4 March 2009
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| Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins (centre) thanks the visiting Indonesian disaster victim identification team at a Clayton campus ceremony. |
Out of the furnace of the tragic Victorian bushfires, new bonds have been forged between Monash and Indonesia around the University's pioneering role in disaster victim identification training.
Monash played an important part in setting up the visit by six Indonesian experts to join in the huge, traumatic task of searching for victims among the ashes, and identifying their remains.
The team included two odontologists, Daniel Augustinus and Lisda Cancer, who have been part of Monash forensic medicine workshops held in Indonesia since 2006 to skill its Disaster Victim Identification team and train a range of community workers.
Indonesia's willingness to send the team has been described as a diplomatic triumph which has warmed Australians' attitudes towards their northern neighbour, making it a two-way relationship after the help Australia provided in the wake of the 2004 tsunami in particular.
The warmth was very evident in a ceremony hosted by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Larkins, on the Clayton campus on Friday 27 February for the team, led by Dr Mussadeq Ishaq. It was to leave for home on Sunday.
Monash University's training in Indonesia has been run in conjunction with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, whose director is the head of the Monash Department of Forensic Medicine, Professor Stephen Cordner.
In thanking the team for their work in difficult times, Professor Larkins said the University's links with Indonesia had become broader than being just another student destination. (There are almost 2000 Indonesian students at Monash.)
The visit to Monash was led by Indonesia's Consul-General, Budiarman Bahar, who has liaised closely with Monash University's director of Indonesian Engagement, long-time staffer Basoeki Koesasi.
The pair were the prime movers in recommending the team's rapid despatch to Australia -- it took only five hours on 9 February, two days after the fires, for approval to come through from Indonesia's President Yudhoyono.
Dr Augustinus told the meeting that the sensation he experienced upon being taken to the fire zone was still vivid.
"When first we were taken to the scene, we were brought to Marysville, and when I saw the houses and the land burned, I can only tell you that it gave me goosebumps," he said. "When I tell people what I saw, it still gives me goosebumps."
He said the group resolved any issues by debriefing in their own way -- "we pray, we talk to each other about our experiences for support."
4 March 2009
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| Monash Phd Student Hasitha Weerasinghe, Dr Udo Bach, Professor Yi-Bing Cheng and Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Peter Batchelor launch the first trials of the new printable solar cells. |
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| The low-cost solar cells are being made using the same printing process as banknotes. |
Monash University researchers have developed a solar cell which is thin, flexible and can be produced on a mass-scale using the same technology used to print polymer banknotes.
The first of the trial polymer solar cells have rolled off the presses at the Melbourne-based plant of Securency International - the company responsible for printing Australian polymer banknotes and currency for 26 countries around the world.
Monash researchers Dr Udo Bach and Professor Yi-Bing Cheng are part of the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) - a team of scientists and industry partners working in collaboration to develop a polymer solar cell that can be printed cheaply and efficiently.
"The film-like solar cells are fabricated on a polymer substrate and are almost as thin as a sheet of paper. The ultimate goal of our work is to develop this alternative solar cell technology to a point where it can compete with conventional photovoltaic technologies already established on the market," Dr Bach said.
The printable cells offer a number of advantages over traditional solar panel technology. They are lightweight and easily transportable, making them attractive to a domestic market and also flexible like a banknote. Being partially transparent, they can be installed almost anywhere, including roofs of homes and cars, windows or glass panels. The cells also float, allowing them to cover pools or dams, reducing evaporation while also generating energy.
Professor Yi-Bing Cheng said the printing trials had begun six months ahead of schedule.
"Competition in this field is very strong. It is becoming increasingly difficult for individual small research groups to compete with larger research initiatives overseas. Within VICOSC we do have the critical mass of manpower, excellence and funding that allows us to compete on an international level," Professor Cheng said.
The three-year $12 million Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium solar cell project is 50 per cent funded by the Victorian Government through an research and development grant.
