8 April 2009
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| Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute Founding Director Professor Nadia Rosenthal |
The Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute will be officially opened today by Federal Member for Chisholm Anna Burke and Parliament of Victoria Cabinet Secretary Tony Lupton. The institute, based at the Clayton campus, is part of the largest single financial commitment to research that Monash has ever made, with the University investing $103 million into the construction of cutting-edge laboratory facilities for biomedical research.
The Victorian Government has dedicated $35 million towards major research equipment and the specialist fit-out of laboratories and the Australian Government $15 million.
Institute Director Professor Nadia Rosenthal said when at full capacity ARMI would be one of the world's largest regenerative medicine and stem-cell research centres.
"ARMI's scientists will focus on unravelling the basic mechanisms of the regenerative process, enabling doctors to prevent, halt and reverse damage to vital organs due to disease, injury or genetic conditions," Professor Rosenthal said.
"This work will form the basis of treatments for conditions such as neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, arthritis, musculo-skeletal and cardiovascular diseases.
"We have already recruited national and international leaders in regenerative biology and are creating a unique environment for research, education and training in regenerative medicine."
Monash Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins said the centre would be of enormous significance to understanding how tissues regenerate and this knowledge could then be used in novel new therapies.
"The State and Federal Governments have shown great foresight in investing in this exciting initiative, which will ensure the further development of Victoria and Australia as one of the most innovative sites for medical research," Professor Larkins said.
For more information visit the ARMI website.
8 April 2009
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A life saving asthma intervention program developed by Monash University for the Victorian Rural Ambulance Service will be extended nationally after its overwhelming success in a 1-year trial.
The Ambulances for Asthma program aims to increase people's use of ambulance services for asthma incidents in regional and rural Victoria through free online resources that inform asthma patients about what to do in the case of an asthma attack.
More than 2000 Australians are diagnosed with asthma each year and the condition causes 300 deaths annually.
Rural Ambulance Victoria is responsible for the pre-hospital emergency care of 1.4 million rural Victorians.
Monash Emergency Health lecturer Leanne Boyd, who developed the program, said a high number of people with severe asthma elected to drive themselves to hospital instead of calling an ambulance.
"Some of the reasons people do not call an ambulance include a distrust of the '000' system, concerns that paramedics would be unable to locate their rural property, underestimating asthma severity and not considering asthma as warranting ambulance paramedic assistance," Ms Boyd said.
"We also discovered that some health professionals did not advise patients to use ambulance services if they needed them, and did not know what an ambulance paramedic could do for a patient with asthma."
The interactive website offers advice on when to call an ambulance, and lets people assess the severity of an asthma attack.
Following the introduction of the program, 64 per cent of participants said they were more likely to call an ambulance.
Based on this result, the Federal Government Department of Health and Ageing, through the Asthma Foundations of Australia (who administers the program), has provided a further $66,000 to allow the program to be rolled out nationally for metropolitan, rural and remote areas.
8 April 2009
 Upgrade / install Flash player for optimum video viewing or refer to the alternative versions below. Dinosaur fossils videoAlternative versions: |
A group of Japanese high school students have been working with a team from the Monash School of Geosciences and the Monash Science Centre at Inverloch in Victoria – home to many significant polar dinosaur fossil discoveries over the past few years.
The students, along with their teachers and parents, are from the prestigious Notre Dame Jogakuin girl's school in Kyoto, Japan.
They have been working with Monash for the past three years on a number of science communication projects, one on climate change through time (with dinosaurs) and one on natural disasters.
Monash geologist Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich said it was fantastic to take students out of the classroom and give them a greater understanding of how what has happened in the past could impact upon the future.
"We can examine these rocks and find out what the temperature was, what animals and plants were living here and what conditions were like," Professor Vickers-Rich said.
"Understanding these factors can allow us to build models of what conditions might be like in the future."
During their visit the students presented the Dean of the Faculty of Science Professor Rob Norris with a donation of 170,000 yen (approximately A$2500) towards the University's Bushfire Appeal. The students raised the money as part of their project on natural disasters.
Professor Vickers-Rich said the School of Geosciences and Monash Science Centre would continue to work with the Notre Dame Jogakuin high school on cooperative projects into the future.
For more information visit the Home of Dinosaur Dreaming web page.
8 April 2009
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| Jarrod Hodgson with Governor of Queensland Penelope Wensley AO at the recent annual conference of the Order of Australia Association. |
Third-year Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science student Jarrod Hodgson has been awarded a prestigious Order of Australia Association Foundation Scholarship – one of only three students in Australia to receive the honour.
Jarrod said he was honoured and humbled to receive the scholarship that recognises and encourages young Australians to realise their potential as future leaders.
