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378.9431
103 eensland I nstit u te o f T echnology
ewspaper
Issue No. 38
Queensland Institute of Technology 2 George Street Brisbane Q. 4000 Telephone (07) 223 2111 Registered by Australia Post- Publication No. QBF
New QIT Sports Centre opens with a splash
Still dripping after the pollies versus QIT union presidents raft race in the new QIT indoor heated swim- ming pool on 30 August were, from left, Ken Fussell ('85 president), Phil Jones ('86 president), Alison Fraser ('88 president), Denver Bean/and (Liberal local government spokesman), Jane Folliott ('87 president), Tony Elliott (NP, Cunningham), Howard Hobbs (NP, Warrego) and Pat Comben (Opposi- tion health spokesman).
The presidents crew beat the MLAs only by changing the rules mid-stream. They won the right to a swim in the parliamentary pool next door at a BBQ hosted by the Minister for Education, Brian Littleproud.
QIT's long awaited sports centre opened with a splash on 30 August with Minister for Educa- tion, Youth and Sport, Mr Brian Littleproud, firing the starting gun for a raft race between QIT Union presidents and Queens- land MLAs in the new swimming pool.
The race challenge was an egalitarian gesture by the student union presidents who have held office over the last five years and lobbied for adequate sports amenities for QIT's 10 000 students.
The five year lobby has included reference to Parliament House sports facilities which were available to MLAs but not to students.
The $2.2 million centre is the first substantial sports facility for the cam- pus. It comprises three squash courts and a 25 metre x 18 metre indoor heated pool (the only one in the inner city). The gym which is close-by also has been ex- tended recently.
The new pooVsquash complex has been funded jointly by the QIT Student Union and QIT, with a Union loan being amortised by a proportion of students' annual union fees. Coca Cola has con- tributed $1 0 000.
The Presidents were competing for the right to have a swim in the Parlia- ment House pool as the Minister's BBQ guests and-the Pollies stood to win free membership of the QIT pool for a week.
The Minister commended the 'self help' spirit of the student union and QIT in financing the project.
Institute bids for 1989-1991 growth
QIT is planning 20 percent enrolment growth to 8400 equivalent full-time stu- dents by 1991. The current enrolment is 6950 EFT students, or more than 10 000 total students.
Officers of the Federal Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET) visited campus on 30 August to discuss the Institute's 'educational profile'
Announcement on uni status is expected soon
An announcement is expected early September from the State Education Minister on whether QIT's bid for separate university legislation has been successful.
The Minister's review committee, chaired by University of Queensland
(or business plan) for 1989-91 which was submitted to DEET earlier this month.
The Federal budget, brought down on 23 August, provided for40000extra higher education places in Australia over the next three years. However, it is unclear at this stage how many of the places will come to Queensland where unmet demand was estimated at 4000- 6000 places in 1988.
The extra places will be financed partly by a graduate tax which is ex- pected to raise $83 million in 1989, rising to $126 million for the 1991 year.
Total higher education spending will in-· crease by $843 million over the three years, from an annual $2.7 billion for 1988 to $3.1 billion for 1991.
An institution's educational profile is the basis for negotiating funding for the next triennium with DEET under the
continued on page 2
Pro Vice-Chancellor for Health Scien- . . - - -- - - -....
ces, Professor Ralph Doherty, visited campus for three days 2-4 August.
The committee's report to the Mini- ster was due by the end of August.
Cabinet would then consider the Minister's recommendation at its week- ly meeting before any public an- nouncement.
For QIT to be trading as Queensland University of Technology by 1 January 1989, legislation would need to go before the current session of Parliament.
Inside
• Worms return as health threat to Australians ... p3
• Huge air pollution control experiment at Tarong ... p5
QIT researchers have begun radio tracking a large koala popula- tion in South East Queensland's Bremer River catchment area be- tween Ipswich and Cunninghams Gap.
Thirty koalas have already been 'flagged down' from gumtrees, ear- tagged and fitted with collars carrying miniature radio transmitters.
habitat use and the social structure of the koala group (e.g. how breeding af- fects territories when sub-adult male koalas can be forced out of the group by dominant males).
Thought to be the first major Queensland study of koala habitat use, the research is specifically directed at the utilisation of remnant forest areas and corridors of vegetation along watercourses.
Each collar has a different frequen- Mr White said the only previous cy, enabling the researchers to follow work of its type in this State was under- the movements of individual animals taken by the National Parks and with little disturbance to the koalas. Wildlife Service in Central Queensland Study supervisor, Mr Neil White, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and said the aim was to analyse the environ- involved no more than eight koalas.
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a rational management plan based on a to assess koala habitat preference and better understanding of koala ecology. the prevalence of disease.
Mr White and masters student, Ms Noleen Kunst, with student assistance, will follow a total of about 40 koalas for at least a year, taking in the breeding cycle.
Koalas mate between October and January. Koala 'joeys' spend six months in the mother's pouch, then up to a year as 'back young'.
The researchers are interested both in
Mr White, a lecturer in the Depart- ment of Biology and Environmental Science, said special radio tracking equipment worth $12 000 had been im- ported from the USA for the work.
Cartoon page 2
Biology lecturer, Mr Neil White (left) and masters student, Ms Noleen Kunst, collar a koala which will be radio tracked.
Director's comment
Top students need less contact hours
In the last decade, OfT almost has doubled in size. In the same period, demand for the Institute's courses has grown to the point where there are now three first preference applicants for every first year place.
This demand is reflected in the high quality of the student body. The median TE score for entry to OfT this year was 925, about 80 points higher than a decade ago. However, with the big change in the quality of the students, there has been only marginal change in the long hours we keep QIT students in class.
By 1991, the QIT enrolment will have passed 8000 equivalent full- time students, the benchmark used to define a 'broadly-based university' in the Green Paper on Higher Education.
Demand for QIT courses will continue at high levels and quotas still will be necessary here despite the strong growth in Queensland higher education foreshadowed in the budget.
The high quality of the student body will require new approaches to teaching in the 1990s. Emphasis must change from class room centred learning to student centred learning.
There is no longer a need to keep students in lectures for 20 hours per week. Contact hours can be reduced in some areas without prejudicing the practical nature of QIT courses.
Course review committees must look critically at total student contact hours.
Dr Dennis Gibson
Retirement, redundancy still to be finalised in
four percent wage deal
Early retirement and redundancy provisions of the four percent national productivity agreement for academics have still to be worked out.
QIT academics on 12 August received second tier wage rises back- dated to 4 July.
Employers and academic staff unions have agreed that guidelines for an early retirement scheme be settled by 30 September. QIT has received $450 000 Federal funding for the scheme for the second half of this calendar year.
