16 July 2008
16 July 2008
|
| Left to right: Head of Architecture Foundation Professor Shane Murray, Minister for Planning Justin Madden, Dean Faculty of Art & Design Professor John Redmond, Nader Tehrani from Boston Architecture firm Principle Office dA, and Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins. |
Monash University's new architecture program, and its new Caulfield architecture studios, were launched by Victorian Planning Minister Justin Madden last week.
The course is the first new architecture course in Australia in 30 years. Monash Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Richard Larkins, said the program had been developed in conjunction with the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and the Faculty of Art & Design.
The course is unique in Australia in that it sits within an art and design school.
The first year of the program involves drawing and theory units common to design students. As well as studying building technology, design, architectural theory and history, students will take electives in complementary art and design disciplines including industrial design, furniture, sculpture, glass and digital media.
Graduates of the Bachelor of Architectural Design will automatically progress to the Master of Architecture and be qualified to work as architects and advise on a range of built environment issues including environmental sustainability and urban design.
Art & Design Faculty Dean Professor John Redmond said the program would emphasise creativity and innovation.
He said architecture was normally offered within a framework of planning and building technology, and few courses were offered within an art school.
"Art and architecture are inseparable in history; we even classify them in the same terms. At its core, architecture is a design discipline," Professor Redmond said.
This vision, being implemented by Professor Shane Murray, the Foundation Professor and Head of Architecture, is already coming to fruition with an outstanding group of 65 first year students, an exceptional staff of architectural practitioners and an innovative research program focusing on contemporary housing and issues to do with affordability, sustainability and the nature and quality of different materials.
The re-fit of part of the Caulfield Art & Design building has created innovative spaces comprising flexible design studios, academic and research offices, administration and meeting rooms, a CAD/CAM laboratory and a series of informal areas for students and staff.
Mr Madden complemented Monash for investing in the discipline of architecture. He said architects were problem solvers and Melbourne architects were recognised internationally for their ability to find solutions to complex issues as well as contribute to the enjoyment of life and the beauty of the built environment.
Professor Murray said Monash Architecture looked forward to an exciting future.
"We have already created an exceptional environment for our students and staff. This new course promises to produce outstanding graduates of the highest calibre, distinguished by their proficiency with architectural design not only as an agent for achieving inspirational buildings but also as a contributor to our social and environmental sustainability.
"In addition, we will make a significant contribution to the knowledge base of architecture through a rigorous and relevant research program," Professor Murray said.
Professor Murray was a tutor in architecture at RMIT when Mr Madden studied architecture in the 1980s.
The launch of the program took place in the new studios at a function attended by Melbourne's architectural community and visiting internationally acclaimed architects Nader Tehrani, Hailim Su and Bjarke Ingels.
For more information on studying architecture at Monash visit the Faculty of Art and Design website.
16 July 2008
 |
| Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Malaysia. |
The Malaysian businessman essential to the creation of Monash University's successful Malaysian campus has been presented with an honorary Order of Australia (AO) by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah was presented with the award in Kuala Lumpur by the Prime Minister during his visit to Malaysia last week.
Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, chairman of the Sunway Group and Chancellor of Sunway University College, was recognised for his substantial contribution to building tertiary education and business links between Australia and Malaysia.
His citation was for service to Australia-Malaysia bilateral relations, particularly tertiary education through the development of collaborative student transfer programs and the establishment of a Monash University campus in Malaysia.
Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah completed his tertiary education in Melbourne and returned to Malaysia to start the successful Sunway group.
Monash University was the first foreign-owned university to be invited to operate in the country by the Malaysian Government almost ten years ago. The new purpose-built facility was completed last year.
The Malaysian campus is the result of a partnership between the University and the Sunway Group, which created a joint venture company. All profits are re-invested back into the campus.
Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah's dream was for the campus to include world-class medical teaching and research facilities and the School of Medicine at Sunway was named in his honour.
His Order of Australia citation notes his role in all facets of the development of the campus.
"His commitment to education led to the campus formation and to its rapid growth over the past 10 years," it reads.
"He continues to contribute personally as chair of the Board. Additionally, his commitment to education led him to establish and fund the Sunway Education Trust, whose purpose is to promote education.
"Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah has made a significant contribution to advancing Australia's interests in Malaysia."
Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins said Monash University had built a strong presence within Malaysia and was engaging with government, industry, local universities and the community with the hope of benefiting Malaysia, Australia and the region more generally.
"After operating for a decade in Malaysia, Monash University is now making a significant contribution to the transfer of knowledge and technology in the region," Professor Larkins said.
"The campus has steadily established itself as an important member of the Malaysian education sector and we look forward to building continued teaching and research collaborations.
"Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah's vision and his commitment to excellence in teaching and research has ensured that the Sunway Group has been an ideal partner for Monash University in establishing our Sunway campus."
The presentation of the honorary Order of Australia to Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah comes a week before the Sunway campus celebrates its 10th anniversary. Visit the Sunway campus website to see the schedule of celebration events.
16 July 2008
 |
| The financial impact of footrot is estimated at A$100 million a year. Photo courtesy of Australian Wool Innovation. |
Monash University scientists have started clinical trials to find a vaccine against footrot in sheep.
The trials have been made possible with funding of A$663,000 from Australian Wool Innovation (AWI).
Footrot is a highly contagious disease that attacks the feet of sheep causing severe lameness and loss of body condition.
It is prevalent in many countries around the world and, in Australia, the financial impact of the disease on the wool and livestock industry is estimated at $100 million a year.
The vaccine trials will take place over three years at Monash University's Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics and at the University of Sydney.
Chief investigator Professor Julian Rood said it was an exciting development for his team of researchers.
"The trials are the culmination of eight years of collaborative work on the pathogenic bacterium that causes footrot -- Dichelobacter nodosus. We analysed the bacterium's complete DNA sequence to identify proteins that are potentially exposed on the surface of the causative bacterium and therefore more likely to elicit an immune response," Professor Rood said.
"The approach, called reverse vaccinology, identified 90 proteins in the footrot bacterium that are potential antigens for a new cross-protective vaccine. This funding will allow us to pinpoint those proteins that will target the disease in a vaccine application."
Professor Rood said the centre's approach has made significant inroads in the development of a vaccine for footrot.
"The AWI funding means the development of a marketable vaccine is likely to happen a lot sooner -- ideally within a decade."
Australian Wool Innovation's Program Manager of Animal Health, Productivity and Welfare Dr Johann Schröder said footrot had long been the bane of Australian woolgrowers and prime lamb producers.
For further information please visit the ARC Centre of Excellence in Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics website.
16 July 2008
 |
| Long Zheng (second from left) with his winning team mates. Photo courtesy of Microsoft.com. |
Monash multimedia student Long Zheng and his colleagues David Burela, Dimaz Pramudya, and Ed Hooper from team SOAK have taken out the top prize in the 2008 Microsoft Imagine Cup finals, announced in Paris this week.
The Microsoft Imagine Cup asked students to picture a world where technology enables a sustainable future. Regarded by many as the IT equivalent of the Olympics, students were given a chance to showcase their talent and kick-start their careers in the industry.
The four students overcame 200,000 other students from more than 100 countries for the honour, with a system that's taking on the drought.
Mr Zheng's team was driven by the impact climate change has had on the farming industry and community.
The result was SOAK (Smart Operational Agricultural Kit), a combination of hardware and software designed to assist drought-stricken farmers manage their water resources effectively. SOAK uses a network of solar-powered sensors to control water usage on a farm by measuring aspects such as soil moisture levels and temperature.
As business strategist and interface designer for the team Mr Zheng made regular visits to Victorian farms to ensure the team produced an entry that would benefit the end user.
"We went out and met with farmers and put in the time to make sure we were designing something that would actually make a difference," Mr Zheng said.
This is the first time the team entered the Imagine Cup.
Knocking off some of the top university teams, traditionally mentored by senior academics, the SOAK team went it alone, worked largely online, and stunned the judges with their product's sophistication, affordability and commercial development readiness.
"It's not just conceptual, it's functional," Mr Zheng said.
Team SOAK, which took home $15,000 for their efforts, are in discussions with Hewlett-Packard which is interested in developing the system.
