Creativ~ scope need in education system

f

p

378.9431 103

Creativ~ scope need in education system

Formal educational systems are falling short of leading Aust- ralia into its future because they are not left free to proact and the individual creativity of acad- · emics is stifled.

This scenario was sketched by QIT Deputy Director, Dr Tom Dixon, in an address to a Society of Business Communicators meeting at the BCAE Kedron Park Campus on November 12.

Dr Dixon was highlighting the im- portance of organizational commun- ication in creating an environment where individualism can offer new solutions in a time of rapid techno-· logical change, using the education

""""..-.""'sy~·s'tem and -IT as ·:..a'!./es.

lhe solution to our problems in the information society, Dr Dixon said, was a change in mind set to an 'expect- ation of triumphant individualism'.

Mind set is a population's perspect- ive on the world which can change dramatically with an event such as the first moon walk.

Formal educational institutions were hedged around by cavilling groups when they should be left free to proact,. Dr Dixon said.

iness was turning in order to create a communicating environment.

"The organisation consists of about 25 distinct departments, each with very different sets of customers. The organisation is, therefore, not homo- geneous but diverse. QIT is not a factory engaged in the maimfacture of long runs, and denies economies of scale," he said.

The Institute developed a draft miss- ion statement and objectives for the next five years which were circulated to academic boards, the Academic Staff Association and the QIT Union.

-

^.

, Dr Dixon.

"Given these directions, heads of departments will meet with their staff to discuss the nature of their depart- ments, where the department is now and where it should be in five years time.

"They will then be asked to deter- mine just what has be to done in order for the department to get where it wants to go. What courses are needed, what equipment, what staff expertise, what types of students, what kinds of community awareness and support,"

he said.

Each department will then work on achieving the objectives created to be' in general line with the Institute object- ives, but individualised to the depart- ment's unique capabilities.

·'i/c:-re scartin'g' the process ·in a small way," Dr Dixon said. "First of all, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, with help from the De- partment of Management and an ex- ternal consultant, is trying out what we've called a goal setting and goal evaluation exercise. Next, we'll extend the process to the School of Engin- eering. Then to the rest of the Institute."

Ql T has· appilei:J for

a

grant through the National Labour Consultative Council to assist with implement- ation of an employee participation scheme.

•

The architectural model designed by QIT students.

Model displayed_

in Darwin

by Sandra White Th!'1'C' 1:1'-aJiChitecttm: stu- dents have had the model of

ttt~ir

competition entry for

th~

design of a Northern Territory Parliament House displayed in Darwin.

The design proposal of Russell McConnell, Geoff McFarlane and Jim Tainton was one of253 entries, includ- ing three others from QIT, entered in the nationally and internationally ad- vertised competition.

The competition was held by the Northern Territory Department of the Legislative Assembly.

, ,

^-

The students' entry was the only successful QIT entry being one of only eleven proposals exhibited.

Lured by a first prize of$10,000and a possible commission to design the building, the students worked for two and a half months to complete the project.

According to Mr McConnell the project was deml;\.nding.

"The brief was fairly intense in that , there were so many objectives to be

satisfied, and it was an awkward site,"

he said.

The group acted as a team, consult- ing with other related professionals such as quantity surveyors, engineers and artists.

"Governments define accountability"

in narrow, confining ways that make creative people, never happy manip- ulators of pettifogging rules, give up, saying that the system is too unwieldy to master.

"Our continuing education role in society is being tl!ken over by internal training groups and management con- sultancies who then complain against the competition of the formal, educat- ional sector if we try to respond to society's broader definition of and needs for tertiary education," he said.

An end to · traffic jarns .

The students aimed to design a 'building that would be suitable for

local conditions.

"We set out to design a building that would reflect Darwin's relaxed way of life and environment and wouldn't date," Mr McConnell said.

A new course took at least five years to implement and the demand for the course had to be clearly demonstrated from the outset.

Dr Dixon said Australia desperately needed to lessen its dependence on industrial tasks like car manufacturing, which were being taken over by third world countries and move to the bus- inesses of the future, such as com- puting, electronics and biotechnology.

If QIT was to respond on behalf of the nation to the challenge of the future, "then in the nature of educat- ional institutions generally, we are de- pendent upon the individual creativity of our staff," he said.

Dr Dixon said the world had chang- ed and people were being offered a life which celebrated diversity.

"As employees, they also expect life to come in 31 flavours."

Focussing on QITs plan to encour- age greater individual choice and de- termination among its staff. Dr Dixon said QIT was similar to the small enterprises characteristic of an inforlllt ;, ation economy and had turned to the same planning methods to which bus-

A system which will reduce the time motorists spend waiting at traffic lights is being developed at QITs Micro- processor Development Centre.

Electrical engineering lecturer, Mr Jan Brown, is developing the system for the Queensland Main Roads Department which has allocated

$20,000 for the project.

Mr Brown says the project aims to make traffic lights more responsive to

traffic flow. ·

"The aim of the project is to achieve the optimum flow of traffic past traffic lights," Mr Brown said. "This is good from the motorist's point of view because it will shorten the time spent waiting at traffic lights," he said.

Mr Brown said that at present traffic lights gave favoured time to vehicles on particular roads based on traffic surveys conducted every few years. This did not make the system very flexible.

"The trouble is that the situation may vary," he said. "Milton Road might have favoured road status because it is normally the most used road -=-however after football at Lang Park on a Sunday everyone wants to use Hale Street which has less favoured time.

;:.

' . .

