured including some 17th and 18th century material. There are also examples of children's books, the earliest account of the discovery of oxygen, an early medical manual run off on a spirit duplicator, science fiction magazines from the classic "pulp" period, 'zines, comics, an alchemical manuscript, the Egyptian Book of the Dead and Madonna's Sex book.
Professor Clive Probyn from the School of English, Communications and Performance Studies selected a work by the 18th century satirist Jonathan Swift.
"When I introduce my English Honours students to the work of Jonathan Swift, I like to show them some material evidence," Professor Probyn said.
"The fact that Swift's own copy of the annotated Vindication survives, and is accessible to readers, also supports the idea of a Rare Books Collection.
"Reading this text today enables us to experience first hand that essential Swiftian rage, that fierce, driving energy that makes him still the greatest satirist in English."
Professor Mark Peel from the School of Historical Studies chose a 1958 series of school texts called The Australian children's pictorial social studies.
"They seem on first impression to represent all that might have been wrong with Australian history-telling in the middle of the last century," Professor Peel said. "However, in many ways students found them more subtle and interesting than they anticipated."
Rare Books Librarian Richard Overell said the books were increasingly being seen as artefacts for research and the Monash collection offered a wealth of resources to students and researchers.
"We take very seriously the importance of collecting, preserving and making these rare books available for study purposes," Mr Overell said.
"Our collection, which includes 135,000 items and is valued at more than $28 million, is one of the most thriving and active in the country and is well-regarded by Australian and international scholars."
The Fifty books for fifty years exhibition is on at the Exhibition room, level 1, ISB Wing, Sir Louis Matheson Library, Clayton campus.
For more information visit the Monash Library website.
14 May 2008
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Engineering student Olga Trivailo, who is undertaking research at an international space company, watched a live space shuttle launch in the US. |
An undergraduate Monash student's research thesis has allowed her the rare experience of watching a live space-shuttle launch in the US.
Olga Trivailo, who is in her final year of a double degree in Engineering (Electrical and Computer Systems) and Commerce (Finance), was at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre to witness the launch of the Atlantis space shuttle earlier this year.
Ms Trivailo attended the launch with staff from German aeronautics, defence and space company Astrium EADS, where she is currently completing an undergraduate engineering thesis.
Astrium EADS played a lead role in the design and construction of the Columbus space laboratory, which was on its way to the International Space Station aboard the Atlantis.
Ms Trivailo said she considered herself fortunate to see the launch because they were often delayed due to technical issues and bad weather.
"A large crowd of people gathered, all eagerly anticipating the shuttle lift-off while dreading the possible announcement that it may have to be delayed," she said.
"To a background of jubilant applause the shuttle launch went off without a hitch and we all watched on as the Atlantis glided its way through the sky."
After completing six weeks of a twelve-week internship at Astrium EADS, Ms Trivailo was invited back to complete a six-month undergraduate thesis.
She is working in the avionics department, researching whether the avionics technology developed for new major passenger aircraft such as the Airbus A380 can be adapted for implementation in manned space missions.
Once she graduates from Monash Ms Trivailo plans to return to Europe to continue her research into the industry.
"The space industry is approaching a very interesting and challenging phase in the next decade," she said.
"Having a finance degree will mean that I can also potentially get into the organisational side of the industry, although the lure of the technical and engineering side is also highly appealing."
14 May 2008
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Leeds University's Professor David Hillier, Amsterdam University's Professor Allan Hodgson and Professor Robert Faff and Dr George Tanewski from Monash. |
A symposium initiated by the Monash Department of Accounting and Finance and held at the Monash Prato Centre in Italy has been hailed a success, attracting participants from seven countries, forging new research links and offering PhD students invaluable feedback on their research projects.
The symposium was held in conjunction with the universities of Leeds and Amsterdam to allow the students to present their research to prominent academics and researchers.
Overall, 27 doctoral candidates participated, presenting research on topics related to the theme of capital markets research.
Symposium organiser Dr George Tanewski, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Economics, said the symposium provided a forum for the students to present research results to an international audience.
"The symposium allowed the students to discuss and receive feedback from some of the leading academics in the field which will be of great support to them in their future work," Dr Tanewski said.