The Taxation Department is now scrutinising a negotiated model scheme. If sanctioned, it would make voluntary early retirement available to tenured staff below the age of 63. Ap- proval of applications from eligible staff would be at the discretion of the tertiary institution in light of the over- all staffing picture. The benefit payable would be a lump sum of at least two weeks salary for every year of service, to a maximum of 52 weeks. This would be on top of other entitlements.
Parties to the second tiernegotiations have agreed to formulate a redundancy package by I January 1989. Guidelines will cover redeployment, retraining and
continued from page 1
voluntary retrenchment. Employers want to include voluntary retrenchment but unions do not, so the Federal Com- mission will arbitrate.
QIT's Academic Staff Association has described the second tier package overall as 'reasonable'. ASA president, Dr Chad Perry, claimed that there had already been a big increase in produc- tivity due to teaching load increases in recent years.
Talks have yet to begin on a QIT second-tiertrade off which would resu It in more contract (non-tenured) employ- ment of senior lecturers and higher clas- sifications, and more tenured lecturers.
When 'Inside QIT' went to press, ar- rangements for the non-academics four per cent rise were still being finalised.
The three percent national rise con- ditionally approved recently by the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission for all Australian workers will be in addition to the four per cent increase. The three per cent will not be paid before I September.
Comment will be sought from the Federated Clerks Union on the non- academic pay rise agreement after it is finalised.
Institute bids for 1989-1991 growth
Federal Government's White Paper on Public Health, Master of Laws, and an Higher Education policy statement MBA. A small number of PhD students released in July. The White Paper also is proposed. Access from TAFE to promotes a Unified National System QIT degree programs will be streamlined.
(UNS) for higher education in which in- Addressing the government's equity stitutions should have a minimum of2000 objective, QIT targets are set for an in- effective full-time students and in which crease of five percent in female students neighbouring campuses should merge. and for 33 percent of academic staff to
QIT plans to join UNS if the State be female by 1991.
Minister for Education approves the The new Law/Optometry building move. Institutions not joining will be will help accommodate growth. 'G', ineligible for growth or research fund- 'H' and 'E' Blocks will be refurbished ing from the Federal Government. and a stan could be made on a second
"The new structure therefore en- riverbank building forelectronics/com- courages fewer, larger and what the puting. The fate of the Conservatorium government hopes will be more efficient building is unknown at this stage.
institutions whose teaching and research In research, QIT will focus effort in activities are directed more towards na- three existing Institute centres (biological tiona! priorities," QIT Director, Dr Den- population management, eye research, nis Gibson said. "It dispenses with the bi- terotechnology) and two new centres, as nary system of universities and colleges well as the Key Centre in Land Informa- ofadvancededucationasabasisforfund- tion Systems. It will bid for government ing and seeks greater cooperation be- funds not previously available to the In- tween institutions." stitute.
National enrolment growth will be In 1988, these funding sources in- concentrated in areas identified as having elude $1.5 million for technological in- the greatest student and industry demand. stitutes and $65 million through the
QITplans for the triennium include ex- Australian Research Council. For the panding enrolments in existing engineer- 1989-91 triennium, $125 million of ing, computing, science, accounting and university research funds will be allo- managementcoursesaccordingtonation- cated on a competitive project basis.
al priorities and introduction of new cour- Q IT's current industrial research ses: BBus--Information Management, turnover is $5 million pa. Q Search and GradDip--Communication Practice, the QIT Foundation will continue to ex- GradDip--Biotechnology, MAppSc-- pand commercial activity.
Page 2 INSIDE QIT, 31 August 1988
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Researchers using electronic tracking equipment hope to learn more about the koala lifestyle including mating habits. Young adult males can be forced out of the group by dominant males.
Council profile: Mark Pace
QIT's head gardener and Council member, Mr Mark Pace, sees himself as a 'grass roots' representative on Coun- cil who keeps the general staff informed on current issues.
A shorter working week for all In- stitute employees was one issue which spurred him to nominate for election to Council.
A small number of staff still work a 40 hour week and are not entitled to rostered half days off. He wants to see them brought into line with other staff on campus.
In his own job, Mr Pace believes in creating themes.
Since his arrival in 1986, he has made some radical changes to the Institute's gardens and more are planned.
"I would like to create a rainforest ef- fect around the swimming pool com- plex and a native forest tree theme on the riverbank near the new law/health science building," he said.
It was more than I 5 years ago that the. campus was landscaped and it now needed improvement.
"The main drive on Gardens Point Road needs to be replanted with trees, and I would like to see the fig trees at QIT's George Street entrance replaced," Mr Pace said.
He plans to replace native trees which have a lifespan of about 12 years with more permanent species such as native rainforest trees which have
lifespans up to 200 years. MrMark Pace
Native trees need to be replanted every five years to ensure a constant canopy.
Before coming to QIT, Mr Pace worked as a propagator (growing plants from cuttings), and in nurseries. He was
Visiting practitioner first for optometry
QIT's Optometry Department has begun a 'visiting practitioner' program to be run along similar lines to a 'visit- ing professor' program.
Leading optometrists in private prac- tice are being invited to spend a week or more on campus for an intensive ex- change of skills.
They will 'trade' knowledge gained from years of practical experience for the opportunity to familiarise themsel- ves with the latest theory, and advances in techniques and equipment.
Department head, Mr Ken Bowman, said the visitors would be involved in tutoring and other informal, personal teaching. This would give students ready access to first-hand information about optometry practice management.
The program also could open the way for these optometrists to become in- volved in joint clinical research projects when they returned to their practices.
"This is one part of a plan designed to forge closer links with the profession in Queensland, to our mutual benefit,"
Mr Bowman said.
"With its introduction, we will have a formal program of visits by prominent academics and practitioners, as well as student exchanges. In December, Dr John Saunders from the Department of Optometry and Visual Science at the
City University, London, will join us for six months. We already have a student from the Pennsylvania College of Op- tometry doing pan of his final yearclini- cal practice here.
"The visiting practitioner program augments the existing programs of con- tinuing education and special topic videos we produce for the profession."
Mr Leo Hartley of Mackay, whose particular interests are paediatric op- tometry and low vision, this month be- came the department's first visiting practitioner.
Mr Leo Hartley
head gardener at East Sydney Techni- cal College and also worked at the city Botanic Gardens in Brisbane.
QIT
Foundation tops $2.5
million
The QIT Foundation has passed the
$2.5 million mark in fundraising for re- search and educational programs at QIT.