"This new system is d'c;J>Igried to•

adapt to the situation. A computer'will

~---by Sandra White be continuously doing traffic surveys and adjusting the lights accordingly,"

he said.

Mr Brown said the project was still at the preparation stage and presented special problems in computer hard- ware and software.

He says a statistics gathering machine is now being developed to document the claim of improvement using the new system.

"We· are using a standard video recorder to record the traffic flow. We can then come back, run the inform- ation through the computer system and analyse traffic to see how many vehicles pass a given point· and how long they spend at traffic lights," he said.

Mr Brown is also determining the type of vehicles which are using particular roads.

"This part of the project is for planning purposes - to find out what kind of roads need to be provided for the vehicles travelling on them," he said.

Final year electrical engineering students have also had input into the project.

"The students designed a system for the traffic lights project as an exercise in typical application," Mr Brown said.

The Microprocessor Development Centre has special equipment to integrate computer hardware and soft- ware for special applications such as the traffic light proj_ect.

. Mr Jan Brown

Mr Tainton said the group had sought to bring the outside environ- ment into the building.

"We tried to bringthe garden flavour of Darwin into the building - we had tropical gardens, internal courtyards, and water pools throughout the build- ing," he said.

Mr McConnell said the students had also tried to harmonize the build- ing with the built environment.

"The design of the building was in harmony with the Governor's House and other surrounding buildings," he said.

Mr McConnell said even though the group hadn't won the competition, the exercise had been worthwhile.

"It was very rewarding working with other colleagues on a personal and professional basis, and for the work experience itself," he said.

Mr McFarlane and Mr Tainton are completing the Graduate Diploma of Architecture, while Mr McConnell is completing the Bachelor of Architecture.

The students entered the competit- ion under the supervision of their employers, Douglas Daly Bottager Architects.

The project is currently on display in the Northern Territory but may be eventua!lY displayed in Queensland.

The Australian VIce Chancellors Committee and the Australian Committee of Directors and Principals of Colleges of Advanced Education are currently engaged In academic discussion about the appropriateness or otherwise of the binary system of higher education. This follows seeing eye to eye

on

the formal entry of CAE's Into the IDP program ( see p.3 ).

Certainly some courses In universities are tending to become more practical and vocationally oriented, /Ike those that we might expect In a CAE. And many CAE courses are quality degrees Incorporating a sound theoretical base.

Research occurs In both camps (or campuses). Universities are looking for a greater share of applied research and CAE's feel justified In applying for grants for some pure research, traditionally the field of universities.

Extrapolate these trends and In time It will be hard to diff- erentiate between the two (except for funding per student).

Interestingly, pilot research shows prospective tertiary students group QIT with the State's universities close behind Queensland University and suggests employers are ambivalent In choosing between the products of the two.

On the other hand, people over forty, It seems, still remember this end of George Street as the 'Tech.' In their minds QIT has made some progress -'training foreman electricians perhaps' -but they do not see Q/T as training the professions.

The latter Is of course QIT's basic purpose and over 80 percent of enrolments are now In degree or postgraduate courses leading to employment In specific professional areas.

As the social scientists say, mind set rarely changes overnight.

QIT Council ~rofile

Mr Kevin Davies

by Sue Fuller

Public administrator Mr Kevin Davies has definite ideas about the role of tertiary educ- ation.

Mr Davies, the Queensland Surveyor- General, also has a clear understanding oft he skills he brings to his role ofQIT Councillor. He was appointed to the Council in June, 1983.

''I'm a public administrator, and the Council is a policy making body relating to public administration," Mr Davies said. "I lend some skills to this process."

Mr Davies said his main interest was in making sure QIT operated successfully within the constraints set

by government.

"My contribution is an understand- ing of governmental process. I assist the Council in relations with the Board of Advanced Education and the Cabinet," he said.

However, Mr Davies is quick to point out that he is not representing the Government.

"Rather I can assist the Council on the relationships between QIT and the Government, and the best way to approach issues to ensure success," Mr Davies said.

"I'm realistic enough to say we shouldn't put in recommendations that the Minister won't accept."

In some areas the QIT is perceived as carrying out the dual roles of educat- ing and training people for industry.

"I believe that education educates and industry trains, and that educators cannot train unless they are also involved in industry," he said.

"I have a pretty clear picture in my mind of the particular role that tertiary education plays, and the place for industry and government in that role.

"I feel! can help unravel some of the confusion which exists in the education/ training area."

M r Davies said ~academia: must recognise it is not possible to say people are equipped to take their . places in the workforce just because

·they have received sufficient education to obtain a degree.

"The person is educated but not trained.

"This is basic to the distinct difference between the roles of CAE's and universities.

"C AE's are presenOy structured to provide skilled manpower for industry.

"Moves m the CAE's to. develop

higher degrees and foster research are destined to be troublesome unless they are directly related to the skilled man- power needs of inaustry," he said.

As part of his Councillor role, Mr Davi~ is also Chairman of the QIT PEP Committee, a prograq:1 which he sees as an essential part of a tertiary body's operation.

"We're responsible for examining

~he requests of academics to gain further experience outside QIT.

"We pay particular attention to what academics do with the knowledge when they get back, and encourage them to run seminars and publish."

Mr Davies is also President of the Queensland Council of Professions which looks at the role of professions in the community, and attempts to explain their roles to the community and government.

His career began with 18 years experience in the private sector which he says was invaluable, and would recommend it to every public admin- istrator.

In 1978 Mr Davies joined the Depart- ment of Mapping and Surveying as Deputy Director and was appointed Surveyor-General in 1982.