"It also served as an international networking opportunity allowing us to compare the PhD programs of various countries and enhance Monash's international research collaborations."
Dr Tanewski said the symposium has already led to the creation of a network of PhD researchers from Monash, Leeds, Amsterdam, Bologna and Salamanca universities.
He said this network would work on joint research projects as well as the development of an interactive website to enhance collaboration and networking among symposium delegates.
"These initiatives will substantially strengthen Monash University's own PhD program," Dr Tanewski said.
"We also hope to encourage participation of prominent tier-1 journal editors at next year's symposium.
"This will give students the opportunity to receive constructive feedback as well as to expose them to journal submission procedures."
Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive, with most students indicating that it exceeded their expectations.
The symposium is set to become an annual event and will be held at the Prato Centre in April 2009.
14 May 2008
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Burundi Minister of Education Dr Ir Saidi Kibeya with Monash South Africa Director of Advancement Mr Andre Lubbe. |
A recent visit to the Burundi Ministry of Education in the capital, Bujumbura, by Monash South Africa's director advancement Mr Andre Lubbe, could pave the way for a new scholarship program that would see Burundian students sponsored to study at Monash South Africa (MSA).
Mr Lubbe met with the Minister of Education Dr Ir Saidi Kibeya to discuss future cooperation between Monash South Africa and the government of Burundi.
The national priorities of Burundi lie within the fields of information technology, medicine and engineering. Dr Kibeya said they would welcome an agreement that would enhance their capacity in these areas.
While in Burundi Mr Lubbe visited secondary schools in Bujumbura and met with the South African Consul in order to pave the way for Burundian students to study at Monash South Africa in Johannesburg.
"This was the first time that a Monash representative had visited Burundi," Mr Lubbe said.
"The visit forms part of our ongoing strategy to establish relationships with education departments and governments on the African continent in order to promote Monash as a tertiary education destination.
"Monash South Africa already has strong ties the southern and east African countries and we are now concentrating on establishing new formal links further to the north."
14 May 2008
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Don Burrows will play at Robert Blackwood Hall as part of the Monash School of Music - Conservatorium's Australian Legends of Jazz performance on Saturday 31 May. |
Multi-instrumentalist Don Burrows will headline the Monash School of Music-Conservatorium's Australian Legends of Jazz performance at the Robert Blackwood Hall on Saturday 31 May.
Burrows, who turns 80 this year, is the first Australian jazz artist to make a gold record. He has played and recorded with the best international jazz performers including Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and James Morrison.
He will be joined for the performance by virtuoso players Tony Gould on piano and Doug de Vries on guitar. In 2005 Gould received an award for Outstanding contribution to Australian Music Education and in 2006/2007 undertook a prestigious Australia Council Fellowship.
De Vries is considered Australia's leading exponent of Brazilian music and is particularly known for his sophisticated accompaniments and daring improvisations.
Students from the Monash jazz program, which has a reputation for attracting the best young musicians, will round out the night with their versions of jazz standards as well as original compositions.
Coordinator Jazz and Popular Music Rob Burke said the concert would be a celebration of jazz music with Australian jazz legends performing with some of the finest students studying music in Australia.
"This concert allows students to perform and learn from one of the absolute greats of Australian music," Mr Burke said.
"This is a moment in their lives that they will long remember - performing with our Australian legends of Jazz."
Australian Legends of Jazz begins at 8pm. For tickets call the box office on +61 3 9905 1111 or visit the Academy of Performing Arts website.
14 May 2008
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The Office of Environmental Sustainability's environmental advisor Elana Welsh has been working with a team of volunteers to rollout the new recycling program across Victorian campuses. |
Monash is working with Amcor, a global packaging company, to ensure our waste paper doesn't end up in landfill.
A team of dedicated volunteers, made up of staff and students, has been busy distributing 20,000 paper recycling boxes to staff workstations throughout the University's six Victorian campuses.
Larger boxes have also been placed beside photocopiers, in foyers, within teaching spaces and in large shared office areas.
The Office of Environmental Sustainability's environmental advisor Elana Welsh said before the start of the new scheme, paper represented up to 40 per cent of the University's waste.