Jarrod, who has a strong interest in environmental science, will receive $40,000 towards his tuition and will have the opportunity to be mentored by an eminent member of the Order of Australia Association who has professional experience in this field.
"It presents me with an incredible opportunity to fully concentrate on my studies and develop transferable skills," Jarrod said.
"I am also looking forward to working alongside my mentor in order to pursue my chosen career path of environmental science, which I'm extremely passionate about.
"Environmental sustainability is an issue of global significance. It is the decisions and actions of this era that will have such a tremendous impact on tomorrow, on the resources that we share, the health of our communities and the planet our children will inherit."
Jarrod thanked the Order of Australia Association Foundation and the Monash Scholarships Department for administering the program.
"I am also grateful to my mentor and sponsor for helping to bring the key features of this unique program to fruition," Jarrod said.
For more information on scholarship opportunities at Monash visit the scholarships website.
8 April 2009
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| Monash 2 team members Cait Ryan from Employment and Career Development and international engineering student Simba Saadat at the Future Spark Challenge, Federation Square, Melbourne. |
Two Monash teams have cycled for the planet, generating 1009 watts of "pedal power" to help run the Earth Hour concert at Federation Square in Melbourne.
The Future Spark Challenge aimed to generate enough energy through solar and pedal power to make the concert energy neutral.
Each team had to pedal on stationary bikes for a total of 45 minutes as part of the challenge.
The Monash teams helped organisers reach a staggering 53,259 bike-generated watt hours, well above what was needed.
Monash 1 finished in seventh place with a total of 583 watt hours, while Monash 2, which was made up of staff and students, finished a respectable 39th out of the 132 teams, with a total of 411 watt hours.
Organiser of Monash 2 David Pawley said the event was a great success.
"It set a great example that academics, a cross section of Monash students and professional staff came together for such a great cause," Mr Pawley said.
"We rode for one hour with each rider pedalling multiple 10 minutes blocks before interchanging with another team member.
"It was very strenuous because bikes weren't set up for individual riders, but it was fantastic to see the outcome and the positive results we were able to produce."
Monash 1 included five riders from the Sport Performance Unit and students from physiotherapy.
The unit's Andrew Robinson from Monash Sport said it was a hard work out.
"We rode in to the event and rode home very slowly afterwards!" Mr Robinson said.
Mr Pawley said the camaraderie and spirit of the TeamMONASH™ crews was commended by the crowds in Federation Square.
"Images of the Monash riders were even displayed during the concert," Mr Pawley said.
8 April 2009
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| Monash student Michael has benefited from a support bursary. |
A new staff philanthropic campaign will provide support to students, helping them to lead, achieve and succeed.
Staff from the University's Australian campuses are being encouraged to participate in the Monash+ campaign to help students get the most from their education.
Dean of Science Professor Rob Norris, Professor Margaret Kartomi from the Faculty of Arts and Ms Elizabeth Kwok from the Faculty of Business and Economics are heading up the campaign.
Professor Norris said each faculty had chosen a priority initiative that would be supported through staff and alumni donations.
"The Chancellor is getting ready to launch an appeal to alumni, so we think it's important that staff are given the opportunity to participate too," he said.
"Staff have given donations to Monash University over its history and contribute greatly to the University's success every day.
"We are excited there is now a new way for staff to contribute."
The launch of the campaign focused on Michael, a student who benefited from a support bursary.
Professor Norris said there had already been a positive response to the campaign.
"Greater participation is needed so Monash can offer more scholarships, bursaries and other urgently needed support for students like Michael," Professor Norris said.
For more information visit the Staff Philanthropy website.
8 April 2009
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| Michael Koss, Thom Woodroofe, Aaron Green, Charles Firth, Danielle Galvin, Tim Udorovic, Roj Amedi and Hayley Caulfield at the Left Right Think Tank launch. |
Seven Monash students will lead the call for broader political debate with the launch of a new youth organisation called Left Right Think Tank.
Left Right was launched last month at BMW Edge, Federation Square by television personality Charles Firth from 'The Chaser.'
Left Right is the brainchild of Arts (Global) student Thom Woodroofe who developed the organisation to provide young Australians with the opportunity to contribute to government policy.
It is Australia's first independent and non-partisan think tank for young people.
The organisation's executive is made up entirely of student volunteers including Arts students Hayley Caulfield and Danielle Galvin, Arts (Global) student Roj Amedi, Arts/Law student Michael Koss, Arts/Commerce student Aaron Green and Commerce/Law student Tim Udorovic.
"We have developed an amazing team of dedicated volunteers who all bring diverse skills to the organisation," Thom said.
"From Monash we have people who have worked in Israel's emergency services, been radio reporters, and those who have served on advisory boards for other organisations."