He has close ties with Queensland tertiary education and is also a member of the QIT Engineering Academic Board, and of several University of Queensland surveying and engineering boards and c.ommittees.

"Because of my experience in the market place, in government and in administration, I can add some clarity to the arguments that go on," he said.

Mr Kevin Davies - Page2

JNSlOE

Qff~·NQvgmber

1984.

Behind Parliament - House

RUOOL-PI-I

OuT TO STUD

New nursi _ og stuc:ties Head

Nurses have the potential to function very broadly in modern health care ,

tnd

the training programs of the 1960's

1are no longer appropriate, according

!to the new Head of Department of

1Nursing Studies at QIT, Miss Ailsa Curran.

Miss Curran said that chl!nges in society and health patterns demanded that nurses cope with various roles such as clinician, teacher, counsellor, care coordinator and agent of change.

Her appointment last month follows retirement of the foundation Depart- ment Head, Miss Joan Godfrey OBE in July.

A lecturer in the department from 197~, Miss Curran is e4perienced as a nurse educator and lecturer since 1'972 and previously worked in community and hospital settings.

She holds an arts degree as well as formal nursing qualifications and is a Fellow of the College of Nursing, Australia.

QIT introduced the first college based registered nurse in the State in

Miss Ailsa Curran

i

982 and expects the first graduates at the end of this year. Intake in this course is expected to quadruple by

1987.

"They will have to prove themselves initially," Miss Curran said. "But this is now the accepted form of nurse

education. -

"Most nurses see value in a tertiary

Communication Head cOnfi r · med -

The appointment of Mr Bruce Molloy as Head of QITs Department of Commun- ication was confirmed by QIT Council on November 15.

. A senior lecturer in the department since 1972 and an expert on Australian feature films, Mr Molloy holds a Master of Arts from Queensland Uni- versity and has submitted his PhD thesis at Griffith University.

QITs Communication Department offers highly regarded degree courses in advertising, journalism and public relations. The position, which was vacant following the promotion of Dr Dixon to Deputy Director in March, 1984, was advertised worldwide, at- tracting more than 70 applicants. ·

Communication Head, Mr Bruce Molloy.

Mr Molloy, 45 and father of five, -was a deputy high school principal in North Queensland before joining QIT as a lecturer in 1968.

His. particular field of int~rest in communication is Australian feature films. As well as lecturing in this area, he is responsible for original research and a number of publications on the subject and influenced the recent intro- duction of'film and television' into the high school curriculum.

Mr Molloy believes QIT has the best undergraduate communication course in Australia, but still sees excel- lent scope for the department.

"It's a complex department with a wide range of activities, including a large service component," he said, "but there is still a great deal to be done to broaden our base of activities."

The department will introduce a new masters degree program in 1985 and planning is underway for a graduate diploma in professional communication to commence in 1988.

Mr Molloy said the department had an important role in providing a lead to the communication professions in a time of inevitable and rapid technol- ogical development.

"Queensland has more than its fair share of forward thinkers in the comm- unication field and these people are well represented on our course advisory committees," he said. "The role will also call for a high level of consultation and interaction between staff and the professions."

qualification as they are now far more career oriented.

"The Australian Nurses Journal con-¹ ducted a s4rvey in May 1984 and 75' percent of the 3,200 respondents wanted I

ii

nursing degree course," Miss Curran said.

"The post registration degree exists in all other states and will be a very important development in Queensland higher education."

The department also offers post- basic nursing programs. Miss Curran said the age range of men and women entering nursing programs had widened considerably over the past decade.

In general, the men appeared to be more career oriented and were pre- paring themselves for nursing manage- ment and education.

The department currently has a staff of 15. Miss Curran said several of the staff were completing masters degrees both overseas and locally to increase the range of teaching expertise.

Health Scie, nce

Tests Lager

by Sue Fuller

The testing of a new light beer by QIT Health Science lecturers proved to be 'the party they had when they were not having a party:·

There were all the right party ingred- ients - people,

a

keg and 'nibbles', but there was serious business at hand.

Two clinical biology lecturers from the Medical Laboratory Science Dep- artment, Mr Cyril Craven and Ms Lyn Harland, recently tested the alcohol content of 'Castlemaine Q'.

"Castlemaine wanted an indepen- dent body to do some testing to confirm their results," Mr Craven said.

Besieged by volunteers, the lecturers tested two groups of 10 in a QIT laboratory. Group A drank six pots in one hour, and Group B drank eight in two hours.

Breath tests were done 15 and 20 minutes afterwards on standard breath- alyzer machines provided by the company.

The beer's two percent alcohol content resulted in everyone recording under .05.

The QIT results were used in an audio-visual presentation at the launching of the new lager.

Student survey to help fight cancer

A survey by QIT management stud- ents has found that only one fifth as many Brisbane people are aware of bowel cancer prevention programs as are aware of lung cancer prevention programs.

Yet Queensland Department of Health statistics show there are almost as many deaths from cancer of the bowel (19 per cent) as deaths from lung cancer (22 per cent).

The survey was a non-commissioned market research exercise done by the Administration Analysis class. The students chose cancer awareness and prevention as the subject of the survey.

Over 79 percent of survey respondents were not aware of bowel cancer prevention programs, and 69 per cent were not aware of cervical cancer programs.

Executive Director of the Queens- land Cancer Fund Mr Bill Rudder, congratulated the students and said he was "very encouraged by the outcome of the survey.

"It gives us a great basis on which to proceed with our campaign activities,"

he said.

Mr Rudder said he found it puzzling that lung cancer had a much higher awareness rating than skin cancer.

