s
A helping hand for men’s health August 2010
alumni magazine
contents
Profiles
VOLUME 13 NUMBER 2
Regulars
NEWS ROUNDUP 6 RESEaRch UPDatE 18
alUmNi NEWS 21
KEEP iN tOUch 22-24 laSt WORD
by Vice-chancellor Professor Peter coaldrake
- See inSide back cover
Our cover
Dr mick adams has devoted more than three decades to putting men’s health on the public agenda. See opposite page for story.
editor ian Eckersley p: 07 3138 2361 e: ian.eckersley@qut.edu.au contributors
Elizabeth allen, Sandra hutchinson, mechelle mcmahon, Niki Widdowson, Rachael Wilson images Erika Fish design Richard de Waal
lin ks
alumni magazineQUt Links is published by QUt’s marketing and communications Department in cooperation with QUt’s alumni and Development Services. Editorial material is gathered from a range of sources and does not necessarily reflect the opinions and policies of QUT.
cRicOS No. 00213J
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indigenous health campaigner mick adams is the 2010 QUt chancellor’s
Outstanding alumnus.
hellen Wyatt’s 30-year journey from school to harvard.
Kerry and lindsay clare win prestigious architecture award.
Research
7 8 19
titanic research gains worldwide attention.
caRRS-Q’s simulator will save lives.
QUt scientists track climate change.
Features
10 13 14
a 19th century settler’s novel comes to life.
QUt scholars win Fulbright scholarships.
hollywood praise for acting graduate.
In focus
On page 20, read about american couple carl and mary leonard’s $1m donation to their ‘adopted’ QUt family.
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QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
DR Mick Adams has devoted himself to putting men’s health on the public agenda and to encouraging men to take responsibility for their health for more than 30 years.
His ground-breaking PhD from QUT on Indigenous male reproductive health was built on more than 30 years’
experience in liaison, training policy and senior management in the Northern Territory, followed by numerous managerial positions in Aboriginal and Islander health services.
Dr Adams’ vast knowledge and practical experience within Indigenous communities is being utilised by peak national bodies including the National Health and Medical Research Council where he is currently a research committee member and on the NHMRC’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Advisory Committee.
Now, as founder of Fineline Consultancy, Dr Adams travels the country speaking to men’s groups and at conferences about the need for equal recognition of men’s health issues.
“A lot of resources go into mothers and babies and family health but not much into men’s health and that contributes to men undervaluing or ignoring their health,” he said.
“Contributing to men’s reluctance to look after themselves is the fact they feel ostracised by governments and community which have put them in a more negative position than positive. Men are always painted as offenders but they are also victims.
“I say to men that we need to look at the women’s movement – they fought hard for the past 40 years to promote their recognition. Men have to do that too for themselves.”
Fit and glowing with health, Dr Adams is the perfect role model. As a key participant in the national Tomorrow People Start Today campaign, Dr Adams said “I’ve taken control of my health and I know to reach men you have to ask them to think about why they want to live a long and healthy life. Once they can find a reason such as to see their
grandchildren grow up, it has a positive effect on their life and they start to take charge of keeping themselves healthy.
Otherwise public health messages are easily ignored.”
Dr Adams said a key reason men didn’t value their health was because, unlike women, they didn’t talk about it.
“I was like that myself once. Men talk about cars and sports but not issues such as prostate or cardiovascular health,” he said.
“Males need to get talking about their health; by talking they find out they are not suffering alone. When it becomes normal to talk about it, males will go for check-ups and not wait till they are sick.”
He has identified the need for specific services for men and special areas for their delivery to lower resistance to visiting a health centre.
“Some Aboriginal health services now have male clinics with separate entrances. One clinic in a remote community had a 600 per cent increase in attendance after it instituted a male-only private space; before that hardly any men had attended,” he said.
“We have started to get men interested in health; it is starting to pick up momentum. They are realising they need to look after themselves, seek medical attention and are gaining the confidence to find out where they need to go to get advice. I think men are starting to realise they need to look after themselves.”
Dr Adams has been involved in the Close the Gap campaign since last year and urges governments and Indigenous Australians to work in partnership to achieve their aims. He has received several study awards plus a Deadly Award for Outstanding Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and holds two bachelor degrees and a Master of Applied Science as well as his doctorate.
- Niki Widdowson
Alumni
Healthy
devotion
QUT Chancellor’s Outstanding Alumnus and Faculty of Health winner
Dr Mick Adams
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MARK Menhinnitt was appointed global head of public private partnerships and construction with Lend Lease Corporation in 2009. He has been with Lend Lease Group for 22 years, holding a number of senior executive positions both within Australia and the United States.
In 2000 Mr Menhinnitt was appointed chief operating officer and then president of Lend Lease’s US-based privatisation business unit, Actus Lend Lease, before returning to Australia in 2006 to become Lend Lease Development’s chief operating officer.
For two years prior to his current appointment, Mr Menhinnitt held the position of global CEO of Bovis Lend Lease. He is now responsible for Lend Lease’s public private partnership businesses across North America, Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia. In this role he has oversight of Actus Lend Lease, Catalyst Lend Lease, Lend Lease Canada and the Capella Capital partnership.
A keen cyclist, he supports fundraising efforts for the Amy Gillett Foundation, Entoure and the Day of Difference Foundation. Mr Menhinnitt has a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from QIT.
CHARTERED accountant Shaun Scott has more than 20 years’
experience in the oil, gas and energy sectors in Australia, Asia and the USA.
In April 2010 he was appointed chief executive officer of Arrow Energy. He has been with the company for six years, during which time he has been instrumental in its transformation from a $20 million company with 10 staff into a $3.5 billion empire with 600 staff in six countries. Arrow is now among the top 60 ASX-listed companies.
Mr Scott has also been at the forefront of development and innovation in the coal seam gas sector.
Prior to joining Arrow, he was group finance manager at Energy Developments Ltd, project finance director at NRG and manager of ARCO’s international oil and gas mergers and acquisitions team based in Dallas, USA.
Mr Scott gained his Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) from QUT.
TWINS Matthew, pictured above left, and Daniel Tobin founded Urban Art Projects in 1993 as an art-based design studio and workshop specialising in site- specific art and design commissions for architectural and landscape projects.
Now with offices in Los Angeles, Houston and Shanghai as well as Brisbane, UAP is Queensland’s most successful exporter of public art and design.
This achievement was recognised in 2008 with a prestigious Premier of Queensland Emerging Exporter Award. The following year UAP won the Premier of Queensland
Arts and Entertainment Export Award, along with a Queensland Design Show Award for the facade of 53 Albert Street in Brisbane.
