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Science Week a hit with young and old
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Queensland University of Technology Newspaper • Issue ... • Month, 1999 Queensland University of Technology Newspaper • Issue 214 • May 15-July 16, 2001
Going, going, gone ... all for a good cause
QUT accords highest
honour to man of vision
by Margaret Lawson
More than 25 years of outstanding research and a commitment to improving vision were rewarded this month when Optometry head Professor Leo Carney received QUT’s first higher doctorate.
The Doctor of Science - called a “higher doctorate”
because it is an academic honour beyond that of the PhD - recognised his sustained and internationally significant contribution to the field of vision research.
Professor Carney has devoted his career to better understanding how the eye and the visual system function, particularly the role of the cornea in vision problems.
A panel of internationally eminent researchers evaluated several decades of Professor Carney’s research publications and judged him “one of the world’s leading scholars in his field”.
Professor Carney accepted the Doctor of Science at a graduation ceremony on May 1 and said he was honoured to have his work recognised by his peers.
“[The award] is a recognition of work that has been done, but it is also a stimulus to go on and do more,” he said.
“It is an even greater honour for me because it is the first time QUT has given an award like this.”
Dean of Health Professor Ken Bowman congratulated Professor Carney on his achievement and said the faculty was fortunate to have a scholar of his standing as a head of school and director of the Centre for Eye Research.
“Professor Carney has attained a position of eminence in the vision and optometric science communities through sustained, high quality research and a prolific output of excellent publications in journals of the highest standing,” Professor Bowman said.
“He has made significant contributions to the development of many excellent academic colleagues through his supervision of postgraduate students and has been an extremely effective teacher and administrator.”
Professor Carney first graduated in optometry from the University of Melbourne and went on to complete masters and doctoral degrees there.
He has worked in the Optometry Department at the University of Melbourne, been a postdoctoral fellow and later Professor and Associate Dean at Ohio State University and received the Max Schapero Memorial Award from the American Academy of Optometry in 2000. He came to QUT as head of Optometry in 1992.
“When I started my studies I didn’t expect to spend a career in academia and research ... rather I was looking at optometry as a way to be involved in health care,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky to see and be part of an era where there have been some major improvements in understanding the optics of the eye and how visual abnormalities can be managed.
“We’ve been able to understand so much more over the past 10 years and there is still more to do.I want to be a part of it.”
Doors open wide for
AlumniFest
QUT’s AlumniFest, which takes place from June 16 to 24, will be the largest gathering ever held for the university’s graduates.
Head of Alumni and Development Services Julie Mannion said graduates’
friends and family were welcome to attend the celebration.
“The AlumniFest will feature a range of sporting, cultural, education and social events at the Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove campuses,” she said.
Highlights include a special exhibition by alumni artists at the QUT Art Museum, a charity golf day on Friday June 22 and discount tickets to the Bank of Queensland Reds and the British and Irish Lions at Ballymore on Saturday June 16.
Two of the many forums are “Life After Sport”, with Olympic gold medallist Glynis Nunn-Cearns and champion netballer Vicki Wilson, and
“Leave My Genes Alone” with graduate Bernie Hobbs. A celebrity debate will feature broadcast personalities Rupert McCall and Zara Grose and author Mary-Rose MacColl.
For information go to the AlumniFest website at http://alumni.qut.edu.au/
AlumniFest/index.htm. Call (07) 3864 1833 or e-mail: [email protected].
Headstart for Leukaemia Foundation ... several QUT staff and students shed their locks or brightened their hair colour to help raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. Participants, who received sponsorships, were taking part in the Foundation’s “World’s Greatest Shave for a Cure” day earlier this month. QUT volunteers included Dr Alan Tickle, Professor Allan Layton, Dr Jeremy Williams, Andrew Paltridge - co-ordinator of the event, Simon Best, PhD student Ralf Becker, Jenny Frahm and Kellie Hinchy and Greg Jones. Here, Alan Tickle, from the School of Data Communications, achieves his brave new look with the help of student Trudy Stone.
Achievers honoured at graduations
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Optometry head Professor Leo Carney received QUT's first higher doctorate at a graduation ceremony earlier this month.
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From the Vice-Chancellor
by Toni Chambers
Every picture tells a story it is said, and for QUT’s Academy of the Arts it seems the same is true for old suitcases.
The Academy collected 1950s and 1960s-style suitcases for its production of Michael Gow’s Away.
Set and costume designer Greg Clarke said the appeal for old luggage had been met with an enthusiastic response from the public.
Appeal for old suitcases stirs nostalgia
QUT Academy of the Arts third-year acting students, (from left) Nikki Osbourne, RebeccaTurner and Johanna Searles get cosy in some of the suitcases donated for the production of Away.
He said he had been struck by the extent to which old baggage stirred memories in their owners.
Many donors told stories about their old luggage, he said.
“People are quite nostalgic about their suitcases of yesteryear,” he said.
Away peels away the façade of happy family life in 1960s Australia. As three families embark on their summer holidays, they realise the happiness is just an illusion.
The suitcases will be used in the play to represent holidays and travel, and the emotional baggage of the characters.
QUT lecturer Mark Radvan, who is directing the production, said it was about “growing up ... whatever your age”.
The production will be held at the QUT Gardens Theatre for eight shows only from May 31 to June 9.
Tickets are $18, $14 concession and
$10 for full-time students.