For more information visit the Dye-sensitised Solar Cell Group website.
4 March 2009
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| Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins mixes with students on his Ancora Imparo Leadership Program at Phillip Island. |
The 2009 Ancora Imparo Student Leadership Program kicked off with a three-day residential at Phillip Island.
The Phillip Island sessions included talks from former Federal Health Minister, now Professorial Fellow at Monash, Dr Kay Patterson; Associate Professor Mark Baker from the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation; Monash criminologist Associate Professor Colleen Lewis; and the well-known Queen's Counsel and Monash alumnus Julian Burnside.
Initiated by Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins in 2005, Ancora Imparo has so far provided 200 students with a powerful passport to the future.
"In today's fast-changing and globalising world, a commitment to social justice, human rights and a sustainable environment, has become increasingly important," he says.
"Ancora Imparo is designed to help passionate and idealistic students prepare for future leadership roles. Students will gain an understanding of the visionary and inspirational principles that guide our current leaders and have guided leaders in the past.
"I hope that the Ancora Imparo program will help inspire and equip you with leadership capacities to effectively take your place in society and contribute to making the world a better place."
Students are selected in their first year, from a field of applicants, and complete the program in their second year. As well as the residential, it includes monthly evening seminars at the Caulfield campus.
4 March 2009
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| Professor Julian Rood and Dr Dena Lyras have led an international team of researchers to discover the workings of a potentially deadly superbug that targets hospital patients. |
An international team of scientists, led by Monash University researchers, has uncovered the workings of a superbug that kills elderly hospital patients worldwide - a discovery that has the potential to save lives and health care systems billions of dollars each year.
The research, published today in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, unravelled ways to genetically modify the bacterium Clostridium difficile and solved the mystery surrounding its toxicity.
Professor Julian Rood from the Department of Microbiology and lead author Dr Dena Lyras made a major scientific breakthrough that allowed mutants of the superbug to be made. They then identified which of two suspected toxic proteins was essential for the bacterium to cause severe disease.
“Contrary to previously accepted scientific belief, our results show that a toxin, which was considered the less important toxin is actually the toxin that causes disease,” Professor Rood said.
“This discovery will lead to new methods for the control and prevention of this disease.”
Professor Rood and Dr Lyras have been working toward this result for more than a decade.
Dr Lyras said strains of Clostridium difficile are found in almost every hospital in Australia.
“It is the major cause of diarrhoea in hospital patients undergoing antibiotic therapy. The antibiotics destroy the 'good' bacteria in the gut, allowing this 'bad' bacterium to grow in the colon, where it causes a chronic bowel infection that is very difficult to treat,” Dr Lyras said.
Their research lays the foundation to find better ways to treat the superbug.
“We are now beginning to understand the workings of the superbug, which allows us to work on treatments for it. We are confident our research will pave the way for future drugs to try to wipe out this disease. I can't put a time frame on how quickly drugs could be developed, but we're certainly on that road to discovery,” Dr Lyras said.
4 March 2009
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| Professor Helena Teede |
Professor Helena Teede has been recognised by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for her outstanding contribution to key national health priority areas.
The award is recognition of Professor Teede's role in improving women’s health by focusing on prevention.
Director of Research at the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health, Professor Teede's research focuses on the prevention of chronic disease, insulin resistance, diabetes and heart disease. Her research team also focused on mid-life health and menopause.
Professor Teede said she was passionate about the health of the community through prevention of disease and best practice in clinical management.
"We look forward to continuing to contribute to improved health outcomes for Australians through leading-edge research, best practice clinical care and practical health education opportunities," Professor Teede said.
4 March 2009
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Monash researchers have used a gene therapy strategy to treat autoimmune disease.
Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes affect approximately five per cent of the population as a result of an individual's immune system attacking its own tissues.
