NEW FEATURE:
Where are they now?
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Communication Design goes on show
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Sports news:
rugby team amalgamates Queensland University of Technology Newspaper • Issue ... • Month, 1999 Queensland University of Technology Newspaper • Issue 210 (O Week edition) • February 13-March 5, 2001
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dennis Gibson, said he was delighted QUT would host the Co- operative Research Centre for Diagnostics, along with a new CRC for Construction Innovation and that a number of QUT researchers would work with a third Queensland-based CRC.
The CRC for Diagnostics has evolved from the award-winning CRC for Diagnostic Technologies which was previously headquartered at QUT.
This renewed CRC will be based at QUT and will also involve La Trobe University, the CSIRO, the Child Health Research Institute, Panbio Pty Ltd and Queensland Medical Laboratories.
Its predecessor was established on July 1, 1995, and had major research nodes in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide that will be maintained with the new CRC for Diagnostics.
QUT a dual winner in CRC research boost
Overseen by its director, Professor Tony Evans, the new CRC will work in the areas of antibody engineering, antibody/antigen detection, protein engineering and profiling, molecular evolution, genetic and infectious disease diagnostics, single nucleotide polymorphism detection technology and point-of-care nucleic acid tests.
Professor Gibson said QUT was proud to continue hosting a successful Cooperative Research Centre that had as its aim the exploitation of opportunities arising from the “human genome” project.
“Last year, the CRC for Diagnostic Technologies won a national award for its commercialisation and utilisation of research which was presented by Senator Minchin at the CRC Association’s annual meeting,”
Professor Gibson said.
“This award was in recognition of the CRC’s successful commercialisation of its First Nucleotide Change (FNC) technology which was picked up by US biotechnology giant Affymetrix.”
Professor Gibson added that, through the new CRC, technologies, processes and products for the rapid diagnosis and monitoring of human diseases and physical symptoms would be developed.
“This work will enable more patient- specific screening for the predisposition of selected diseases and medical conditions and this work will ultimately lead to better treatments and reduced health costs for the community.”
Professor Gibson said commercial outcomes from the CRC for Diagnostics would continue to be captured for the benefit of the Australian public either by the CRC’s commercial and end-user
participants or by other national or international companies.
With Senator Minchin’s announcement came confirmation of $16.3 million in Government support over the coming seven years for this CRC.
This is set to complement approximately $70 million backing from other sources.
The CRC, which will be chaired by former MIM CEO Sir Bruce Watson, will involve at least 20 postgraduate students and the equivalent of around 50 full-time research staff across its three locations.
Meanwhile, the exciting new CRC for Construction Innovation is to be led initially by QUT’s current director of research in the School of Construction Management and Property, Dr Keith Hampson.
Continued Page 2 Australia’s broadcasting system is
under severe threat and the financial weakening of the ABC is impossible to ignore, according to the former managing director of the ABC, Brian Johns.
Mr Johns was speaking at a QUT graduation ceremony where he received an honorary doctorate for his contributions to the community and to the university.
In his address, Mr Johns said the limitations imposed by the Government on the ABC’s use of spectrum represented an enormous loss to the Australian public.
“The Government has decreed that the ABC should have the same limitations on the use of spectrum data-casting as are placed on the commercial free-to-air broadcasters,”
Mr Johns said.
“The fact that this policy has meant the virtual maintenance of the broadcasting status quo is bad enough.
“But, in respect of the potential enrichment of the ABC and the community, the loss is enormous.”
Mr Johns, who was managing director of the ABC for five years until March last year, described broadcasting as ”Australia’s most precious cultural eco-system”.
“I believe Australia has – until now – had the finest broadcasting system in the world,” he said.
He believed that the broadcasting system “which has delivered us so much is an endangered species”.
“The present Government’s continuing financial punishment and its habitual attempts to diminish the ABC’s standing
have been impossible to ignore – notably in its delivery of news and current affairs”.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson said Mr Johns, AO, had been awarded an honorary doctorate for his contributions to the development of
broadcasting, journalism, communication and publishing over more than four decades. Last year he was appointed an associate professor in QUT’s School of Media and Journalism.
– Colleen Clur
Australia’s broadcasting system
‘endangered’ – former ABC chief
Former ABC managing director and QUT adjunct professor Brian Johns ... loss to community ‘enormous’
As the university prepares to welcome almost 12,000 new students for the new academic year, QUT is celebrating the fact that it is the most popular first-preference choice of any university in the state.
That popularity, said the director of student administration Ray Morley, was also reflected in a sharp rise in the number of international students arriving to study at QUT from a growing number of countries.
This year, QUT offered between 500 and 600 more places through the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre, bringing the number of QTAC undergraduate places to more than 9,000.
“Around 40 per cent of domestic students coming to us via QTAC are school leavers,” Mr Morley said,
“the rest generally have had some work experience before they’ve elected to study here.”
“Our postgraduate numbers are well up and, combined with new undergraduates, we’ll have around 12,000 new students this semester.”
Mr Morley said that at both undergraduate (bachelor-degree) and postgraduate levels, applications for information technology courses were up sharply, along with those for education degrees.
“We’ve seen the Overall Position (OP) cutoff for undergraduate information technology tighten from OP9 to OP7 at Gardens Point,” he said. “At Carseldine, numbers of students have almost doubled from last year and the undergraduate information technology cutoff has remained stable.”
Mr Morley confirmed that latest statistics were showing international student numbers well up on last year, bringing QUT’s total international student population to around 3,500, an all-time record. He said the five most popular countries of origin for incoming students this year look like being Singapore, Norway, Malaysia, Sweden and Hong Kong.
Student services listing – Page 8
Records tumble as
new year begins
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From the Vice-Chancellor
From Page 1Involving a substantial consortium of core and supporting organisations that includes universities, industry partners and government agencies, the new CRC aims to “create and commercially exploit tools, technologies and management systems to ensure improvements across the whole-of-life of constructed facilities”.
It will have major research nodes in Brisbane (at QUT), Melbourne (CSIRO/RMIT) and in New South Wales (University of Sydney/CSIRO/
University of Newcastle/University of Western Sydney).
Professor Gibson said researchers in the new CRC would target improvements in business planning, design and construction, ownership, asset management and reuse.
“The technologies developed are expected to reduce time, costs and waste in construction and infrastructure projects involving the partners by between 10 and 30 per cent,” Professor Gibson explained.
“Almost a decade ago, a Commonwealth Government research report estimated that a 10 per cent lift
in efficiency in the construction sector could boost GDP by 2.5 per cent, so that this new CRC’s outcomes are likely to contribute to wider economic benefits for Australia.
“Long-term, the construction industry will benefit from new technologies which have been piloted on actual construction projects, new software tools that incorporate the new technologies, and just-in-time training modules which will deliver education when and where needed.”
