Researcher wins prestigious
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Queensland University of Technology Newspaper • Issue ... • Month, 1999 Queensland University of Technology Newspaper • Issue 211 • March 6-26, 2001
When Milan and Lubomira Jamriska graduated from QUT’s Faculty of Science with PhDs recently, it marked the end of a long and historic journey for the couple.
Not only had they come a long way to graduate with their doctorates – from Slovakia, in fact – but in doing so, became the university’s first known husband and wife to be awarded PhDs in the same discipline at the same ceremony.
They admitted that the way this turned out was a happy coincidence.
“It was very coincidental, because we didn’t plan for it or think that it would happen this way,” said Milan, who emigrated to Australia one year ahead of his wife in 1991.
“I started my research in 1995 and Lubomira started hers in 1996, but we ended up finishing just a few months apart.”
Milan studied factors influencing indoor air quality, while Dr Lubomira Jamriska researched the characteristics of an enzyme present in a parasite in the disease schistosomiasis.
Both projects required intensive lab work, and there was also an added time challenge as the pair had two children (Samko, now three and a half years old, and Dominik, 22 months) – all half a world away from the support of their families.
“Having children helped,” said Lubomira, “in that it gave us a different perspective on life.
“We were motivated to finish as soon as possible, but having the children was a grounding force as well.”
One household, two science PhDs
Milan added that he likened the situation to a scientific principle:
“We have an analogy that this is like gas in a chamber. The more pressure, the faster the particles have to move,” he said.
“So now that the pressure is off us, we can move a bit slower for a change.”
But not too slowly: the couple’s research has resulted in jobs for both partners, with Milan continuing his indoor air research in QUT’s School of
Physical Sciences and Lubomira now employed at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Biotechnology.
– Margaret Lawson and Toni Chambers Milan and Lubomira Jamriska with their sons, Samko and Dominik, at their historic graduation ...
‘having children helped in that it gave us a different perspective on life’
Dreamworld visit puts some fun into O Week
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A group of exceptional school leavers is experiencing the excitement of being pioneers in an innovative business scholarship program launched this semester by QUT’s Faculty of Business.
The nine students will complete their business degree and a year’s work experience in the time it usually takes to complete a degree, thanks to an accelerated study and workplace program which has academic mentorship and the backing of some impressive local organisations.
Dean of QUT’s Faculty of Business Professor Sandra Harding welcomed the new Corporate Partners in Excellence (CPIE) Program scholars, their mentors and representatives of
Exceptional scholars join new program
QUT’s Dean of Business Professor Sandra Harding, second from right, at the Corporate Partners in Excellence Program launch at St Lucia Golf Club with successful candidates (from left) Lisa Keys, Lindsay MacDonald, Georgia Cameron and Jessica Velm.
sponsors at a special orientation day held at the St Lucia Golf Club in mid-February.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for these students to make important contacts in the world of business,” Professor Harding said of the new program, “and students will gain valuable industry experience while they complete their Bachelor of Business in normal time.”
The program supports each CPIE scholar with $9,500 a year to cover HECS and university fees, as well as a textbook, living and professional allowance.
Designed to attract the best and brightest school-leavers, the inaugural intake attracted more than 50 applications, with 21
shortlisted for interview by a panel consisting of faculty staff and representatives from three of the nine corporate partners participating in the program in 2001.
Professor Harding said the panel was very pleased with the extremely high quality of the applicants, which made the final selection difficult.
• The successful recipients of the 2001 Corporate Partners in Excellence Program are Georgia Cameron (John Paul College in Coffs Harbour), Alissa Collins (Mount St Michael’s College at Ashgrove), Chelsea Crawford (Rockhampton Grammar School), Katie Gardner (Fraser Coast Anglican College at Hervey Bay), Lisa Keys (Biloela State High School), Quinton Kong
(John Paul College at Daisy Hill), Lindsay MacDonald (Cleveland District High School), Rowan te Kloot (Anglican Church Grammar School at East Brisbane) and Jessica Velm (Everton Park State High). These candidates will undertake work experience with two of the program’s corporate partners – Bank of Queensland, Credit Suisse First Boston, Golden Casket Lottery Corporation, accountants Hart Larwill Pty Ltd, Knights Insolvency Administration, MIM Holdings Limited, the Queensland Investment Corporation, the Queensland Treasury Corporation and Sunsuper.
The Lowdown ... Page 4
Judicial
appointments need to be fairer – expert
by Toni Chambers
The Queensland Government has been urged to follow recent recommendations from the Law Council of Australia and explicitly set out more representative criteria for selecting judges.
QUT law lecturer Barbara Hamilton – in an address to the F-LAW 2001:Moving Ahead in Difficult Times conference last month – argued the change would give women and people from more diverse backgrounds a fair chance of being appointed without criticism.
Ms Hamilton has conducted research that uses as an example the Queensland Bar Association’s attack on Justice Roslyn Atkinson at the time of her appointment that claimed she was not chosen on merit.
She said the Bar Association’s concept of “merit” was based on an implicit set of criteria which favoured men with a long history as practising barristers who reached the status of Senior Counsel.
“I argue that these criteria are flawed and gendered, since only 8 per cent of practising barristers in Queensland are female. Many women don’t go to the Bar for a whole host of reasons, including the demanding and irregular working hours,” she said.
Continued Page 2
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From the Vice-Chancellor
Where are they now?
From the Inside by David Hawke
H a v i n g w o n a s e v e n - m o n t h international business cadetship in the second year of his degree studies, QUT Bachelor of Business student Simon Bell has already departed for Jakarta.
Mr Bell, who left for Jakarta on March 3, will be seeking business opportunities for Queensland companies after winning the cadetship from 40 other applicants.
One of the requirements for the cadetship was mid-level language skill, and Mr Bell has been studying
“Bahasa” Indonesian as part of his QUT study program.
As part of his cadetship, Mr Bell will work for a month with State Development (a State Government department and the scheme’s co-ordinator), five months in Jakarta at the Queensland Government’s Trade and Investment Office and another month back in Brisbane.
Business student gets early call-up ... to Indonesia
“Basically, any company of any importance in that area has a base in Jakarta,” Mr Bell said.
“I have three private-sector Queensland companies sponsoring my cadetship and, in return, I will provide contacts for them and, hopefully, get them work in Indonesia.”
The sponsors of the cadetship are Australian Environment International Pty Ltd, Waste Solutions Australia, Pty Ltd, and Pacific Air and Environment Pty Ltd.