Early this month QUT launched its science van, an exciting project aimed at fostering an interest in science and technology amongst school students.
The van follows in the wake of the QUT Science Train, which travelled around Queensland in 1996 and 1999 and was a great success in promoting science around the State.
Science is one of the most exciting disciplines, and although the challenges that scientists face today are very different to those of the past, they are no less exciting.
These days, scientists need to take an active interest in the outcomes of their work, to justify their research in the face of an often hostile media which tends to “demonise” scientific research. The impact of technology, the fundamental changes to the way we approach innovation, the challenge of continuing discovery in a world where concerns about the environment and ethics are enormous have meant that scientists have much more responsibility than before.
However, they also have greater opportunities than ever before.
Whereas once, graduates with a science degree could expect limited employment opportunities in a laboratory or museum, today they could end up working in a partnership between a university and a commercial research enterprise, as an employer rather than employee.
It is terrific to see science finally getting the attention that it deserves.
The Federal Government has made a strong acknowledgement, in its recent Innovation Statement, that we need to create interest in science at an early age if we are to strengthen our knowledge-based economy.
Queensland is already a major player in this, through initiatives such as the Smart State and biotechnology.
However, there is still scope to do much more to embed a passion for science in today’s students. The QUT science van is one small, but important step in the right direction.
Professor Dennis Gibson
Science van on exciting journey
by Margaret Lawson
Australians may miss out on the potential benefits of emerging electronic health systems if “alarmist” claims about privacy risks continue to dominate public debate, a QUT expert warns.
QUT-based researcher Dean Povey, from the Distributed Systems Technology Centre (DSTC), said debate surrounding the e-health issue had largely ignored the fact that electronic and on-line storage of medical records offered patients potentially lifesaving benefits.
Mr Povey said while attention to privacy was important, the focus of e- health development had to be on ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients.
He said this meant making access to health information by health professionals easy and safe, rather than aggressively restricting access.
“This is just so important in emergency situations and also in allowing long-term continuity of care,” he said.
“For example, if you had a suspicious mole examined and a digital photo was taken, 10 years later your new doctor could call up that information from the system no matter where you are.
“Having access to a patient’s previous medical history can give you the ability to save lives, so we should be focusing on ways to maintain the integrity of the system while still allowing access to those who might need it.”
From the Inside by David Hawke
‘E-health privacy debate obscures potential benefits’
Mr Povey said he advocated a “system of strong audit” for e-health records, meaning that records would be available to health professionals, but that patients could authorise only specific practitioners to have access.
“Patients would be notified as to who had seen their records and immediate action would be taken if that access was inappropriate,” he said.
Mr Povey said this system would work effectively if governments introduced legislation that made breaching e-health access completely unattractive to prospective misusers.
“To be appropriately deterrent it would have to be a criminal conviction for breaching access, or at least for medical practitioners, being immediately struck off,” Mr Povey said.
“I think we have to strike a balance between privacy and patient care.”
QUT this month will offer an innovative on-line module for education professionals to develop their leadership skills and competencies for addressing typical challenges likely to be met in schools.
The Faculty of Education’s module co-ordinator and facilitator Dr Neil Cranston said it was directed at principals, deputy principals, heads of department, directors of studies and teachers.
“Trying to keep up with the rapidly changing world in which education occurs is a challenge for all, especially for those charged with leadership responsibilities in schools,” he said.
“Whether you are already in a leadership position in a school or aspiring to such a position there is an
Innovative on-line module to aid education professionals
on-going need to continue developing leadership skills and competencies.”
Dr Cranston said the module, which used problem-based learning (PBL) strategies, offered participants the opportunity to undertake the course without leaving school or attend after- school sessions.
He said the module would be conducted entirely via the Internet over a period of four weeks beginning on May 15.
“No individual can claim to have all the answers to the myriad of complex challenges facing schools today,” he said.
“But collectively we might be able to develop some useful skills and strategies to help in our own schools in the future.”
The AlumniFest organisers are looking for volunteer tour guides for the event which takes place from June 16 to 24.
Volunteers are particularly needed on the Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove campuses on the weekend of Saturday June 23 to Sunday June 24.
Please contact Sharon Norris on (07) 3864 1833 or email [email protected].
Volunteers needed for QUT AlumniFest
Dean Povey.
by Margaret Lawson
More than three quarters of women who attend family planning clinics may have suffered some kind of sexual abuse, a QUT public health study has found.
Of the 402 female participants interviewed in the study, 55.5 per cent reported an unwanted sexual event before age 16 (including 10 per cent who had unwanted sexual intercourse) and 74.5 per cent reported having an unwanted experience after the age of consent.
The experiences ranged from non- physical abuse such as indecent exposure, to physical non-penetrative
Sex abuse study sheds new light
abuse, agreeing to sex but feeling used, and intercourse.
The joint project between PhD student Margot Legosz and Family Planning Queensland (FPQ) showed a higher level of sexual abuse than would be expected in the general community (estimated to be about 35 per cent).
Ms Legosz said the study targeted women in family planning clinics to find how they differed from the general population, and to help FPQ better understand its clients’ needs and develop support services.
“I wouldn’t say that the findings, in themselves, were unexpected, because it is possible that attendance at family
planning clinics results in part from the reproductive health problems shown to be linked to abuse, for example,” Ms Legosz said.
“What we have identified is that women who attend these clinics are more likely to have been abused and that it is important that clinics incorporate screening counselling and referral options for their clients.”