16 July 2008
 |
Monash alumnus Frank Milne. Photo courtesy of Queen's University, Canada. |
Monash alumnus Frank Milne has been appointed to the prestigious position of special adviser of the Bank of Canada, Canada's equivalent of the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Professor Milne completed a BA and MA in economics at Monash and currently works in the Department of Economics at Queen's University in Ontario.
Announcing the appointment, the Bank of Canada said the position of special adviser had been created to bring additional perspectives to monetary policy discussions.
"Professor Milne will examine issues related to the recent turbulence in global financial markets," the Bank of Canada said.
"His current areas of research include asset and derivative pricing, theory of the firm and management control mechanisms, non-standard preferences, and theory and public policy issues dealing with banking and financial intermediation."
Professor Milne has authored a book, published papers and book reviews in many journals, and participated in numerous policy conference presentations. He has been a member of the editorial board of Mathematical Finance since 1991.
To view full story about Professor Milne's appointment, visit the Bank of Canada's website.
16 July 2008
 |
| Professor Michael Cowley. |
Professor Michael Cowley has been recognised with an Innovation Fellowship by the Victorian Endowment for Science, Knowledge and Innovation (VESKI).
Professor Cowley, who is renowned for his work on diabetes, has recently started at Monash after ten years working in the US.
He is working as part of the Monash Obesity Initiative on research into a therapy that has shown to reverse diabetes in mice.
Initial research by Professor Cowley discovered a group of neurons in the brain that detect blood sugar levels.
In the case of people with diabetes in combination with obesity, the brain loses the ability to sense blood sugar, and so is unable to regulate blood sugar levels.
Professor Cowley's research group discovered a molecule based on traditional Chinese medicine which restores sugar-sensing in these neurons and reduces blood sugar levels dramatically in obese mice.
His latest research will focus on advancing these discoveries to human therapy stage that allows the brain to detect glucose to reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics.
Head of the Department of Physiology Professor Iain Clarke said Professor Cowley's work would enhance the research profile of Victoria and Australia, and the University's objective to become recognised for its work in obesity research.
"He is a dynamic Australian with a very high international profile who will bring valuable expertise to the biotechnology industry," Professor Clarke said.
Professor Cowley said he was looking forward to continuing his work into diabetes and obesity.
"My main concern is the illnesses that come with obesity -- diabetes and hypertension -- and to develop new therapies that will complement existing treatments," Professor Cowley said.
16 July 2008
 |
| The Monash Energy Challenge -- Off-Peak Power is designed to reduce the University's consumption of electricity in off-peak hours. |
The Berwick, Parkville, Gippsland and Peninsula campuses are leading the way in the Monash Energy Challenge -- Off-Peak Power.
Hundreds of staff and students have signed up to switch off during July, with more lights, computers, printers and copiers switched off overnight than ever before.
Data released after the first week of the competition shows a two per cent reduction in after-hours electricity consumption across the university compared to the same period last year and a reduction in total electricity consumption of nine per cent.
The Monash Energy Challenge -- Off-Peak Power is designed to reduce the university's consumption of electricity in off-peak hours -- from 11 pm - 7 am weekdays and on the weekends.
"The drop in off-peak and total electricity consumption is really exciting because it represents an immediate reduction in the university's ecological impact. I would like to congratulate all the staff and students who have helped achieve this initial result," Director of the Office of Environmental Sustainability Paul Barton said.
"Our biggest challenge is still ahead with the start of the teaching period.
"Electricity demand will increase so we're calling for more people to get involved throughout Monash so we can find more and more ways to reduce our energy consumption."
Mr Barton highlighted the outstanding results achieved at the Berwick and Parkville campuses.
He said that compared to July 2007 Berwick's off-peak electricity consumption fell 22 per cent and its total consumption dropped a massive 35 per cent.
"Parkville has taken energy efficiency even further," Mr Barton said. "It reduced off-peak electrical use 38 per cent and overall consumption by 42 per cent. Gippsland and Peninsula have also achieved significant reductions."
Staff and students can get involved in the Off-Peak Power challenge by taking simple actions such as switching off unnecessary lights and equipment such as computers, printers and photocopiers whenever they are not needed, and always at the end of the day.