"A lot of our promotional activity is directed to the 'slip slop slap' campaign,"

he said.

This is a skin cancer awareness campaign which advises Queenslanders to slip on a shirt, slop on the sunscreen and slap on a hat.

According to the Queensland Cancer Fund, the survey was the only one of its kind conducted in the State.

The survey also found that less than one quarter of people saw information

·about cancer prevention as their own or their family's responsibility.

One third of people saw general practitioners as being responsible for providing information about cancer prevention. Government agencies were also seen to be responsible by nearly a third of people.

The survey found that the most effective medium for conveying information about cancer prevention to the community was television.

Pamphlets and newspapers were a distant second and third most effective means.

The survey indicated that an over- whelming majority of people were aware of cancer prevention, indicating the value of cancer prevention programs. It suggested that a greater emphasis in the future on bowel cancer and cervical cancer might be advantageous.

Grant finances research

on aged eye defects

Q!Ts Optometry Depart- ment will receive a $19,000 grant from the Australian Research Grants Scheme in 1985 to re- search the function of the per- ipheral retina in the elderly.

The peripheral retina is the part of the eye which assists mobility and the ability to detect when an object comes into one's peripheral vision.

Damage to the peripheral retina usually occurs with ageing. However, research in this area of vision and ageing has been relatively neglected.

The grant was awarded to Dr Brian Brown and Mr Ken Bowman of QIT and Dr Boris Crassini of Queensland

University.

It will enable the Optometry Depart- ment to employ a research optometrist for three years, to carry out a series of experiments to assess the effect of ageing on vision in the peripheral retina functions.

Dr Brown and Ms Jan Kitchin were also awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council grant of

$36,000 over three years for related research.

Mr Ken Bowman, Head of the Optometry Department, said the peripheral retina research was import- ant for two main reasons.

Firstly, falls and acidents were more serious in elderly people and damage to the peripheral retina could cause difficulty in walking, driving, and postural stability.

Secondly, there were now a lot more old people in the community than there were prior to World War II.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia in the next 25 - 30 years will see an increase of some 35 percent in the number of people over the age of 65.

"People will be living to greater ages due to advances in medical science and nutrition over the last few decades,"

M r Bowman said. "The longer people live, the more people there will be at risk of poor vision.

"This type of research is necessary to allow the elderly to maintain their independence and their quality of life,"

he said.

The research will involve compar- isons between young and old people to see what changes have taken place.

"Changes to the retina occur over a long period of time and are subtle - people just adapt to them," Mr Bowman said. "They are usually not life threatening changes and there is a general assumption that the elderly . cannot see as well as younger people.

"In the future there will be far more

by Leanne Logan articulate older people who w1H not just assume that their poor vision is a

part of getting old," he said.

Other A RGS grants went to Geology and Chemistry Department staff: Dr Lloyd Hamilton on analysis of coal ($9,820), and Dr Aro Arakel and Dr Ray Frost on how uranium based materials drain into areas of inland Australia ($6,050).

Chemistry lecturer, Dr Graham George received $1,000 toward contin- uance of research on how quickly plastics degrade under load. ·

Due to its classification as a College of Advanced Education, QIT receives only a small proportion of its research funding from the government. The balance of its $1,000,000 research ex- penditure is funded by business and industry.

Mr Ken Bowman and Dr Brian Brown

' ~- ~ ·-

Video technology Jpcuses on home

Two major developments in com- munication technology - videotex and the computer linked videodisc - will bring a new social focus to the home, according to the Head of School of Computing Studies at QIT, Dr Dennis Longley.

Dr Longley was keynote speaker at a Queensland Year of the Family Seminar on New Technology and the Family recently.

Videotex integrates the telephone, television and home computer into a home information system with part- icular applications in teleshopping, telebanking and distance learning.

"This system is already operating in other countries and telebanking is to be introduced very soon locally," Dr Longley said.

The linking of computer graphics and computer assisted learning systems with videodisc will result in advanced computer assisted learning and what Dr Longley describes as a 'massive automatic pictorial encyclopedia' acc- essible from the home.

The new communications systems meant there could be more people working from home, learning from home, participating in interactive club activities (such as chess) from home

and conducting various administrative functions (such as banking, shopping, lodging tax and Medicare returns) from home.

Other possibilities were voting in elections and lobbying from home.

"Access to a wide range of services and information from the home will be of particular benefit to disabled, elderly and remote groups," he said.

C.om.rnitte~

Appointment

Manager of the Qll' industrialliason unit Q Search, Mr Ray Bange, has been appointed to the Technology Transfer Committee, formed earlier this month.

Established by the Queensland Science and Technology Council, the five member committee is chaired by.

former Minister of Science and Tech- ology, Mr David Thompson.

The Committee would examine ways of keeping industry abreast of current technology, Mr Bange said.

It would

exa~ine

areas where technology transfer was lacking, and ways of improvl~g technology transfer, he said.

Students in the Department of Biology and Environmental Science recently presented the Queensland Museum with

a

rare specimen of a 'false water rat'. The students were on an environmental excursion at Bribie Island under the supervision of lecturer Mr John Wilson. Their d;scovery was noted on page one of the Courier Mail.

Dr Garth Everson has been heard. on "Save water" radio commercials for the Brisbane City Council, reminding citizens when they may and may not water their gardens.

Dr Everson did not object to lending the weight of his title as Head of the Department of Biology and Environmental Science at QIT to the commercials, but drew the line at being called a

"gardening expert."

He said he would have been embarrassed had anyone taken a look at his garden.