The company was also selected from more than 100 international tenders to design sculptures for the main entrances of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. UAP also lists among its credits, work for the National Police Memorial, Sydney International Airport and National Gallery of Australia.
The Tobins studied under acclaimed QUT alumnus William Robinson in the Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) program.
Business winner
Shaun Scott
Creative Industries winners
Matthew and Daniel Tobin
Built Environment and Engineering winner
Mark Menhinnitt
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DURING her 20-year career in education, Shelley Peers has made an invaluable contribution to the advancement of science education in Australia.
She has provided leadership in curriculum development and
the national curriculum, having worked for the Queensland School Curriculum Council and the Queensland Studies Authority.
In 2005 she was appointed manager of education and public awareness at the Australian Academy of Science in Canberra, before becoming the academy’s director of the Primary Connections project. The project aims to improve learning outcomes in primary schools by linking the teaching of science and literacy. It has enjoyed significant national uptake and won an Australian Award for Excellence in Educational Publishing in 2006.
Ms Peers is a member of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Working Group.
In 2008 she was awarded the Nancy Fairfax Churchill Fellowship.
Her qualifications include a Master of Education (Research) from QUT.
THERE are a number of “firsts” in the career of Jacqui Payne.
In 1986 Ms Payne became the first Indigenous Australian to achieve the distinction of admittance as a solicitor in Queensland. A decade later she was the only woman in Queensland to have established her own highly successful criminal law firm.
She is also Queensland’s first Indigenous magistrate, presiding in both the Brisbane Magistrates Court and the Murri Court.
Following graduation from QIT with a Bachelor of Laws in the early 1980s, Ms Payne completed her articled clerkship with Brisbane commercial law firm Power and Power. Until the early 1990s, she worked with the ATSI Corporation Legal Service. She also worked for 14 years in criminal defence prior to her appointment as a magistrate in 1999.
During her magisterial career Ms Payne has presided over a number of high-profile cases including the 2007 Dr Haneef case. She has also had a positive impact on working conditions for women in the legal profession in Queensland.
A TWO-decade devotion to initiatives that bring together the worlds of science and people has made Bernie Hobbs a nationally and internationally recognised figure.
Ms Hobbs has a talent for making science accessible, exciting and entertaining for a general audience. She is best known as a judge on The New Inventors program, and is a reporter for the ABC’s Catalyst program.
She also has weekly science spots on ABC Local Radio and does fortnightly features on science basics for ABC Online.
Ms Hobbs is the recipient of the Prix Italia for Digital Communication and an Australian Interactive Media Industry Award. She has done much to improve the understanding and appreciation of the contribution of science and scientists.
Her qualifications include a Diploma of Education and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Microbiology with first class honours in life science from QUT.
The oUTSTANdING ALUmNI AwArdS, SpoNSored by The NATIoNAL AUSTrALIA bANK, VeNdING SoLUTIoNS ANd TeChNoLoGy oNe, reCoGNISe The profeSSIoNAL AChIeVemeNTS ANd CoNTrIbUTIoNS of GrAdUATeS of qUT ANd ITS predeCeSSor INSTITUTIoNS. ThIS yeAr’S CeremoNy wAS heLd oN JULy 28.
Alumni
Science and Technology winner
Bernie Hobbs
Law winner
Magistrate Jacqui Payne
Education winner
Shelley Peers
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PHARMACIST Richard Malouf pioneered the early stages of full-line retail pharmacy in Queensland at a time when drug dispensaries were small operations adjacent to doctors’ surgeries.
Mr Malouf drew on his background in customer service and retail to grow his business into one of Queensland’s largest privately owned pharmacy groups, now with 16 stores across the state and more than 300 staff.
Mr Malouf chose a career in pharmacy because it was a profession with a retail component.
“I got to put into practice what my father taught me about running a retail business,” he said.
“My parents were in the fashion industry and my Lebanese grandparents, who arrived in Australia in the 1880s, were business owners.”
After finishing his diploma in pharmacy at QUT predecessor institution Central Technical College in 1962, Mr Malouf managed pharmacies in Woolloongabba and Inala before opening his own shop in Albert Street, Brisbane, in 1964.
Mr Malouf said providing good customer service and solid advice was the secret behind his business’s success.
- Rachael Wilson ONE of Papua New Guinea’s leading
lawyers and company directors, Anthony Smare, is making a significant contribution in his country.
Completing his QUT Bachelor of Applied Science (Geology) / Bachelor of Laws dual degree in 1998, Mr Smare joined law firm Allens Arthur Robinson, first in Melbourne and then in Port Moresby, where he was named a partner at the age of 31.
Mr Smare left legal practice in 2005 and is now director of a wide range of organisations in PNG, including national
telco Telikom, mining regulator PNG Mineral Resources Authority, mobile telco Bemobile, microfinance bank Nationwide Microbank and retail conglomerate City Pharmacy.
He helped lead the expansion of the world’s largest gold miner, Barrick Gold, in PNG and is director and general manager of corporate and legal for the company’s PNG subsidiaries.
“PNG is in the middle of a resources boom, but also has significant development problems associated with developing countries,” Mr Smare said.
“Thus there is significant opportunity for young educated and motivated Papua New Guineans to make a tremendous impact to the country’s development and the lives of the people.”
Mr Smare is also executive trustee of the PNG Halivim Wantok Disaster Fund which raises money for disaster relief and restoration projects and has plans for more projects to help others in PNG.
“I enjoy making a difference and I think I have made some impact,” he said.
- Rachael Wilson
Special Excellence Award winner
Richard Malouf
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award winner
Anthony Smare
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Top reporter
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award winner
Emma Griffiths
Alumni
AWARD-winning journalist and Outstanding Young Alumnus Award winner Emma Griffiths knew she was destined to work in television even before enrolling in QUT’s journalism degree – and 20 years later, she’s still passionate about her chosen career.
After completing her Bachelor of Business (Journalism) in 1994, Ms Griffiths began a cadetship with ABC in Brisbane and has reported for shows including ABC TV and Radio News, The 7:30 Report, Lateline, Four Corners and Foreign Correspondent.
In 2004, Ms Griffiths was posted to Moscow as a foreign correspondent and covered events including the Ukraine’s “orange” revolution, the London bombings and Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah.
She received the UN Media Peace Award for her report on Romanian children recovering from the Ceausescu regime, and her coverage of the Beslan school siege won her a commendation at the 2005 Walkley Awards.
Since 2009 Ms Griffiths has worked at the ABC’s Parliament House bureau in Canberra.
“The great thing about the ABC is that it provides so many opportunities to do different jobs within the same organisation,” Ms Griffiths said.
“I’ve had some amazing opportunities, from working as Moscow correspondent to doing live radio interviews with senior politicians and, most recently, anchoring the ABC’s coverage of the Labor leadership spill in June. In fact, that now has to be the highlight.