Major projects which have com- menced in the last 12 months include:
• $300 000 from Cotmen Pty Ltd for Jet Engine Development
• $210 000 from government depart- ments for support ofthe Survey Prac- tice Course
• $200 000 from law firms for the Law Faculty.
Assistant Dean -Development, Mr Rod Miller, said that forQITto achieve excellence in a range of applied re- search and educational areas, continued sponsorship of this kind was essential.
Since taking up his role of managing QIT's liaison with the QIT Foundation in August 1987, Mr Miller has negotiated agreements which have added $1.2 million to QIT's projected income.
Intestinal worms pose a renewed human threat in all Australian states
A national statistical review by QIT has found Australia has what is described as 'an alarmingly high' in- cidence of human hookworm and roundworm infection.
A total of 1300 hookworm and roundworm cases were recorded by 254 pathology laboratories throughout Australia in 1986 and 1987.
The review, the first of its kind for more than half a century, was done by QIT medical parasitologist, Dr John Welch who believes the figures repre- sent only 'the tip of the iceberg'.
This is because hookworm and roundworm infections are identified only after specific requests for such tests and not during routine pathology testing.
Extreme cases of hookworm or roundworm require surgical removal of the worms and both parasites can cause death. In developed countries this is rarely the case these days due to effec- tive diagnosis and drugs, although there are still some high-risk groups in Australia like aboriginal communities
Dr Welch said last year that young Australian travellers who lived 'village style' in South East Asia could be put- ting themselves and, when they returned home, the rest of the popula- tion, at increased risk of infection.
He has now warned that medical practitioners must again watch for signs of infection throughout the country.
"I am also disturbed to find that hook- worm, usually associated only with the tropics or sub-tropics, has turned up in significant numbers in every Australian state, even Tasmania," Dr Welch said.
A total of751 cases of hookworm and 549 cases of roundworm were recorded by the majority of Australia's pathology laboratories in 1986-87.
South Australia had the highest num- ber of hookworm reports (291) but as the laboratories surveyed also analyse samples from the Northern Territory, this may have included aboriginal groups.
Dr John Welch with a roundworm
There could be a similar explanation for the West Australian figure of 192.
However, Victorian cases totalled
!56 and there were nine reported cases in Tasmania.
Victorian laboratories registered the highest number of roundworm cases in Australia - 263 over the two years. In the same period, New South Wales reported 168 cases, with Queensland having the next highest number (31 ).
Hookworm was once a major cause of serious illness and death in coastal North Queensland, and both hookworm and roundworm were treated as serious health risks in Australia until the 1920s.
Public health campaigns and new drugs led to successful control and the last national review of nematode infec- tions was done in 1919-24.
The roundworm which lives in the gut can be 25cm long and as thick as a pencil when fully grown. It causes mal- nutrition, chronic diarrhoea and some- times, gut obstruction.
Roundworm infection occurs after eating the worm's eggs which are then
passed in human faeces. Contaminated vegetables, particularly uncooked greens are a possible source of infec- tion.
Hookworm, regarded as even more serious, causes anaemia, bowel irrita- tion, allergic reactions and malnutri- tion.
The juvenile hookworm, about half a millimetre long, hatches from eggs in the soil and burrows undetected through the skin of the victim.
Once in the bloodstream, the parasite migrates to the lungs. The larva is coughed up and swallowed into the stomach. The adult worm grows to two centimetres long, infesting the intes- tinal tract.
Hookworm eggs return to the soil in faeces to repeat the cycle.
Dr Welch says human faeces should never be used to fertilise gardens or food crops. This practice occurs in some parts of Asia.
"The wide geographical distribution in Australia of the tropical/subtropical hookworm strengthens the theory that the local parasite infections may result
Q Search sells rights to system for reducing industry power costs
Q Search has signed a $200 000 con- tract for the sale of an Energy Manage- ment System (ELF) developed by QIT electronic systems engineers.
The contract covers the sale of 200 of the units and the (sale of the) licence for worldwide manufacturing and distribu- tion rights.
An affiliate of Queensland-based Coljay International Pty Ltd has placed an initial order for 200 ELFs designed and currently manufactured by senior lecturer, Mr John Edwards, and lecturer, Dr Tee Tang.
microprocessors, automatically monitors and controls power usage. It keeps electrical power consumption down to the low-cost range by stopping large surges of consumption. The ELF reduces electricity costs from eleven cents to as low as three and a half cents a litre, compared with six cents for gas.
It was developed in conjunction with SEQEB to board requirements.
Mr Edwards said there were other controllers on the market, but their ini- tial cost was much higher.
chiefly from travel, or increased migra- tion from Asia," he said.
"It could be one or the other, or a mix of both."
Some laboratories surveyed voluntered information that their figures included faecal specimens from recent migrants.
The three-year review concludes at the end of this year. The study will then concentrate on sourcing probable origins of the hookworm and roundworm infections.
Review information will be collated in a national data base to bridge the 64 year information gap for scientists and medical practitioners.
FOOTNOTE
Melbourne's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research has in- vited Dr Welch to present a paper on his research at the Rockefeller Foundation's international workshop in Italy 26-30 September on hookworm disease. His paper will be included in a book to be published in the UK follow- ing that meeting.
Month by month
There has been an overwhelming response to a request ('Inside QIT' July issue) for replacement goldfish for the pond between '0' and 'M' Blocks. Head Gardener, Mark Pace received more phone calls than he could handle. There are now more than 30 new, small goldfish in the pond. His request followed disappearance of several large goldfish, long-term residents of the pond until heavy rain apparently washed them down a drain into the river.
More fish will be needed shortly for the pond outside the Kindler Theatre. Donations of large fish should be forwarded to Mark Pace (ext. 2322).
* * *
Texas Instruments, Australia, has donated $7400 worth of equipment and software to QIT for a project to eliminate unwanted noise in speech.
The real time speech enhancement system proposed by senior lecturer, Dr Sridha Sridharan, will have application in speech transmission, storage and speech recognition systems.
The Texas Instruments Technology award will support an un- dergraduate final year project in the School of Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering.
* * *
QIT's Accountancy School (through Q Search) next month will con- duct an in-house course on contract law for Queensland Electricity Commission engineers, contract supervisors, and site and property managers.
The course, to be coordinated by lecturer, Mr Myles McGregor- Lowndes, will provide a basic understanding of the legal ramifications of multi-million dollar contracts.
* * *
Principal lecturer in management and coordinator of QIT's Master of Business Management degree, Dr Gill Palmer, was given visiting professor status at the City University Business School recently where she examined development of City's MBA program and the various modes of delivery now used in the UK.
