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1 April 2009
Upgrade / install Flash player for optimum video viewing or refer to the alternative versions below. Oxfam internship videoAlternative versions: |
Seven Monash students, including two from Monash South Africa, have completed a five-week internship in South Africa where they worked directly on human rights and HIV/AIDS campaigns with Oxfam Australia.
Monash signed a formal agreement with Oxfam Australia last year to create new collaboration opportunities including voluntary opportunities for students.
Honours student Laura Dortmans was placed at the Hillcrest Aids Centre in Durban, along with fellow Arts student, Kylie Groves.
Laura said it was great to be able to put what she had learnt in the classroom into practice.
"To be on the ground and to see change every day was so inspirational," Laura said.
"I've realised that you don't really have to be involved in policy development at the top level to effect change - you can do so much at a grass roots, community level."
Jessica Malin and Neda Monshat from the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law were placed at Lawyers for Human Rights, interviewing clients in relation to permit extensions and refugee status determination.
Jessica, who also studies community development, said it was great to be able to see human rights law in practice.
"To hear people's stories and see the hope they have to improve their lives had such an incredible impact on me and encouraged me to follow human rights law as a career path," Jessica said.
Arts students Christie McHugh and Edward Haefele and Business Systems student Joshua Vihishima were based at Oxfam Australia's offices in Durban.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Adam Shoemaker said the program, a first for an Australian university, was a fantastic opportunity for Monash students and the aid organisations involved.
"It is so exciting to see that in four to five weeks students who may have known little about a country or its health challenges have returned with a cross-cultural understanding they may never have dreamed of," Professor Shoemaker said.
Professor Shoemaker said Monash would now evaluate the program's success in conjunction with Oxfam to determine what will happen in the future.
"It is likely we will have another short term internship in South Africa and also look at a semester-long program at Monash South Africa that may even be for academic credit," Professor Shoemaker said.
"This is part of our plan to make for a richer learning experience for our students - all part of the Monash Passport."
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1 April 2009
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New Monash research proves prominent advertising, signs or billboards on our roadsides can be a distraction for drivers - especially older ones.
The Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) research has important implications for the design and regulation of road environments, including advertising along our roads and highways.
It found the advertising delays drivers' ability to detect changes around them - such as a vehicle changing lanes - by an average of half a second. Older drivers took the longest to react.
"Driving on a typical major road is a complex activity, where drivers must process large amounts of visual information which continuously changes, and make decisions at speed," researcher Jessica Edquist said.
"As drivers we can only look at and pay attention to one thing at a time. When we are looking at a sign or a billboard, we are not looking at the road, leading to a higher accident risk."
Ms Edquist conducted a series of tests with more than 100 drivers, almost half using MUARC's driving simulator. She found drivers were distracted by billboards and drove more slowly, took longer and made more errors when changing lanes.
Older drivers in particular had difficulty detecting changes on the road and in following road signs in busy environments.
Ms Edquist said road authorities should carefully regulate billboards, declaring billboard-free distances around areas of high driver workload such as intersections, merges and freeway exits.
"Road authorities should also give advance warning of hazardous situations with ‘priming' road signs to spread the cognitive workload. These adjustments are especially important for busy roads with many other vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians," she said.
Her work has already led to changes in Queensland and will bolster arguments made by road authorities that roadside advertising should sometimes be restricted on safety grounds.
1 April 2009
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| Freney Lagoon in Tasmania's south-west wilderness area. |
A Monash University ecologist has called for a rethink on how climate-induced ecological change is measured, saying Australia's wilderness areas - not urban and agricultural land - can provide the most accurate picture.
Professor Jenny Davis from the School of Biological Sciences said a true measure of the impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems would best be achieved in wilderness areas that have remained untouched for millions of years rather than urban or agricultural sites, which have undergone rapid, significant change.
"Increasing agricultural production and urban development driven by global population growth have resulted in major changes in land and water management and this has an influence on the measurement of climate change impacts," Dr Davis said.
"Given the compounding effect of multiple influences on urban and agricultural areas we need to be clearer about climate change, separating other human impacts from climatic impacts on our environment. Therefore we need to focus on those where we are confident that the only major impact is climatic change."
Dr Davis said measurement of ecological climate change on aquatic systems included the monitoring of river and stream depths, water quality, the health of native bird and animal life, temperature variation and rainfall.
"We live on a continent that has already undergone massive long-term climatic change following the break up of Gondwana and the continent's ecosystem changed, but survived," Dr Davis said.
"Many Australian inland aquatic ecosystems are described as 'boom and bust' systems.