The Board for the CRC for Construction Innovation is to be led by an independent, non-executive chairman – the former chairman of the Property Council of Australia and of the National Building and Construction Committee, Jim Service AM.
The new CRC will receive $14 million in Government support over the coming seven years and this is set to complement approximately $50 million backing from other sources.
QUT’s third CRC success has come through its Physical Infrastructure C e n t r e i n t h e S c h o o l o f C i v i l Engineering, which also been a
winner from this latest round of CRC funding announcements.
T h e F e d e r a l G o v e r n m e n t h a s awarded $11.2million over seven years for a new CRC for Railway Engineering and Technologies and the Physical Infrastructure Centre will host one of five research nodes for this CRC.
With a total budget of $33million, this CRC – which is headquartered at Central Queensland University – aims to develop an internationally competitive, efficient and sustainable rail industry and to facilitate the development of an Australian export industry in railway technologies.
The benefits are expected to be improved rail efficiency and infrastructure capacity, energy savings and reduced maintenance costs.
A number of schools and centres at QUT will participate in research with the Brisbane node for this CRC, including civil, mechanical, manufacturing and medial engineering, mathematical sciences, management and the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland.
... uni a dual winner in CRC program
Collaborative research programs producing worthwhile outcomes for i n d u s t r y , g o v e r n m e n t s a n d t h e c o m m u n i t y a r e a p r a c t i c a l application of university research which has been a major government priority for more than a decade.
At QUT – where industry research has been producing some impressive results over the past few years – we have particular cause to celebrate as we enter the new millennium.
T h i s u n i v e r s i t y h a s r e c e n t l y become the national headquarters for two Cooperative Research Centres, the CRC for Diagnostics and the CRC for Construction Innovation.
T h e s e s u c c e s s e s a r e t h e culmination of months of hard work, considerable negotiations, clever p l a n n i n g a n d h i g h - q u a l i t y presentations and are achievements that underpin our growing stature in research. Most importantly the success is built on our high-quality staff in these areas.
C a p i t a l i s i n g o n t h e h u m a n genome project findings, work in our diagnostics CRC is expected to p r o d u c e a n e x c i t i n g r a n g e o f
Research excellence rewarded
medical diagnostic tools that will help revolutionise the prediction a n d m a n a g e m e n t o f a r a f t o f inherited diseases.
On the other hand, pulling together various computing, technological, engineering, entrepreneurial and process management innovations and applying them to the construction industry bodes well for the efficient long-term use of resources for private, commercial and government buildings.
The construction innovation CRC will help drive down costs while enhancing the functionality, safety and productivity of our built environment.
Both CRCs then are set to contribute much to Australian society.
The privilege of being the primary n o d e f o r b o t h i s a s i g n i f i c a n t development for QUT.
To those students and staff who are new to QUT, a warm welcome. It is an exciting time to be coming into higher education.
To those of you who are returning, may this year bring you the rewards for which you’ve strived.
Profesor Dennis Gibson
Confidential external counselling services are now available free to all QUT staff as part of the university’s employee assistance scheme.
The new service comes after the university’s 1999 employee opinion survey, in which staff suggested that off-campus counselling be provided as an optional alternative to QUT’s existing services.
Under the new scheme, staff are entitled to three one-hour visits each year to employee counselling specialists Davidson Trahaire and a reduced rate for any further consultations.
Human resources associate director Graham MacAulay said the service
Staff get external counselling option
would help staff who wished to speak confidentially to an independent professional regarding problems which may impact on their work performance.
“This initiative ensures that staff have a free professional, independent and confidential resource to assist with work and family problems,” Mr MacAulay said.
“For urgent situations, same-day counselling can be arranged.”
Mr MacAulay said staff could make an appointment by calling Davidson Trahaire and needed to take their staff card to the appointment to confirm their employment status.
“The university will be billed directly for all consultations within the scheme and, to maintain patient confidentiality, no name will appear on the statement we receive,” he said.
Mr MacAulay said the new assistance option did not affect the services offered by QUT’s internal counselling service, which would continue to offer free and short-term counselling for staff, with offices on all campuses.
A brochure about the new service is available on-line at www.qut.edu.au/
admin/hrd/publicationhome.htm and Davidson Trahaire can be contected directly on 1300 360 364.
QUT’s ongoing development of the Carseldine campus will shift into overdrive this year as work advances on a state-of- the art teaching and learning building.
The $9 million facility would provide flexible, modular teaching spaces integrated with the latest information technology, said Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Northern Corridor Development) Adam Shoemaker.
“This new building will be unique at QUT in that it won’t be dominated by a particular faculty or discipline,” Associate Professor Shoemaker said. “The guiding principle will be function, not faculty. This approach will allow QUT much greater flexibility in shaping the future of the campus, including the potential for even
Carseldine master planning nears completion
closer collaboration with our regional education partner, the North Point Institute of TAFE.”
The new building’s location will be determined as part of QUT’s master planning process for Carseldine, due for completion by April.
Professor Shoemaker said that regardless of the site chosen, the building would perform two key functions.
“This building will provide a frame for existing structures and will greatly enhance ongoing efforts to define a heart for the campus,” he said. “As well, it will provide a visible landmark for the community and emphasise the campus as a significant feature of the Carseldine neighbourhood.”
The building is being jointly funded by QUT and DETYA, which has provided $4.5 million from its Capital Development Pool.
Preliminary work for the building will commence this year, with construction completed some time in 2002.
As a first step, QUT’s Facilities Management Department will establish a user-group comprising academic and general staff and students to fully define the role and functions of the facility. This group will draw on preliminary research undertaken by the Office of the PVC (NCD) in 2000 contained in the report The Learning Commons: A Flexible Student Learning Environment for Carseldine.
– Tony Wilson
David snares plum job
QUT’s Outstanding Alumni Award winner for 2000, David Moffatt [Bachelor of Business (management), QIT], has been appointed as Telstra Corporation’s chief financial officer and group managing director, finance and administration.
Telstra CEO Dr Ziggy Switkowski described Mr Moffatt’s new position as “arguably the most exciting CFO position in the land”.
Mr Moffatt – who has been CEO of General Electric, Australia and New Zealand – will take up his new post in Telstra’s Melbourne office on March 1.
Karl makes the news
One of the youngest newsreaders around, QUT journalism graduate Karl Stefanovic has had a busy summer, finding himself filling the weekend presenter’s chair on National Nine News for Mike London as well as a Gold Coast presenter and reporter.
The 26-year-old, pictured here at the Gold Coast, completed his studies at
QUT in 1995. He has already amassed a range of experience in local and international news as well as entertainment. He joined QTQ9 in Brisbane mid last year after stints as a reporter and presenter with Channel Ten and TVNZ in Auckland. He has also worked on Pay TV [Optus] presenting an entertainment show.