* *

A Master's student has been appointed to do field Investigation and laboratory work for metal related diet deficiency research being conducted by Q/T's Department of Public Health and Nutrition.

Karen Roesch,

a

Gatton Agricultural College honours graduate, was appointed under an Australian Sugar Industry research grant.

The grant also financed purchase of equipment necessary for analysis of chromium levels In food. The Zeeman Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer was Installed at Q/T this month.

* *

The Department of Surveying at QIT recently received a donation of electronic equipment from Queensland Aerial Survey Company (QASCO).

The digital read out and print out equipment for a photo- grammetric plotting instrument will be used to update the operations of one of the department's plotters.

* *

A logo for the Queensland Science and Technology Council was

one

final semester project for students In the degree course In architecture and Industrial design.

The students' work was recently Judged by

a

high level

mmm

Including members of the Council and QIT design experts.

The winning logo will be publicly launched by Minister for Industry, Small Business and Technology, Mr Mike Ahern In December.

* *

The Australian Universities' International Development Pro- gram (AUIDP) has been broadened to formally include CAE's and is to be known as IDP.

The program to assist universities in developing countries, principally through the development of their academic and administrative staff, has been operating since 1969.

IDP currently has programs operating in 32 South East Asian and South Pacific universities led by consultants from Australian universities and colleges.

* *

The new QIT Music Society, now more than twenty members strong,

needs a

plano to make Its weekly meetings more tuneful. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of

a

VERY cheap plano, call Les Mitchell

on

ext. 2371.

Glider radar system memorial to Lecturer

An appeal has been launched by the Mechanical Engineering Department of QIT for $1,000 to develop an inexpensive radar anti-collision system for gliders, as a tribute to Mr Colin Norman who died in a mid-air gliding accident in October.

Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Mr Jack Laracy, said Mr Norman's family had welcomed the idea of a radar system being developed in his name. It would be a memorial to Mr Norman's efforts in the field of gliding, he said.

Mr Norman, who was a lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Depart- ment, was one of Austral;a's leading glider pilots. He was the first Queens- lander to have taken a glider on a 1,000 kilometre'flight, and was competing in the State gliding championships on the Darling Downs when his glider and another glider collided.

The

Electrical Engineering Depart- men~·had indicated it would be feasible

to develop an inexpensive radar systc;n for gliders, Mr Laracy said.

The anti-collision systems currently available were inexpensive as they were designed for high speed aircraft.

he said.

The cost of the components net:dt:d to build a prototype would be less than

$1,000. With the cooperation of gliding clubs it could be installed and testt:d.

Mr Dick Howe and Mr George Feige, lecturers in the Electrical Engineering Department, are prt:part:d to undertake the project.

Mr Norman had himself designed and patented a thermal turn indicator -an electro-mechanical dcvict: for gliders.

He leaves his wife, Olive Norman. and six children.

Those who wish to contribute to the appeal should make cheques payahlt:

to QIT and direct them to Mr l.araq at the Mechanical ErigimTring Department.

INSIDE QIT, November 1984. Page3

QITieads air study

by Sandra White

QIT chemistry lecturer, Dr Neville Bofinger, recently coordinated a

$60,000

air study examining emissions from the coal burning Gladstone power station.

The study, commissioned by the Queensland Electricity Generating Board, was the first of its kind in Australia and involved ninet• ;en staff from four collaborating organisations

-

QEGB, CSIRO, the State lJectricity Commission of Victoria, and QIT.

Dr Bofinger was project leader and organizer of the study which looked at the chemistry of the plume from Glad- stone power station. HI! was assisted by final year QIT chemistry students Peter Scott and Tracy King.

The plume refers to the shape emissions from the burning of coal follow when blown by the wind.

The study particularly looked at the formation of nitrogen dioxide which forms in the air from nitric oxide after being emitted from the burning of coal.

·Dr Bofinger had developed a

computer model to predict emission levels, then set out to obtain experi-

'

mental results to be

te~ted

against the model.

A CSIRO instrumented aircraft was used to measure the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the air and to track the movements of plume.

A "Moniteq plume tracker", a computer based instrument , was used to measure and analyse plume from the ground and acoustic radar and radio sound balloons were used to obtain meteorological data for the study.

Meanwhile a team at the power station analysed the content of the

emiss~ons

f roll). the stack

,

Dr Bofinger said the results of the study were still being analysed, but the report would be completed by early next year.

John and Russell Davie after graduation

Two brothers, John and Russell

Davie, graduated together on October 4 in a postgraduate civil engineering course at QIT. A third brother, Alan, a consulting engineer, completed the same course previously.

John, 28 also graduated as a father the same week and his wife, Beth, was granted a leave pass from the Royal Womens to attend the graduation at

QIT.

' Russell, 34, has been a part-time

student at QIT since 1966, having completed a certificate, then an engineering degree and two post- graduate diploma courses.

Russell is a civil engineer with the Premier's Department imd John is a construction engineer with VSL Pre- stressing Australia Pty Ltd.

The graduation ceremony was for more than two hundred students who completed course requirements mid-year.

CAL · : to 1ncrease •

at QIT

by Fiona Pugh

Computers used to supplement lect- ures may soon become a significant teaching aid within QIT.

"The pressure is on to provide alter- native teaching resources to lecturers,"

Mr Eric Walker, surveying lecturer and producer of Computer Assisted Learning packages, said. "Because of the funding situation, teaching services are being expected to teach more students. CAL is an alternative to this demand."

Already there are half a dozen CAL packages around QIT which students can use to complement their studies.