"They are characterised by plants and animals that respond opportunistically to the 'good times' and cope when dry conditions return - these systems appear to be highly resilient to climatic variability.
"Although a program to track climate-driven ecological change in inland waters will require new funding, the ultimate economic costs associated with not truly distinguishing climatic impacts from other stressors, will be far greater."
1 April 2009
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What it means to be a professional AFL footballer continues to provoke heated debate within clubs, the media, and among fans.
Dr Peter Kelly from the School of Political and Social Inquiry collaborated with Associate Professor Christopher Hickey from Deakin University, interviewing players, coaches and administrators in an effort to explore what it takes to be a modern-day professional footballer.
Their research found players often felt torn between the competing interests of the AFL, their club, sponsors, team mates and the media.
"The AFL is no longer a mere game, played by gifted, part-time athletes," Dr Kelly said.
"Players have become sport celebrities and like other celebrities, have no place to hide, on or off the field.
"Take Ben Cousins as an example. He was never tried for any criminal offence and never tested positive to any West Coast Eagles or AFL-sanctioned drug test.
"Yet during his 12-month ban, he lost his playing contract and his employment-related income for bringing the game into disrepute for 'trashing the brand'.
"While we're not defending men who behave badly, it's clear that today's AFL players have a whole range of new responsibilities to the game and face never-ending demands on their professionalism and performance."
Dr Kelly said for a few players the payoff was a 10-year career with relatively good earnings.
"For the vast majority, whose career may only last three years, this struggle can look like a wasted opportunity for players, clubs and sponsors," Dr Kelly said.
Dr Kelly and Professor Hickey's research is detailed in their new book The Struggle for the Mind, Body and Soul of AFL Players.
1 April 2009
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This year has been designated by UNICEF and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as the International Year of Astronomy.
Monash is playing a leading role, beginning this week with a public lecture by internationally-recognised astronomer Professor Brian Schmidt.
A Federation Fellow at Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory, Professor Schmidt is best known for his work using distant stellar explosions - supernovae - to measure the expansion of the universe.
In 1998 Professor Schmidt's team presented evidence for the accelerating expansion of the universe, a result that won them the $500,000 Gruber Cosmology prize, as well as Science Magazine's Breakthrough of the Year.
In Thursday's public lecture Professor Schmidt will describe the origin and evolution of the universe and how astronomers have used observations to trace its history back more than 13 billion years.
Professor Schmidt will also detail new experiments that are monitoring the struggle between dark energy and dark matter, trying to better understand these elusive components of the universe.
Dr Duncan Galloway from the School of Physics and School of Mathematical Sciences said the lecture is the first in a series that will coincide with viewing nights.
"This is a terrific opportunity for non-astronomers to find out what we do and don't know about our universe, from one of the foremost researchers in the field," Dr Galloway said.
Other events planned throughout the year include an exhibition covering the past, present and future of astronomy at the Monash Science Centre from mid April.
The lecture will be held at 7 pm on Thursday 2 April at the Clayton campus in Building 25, lecture theatre S3.
For more information, see the International Year of Astronomy website.
1 April 2009
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| Professor Anne Marsh. Photo courtesy Polixeni Papapetrou, 2003 |
The connection between art and science is not immediately apparent to most, but a symposium to be hosted by Monash this month challenges conventional thinking.
The symposium, on Thursday 2 April, will include members of Z-Node - a group of PhD researchers from Zurich that meets three times a year in various countries across the world to discuss directions in art, with particular emphasis on science and technology.
These artist-researchers, who are being hosted at the Caulfield campus by the Faculty of Art & Design, explore communication, social science, cultural difference and environmental sustainability in art.
The faculty is also hosting Jill Scott, a former Melbourne artist who is now Professor for Research at the Institute of Cultural Studies in Art at Zurich University of the Arts.
Associate Dean Research Professor Anne Marsh said hosting the symposium gave Monash art students an opportunity to access highly-talented international researchers and artists.
"It is also an opportunity for our higher degree research students and academic staff to present their research to an international audience," Professor Marsh said.
The Z-Node research group will be at Monash until 10 April.
1 April 2009
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| Monash Abroad students Ruth Featonby, Yola Frank-Gray, Elsa Carnaby, Vince Naidu and Lily Shaw-Reynolds visit the magnificent Drakensberg Region in South Africa. |
A group of ten Monash students from Australia and Malaysia are undertaking their first semester on exchange at the University's South African campus as part of the Monash Abroad program.
Under the Monash Abroad program, students remain enrolled at their home Monash campus and receive credit towards their Monash degree while on exchange.
Second-year Australian student Yola Frank-Gray said the exchange students were warmly welcomed and found it easy to find their feet.