Accountant ‘in the groove’
QUT accounting graduate Allison Moss has the kind of job most music lovers would die for ... on her first day at Martin Greene Ravden, a London-based accounting firm with clients from the music and film industries, she met Right Said Fred – the duo famous for their song I’m too sexy.
As a senior accountant, Ms Moss regularly works with pop stars, disk jockeys and record label executives. Her job involves accountancy by day and relationship-building and partying by night, which she describes as sometimes bordering on artist representation as well as business management.
“You meet some great people but it all comes down to business and you have to take your business cards everywhere,” she said.
Aaron game for computer success
At the end of 1999, QUT Information Technology graduate and computer gaming guru Aaron Howell was surprised to learn that he was his faculty’s first totally blind graduate.
In the middle of last year, Mr Howell became web administrator in the Faculty of Information Technology, returning to QUT as a full-time employee. But the talented 22-year-old graduate has a
remarkable skill which he nurtures in his spare time. Utilising a special computer gaming technique which he developed – which involves learning a game’s sequence and timing his movements to pre-empt the other player – he “blows away” most who see him play for the first time.
Where are they now?
From the Inside by David Hawke
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QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson has announced the t e r m s o f r e f e r e n c e f o r a n independent review into claims that four international students received p r e f e r e n t i a l t r e a t m e n t i n a business-law subject assessment.
T h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n i s b e i n g c o n d u c t e d b y t h e D e p u t y C h a n c e l l o r o f S o u t h e r n C r o s s University, Emeritus Professor Bob Smith.
Professor Smith is the former Vice-Chancellor of the University o f W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a a n d the University of New England. He is also a former chair of the National Board of Employment, Education and Training.
His terms of reference are:
Preferential treatment claims –
QUT institutes independent inquiry
• to review claims made in an article in The Courier-Mail dated February 3, 2001, and associated issues contained in a n i n t e r n a l m e m o r a n d u m prepared by a member of staff o f t h e B r i s b a n e G r a d u a t e School of Business (BGSB);
• to review and provide advice on the processes followed and the decisions taken in this matter; and
• to provide advice on implications of this case for assessment policy and practice in the BGSB and in the wider university.
Prior to the investigation’s commencement last week, QUT’s Dean of Business Professor Sandra H a r d i n g s a i d t h e s t u d e n t s in
question had sought a review of their assessment on the basis that the lecturer had reduced the exam time and number of questions from that advertised at the start of semester.
As a result, the four were permitted to sit a second exam and they subsequently passed the subject.
Professor Harding said she believed the students had not received preferential treatment and that university procedures had been followed carefully.
She said all students in the graduate school had paid full fees, whether there were local or international students.
Professor Harding said seven students, including international students, had failed the subject.
Monsoon, the famous colour photo- essay on India compiled by New Zealand-born photojournalist Brian Brake, is being exhibited exclusively at the QUT Art Museum.
Brian Brake: Monsoon from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia will be on display until Sunday, April 29.
QUT Art Museum’s senior curator Stephen Rainbird said the university would be the only venue outside Canberra to host this major suite of works from the National Gallery of Australia.
“The suite of 23 colour photographs, which appeared in LIFE magazine in 1961 and established Brake’s international career, was acquired in 1999 and exhibited at The National Gallery of Australia last year,” Mr Rainbird said.
The photo-essay first appeared in LIFE magazine on September 8, 1961, and subsequently in Paris-Match, Epoca and Queen.
Senior curator of photography at the National Gallery of Australia Gael Newton said large colour essays such as Monsoon were not common in LIFE at the time it was published.
Art museum plays hosts to exclusive exhibition
“The Monsoon photo-essay was also innovative because of its heavy reliance on the sequencing of the images, which were supported largely by Indian poetry and minimal captions rather than conventional text,” Ms Newton said.
“Nestled within the magazine, the sonorous atmospheric 20-page colour essay was sensational.
“By the careful selection of the images, Brake and the magazine editor succeeded in imparting a sense of the physical and spiritual experience of the monsoon season.
“Most spectacular and memorable, perhaps, were two close-ups — the first is of a tired old villager in the Punjab, Gandhi-like in his acceptance of the mix of suffering and celebration to come.”
The other image, of a beautiful young woman her face lifted to a
shower of rain drops, became a signature for the essay and was widely reproduced.
“It was later revealed to be a staged photograph using a watering can and a young actress, Aparna Sen who became a major film-maker and now publishes a women’s magazine.
Ms Newton will give a floor talk in the exhibition at 12.15pm on Thursday, April 5 and will be keynote speaker at a forum at 1pm on Saturday, April 7.
Meanwhile, latest statistics show patronage at the QUT Cultural Precinct from February to December 2000 was very healthy.
During that time, there were 203 performances, events and exhibitions hosted by the Cultural Precinct, with almost 58,000 visitors.
Extensive work on the redevelopment of the backstage area of The Gardens Theatre is expected to be completed in the next couple of months.
Details of all Cultural Precinct events are made available on the university’s What’s On website (which can be accessed from the home page or http://
www.whatson.qut.edu.au).
Rich images ... Brake’s Punjabi villager, below, and the simple beauty of raindrops, left, are just two of the Monsoon suite of photographs on display at the QUT Art Museum
Year 12s flock to special event
QUT staff helped hundreds of school leavers in mid- December when the university held its annual Change of Preference event.
The event followed the release on December 15 of tertiary entrance results for 27,836 Year 12 students across Queensland, and gave prospective students the chance to discuss their study options with course advisers and volunteers.
While most students sought advice on how to get into their preferred course, many also wanted to know about alternative entry procedures and about QUT’s new OP1-5 Guarantee (full details of which are at http://www.qut.edu.au/pubs/op/op.html).
The new OP Guarantee scheme assured all students who gained an Overall Position (OP) of 5 or better entry into most QUT courses, regardless of pre-requisites or previous years’
cut-off scores.
DETYA figures released in December show that, in 1999, QUT remained the largest provider of bachelor degree graduates into Australia’s full-time workforce.
Taskforce advises Vice-Chancellor
QUT Council recently resolved to create QUT Carseldine as an organisational unit of the university.
The December resolution will see the merger of the School of Humanities and Social Science with the School of Human Services.
Following the decision, a time-limited taskforce has been established to plan a smooth transition to the new organisational arrangements and set a direction for further development of QUT Carseldine.
The taskforce, chaired by Human Services Head Ruth Matchett, will provide advice to the Vice-Chancellor.
While the effective operational date is July 1, recommendations will be made on internal academic and administrative structure, and management arrangements to Council on March 28.
A Federal Government-backed study has found Aboriginal students’ low participation and success rates at school are linked to a poor image of themselves as students, sparking calls for an overhaul of the education system.