Ms Legosz said the study also found that the incidence of sexual abuse among participants could explain other health problems.
“We found a number of significant correlates between sexual abuse and poor health, that if we hadn’t known about
the abuse, may have been overlooked as unrelated problems,” Ms Legosz said.
“For example, sexual abuse as a child appears to result in significant mental health problems like depression, anorexia or bulimia.
“Adult sexual abuse seems more related to physical health problems and poor health behaviours such as drug use, smoking and alcoholism.”
Ms Legosz said almost half of the respondents had never spoken about their abuse before because they had
“never been asked”, making it difficult for health professionals to make the link between their patients’ current problems and past abuse.
Queensland’s dairy farmers are being “haunted” by capital losses of up to $300,000 each, worthless infrastructure and plummeting land values following the introduction of deregulation last year, a summit at QUT heard last month.
An audience of more than 150 politicians, farmers and academics at the Dairy Industry Crisis Summit on April 20 listened to industry commentators discuss deregulation.
Dairy farmer Bobbie Nunn, who runs the “Wyuna”
property at Mt Kilcoy with her husband Paul, described her “devastating” losses.
Ms Nunn said she had lost more than $500,000 since deregulation and she described how she and other farmers were struggling to have their concerns addressed by authorities.
“The majority of farmers were ill-informed and unprepared for the ravages that were about to descend on them as the effects of deregulation have hit swiftly and much harder than (we) had predicted,” she said.
“In our small shire we have lost seven of the twenty- four farms. Another two have indicated they will close shortly, and I think that by the end of the shakeout there will be no more than about six still operating.”
Marketing and international business lecturer Dr Mark McGovern said economic analysis showed that consumers generally derived no benefit from deregulation, despite an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) report estimating they were each saving two cents a day.
Ms Nunn and other stakeholders met after the summit at QUT to decide on a course of action for the industry and agreed to continue lobbying governments to have their situation addressed.
The group did not discount strike action as a last resort.
Dr McGovern, who organised and spoke at the summit, said the event had succeeded in bringing industry players to QUT to discuss a serious issue.
– Margaret Lawson
QUT device gets down to the root of the problem
Dairy farmers reveal deregulation losses
By Noel Gentner
A world-first device which uses microwaves to kill and control tree-roots is being developed by QUT researchers for the Brisbane City Council (BCC).
The concept of using microwaves was invented by Brisbane Water unit asset manager Damian Devlin, and QUT and BCC recently signed an agreement to proceed with the project.
The project’s joint co-ordinator, QUT’s School of Physical Sciences lecturer Dr Stephen Hughes, has had experience in using microwaves in the treatment of cancer patients in England.
Life sciences senior lecturer Dr Grahame Kelly is involved in the assessment of the impact microwaves will have on tree roots in sewer pipes.
The principle of the device is that the microwaves heat the plant cells where the root enters the damaged pipe. The temperature increase causes the root cells to die both inside the pipe joint and just outside the pipe.
The remnant root tip is then able to act as a “timber plug”, sealing the point where the root penetrated the pipe.
Dr Hughes said cancer patients were treated with radiation and heat – the new technique was a matter of transferring that information and knowledge to the heating of tree roots.
Queensland dairy farmer Bobbie Nunn, above with Dr Mark McGovern, said her business at Mt Kilcoy had lost more than $500,000 since deregulation was introduced in 2000.
“Various calculations will have to be made as to how much heat will be required and experimental trials conducted,” Dr Hughes said.
“We know living human material is quite different to plants – plants are more hardy.”
Dr Hughes said the project had entered its second phase with the development of a “box similar to a microwave oven” for the controlled distribution of microwaves in sewers.
He said various experiments would be undertaken at QUT. Later this year a prototype model would be trialled on some of the city’s blocked sewers.
Inventor Mr Devlin said Brisbane had 6,300 kms of sewers.
“Tree roots can enter any defective, leaking joint in the sewer system,” he said.
“The consequences of this root growth in our sewer system can result in significant overflows of sewage depending on the stress trees are placed under,” Mr Devlin said.
“Traditional methods of maintenance by excavation and repair are being rapidly replaced by the use of herbicidal root foams to control root growth.”
“A greener, cost-effective solution addressing the condition as well as the performance of the sewer system will certainly result in cleaner waterways for our city.”
Art Museum’s lighting shines
The lighting of the QUT Art Museum galleries and foyer in the basement of U Block has received international recognition.
The Art Museum lighting entry received a commendation award at the International Lighting Awards at the annual Conference of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) (Australia and NZ) in Auckland last month.
Industry honours lecturer
A senior lecturer in the School of Construction Management and Property, John Hornibrook has received a prestigious award from the Australian Institute of Building (AIB).
Late last month, Mr Hornibrook was presented with the Institute’s Chapter Honour Award for his sustained interest in professional education.
With more than 45 years’ experience in civil engineering construction, Mr Hornibrook’s involvement in heavy engineering construction includes Brisbane’s Victoria Bridge and Sydney’s Opera House.
News in Brief
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Overseas IT Students
New Government Initiatives As of July 1, 2001 you may apply for and be granted permanent residence without leaving Australia.
Time limitations apply.
3361 0213
Registered Migration Agents 0004353 & 0100229
[email protected]
Register for a
CEED industry project
for your final year or postgraduate thesis.CEED is a QUT program (established 1992).
Why register?