Mr Bell said that, in preparation for his cadetship, he had undergone
“a very intensive learning curve”
on environmental issues.
However, he said, the cadetship was a “great opportunity” for him.
“The scheme has been running for three years and the longest anyone has had to wait to get an offer of employment after completing the cadetship has been two weeks,” Mr Bell said.
On his return to Brisbane, Mr Bell will produce a report on the market situation for the companies to enable them to be alert for contract possibilities in Indonesia.
– Noel Gentner Cadetship winner Simon Bell
From Page 1
“These criteria favour those people with courtroom experience which reinforces some negative traits of an adversarial system.”
Ms Hamilton said the adversarial system was itself under scrutiny, particularly in relation to abusive cross-examination of child witnesses and rape complainants. She said the criteria also tended to disenfanchise certain groups of people in their
dealings with the courts – women and Aboriginal people among them.
“It has been said that judicial notice may resemble a window or more correctly a mirror,” Ms Hamilton said.
“When judges look at it, they see what they think is human nature and human experience and ordinary or reasonable people when what they are seeing is the society they know.
“For example, failure to take into account women’s differing experiences
Judicial appointments need to be fairer – expert
and perspectives in the law denies true equality before the law for many women.”
Ms Hamilton said it was now up to each state’s Attorney-General to publish their own Judicial Appointment protocols, enshrining more inclusive criteria.
“This will, hopefully, result in appointments from more diverse backgrounds, people with more grassroots community experience, who can deliver equality for all those seeking justice and protection within the court system.”
Queensland primary school students will be disadvantaged because the State has failed to embrace vital technology developments in maths education, warns an early childhood education expert.
Dr Nicola Yelland – who has been working as a senior lecturer and researcher in QUT’s School of Early Childhood – said the State’s proposed maths curriculum, which is being trialled in some Queensland State schools was already out of date.
Dr Yelland said the proposed c u r r i c u l u m d i d n o t i n c l u d e electronic activities, which had been shown to boost learning.
“I did work with Year 3 children which showed that, because of technology, they could play with ideas related to quadrants and negative numbers to 250, which is basically Year 9 maths,” Dr Yelland said.
Children ‘at risk of falling behind in maths’
“Those ideas weren’t accessible to kids before technology, but they’re not in the curriculum now and I don’t believe they will be in the new curriculum.”
Queensland’s primary maths curriculum was adopted in 1987 before many electronic learning techniques were proven to be beneficial to students, she said.
Dr Yelland said her research had proven that by using technology – for example, to teach shapes in mathematics – students were able to “play with concepts, manipulate shapes and build and move their own shapes, all things that were not possible without technology”.
She said this gave children a deep u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e m a t h s discipline and allowed them to learn at their own pace.
But, she said, the State Government was still mostly concerned with the superficial statistics of putting “computers in
the classroom”, rather than focusing on incorporating computer activities into the curricula.
“The maths curriculum needs to be radically re-conceptualised, not just dressed up for the new millennium,”
Dr Yelland said.
“We’re going to be putting Queensland children at a disadvantage rather than seizing the opportunity to make them ready for the new information age.”
Dr Yelland said she believed that Queensland’s maths curriculum review committee was “trying to do a fantastic job” but budget cuts and a lack of access to research was preventing it from achieving the best result for Queensland’s children.
• Dr Yelland was recently appointed head of the Department of School and Early Childhood Education at RMIT University and leaves QUT in early March.
– Margaret Lawson Since graduating in 1992 with his Bachelor of Arts (dance),
Robert Tannion has performed with several of the world’s leading dance companies in Australia and overseas. He has choreographed promotional film and television pieces and provided dance masterclasses across Europe. Currently based in London with premier contemporary performance company DV8 Physical Theatre, he recently performed in DV8’s Wasted, which premiered at the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival in August before returning to the UK for a London season.
Late in 2000, he was named the QUT Faculty of Arts Outstanding Alumni Award winner.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • Renowned Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Glynis Nunn-Cearns OAM has extended her career in athletics to managing the Sports Super Centre at Runaway Bay, a purpose-built training facility she hopes will become the best in Australia. The 1980 Diploma of Education Secondary (Physical Education) graduate has coached national youth teams and athletes in Australia, Germany and the United States. Her programs for children, coaches and people with disabilities help participants achieve their goals and allow her to share her love of sport and health with others. A PE teacher for many years, she has also been school sport development officer and
chair of the State Government’s Youth Action Program. During 2000, she was named the QUT Faculty of Health’s Outstanding Alumni Award winner. On June 23, she will participate in the QUT Alumnifest forum on “Life After Sport”.
Allocation of extra university places needs revisiting
The Prime Minister’s innovation statement – delivered as his Federation Address on January 29 – promised significant research and education initiatives over the next five years worth a total of $2.9 billion.
An important part of that package – outlined in detail at http://
www.innovation.gov.au – is funding for an additional 2,000 commencing places in specific areas allocated for this year, to be shared among 36 public universities across Australia.
These places are to be directed to students wanting to study information a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y , science or maths and this is the first funding growth for student places in many years.
On a proportional basis for QUT, one of the country’s largest universities, that will translate to around 80 places.
Given the breadth of such education a t Q U T – w i t h a F a c u l t y o f Information Technology, a Faculty of Science, the new Creative Industries
Faculty about to be launched mid-year, our growing electronic commerce and e-business specialisations in the Faculty of Business and computer engineering w i t h i n o u r F a c u l t y o f B u i l t Environment and Engineering – 80 places will not go far towards addressing the demand for places from students and industry.
In reality it is a fraction of what is needed, given the number of people applying to complete bachelor degree and higher- degree studies in a whole range of technology disciplines.
Australia also needs more than a year’s promises for such places.
It needs a strong, growth-oriented strategy that helps the country compete in an increasingly global marketplace.
So, while it is encouraging that the Federal Government has chosen a growth path and not contraction when it comes to high-demand university places, it’s not enough in the competitive environment in which we find ourselves.
Professor Dennis Gibson
You know Engineering is turning out great ...
Dreamworld last week, and the word is that it’s the movies next week!
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Scientists may soon be one step closer to understanding how cancerous cells spread thanks to a postdoctoral fellow’s ground-breaking research.
Dr John Hooper from QUT’s Centre for Molecular Biotechnology will work to explain the crucial process that causes cancerous colon and prostate tumours to develop their own blood supplies and spread to other parts of the body.