To register for the challenge and for further information visit the Monash Energy Challenge -- Off-Peak Power website.
16 July 2008
 |
| Careers Education Consultant Lisa Schilling with IBM Graduate Program Manager Alisa McAlpine. |
Gain a head-start on your career by attending the Berwick campus Careers Expo -- 1 pm to 2.30 pm next Thursday 24 July, 2008.
The expo is designed to help students increase their awareness of employment opportunities in their field of study in an effort to help them make informed subject selections.
The expo will also help students build the confidence to be proactive in the job market.
Representatives from some of Australia's leading employers will be on campus to discuss career paths and graduate opportunities within their organisations and students are encouraged to make the most of the opportunity to speak to as many industry representatives as possible.
Participating employers include Accenture, Accor Hotels, Bella PR, City of Casey, Crown Melbourne, Deloitte, Eclipse Group, Ernst and Young, Frankston Visitor Information Centre, IBM, Leader Community Newspapers, National Australia Bank, Service Skills Victoria, Slade Group, Institute of Chartered Accountants, Tourism Alliance Victoria and Young Tourism Network.
This event is open to all Monash University undergraduate and post-graduate students. Students from other Victorian campuses are encouraged to travel to Berwick via the free intercampus shuttle bus service.
Visit the Monash Employment and Career Development webpage to access a range of resources to help you prepare.
The Careers Expo will be held in the Main Foyer of Building 901, Monash University, Berwick campus.
For more information and a list of participating organisations visit the Careers Expo website or email Careers Education Consultant, Lisa Schilling.
16 July 2008
 |
| Students in arts, humanities and social sciences are encouraged to attend the symposium. |
Monash research students interested in making their careers and ideas "globally mobile" can gain insights from some top academics at a special symposium next week.
The symposium, Travelling Research in a Transnational World, will appeal to research students in the areas of arts, humanities and social sciences.
It will feature presentations from Associate Professor McKenzie Wark, a media and cultural studies academic from New York; Professor Dennis Altman, a politics expert at La Trobe University; Professor Katherine Gibson, an economic geography expert from the Australian National University; and Susan Robertson, an education and globalisation academic from the University of Bristol.
Symposium co-organiser Professor Jane Kenway, from Monash's education faculty, said the speakers were globally mobile intellectuals whose ideas and research had been shaped by their travel experiences.
"They will talk about topics such as how researchers can ensure their ideas travel well and how to avoid making your research too parochial," Professor Kenway said.
The symposium will be held on Thursday 24 July, 2008 at the Japanese Studies Centre, Clayton campus.
For further information please visit the Travelling Research symposium webpage.
The symposium is free but places are limited.
Students wishing to attend should email Annabelle Leve.
2 July 2008
As we enter the budget setting process this year, we are faced once again with the dilemma of trying to deliver education at world's best standard and internationally first rate research in the face of funding for Commonwealth-supported undergraduate places and funding for research projects from ARC and NHMRC which fail to meet the real costs of these activities.
This problem has progressively worsened over the last dozen years with an absurdly inadequate formula for indexing the Commonwealth Grants Scheme which has delivered approximately two per cent per year increase when real costs have been rising by four to five per cent over the same time. By contrast, the secondary schools allocation has been fully-indexed and we now have the paradoxical situation where the Commonwealth allocates more funds each year to private schools than it does to its public universities for education.
The extent of the problem we face in this country was reinforced to me when I spoke at the National University and Design Forum. The speaker immediately preceding me was from the University of Pennsylvania. She stated that the student number at her university was 20,000, the recurrent budget $4b and the endowment $6.6b. In other words each year they have three times as much money as we have to educate one third the number of students and an endowment 25 times ours. Even so, their endowment is modest when compared with Harvard's $36b.
I mention this not in the sense that we should despair, but rather to emphasise that like other Australian universities we have to be both very smart and very efficient to be able to compete internationally. Monash has performed superbly in these respects but each year the dual constraints of decreased public funding for education and a highly regulated environment with respect to the fees we can charge undergraduate domestic students make the problem more difficult.