Principal researcher from QUT’s School of Learning and Development Dr Nola Purdie said the study found indigenous children had dual aspects of self-identity.
“Most of the indigenous students we spoke to had a very positive identity of themselves as Indigenous people, they felt proud of who they were,” she said.
“But they didn’t see school as a place where they were successful in the same way they saw their non-Indigenous peers being successful,” she said.
The study found that a national campaign was needed to overcome negative images of Aboriginal people which some children felt filtered into their life at school.
Co-researcher and manager of QUT’s Oodgeroo Unit Penny Tripcony said that, while the media pushed successful sportspeople like Cathy Freeman and Nova Peris Kneebone, there needed to be a broader range of role models.
“Not everyone can be a good sportsperson. We need to highlight Aboriginal researchers, artists, lawyers, or teachers and also it must be recognised
Joint action urged on indigenous ed policy
that role models don’t have to be famous or in the newspapers or on TV,” she said.
“They can be in your local community or family and schools should be encouraged to showcase their achievements.”
Dr Purdie said the Federal and State education departments also needed to clear the way for schools to be more flexible and make certain things mandatory, such as the inclusion of indigenous studies in school curricula and in teacher training.
“We need teachers who are better trained and who have had practical experience with indigenous students,” she said. “Principals, too, need to have a greater say over the selection of staff for schools with large numbers of Indigenous students.”
Dr Purdie suggested the need to alter the national testing regime and make school timetables more flexible to cater for local cultural events like the fishing and hunting seasons.
Ms Tripcony said the recommendations aligned with the National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and Queensland’s “Partners for Success”
strategy, both of which are designed to achieve equitable school outcomes for Indigenous students in collaboration with local communities.
News in Brief
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Very competitive prices with up to 25 vendors.
One on every Sunday from 10am to 1pm.
Phone 3265 2594 or visit www.sundaycomputermarket.com.au
for details.
by Margaret Lawson
An energetic information technology/
engineering graduate from QUT was honoured as the nation’s top young science and technology achiever in the National Australia Day Council awards last month.
James Moody, 24, pictured at right, received the TXU Science and Technology Award for his work as a systems engineer on the Centenary of Federation satellite, FedSat-1, which is due to be launched at the end of 2001.
Mr Moody has been involved with the historic project run by the Co- operative Research Centre for Satellite Systems since graduating as a university
Young rocket scientist gains national award
medallist in 1998. He said he was delighted his work had been recognised.
“FedSat is Australia’s re-entry into space, and I think it is an amazing project,” Mr Moody said.
“I am fortunate at the moment that I am getting attention for what I do, but there are many other people l i k e m y s e l f w o r k i n g o n e q u a l l y excellent projects.”
Award organisers said Mr Moody was set apart by his commitment to promoting and developing his profession as well as his community service contributions.
While a student at QUT, Mr Moody founded the Australian Students’ Space Association and worked hard to
encourage young indigenous Australians to get involved in the space arena.
He has also worked as a volunteer English teacher for the Australian Vietnam Veteran’s Reconstruction Group (AVVRG) and conducted information technolgoy feasibility studies in Vietnam.
When asked how he finds the time to fit everything in, Mr Moody said his driving force was his passion for, and belief in, the value of his work.
“I think the thing that motivates all young achievers to excel is that we are so passionate about what we do,”
he said.
“Space is my passion, and it is great to be recognised for my work on a
project that will help to reignite Australia’s space program.”
Shortly after accepting his latest award, Mr Moody left for Kenya where he will continue his role as a youth representative to the United Nations’ Environment Program, p r o v i d i n g i n p u t i n t o t h e U N ’ s C o m m i s s i o n f o r S u s t a i n a b l e Development.
This honour is the latest in a string of awards that Mr Moody h a s r e c e i v e d i n t h e p a s t y e a r , i n c l u d i n g t h e I n s t i t u t i o n o f E n g i n e e r s ’ Y o u n g P r o f e s s i o n a l Engineer, Young Queenslander of the Year, and Queensland Young Achiever of the Year.
by Margaret Lawson
E-mail hoaxers and spammers may have to think twice before sending their next urban legend or computer virus, with a QUT researcher out to unmask on-line troublemakers through their writing.
Master of Information Technology student Malcolm Corney, pictured below, is working on a system to identify anonymous e-mail authors using an innovative combination of linguistics and high-tech wizardry.
“In the past few years there’s been an increasing use and misuse of e-mail, and troublemakers have learned to reroute their messages through anonymous servers so they can’t be identified,” Mr Corney said.
He said this left only the written content and structure of anonymous e-mails as clues to the sender’s identity.
“Every person has a particular way they write, which is based on a large number of influences in their lives, like what they’ve read,” Mr Corney said. “You can measure the features of a person’s writing and that pattern will be unique, allowing you to match an anonymous piece of writing to a suspect.”
Mr Corney’s work is the first in the area to apply these stylistic techniques – commonly used to solve classical literary mysteries like identifying Shakespeare’s lost works – to the problematic area of e-mail. But because e-mail messages are short – usually well under the 1,000 plus words needed for a traditional stylistic identification – Mr Corney has had to add an extra high-tech step into the forensic process.
“I’m using a support vector machine (a special computer program) which works with small sets of data to give you a probability that a writing sample matches a suspect,” he said.
Mr Corney said his method involved first analysing a writing sample to identify the frequency of certain writing patterns, then “feeding” that data into the machine to compare with writing samples from possible suspects.
The result would be up to 80 per cent accurate.
“While the results of this kind of work aren’t currently accepted in court as evidence, hopefully this can quickly narrow down the list of suspects and point investigators towards the people responsible for on- line fraud, computer viruses and hoaxes,” he said.
Mr Corney’s work is funded by the Department of Defence’s Science and Technology Organisation.
The masters’ student hopes to have his system ready for the organisation by May this year.
Researcher unlocks e-mail secrets
The next wave of games developers for the likes of SONY, Nintendo, SEGA and Microsoft may well be graduates from QUT’s latest course offering.
QUT’s Faculty of Information Technology and its Faculty of Arts launched a new, four-year double degree to meet the escalating demand for games developers.
Beginning this semester, the program will be offered through the communication design program in QUT’s Academy of the Arts and will incorporate teaching from both faculties.
Designed to deliver creative, technical and professional skills and resources necessary for graduates to enter the games development and entertainment industries, the new degree program was officially launched at the Communication Design Graduation Exhibition, Media Farm: Fresh Minds Produce on Wednesday November 22.
Held at The Gardens Theatre, pictured right and below, the event featured works from more than 40 communication design students, making Media Farm the largest exhibition of interactive design, web applications and physical installations ever shown in Queensland.
Media Farm showcased the sorts of works expected to come over the next few years from the new Creative Industries program being born out of QUT’s already vibrant Faculty of Arts.