His work has just received a major boost with the announcement from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) that Dr Hooper has been awarded both the CJ Martin fellowship and the Menzies Foundation’s RG Menzies fellowship, together worth
$280,000 over four years.
The fellowships will allow Dr Hooper to divide the next four
Research aims to starve blood supplies to tumours
years between QUT and San Diego’s prestigious Scripps Research Institute, where he will map the molecular processes involved when cancers establish their own blood supplies.
“We are going to look at the sort of things a cell needs to do to break away from normal cellular contacts, move through the surrounding tissue and find its way to a blood supply,” Dr Hooper said.
“To do this, we will try to identify potential candidate molecules that may be involved in the process and determine what role each plays.”
Dr Hooper will use human cancer cells and animal models to identify these molecules, a process which may take several years.
He then aims to develop
“function-blocking” molecules to
stop or prevent blood supply growth occurring.
“What is exciting about this work is that there is a strong potential at the end that we will get a better therapeutic outcome, or at least more clearly understand the system that allows cancers to spread,” he said.
Dr Hooper said that, while drug therapies already existed to target the blood supplies of tumours, none was based on the molecular information he hoped to collect and none was yet totally effective.
“I’m hoping my work will help us understand the system in depth and answer some of the questions about how soft tissue cancers spread.”
The award of the RG Menzies fellowship to Dr Hooper recognises that he was ranked as the most outstanding applicant for an NHMRC fellowship, based on
criteria including his previous academic record and the potential value of his work.
– Margaret Lawson Dr John Hooper at work by Margaret Lawson
The name plate on Sue Savage’s door proclaims that the person inside is Sue
“Xena” Savage.
No, it is not her middle name, explains the 2000 Australian Universities Teaching Award winner and, no, it does not mean that she is going to jump-kick any student who walks through the door like her Warrior Princess counterpart.
Ms Savage clarified that the nameplate was a gift from a member of her school’s secretariat to make her seem a bit more impressive amid the Aspros (associate professors) and Drs with whom she shares her corridor and, in her typical good humour, Ms Savage left it there.
But why Xena exactly?
Perhaps it is because one quality that stands out about the architecture senior lecturer and course co-ordinator is that she is far from a pushover, particularly in the classroom.
In fact, Ms Savage prides herself on setting clear expectations for her students at the start of semester and not wavering from them.
“It’s easy to say yes to students,” she explained with a laugh.
“‘Can I have an extension?’ ‘Yes’. ‘Can I have a higher mark?’ ‘Yes’. ‘Can I hand this in next year?’ ‘Yes’.
“I’m not at all like that. I think the most important things are honesty, good humour, being up-front and sticking to your principles.”
But, while Ms Savage does not set out to be her students’ best friend, she has still managed to earn their respect – with a swag of recent awards recognising this fact.
As well as her win in the physical sciences and related studies category of the national teaching awards in December, Ms Savage has also won a QUT teaching award, a Faculty o f B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t a n d Engineering excellence in teaching prize, and been nominated for an outstanding academic contribution award by her students.
She finds this all a bit hard to explain, and finds it even harder to identify what she is doing that works.
“Teaching is just what I do. It’s like asking a fish what it does in water,” Ms Savage said.
“People think when you win one of these things you must be doing something very exotic.
“I feel it is more about getting the basics right – and being a good communicator,” she said.
When trying to define her teaching approach, Ms Savage said the most important thing she did was “not to create a demarcation” between herself, up the front, and the rest of her class.
“I think teachers should accompany students while they’re learning the discipline, not just stand up the front and talk at them,” she said.
“You have to try to understand what motivates them … be there with them
and read them. I think good teachers have that capacity.”
While Ms Savage was a professional architect in Brisbane for 10 years before completing a masters degree and moving into education, she says the transition to teaching design, studio and professional studies was not a difficult one.
“The thing with working as an architect is there’s no instant gratification,” she explains.
“I was physically unsuited to all the sitting still and the being quiet the job required, so teaching was a much better choice for me.”
Ms Savage focuses her research efforts on architectural education, which ties in closely with her teaching.
With the $40,000 grant that comes with the national teaching award, she plans to finish an on-line work experience logbook she started with a faculty grant.
B u t , M s S a v a g e a d m i t s , t h e highlight of her work – and the thing she finds most satisfying – is just being there to play a part as her students make the transition to their working lives.
“It’s really satisfying seeing it all come together,” she says.
“That’s the nice part.”
This role model rules the blackboard jungle
Australia’s transgender community is the last remaining group with virtually no legal protection, according to QUT’s Associate Professor Phillip Tahmindjis.
Professor Tahmindjis, who is a member of the State’s Anti- Discrimination Tribunal, addressed the F-LAW 2001: Moving Ahead in Difficult Times conference recently at QUT.
He said there were numerous examples in Australia and around the world where transsexual people were being denied their basic human rights.
Professor Tahmindjis cited a case in the United Kingdom where a man who had undergone surgery to become a woman was not considered a female for the purposes of marriage.
“The court did not take notice of the person’s identity or sexuality, but merely relied on biology. The right to marry is a fundamental human right, but this
person’s choice in marriage was restricted,” Professor Tahmindjis said.
“It was shown in the case of Nicholas Toonan, who took Australia to the Human Rights Committee over Tasmania’s laws which made sexual activity between males illegal, that despite international rulings, political action is most successful at changing laws.”
Professor Tahmindjis said transsexual people needed to band together to fight for change.
“While the law is extremely important and can be very helpful, in and of itself it is an insufficient vehicle for change in the area of sexuality,” he said.
“There is still a lot more that needs to be done by members of the legal profession, the transgender and gay and lesbian communities, as well as the wider community.”
– Toni Chambers
System fails transgender
community – law academic
Seven of the university’s top researchers in their field have been awarded with the Year 2000 University Award for Outstanding Academic Contribution.Five of the staff members received their awards at graduation ceremonies last month (the remaining two will receive theirs at the Faculty of Education’s April graduation ceremony).
Among them was postdoctoral fellow in the School of Public Health Dr Pam McGrath, who last year was named the Eminent Scientist of the Year and who also won the Millennium International Award.
Dr McGrath has been recognised for her ability to attract research grants and for her longstanding involvement in research programs with leading community organisations such as the Leukemia Foundation of Australia and the Karuna Hospice Service.