● You gain 24 or 48 credit points
● You receive a tax exempt scholarship
● Security – a QUT contract guarantees support from QUT and CEED
● Valuable industry experience and references for your CV
Register now – CEED Bulletin Board www.corptech.com.au
Search, register and forward your CV online New industry projects advertised regularly
Got a query?
Email Graham Willett: [email protected] or phone (07) 3273 2804
Industry Projects
with Scholarships
Engineering, Maths, IT Students
QUT celebrates science week
The ability to protect ourselves against all imaginable diseases or even create DNA using artificial proteins could become a reality within our lifetime, a visiting academic said at QUT this month.
Dr Don Tomalia from Michigan, USA gave the Faculty of Science’s annual public lecture a glimpse of how the future could be if work with dendrimers - artificial polymers that mimic proteins, which he discovered in 1979 - continued to be successful.
Dr Tomalia said research had shown the tiny synthetic polymers (each only billionths of a metre wide) could potentially be used to replace components of vital substances including DNA and antibodies.
This would mean humans could
“create” a cure for genetic conditions and even manufacture resistance to viruses including HIV, hepatitis B and influenza.
Dr Tomalia said a German research team had already synthesised a dendrimer similar to haemoglobin which had successfully carried oxygen.
“In the hands of good people, I see so many benefits in this technology,” he said.
‘Science of the future’ revealed
“We are talking about creating an artificial immune system…and the ability to protect against anything you can think of.”
Dr Tomalia said work on many drug therapies and health treatments - including a dendrimer that “cleaned”
cholesterol out of the blood - were in progress today, but not public because of pending patents or clinical trials.
In the short term, he pointed to better treatments for cancer and other diseases, using dendrimers to seek out and carry therapy to infected sites in the body.
“This means that the whole body doesn’t have to receive the treatment, making it more effective and less toxic,”
Dr Tomalia said.
Dr Tomalia said while in Australia he was visiting biotechnology companies that were experimenting with dendrimers and was excited by their work.
“When we discovered dendrimers back in 1979 we didn’t think about all these possibilities,” he said.
“Now we are on our way to understanding how (this technology) can benefit medicine in the future.”
Dr Tomalia is a distinguished visiting professor at Columbia University and the head of Dendritic Sciences Incorporated.
QUT’s new educational outreach initiative, the Extreme Science Van, hit the road this month to take the wonders of science to children in and around Brisbane.
The van offers practical displays and activities to supplement the science curriculum and can travel to classrooms within one or two hours’ drive of QUT.
At the time of the van’s launch on May 2, visits of the first mobile display called “Microscopy - The Playground Uncovered” had already been booked out by schools.
The microscopy display was previewed at the launch by Year Seven students from the Albany Hills Primary School, who will be the first of 5,000 students to experience the van’s activities during the coming months.
Launching the van, Education Queensland Deputy Director-General Ken Rogers said the initiative would be an integral part of the mosaic of programs designed to encourage participation in science among the state’s children.
“The mobility of the van will allow QUT to share the experience with students in their place and their time,”
he said.
“It will excite and appeal to the target age group … and provide vital experiential learning.”
Extreme van hits the road
Dean of Science Professor Graeme George said he hoped the Extreme Science Van would boost science interest and awareness within the community.
“We are trying to foster an interest in science from an early age,” Professor George said.
“I think we are helping teachers awaken this enthusiasm in their students.”
Professor George said a QUT Vice- Chancellor’s initiative grant would help
to run the van until 2002, but that he hoped industry sponsorships would be received to fund extra resources and ongoing activities.
He said panels on the van’s sides had been left blank for now so sponsors’ logos could be painted on as they joined up.
Schools or teachers interested in booking a free visit from the Extreme Science Van can make enquiries by calling (07) 3864 2152.
– Margaret Lawson
Visiting scholar Dr Don Tomalia (right), with Science Dean Professor Graeme George, says tiny, artificial polymers called dendrimers could provide the cure for diseases including HIV, influenza and Hepatitis B within our lifetime. Dr Tomalia discovered dendrimers in 1979.
Year Seven student Laura Taylor from Albany Hills Primary School gave the Extreme Science Van’s first display a test drive.
“Doctor Fartoosmart”, aka Annette Fraser, entertained the crowds at the Brainwaves Science Festival.
by Margaret Lawson
National Science Week 2001 went off with a bang, a boil and a bubble this month, as staff from across the university made it a celebration to remember.
QUT was a major supporter of the week’s primary Brisbane attraction, the Brainwaves Science Festival at Southbank.
Nineteen representatives from four faculties wowed the crowds with presentations about the possibilities of science and technology.
As always, hands-on displays proved popular, with the Faculties of Built Environment and Engineering, Health, Information Technology and Science staging an array of activities for budding scientists of all ages.
Faculty of Science external relations officer Annette Fraser, also known to visitors as the zany “Doctor Fartoosmart”, said a simple bucket and bubble blowing equipment were a hit with young visitors.
She said the faculty also staged displays on microscopy, biotechnology, and the Extreme Science Van put in a special appearance.
Meanwhile, guests at the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering display got “high-tech” with a specially modified bicycle on which they could
generate their own “pedal power”, as well as a stress testing device supplied by staff in the School of Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering.
The Faculty of Health showcased its human movement studies work in balance assessment, while staff from the School of Public Health had a serious message for young visitors, teaching them to identify disease-carrying breeds of mosquitoes.