“I love the issues, the personalities and the strategies at play in politics, particularly at the federal level. It has an influence on just about every facet of people’s day-to-day lives.”
Ms Griffiths’ next project is the birth of her first child. She hopes to return to our screens next year reporting on the shifting political landscape from the ABC’s Canberra Parliament House bureau.
“It’s a great place to make the most of the many diverse opportunities at the ABC,” she said.
“In particular, the network’s new 24-hour news service will only mean good journalism is in more demand than ever.”
- Rachael Wilson
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Lawyers lead way
QUT Professor of Law Sally Kift will help lead a national project aimed at defining academic standards. Professor Kift and Professor Mark Israel, of the University of Western Australia, have been appointed joint Discipline Scholars in Law with the Learning and Teaching Academic Standards project.
The project, set up by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), will bring together discipline communities to define academic standards in the wake of the Bradley Review of Higher Education.
Meanwhile, QUT senior law lecturer Rachael Field has been awarded a one-year $100,000 teaching fellowship by the ALTC to try to reduce the psychological distress of law students.
Ms Field said the way law was taught needed to change, with more than one-third of law students experiencing distress.
Science & Technology Precinct Update
WORK is accelerating on QUT’s $230 million Science and Technology Precinct and Community Hub, which is due for completion in 2012. Demolition and earthworks are underway.
QUT’s aim is to establish an internationally significant hub for the integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. The redevelopment involves the demolition of five buildings in the southeast corner of the Gardens Point campus – a rapidly evolving landscape that will be transformed.
QUT hosts Nobel Prize-winning scientist
ONE of the world’s leading climate change scientists, Richard Conant, has joined QUT for three years, working with
news roundup…
NewS of New AppoINTmeNTS, UNIVerSITy SUCCeSSeS, AChIeVemeNTS of STAff ANd STUdeNTS, ANd CorporATe eVeNTS.New Courier-Mail editor
MICHAEL Crutcher, who graduated with a Bachelor of Business (Communication) in 1994, has been appointed to one of the most prestigious positions in the Australian media.
Mr Crutcher was promoted to editor of The Courier-Mail in March, after seven years with the newspaper. He began his media career as a cadet journalist with Quest Newspapers and later worked with Australian Associated Press covering Australian cricket tours and Wallaby rugby union tours, before filling roles of chief of staff and deputy editor at The Courier-Mail.
Vale Sir Brian Bell
PHILANTHROPIST, business leader and Outstanding Alumni Award winner, Sir Brian Bell, died on July 26. Sir Brian was chairman and managing director of the Brian Bell Group of companies, the largest business of its kind in Papua New Guinea. Aged 82, his passing was mourned by many, including PNG Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare.
the Institute for Sustainable Resources under the Queensland Government Smart Futures Fellowship scheme.
Mr Conant, who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice-President Al Gore and other IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) scientists, will look at how improved grazing management can enable greenhouse gas carbon dioxide emissions to be stored in soil – a technique which is seen as a crucial part of the solution to global warming.
Leadership summit
QUT continues to build on its reputation for producing global leaders, with alumnus Miresh Sheth recently making a major contribution to the Advance Leaders Summit in New Delhi in May.
The Advance organisation is the largest global network of leading Australians and alumni, with more than 20,000 members in 80 countries. Mr Sheth, a graduate of the Masters of Engineering Management Program, was nominated by QUT for the summit, which brought together Indian and Australian thought leaders and future captains of industry and government. He participated in two round table discussions topics: “Driving successful global commercialisation of innovation” and “Time for giant leaps in development of renewable energy sources”. Mr Sheth said the summit should result in more strategic initiatives for better exchange of trade and commerce between the two countries.
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WHO survived the sinking of the Titanic and who didn’t is not the usual province of economics, but QUT behavioural economists have been making waves with a series of studies on self-interest in human behaviour.
PhD candidate David Savage found the social norm of protecting women and children came into play only when there was time to organise for survival, but when time was critical it was a case of survival of the fittest.
In the study on how people react during maritime disasters, Mr Savage, Professor Benno Torgler of QUT’s School of Finance and Economics and Professor Bruno Frey of the University of Zurich in Switzerland, compared the survival demographics of the 1912 sinking of the Titanic (where 1501 people died), with the 1915 torpedoing of the passenger ship, the Lusitania, in which 1198 died.
“Time is the key,” Mr Savage said. “It seems the innate fight or flight mechanism comes into play when time is of the essence because the Lusitania sank in just 18 minutes and most survivors were young, fit people aged 16 to 35.
“In contrast, males in their prime had a lower chance of surviving the Titanic. We found that on the Titanic, children had a 14.8 per cent higher probability of surviving than a man. A person accompanying a child had a 19.6 per cent higher chance, while a woman had a 50 per cent higher chance. But the Titanic took two hours and 40 minutes to finally disappear beneath the sea.
“The studies address economics’ core concepts of self- interest and scarcity or excess of demand over supply in extreme situations and how resources are allocated.
“In the case of the Titanic, it was places on lifeboats that were the scarce resource, not time. In mainstream economics maximising utility or acting in self-interest is a traditional fundamental but we know people on the Titanic stood back and allowed others to get on the lifeboats so we considered altruism and helping behaviour in the analysis.
“While the passengers in the first and second-class berths on the Titanic had a higher probability of survival, it may be that they were closer to the lifeboat deck, but also it was the norm that they received preferential treatment.
“We expect that first-class passengers had higher bargaining power and better access to information about the imminent danger, which may have increased survival rates.”
Professor Torgler said understanding human behaviour under extreme conditions could provide insight into variations in human behaviour according to differing conditions.
“These events demonstrate that people’s behaviour in disasters does not follow the traditional mythology of mass panic. Behaviour is neither random nor inexplicable and as such it can be accounted for by using economic analysis,”
Professor Torgler said.
“The results of our analysis are fascinating. Even though the two vessels and the composition of the passengers were quite similar, the behaviour of the individuals on board was dramatically different.
“On the Lusitania, selfish behaviour prevailed which corresponds to the economic tenet that maximising self- interest is the key motivator of behaviour. By contrast, on the Titanic, more time meant there was time for social norms and social class to kick in.
“In both disasters, the captains issued orders to officers and crew to follow the social norm of ‘women and children first’. These orders were successfully carried out on the Titanic, but not on the Lusitania, due to time constraints and problems launching the lifeboats.”
- Niki Widdowson
QUT researchers are applying
behaviour economics to maritime disasters.
Saving graces
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Simulated for
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QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
safety
Road safety experts are helping to drive down the road toll.