Former senior lecturer in the School of Early Childhood Dr Nicola Yelland won four ARC research grants and was
appointed last year as a Research Fellow with the Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs.
Dr Yelland has published three books in as many years and has begun working on a fourth. She has also been asked to join the editorial boards of three prestigious international journals.
Dr James Watters is a senior lecturer in the School of Maths, Science and Technology Education at QUT and has been recognised for his ability to optimise his students’ learning experiences through problem-based learning, practical experiences and counselling strategies.
The Law Faculty’s Assistant Dean of Research, Dr Des Butler, has an extensive research record which has helped his faculty meet the challenges presented by the Federal Government’s research White Paper.
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education co-ordinator (drama) Judith McLean has
been recognised nationally for her expertise in the area of arts governance, arts education and professional theatre through a number of senior appointments, the latest of which is her appointment to the Australia Council’s Committee for Australians and the Arts.
Dr Andrew Worthington from QUT’s School of Economics and Finance has taken a proactive role in research development, including two years as the director for the International Economic Competitiveness Policy Research Concentration and membership of the Faculty Research and Development Committee.
Robina Xavier from QUT’s School of Communication has assisted the school’s entry to the Carseldine campus and the development of a proposal that has resulted in the new Bachelor of Mass Communication course.
At the same time she has maintained a full teaching load, completed a masters degree and published several papers.
Outstanding academics recognised
RIGHT: AUTA award winning Design and Built Environment lecturer Dr Sue Savage ... ‘it’s all about getting the basics right and being a good communicator’
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––––––– THE LOWDOWN –––––––
What CPIE students say about their new program
Heritage message for annual service
‘Uncle’ Bob Anderson ... all Australians should be as proud of our heritage
Indigenous leader “Uncle” Bob Anderson has encouraged QUT students and staff to commit themselves to reconciliation.
Addressing a well-attended QUT commencement service at St Stephen’s Cathedral in Brisbane to celebrate the start of the 2001 academic year, Uncle Bob said a recent newspaper survey had shown that the majority of Australians favoured an official apology to Aboriginal people.
The theme of the service, “Unity in diversity – valuing our heritage”, was incorporated into the readings, addresses and musical contributions of participants representing a cross- section of cultures and religions.
In their addresses, leaders and representatives from the Indigenous, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities offered warm wishes to the QUT community.
Uncle Bob, as he is respectfully known, said he represented the oldest continuous culture on earth. Aborigines had
“walked softly upon the earth” and, unlike the Ancient Greeks and Romans, had left no lasting monuments.
“But we have a history of greater longevity than any living group on earth. This is our heritage and we are, and rightly so, proud of it. I believe all Australians should be as proud,” he said.
Uncle Bob – who is chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Board – recently received an honorary doctorate from QUT.
He is also one of QUT’s Golden Graduates and was named the South-East Queensland Indigenous Elder and Indigenous Person of the Year in 1998.
QUT music staff, students and former students, including members of the QUT Choir and the Seventh Chapter of Fine Brass, presented musical items.
Saxophonists Peta van Bekkum and Rebecca Nicoll, who received the annual Composition Prize from Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson at the service, performed their winning composition.
QUT Chancellor Dr Cherrell Hirst AO thanked all participants and welcomed QUT staff and students back for the new academic year.
– Colleen Clur
Lindsay MacDonald (who is doing a double major in economics and international business): “I found the orientation really good and very informative. It’s an exciting time, but scary too. I enjoyed meeting everyone else and making a new group of friends is good because we’re all doing much the same subjects this year.”
Jessica Velm (who is majoring in accountancy): “The presentations were very informative. Even the sponsors outlined the expectations they had of us for work experience, you know the level of professionalism and so on. That was good and it sounded like I could fit in quite well, which is important because I’m really looking forward to the two, six-month blocks of work experience. It’s such an advantage to have to show potential employers in my resume.
Although we will be doing full-time work and part-time study, so I’ll probably feel like I’m 40 when I’m finished.”
Quinton Kong (who is planning to major in a c c o u n t a n c y and economics):
“It was a busy day, learning about what we’re in for.
I am really looking forward to getting into the program, to getting back to study after three months. The
dinner and presentation set everything in concrete and it’s finally sinking in.”
Corporate Partners In Excellence (CPIE) students from the Faculty of Business explain how they felt after the launch of their new program:
Georgia Cameron (who is doing a double major in economics and international business): “I really enjoyed the orientation day. It was interesting to meet other scholarship applicants. There will be lots of opportunities with this scholarship and I’m really looking forward to the course.”
Alissa Collins (who will do a major in banking and finance and e-business): “It went really well. The invited speakers were very good. It’s a bit of a shock the demands of the course, but it’s exciting. I’m looking forward to the work we’ll be doing.”
Chelsea Crawford (who will do studies primarily in banking and finance and accountancy, with some law subjects):
“We got to meet some of the corporate partners in the scheme. And we’re beginning to realise what we’re entering into. I’m really looking forward to getting into the work and the work experience.”
Lisa Keys (who is studying accountancy with an extended major in business computing): “I really enjoyed meeting the fellow recipients and the beautiful presentation dinner as well as meeting the corporate partners for the program. It will be interesting to attend the QUT Business Leaders Forums. They sound interesting.”
Katie Gardner (who w i l l m a j o r i n b a n k i n g a n d f i n a n c e ) : “I t w a s g r e a t . W e g o t t o m e e t t h e o t h e r scholarship holders and the staff who will be teaching us. I’m looking forward to doing some work … it’s been three long months.”
Rowan te Kloot (who is also majoring in banking and finance):
“We met our mentors and mine is (Economics and Finance senior lecturer) Mark Christensen. We talked about university and they scared us a bit with the workload, but a couple of counsellors spoke to us about motivation and time management, so that was good. Then the students and the corporate partners each received a certificate acknowledging our participation in the program. The work experience is going to be great.”
by Toni Chambers
QUT researchers are predicting the increasing global uptake of e-business will surpass rising petrol prices and declining oil supplies as the most significant force for change in Australian transport over the next decade.
The CSIRO/QUT Built Environment Research Alliance has joined forces with the National Transport Secretariat and the Queensland Department of Public Works to help Australian businesses and Government proactively address transport issues arising from e-business.
The research is being conducted by Associate Professor Luis Ferreira and Elspeth Mead from QUT and Dr Nariida Smith from the CSIRO.
They have found e-business will demand more frequent freight deliveries, which has implications for urban planning, transport infrastructure and the environment.