Scientist from the University's Centre of Inflammatory Diseases Dr James Chan and Prof Ban-Hock Toh and Associate Professor Frank Alderuccio from the Department of Immunology have developed a strategy that involves the isolation and genetic manipulation of bone marrow stem cells together with bone marrow transplantation to promote tolerance by the immune system.
"Bone marrow stem cells are routinely isolated from humans for various disease treatments, and in this approach they would be used to promote tolerance,” Associate Professor Alderuccio said.
"We believe it offers a viable strategy of manipulating the immune system to remove or control autoreactive cells that would normally be involved in inducing disease.
Trials highlighted a resistance to disease following the transfer of genetically modified bone marrow stem.
"We were even able to incorporate this concept into a strategy to reverse established disease,” Associate Professor Alderuccio said.
"While still early days, this finding is very exciting and important when considering potential clinical application for human autoimmunity.”
This research has been published in the prestigious American Society of Immunology publication, Journal of Immunology.
4 March 2009
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Monash University's frontline water and climatology experts have helped shape the future direction of urban water management in Australia through a series of workshops that were held across the country during February.
Creating Water Sensitive Australian Cities discussed ways to address the nation's dwindling urban water supplies and degraded urban streams and river systems caused by climate change, rapid population growth and environmental degradation.
The latest scientific thinking in policy, organisational and societal change, in addition to the latest scientific developments in urban design, technology and micro-climate sciences for building water sensitive cities, were discussed.
Associate Professor Rebekah Brown from the School of Geography and Environmental Science said a business-as-usual approach wasn't enough to address the future urban water management needs of our cities.
"The community wants a set of key values to be restored in order to protect our urban water environments," Associate Professor Brown said.
"These values include assuring the security of traditional water supply, public health protection, flood protection, as well as improvements to waterway health, recreation and amenity, and water-use efficiency.
"These workshops were designed to integrate the scientific knowledge of front-line practitioners and leading researchers to develop a new governance agenda," she said.
The outcomes will be presented to the National Water Commission in Canberra in April.
For more information visit the Water Sensitive Futures website.
4 March 2009
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| Associate Professor Shantha Rajaratnam (left) will host Dr Steven Lockley, one of two visiting Harvard University researchers who will spend time at Monash later this year. |
Monash University will host two leading researchers from Harvard University later this year.
Dr Steven Lockley and Dr Kavi Bhalla have been awarded the annual Australia - Harvard Fellowship, which supports academic exchange between Harvard University in the United States and Australian research organisations. The fellowships are awarded by the Harvard Club of Australia Foundation.
Dr Steven Lockley is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School in Boston. He will be appointed Honorary Associate Professor at Monash University’s School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine when he comes to Australia for two months from October to November.
He will be hosted by Associate Professor Shantha Rajaratnam. Dr Lockley will be teaching in undergraduate and postgraduate programs and contributing to research projects such as characterising sleep and circadian rhythm disruptions, and investigating the effects of extended work hours on sleep, alertness and performance of shift workers.
Associate Professor Rajaratnam said the opportunity to host such an internationally recognised researcher in the field of sleep disorders would be of enormous benefit to the students and staff engaged in this field.
"Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders have a substantial impact on health, safety and productivity – there is considerable opportunity for research in this area at Monash. We are delighted to have Dr Lockley visit the recently established Monash Sleep Network to help further its mission. His visit will strengthen the existing collaborative links between Monash University and Harvard Medical School," Associate Professor Rajaratnam said.
NHMRC Population Health Research Fellow in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Dr Belinda Gabbe will host Dr Kavi Bhalla to collaborate on a research project investigating trauma injury in developing countries.
Dr Bhalla heads a section of the Harvard Initiative for Global Heath, part of an international program that is building a framework for keeping road traffic injury statistics in developing countries under the umbrella of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.
4 March 2009
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| Weerasinghalage Kaushalya Perera |
Weerasinghalage Kaushalya (Kaushi) Perera proves pathways programs are an ideal bridge to university study.