"The South African campus is much smaller than our campuses in Australia but it's great because it's easier to get to know people in the University community," Yola said.
Half the group went to the coastal city of Durban in search of a summer adventure before the start of first semester classes, where they tried local food "bunny chow", joined a drumming session and visited the beautiful Valley of 1000 Hills. The students have also visited Soweto.
"The experience gave us great insight into a country that we have not been exposed to before," Yola said.
More recently students travelled to the Drakensberg region, home of the highest mountain range in Southern Africa. They also visited a remote village in the Kingdom of Lesotho and abseiled off a cliff face in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
"A group of us intends visiting Cape Town over the mid-term break," Yola said.
"We hope to visit Botswana and as many other local sights as we can, to make the most of this incredible opportunity."
Yola encouraged other students to apply to study abroad.
"The Monash South Africa campus is perfectly situated to make weekend trips away and to experience diverse world views," Yola said.
"It is hard to believe a month has already passed -- time flies when you're having fun!"
1 April 2009
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| CEO of World Vision Australia Tim Costello |
More than 200 staff and students attended a recent one-day environmental sustainability conference at the Clayton campus as part of Monash Sustainability Month.
Guest speakers such as CEO of World Vision Australia Tim Costello, Founder of Planet Ark Jon Dee, and 2007 Environmentalist of the Year Aaron Wood inspired the audience to make sustainability top-of-mind in every activity whether related to study, work or home.
"Our aim was to engage with the broader Monash community by examining current environmental issues and the role the University can play in embedding sustainability into teaching, research and practice," Director of Office of Environmental Sustainability Paul Barton said.
"The conference was a huge hit and I want to thank everyone involved in helping to make it such a success."
The conference included a debate hosted by SBS 'Dateline' presenter George Negus on the topic: "Conservation will always win out over technology for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions."
"The debate was passionate and lively and it was good to see the level of support we have here at Monash on issues relating to sustainability," Mr Barton said.
The next Sustainability Month event is a public lecture called, "A water sensitive future for Melbourne" on Monday 6 April from 6 - 7 pm at the Clayton campus.
The lecture will be presented by Monash Professor Tony Wong, principal of the international design firm EDAW.
Professor Wong has an international reputation for linking research and practice in sustainable urban water management.
He will speak on the potential for a water sensitive future for Melbourne through the innovative management of urban stormwater.
1 April 2009
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| Then: the students in 1959 |
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| Now: the students reunite after 50 years |
It was 50 years in the making but in early February the Peninsula campus welcomed back 95 of its original 109 students to mark its jubilee year.
The group of Frankston Teachers' College students met at Struan House, where they had gathered for their first photo 50 years earlier.
Tanya O'Brien from Campus Management welcomed the students of '59 back to the campus, thanking them for embodying the pride and community that was still very much the essence of the campus 50 years on.
After a short tour of Struan House and a re-creation of that historic first photo, the group had an opportunity to catch up and reminisce on years gone by.
"From an outsider, privileged to witness this occasion, it was obvious there was a great affection and rekindling of friendships; the non-stop chatter and laughter was testament to this very emotional and uplifting experience," Ms O'Brien said.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education Julia Gillard announced the first part of the Federal Government's response to the recommendations of the Bradley Review of Higher Education when she opened the Inaugural Universities Australia Higher Education Conference on 4 March. In doing so she again expressed the Government's support for universities and the recognition of the relative neglect of this vital sector over the last dozen years or so.
She made the following specific announcements in that speech and another speech a few days later:
In addition to these announcements, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Senator Kim Carr at the same meeting and in a later speech made comments relevant to the Bradley Review and the Cutler Review of Innovation along the following lines:
Notably both Ministers emphasised that the current financial situation meant that the government would be restricted in what it could do in the next budget and that it could only move towards increased funding commitments for university education and research in stages.
There are a number of implications of the announcements.
An increase in the number of graduates need not imply a great increase in the number of university places if retention and completion rates are increased and if the role of other education providers to bachelor level is increased, as is likely, by 2025.
For example, the role of the TAFE/VET sector in providing education to bachelor level has just started. The private sector has expanded considerably in scope and it is likely that many of these institutions will provide bachelor level education by 2025. Thirdly, the expansion of online education following improved technology and broad-band access will make it possible for universities and other providers to provide bachelor-level education to larger numbers of students in distributed locations. There will likely be an expanded role for Open Universities Australia and possible activities by large-scale international providers in Australia. Obviously the role of the central quality and accreditation agency in ensuring that the diverse range of providers delivers education of an appropriate quality will be vital. Research-intensive, campus-based universities will not be the only contributors to Bachelor-level education but will play a particular role at the top end of the tertiary sector.