Professor Ferreira, from QUT’s School of Civil Engineering, said global revenues from e - c o m m e r c e w e r e e x p e c t e d t o r e a c h
$US1,300 billion by 2003.
He said the biggest impact would be the increase in the number of freight trips while passenger trips remained relatively stable.
“The internet is widening choice but, in the next five to ten years, we expect people will shop on-line for specific items rather than for the bulk of their shopping,”
Professor Ferreira said.
E-commerce poses traffic ‘risk’
“The demand on freight companies to deliver these items is expected to increase significantly which, in turn, will force an increase in the number of light commercial vehicles on our roads.
“These vehicles are not good for the environment in terms of pollution.”
He said freight companies would also c o m e u n d e r p r e s s u r e a s p e o p l e ’ s expectations for “right now” deliveries increased.
“There’s the potential for adverse impacts on the environment if there are more and shorter trips, particularly in peak periods,”
Dr Smith said.
“Even additional trips off-peak will result in increased pollution, noise and greenhouse gas emissions.”
Professor Ferreira said another barrier was the slow uptake of technology by smaller players in the freight industry who were reluctant to move away from the traditional face-to-face interaction with customers.
“They’re not becoming truly on-line companies,” Professor Ferreira said.
“Those who are moving in this direction are developing alliances with petrol stations, convenience stores and post offices which are used as local pick-up points.”
A u s t r a l i a ’ s N a t i o n a l T r a n s p o r t Secretariat will present the results of this work to the Council of State and Federal transport ministers in May of this year.
A t t h a t t i m e , t h e g r o u p o f collaborating researchers expects to have a formulation for forecasting impacts and identifying benefits.
Associate Professor Luis Ferreira ... an increase in number of light commercial vehicles is likely on our roads thanks to the increasing popularity of e-business
A more prominent and vocal presence on campus is expected from this year’s QUT’s Postgraduate Students’ Association.
The association’s new president Gillian Coorey said the present executive had the largest representation it had ever had, “with a lot of new blood and a lot of great enthusiasm”.
“We are encouraging people to participate, say what ever you want, it’s your association,”
Ms Coorey said.
“The PSA has been asked to sit on a number of boards within the university, which gives us a strong
Postgrad president promises more representation
voice and a chance to collectively address some of the issues that impact on postgraduates.
“There are issues such as the (Federal Government’s) White Paper suggesting that postgraduates are not funded after four years which will result in increased pressure on our research students.
“Joint submissions being prepared for Senate inquiries and also from the university, ensuring clearer guidelines for supervision are made in the early part of a research degree,”
Ms Coorey explained.
She said a recent issue was the bad press concerning the marking of certain international students’ examination papers.
“We’re very conscious that it does reflect on our degrees in the end,” she said.
Ms Coorey said the association’s website page would be expanded and have a grass roots approach. It would make postgraduate students more aware of what was going on within the university and what their rights as students were.
She said there was a plan to introduce a thesis register on the association’s web page.
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O, what a week for engineering students
by Toni Chambers
While colleagues in other faculties were preparing for their first taste of lectures at uni, a group of first-year engineering students were climbing aboard the latest rides at Dreamworld.
Their day-trip was an innovative excursion organised by QUT’s School of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Medical Engineering.
Senior lecturer Dr Mahalinga Iyer said it was easy for students to lose sight of
why they wanted to be engineers because in the first year of study they had to take basic units in maths and physics. It was not until third year that many students understood why they had to do all the basic subjects but, by then, some had already changed to other courses, he said.
“We wanted to show students in a fun context how engineering can be applied and we’ll then refer back to what they’ve learned at Dreamworld throughout the year as a way of keeping them on track.”
General manager of Dreamworld’s engineering department Bob Tan, a QUT graduate, said it was invaluable for students to see “real-world” applications.
“Not all of them will be able to eventually work in a theme park, but they’ll see how engineering is applied and may become interested in amusement ride manufacturing and design in the future,” he said.
While not yet thinking that far ahead, 18-year-old Michael Fox agreed that the excursion was educational as well as fun.
“I really like physics and seeing behind the scenes of the Tower of Terror and the Big Drop was really good, actually riding on them was even better,” he laughed.
Felicity Bax, 21, transferred to mechanical engineering from information technology and is hoping to work in the mining industry.
“This is a great introduction to the course and also a great way of making friends,” she said.
A growing number of students from across the university won’t be spending their first semester studying in the steamy Australian summer heat.
Instead, many of them will be going to classes in the heart of the North American and European winter, while others are going to be in Asia.
This year a record number of students – more than 40 – are taking advantage of QUT’s student exchange program.
International student exchange officer Caroline Willis said it was an opportunity of a lifetime for students to earn credit towards their degree while also learning a new culture and making vital career contacts and advancements.
“We have more than 40 destinations worldwide, (which is) an increase from only a handful in the early 1990s,” Ms Willis said.
“Exchange is a great opportunity to combine study with an international experience. Students broaden their personal horizons and many say it gives them the edge over other job-seekers.
“We would really like to see more students participate.”
QUT offers scholarships and travel bursaries of between $1,500 and $4,000 to exchange students each semester.
Peter Richards is a second-year Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Science student who will be at San Jose State University in California in the United States for one semester:
“Basically I want to learn about a different culture, I suppose, and try something different and get out of my comfort zone. There are heaps of choices of subjects at the university, it was easy to choose similar subjects so it should be beneficial.”
Booming exchanges see students, staff swap sunscreen for sweaters
Cody Grosert will be at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark continuing her Masters in International Business: “It offers really good subjects at a postgraduate level.
It’s also a chance for personal growth and makes you step outside your comfort zone to experience new things.”
Andrew Tennent is the first QUT student to go to Pukyong National University in Korea. He is studying international business and received a University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific grant of $4,000: “Throughout my studies I’ve always focused on business in Asia and I thought that, with the unification of Korea coming up, there’s going to be a good flood of investment going up to North Korea.
It’s a good place to go to learn the language and find a job while I’m there or try to make a network of connections so I can eventually get a job in Asia.”
Chani Cardwell is studying to be a secondary high school teacher and will be spending one semester at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan: “The University is in between three of the most beautiful cities in Japan - Kyoto, Kobe and Osaka. I’d like to learn as much as I can about Japanese language and culture so I can impart that to my students and make it more of a realistic classroom rather than a rigid approach.”