Faculty of Education senior lecturer Dr Jim Watters braved a live ABC broadcast with science personality Adam Spencer about ways to encourage young people’s interest in science.
Meanwhile, back on campus, mathematical sciences associate professor Helen MacGillivray hosted a half day symposium on “Maths Futures”
in which young mathematicians talked about their work and career goals.
Professor MacGillivray said the event illustrated the importance of the mathematical sciences in business, engineering, medicine and IT.
To top off the week, more than 120 science staff and students took the opportunity to party at a science week barbecue staged to bring together people from across the faculty.
Focus on science week
Comedy Festival turns away 600
Melbourne Comedy Festival comedians (l-r) Kim Hope, Dave Callan, Jeff Green, Tom Gleeson and Chris Wainhouse before the sell-out Brisbane show at the QUT Gardens Theatre earlier this month.
Brisbane residents in need of a laugh made their way to the sell-out Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow at the QUT Gardens Theatre earlier this month.
It was the first time Brisbane was included in the Roadshow itinerary.
In the city for one night only, it proved so popular that 600 people had to be turned away.
One of the UK’s most popular stand-up comics, Jeff Green, joined three of our funniest home-grown comedians Kim Hope, Dave Callan and Chris Wainhouse.
Back in Australia with a brand new show, Jeff Green’s razor sharp observations on life, family, love and sex, combined with an abundant natural charm, have marked him out as one of the brightest talents on the British comedy scene.
His vast television experience has included four appearances on The Clive James Show and three specials on ITV.
Kim Hope is a Melbourne based stand-up comedian, who has had r e g u l a r g u e s t a p p e a r a n c e s o n television shows such as Good News Week, GNW Nite Lite, Totally Full Frontal, BackBerner and Rove.
This year, Kim’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, Sing Your Arse Off! won her the Festival’s Moosehead Award.
After two successful seasons on Rove Live, the man dubbed “Melbourne’s Fluffiest Comic”, Dave Callan, has recently launched his second one-man Melbourne Comedy Festival show.
A regular at some of Australia’s premier comedy venues, including Brisbane’s The Sit Down Comedy Club, Chris Wainhouse has steadily climbed the comic ladder.
In 1998 he was named Comedian of the Year at the famous Harold Park Hotel in Sydney and 1999 saw him win the National Final of Raw Comedy, presented by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Triple J.
Gardens Theatre manager Paul Dellit said he was extremely happy with the public response to the show.
“The Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow has been a sell-out across Australia, and in Brisbane we could have easily filled three or four shows. Next year we will definitely have more performances,”
he said.
Another production to be held at the Gardens Theatre from June 19-24 is Dance Bytes.
Doctorates honour leaders
A former premier, the director of a major construction company and the current Commissioner for Children and Young People are the latest to receive QUT honorary doctorates.
Best known as the Premier of Queensland from 1989 to 1996, Wayne Goss’s career in legal practice, business and politics has spanned three decades.
Addressing a recent graduation ceremony, Mr Goss defended globalisation and said protesters who gathered at Australian stock exchanges earlier this month failed to recognise the positive spin-offs from world trade.
Thiess director Martin Albrecht was also recognised for his contribution to QUT, and his commitment to training, education, the environment, safety and the
development of international relations.
In his address, he urged Australia to intensify its links to Asia.
Dr Albrecht reflected on the company’s founder, the late Sir Leslie Thiess’ pioneering role in developing trade with Asia at a time when ignorance and deep-rooted prejudice abounded.
A woman who is no stranger to
“firsts” in her career was also awarded a QUT honorary doctorate.
Robin Sullivan received the award for her significant contributions to the community and to QUT.
During her acceptance speech, Dr Sullivan reminded teachers and graduates that one of their roles was to produce students who were tolerant and empathetic as well as students who were technically adept.
“In a world which is increasingly
‘high-tech’ we have to balance potential depersonalisation with ‘high touch’
activities that accentuate community building and the accumulation of social capital,” she said.
“This concept is not based merely on tolerant coexistence. If that were the case we could all just buy earplugs.
“It involves living together in active cooperation based in respect.”
Dr Sullivan’s career has been marked by distinguished achievement.
She was the first married female State High School principal and the State’s first female Deputy Director General of Education.
Two years ago, Dr Sullivan was appointed as Queensland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People.
The best dance students from the Academy of the Arts will feature in a program of new contemporary and classical works with newly commissioned music from QUT composers.
Featuring the work of artist-in- residence Rosalind Crisp, Harold Collins, graduate Deborah Saxton, Sharon Boughen and John Utans, Dance Bytes offers a diversity of style and talent.
– Toni Chambers
State Commissioner for Children and Young People Robyn Sullivan before receiving her honorary doctorate from QUT.
Brisbane’s theatre world is mourning the loss of one of its own – QUT Gardens Theatre front-of-house administrator Ashley Wilkie who died in a car accident earlier this month.
Mr Wilkie (39) worked for 23 years as an actor, publicist and arts administrator and had been working late on the night of the accident.
Before joining the Gardens Theatre, Mr Wilkie’s career highlights included six years with the Brisbane Arts Theatre as publicity and marketing officer.
He also worked as co-ordinator for the Queensland Theatre Company for four years and was audience development manager with the Brisbane Institute.
“Ashley had a rare gift with people,”
said Gardens Theatre manager, Paul Dellit.
“He valued and respected them, making each individual feel special.
His impact on the community was tremendous and his legacy eternal.