"We want to reduce the amount of paper waste going into our general waste stream and instead see it recycled back into good quality office paper," Ms Welsh said.
"Staff and students can put larger and bulky items like cardboard, newspaper, heavily coloured paper, magazines and phone books in the cardboard recycling cages or skips.
"To find out where these are located you can visit the Greening up our act website."
Ms Welsh said the program had been very well received so far.
14 May 2008
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Dr Gareth Forde and Associate Professor James Friend. |
Dr Gareth Forde from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Associate Professor James Friend from the Department of Mechanical Engineering have been awarded Future Summit Leadership awards.
The awards are an initiative of the Australian Davos Connection, a not-for-profit organisation committed to encouraging individuals and organisations to make a difference.
The awards recognise outstanding "new-generation" leaders for their achievements and contribution to a vision for Australia's future.
Dr Forde was acknowledged for his work in establishing the Bio Engineering Laboratory which he manages on behalf of the faculty.
Dr Forde is currently working on a project to create a particle that can deliver a DNA prime-and-protein-boost vaccine via nasal inhalation. This technology could be of huge benefit to immunise large numbers of people in case of a pandemic or when there is limited access to trained medical staff.
Associate Professor Friend is the Director of the Micro-Nano Robotics Laboratory (MNRL) a world-renowned research group investigating novel applications of nano-engineering in medical, industrial and biological industries.
He is currently working on the development of an aerosol drug delivery device for the treatment of chemotherapy-driven fatigue and a means to rapidly infuse stem cells into special implantable scaffold structure for the effective treatment of spinal cord injuries and organ generation.
Further information on the summit can be found at the Future Summit website.
7 May 2008
Two recent events that have attracted a lot of attention in the media in the last month raise fundamental questions for universities of the modern era.
In the first, a senior lecturer in general practice at the University of Queensland gave a radio interview. He was identified at the beginning of the program by his professional title. During the interview, he raised some concerns about level of protection afforded by the cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil, and about its expense. The vaccine had been developed by researchers at the University of Queensland in partnership with CSL. CSL wrote to the University of Queensland expressing disappointment with the comments by the staff member and refuting what CSL regarded as his misleading remarks. The Registrar of the University then wrote to the doctor urging him to provide a written apology to CSL in which he should make it clear that the comments were made by him in his personal capacity and were not endorsed or authorised by the university.
Questions were raised in the media about the extent to which accepting funds from corporate entities make universities beholden to those companies and whether it is good for universities to accept such funds. Secondly, the rights of individual academic staff members to speak publicly stating their views and the extent of control that the university might have over individual staff members were questioned.
The principles in relation to each of these matters are reasonably clear. Of course universities should collaborate with business and industry. This is necessary so that university research can help industries to become internationally competitive and industry can help universities and researchers to take their discoveries through to commercial development. This is not merely a matter of financial opportunism. In many cases, if a discovery is not commercialised, it will not be able to be produced or distributed in sufficient quantity to benefit the community, the environment or the economy, depending on the nature of the discovery. Gardasil is a wonderful success story arising from an appropriate partnership between an Australian company, CSL, and the University of Queensland.
University academic staff certainly have the right to speak publicly on matters within their field of expertise using their university status to enhance their credibility. Indeed, it can reasonably be argued that this is a responsibility. Of course, university staff are able to comment more broadly in areas of public interest, but if it is not in the area of their recognised academic expertise they should do this in a private capacity without referring to their academic affiliation.
Of course, the interpretation of "area of expertise" is often difficult as evidenced in the case described. The doctor may well claim that as a practising general practitioner employed by the university, he did have the expertise to draw attention to what he identified to be shortcomings of the vaccine. CSL considered his remarks to be outside his field of expertise and the letter from the university also suggested this interpretation. Perhaps it would have been simpler for CSL and the university to put out a statement correcting any misleading content by the staff member rather than requesting that an apology for his views should be sent to the company. By and large the public is sophisticated enough to recognise that there will be divergent views even amongst experts within an institution as large and diverse as a university.
The second issue related to Griffith University receiving funding from the Saudi Embassy to provide some additional funding for its Government-sponsored Centre for Islamic studies. There was a journalistic attempt to link the Centre and the funding to radical Islamic groups with exuberant references to Griffith University being akin to a madrassah.