While in the UK on two months PEP leave, Dr Palmer presented a paper at Cambridge University to the British University's In- dustrial Relations Association Annual Conference on 'the cor- poratism debate and the Australian experience'. She also re- searched changes in human resource management at major banking and insurance companies.
Biologist monitors impact of smelter on marine life
Central Queensland aluminium producer, Boyne Smelters Ltd has engaged a QIT expert for a major program to monitor the impact of ef- fluent from its Boyne Island plant, 25 km south of Gladstone.
Fluoride-contaminated water from the smelting process and storm water are both discharged into Spillway Creek at the northern end of the island.
QIT's Dr Habib Yezdani, an authority on water quality and aquatic biology has already started a $20 000, year-long biological monitoring project. It is a major component of a larger water quality monitoring program developed by Boyne Smelters to conform with State law.
Air and water quality checks have been routine since the plant began operating but Dr Yezdani says the direct study of aquatic plants and animals is a far more complex task requiring exten- sive equipment as well as experience.
One creek in the designated area has been quality tested each month for the past six years. The QIT project is ex- tending the project to another creek for comparison.
Sampling will be done at three- monthly intervals at a total of 12 sites
in Spillway Creek, the 'control' water- course of Sandy Creek which has a dif- ferent catchment, South Trees Inlet which both creeks empty into, and two small freshwater ponds.
Mangroves are prolific in both the Spillway and Sandy Creek systems.
Boyne Smelters' senior environmen- tal officer, Mr Ian Moller who is in charge of the overall water quality monitoring program, said an important aspect was to ensure mangroves were not exposed to the damaging effects of too much fresh water.
According to Dr Yezdani, more than 20 different aspects of aquatic biota are being investigated, particularly the sen- sitive plankton and the animals living on creek bed sediments.
The study area was reconnoitred in February and detailed project sampling began in earnest in April.
Besides biological monitoring funds and the collaboration of Mr Moller, Boyne Smelters is providing equip- ment, labour and dinghies for field work.
The draft proposal for biological monitoring prepared by Dr Yezdani out- lines the requirements for second and future year projects.
The new system regulates electricity supply, making it more than competi- tive with gas for heating, hot water, air conditioning and refrigeration.
The ELF, a device based on six
ELFs are already in use at a number of Brisbane establishments including fast food outlets, a hospital, a high school, and in government buildings.
QIT is also considering installing the system.
Undertaking
a
water quality field study on Spillway Creek, Boyne Island, are from left to right: John Robeck of Boyne Smelters, research assistant Mark Tait and Dr Habib Yezdani.INSIDE QIT, 31 August 1988 Page 3
ourse prepares for big increase in pap smear cancer tests
Urgent action is being taken to combat what could become a serious Queensland shortage of technicians to screen pap smears for cervical cancer.
On average, it now takes less than a week to check the smears.
But a Queensland Cancer fund spokesman says the system is
"stretched to the limit" and with no new staff. it would not be able to cope with a major increase in demand.
The demand for tests is expected to rise sharply after 16 October.
That is the date set for the TV launch of the Cancer Fund's public awareness campaign targeted initially at women who have never had a smear test.
It follows a state-wide survey which showed that cervical cancer was now being detected in much younger women than was the case 25 years ago.
To train more technicians quickly, the fund is providing $4 7 386 for an in- tensive, 12-week cytodiagnosis course to start at QIT in late November.
The allocation will enable up to 15 graduates of the Associate Diploma in Clinical Laboratory Techniques (ADCLT), or people with an equivalent background, to gain enough practical
experience to accurately screen smear samples for abnormalities.
Cytology (the study of cells) is part of the ADCLT course but according to lecturer in cytology, Ms Anne Pope, graduates still need 'mileage at the microscope' to competently evaluate smear specimens.
Histopathology section head, Dr David Allen, said he believed QIT's Department of Medical Laboratory Science had been selected to run the course because it had the only full-time cytology lecturer in Queensland.
Cytology is already taught in both the ADCLT and Bachelor of Applied Science degree courses in medical laboratory science.
Ms Pope said the introduction of for- mal courses recognised the increasing use of both gynaecological and respiratory cytology techniques for the diagnosis of cancer.
She hoped money would become available to continue to run the inten- sive cytodiagnosis courses.
The Cancer Fund spokesman said a substantial number of Queensland's three quarters of a million adult females were not having regular pap smears so potential demand for tests, and hence cytologists, was large.
Lecturer in cytology, Ms Anne Pope (left) with student, Jan Curtis.
New blood classifying technique wins forensic award
A QIT masters student has developed an award-winning forensic technique which makes it far easier to establish the person a blood stain could have come from.
The more accurate and more sensi- tive method of classifying blood stains can exclude a suspect and narrow down the number of possible offenders.
Mr Andrew Thomas, a forensic biologist with the State Health Laboratory in Brisbane, said his techni- que was already being used to supply information for corroborative evidence in court cases. The government laboratory is the only place in Queensland which does forensic analysis of biological materials and al- most all of this is police work.
The new technique enables the typing of about 70 percent of forensic blood stains, compared with 20 to 30 percent by previous methods.
Everyone has a different genetic background but belongs to one of four blood groups- A, B, AB, or 0-which can be identified easily. By looking at some of the other proteins in blood, these groups can be divided further into GC (group specific components) types.
"There are six common GC types and around 50 rare GC types," Mr Thomas said, "and this he Ips you to 'individualise' a particular bloodstain.
"If someone was found running down the street with a knife in his hand and blood on his shirt cuff, then the problem would be to prove that the blood on the cuff came from the person who had been stabbed.
"Because there is so much genetic variation, we could not establish this ab- solutely but we could establish a strong link with a suspect. What is also pos- sible in more cases now is to establish
Institute
Bookshogto manage DDIAE bookstore
QIT's Institute Bookshop will take over management of the bookshop at Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education from I October under a three year con tract.
DDlAE is a major provider of exter- nal studies and its books hop is expected to tum over $1.5 million this year.
The Institute Bookshop already manages bookshops at BCAE's four campuses in addition to the one at QIT.
Turnover of the six shops should be in excess of $5 million in 1989.
A $100 000 IBM System 36 com- puter installed on QIT campus this month will streamline stock control of the bookshops.
Bookshop Manager, Mr Peter New- man, said the computer would have an electronic wand system to process sales and automatically reduce stock records.
QIT masters student and Health Department forensic biologist, Mr Andrew Thomas (right) and supervisor, senior lecturer in medical laboratory science, Dr John Aaskov, examine a blood-stained T- shirt.
innocence - to show scientifically that the shirt cuffblood could not have come from the injured person."