The Sri Lankan born student began her Monash journey in February 2007 at Monash College, Clayton where she completed an engineering diploma.
She is now entering her second year of a civil engineering degree at Monash University.
Kaushi said Monash College provided her with a great starting point, helping her gain the necessary knowledge and confidence to transition successfully into university life.
"The teachers at Monash College are such wonderful, passionate and inspiring people, they were very helpful and always there for me in times of need," Kaushi said.
"The Monash College Diploma was equivalent to the first year of my university degree not only did it provide an insight into different engineering fields, it also saved me a considerable amount of study time."
Her latest achievement is being selected for the Faculty of Engineering's Leadership in a Technological Environment Program, a unique non-award program designed to produce engineering leaders of the future.
Kaushi said when she first heard about the program, it sounded like a great opportunity to further develop her leadership skills.
"It challenges and extends students, providing them with a unique opportunity to acquire skills and learn about leadership outside the formal classroom," Kaushi said.
"I hope the experience will help me develop my individual leadership style and provide opportunities to network with industry leaders."
When researching universities across the world, Kaushi chose Monash because of its academic success, reputation in the engineering industry and the facilities offered for students.
"Monash has a reputation as a leading research and teaching institution and I am glad to be a part of it," Kaushi said.
February was dominated by the tragic bushfires. Many from the Monash community were affected. One staff member and one student lost their lives. A number of staff members lost their homes. Many others lost friends and relatives. Our Gippsland campus was most directly affected. Having been at the centre of firefighting relief and evacuee emergency accommodation and care one week earlier, the campus came under direct threat during the savage fires of February 7 and the following days. The staff of the campus responded magnificently. Once again, the campus became the centre of the firefighting and relief efforts. Several of our staff were directly involved in fighting the fires with the CFA. Everyone who contributed in some way is both thanked and congratulated.
One aspect of the tragic fires provided an illustration of the benefits that come to Australia from the international activities of Monash University. A team of experts came from Indonesia to help with disaster victim identification. Several of these experts had taken part in two training workshops conducted in Indonesia (in Bandung and Surabaya) by the Victorian Institute for Forensic Medicine (VIFM), which is affiliated with Monash University and headed by a Monash professor, Professor Stephen Cordner. When I met with the Indonesians to thank them for their participation, they emphasised the warm and collaborative relationship they have with Monash through the Institute and the mutually supportive activities of the two groups responding to disasters, whether natural or man-made in Australia and Indonesia.
The senior management summit was held in February. There were three major themes. The first was sustainability. There were three major parts to this -- the incorporation of sustainability themes into educational programs, coordination of research in sustainability and the environmental sustainability of Monash campuses. The Vice-Chancellor's Group (Environment) will oversee the preparation of a strategic plan for each of these with the education and research component being prepared and implemented in collaboration with the Academic Board and the campus environmental sustainability component in collaboration with the Strategy and Resources Committee.
The second theme was the identification of a simple and meaningful set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and targets for the education, research, international, environmental, equity, administrative and financial performance of the university. While as Einstein said “everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted” the University does need a set of indicators by which it can track its performance against its aspirations. For the last five years we have somewhat crudely set our target as being in the top three of the Group of 8 for a variety of indicators of varying validity. In many cases, the Group of 8 is not our most appropriate benchmark -- sometimes we should set our targets in absolute terms and sometimes we should benchmark against best practice internationally or in other Australian universities outside the Group of 8 or indeed sometimes we should benchmark against non-university institutions if they are performing better than the university sector. After much useful discussion, the KPIs and targets will now be worked through by a small committee.
The third theme that was discussed jointly with the University Council, was the future of the higher education sector following the Bradley and Cutler reviews. An excellent presentation by David Phillips of Phillips KPA introduced the topic and there was then a valuable panel discussion. This theme will be taken up further by the inaugural Universities Australia higher education conference to be conducted from March 4 to 6 when I will have the opportunity to present a National Press Club address.