Thom said he believed the work with Left Right would benefit and enhance their university studies.
"We are all doing such different things with Left Right," Thom said.
"Hayley is one of our company directors, Danielle has driven an incredible media campaign that has included coverage in the major newspapers and on TV, and Aaron is running our organisation's budget."
Left Right has also recently initiated a fellowship program. Aimed at first-year students, the fellowship will provide 12 people with the opportunity to work with Left Right for a period of five months.
For more information on how you can get involved or to apply for the fellowship visit the Left Right website.
8 April 2009
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| Laith McGregor, Helm of the Rambut Pura, biro on paper, 2008. Image courtesy the artist. |
A new exhibition "Too Much of Me: 7 Paths through the Absurd (with detour)" will open at the Monash University Museum of Modern Art (MUMA) on Wednesday 15 April.
The exhibition features Australian and international artists Ronnie van Hout, Kirsty Hulm, Laith McGregor, Stuart Ringholt, WorkmanJones and Erwin Wurm whose works incorporate aspects of personal reflection and self-portraiture.
MUMA curator Geraldine Barlow said the artists in the exhibition grapple with the big philosophical questions that concern us all: "How do we make sense of who we are and our place in the world, a world ambivalent to our existence?"
"The artists in the exhibition work with aspects of personal reflection and self-portraiture, in particular exploring the dangers of an excess of self reflection. The artists have created works that map a number of paths through this terrain," she said.
The opening celebration for the exhibition will be held on Saturday 18 April at 3 pm at the Monash University Museum of Art, Clayton.
Several public programs will also complement the exhibition.
Film critic and Senior Research Fellow in the School of English, Communications and Performance Studies Dr Adrian Martin will present an illustrated lecture exploring dance in film with absurdist references on Thursday 21 May at 4.30 pm.
For further information about the exhibition and public programs visit the MUMA website or telephone +61 3 9905 4217.
8 April 2009
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| MSA learning skills advisor Karen Petrenko |
Students at the Monash South Africa (MSA) campus can now access services and resources to support them in their study through the MSA library and learning commons.
The Learning Skills program is a service offered by Monash libraries to support the learning skills of students.
Advisors assist students to improve their learning skills by providing information on study methods and exam preparation, reading strategies, note-taking and essay writing, through workshops, classes and online tutorials.
The service integrates learning support with other support services available in or through the library such as development of information research skills and IT support.
MSA's new Learning Skills adviser Karen Petrenko recently visited the University's Australian campuses to see how the service operates.
She will work collectively with faculties, librarians and other services providers at MSA to develop services and programs for students.
For more information about learning skills services and resources, visit the Library website.
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.
8 April 2009
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Name: Dr Michael Wybrow
Title: Research Fellow
Dept: Clayton School of Information Technology
How long have you been with Monash University?
Five years. Four years as a doctoral student and a little over 12 months as a research employee.
You were recently awarded the Australasian Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation award for the best Computer Science PhD thesis.
My PhD research (on improving the usability of diagramming software using semi-automatic layout tools) was exciting due to its practical nature and potential to improve existing software. I was delighted to see the ideas and work receiving this recognition.
What challenges are ahead in your current role?
I face many of the same challenges as other early career researchers: diversifying my research, forging new collaborations, applying for grants and supervising students of my own. The immediate challenges are arranging research and licensing agreements for an overseas company who wish to use and extend some software I wrote for my PhD.
What is it about your job that holds your interest or is particularly satisfying?
I particularly enjoy doing practical research – solving problems and creating solutions that will have obvious benefit to people. This has the nice side effect of making it much easier to describe or demonstrate the research to others. I especially enjoy giving live demonstrations of the work at conferences.
What is your favourite place in the world and why?
I love living on the Mornington Peninsula. Every time I travel, I appreciate how lucky we are to have beautiful beaches, coastline and national parks within easy reach. A favourite local hiking destination is Lake Tali Karng in Victoria's Alpine National Park.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
To follow my passions.
What is something about yourself that most of your fellow students wouldn't know?
That I can dance. My wife Chelsea and I have been doing swing, latin and rock 'n' roll for a couple of years. We take classes and go out social dancing once or twice a week.
8 April 2009
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Since it was established in 2006, more than 180 students have volunteered their time to provide free tutoring and mentoring to refugee and migrant students in Melbourne as part of Monash volunteer organisation Embrace Education.
Students from most Monash faculties are involved in Embrace, which was established by Monash student Emil Kogan to help promote equal access to education.
There are three programs Monash students can get involved in, each operating at different times and requiring two to three hours a week or fortnight.
For more information about how you can get involved visit the Embrace Education website.