Janet Palmer was awarded a $2,500 scholarship and is among the first students to go to Bishop’s University in Lennoxville in French Canada: “I’m studying theatre studies and want to see how drama affects other cultures. I want to have a greater understanding of how drama works in Canada because they have very similar issues like
reconciliation and they are very similar to Australia in many ways and I was wondering whether that comes through in their drama and whether there is a big French influence.”
Aaron Jamieson will spend one semester at Jonkoping University in Sweden. He is studying a Bachelor of Business majoring in communication and advertising: “I’m going to Sweden because it was one of the best options for my course and it’s an interesting country. I want to make heaps of friends internationally, get a real feel for another culture and experience a way of life that’s completely different to our own.“
Neil Munro was awarded a $4,000 scholarship to attend Linkoping University in Sweden to complete his Information Technology masters program. He has recently reported that he was riding his bicycle to university in the snow: “I chose Sweden because it’s the home of Ericsson and I want to get into mobile phones when I finish so I thought it would be a good place to start and also I’ve never lived in a country that has minus degree temperatures. The language is going to be a bit of a problem.
It’ll be a mad crash course I think. I probably don’t know how much I’ll get out of it until the end, but obviously
living there by myself, I’m the only person from QUT going there so it’s not like I’ll have any support networks, so it’s up to your own personality to survive, make friends and enjoy yourself.”
And, at the same time as students are enjoying exchanges in record numbers, staff are venturing into exchanges.
Two of them, senior committees officer James Moloney and Oodgeroo unit academic Jean Phillips are now in Canada.
Mr Moloney is taking the place of Helen Kempster from the University of Victoria in British Columbia and Ms Phillips has traded places with Jo Lambert from Senneca University.
Andrew Tennent Janet Palmer
Chani Cardwell Aaron Jamieson LEFT: First-year students Kazuya
Hosokawa, Michael Fox, Josh Pascoe and Joshua Hewitt try out The Giant Drop at Dreamworld during the engineering orientation.
TOP RIGHT: Hands up all those who want to enjoy
Dreamworld’s Tower of Terror.
BOTTOM RIGHT: The adrenalin’s pumping as these students experience Dreamworld’s Thunder River Rapids ride.
Gardiner calls for sharper look at Government’s reseach plans
QUT’s new research chief warns that time lags and a change in Government could damage Australia’s bid for innovation.
New Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Advancement Professor David Gardiner said the Prime Minister’s innovation statement was promising, but not without problems.
“When you look at the whole $2.9 billion package and ask whether it will put us, as a nation, ahead or even abreast of our international competitors – even our near neighbours – that’s where it falls down,”
Professor Gardiner said.
“It will definitely put us some way to redeeming some of the ground lost in recent times, but it won’t put us ahead.
“We’ve had a dwindling research base with rapidly decreasing investment in
QUT’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and
Advancement Professor David Gardiner ... Federal Government’s stated plans for university research funding won’t put Australia ahead of its competitors in an increasingly competitive global market
Looking back over the past five years Oodgeroo Unit manager Penny Tripcony says it has been a rewarding time to be at QUT.
“I have learned a lot,” the modest indigenous leader said as she prepared for early retirement at the end of last month due to health reasons.
Involved for several decades in indigenous issues, particularly in the education arena, the award-winning and respected educator will still play an important role on various committees at State and Federal level and is expected to retain close connections to QUT.
“The knowledge and experience I have acquired over the years I still want to pass that on to people,”
Ms Tripcony said.
“It was just getting to a stage of overload and I think that, at my age and with my health, I am probably better to work alone.”
In recent times Ms Tripcony has helped develop QUT’s own Statement of Reconciliation which was passed by the university’s council at its February meeting.
Late last year the Queensland chapter of the Australian College of Education (ACE) recognised her valuable contribution to education with its Outstanding Educator 2000 medal.
More recently Ms Tripcony has been invited to become an ACE fellow, an honour that will be conferred at a national conference next month.
When it came to farewelling Ms Tripcony, her colleagues and friends converged on Old Government House on Friday, February 23 and the celebration of her time at QUT included a special dance by members of her Stradbroke Island community.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake said QUT had been strengthened by Ms Tripcony’s vast educational, community and cultural knowledge and expertise.
“We have greatly benefited from Penny’s leadership of indigenous issues and by her broad- ranging contributions made to QUT in both teaching and learning and in the encouragement of research,” Professor Coaldrake said.
“Penny is a special member of the QUT community, and we hope to retain a close association with her after she leaves her formal role here.”
Colleagues farewell award-winning educator
Indeed, the quietly spoken Ms Tripcony has had an interesting career path. After leaving school in the late 1960s, the young woman from Stradbroke Island did clerical work for nearly 14 years before returning to full-time study to complete her high school studies and then a Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Education in Melbourne.
She moved into a variety of Aboriginal education and welfare roles during the 1970s and ’80s, rising to become the supervisor of Aboriginal Education Services with the Victorian Department of Education.
Moving back to Brisbane in 1989, Ms Tripcony became a principal policy officer within the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education unit of Education Queensland.
Ms Tripcony moved to the higher education sector five years later, spending almost three years as deputy-director of the University of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit prior to becoming head of QUT’s Oodgeroo Unit in 1996.
Over the past two decades, Ms Tripcony has also been an occasional lecturer or tutor in higher education institutions in Queensland and Victoria.
Ms Tripcony admits that, during her time at QUT, she has made “quite a number of friends, some wonderful colleagues, worked on some collaborative projects and obtained a real understanding of university structures”.
She said she was particularly pleased and impressed with the number of indigenous students
“getting through” QUT courses.
“We are above the national average in terms of retention and completion for indigenous students and I know those students are leaving this university with the same degree as everyone else in their particular field,” Ms Tripcony said.
“I don’t agree with special courses for indigenous people within mainstream institutions.
“I think that comes back on them when entering the workforce.”
Ms Tripcony said that it had been a pleasure to watch students grow from the point when they began at QUT – and “didn’t know anything” – to when they had developed their confidence and expertise sufficiently to enter the workforce.
M s T r i p c o n y s a i d Q U T h a d s o m e commitment to indigenous issues and policies, but she would like to see that strengthened.
“I really believe that this country needs to hold on to what we’ve got already as well as prepare ourselves for participation in a global community,”
Ms Tripcony said.
“I think – in the long term – it is going to be the local community that is very important to people’s identity and strength of character which must be held onto.”
the sector. So, while the individual components of the initiative are broad, the amount invested in each will not be enough to provide Australia with a competitive advantage in any area.”