QUT’s Dean of Arts, Professor John Hartley, said the new course was part of the faculty’s focus on providing education and facilities for the new economy.
Exhibition the venue for new course launch
“The Creative Industries initiative – which has been supported by the State and Federal Governments as well as QUT – brings the knowledge economy and the cultural sector together in a new alignment that will forge new directions for the creative arts, media and communications in the years ahead,” Professor Hartley said. “This new degree is indicative of what we will be able to deliver with this initiative – industry responsiveness, cutting-edge technology and creativity.”
QUT’s Dean of Information Technology Professor John Gough said the escalating demand for these skills would provide students with exciting options for professional placement and
eventual employment nationally and internationally.
For those selecting the new double degree, access to resources will be diverse, with state-of-the- art facilities including desktop
video production, high-end three- dimensional animation, music technology and multi-platform software design developed using contemporary multimedia authoring applications.
by Margaret Lawson
In his first year at university, information technology student Lachlan McKenna got a bit carried away with his part-time work.
Fresh out of school – and with more time on his hands than before – h e s p e n t m o s t w e e k s o f t h e semester juggling up to 40 hours a week of work in addition to his full- time study.
During the day Mr McKenna worked for a courier company between lectures, before dashing out to spend the evenings in a casual position with a fast food outlet.
H e s a i d i t d i d n ’ t c o m e a s a surprise when he received his results last year and found he had not passed all his subjects.
“[My work] didn’t leave me anywhere near enough time to study,”
Mr McKenna admitted.
“It doesn’t really compare when you fail a subject that’s worth a lot of time and money, even if you are making
$600 a week.”
Even for the most academically capable students, cramming too much into the timetable can be a recipe for disaster.
Like Mr McKenna, business/
journalism student and aerobics instructor Alyssa McDonald learned that 40 hours’ work a week plus full- time study was a tough ask, particularly when it affected her health.
“I didn’t cope well … I would come to lectures and go to sleep,” Ms McDonald said.
“I had no social life because I would go to bed at eight o’clock to get up at four am … and I relied on energy drinks because I didn’t have time to cook.
“That’s not good for you.”
While only a minority of university students like Mr McKenna and Ms McDonald try to cope with two full- time commitments, a recent
Students strive to balance study and work
Department of Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA) report revealed that it is becoming more common for students to squeeze more into their schedules.
According to the research by Craig McInnes, Richard James and Robyn Hartley from the University of Melbourne, there has been a 38 per cent increase in the past five years in the mean number of hours worked by all university students.
Their report Trends in the First Year Experience identified paid work as an
“area of concern” and, in particular, the fact that the average number of hours worked by full-time students in 1999 rose to 12.59.
Also concerning was the fact that full-time students in paid work were less likely to agree that they had worked consistently in their course throughout the semester, were more likely to consider deferring and spent fewer contact hours on campus than other students.
It begs the question: “How much is too much?”
QUT counsellor Dr Elizabeth Tindle said there was no simple answer.
“It depends on the individual students’ circumstances – 10 hours [a week] is too much for some students and some courses,” Dr Tindle said.
“In courses like science, interior d e s i g n a n d s o m e o f t h e b u i l t environment subjects, you would be pushing it to have a part-time job at all.
“The demands are such that you don’t have any spare time.
“For others, 15 hours a week is manageable, but it depends very much on the student.”
Dr Tindle said students should consider the demands of their particular course and how much extra time they needed to keep their life balanced before deciding how much part-time work to take on.
“You have to remember that there is not just the contact hours, but also the
study time and the time it takes to do assignments,” Dr Tindle said.
“There’s also more than just work and study.
“You have to leave time to socialise, time for your home life and the chores that have to be done.”
Third-year accountancy student Lucinda Stewart works up to 20 hours a week in a retailing position to pay off her HECS and manages to keep up with her study by carefully planning her timetable.
“It’s difficult if there’s just one subject on one day so I try to arrange my timetable to make as much time as possible,” Ms Stewart said.
“Work is pretty flexible with fitting hours around uni as well, which helps a lot.”
Dr Tindle said that finding a part- time job that allowed flexibility to fit in study was an important factor.
“ T h a t w a y t h e p a r t - t i m e j o b doesn’t take over from the study, which is supposed to be the main focus,” she said.
A n o t h e r t i p – f r o m m a n y s t u d e n t s w h o h a v e s u c c e s s f u l l y managed to work and study – is to get a job that is based on or around c a m p u s , n o t o n l y t o m i n i m i s e travelling time but also to maximise study opportunities.
Rosie McGregor, a third-year film and television student, works around three hours a day at Artisan’s café at QUT’s Gardens Point campus.
She said her job, which she has held for 18 months, is ideal for a student.
“I can come [to campus] in the morning and go to the library and study before work,” Ms McGregor explained.
“That’s meant that, as my study load has increased, it has still been possible to schedule work hours because of the easy access. It’s definitely a good idea if you can do it.”
And there are many on-campus work opportunities if you ask around.
As well as positions in service areas, some of the faculties employ undergraduates.
In the Faculty of Law, students are employed as assistants in the faculty’s computer laboratories.
The Faculty of Business has hired undergraduates in the past for casual administrative roles.
There are also positions available in The Gardens Theatre and QUT’s student ambassador program.
The final piece of advice from Dr Tindle is to ask yourself how much you actually have to work and to not go beyond what you can cope with, no matter what the job.
“The part-time job has to be just that – a bit of supplementary finance.
Trying to work full-time or many hours and do full-time study will stretch you.”
After learning that lesson the hard way, Mr McKenna is keen to start 2001 on the right foot.
He has a new part-time job and will work no more than 10 hours a week all semester.
“Last year, my dad told me to treat university as a full-time job,” Mr McKenna said, “and I didn’t listen to him.”
“He was right. University is a full- time job and you can’t get carried away with outside work.
“It’s just not worth it.”
Some casual work opportunities
at QUT
• Ushers and bar staff are required by The Gardens Theatre for work during the 2001 season. Interested students can attend a familiarisation afternoon on Thursday, March 1, at 4pm at the theatre (X Block, Gardens Point campus). Application forms and job descriptions will be available on the day.
Contact Ashley Wilkie on (07) 3864 4463 or [email protected] for more information.
• New and continuing students are needed for work at open days, careers fairs and school visits as QUT student ambassadors. Enthusiastic students are encouraged to submit a written application by March 1. Contact Karen Meiklejohn at [email protected] for selection criteria.
• For more employment opportunities, see the QUT Careers and Employment home page (www.careers.qut.edu.au).
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Casual café assistant and full-time film and television student Rosie McGregor ... balances work and study commitments
Help with coping skills
For students having problems coping with their workload or with other personal issues – or for advice regarding study and time- management skills – free professional counselling services are available on all campuses.