This depends on how common or how rare the components of a particular blood sample are. The best result achieved so far has been one in 200 000, i.e. only one person in 200 000 could have blood with exactly the same com- ponents. At the other end of the scale, it may be possible to limit the pos- sibilities to only one in 40.
The work won this year's Forensic
Science Society award for the most meritorious paper presented by an Australian or New Zealand scientist.
The new technique was developed during research for a masters degree in QIT's Department of Medica\
Laboratory Science and is now used for routine detection of a range of geneti- cally variable proteins in blood stains.
Mr Thomas's supervisor is senior lecturer in medical laboratory science, Dr John Aaskov.
Channel 7 scholarship goes to PR student
Final year communication student at QIT, Christine Corbett, 19, was this month presented with a $1500 scholar- ship from Channel 7.
The annual scholarship is assessed on academic and personal qualities and includes work experience with Channel 7.
Christine who is majoring in public relations helped promote Channel 7's 1988 RNA Show involvement and also
will work at the station in November for four weeks.
During her three-year full-time course, she has done public relations work experience with Ansett, IBM and Rowland Neilson McCarthy (consult- ants).
The scholarship was awarded on 4 August in front of200 QIT students by Channel 7 General Manager, Mr Chris Chapman.
VDT users are more prone to eye strain: QIT study
Users of video display terminals suf- fer higher rates of eye fatigue and visual problems than people engaged in other clerical jobs, according to a QIT study.
The investigation by the Institute's Centre for Eye Research was funded by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (Worksafe Australia). Ninety-eight QIT staff volunteered to be subjects for the study of factors which contribute to eyestrain among VDT users. Complete data was obtained from 72 subjects.
The conclusion was that using electronic screens is much more likely to lead to visual problems than working with paper.
The most common visual symptoms experienced during VDT use were sore or tired eyes.
Work sessions involving VDT use were significantly more likely to result in tired, sore or aching eyes than non- VDT tasks. However, the more creative
or flexible the VDT task, the fewer symptoms of visual discomfort were experienced.
The study suggests that as job satis- faction increases, workers are less like- ly to notice, or be concerned about, minor discomfort.
Data entry operators were more at risk of blurred and double vision than other clerical workers because entering data requires little variation in focus or work patterns.
The more experienced the VDT users, the less likely they were to suffer visual problems. Experienced VDT users ap- parently assured the workplace was com- fortable, and were aware of the impor- tance of clean screen, sharp contrast, screen brightness and copy holders.
The less legible the words on the screen, the more likely the user was to develop sore eyes. Illegible screens strai1·erl eyesight and, as previous re-
searc~. hao; found, reduced efficiency.
~---~---
Page 4 INSIDE QIT, 31 August 1988A number of other factors were listed as contributing to eye, neck and back strain in both VDT and non-VDT work.
They include length and frequency of breaks, work pressure, work interest, general well being, time of day, and day of the week.
Chief investigator, Mr Michael Col- lins, describes the research as important since the same people were monitored in both VDT and non- VDT situations.
"Previous studies were inconclusive since different people, under different working conditions, were used to carry out VDT and non-VDT tasks. The QIT study examined people under actual working conditions, not in a laboratory experiment," he said.
Co-investigators in the $17 500 project were Dr Brian Brown, and Mr Ken Bowman.
Mr Collins has thanked QIT staff volunteers for their cooperation which made the research possible.
Channel
7
General Manager, Mr Chris Chapman, presents tine Corbett with her scholarship cheque.Huge Tarong air pollution experiment draws together unis, QEC and CSIRO
Scientists from three QEC's regular monitoring gear in-
Australian states and the ACT eludes a high-powered laser,
have converged on the Tarong meteoro.logical. balloons, ~obile gas
power station site this week for a momtonng statiOns, acoustic sounders,
· fi ld · t h' h and an array of some anemometers to
massive 1e . expenmen w IC · d h · ·
11 'd . II .
1 measure wm c aractensllcs.
WI a1 au po ution contro
throughout the world. The scientists are investi~ating th.e lower-atmosphere meteorological condi- The result should be more precise
planning and environmental assess- ment of major projects and improved cost-benefit analysis for air quality management in Australia and for similar conditions overseas.
The 16-day experiment which ends on II September is to study the be- haviour of the Tarong power station plume within a 30km radius and to a height of 2000 metres.
'Plume' refers to the shape taken by chimney stack emissions (from the burning coal) when blown by the wind.
The project has $213 000 funding from the National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Council to bring together the major Australian investigators of chimney plume behaviour.
The main groups involved are CSIRO, QEC, QIT, and Flinders University. Project leader is the CSIRO's Dr Brian Sawford of the Division of Atmospheric research.
tions which determine the transport and dilution of power plant plume emissions.
They want to ascertain the rise, spread, and ground-level impact of the plume.
This is being done with particular reference to convective conditions in hilly terrain, and is the first comprehen- sive study of its type under these con- ditions.
Information gathered wi II form a uni- quedata base for use in future wind-tun- nel and theoretical investigations.
The field experiment is concentrat- ing on measuring Tarong chimney plume behaviour when the atmosphere below 2000 metres is dominated by thermal updraughts and downdraughts, convective air motions well-known to glider and hang-glider pilots.
A five-year QEC air monitoring program has shown these air motions to be the main cause of pollution around power stations.
QIT physicists, Dr Peter Best and Dr Frank Quintarelli of the Institute's new Tropical Atmospheric Technology Group head the Queensland contingent.
Field study preparations have en- tailed the erection of two 63-metre towers south east and north of the sta- tion, and the attachment of 14-metre booms to the Tarong chimney stack.
Equipment being used to supplement
QIT's Tropical Atmospheric Tech- nology Group has been responsible for coordinating some aspects of the Tarong study. It will produce a mathe- matical model to include detailed meteorological information and will forecast the speed and chemical trans- formations within the plume.
Tarong project Queensland leaders, QIT physicists Dr Peter Best (left) and Dr Frank Quintarelli with antennas for the acoustic radar being tested in the current study.
TATG also tested acoustic sounder systems for the present field experi- ment. Group member, environmental
physicist, Dr Peter Best pioneered the use of acoustic sounding devices to as- certain air contaminant movements from power stations for pollution forecasting. These devices were
Landsc a pi ng project en s ure s Lizard Island resort is unique
A QIT landscape design and manage- ment project using indigenous plant materials for the Lizard Island Resort off Cairns, won an award in the recent bian- nual national awards of the Australian In- stitute of Landscape Architects.
The ongoing project commenced in 1984 and will ensure that tourists ex- perience Lizard Island as unique.
Project coordinator and senior lec- turer in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, Ms Catherin Bull, said the project involved the design and development of all resort and recreation areas, beach and drainage protection, shelter belts and gardens.