Education and research about religions and cultures different from our own is an important role for universities. Studies of this kind do not imply a blind acceptance of the fundamentals of any faith. Far from the madrassahs which seek to close minds to alternative views, universities by their nature train students to open their minds. Mutual respect through shared understanding, even if beliefs are different, is an essential step in the quest for a more peaceful world. The fact that The Saudi Embassy provided some modest funding support does not subvert the objectives of the Centre. As for other forms of funding, the essential criterion relating to the acceptability of the funding is the constraints accompanying the funding. Any constraints limiting proper and unbiased scholarship or education are unacceptable. There is no evidence that such constraints operated in this case.
We live in complex and difficult times. Moral dilemmas do arise. We must respect academic freedom but this comes with its obligations. The two examples cited demonstrate the interest of the media in the relationships between universities and funding sources and demonstrate the need for policies to be clearly understood.
14 May 2008
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Name: Joanna Abraham
Course: Bachelor of Arts (Journalism)
Year Level: 1st year
Mode: On-campus
What is it about your course and the University that helped you to choose Monash?
Personally, the ultimate draw for me to the journalism course was the partial internship and research project we would be able to participate in as third-year journalism students. Apart from this I really loved the way the course was structured. I liked that I would be able to take a few arts units as well - I felt this would give me a more well rounded, holistic educational experience.
What is your favourite subject and why?
At the moment it's Criminology, one of the Arts components of my degree. I find it extremely intriguing to delve into the reasons and background of who offends and why. It really changed my perspective. I no longer have a biased and stereotypical view of who an 'offender' could be because in reality, there is no stringent profile; it could be anyone.
What challenges are ahead for you this year?
I'm currently volunteering at a philanthropic organisation, The Oaktree Foundation. We have numerous campaigns and events on the horizon, the most current being the End Child Slavery Campaign. There are still 8.4 million children in slavery and thus denied an education. Our major event for this campaign is the Global Night Shift happening on Friday 16 May at the Docklands.
Juggling this with my uni work and the fact that I sometimes write for Esperanto (the official student publication for the Caulfield campus) is going to be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it.
What will be your ideal career (and what will it involve) when you graduate?
My ambition is to become a foreign or political correspondent as I've always been fascinated with the world of law and politics. I also have a passion for travelling; It would be great to be able to merge a career goal with a lifelong passion. Journalism they say "gives a voice to the voiceless" and I feel that by choosing this career I can do my part in contributing to that voice.
What is it about your course that holds your interest or is particularly satisfying?
Its diversity. Its not merely restricted to "journalistic" aspects. You have to be well-versed in a myriad of areas and I feel this course gives aspiring journalists the opportunity to achieve that diversity.
Of all the places in the world you would like to visit/re-visit, where is your favourite destination and why?
If forced to pick I would have to say Greece. There's just something about white-washed houses against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky that captivates me.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
"Be who you want to be, because at the end of the day, you answer only to yourself." My grandmother told me this and it really helps me. Knowing that you don't have to please people to get them to like you; you are who you are.
What is something about yourself that most of your fellow students wouldn't know?
I come from a massive family. I have about 28 family members, all living together under the one roof, as we have all my life. Even though everyone's ideals and individuality collides at times, I wouldn't trade them for the world. It has really taught me the meaning of patience though!
14 May 2008
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Monash University's Records and Archives Services department knows the importance of revising disaster plans, identifying risks and making sure quick-response salvage materials are on hand in case disaster strikes.
Important university records were put at risk when severe storms hit the Clayton campus in December last year. Fortunately the University Archives, the organisation's "corporate memory", was unaffected but part of the university's current business records suffered water damage.
Storm water made its way through several floors and the ceiling of the basement where student files are kept. Although water came through in six places, only two were severe enough for water to start pouring over the edge of shelving wetting some student files.
The files were immediately sent off-site to a specialist firm that freeze-dried the paper to stabilise the damage and then extracted the water using a vacuum drying process. After several weeks the files were back on site and ready to be used.
In the future the response to this sort of situation may be very different. Records and Archives Services is planning the move to an e-student file which can be more easily backed-up, stored off-site, and quickly recovered.