Gardens Point 3864 2383 Kelvin Grove/Carseldine 3864 3488
Starting university for the first time can be an exhilarating – and a daunting – experience. Inside QUT spoke to some continuing students and some new ones for their suggestions about coming to terms with life at QUT:
• Christine Munson (continuing communication/journalism student, left): “Do all the introduction courses to the library and stuff so you get to know your way around. And go to all the parties and meet friends. Have fun.”
• Daniel Hili (continuing information technology student):
“Use your resources. A lot of the course material is now on the internet, so find out what’s out there and use it.”
• Peter Blythe (new applied science student, right): “I found the paperwork is pretty intimidating. There’s a fair bit to do on your own – enrolling, choosing subjects and that sort of thing.”
• Saket Narayan (continuing information technology student): “Priority is important. The fact that you’re a student at university means you’re here to achieve some goals, so decide what they are and go for them.”
• Lucinda Stewart (continuing accountancy student, left):
“Go to the secondhand bookshop early and get to know where everything is. I didn’t know at first that you could change classes on the internet, so it’s good to find out what you can do early on.”
• Rhys Fitch (continuing property economics student):
“Make an effort to go to the O Week events and learn as much about the university as you can.”
• David Yu (new MBA student, right): “Parking is very scarce and expensive. I was expecting it to be like that but I don’t like it!”
• Mary Coleman (new medical science student): “It’s a great experience to meet new people and get to do all the subjects I’m interested in. It’s a little difficult to adjust at first, but people have been very helpful.”
––––––– THE LOWDOWN –––––––
What students say about
adjusting to uni life
MBA students from 15 of the country’s top business schools are gearing up for the annual Mootcorp Australia competition which this year promises to be the biggest ever.
Three international teams of MBA students – from Thailand, Singapore and India – will also make the journey to QUT for the event.
Mootcorp Australia director Andrew Maxwell, right, said the competition aimed to raise the standard of business planning among postgraduate business students.
“This in turn gives budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to test their business models in a no-risk environment and gain access to seed
MBA competition ‘bigger, better’ than ever
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funding and leading industry players,”
Mr Maxwell said.
“Australians have the creativity and ideas that can become global business opportunities but commonly lack the preparation that provides them the best opportunity to access venture capital.”
As part of the competition, each group will present a business plan on behalf of a real client – that business plan is judged along with the quality of the students’ presentation and their ability to field questions from the judging panel.
This year’s 18 entries dwarf those of previous years which had not exceeded five groups. Organisers ascribed the increase to the number and quality of sponsors as well as the prizes on offer.
Among the sponsors are Hewlett Packard, the Australian Stock Exchange and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Shane Lawrence, a QUT student who participated last year, said the experience had been invaluable.
Mr Lawrence, above, said his client had developed innovative technology enabling him to breed a variety of shrimp that was disease-resistant, larger in size, faster-growing and ate less which were to be sold to the Asian market.
“The process of developing a business plan for a real client with a real idea, then actually presenting it to an audience of potential investors was one of the biggest benefits for me,” he said. “I’d encourage others to take part in Mootcorp because, instead of sitting in a lecture room listening, it involves getting out there and doing it.”
Mootcorp will be held from March 22 to 24 at QUT. The winning team will receive cash, computer equipment, professional advice and mentoring valued in excess of $100,000 to help bring its business ideas to fruition.
It will also represent Australia at the international Mootcorp Challenge finals in the United States.
– Toni Chambers
Novel goes global
QUT’s Secretariat has been hosting some hidden talent, with committees officer Gary Allen recently celebrating the world-wide publication of his first novel, The Heather Thane.
The novel hit the virtual shelves of US e-publisher Dancing Willow Publications late last year and his second novel is already under contract.
“After years of hitting my head against the proverbial brick wall of paper publishing, this is just such a great boost,” Mr Allen said.
“I decided to establish a web site to promote my writing and within a matter of days I had received an offer from an American e-publisher”.
Set against the exciting backdrop of a bitter struggle between two warring
News in Brief
who were once full- or part-time staff of the university.
A group of 45 volunteers are currently accredited “QUT Friends”
through a program co-ordinated by Emeritus Professor Ron Gardiner.
This program aims to provide interesting and stimulating projects through the university for volunteers who want to be involved with QUT.
QUT Friends currently assist in the art museum and the Design for Ageing Network, while the Academics On- Line assistance program works for QStep Students, and in a number of other areas at QUT.
For more details about the proram, email Ron Gardiner at [email protected] or consult the program’s website at: http://
alumni.qut.edu.au/friends noble houses, The Heather Thane
plunges the reader into a fantastic world where powerful dark magic is opposed by wildblood mysticism, and where honour is not a birthright.
“Any similarity between the characters in The Heather Thane and those you find at QUT is strictly coincidental, but I hope other members of staff will find it a compelling read”.
Mr Allen’s novel can be downloaded from http://www.dancingwillow.com for around $A8.
Volunteers roll up
With 2001 being declared the “Year of the Volunteer”, it is timely to recognise that considerable assistance has been provided to QUT by a dedicated group of volunteers
New grads share in Walkley win
Two recent graduates from QUT’s School of Media and Journalism – Belinda Seeney (1998) and Kathryn Torpy (1999) – were part of a news team which recently won a national Walkley award.
The pair – who have been working at the Bundaberg News-Mail – were part of the newspaper’s reporting team recognised for its coverage of the tragic Childers’ backpacker hostel fire on June 23, 2000, in which 15 people died.
This team produced 55 pages of coverage over eight days, a feat which earned it a special Walkley award for coverage of regional or suburban affairs.
As part of the peak national journalism awards, QUT’s School of Media and Journalism sponsored the special Walkley for Investigative Reporting, which was presented to SBS
Dateline reporter Mark Davis by School of Media and Journalism adjunct professor and former ABC managing director Brian Johns.
The pair are pictured above at the Sydney awards ceremony with
Australia’s Governor-General, Sir William Deane, at left.
Mr Davis also collected the night’s top award, the Gold Walkley, for his report on the terror campaign in East Timor, “Blood Money”.
Campus busy with summer visitors
By Toni Chambers
The next generation of Queensland scientists gathered at QUT recently to take part in an initiative seen increasingly as a way of debunking myths that are causing a flagging interest in science as a career.
Around 450 Grade 10 students from around the State, New South Wales and Papua New Guinea converged on Brisbane for the Siemen’s Science Experience organised by QUT, the University of Queensland, Griffith University and South Bank TAFE in mid-January.
Among the activities the students enjoyed were learning how DNA is used to solve crimes and how physics is used in the design of surfboards,
Right:
Lismore’s Sally Cochrane explores tools in
the foundry during the Siemens Science Experience.