“He will be sadly missed by theatre industry colleagues and audiences alike.”
Mr Wilkie performed in more than 40 plays, seven musicals, one operetta and several television productions.
“His dedication and passion for the arts was second to none,” said director of the Queensland Performing Arts Complex, Tony Gould said.
A theatre industry memorial will be held at the Gardens Theatre on June 3.
Ashley Wilkie
mourned by
theatre world
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Up to 90 tables of everything new and used to do with computers.
Very competitive prices with up to 25 vendors.
One on every Sunday from 10am to 1pm.
Phone 3265 2594 or visit www.sundaycomputermarket.com.au
for details.
Maths program improves port efficiency
By Noel Gentner
Despite being advised by Australian diplomatic authorities not to go, a QUT social science student leaves for Somalia next month.
At the age of only 20, Alicia Armstrong has deferred her third year studies in Social Science/Human Services to personally witness the persecution and poverty of the majority of inhabitants of Somalia.
“My main purpose is to make a documentary there in order to bring it back to Australia and show the ‘Lucky Country’ and all of us ... that what’s happening in Somalia is everybody’s problem,” Ms Armstrong said.
“Besides a documentary for the Saacid Organisation (Somalian for ‘help’), I’ll ... also be collating background on female circumcision ... to put together when I come back to Australia.
“I’m sure something will touch my heart ...
“I will also look for stories about homeless people and the plight of the children.
“There are about 500,000 orphans in Somalia and not a single orphanage.”
Ms Armstrong is involved with the Saacid Organisation which was set up 10 years ago by five women.
She said the establishment of the o r g a n i s a t i o n w a s a m a z i n g considering that women in Somalia had no rights.
Ms Armstrong will live in a compound in Mogadishu for five months.
“During the day the compound will have a minimum of 20 armed guards, and at night about 12 guards.”
To get there will itself be an adventure.
“There are no flights scheduled into the country and the only way in is on a
‘drug flight’ and that’s not pharmaceutical drugs,” Ms Armstrong said.
“The flight brings drugs in from Nairobi and you pay the pilot to get on it, to get in, and get out.”
Determined ... Alicia Armstrong leaves for Somalia next month to document the plight of ordinary people.
By Margaret Lawson
Australians are claiming more donations to charities than ever before, but the rich are claiming less while the poor claim more, a QUT analysis has revealed.
QUT associate professor Myles McGregor-Lowndes has completed an annual study using Australian Taxation Office (ATO) figures, and found that the average Australian claimed to give
$194 in deductible donations, or 0.22 per cent of their taxable income, each year to eligible charities.
“This is an increase of 6.84 per cent on last year, and the highest recorded increase in 10 years,” Professor McGregor-Lowndes said.
“Maybe we are getting better at keeping our receipts or we’re just getting more generous.”
But the analysis also showed that Australia’s super-rich had become more tight-fisted with deductible gifts, with the average donation of those earning more than $1million dropping $9,356 to $26,644.
Meanwhile, those earning less than
$10,000 claimed almost $70 each more than their previous average.
Professor McGregor-Lowndes said the total donations of all people earning less than $10,000 had increased to
$53.61million (8.5 per cent of the
national total), while total donations of those earning more than $1million had decreased to $19.93million (3.2 per cent of the national total).
He said the data, taken from the most recent ATO statistics (from the financial year ending June 30, 1999) also showed that philanthropy was most common in New South Wales and the ACT, with average donations of $233.24 and $222 respectively.
Tasmania ($151.23) and Queensland ($154.54) were at the bottom of the list, with deductible donations well below the national average.
Professor McGregor-Lowndes said the annual analysis of ATO statistics by QUT’s Program on Nonprofit Corporations also revealed which professions were, statistically, the most generous.
“Health professionals ($1,149.57), people in legal services ($ 1,293.86) and those working in the arts ($ 1,403.40) claimed the highest donations, while the lowest average claimed ($5) was by people in tobacco manufacturing,” he said.
But he stressed that the data were only as accurate as the information people had reported on their tax returns.
“I’m sure many people under-report their donations, and some over-report,”
he said.
“One study has estimated that Australians donate $2.8billion each year, compared to the $632million which is reported in deductible donations.”
Professor McGregor-Lowndes has released his analysis in a QUT Program on Nonprofit Corporations working paper.
The poor give more – donation analysis
How did you rate?
A sample of average tax-deductible donations by occupation
Scientific researchers $467
Hospital/nursing home staff $413
Bankers $391
Tertiary educators $345
Marketing/business managers $302
Engineers, surveyors $291
School teachers $267
Architects $231
The humble science of maths could prove to be the key to boosting the competitiveness of Brisbane’s port against its counterparts in Sydney and Melbourne.
QUT PhD student Peter Preston has devised mathematical models and a computer software program which shows that gains of at least 10 per cent per day are possible at Brisbane’s port by making small logistical changes.
The program is based on information from the Brisbane port but can be adapted for use around the country.
It tells port managers in what order shipping containers should be unloaded and where and how they should be stored to achieve optimum efficiency.
“I guess it’s giving them a work order and it can also be used as a tool to aid infrastructure purchase decisions,” he said.
“It can show managers what happens if more land or machines are bought, and whether the time saving is worth the infrastructure outlay.”
Mr Preston’s figures reveal that currently an average size ship takes just over 11 hours to unload, and with small changes it could take about 10 hours.