In this context, it is essential that the Bradley Review of Higher Education and the Cutler Review of Innovation convince the Government that our universities must receive more funding if they are to continue to be internationally competitive. This is necessary not merely because of our international standing and reputation but because the future of our economy depends on an adequate supply of well-educated and innovative new graduates and on research to allow our industries to compete on innovation and quality rather than forlornly trying to compete on price. We must also have quality universities to do the research necessary for environmental sustainability. This of course relates to water, clean energy and agricultural sustainability where technological and economic solutions are urgently needed.
At the very least, an outcome of the Bradley Review has to be either markedly elevated public funding of Commonwealth supported places or else deregulation of the fees charged to undergraduate domestic students. More radical solutions such as portable learning scholarships for students in a deregulated environment make a lot of sense from the point of view of flexibility of choice for students and breaking down boundaries between the VET/TAFE sector and universities so they should also be considered.
The Cutler Review must lead to full-funding of research. At present, for every dollar of research funding received from ARC and NHMRC the University has to subsidise around 40c as the infrastructure funds attracted by the grants have not kept up with the increase in the research funding. Quite simply, it costs forty per cent more to do the research than the funding granted.
Of course, more profound outcomes from the Cutler Review might also be hoped for, such as major funding to encourage research clusters incorporating universities, CSIRO and industry – there is no more exciting such cluster than that around the Monash Clayton campus.
Another element contributing to the eddies and currents of the debates around the reviews is the concept of "Compacts". They have been a feature of the Labor Party platform since the Macklin white paper of 2006. Nobody is sure what they will encompass and how they will be administered. They are intended to cover areas such as community and industry engagement, regional development and special initiatives for disadvantaged groups and to encourage diverse missions for different universities.
The sector in general and Monash University have high hopes that the real value to the Australian community of our universities might be recognised following the handing down of the reports of the two reviews. It is essential that this leads to significantly more funding or a more deregulated environment. Anything less will be to the real detriment of the future of our country.
Meanwhile, we face a very difficult budget setting process for 2009.
16 July 2008
 |
| Professor Susan Kneebone |
Name: Susan Kneebone
Org. Unit: Faculty of Law
Title: Professor
How long have you been with Monash University?
24 years -- I can't believe it!
Prior to working at Monash, where were you located and what was your role?
I was the first female academic to be employed in the law department at Hong Kong University. I fulfilled all their expectations by promptly getting pregnant not once but twice in rapid succession. There was no structure for part-time work in those days and I had a heavy teaching load -- but I managed with the assistance of a Filipina maid. It is ironic that my interest now lies in the management of labour migration in South East Asia and that the position of domestic workers is such a huge issue.
What challenges are ahead in your current role?
To maintain a sensible life-work balance -- I have so many ideas for interesting projects that I want to complete and not enough time.
What is it about your job that holds your interest or is particularly satisfying?
I particularly enjoy networking around the globe and working with younger people, both students and colleagues. As my main area of research is refugee law and forced migration, I have ample opportunities for building global networks.
What is your favourite place in the world and why?
I love travelling and am notorious within my faculty for that, as I love to experience different cultures. I could say rural France, but fundamentally I love to come back to Australia and to the Australian landscape. I only ever truly relax in the bush -- camping and bush-walking are my favourite leisure activities.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
I am very bad at accepting advice from others so I probably ignored it. But probably the best advice I received when I came to Monash University was to aim for the best quality publications and to have confidence in one's ability.
What is something about yourself that most of your colleagues wouldn't know?
At age 15 I wanted to be a producer of television programs but I was later persuaded by my parents to study law. I often think that the organisational and creative skills required for an academic career are not too far removed from those of a producer.
Archive of 60 seconds with...16 July 2008
 |
Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor Peter Dixon, Dr Maureen Rimmer and their colleagues from the Centre of Policy Studies have developed a model of the US economy called Monash-USA in collaboration with the US International Trade Commission.
The model is currently being used in Washington not only by the Commission but also by the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture and Homeland Security.
The model enables simulations of likely effects of variables on the US economy. Applications so far include analyses of the effects of reducing trade barriers, restricting illegal immigration to the US, and partially replacing oil imports with locally produced ethanol.
Find out more about the Monash-USA model.