There are packages both for the American computer system, Apple, and for the IBM Personal Computer.

"People are becoming more inter- ested in CAL," Mr Walker said.

"Nitrogen dioxide as a pollutant causes concern for health as it has effects on people and vegetation," Dr

Bofinger said. Students work on sleeping

This interest was evident at a seminar held in ERDU (the Education Research Development Unit) on October 25.

The seminar, lead by Mr Walker, was held to explore the viability of CAL within tertiary institutions.

The Physics Department especially showed a lot of interest in the content of the seminar, Mr Walker said .

"We were testing to see how fast nitrogen dioxide forms from nitric oxide in the air," he said

.

The findings would be used for planning future power stations, estimating ground level concentrations of emissions and establishing a model' for predicting the formation of nitrogen dioxide.

Surveying

s .

The Department of Surveying at QIT recently received a meritorious award at the annual Institute of Sur- veyors' presentation of Excellence in Surveying A wards ..

The department's project was des- cribed as a 'technological breakthrough using non-metric cameras for the prod- uction of orthophoto maps.'

It

will open up a new market for low cost aerial, rapid response photography mapping.

. Head of the Department of Survey- mg. Dr Enrico Clerici, said the tech- nique meant a saving of up to

HU

_percent.

.

A bed has been the centre of attent- ion this year for a group of mechanical engineering students.

The bed is being designed for the Royal Brisbane Hospital. Specific- ations for the design include a mattress which can be elevated from a height appropriate for a small child, through to a height more appropriate for an adult. The bed must tilt up to thirty degrees in either direction of the horizontal level for particular orthopaedic and physio- therapy situations.

Most beds which are raised and tilted are hydraulically operated. The RBH wants a design for mechanically operated beds.

"One of the problems the RBH sees is the leakage of hydraulic fluid - which is not appropriate in an hospital environment," Mr Bob Nicol, senior lecturer in mechanical design, said.

M~

Nicol said the project was

·nearly completed.

All fourth year students had to take on real projects for internal or external use, Mr Nicol said.

Mr Gartshore and DPI Senior Chemist, Mr Greg Haydon

A third year physics student at QIT ·

has made life easier for scientists at the DPI with the design and building of a low cost microcomputer interface to facilitate soil analysis.

Graham G~rtshore, a full time stud- ent, chose the project as ·part of his final year assessment

.

The project involved using a micro- computer worth less than $100 to make an older piece of equipment which measures soil conductivity to

show soil analys_ is data on VDlfand computer printout.

It

will mean considerable time sav- ings for DPI staff. An off the shelf computer to do the same job would have cost about $5,000.

Physics lecturer at QIT, Mr John Davies, said students were expected to spend about nine hours a week for 10 weeks in their final semester working on an industry project.

"I suspect Graham spent a bit longer on this," he said

.

Page 4 tNSIDE QIT, November 1984.

by Fiona Pugh

"We define the customer need, in engineering terms, develop the best feasible solution, and develop that into a properly engineered, properly doc- umented outcome," he said.

Other projects the students have been working on this year include the modifying of an ore hopper, and the jssociated feeding and elevated conteyors for MJM and a paint

drying oven for the army.

Fourteen students have also been working on a hydraulic pump and motor system for use with a very low oil content, non-flammable hydraulic fluid.

Although Mr Nicol is overseer of the projects, lecturers specialising in different areas of mechanical engineering control and monitor pro- jects that fall into their area of specialisation.

Primary s~hool plans

with 8 · . E. students

Sixteen second year students from the Built Environment Technician's course recently presented proposals for design projects at Bardon State Prim- ary School to the school's Par- ents and Citizen's Association.

Mr Jim Hutchinson, lecturer in the Department of Architecture and

·

Industrial Design, said there were obvious benefits to the school's future planning in having a variety of pro- posals presented for

dis~ussion

and

evaluation.

,.,

It also was of benefit to the students to work on a scheme in , a "live situation", he said.

"The process of problem solving and decision making for an actual client helped promote a high standard of professionalism," Mr Hutchinson said.

ested in carrying out design projects at the school.

The 16 students visited the school early in the third term to observe the functions and activities of the school.

Potential design programmes included classroom furniture and structures, development of playground areas and equipment, art. and craft areas, external teaching spaces, and an open-air ampitheatre.

Selection of projects was left to the students themselves, based on personal observation and assessment.

The proposals were developed in the form of drawings and models.

Mr Hutchinson said the success of the exercise was largely due to the cooperation of the school principal, Mr Bill McClintock, who recognised the aims and objectives for design students as well as the benefits for the school.

·Mr-Walker (computerised)

Until now, QIT research into the viability of CAL in tertiary institutions has been a one-man show. However, Mr Walker said that ERDU would carry qut a survey to gauge the feasibility of CAL within different · QIT departments.

CAL is already in use in some institutions and is gaining interest throughout all educational institutions.

The recent four-day Computer Expo held at the Crest International Hotel devoted a whole day to computers and their use as a viable and very significant educational resource.

President of the Bardon State

PrimarySchoot'sParentsandCitizen's Optometry getS Apple grant

Association, M r Geoff Colless, approached QIT earlier this year

suggesting that students might be inter-

by Jane Murphy

Computer purchase

QIT has purchased a

$200,000

mini- computer for the School of Computing . Studies from DEC.

The system comprises a VAX II /750 mini-computer, VMS operat- ing system and a broad range of languages. The VAX comes with 4 mb. memory, 660 mb. disc storage, magnetic tape unit, printer and dec- net link with QITs DEC 10 mainframe.