But with additional storage area or machines the savings could be much more.
For example, two extra machines would cut the time taken to unload a ship by more than two hours.
Mr Preston said that while costings were not part of the project, the savings would be significant based on an average of six ships arriving at Brisbane’s port every day.
He said it had major implications for attracting ships to port.
“If Brisbane can improve its efficiency and get ships through quicker then it’s going to be attractive for ship operators to dock there rather than in Sydney or Melbourne where they may have to wait longer in a queue,” he said.
He said Port Authorities could use some aspects of the program immediately.
“For instance with import containers, you can tell the computer what order the containers are taken off the ships and it can calculate where they should be stored in the shipyard,” he said.
Mr Preston believes the program has also been a theoretical advance.
“The main thing that has come out of it is that the integrated algorithm is solving two dependent problems and using feedback from one solution to cut down the size of the problem and also to solve it quicker.”
– Toni Chambers PhD student Peter Preston...using maths to make ports more efficient.
Two Queensland buildings which have won awards for energy efficiency incorporated designs developed at the Daylighting Research Centre at QUT.
The Moreton Institute of TAFE’s Information and Learning Centre, featuring energy-saving lighting innovations, recently won a Royal Australian Institute of Architects regional commendation award. The Redcliffe City Library and Gallery, featuring design elements to maximise natural light and ventilation, was recently named Building of the Year in the Brisbane region awards.
The Daylighting Research Centre, headed by Dr Ian Edmonds, provided three lighting designs for the TAFE building.
Dr Edmonds said an innovative illumination system was used in the building’s main lecture theatre.
QUT lights used in two award-winning buildings
“Rather than using many down lights, installed high in the ceiling, the theatre is illuminated with just two powerful lights installed at floor level,” Dr Edmonds said.
“These easily maintained lights, direct light up towards the ceiling to produce a strong, even illumination of the theatre below.”
Dr Edmonds said five large “light pipes”
carried natural light from roof openings to illuminate the TAFE library and in the multi-media room, a light-spreading skylight was integrated with artificial lighting.
He said angular selective skylights and light-spreading skylights (developed at QUT) were used extensively in the gallery area of the Redcliffe Library complex.
– Noel Gentner
Brave student
heads for Somalia
About your newspaper
Inside QUT is published by QUT’s Corporate Communication Department. Our readership includes staff, students and members of the QUT community.
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Trina McLellan (editor) ... (07) 3864 1150 Toni Chambers ... (07) 3864 4494 Margaret Lawson ... (07) 3864 2130 Noel Gentner (part-time) ... (07) 3864 1841 Fax ... (07) 3210 0474 Advertising - Rachel Murray ... (07) 3864 4408 Photography: Suzie Prestwidge, Tony Phillips Online: http://www.corpcomm.qut.edu.au/
insidequt/index.html by Colleen Clur
Teachers are increasingly being called upon to help the estimated 11 per cent of young children who suffer from mental health problems in south-east Queensland, says a QUT researcher.
Senior research fellow at QUT’s Centre for Public Health Research Dr Jan Nicholson said three years of research at state pre- and primary schools has shown that many parents, as well as their children, are under stress.
“We’re seeing surprising levels of distress among families that have participated in the research,” she said.
“The burden is falling on schools and teachers to assist children with mental health problems because parents and families are struggling to cope.”
Dr Nicholson and PhD student Sarah Dwyer are researching the problem as part of the Promoting Adjustment in Schools (PROMAS) program which aims to help schools tackle early signs of mental ill-health.
“Parents see teachers as a source of help and teachers are saying that they feel compelled to intervene because children’s mental health problems impede effective teaching and learning,”
she said.
Dr Nicholson was recently named one of Queensland’s eight “Young Tall Poppy” award winners for outstanding scientific study and research.
She is a psychologist with 15 years’
research experience in child development, psychology and public health, including the co-ordination of longitudinal studies.
She said the PROMAS research was entering its fourth and final year.
‘Teachers often called on to help
with mental health’
Almost 1,200 children in the four to eight-year-old age group, their parents and teachers had taken part in the longitudinal study which has tracked the development of various behavioural and emotional problems.
Dr Nicholson said it was critical to address mental health problems at an early age because research had shown that young people’s difficulties often continue to worsen if not given help.
“Our study has identified the need for an effective, co-ordinated school- based strategies to tackle the problem.
Teachers and schools need good resources so they can help families in distress,” Dr Nicholson said.
Dr Nicholson said on the positive side there were signs that national and state funding for co-ordinated primary school mental health intervention strategies would soon be forthcoming. There was a clear understanding of the problem in Australia and a recognition that schools had an important contribution to make.
by Noel Gentner
A QUT PhD’s student’s research on the gait of patients with partial foot amputation is expected to improve the design of prostheses and minimise the need for subsequent higher-level amputation.
Michael Dillon, a QUT Centre for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering student and La Trobe University graduate, said partial foot amputation had become a more common surgical treatment for patients with advanced
Partial foot amputees benefit from research
diabetes, vascular disease and trauma in the hope of preserving the ankle joint.
Mr Dillon said, however, there was limited empirical understanding of the way partial foot amputees walked or the effect of prosthetic and orthotic fitting.
This limited understanding was likely to contribute to common failures of partial foot amputation such as ulceration, which could lead to a higher level of amputations like below-knee amputation.