QUT researchers are playing their part to reduce the death and destruction on our roads thanks to a new
$1.5 million driving simulator that allows them to study some of the most dangerous driver behaviours in challenging driving conditions.
Launched at QUT’s Centre for Accident Research
& Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q), Australia’s most advanced driving simulator provides cutting- edge technology to study human behaviour.
CARRS-Q director Professor Barry Watson said road crashes were, tragically, still a major cause of traumatic death and injury in Australia with an economic and social burden estimated at more than
$17 billion a year.
“This state-of-the-art facility will enable road safety researchers to study what would otherwise be
logistically, practically and ethically difficult to do out on the open road,” Professor Watson said.
“For example, driver fatigue is recognised as one of the
‘fatal four’ crash causes on our roads. But to determine the impact of sleep loss on driving behaviour is difficult because it is unsafe to deprive people of sleep and then put them behind the wheel under real driving conditions.”
Professor Watson said the key features that made the CARRS-Q driving simulator unique included being able to replicate real-time traffic conditions, reproduce sensor and warning systems and having technology that allowed researchers to manipulate driving environments.
“If we can recreate common yet potentially dangerous driving environments using simulation technology, then we can study how different people respond,” he said.
“This will give us a greater understanding of driver behaviour under difficult conditions which allow us and educators to develop improved prevention strategies, thereby making our roads safer.
“This simulator offers a breakthrough in better understanding driver behaviour, which can help to reduce the death toll on Australian roads.”
Professor Watson said the simulator had already been earmarked for a number of research projects including studies on improving safety at railway crossings and understanding the impact of whiplash on driver performance.
But he said it could also be used to measure the impairing effect of drugs, alcohol and distraction on driver performance as well as determine triggers which might prompt driver aggression.
The driving simulator works by utilising eight computers, projectors and a platform capable of moving in three dimensions. It incorporates a real Holden Calais vehicle allowing the simulator to recreate realistic traffic situations.
The simulator has been funded by the Australian Research Council, QUT, the University of Queensland, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, RACQ, the Motor Accident Insurance Commission and General Motors Holden.
- Sandra Hutchinson
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WITH a magnifying glass in one hand and a 19th century dictionary in the other, Gloria Grant began the arduous task of transcribing a faded manuscript which is now the earliest Queensland novel to be written, published and printed in the Sunshine State.
Tom Hurstbourne or A Squatter’s Life was penned by John Clavering Wood, a distant relative of Gloria’s friend Gerard Benjamin, in 1865. But until recently it was an unknown and unpublished treasure hidden in a Melbourne home.
“It was almost by chance that I became involved in this book,” Gloria, a QUT education graduate recalls.
It started when Gerard was hunting for information about his great-great grandfather John Clavering Wood (1837- 1910), and was handed a manuscript by a distant cousin.
“This is where Gloria comes into the picture, with her trusty magnifying glass,” Gerard said.
“To do the transcription she would dictate each word to me, as I would type it on the keyboard.”
Gloria jokes the book took six months to transcribe and she wore out two magnifying glasses.
The friendship between Gloria and Gerard was forged some time ago when the duo worked tirelessly together to
compile an historical account of New Farm – Reflections on New Farm.
The book, listed as a best-seller at New Farm’s Mary Ryan bookshop, captures the spirit of the people, places, landmarks and events through the eyes of residents who remember how the area once was.
“We are both ex-teachers and both share a love of history,” said Gloria, who in 1945 studied at the Kelvin Grove Teachers’ Training College, one of QUT’s predecessor institutions.
“As a child I always wanted to be a teacher,” Gloria said, “much the same as boys always say they want to be firemen.”
And after a decade teaching at schools across the state, Gloria discovered she also had a passion for writing.
Now with three books under her belt including one recounting her own family history, Gloria is a keen advocate for keeping family records.
“At a certain age many people become interested in their own history and being able to record that history means their story lives on forever,” she said.
- Sandra Hutchinson
History
lives on Gloria Grant has
discovered the past
through the eyes of
our ancestors.
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From high school to
Harvard
WHEN Hellen Wyatt severed her ties with school at the end of Year 10, she never dreamt that one day she would be studying at the world-renowned Harvard University.
But a decision to return to education and enrol at QUT at the age of 41 changed her career path and her life.
After initially doing a Graduate Certificate in Business- Marketing, she is now just months away from completing her Masters of Business – a six-year, part-time commitment.
In May, her education journey hit a new high when she spent six days at the Harvard Business School, where she took part in its annual Women’s Leadership Forum with other successful businesswomen from around the world.
She described the opportunity as a “life-changing experience”, which brought knowledge, experience and contacts which she could apply to her professional role at home in Australia.
Ms Wyatt is the Brisbane-based national healthcare manager for Bunzl Outsourcing Services where she is responsible for sourcing and supplying essential healthcare products for hospitals and aged care facilities.
She has been with the company for almost 10 years, but says she wouldn’t have
reached as far up the corporate ladder without her tertiary education – and the support of QUT
Alumni’s Fostering Executive Women (FEW) group and its mentor program (including her mentor, Australia Post’s Helen Brodie).
“I wouldn’t have got my promotions if I hadn’t been on the mentoring program because I wouldn’t have asked for them – I wouldn’t have had the confidence,” Ms Wyatt said.
Her trip to Harvard was made possible by FEW, which awarded her the Cheryl Macnaught Fostering Executive Women International Scholarship Award to attend the leadership forum in Boston.
She said starting university as a mature student was a daunting, but welcome experience.
“I only went to Grade 10 at Yeronga State High School here in Brisbane, but I always wanted to learn more and further my education,” she said.
“The anxiety of applying myself after such a long period of not studying was immense. But I can remember my first subject, my first lecture, my first night ... I was just like a sponge. That first lecture was on consumer behaviour and I absolutely loved it. University was just something I needed.”
Ms Wyatt said QUT’s lecturers had been very supportive during her tertiary journey, ranging from her first lecturer, Cathy Neale, to current staff including Bill Proud and Dr Ursula Bougoure. She said having the support of her employer and senior management team had also positively influenced her commitment to studying.
- Mechelle McMahon
Returning to study
at 41 changed
Hellen Wyatt’s
career path.
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Maths at work
QUT has accounted for half of the six Fulbright scholarships awarded to Queenslanders this year. Twenty-five Australian scholars were named at the Fulbright’s 60th
anniversary presentation dinner in Melbourne in March, writes Elizabeth Allen.
Poet, mathematician and
educator win Fulbrights
MATHEMATICS PhD student Craig Costello will spend 12 months at the University of California undertaking research into maths- based security techniques for computers, banking systems, mobile phones and other telecommunication devices.
Mr Costello, the winner of the 2010 Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship in Technology and Communications sponsored by Telstra, graduated from QUT in 2007 with a Bachelor of Applied Science in mathematics with first class honours.