The concept of deregulating undergraduate Australian student numbers in our universities with maintenance of capped fees raises the possibility of a number of scenarios over time. It will be tempting for universities to increase the number of domestic places in high demand, low-cost courses such as business and law, and decrease the number of places in high-cost courses or poorly compensated courses such as engineering, health sciences and education.
The reliance on market information to guide the choices of students and universities to deliver the appropriate outcome in terms of the number of graduates in areas of national need is optimistic at best. It is hard to imagine that the Federal Government will allow the number of graduates in areas of political sensitivity such as education, nursing and medicine to be left to the market especially when the market is distorted by price caps. On the other hand, universities will be likely to take national needs into account when deciding on the number of places offered in different disciplines and it will not be possible to make rapid changes to discipline mix given established staff numbers in different disciplines.
Equity targets are meaningless when we use the postcode of a student's residence as the measure of socioeconomic status. Other indicators will be required. Individual targets will need to be assigned for different universities and additional financial help given to generate and deliver the appropriate pathway programs and student support for the students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A national quality and regulatory body seems essential given the diversification of institutions offering degrees. However as university and other tertiary education is currently regulated by the states, this will require agreement between the Commonwealth and the states.
The statement by Senator Carr stating that the government would move towards fully funding the costs of research is welcome. Increasing the Research Infrastructure Block Grant from its current 20 cents in the dollar to 50 cents in the dollar would be a welcome first step.
Senator Carr's comments about compacts appeared a little paradoxical in view of the silence of the Bradley Review on this topic and the advocacy by Deputy Prime Minister Gillard of minimal interference by government in the affairs of universities with accountability based on outcomes.
Regardless of the rhetoric substantially increased investment in universities will be needed if they are to achieve the benefits for Australia articulated in the two reviews and recognised by the two ministers. The tough financial situation will make it difficult for the government to deliver this but a start must be made towards redressing the financial neglect of recent years.
Our universities have done well over the recent past but could deliver so much more for the prosperity of Australia and the welfare of its people and its environment if they were properly funded.
1 April 2009
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Name: Emily Greco
Course: Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Social Work
Year Level: 4th Year
Mode: On campus
Why did you choose Monash?
I was interested in Monash from a young age as my brothers and sisters studied here. However it wasn't until my final year of high school that I decided it was definitely where I wanted to go. Monash was the only university where I could study social work as a part of a double undergraduate degree. Other universities only had this option available via postgraduate study.
What is your favourite subject and why?
Italian -- it is one of my electives and I love it because my parents are from Italy. I was brought up speaking Italian, however I had lost most of that ability; it's great to get it back again.
What challenges are ahead for you this year?
It will be difficult juggling both my position as president of the student union at Caulfield and full-time study. I have been involved with the MONSU student union for the past four years and it's something I'm very passionate about -- I know the good work the union can achieve.
What will be your ideal career when you graduate?
I have applied for graduate jobs with the Victorian Government and the Australian Defence Force. I believe either one of these opportunities would help me refine what direction I will take in the future.
What is it about your course that holds your interest or is particularly satisfying?
The diversity of the units I am able to study; I have been able to learn about so many different facets of society. My social work degree has really shown me how I can make a difference to others.
What is your favourite destination and why?
I would love to visit Italy -- there is so much of my history and culture I have never experienced. I still have relatives that I've never met. I would also like to see where my mother and father grew up. I think it would be truly amazing.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
It is easier to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission.
What is something about yourself that most of your fellow students wouldn't know?
I can't see out of one of my eyes, I was born with a birth mark on my retina.
What does being a Youth Week ambassador mean to you?
It's a chance to get involved in something I have loved for a long time. I was involved when I was in high school and it was always a highlight. I've lost touch with the celebrations since I have been at university. I jumped at the opportunity to become a Youth Week ambassador because I was keen to promote something that helps young people all around Victoria in very different ways.
Do you have a message for other young people in Victoria?
Get out there and get involved in your local community. There are so many opportunities for young people to make a difference and National Youth week is just one of them. Jump on the internet and find out how you can get involved at a local, state and national level. Youth Week runs from 28 March to 5 April.
1 April 2009
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Monash University has received Employer of Choice for Women (EOWA) accreditation each year since the awards were introduced in 2001.
Monash College is also one of the 111 organisations who received the Federal Government award this year, with women making up 61 per cent of its 400 staff.
To be recognised employers are required to meet stringent criteria including offering a minimum of six weeks paid maternity leave after 12 months of service, providing the ability for female managers to work part-time and ensuring the percentage of female managers is the same or greater than 28 per cent.