Presenting his PhD oral defence titled
“Biomechanical Models for the Analysis
of Partial Foot Amputee Gait” recently, Mr Dillon said that the aim of his research was to develop mechanical models to analyse the effects of amputation and prosthetic/orthotic fitting on gait.
He said that partial foot amputees did not utilise their calf muscles, but instead relied on increased work by the hip extensor muscles during walking.
“Results from this research will enable clinicians to better treat individuals with partial foot amputation, improve the design of prostheses/orthoses to enhance
function and thus minimise the need for subsequent higher level amputation.”
This is one of a number of investigations of amputee gait being carried out by the Centre for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering (CRSE).
Mr Dilloon said the CRSE in collaboration with Prosthetic Research Study in Seattle had developed prostheses fitted with force transducers and wireless telemetry systems that had enabled researchers to study amputee gait.
Laboratory research gave a very realistic picture of amputee gait, he said.
by Toni Chambers
A QUT study has found Queensland magistrates still have a long way to go before they provide domestic violence victims with a fair hearing in their courts.
The study conducted and compiled by Dr Belinda Carpenter, Rachael Field and Sue Currie from the School of Justice Studies surveyed 96 magistrates, and replicated a study of New South Wales magistrates by the New South Wales Judicial Commission.
Queensland magistrates attitudes to domestic violence improving - study
Dr Carpenter said the most worrying finding was that three-quarters of the State’s magistrates believed domestic violence orders were used as a tactic by women to deprive their partner contact with their children.
Magistrates also commented that many women were advised to take out domestic violence orders by their solicitors.
“The fact that magistrates would agree that it is a tactic, and taking the implicit understanding that if it is a tactic, it can’t be true, is very worrying,” she said.
“If there’s enough evidence to suggest that there’s domestic violence, then an order should be made and whether or not it’s a tactic is irrelevant.”
Sixty per cent of magistrates also believed that domestic violence was better worked out privately between the parties.
“It’s worrying to think magistrates still believe it’s a private issue - domestic violence is a public issue - it’s not something that two people deal with in the home any more,” Dr Carpenter said.
QUT gears up for mid-year entry
QUT Admissions staged a successful mid-year entry event at the Queen Street Mall in April to answer prospective students’ questions. The mid-year entry service, originally catering to the needs of international students, is now popular among many local students.
A prostheses fitted with force transducers and wireless telemetry systems helps
researchers study amputee gait.
Young Tall Poppy winner Dr Jan Nicholson.
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QUT mechanical engineering students, sponsored by Fuchs Lubritech, joined in the fun at the launch of the Airtrain at Brisbane Airport earlier this month. QUT entered two teams in the pump car race which carried a $25,000 purse for the winner’s charity. EDI won the day and donated $12,500 to prostate cancer research being conducted by QUT’s Centre for Molecular Biotechnology.
Roll, roll, roll the boat ... a crew from QUT’s Business Faculty dubbed the “submariners” raced in the Churchie corporate regatta on May 13. Academics Allan Layton, Boris Kabanoff and Simon Ridings and student Ralph Becker earned the name by capsizing their four near Dockside during a training session.
Professor Layton lost his keys and prescription sunglasses but retrieved the glasses after repeated dives.
conditions apply
Read the full list of What’s On at QUT and post new entries at http://www.whatson.qut.edu.au
ARTS & CULTURAL EVENTS
May 4-Jul 1 Australia in Asia: Beyond Orientalism. A collection of works highlighting how regional interaction has affected the artistic intent of both Australian and Asian artists. FREE. QUT Art Museum, U Block, GP.
Opening hours: 10am-4pm Tues-Fri, Noon-4pm Weekends, closed Mondays. (07) 3864 5370
May13-Jul 15 Real World Art: Art by QUT Alumni. Works from QUT’s most celebrated alumni will be showcased in an exhibition curated by Bettina MacAulay. FREE.
QUT Art Museum, U Block, GP. Opening hours: 10am- 4pm Tues-Fri, Noon-4pm Weekends, closed Mondays.
(07) 3864 5370
Jun 19-23 Dance Bytes. Academy of the Arts dance students perform short works of contemporary dance, ballet, musical theatre & folk dance. The Gardens Theatre, QUT Cultural Precinct. $18 (adults), $14 (concession 7 groups, min. 6), $10 (full-time students, school groups, unemployed). QTIX 136 246. 11am & 7.30pm STUDENT GUILD – SPORTS & RECREATION
May 18 International Student Movie Day. KG, Kindler Theatre
May 22 Lunchtime Entertainment. KG Lawn. Noon-2pm May 23 Free Movie. CA Guild Lounge. Noon-2pm
Volleyball Fun Day. CA Lawn. Noon-2pm Guild BBQ. CA. Noon-2pm
May 24 Free Movie. KG Campus Club. 11am, 1pm & 3pm May 25 Free Movie. GP Campus Club. Noon & 2.30pm; KG
Kindler Theatre, 5pm
QUT Cup – Chess. GP Campus Club
May 30 Lunchtime entertainment & games. CA Lawn.
Noon-2pm
Guild BBQ. CA. Noon-2pm
May 31 Guild’s May Ball. Aboard “The Island”. Casts off from 7pm
Jun 6 Clubs & Societies Day. CA Lawn. Noon-2pm Guild BBQ. CA. Noon-2pm
Jun 20 Debating Day. CA Campus Club. Noon-2pm Jun 24 AUS North Marathon Championships. Part of Gold
Coast City Marathon
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