Bottom:
PNG students
Judah Waffi and Veuga Taviri from Gordon Secondary School examine some heavy duty equipment.
making rocks that glow like fireflies and seeing the physical effects of heart attacks, asthma and smoking on the human heart and lungs.
The students also heard from ABC’s Big Fat Science radio reporter and QUT graduate Bernie Hobbs, visited research labs at QUT, CSIRO and the John Tonge Forensic Pathology Laboratory, and toured manufacturing plants, including the XXXX Brewery and the Caltex Refinery.
The Gardens Theatre is offering QUT students and staff a special ticket price for the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow’s only Brisbane performance on Tuesday, May 1.
Now in its third year, the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow will bring to the QUT Cultural Precinct some of the funniest Australian and international acts of the 2001 Melbourne Comedy Festival in what is expected to be a sell-out performance.
According to theatre manager Paul Dellit, the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow promises to be a hilarious night.
“It’s a stand-up, in your face, knock you down good time,” he said.
Mr Dellit said full-price tickets would be $30 each. However The Gardens Theatre would sell tickets to staff for $25 and to QUT students for $20 (upon presentation of their ID cards), with a limit of two tickets per person.
QUT students and staff can purchase tickets at The Gardens Theatre box office from March 5. General public bookings will be through Qtix at www.qtix.com or call 13 62 46.
“The laughs start at 7.30pm and the theatre bar will be open before and after the show,” Mr Dellit said.
For further details, email [email protected] or call The Gardens Theatre on (07) 3864 4213.
Top comedy festival tickets on special for students, staff
Queensland University of Technology GPO Box 2434 Brisbane QLD 4001 Website: qut.com Nominations are now open for positions on QUT’s Working Party for Academic Promotion. Voting for elected positions will commence on Tuesday 20 February and close on Thursday 1 March 2001.
Nomination forms and details of the positions available can be obtained from QUT’s Campus Services, the Secretariat office in U-block, room 304, Gardens Point campus, or the Secretariat web site: www.qut.edu.au/admin/secretariat/
elections/
Signed nomination forms must reach Campus Services or the Secretariat by 4pm Thursday 15 February 2001 to be eligible.
For further information regarding the election process, please contact Nerilee Hall on (07) 3864 2954. For further information about the Working Party, please contact either Jane Banney on (07) 3864 4102 or Lisa Carroli on (07) 3864 4063.
GEN-01-8
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INGWEST TRAVEL & TOURS
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Check out a full list of What’s On at QUT
and post new entries at http://www.whatson.qut.edu.au STUDENT GUILD
Feb 26 Sushi Fusion & Band. 11am-2pm, CA
O Week Market Day. 11am-4pm, Kidney Lawn, GP Free Band – Hippopotamus. Noon-2pm, Kidney Lawn, GP Global Market Day. 11am-2pm, KG
Tour & Info Day. Sport & Fitness Centre, 11am-2pm, Y Block, GP BBQ Info Day. Noon-2pm, Merivale Street
All Ages Dance Party. 8pm-late, City Rowers Feb 27 Carseldine Breakfast. 8-10am, CA Club
Sushi Fusion & Band. 11am-2pm, Kidney Lawn, GP O Week Market Day. 11am-4pm, KG
Global Market Day. 11am-2pm, CA
Half-price Day. Sport & Fitness Centre. All day. GP BBQ at QUT Joint Sports Centre. Noon. GP
Tour & Info Day. Fitness Centre, 11am-2pm, C Block, KG All Night Movies/Pyjama Party. 8pm-8am, Refectory, GP Feb 28 O Week Market Day. 11am-2pm, CA
Gardens Point Breakfast. 8-10am, Courtyard, GP Sushi Fusion & Band. 11am-2pm, Lawn, KG Live Entertainment. Noon-2pm, Campus Club, GP Half-price Day. Fitness Centre. All day. KG Mar 1 Kelvin Grove Breakfast. 8-10am, Lawn, KG
Global Market Day. 11am-2pm, Kidney Lawn, GP Campus Party. 5-8pm, Campus Club, CA, GP & KG End-of-Orientation Party. 8pm-late, Victory Hotel
Mar 2 International Students R&B Night. 8pm-late, Campus Club, GP Mar 3 Venus Rising (UQ/Griffith/QUT women’s areas). 7.15pm, Orient Hotel Mar 5 Lunchtime Entertainment. Noon-2pm, Kidney Lawn, GP
All Night Movies/Pyjama Party. 8pm-8am, Lounge, CA PUMP Challenge – Go Hard or Go Home. Sports & Fitness Centre, 4-5.30pm, GP
GRADUATIONS
Feb 13 Information Technology/Engineering courses. Includes engineering/information technology, engineering/business, engineering/maths double degree graduations. 2pm, Queensland Performing Arts Complex.
Feb 13 Built Environment courses. Includes surveying/information technology double degree graduations. 6.30pm, Queensland Performing Arts Complex.
Feb 16 Law courses. Includes applied science/law, arts/law, business/
law, information technology/law double degree graduations.
2pm, Queensland Performing Arts Complex.
Feb 16 Science courses. Includes maths/information technology double degree graduations. 6.30pm, Queensland Performing Arts Complex.
ARTS & CULTURAL EVENTS
Jan 19-Apr 30 QUT Graduate Survey 2000. This exhibition features the works of some of QUT’s finest graduates from the visual arts program of the Academy of the Arts. FREE. QUT Art Museum, U Block, GP. 10am-4pm Tuesday-Friday, Noon-4pm Saturday-Sunday, closed Mondays. (07) 3864 5370
Jan 26-Mar 18 Year of 1933: Works from the Howard Hinton Collection.
Works by Tom Roberts, Nora Heysen, Arthur Stretton and Norman Lindsay are some of the highlights in this touring exhibition from the Howard Hinton Collection, New England Regional Art Museum. FREE QUT Art Museum, B Block, GP.
10am-4pm Tuesday-Friday, Noon-4pm Saturday-Sunday, closed Mondays. (07) 3864 5370
Feb 9-Apr 29 Brian Brake: Monsoon. From the National Gallery of Australia, Monsoon is a selection of works from Brian Brake’s world- renowned photographic essay on Indian life. FREE. QUT Art Museum, U Block, GP. 10am-4pm Tuesday-Friday, Noon-4pm Saturday-Sunday, closed Mondays. (07) 3864 5370
FOR STUDENTS & STAFF
Feb 23 The biotech entrepreneurial evolution: A return on human investment. Breakfast seminar for Qld’s biotechnology industry. FREE, registrations essential. [email protected] or (07) 3864 2565 Feb 25 Family Day. Open to all commencing students, their partners, parents, siblings, in fact, the whole family. Day will feature tours of Gardens Point campus, library, QUT Cultural Precinct, entertainment and learning seminars. Two “Parents & Partners” seminars will be offered at 10.30am and 2pm. FREE. Kidney Lawn, 10am to 3pm.