"At first inspection, it was apparent that the resort was finding it difficult to generate a standard of site and landscape treatment which was ap- propriate to its objectives and its setting within the national park," she said.
"Uncoordinated site design had created a landscape which often restricted views to key elements of the natural setting and tended to expand in an ill-defined and unmanaged way into the broader landscape of the surround- ing national park."
This was due to the site being isolated from labour and materials, a lack of knowledge about indigenous plants in
the context of the national park and harsh growing conditions.
"We aimed not only to generate knowledge about effective site use, but also to ensure this knowledge was passed on for the development of other coastal and island areas on the Great Barrier Reef," Ms Bull said.
The work included research and development of vegetation, reforesta- tion, and creation of 'interpretive gardens' displaying interesting in- digenous plant material and encourag- ing natural fauna into use areas.
Q Search commissioned the project which also involved several students.
Taking a break between scenes in Shakespeare's 'Comedy of Errors' were (from left to right) assis- tant director, Dr Len Granato, 'merchant', Mr Paul McLean, in his first stage role and director, Ms Pam Byde, all from OfT's School of Communication.
developed at the Australian Defence Force Academy where Dr Frank Quin- tarelli played a leading role in the con- struction and data interpretation. A third TATG member, Dr Neville Bofinger is
assisting with Tarong project emissions monitoring and later will analyse plume chemistry data.
The initial report to NERDDC is ex- pected to be collated by early 1989.
Change to uni poses no threat to QIT staff
QIT's Academic Staff Association is satisfied a change to University status would not adversely affect its members.
ASA President, Dr Chad Perry was commenting following the Personnel Manager's letter to all staff which said no-one would be disadvantaged in terms of awards, employment condi- tions, or entitlements if QIT became QUT. Dr Perry confirmed that no academic staff had been disadvantaged when WAIT and NSWIT became universities.
According to Dr Perry, some academic staff actually gained higher salaries in the WAIT/Curtin University and NSWIT/UTS transitions. Because CAE and university classifications
Q IT gets secon d AutoCAD training centre
QIT now has two AutoCAD training centres.
The second centre was established in the Faculty of the Built Environment last month.
The Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering School's AutoCAD centre was set up in February of this year.
Built environment has been teaching CAD for three years and has been using AutoCAD in its courses for 18 months.
Having two training centres in one in- stitute is rare.
Architecture and industrial design lec- turer, Mr Ken Stewart, said the new centre would concentrate on using computer graphics for design rather than drafting.
"We hope to apply our design exper- tise to 3D design and will soon be intro- ducing a 3D solid modelling program for senior students," he said.
Continuing education courses in AutoCAD will be offered soon in addi- tion to a consultancy service.
were dissimilar, some staff went on to higher scales.
"However, we do not know whether QUT would adopt university classifica- tions or wait for a uniform national clas- sification for both CAEs and univer- sities. Certainly no-one will be disadvantaged if we gain university status next January," he said.
Because of a proposed amalgamation of CAE and university unions of academic staff associations, the QIT Association has decided it would be un- wise to join the university union of academic staff associations at this stage.
If members of the two unions ap- prove the move in a national vote early next year, amalgamation will be com- plete by the end of 1989. QIT would then join the new organisation.
CMPS Pty Ltd, a major engineering consultancy in Queensland, is offering a prize worth more than $5000 to a QIT engineering student finishing 2nd year this year.
The new annual prize, negotiated by the QIT Foundation. will back the stu- dent through the 3rd and 4th years of the full-time degree. The winner will be eligible also for 60 days paid work experience over the two years with CMPS.
The prize is available to students in the three engineering schools at QIT.
Details and application procedures for the award will be circulated to en- gineering students shortly. Applicants will be judged on academic perfor- mance and a personal interview with company and faculty staff.
INSIDE QIT, 31 August 1988 Page 5
rong start to Q Search/
DID industry seminars
Eighty senior business and govern- ment officials recently attended the first of a series of breakfast seminars, designed to get the two sectors working together on industry development in Queensland.
Guest speaker at the Brisbane semi- nar was the State Minister for Industry, Small Business, Communications and Technology.
Mr Borbidge said that Expo had opened Queenslanders' eyes to the potential their State had on world markets. and this potential was just being realised by overseas and inter- state businesses.
"New challenges are being set by the more competitive and wider environ- ment that Expo has set," he said.
The Minister said the manufacturing sector of the Queensland economy, comprising 6500 establishments and 130 000 persons, was. in value added terms. larger than agriculture or mini- ng.
The thrust of Department of Industry Development initiatives was to increase
productivity of firms and lower unit labour costs, thus encouraging them to be in a position to compete internation- ally.
"In the year ended 30 June, almost 200 firms had received, or were receiv- ing, subsidies from DID to hire specialist consultants to help upgrade management systems in areas such as value added management, productivity improvement, product development, quality assurance, marketing and ap- plied technology planning," Mr Bor- bidge said.
"A further 75 firms received sub- sidised assistance to complete business plans and business assessments or audits in the interests of encouraging strategic thinking."
The seminar series is being organised jointly by QIT's Q Search and the Queensland Department of Industry Development.
The second bi-monthly seminar on 14 October will deal with the Multi Function Polis (the proposed high tech city) in Queensland.
, Small Business, Communication and Technol- ogy, Mr Borbidge, addresses the first Q Search/DID breakfast semi- nar at Rumpoles restaurant in Brisbane.
Lecturer helps assess our high definition TV needs
A QIT principal lecturer is helping decide Australian policy on the 'television of the future'-high defini- tion television (HDTV).
Mr Tony Stevenson of the School of Communication has accepted an invita- tion to join an Australian working group of the International Radio Consultative Committee.
The working group will submit a case based on Australia's needs to the inter- national committee late next year when world-wide standards for HDTV public broadcasting will be decided.
Mr Stevenson's particular respon- sibility is to work with the sub-group identifying what social, political, psychological and economic policy aspects need to be taken into account.
His academic research interests are in communication management, policy and planning.
High definition television offers a
QIT wi II host communication '89 conference
higher resolution picture on a wider screen than at present. The picture can be as sharp and clear as 35mm film, with sound as good as a digital audio disk.
NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Cor- poration, pioneered high definition television and Japan is expected to be the first country to introduce it, using the MUSE system.
The 1990 launch of the BS-3 satel- lite will mark the start of its regular direct-broadcast-satellite-HDTV trans- mission.
Mr Stevenson is spending part of his current PEP leave investigating the Eureka system proposed for Europe, as an alternative to the Japanese system.