When it came to strategic research investment, Professor Gardiner said, Australia’s lag time had been too delayed.
“That means the critical mass of these proposals will be diluted and delayed and, therefore, the total collection of initiatives may not build to anything able to redress the nation’s competitive disadvantage in the regional or international arena.”
Also, given the prospect that there may be at least two elections between now and the end of the proposed funding period, the prospect of a change in Government
is also likely to have significant consequences, Professor Gardiner said.
“Certainly the components can be unpicked and a different Government may well have different priorities.
“While this is a political fact-of-life, this leaves the higher education sector particularly uncertain about where it should set its priorities.”
And, given the ALP has so far focused on streaming more funding into higher education online learning, the prospect of changes to the Coalition’s research funding plans seem likely if there was a change of Government.
Professor Gardiner said that, based on the UK’s experience – where open learning was boosted during the 1980s and 1990s – there were lessons to be observed.
He said the outcome of that policy was that – while access, equity and flexibility of learning were increased, allowing more people to study in the higher education sector – it did not improve the country’s competitive advantage. Now, he added, the UK was making unprecedented investment in research in an effort to catch up with other countries.
Locally, though, Professor Gardiner said QUT’s own research initiatives had been bearing fruit.
“We have had strong results, for example, in our recent Co-operative Research Centre successes – funding for two CRCs to be hosted at QUT and our involvement with a third – and continued success with SPIRT grant applications,” Professor Gardiner said.
Professor Gardiner – who was previously PVC Planning and Resources and, prior to that, Dean of Law at QUT – said the university relied on its natural strengths and industry connections.
“One has a well-founded suspicion that QUT is paused for further big leaps in its research maturity,” he said.
“To be a strong research institution will allow QUT to take its place as a fully fledged research university.
“Taking maximum advantage of opportunities from Government initiatives and industry partnerships will be an important part of that.”
Professor Gardiner said researchers at QUT were keen to optimise their position in the wake of the Federal Government’s White Paper (December 1999) and the Prime Minister’s innovation statement Backing Australia’s Ability (see http://
www.innovation.gov.au).
He said there were discrepancies between Government agencies about the way ahead.
“Research higher degree students are part of Australia’s intellectual capital, but the approach by the Department of
Youth, Education and Training Affairs has traditionally limited the investment in this area and the post-White Paper details only confirm this.”
If the present Government’s plans did come to fruition, Professor Gardiner said, a few programs – those that were significantly embedded – would continue to thrive.
Programs like the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) are ones that would continue to go from strength to strength, Professor Gardiner predicted. However, if funding was capped or spread thin, this would be at the expense of other programs with less profile.
What, then, of the future of research at QUT?
“QUT will have to continue on its own path and that means enhancing our strong, industry-based connections, attaining more SPIRT grants and putting forward strong proposals for new CRCs.
“It will also mean that we will be seeking ways to tap into funding from the Federal Government under schemes like the COMET program for commercialising emerging technologies.”
While welcoming the Federal Government’s stated plans for an extra 2,000 university places in science and technology courses, Professor Gardiner said it was disappointing the Government had not addressed some of the unmet demand for places in states like Queensland.
“We have been asking DETYA for years to provide increased, untied and recurrently funded places but there hasn’t been much movement.”
With important initiatives like a proposed shared campus at Caboolture to feed the nation’s fastest growing, currently under-serviced catchment, increased funding for places remained vital, Professor Gardiner noted.
Oodgeroo colleagues Debra Palmer, MaryLou Myles, Victor Hart, Maureen Ah Sam and Jackie Smith join visiting Canadian academic Jo Lambert to farewell their unit manager, distinguished indigenous educator Penny Tripcony
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Former staff carve out political careers
Former QUT counsellor Margaret Keech has had a change of career, winning the seat of Albert for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at the recent State elections.
Ms Keech was one of three people from the QUT community who stood for State Parliament during the election.
The other two were School of Humanities lecturer – and Greens Party’
leader – Drew Hutton (who came third in a field of seven in the seat of Indooroopilly) and QUT Student Guild education director and Democrat candidate Matt Harrison (who placed fourth in a field of five in Kurwongbah).
Former Justice Studies lecturer Brett Mason – who left academia to become a Liberal senator at the last Federal election – was a guest commentator in the tally room for ABC TV in the wake of the historic February 17 poll.
Another former academic, Leonie Short, who worked in the School of Public Health until last year, will contest the Federal seat of Ryan for the ALP on March 17 in a by-election brought about by the early resignation of long-time incumbent Liberal member and former Defence Minister John Moore.
Airport alliance a launchpad for QUT
QUT has entered into a groundbreaking partnership with the Brisbane Airport Corporation that links the company to the latest research in design, social and environmental planning and transport economies.
The alliance was recently launched with an interactive showcase of a 3D virtual reality simulation of the Brisbane airport precinct, using the School of Design and Built Environment’s Immersadesk VR suite.
A precise electronic model, the simulation is true to scale and proportion and is expected to play a useful role in BAC’s ongoing development of Brisbane’s Airport City.
An overarching Memorandum of Co-operation provides a management structure for this and other research and education projects, including an environmental database for which the Australian Research Council will contribute almost $50,000.
IT&T achievers acknowledged
QUT fared well at the annual Asia- Pacific Queensland IT&T Awards for Excellence late last year, with the head of the School of Data Communications, Professor Bill Caelli, taking away the Premier’s Individual Contribution Award.
Professor Caelli’s award came as acknowledgment of his considerable contributions to the development of the local information technology industry.
At the same event, the BridgIT Project – which has involved staff from QUT’s School of Communication – also won an award. This project, overseen by the Queensland Rural Women’s Network, is an internet and email training exercise which aims to bridge the gap between having telecommunications infrastructure and being able to use it effectively.
Schools announce changes
The former Built Environment and Engineering School of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Surveying has been merged with the faculty’s
School of Architecture, Interior and Industrial Design.
Following the QUT Council-approved change, the newly emerged design-focused entity is to be known as the School of Design and Built Environment.
At the same time, the School of Psychology and Counselling, which had been based in the Faculty of Arts, has been transferred to the Faculty of Health, with the school expected to remain at QUT’s Carseldine campus for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, consultations are continuing regarding the changes to be made as QUT’s Faculty of Arts reshapes into the Creative Industries Faculty in the middle of this year.