[email protected] or (07) 3864 2000
Mar 13 Careers & Futures Fair 2001. Focuses on graduate recruitment programs throughout Australia and overseas, as well as postgraduate courses. More than 50 companies and 3,000 students attended the inaugural fair in 2000. All students and staff are invited to attend the event for an opportunity to meet employers and discuss their recruitment programs. Employers interested in participating are invited to register their interest through QUT’s Careers & Employment website qut.com/careers
SEMINARS, CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS
Feb 14-16 F-LAW 2001 - Feminist Legal Academic Workshop. Praxis & Politics:
Moving forward in difficult times. Bi-annual conference for feminist lawyers from Australia & around the world. The 2001 conference is to be hosted by the Research Concentration in Women, Children & the Law from the QUT Faculty of Law. Day One will be a workshop on gay, lesbian & transgender issues. Days Two and Three will focus on more general issues. POA. [email protected] or (07) 3864 2822
SCHOLARSHIPS
Feb 28 Dow Jones Graduate Program (Asia-Pacific). QUT’s School of Media and Journalism has full details of this scholarship for final-year students and graduates from the past three years on the What’s On at QUT website – www.whatson.qut.edu.au – and applications are due by February 28, 2001. [email protected] or (07) 3864 1360
Rugby club merges
QUT’s rugby union teams have merged with the North Brisbane Eagles, with the new club to be known as Norths/
QUT Eagles.
Now based at Hugh Courtney Oval in Shaw Road at Wavell Heights, the new teams are also expected to do some training at QUT’s Kelvin Grove oval, with training scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6pm to 8pm.
Norths/QUT development officer Andrew Keech said 2001 was shaping up to be a big season for the new club which would field teams in the senior division (all four grades, including first grade), colts/U19s (two teams) and, for the first time, a women’s team.
With the 2001 season due to kick off in early April, training has already begun – as the photo taken recently at Wavell Heights shows – and the club recently put out a call for additional players, coaches, managers and sports trainers.
For further details, visit http://
northseagles.rugbynet.com.au or call (07) 3848 4300 or 0402 421 825.
QUT fares well in uni sports awards
Eight QUT students took out prestigious “sporting blues” at the University Sports Awards which were held in Brisbane at the end of last year, taking the university to top spot for the prestigious sporting gongs.
Four women – rower Megan Everitt (Arts), table tennis player Peri Campbell-Innes (Business) and indoor cricketers Sally Cooper (Law) and Monique Ralph (Law) – picked up their blues at the November 23 ceremony.
Meanwhile, the four men to do likewise were cross-country runner Tom Dover (Health), goalball players Paul Harpur (Business/Law) and Robbie Vogt (Engineering/Information Technology) as well as volleyballer Luke Shorten (Health).
The Queensland Health Drink Smart University Sports Awards recognise the contributions and achievements of elite sportspeople who combine university education with their sporting careers.
A total of 21 sporting blues were presented to students from six universities.
Sports ‘try out’
planned
QUT’s Student Guild will hold a “Come and Try Sport Day” early next month to allow students to sample different sports and recreational pursuits.
The sports expo will be held between Noon and 3pm at the Kelvin Grove campus on Friday, March 9, at the campus oval (which fronts Herston Road).
Guild sports officer Karen Bucholz said the day would feature displays and demonstrations from QUT Student Guild sport clubs as well as markets, music, information about inter-university and campus sport opportunities, recreational course information, displays by State and national sporting bodies, guest speakers and appearances by local sporting personalities.
For further details, call (07) 3864 3708.
Volunteer managers sought
With a busy sporting year ahead, QUT’s Student Guild is seeking students to volunteer as “sports managers” for a range of events to be held at the 2001 University Games and Championships.
Guild sports officer Karen Bucholz said that, ideally, volunteers would have a thorough understanding of the sport they nominate to manage as well as confidence in dealing with the management of large sporting events.
“These games – which are to be held between July 1 and 5 at James Cook
University in Townsville – are the largest university sporting events to be held in Australia and successful applicants will be working as a team with the sport staff (of the Guild),” Ms Bucholz explained.
Volunteers are needed for events like women’s and men’s rugby union, netball, tennis and touch football.
Ms Bucholz said some financial assistance for travel and costs associated with games preparation would be available after duties had been fulfilled.
For further details, call (07) 3864 3708.
Scholarships open to elite athletes
To help athletes complete their degree studies while still competing, QUT’s Student Guild is offering up to a dozen scholarships this year.
Guild sports officer Karen Bucholz said four $1,200 scholarships and eight $600
“half-scholarships” were available, with gender equity a goal of the selectors.
These scholarships, she said, were aimed at improving the quality of QUT’s representation in university sports and were open to applicants whose sports were played at university championship level or were included in the University Games.
Written application forms – outlining sports participation and achievements as well as plans for university sports involvement or any special circumstances – are due by March 12, 2001.
For further details, call (07) 3864 3708.
Inside QUT is published by QUT’s Corporate Communication Department. Our readership includes staff, students and members of the QUT community. This paper is also circulated to business, industry, government and the media. Each story has been checked with the source prior to publication.
Letters to the editor are welcome via email [email protected] or mail (Editor, Inside QUT, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Qld, 4001).
The Corporate Communication Department is located on Level 3, G Block, Room 318, Gardens Point until the end of February, when the office will move to Level 5, M Block.
Opinions expressed in Inside QUT do not necessarily represent those of the university or the editorial team.
Trina McLellan (editor) ... (07) 3864 1150 Toni Chambers ... (07) 3864 4494 Margaret Lawson ... (07) 3864 2130 Noel Gentner (part-time) ... (07) 3864 1841 Fax ... (07) 3210 0474 Photography – Tony Phillips, Suzie Prestwidge
Advertising – Rachel Murray(07) 3864 4408 or (07) 3864 1840 QUT’s Corporate Communication Dept. is online at
www.corpcomm.qut.edu.au
QUT’s latest news is at www.corpcomm.qut.edu.au/releases
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New and continuing students, staff members and their families have been invited to attend the university’s annual Commencement Service which will be held at St Stephen’s Catholic Cathedral on Sunday, February 25, from 4.30pm.
According to QUT Chancellor Dr Cherrell Hirst, the ecumenical, multi-
faith event – which is hosted by a different religion each year – is an opportunity for staff and students to come together in an atmosphere of worship and understanding at the beginning of the academic year.
“The service will include a formal academic procession and I would
encourage as many staff and postgraduate students as possible to participate in that procession,” Dr Hirst said.
“Members of the families and friends of students and staff are most welcome to attend and to remain afterwards for some light refreshments.”