Open Day
draws crowds
More than 4000 people visited cam- pus on QITOpen Day 20 August to tour facilities and obtain information on courses and careers.
Activities on Open Day included dis- plays by the seven faculties, campus tours, and the chemistry magic shows and physics shows which drew large The 1989 Australian National Com- crowds.
munication Association Conference Over 5000 technical and referenct:
will be held at QIT in July 1989. books were sold by the Institute Book- This follows the election of QIT's shop during a successful $5 booksale Communication School head, Dr Bruce on the day, with people queued up out- Molloy, as vice-president of the as- side the store an hour before the sale
sociation. started.
The theme of the conference will be Career evenings 22-25 August also 'communication as a field of study'. were well attended, providing informa-
The conference will examine com- tion about specific courses.
munication courses throughout Feedback on Open Day is welcome.
Australia and seek more recognition for Letters can be sent to Mr Dave Hall, Ad- teaching and research in the field. missions Section, or phone 223 2368.
Page 6 INSIDE QIT, 31 August 1988
Staff heart disease program could be employers' model
The National Health and Medical Research Council is funding a $36 000 QIT Nursing Studies Depart- ment project to find out the best way for employers to reduce the risk of heart disease among their staff.
The 'College Hearts at Work' program, now underway, is one of the first major attempts at evaluating work site health promotion strategies in Australia.
Research over a minimum of 12 months will involve all two-thousand full-time staff at QIT and the Brisbane College of Advanced Education.
The NH&MRC grant will allow the research team to:
• undertake a health needs assessment of the staff from both tertiary institu- tions
• develop and evaluate work site strategies 'to promote positive health behaviour change', particularly dietary measures to reduce cholesterol and assist in blood pres- sure control
• develop and evaluate a self help
nutrition education program for work site settings.
Cholesterol levels will be checked after three and six months to gauge the effectiveness of different strategies.
Chief investigator, senior lecturer in nursing studies, Ms Deanne Gaskill, said the project would make a sig- nificant contribution towards reducing illness and premature death from nutri- tion related disorders.
"Well devised and carefully imple- mented work site programs to reduce health risks are much cheaper for employers than the cost of rehabilita- tion," she said.
The State Health Department says the project will provide valuable infor- mation for work site programs being developed by government and industry.
The 'College Hearts at Work' program arose from QIT's Healthy Lifestyle project initiated in 1985 to as- sess the health needs of full-time staff at QIT and BCAE.
The Health and Lifestyle survey of 808 staff from both institutions revealed
that 37 percent of males and 18 percent of females were overweight. One in three men and more than half the women rarely engaged in strenuous ex- ercise.
A significant proportion of the sample was emotionally distressed, particularly women at QIT, 33 percent of whom felt constantly under strain.
The corresponding national average is 21 percent.
The result of the Healthy Lifestyle project was a significant lowering of cholesterol levels among staff iden- tified as 'high risk'.
Ms Gaskill said the findings sug- gested that a combination of health as- sessment and individual dietary advice could improve dietary practices and reduce an important cardiovascular risk factor.
Co-researchers for the NM&MRC project are Public Health and Nutrition Department head, Dr Conor Reilly and lecturer, Dr Catherine Dallemagne who is particularly interested in blood pres- sure.
Geologic al mapping benefits from US- Au st. collaboration
A QIT geophysicist will contribute to high-level American research aimed at improving the accuracy of geological mapping.
Mr Joe Williams, a Department of Applied Geology lecturer. will spend three months from mid-September in the United States.
The visit will involve collaborative work at the Denver-based US Geologi- cal Survey which is the equivalent of the Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources, and at the University of California at Berkeley.
Because Australia is old compared with other continents. rocks are more weathered. This has resulted in its be- coming a world leader in instrumenta- tion and interpretation of geology in weathered terrains.
Mineral-rich 'fresh' rock is overlaid by clay produced by weathering of the original rock. The fresh rock can be 50 metres underground and sometimes as far as I 00 metres.
In aeromagnetic surveying, a mag- netometer is used to measure the mag- netic field beneath the clay overburden, enabling the mapping of geological for- mations hidden by such features as rivers and flood plains.
This would be useful, for instance in
Mr Joe Williams
pinpointing likely spots for gold deposits as these are associated with certain magnetic minerals.
Amajorproblem is that the clay over- burden also may be a good conductor of electricity, distorting the readings for the target rock.
Exceptionally sensitive mag- netometers developed by the CSIRO were designed to overcome this problem by taking electromagnetic readings from both magnetic fields and
adjusting these to indicate the geologi- cal formation at a chosen depth.
This method is based upon the knowledge that most mineral deposits occur in the fonn of metallic sulphides (e.g. copper iron sulphide) and that these are better electrical conductors than the rest of the rock.
While Australian advances are in electromagnetic systems used on the ground. the United States has expertise in airborne geological mapping sys- tems.
In California, Mr Williams will cooperate with chief geophysicist, Professor Frank Morrison. on inves- tigations into the effects of conductive overburden on airborne systems.
While attached to the United States Geological Survey, he will work with aeromagnetic experts on the effects of yaw (sideways tilt) and pitch (when the nose is up or down) on aircraft location in rugged terrain. Aerial surveys in- volve using 35 mm cameras which take continuous pictures. If plane movement is not allowed for, vital features can be missed or wrongly located.
Mr Williams' PEP leave includes participation in the Society of Explora- tion Geophysicists conference in Los Angeles in late October. The con- ference is the most prestigious and the largest of its kind in the world.
Applied geology technician, Loc Van Duong, takes a break at the 'Crocodile Dundee' pub at McKinlay, 100 km south of C/oncurry.
H~ was one of four.s~aff who aC?Companied a group of 14 final year students on a departmental field tnp to a ran_ge of mmmg operatiOr:s m o~tback Queensland. The group visited Mt /sa Mines (copper, lead and zmc), the Greenvale Nickel mme near Charters Towers, and the Mt Leyshon and Kidston gold mines, said to be among the most efficient mines in the world. As well as stopping at the Walkabout Creek Hotel, the group took the opportunity to see the Stockman's Hall of Fame at Longreach.
QIT's X-ray Examination Facility has been registered by the National As- sociation of Testing Authorities (NATA) to provide a test on hazardous respirable dust.
Facility manager, Mr Howard Rose, said x-ray diffraction methods were being used currently to measure the amount of quartz in very fine respirable dust.
Quartz, a common mineral in the earth's crust, is frequently found in the dusts when the crust is disturbed, such as in mining operations.
Mr Howard said inhaling dust con- taining quartz was hazardous because it could lead to lung diseases such as silicosis. Recommended maximum levels from the National Health and
Medical Research Council were out- dated.