He will research the use of mathematical algorithms, or functions, called “pairings” to improve digital security through encryption.
Encryption is used, for example, when someone connects to an internet bank account.
“Before any of your information, such as your bank account details and passwords, is sent to the bank over the internet, which is an openly visible insecure channel, the information needs to be scrambled and dispersed in such a way that a hacker who sees the information can’t decipher,” Mr Costello said.
“We encrypt the information and then the bank uses its key to decrypt it.”
Mr Costello said his US research would benefit banks, national security agencies, telecommunication companies or
“anyone who needs to keep their digital communications secure”.
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DR Hilary Hughes, a lecturer in teacher-librarianship with QUT’s Faculty of Education, will use her time as scholar-in-residence at the University of Colorado, Denver, to further the academic success of international and disadvantaged students.
From her previous research into how international students use online information to learn, Dr Hughes had concluded that rather than a university catering for different cultural groups separately, an inclusive approach would benefit all students – domestic and international.
She said international students often felt disoriented on arriving at a new university but many domestic students felt exactly the same way.
“We need to recognise all their
different needs and provide enough varied responses so that people’s needs will be met, and in a way that people won’t be embarrassed to go and ask for help,” Dr Hughes said.
At QUT she had found, for example, that some overseas students were reluctant to borrow library books because they thought the sign “loans” meant they had to go into debt.
Denver also has a lot of international students, as well as a large Latino population and many disadvantaged students.
“In Denver I will be working with academics and librarians to develop innovative curriculum, teaching methods and learning resources,”
Dr Hughes said.
Denver calling Putting poetry to music
FULBRIGHT scholar Sarah Holland-Batt discovered poetry as a teenager when she read TS Eliot’s The Waste Land.
“Although at that stage I didn’t understand much of the poem’s meaning, I fell in love with it and have read and written poetry ever since,” she said.
But it was not until the age of 22 that she switched her focus from classical piano, and an ambition to become a soloist, to becoming a writer – albeit often about musical subjects.
Her debut collection, Aria, was awarded the Australian Capital Territory Judith Wright Prize, the FAW Anne Elder Award, the Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize and the Dorothy Hewett Fellowship. The collection was also shortlisted in both the New South Wales and Queensland Premiers’ Literary Awards.
Now Ms Holland-Batt, a lecturer in creative writing and literary studies, will use a Fulbright scholarship to study at New York University for a Master of Fine Arts in poetry.
During her time in New York, she will write a book- length sequence of lyric poems, Quartet, reworking Dante’s account of Paolo and Francesca in the Inferno into a series of interwoven dramatic monologues.
“I think the Greeks were right when they called poetry the highest of all the arts,” she said.
“A terrific poem can have the same effect as a novel but in a much shorter space which requires a lot of skill on the poet’s part.”
Her writing routine involves “a lot of thinking during the day, and writing and redrafting at night”.
“I am a chronic editor and it can take me up to six months to get a poem into what I feel is a publishable state,” she said.
She grew up at Southport, on the Gold Coast, until the age of 12, spent her teenage years in America and recently was an Australia Council writer-in-residence in Rome.
Ms Holland-Batt is one of two winners of the Fulbright Postgraduate Alumni (WG Walker) Scholarship, which is granted to the highest ranked Australian postgraduate applicant.
QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
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LIVING off two small rationed meals while undergoing a gruelling boot camp in North Queensland rainforest might not be everyone’s idea of a good time – but for QUT acting graduate Josh Helman it was the experience of a lifetime.
Mr Helman, pictured above, received critical acclaim from Hollywood greats Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks for his role as US Marine Private Lew “Chuckler” Juergens in the $200 million miniseries, The Pacific, the HBO/Channel Seven series believed to be the most expensive production in Australian television history.
“He’s magnificent,” uber filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who co-produced The Pacific, told News Limited.
“You know there are some guys that just end up embodying something more,” fellow co-producer and acting great Tom Hanks said.
“It’s what you’re hoping for every time you cast somebody
in a role, that they will come in and bring something to it that might be hinted at in the writing. He is great.”
Mr Helman completed his QUT Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) in 2006 and got his first job as a guest star on Australian soap Home and Away in 2007.
He said acting was something he had an instinct for, but found constantly challenging.
“I guess that’s its appeal,” he said. “I know it will take me a long time to feel like I can do it well and I need something that will be difficult for me to master.
“Studying at QUT put me on the road to becoming exactly the type of actor I wanted to be.
“I watched performances and imbibed everything I could.”
Mr Helman now lives in New York where he will perform in Play with the Penguin at 59E59 Theatres this month.
- Rachael Wilson
QUT acting and drama graduates are hitting the big time internationally and at home.
Jason Klarwein, Bachelor of Arts (Drama), 1997, this year starred in Queensland Theatre Company’s one-man-show Thom Pain (based on nothing), written by leading contemporary playwright Will Eno.
James Stewart, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting), 1999, and Shakespearian specialist, was nominated to win a
“new male talent” 2010 Logie award for his popular Packed to the Rafters character Jake Barton.
Michael Dorman, Bachelor of Arts (Drama), 2001, and Emma Randall, Bachelor of Arts (Drama), 1996, rubbed shoulders with Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe in vampire flick Daybreakers, released earlier this year.
Adrienne Pickering, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting), 2003, has featured in several Australian television series and will appear later this year in feature film The Reef with QUT acting graduates Zoe Naylor and Logie-
winner Gyton Grantley.
Damien Freeleagus, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting), 2005, will be seen in two new Australian feature films Primal and Juicy. He also acted in The Pacific and formed television company Half-a-dozen Cousins with other QUT graduates.
Kathryn Beck Bachelor of Arts (Drama), 2006, features in Australian film Subdivision, starring Gary Sweet.
Guy Edmonds, Bachelor of
Fine Arts (Acting), 2004, and Matt Zeremes, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting), 2006, starred in Holding the Man in London’s West End after an outstanding Australian national tour in 2008-09.
Their support cast included seasoned Australian actors Jane Turner, of Kath and Kim fame, and Simon Burke.
Andy Ryan, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting), 2006, will appear in feature film Tomorrow, When The War Began this year.
Re el s uc ce ss
In 2010, QUT acting and drama graduates continue to light up the stage and screen.
In 2010, QUT acting and drama graduates continue to light up the stage and screen.
Left to right, Michael Dorman, Jason Klarwein with Will Eno, James Stewart and Adrienne Pickering.
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QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
Phones are turning into big business for games developers.
iCreate
YOUNG QUT information technology graduates are making a global splash, cashing in on the entrepreneurial potential of iPhone applications and game designs.