Installation is expected in Dec- ember/ January for student use in first semester next year.

Two lecturers in the Optometry

'

Department recently received a grant from the Apple Education Foundation in the form of

$3,644

worth of Apple hardware.

Dr Brian Brown and Ms Christine Wildsoet were successful among num- erous applicants Australia-wide .

Their application suggested the need for a

pr~gram

to help teach visual science to optometry students.

"Vision is interesting, and there aren't many institutions teaching vision," Dr Brown said.

But his professional track record in computer application is sure to have been a contributing factor in the Foundation's choice.

"In the grant request we outlined program areas where we could use help with some difficulties in the lab- oratory at the moment," Dr Brown said.

The first of the three software pack- ages Dr Brown and Ms Wildsoet will write with the Apple lie Professional System and lmagewriter Printer will simulate the eye and its changing lenses, taking advantage of the system's graphic capabilities.

Another prog· ram will enable the

computer to momtor expenments deal-

ing with the measurement of the relative

efficiency of the eye in 'seeing' the

brightness of various colours. The

third program deals with computing

the specifications of colour.

Student Wins

Retail Award

A part-time management student at QIT, Mr Graham Henrickson, was recently selected nationally as 'Junior' Retail Executive of the Year', after being nominated by Myer.

His prize is a two-week visit to the United States, all expenses paid.

Before winning the national award, Mr Henrickson won the State title, with a two-week trip around Australia as the prize.

"I spent time looking at retail outlets around Australia," he said. "This was helpful in learning different manage- ment skills."

Mr Henrickson was judged on his retail knowledge, general knowledge, personal education and self-develop- ment, self presentation and community involvement.

"I hope the award will come in handy in the future," he said.

Mrs Nancy Roydhouse, from Myer- Queen Street, said that Myer was proud of Mr Henrickson's success.

"Myer - Coorparoo nominated Mr Henrickson, and he and one other were selected from all the nominees,"

she said. "He should go a long way."

Meanwhile, Mr Henrickson is kept busy as Assistant Sales Manager in the Men and Boys' Department of his store.

Science Lab on Video

by Raine Grady

If a science student were to accidently heat two dangerous liquids, the con- sequences could be serious.

But on a video-disc, the test tubes, bunsen burner and potential explosion, would be simulated. The student and the science lab are safe from such accidents.

This relatively new system, called Interactive Videodisc, combines video images recorded on disc and random access capability.

The new medium has been called "the ultimate education tool", as it combines many teaching devices.

Through this system the emotional power of television andtheinteracrive power of the computer are brought together.

Video imagery, action and stereo sound work together to provide an effective and inexpensive alternative to hands on experience.

According to Dr Tony Webber, 1-tead of QITs School of Health Science, the use of videodisc tech- nology in the School will be the first major experiment of this kind in Queensland.

"We think it's a very important move forward," Dr Webber said. "We can use it for teaching health science application and the student can move at his or her own pace."

This is due to the branching effect of the system, adapted from a video game called 'Dragon's Lair', which allows the student to progress to another stage of learning once the current problem has been solved.

Dr Webber says the system will not be completely installed for some time.

"There are 50,000, 35 mm slides to be put on video disc," he said.

An expert on computer aided instruction from Canada's Uni- versity of Alberta,. Dr Michael Szabo, visited QIT early in Nov- ember to discuss a joint venture between Control Data Institute, QfTand the University of Alberta in use of video disc specifically for nurse education.

:::;«

FEATURES

Landscape architect tours S.E. Asia

A recent five-week study tour of South East Asia for QITs . Head of Department of Plan- I ning and Landscape Architect- ure, Mr Phil Heywood, involv- ed a three day trek through the rugged Himalayas. .

The only access to a rural community development base he visited in Nepal was by foot or donkey.

Mr Heywood was invited by the Malaysian Institute of Technology (ITM) in Kuala Lumpur to act as external examiner and academic con- sultant to the Department of Town and Regional Planning at the Institute for two weeks.

Not one to waste an opportunity, Mr Heywood also decided to observe the settlement planning schemes in various Asian cities including Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Calcutta while he was abroad.

According to Mr Heywood, the Kuala Lumpur and Calcutta govern- ments are both trying to positively improve badly planned living settle- ments for their people.

The Malaysian Federal Land Dev- elopment Authority(FELDA) involv- ing the establishment of new agro- politan settlements in desig- nated rural development zones, had been the most successful rural develop- ment schemes in the Third World, he said.

"Over 200 of these schemes have resulted in half a million people getting modern living facilities including elec- tricity and water supplies," he said.

Mr Heywood said students he had

by Leanne Logan

as regional development oflicers I or FELDA schemes.

In Calcutta, the Metropolitan Dev- elopment Authority is working on a Bustee Improvement Program. This program is designed to improve the badly planned hutments (bustees) in the area. It also provides new latrines and water facilities for the three to six million people living in bustees.

Both schemes were positive 'home- grown' solutions, attempting to solve the rural problems, Mr Heywood said.

"South East Asia has got the intell- ectual resources to tackle some of the most intimidating problems in the modern world," he said. "However, they have incredible difficulties accom- modating the enormous annual increase in population."

During his stay in Kuala Lumpur Mr Heywood gave three lectures to ITM students and students from a neighbouring university. He lectured on differing approaches to develop- ment, including the Westerner's view, and on urban conservation in Australia.

Mr Heywood has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from Oxford University and a Diploma in Town Planning from Manchester University in England. He is also an author.

He will be presenting a paper about his study tour to the Royal Australian Planning Institute's bi-annual confer- ence to be held in Brisbane.