Teachers reach out across the globe
QUT academics have played a leading role in the establishment of the first international website dealing with practical experience in professional education.
The new website for the Association of Practical Experiences in Profession Education Incorporated (PEPE) allows members across Australia and the world to exchange ideas about practicum/workplace experience.
Dean of QUT’s Education Faculty Professor Vi McLean welcomed the launch of the new website, saying it would help build stronger connections across faculties, institutions and professional educators.
“As we all know, first-hand learning experiences in the workplace are a vital part of the education of professionals,”
Professor McLean said, “and staff who design, implement and evaluate workplace learning are making a major contribution both to student learning and to the maintenance of the profession.”
PEPE secretary, QUT lecturer Dr Jan Millwater, pictured above, said the organisation had been gathering momentum over the past seven years, with all members of the international committee of PEPE based at QUT.
The new website is at http://
www.pa.ash.org.au/pepe
Copyright changes affect university
Copyright laws as they apply in Australian universities have changed this week, with new obligations likely to affect staff and students across the university.
According to QUT’s copyright officer Mike Lean, the changes relate to a new right for copyright owners to communicate their works, new rules that will apply to electronic copying (but not hard-copying) and strict limits on the extent to which an electronic work can be communicated.
“For instance, from March 4, every electronic copy of print or graphic works made will be required to contain an electronic notice containing information about copyright,” Mr Lean explained, “and
failure to comply could lead to copyright infringement action.”
Mr Lean said all staff needed to review and understand the new requirements and begin complying with the instructions immediately.
“QUT does not support the infringement of copyright and we encourage staff to be up to date with the requirements of this legislation,” Mr Lean said.
Full details of copyright requirements are listed at http://
www.dias.qut.edu.au/copyright/
crguidefrontpage.html, while the Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee’s guidelines in relation to copyright matters are outlined at h t t p : / / w w w . d i a s . q u t . e d u . a u / copyright/guidelines.html
Graduates getting jobs earlier
The employment rate of QUT’s graduates, as measured annually by the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, has risen.
Figures collected in 2000 by DETYA, show that – within four months of graduating – 86.3 per cent of QUT graduates were in full-time employment.
This result compares well with averages for national and State universities, topping those rates by 5.5 and 1.9 per cent respectively.
QUT remains the largest provider of bachelor-degree graduates into full- time work in Australia.
Summer Program hits high note
With the Summer Program just concluded, organisers across QUT’s eight faculties are celebrating significant growth in attendance and offerings.
More than 3,000 students chose to complete at least one subject over the Summer period, a rise of 75 per cent on last year’s record numbers for the program.
And, according to Summer Program co-ordinator Linda Clay, the increased student numbers reflects the larger number of undergraduate and postgraduate units being offered across the university.
Ms Clay said the number of courses accepting admissions were up especially in the faculties of business, information technology and law.
“We had a total of 295 units on offer, up from around 245 last year,”
Ms Clay said.
Results from the Summer program were released on March 2.
Ethical clearance process revised
Following an extensive review, ethical clearance arrangements for some QUT research involving humans have been streamlined, with a significant proportion of such research now qualifying for a simpler, faster clearance process.
Projects which require full ethical clearance must still be submitted for consideration at meetings of the University Human Research Ethics Committee (UHREC) which will meet eight times this year.
Copies of the short form, the full form and details of their use can be found at the UHREC website at http://www.qut.edu.au/draa/or/
ethics/human
UHREC secretary Gary Allen said any researchers who needed advice on research ethics matters should consult their faculty research ethics advisor.
News in Brief World-first solar project
turning up the heat for plastics manufacturers
QUT researchers are conducting world- first research by aiming to develop solar e n e r g y t e c h n i q u e s f o r t h e manufacturing industry.
A research team led by the director o f t h e M a n u f a c t u r i n g S y s t e m s Engineering Research Concentration D r P r a s a d Y a r l a g a d d a i n collaboration with the Swinburne University of Technology has built a device on top of S Block at QUT’s Gardens Point campus to capture solar energy.
The technology has already been commercialised and used to operate flashing road signs. However, Dr Yarlagadda said, the biggest hurdle was a d a p t i n g t h e t e c h n o l o g y t o t h e manufacturing industry.
He said the use of plastics in the m a n u f a c t u r i n g i n d u s t r y w a s increasing and the need for more energy-efficient methods of joining pieces together was needed.
“The amount of available energy is limited, so we have to look at alternative and renewable sources of energy – the sun is the oldest source of energy, it’s free and unlimited, especially in a country like Australia,” he said.
Dr Yarlagadda said the experiments had shown that the solar device could only produce between 200 and 600 watts of energy, and 1,400 watts were n e e d e d t o w e l d t h e r m o p l a s t i c s commonly used in the manufacture of pipes.
“We need to increase the diameter of the mirrors on the device and reduce
the amount of energy lost when light passes through the mirrors by passing the light through fibre optic cables,”
he said.
Researchers from the Mopko National University in Korea have extensive experience in welding technology and have made a preliminary visit to inspect the solar device.
However, Dr Yarlagadda said both groups were hoping to secure an international research exchange and collaboration grant to fund a one year exchange program.
– Toni Chambers Dr Prasad Yarlagadda
demonstrates the new solar energy device to visiting Mopko National University’s assistant professor Ill-Soo Kim
Changes to QUT’s staff email system have been well received by most people, according to Pro-Vice Chancellor for Information and Academic Services Tom Cochrane.
“People did find their email traffic was burdensome and anything that can be done to relieve that has been welcomed,”
Mr Cochrane said.
The new policy inhibits the capacity of individuals to address staff throughout the university simultaneously. This facility is now open only to the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and heads of faculties and divisions.
Individuals are able to send email to all members of their own faculty or division.
For wider circulation they need to contact their faculty or division head, Mr Cochrane said.
Email changes ‘lighten load’
“There were some concerns expressed a b o u t c o m m u n i c a t i n g s a f e t y a n d security issues, so campus managers have been enabled to email all campus staff,”
he said.
QUT’s former (internal) community interest list has been replaced by specific lists, which, two weeks after the change, have each attracted between 300 to 400 staff.
The community interest list had 425 subscribers when it was discontinued.
“The staff development list (qut.staffdev) has retained all 3,600 subscribers. If staff want to unsubscribe they need to do this through QUT Virtual,” he added.
Full information about the changes, which came into effect in mid-February, is provided at http://www.its.qut.edu.au/info- sources/email