One of the leading lights of Brisbane’s booming game development industry is Shainiel Deo, who earned his Bachelor of Information Technology in 1996 and founded Halfbrick Studios in 2001.
Halfbrick Studios, based in Kelvin Grove, now employs 40 staff, including several QUT graduates such as marketing co-ordinator Phil Larsen, who completed a QUT business degree in 2007, and Luke Muscat, who graduated from dual information technology and communication design degrees in 2006.
Mr Deo said Halfbrick Studios originally designed games for handheld consoles, such as Gameboy Advance, before the rise of mobile phones.
“Mobile phones 10 years ago were pretty clunky with small screens and little processing power, but today’s smart phones, like iPhone, are as powerful as handheld games consoles,” he said.
“With their touch screens and processing power, they’re exciting for game design yet a bit tricky, because designers need to understand the changing design requirements along with how to make fun games for players.”
Halfbrick Studios are also commissioned to make digitally distributed games for larger consoles, such as Xbox 306 and PlayStation 3. They are putting the final touches on the soon-to-be-released Xbox 306 game Raskulls.
Their most successful iPhone game to date is Fruit Ninja, a US99c game that has been downloaded over one million
times since its release earlier this year and involves slicing tropical fruit as it flies across the touch screen.
“A good game for iPhone needs to be really simple with addictive game play to keep people coming back for more,” Mr Deo said.
“Every action needs to reward players and the game needs a good theme.”
Other QUT graduates delving into iPhone game development include The Voxel Agents, a trio of dual degree holders in information technology and communication design, who graduated in 2006.
Simon Joslin, who has also worked at Halfbrick Studios, Thomas Killen and Matthew Clark, pictured above left to right, collaborated to create the popular strategy game Train Conductor, in which players use the touch screen to direct the oncoming trains to their correct tracks.
Since the game’s release last December, it has been featured on Apple’s Highly Addictive Games list and was named Game of the Year 2009 by the DIYGamer blog.
QUT’s Urban Informatics research group has also been making its mark, developing and releasing an iPhone app called FixVegas, where members of the public can alert the Brisbane City Council to maintenance issues such as blocked drains, rubbish or fresh graffiti by sending a photo.
- Rachael Wilson
Left to right, Phil Larsen, Shainiel Deo and Luke Muscat from Halfbrick Studios.
QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
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A TALENT for blending striking buildings with high environmental performance has earned QUT alumni Kerry and Lindsay Clare the most prestigious architecture award in Australia.
The couple became the first husband-and-wife team to win the 2010 Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal earlier this year, thanks to a body of work that includes Queensland’s landmark Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), pictured above.
The Clares share the same university ties (Kerry has a QUT architecture degree and Lindsay a QIT architecture diploma), a family of five adult children and the same passion for creating sustainable buildings.
Their work over the past 35 years has been characterised by a desire for their buildings to respond to the particular characteristics of a place and to tap into the environmental benefits of natural light and ventilation – often through pavilion-style forms.
Equally at home designing family residences or massive
government projects, the AIA Gold Medal especially recognised their “enormous contribution” to sustainable architecture.
“It has been a high honour and not something we ever expected,” said Kerry. “We’re particularly proud that it recognised our environmental achievements because that is something that we would like students and young architects to recognise and pursue in their own work.”
Lindsay said the medal win was made “all the more remarkable” because he and Kerry had never set out to create “spectacular places”.
“We only ever set out with the intention of designing habitable places,” he said. “But whether you are making public spaces or private spaces, people need to feel comfortable and be inspired by them. Both need to reinforce a relationship with an area and feel connected to the place it’s in.”
The couple founded their own business, Clare Design, on the Sunshine Coast in 1980 and are now based in Sydney
Kerry and Lindsay Clare’s environmental sensitivity has won them Australia’s top architecture award.
Love the landscape
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QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
where they are designing for clients across the country.
They moved south 12 years ago to become design directors for the New South Wales Government Architect’s Office, where they worked on projects including the refurbishment of the Circular Quay wharves.
From 2000 to early 2010, they switched to the Sydney office of national firm Architectus, where they were design directors of the winning entry in the GoMA international design competition.
The gallery has become their best-known project, but one which they describe as “challenging” and which saw them forced to navigate the complexities of a major building company and government hierarchy.
Asking them to pick a favourite building from their career is somewhat akin to choosing a favourite child.
“It’s a question we usually try to avoid,” Kerry says, citing the difficulty in comparing a 25,000m2 gallery with someone’s 80m2 home.
But the freedom that came with designing their own
former home, pictured above, at Buderim on the Sunshine Coast – and its ensuing awards – pushes it towards the top of any favourite list.
And although most people don’t build a new home from scratch, anyone undertaking renovations can also learn a lesson from some of the simple principles that have dominated the Clares’ work.
“What’s the site like, where are the breezes, where does the sun come from? These are the questions we ask,”
Lindsay said. “There’s not much point in adding more spaces if they don’t work well.”
Kerry said a good starting point was: “Ask yourself what the nicest parts of your property are, where are the best aspect and views, where do you get the lovely warm winter sun, or where do you like to sit on a summer afternoon? Those are the elements you want to keep and expand on.”
- Mechelle McMahon
Love the landscape
QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
18 update research
Sweet relief for sugar industry
THE previously discarded waste from Queensland’s sugarcane crop is fast heading towards replacing up to a third of the state’s unleaded petrol needs, thanks to QUT research at the new Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant. The purpose-built pilot plant is hosted by Mackay Sugar at the Racecourse Mill and opened in July. Professor James Dale, who heads QUT’s Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, said the pilot plant was a unique research facility that would produce biofuels such as ethanol for vehicles, and other products such as building materials, paints, waxes and resins. It will utilise the waste from sugarcane (bagasse) and other cane by-products, as well as waste from other crops.
The Mackay Pilot Plant has been funded by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, the Queensland Government’s Smart State Research Facilities Fund, the Australian Government’s Education Investment Fund and QUT. QUT’s industry partners in the project include Syngenta, Farmacule and Mackay Sugar.
$5M study of 3-year-olds
ABOUT 1300 three-year-olds in Brisbane and Mount Isa have become the first Queensland children to take part in the $5 million Effective Early Education Experiences Study (E4Kids).
QUT researcher Professor Karen Thorpe said the 300 Mount Isa children and 1000 Brisbane children selected for the study would be visited by researchers twice a year over the next five years to track their educational, social and developmental progress. She said 98 per cent of children aged four-and-a- half to five now attended Prep, but the way three-year-olds and four-year-olds were educated was completely optional.