However, probably the most notice- able effect Mr Heywood's trip will have on his students will be the up- dating and improvement of knowledge

and relevance of his lectures on 'Plan- ning in Developing Countries.'

by Sue Fuller

An exciting film industry initiative - a $225,000 Queensland Screen Train- ing Program - is being held at QIT from November to March.

Communication Department staff Mr Bruce Molloy and Mr Ridley Williams liaised with the Queensland Film Corporation to provide the work- shop venues and projection facilities required.

Mr Molloy said the program was a new departure for film in Australia, and was the first time such an exercise had been attempted at QIT.

"The program is for people drawn from all segments of local media inter- est such as commercial TV, the ABC.

local production houses, educational media producers and from academia,"

Mr Molloy said.

"They'll be able to talk about comm- on problems, and experts in particular aspects of film production from all over Australia will attend," he said.

The program will follow the act- ual development of a film property, from scripting, fund-raising, publicity and marketing to technical production.

taught in England were now working Phil Heywood and guide with Himalayan backdrop

"It will give the people the feeling of what it's like to be associated with a real project even down to catering details such as box lunches that people have when on location," Mr Molloy said.

I mage revamp for Student Union

by Wendy George

Most incoming student union presidents enter the job promis- ing to change QIT campus life within months. Phillip Jones, the newly elected president is, however, more realistic in his approach.

"I know enough about the running of the Union to know that I'm not going to transform QIT in one year,"

he said.

This doesn't mean 28-year-old Mr Jones has no plans and goals for the coming year.

"First of all I'd like to consolidate the Union, and to give it a much higher profile," he said. "I'd like to improve the image of the Union in the eyes of the students, so that they don't feel their fees are being wasted."

A second year Business Studies student majoring in Public Relations, Mr Jones said he feels his previous two years spent gaining his Associate Dip- loma in Mechanical Engineering would help in the position.

"I think being older, having gained one degree and having worked and travelled, I'm fairly well equipped to deal with people on all levels," he said.

The job of union president is well known to be hard work with its share of problems but he remains optimistic.

"Through being administration and finance director this year, I know the potential and limitations of the job,"

he said.

Despite student apathy - only a small percentage of students voted in the Union election- next year's pres- ident maintains a positive attitude.

"I want students to see that the Union can be of great benefit to them,"

he said enthusiastically. "We're going to follow up submissions for the pool,

• and we're making an effort to have the courtyard redeveloped. Most import- antly we want student support and active interest."

Mr Jones said the Union had been actively supporting the needs of students.

"In the last two years the executive has achieved quite a bit.

"I hope that myself and next year's executive can at least equal their per- formance," he said.

With this optimistic and practical approach, the incoming QIT union president looks set to achieve his goals.

"We're a small community here at QIT, so I'd like to see a humanization of the campus, to give it its own particular character," he said.

Incoming QIT Union President, Mr Phillip Jones.

QIT grant for aerial

mapp1ng

I

QIT geophysicist Mr Joe Williams will use a $2 500 research grant from the Institute to enable more accurate geological mapping from aerial surveys.

Several Australian companies spec- ialise in flying magnetic surveys using sophisticated equipment. The aircraft carry magnetometers that measure the magnetide in rocks. By taking readings along the ground they can build up a picture of rock formations which helps in mapping.

"Aerial-magnetic surveying is the most popular tool in geophysical exploration," Mr Williams said. "They try to fly the plane at a constant height above the ground and pretty low - about 80 meters.

"Unfortunately, that's very difficult to do. I'm trying to work out corrections for the varying heights of the plane to make the magnetide readings more accurate."

Mr Williams takes photos with the magnetide readings every 25 meters and plots the plane's position against the readings. From the photo-map he will be able to program a correction that will take into account variations in the distance from the ground to the plane due to the Earth's natural contours.

No-one has ever done a correction before according to Mr Williams, but he is confident that he will be able to produce the correction and get it working properly. He hopes to present his findings at the Geophysical Conference next September.

The surveys are expensive, but one company, Austirex International Limited, is flying the same area at five different heights for Mr Williams at half the commercial price.

There was the capacity to have a commercial property at the end of it, he said.

Mr Molloy said the program organisers, Mr Brian Williams, Exec- utive Director of the Queensland Film Corporation and Mr Tom Jeffrey, director of "The Odd Angry Shot".

had recognised the lack of executive

r producers in Queensland. Such prod- ucers were the key to establishing successful commercial film ventures.

The seminar program is designed to provide a role model.

Seminar invitees include names such as Henry Crawford, producer of

"Eureka Stockade", Michael Edgeley, producer of "The Man From Snowy River". Kim Williams, chief executive of the Australian Ftlm CorporatiOn, and Robert Caswell. who wrote "Scales of Justice".

Mr Molloy said QITs involvement with Queensland screen training grew out of its involvement with the Aust- ralian Film and Television School.

"This extends to the AFTS National Graduate Diploma Scheme and the film school's Open Program Train-

ing Scheme, for people already in the industry," Mr Molloy said.

Rare books wanted

A display by QlT Department of Librarianship students highlighted the benefits of donating rare books to libraries at Queensland's first Anti- quarilin Book Fair.

The Book Fair was held in Old Government House from November 23 to 25. Promoted by a Brisbane rare book dealer. it was attended by 16 dealers from interstate. Under the Federal Government's Taxation Incent- ives for the Arts Scheme, donors are entitled to claim the full market value of gilh of rare books to libraries as a tax deduction.

---~~~

INSIDE QIT, November 1984. Page 5