Monash graduation ceremonies were held in Johannesburg and in Beijing in February. In Johannesburg, 230 students from Monash South Africa graduated in a moving and exciting ceremony. 2700 students are expected at the campus this year -- a far cry from 360 in 2003. In recognition of the increasing number of students at Monash from mainland China, we held our first graduation ceremony in Beijing. This was a wonderful occasion with the relatives of the graduands clearly appreciative of the opportunity to attend. The graduation address was delivered by the Australian Ambassador, Mr Geoffrey Raby, who also hosted a dinner for Monash and relevant local education and research authorities. Valuable meetings were held with the Chinese Scholarship Council, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Science and the Ministry of Education and I was able to attend the opening of the conference of the Australia China Centre of Excellence in Stem Cell Sciences, a collaboration funded between Monash and Peking University Health Science Centre.
It is very clear that international activities such as these are very important in building research and education collaborations and in attracting high quality international students to Monash.
4 March 2009
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| Jesse Andries |
Name: Jesse Andries
Org. Unit: Centre for Stellar and Planetary Astrophysics
Title: Marie Curie Fellow
Dept: School of Mathematical Sciences
How long have you been with Monash University?
I arrived on 15 October last year and will be here for two years.
Prior to working at Monash, where were you located and what was your role?
I obtained my PhD in mathematics at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, at the Centre for Plasma Astrophysics, and have been a post-doctoral research fellow there for five years. I devote almost my entire time to scientific research in the area of solar physics. More specifically, I'm dealing with theoretical modelling of magnetohydrodynamic waves in the atmosphere of the sun.
What challenges are ahead in your current role?
The discipline of coronal seismology is very new and fairly primitive at this stage. Although theoretically, the presence of magnetohydrodynamic waves in the corona had long been anticipated, it was only by the clear and abundant detection of such oscillations by space missions in the late 1990s that it could become a serious field of research. The solar group at the Centre for Stellar and Planetary Astrophysics here at Monash on the other hand is involved in the use and development of rather sophisticated seismological techniques used to probe the internal structure of the subsurface layers of the Sun. The main challenge is to make useful connections betweens these two fields of study.
What is it about your job that holds your interest or is particularly satisfying?
For a mathematician it is always exciting to see that (part of) a complex reality can be captured in a simple mathematical model. When a combination of pure reasoning and observation allow us to assemble more information on reality than any of the two could do separately, this is extremely satisfying. This is exactly what seismology in particular and science in general is about.
Please explain the benefits of the fellowship.
The international outgoing Marie Curie fellowships involve funding for two years abroad and one year back in an EU institute. It therefore provides the fellow with the possibility to acquire new skills in a different environment, but with the perspective of returning to his original institute and field of research. Hence the focus is on gaining additional competencies from another (slightly different) field of research with the aim of applying this later on in your own field of research.
What is your favourite place in the world and why?
I like working/relaxing in my garden in Belgium, but that's just me being home-sick probably. Seriously, I prefer walking around in beautiful vast landscapes. Over summer, I've been to Wilsons Promontory and the Great Ocean Road.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Think harder!
What is something about yourself that most of your colleagues wouldn't know?
I used to have long hair when I started university.
4 March 2009
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Monash University's Professor Nigel Tapper, head of the School of Geography and Environmental Science, is closely involved with a project to conserve a national park and World Heritage-listed area that is in danger of being ‘loved to death' by two million visitors a year.
The area comprises five fishing villages along 15 kilometres of rugged Ligurian coast, in North West Italy, and a hinterland known for its cultivation of wine grapes and olives.
Professor Tapper, one of eight Monash scientists who shared in the 2007 Nobel peace prize for their work on climate change, negotiated an agreement in 2004 between Monash and the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre to assist in the conservation of the area.