“E4Kids will follow the achievements of 2500 three-year-olds from diverse communities across Queensland and Victoria
over five years and compare their earlier experiences with national test data that will be collected when the children are aged eight,” she said. The study has received $3 million from the Queensland and Victorian state governments, and a $2.2 million Australian Research Council Linkage grant.
Lonely kids open up online
LONELY children and teenagers disclose more personal and intimate information on the internet than those who are not lonely, a QUT study has found. The study of 10 to 16-year- olds was based on a survey of 626 Brisbane school students and involved a research team of masters student Luigi Bonetti, Associate Professor Marilyn Campbell and Dr Linda Gilmore.
They found those who were lonely communicated more frequently online, disclosed more intimate information and were more likely to have contact with adults on the internet.
Killed by the cold
RATES of cardiovascular disease increase dramatically in Australian winters because many people don’t know how to rug up against the cold, a QUT researcher has found. Dr Adrian Barnett from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation said numbers showed that winters in Australia posed a greater risk to health than winters in cold northern European countries. “When the temperature goes below 19 degrees in Australia the death rate from heart and circulatory problems goes up,” he said. “We are not very good at protecting ourselves against the cold weather, we don’t wear the right sort of clothes in winter and our homes are often not well insulated.” Dr Barnett said Australians knew how to cope with heat, but in winter people just didn’t know how to get warm enough – particularly elderly people. “We can easily cope with 30 degrees, which people in northern Europe cannot do, but we are very fragile creatures when the temperature drops, even if it is only around 15 degrees,” he said.
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QUT scientists are using technologically advanced automated monitoring equipment to track greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of urbanisation as part of a new national research network.
The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), at QUT’s Samford Ecological Research Facility north of Brisbane, is a major Federal Government investment in developing infrastructure to examine changes in ecosystems in response to urbanisation.
QUT’s Institute for Sustainable Resources director Professor Peter Grace said the 51-hectare property in the Samford Valley, one of TERN’s southeast Queensland peri-urban supersites, would serve as a “living laboratory”.
“The Samford Valley is a unique confined valley on the perimeter of Brisbane which is rapidly changing from a rural and farming environment to an urban lifestyle,” Professor Grace said.
“We will study the impact that increased population is having on our fauna, greenhouse gases and waterways.”
Professor Grace said QUT would be involved in the monitoring of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions using a newly built, mini flux tower and automated greenhouse gas monitoring equipment.
“The Ozflux tower will provide instantaneous
measurements of heat, water and carbon dioxide exchanged between the grassland and atmosphere, for a period of three years,” he said.
“It will also measure a range of meteorological data such as rainfall, air temperature and humidity.”
The measurements will allow researchers to better understand the impact of urbanisation on climate change.
TERN will also include acoustic sensor monitoring technologies that record the natural sounds of the environment, enabling researchers to estimate the number and diversity of animals in the environment.
Professor Grace said the information gathered would be examined, with data from other future supersites developed around Australia, to investigate long-term impacts on ecosystems and develop models for better planning in the future.
The Samford Ecological Research Facility was established on land bequeathed to QUT by Dr Elizabeth (Patricia) Marks.
The project is an initiative of the Federal Government being conducted as part of the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.
TERN is a joint collaboration funded by QUT, University of Queensland, Griffith University, CSIRO and the State Government’s Department of Environment Resource Management.
- Sandra Hutchinson
Climate
TRACKING
QUT researchers have their ears to the ground
monitoring the health of local ecosystems.
QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
20
AN elderly American couple who have devoted their lives to working in developing countries and now live across the road from QUT’s Gardens Point campus have pledged almost $1 million to the university and have “adopted” its students to help carry on their good work.
Carl Leonard, 86, and Mary Leonard, 99, have provided initial donations of $275,000 to fund the new Mary and Carl Leonard International Relations Award – an annual $10,000 scholarship which will enable QUT students to travel overseas to do community work.
The Leonards have also pledged to bequeath their estate to the university in their wills.
“All of our friends come and talk about their grandchildren but we don’t have grandchildren – now we have the QUT children,” Mrs Leonard said. “I think learning would be the
theme of our life and we just want to help these young people learn.”
She said they made their donations after picking up a flyer about giving to the university, while attending a public lecture at Gardens Point campus.
QUT Alumni and Development director Simone Garske said the couple had watched “the comings and goings” of students since retiring to Brisbane 10 years ago and renting an Alice Street apartment near QUT.
Their gift to QUT was recognised earlier this year during a ceremony at the university hosted by QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake, and also prompted Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley to invite them to Government House to thank them on behalf of the people of Queensland.
- Mechelle McMahon
Carl and Mary Leonard want their international community work to live on with the help of our university students.
THE results of an international survey and focus groups conducted in late 2009 paint a fascinating picture of differences between QUT alumni, said QUT Alumni Relations manager Julie Mannion.
Focus groups identified three differing life stages.
QUT alumni in their 20s and 30s are focused on building their career, Ms Mannion said. They sought university activities and resources that could add to their expertise.
Alumni at this early career stage
were squeezed for time and wanted clear value from participating in QUT activities. The good news was if they contributed to the university, it boosted their skill set and their resume.
The research showed the second life-stage, the 40s and 50s, was when alumni’s careers were in full bloom and they were more settled generally.
With a greater understanding of their field, they were increasingly willing to share their expertise.
Ask them for input into courses, guest lecturing, mentoring or
work experience for students, and they would give generously.
The third life-stage occurred when alumni moved towards semi- or full retirement: they were less time- pressured and their interests broader.
They were more likely to see the value of the university to the wider community and assist outside their professional field.
Despite the differences, almost a quarter of survey respondents looked forward to more involvement with the university, Ms Mannion said.
$1M gift to QUT ‘family’
Alumni
survey results Alumni
survey results
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QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
JULIe mANNIoN, ALUmNI reLATIoNS mANAGer
alumni N ew S
Join Our Alumni E-Newsletter
for special offers, alumni events and activities, QUT and alumni news.How to contact the alumni office: Web www.alumni.qut.edu.au E alumni@qut.edu.au P +61 7 3138 4778 Fax +61 7 3138 1514 Mail QUT Alumni GPO Box 2434, Brisbane Q 4001, Australia
Ch ap ter an d G ro up ne w s
Recent Alumni Events
n Student Leadership Awards
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws student Arlou Arteta, pictured, was recently announced the 2010 Student Leader of the Year at QUT Alumni’s Student Leadership Awards. Nine Excellence Award winners were also named.