The test service involves collecting dust samples on filters at the work site, and then using the intensity of the x-ray diffraction pattern of quartz to measure the quartz content of the total collected sample.
The QIT facility had previously measured the quartz content of respirable dusts for coal and sand min- ing companies and it was decided to seek NATA registration so that the ex- pertise available would be recognisable on a wider scale.
Also involved in the project is deputy manager of the QIT facility, Mr Don Field, and technologist, Mr Tony Raftery.
Inspecting a collected dust sample before insertion in the x-ray dif- fractometer are from left to right: Mr Howard Rose, Dr Don Field and Mr Tony Raftery
Children fear war,
environment destruct- ion: Expo survey
A recent survey of more than 600 children has found their greatest con- cerns for their future were war and the destruction of the environment.
Children do not see themselves growing up in a healthy, peaceful world.
The survey, supervised by second year QIT communication students Marie Low and Tamara Playne, was carried out by the United Nations Pavilion at Expo during International Children's Week.
Nurses plan
alumni
The Nursing Department at QIT plans to set up an alumni following recent lOth anniversary breakfasts with 60 of its graduates.
A big graduate reunion for QIT trained nurses is planned for22 October 1988. The department has 800 graduates from its various courses, six of whom are on staff.
The breakfasts, held late July and early August at QIT, were addressed respectively by QIT Director, Dr Den- nis Gibson and Assistant Dean - Development, Mr Rod Miller.
Their message was that the profes- sionalisation of nursing would permit nurses to enter more actively into health and hospital administration. Continu- ing education and higher degrees would enable !1Urses to compete for ad- ministration positions against pure management specialists who may lack the experience of health care profes- sionals.
Children appointed by the UN Pavilion canvassed the views of their peers aged between 8 and 15 while they queued for entry to the Australian, UN, New Zealand and Canadian pavilions.
The questionnaire was compiled with the assistance of QIT sociology lecturer, Ms Pam Byde.
The survey found that Australia's youth feared war, particularly nuclear war, and these fears far outweighed per- sonal concerns about poverty, loneli- ness or unemployment.
Suggestions to improve the world in- cluded 'be more friendly', 'set a good example', 'don't litter', 'protect the ozone layer', and 'work together'.
Ms Byde said Brisbane children had similar concerns and fears as children in other parts of the world.
The UN Pavilion has focussed its message on seeing the world through the eyes of children. It plans to repeat the survey at the next Expo in Spain to compare future trends.
Expo closer than Seoul for podiatrists
Final year podiatry students recently visited the Korean pavilion at World Expo 88 as part of their sports medicine program.
The visit was arranged as an intro- duction to medical and related planning for the Seoul Olympics.
Students were given an insight into the education, health and cultural aspects of the Korean people. They saw the olympic display and visual presen- tations covering the Para Olympic Games, and traditional and western sporting events.
QIT Foundation social calendar is growing
The QIT Foundation Cocktail Party • 3 Sept - Engineering Graduates • 26 Nov- Communication Reunion at the Brisbane Club on 29July, was a Reunion Dinner (20 years) • Dec - Engineering Graduates great success, attracting over 75 Foun- • 30 Sept - Free Party sponsored by Christmas Party.
dation members and guests. Spotless Catering For further information about these Other Foundation social functions • 22 Oct- Nursing Alumni Reunion functions, contact Kanthi Wijesonia on
coming up include: • 18 Nov -Christmas Party 223 2821.
At the Brisbane Club cocktail function were, from left to right: Mr Bill Blair (president, QIT Foundation), Mrs Joan Pullar, Mrs Lin Blair, Ms Carol Swendson, Mr Vic Pullar (chairman, QIT Council and vice- president, QIT Foundation) and Ms Carol Windsor.
QIT loss: 1, QTAC gain: 1
Former senior planning and statistics officer at QIT, Mr Peter Kruger, has been appointed deputy director of the QueensJand Tertiary Admissions
Centre. -
He took up his new position on 22 August after seven and a half years at the Institute, 'completing a full circle' in his career.
Mr Kruger had previously worked with QTAC for one year as a graduate assistant. As well, he had been seconded to QTAC every summer except for the last one to assist during the busy Sep- tember-February enrolment application period.
"In a sense, I never left QTAC, just as, in a way, I am not leaving QIT be- cause all tertiary institutions in the State have a share in the centre," he said.
Mr Kruger believes his major con- tribution since he joined the Institute in May 1981, was the development of computer systems, particularly a staff statistics system.
Systems he designed now produce the detailed information required for both internal management and external bodies like the Board of Advanced Education and the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training.
Mr Peter Kruger
Mr Kruger was one of the four staff representatives on QIT Council and is hoping that Council will adopt his proposal for a staff suggestion system even though he will not be on campus to see the result.
A Bachelor of Medical Science graduate from Queensland University, he also holds a graduate diploma in commercial computing from QIT.
The casual vacancy on Council has not yet been filled.
Len now free to consult for police
Lecturer and forensic physicist, Mr Len Meara, 57, retired on 8 August after 19 years at QIT but he will continue to work as a consultant to the Police and Justice Departments as an expert wit- ness on road accidents.
While at QIT, Mr Meara taught un- dergraduate students in general physics, statistical and quantum mechanics; and postgraduate students in medical computing, and medical sig- nal and data analysis. He also developed a series of computer software programs to facilitate data analysis.
He did research and published papers on VLF radio wave propagation, math- ematical modelling of the cardiovas- cular system, nuclear physics, solar energy and medical ultrasonics.
Since 1985, he has acted as a foren- sic technical consultant to the Queensland Police Department and the Justice Department on fatal traffic acci- dents.
Investigations of these accidents in- volve analysis of the dynamics of vehicle collisions with other vehicles, motor-cycles. bicycles, roadside ob- jects and pedestrians.
Mr Meara has performed experimen- tal tests to gather data on acceleration and traction of motor vehicles and the centre of mass of motorcycles for specific cases, and has appeared as an expert witness for the Crown in the Magistrate's. Coroner's, District and Supreme Courts.
MrLen Meara
Cash prizes for QIT
law student quiz game
Brisbane legal staff consultants, Legal-Ease, will sponsor a quiz game at QIT's Law Faculty on 28 September, aimed at furthering students' general knowledge of law.
The game is open to final year QIT law student teams of two.
Information covered in fourth year
law subjects- company law, securities, taxation law and evidence will be ex- amined in addition to general legal knowledge and light hearted questions topical to law.
The winning team will receive $100 each in prize money and runners up, $50 each.
INSIDE QIT, 31 August 1988 Page 7
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