Michael D’Onofrio, 2007 Student Leadership Excellence Award winner, was named one of Australia’s Most Inspiring Young Engineers by the Institution of Engineers, Australia in May.
n Sydney alumni The Sydney Alumni Group held a successful Career Development Workshop in May, the group’s first professional development event for 2010. The group also launched an e-newsletter in March.
n Alumni Service Award
Andy Tan, CAD-IT Consultants sales director, was awarded an Alumni Service Award at the Singapore alumni reception in March. Andy was a pro-active and energetic president of the Singapore alumni chapter for more than six years and continues to play a key role in the group.
n Outstanding Alumni Awardees Dinner
A special evening at Old Government House in July celebrated 18 years of Outstanding Alumni Award winners. The event featured a tour of the William Robinson Gallery accompanied by the artist and QUT alumnus himself, and a musical performance by Viva La Musica.
International Update
Professor Feng Han, of Tongji University (CAUP) in Shanghai, was awarded the Women in Leadership Award
at the Australia-China Alumni Awards Gala Dinner held in Shanghai in July. Professor Han was also recognised as the joint Alumnus of the Year (Research) in the 2010 Queensland-China Education and Training Awards. She earned a QUT built environment and engineering Doctor of Philosophy in 2007.
Upcoming Alumni Events
n The QUT Community of Former Staff and 20 year club joint reception will be held on September 1.
n The Alumni Board AGM and volunteer reception will be held on October 7 at Old Government House.
n Upcoming international gatherings and graduations are: Taiwan Alumni Reception, October 11, and Taiwan graduation, October 12, at Sheraton Taipei Hotel; Hong Kong Alumni Reception, October 13, and Hong Kong graduation, October 14, at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers Kowloon.
n The 2010 Golden Graduates Morning Tea will be held on Saturday, November 6 at the Brisbane Convention Centre.
For more information on all upcoming activities and events in 2010, visit QUT Alumni at www.alumni.qut.edu.au.
Calling all QUT Golden Graduates
Did you complete study at one of QUT’s predecessor institutions, CTC, BKTC and the Qld Teachers’ Training College in 1960 or earlier? If so, you are invited to the annual 2010 Golden Graduates Morning Tea, supported by Malouf Group Pharmacies.
Date: Saturday, November 6 Enquiry: Contact Alumni Office on 07 3138 1837
QUT Alumni services and benefits
On the address sheet with this issue of QUT Links, you will find details outlining various services and benefits now available exclusively to QUT Alumni.
These include NAB@work benefits, Thrifty Car rental, Chartis travel insurance, wine benefits, QUT bookshop discounts, library membership (including borrowing and online database access) and QUT Alumni theatre evenings.
Medibank Private offer
Medibank VIP health cover is offering QUT Alumni up to 5 per cent off VIP packaged covers, VIP hospital-only and VIP extras-only covers. Benefits include two free dental check-ups a year with extras cover at a Members’ Choice dentist. For more information, visit vip.medibank.com.au. When contacting Medibank Private simply quote QUT Alumni and your Alumni ID.
Left-right, Chancellor Peter Arnison, Andy Tan, Alumni manager Julie Mannion and Singapore alumni chapter president Jason Chong.
QUTLINKS AUGUST ’10
22
deGreeS ShowN UNderNeATh The NAmeS of ALUmNI Are from qUT or predeCeSSor INSTITUTIoNS.
touch keep in
2000s
Ali Al Shidhani
MInfTech 2003
Ali is a lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman. His research interests include network security and, more specifically, wireless network security.
This year he obtained a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Canada. http://sites.google.com/site/
alialshidhani/
alily@squ.edu.om or +968 24142518
Mao-Lung Chen
MInfTech(Adv) 2009, GradDipInfTech 2008, English For Academic Purposes 2007 Mao-Lung graduated from QUT in 2009 and is now working in a company at Archerfield (south of Brisbane) as a website developer.
edward13c@hotmail.com or 07 3717 2335
Janice Crosbie
BSocSc(Hons)(Human Services) 2007, BSocSc(HumServ) 2004
Janice was recently accepted into a Doctor of Philosophy at the Australian Catholic University to research how mental health consumers view services.
xbee@bigpond.com
or 07 3269 9783, 0418 873 701
Ashleigh Griffiths
BHlthSc 2009
After graduating as a podiatrist, Ashleigh is currently working in Newcastle, NSW.
ash2dag@hotmail.com or 0431 874 546
Ben Johnson
BBus 2006
Ben began his marketing career at Cutts Creative, a highly regarded Brisbane graphic design agency. In 2006 he moved to a global marketing role, managing marketing and communications for a multi-national property development firm. Seeking a deeper understanding of the B2B marketing landscape, he then took the position of account manager at Bang’s Brisbane office. Most recently, Ben has again moved to the client side, leading the marketing for Data#3’s Integrated Solutions business.
info@benjohnson.com.au
George and Gerard Meijer
George – BA(Drama-Technical Production and Management) 2000
Gerard – CertTeach 1964
Father and son Gerard and George Meijer are in the village of Rani Pauwa, 20km out of Kathmandu, as Rotary volunteers commencing infrastructure for an eco village and orphanage.
Camping in tents, long days of hard work, solar showers, pit toilets and local food all make the time special. From their camp, they can see a majestic view of the Annapurna Range.
g.meijer@qut.edu.au (George) gameijer@bigpond.net.au (Gerard)
Scott Nash
BAdultEd&Training 2009
With a focus on corporate learning and development, Scott has clients throughout the Asia-Pacific region. His emphasis is on soft skills training such as customer service, sales, coaching, mentoring and leadership.
scott@champsunlimited.com or 07 3714 0888
Kerryn Newton
MBA 2006, LLM 1999, LLB 1988 Kerryn was admitted as a solicitor in 1991 and has worked in various legal and management roles in the private and public sectors. Her roles have included extensive experience as a lawyer and adviser for the Queensland Parliament. Currently, Kerryn is managing director of Directors Australia, a board consulting and director recruitment firm. She is also a non-executive director of ENERGEX, a commissioner of the Queensland Gaming Commission, and chairs the board of a large community housing company.
kerryn.newton@directorsaustralia.com or 0408 735 529
Father James O’Donoghue
MCouns 2000
As well as working at the Jubilee Catholic Parish at Red Hill, Father James is also a fulltime chaplain at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
pa1.jubilee@bne.catholic.net.au or 07 3369 5351
Elisabet Ranson
Executive MBA 2008
After working in the corporate world for many years, Elisabet has taken the plunge and started her own business.
Her company, Staff Synergy, provides coaching and support to small to medium-sized businesses in the areas of staffing and HR.
elisabet.ranson@staffsynergy.com.au or 0407 029 129
Pornpol Srimandhyamas
MEngMgt 2005
Pornpol returned to Thailand after finishing his degree and started working in a petrochemical business as a commercial engineer. Still in Thailand, he is now working in a trade and service company as their mechanical sales manager.
pols_qut@hotmail.com or +66 38 648 14590
