IQ inside
Queensland University of Technology Newspaper Issue 301 March, 2010Orientation
REDCLIFFE school leaver Veronica Wakefield had no plans to go to university – until university came to her.
Veronica, 17, studied three university subjects in her Redcliff e State High School classroom over the past 18 months, giving her automatic entry to QUT this year.
She was part of a pilot program, by QUT and Education Queensland, t o e n c o u r a g e s t u d e n t s f r o m disadvantaged areas to go to university.
“I didn’t really want to go to uni but after doing it (university) through school I found I was interested in it,’’
Veronica said.
She is the fi rst in her family to enrol in tertiary study and now plans to become a criminal psychologist.
Veronica is one of a group of students from the bayside schools of Redcliff e, Clontarf Beach, Deception
Bay and North Lakes, just north of Brisbane, who studied university subjects at Redcliff e High.
Professor Suzanne Carrington, head of QUT’s School of Learning and Professional Studies, said school-based tutors had presented the university subjects over three semesters, with training and support for the tutors provided by QUT academics.
Professor Carrington said the aim of the pilot program was to boost the number of students going to university from areas with traditionally low university participation rates.
She said 15 of the 25 students enrolled in the original 2008 intake into QUTeach@Redcliff e had graduated last year, gaining automatic entry to QUT.
“For a pilot program, such results are overwhelming,’’ Professor Carrington said.
“At the outset, parents were pessimistic that a school-university
partnership could work, despite the students’ enthusiasm to be involved.
“Parents are now rapt that their children are enrolled as university students.”
Professor Carrington said the equity and social justice initiative aimed to overcome barriers faced by students who might not otherwise have the chance to experience university.
The program had preceded the Federal Government’s aim to increase university participation by people from disadvantaged backgrounds to 20 per cent by 2020.
She said the program also gave school tutors an insight into the university process, kept university staff informed about classroom operations and use of new technolog y, and helped keep university units grounded through useful feedback.
- Elizabeth Allen
www.news.qut.edu.au George Street Brisbane 4000 Telephone (07) 3138 2361 Registered by Australia Post – Publication No. QBF 4778. CRICOS No 00213J
Uni here we come! Left to right, Veronica Wakefi eld, Amy Stuckey, Logo Nanai and Jade Appelkamp have secured places at QUT.
First-year primary education students Luke Tait, Josh Bjelke-Petersen, grandson of former Queensland premier, the late Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and Chris Avery get into the groove of Orientation at QUT.
More Orientation action on Pages 4-5
»
>> Students paid to help save the world - Page 3 >> Researchers seek volunteers - Page 7 >> Footballers born to star - Page 8 >>
Get creative at forum
COMMENT
EACH year QUT strives to fi nd new ways to improve student learning and enhance the experience of our students.
During our recent orientation program, the excitement of which is widely reported upon in this edition of Inside QUT, around 150 student volunteers from the QUT Connect program played their part.
They welcomed new students in small groups and provided valuable peer-to-peer information about what being a QUT student was really like.
They placed an emphasis on building a better connection between international and domestic students and many of these ‘connectors’
have been available for mentoring programs across the university.
With a focus on greater support for our international students, QUT is trialling two new programs this year.
Within the Faculty of Business, language support will be embedded into learning activities related to unit content, while in the Faculty of Health, language needs related to international students undertaking a clinical placement, will be addressed.
There will also be more career development opportunities in 2010 for our students.
Career preparation is an activity that often builds motivation for learning and personal development.
The Careers team have developed o n - l i n e c a r e e r d eve l o p m e n t
resources that can be embedded in classroom learning or become part of independent study, while the popular QUT Career Hub, as well as a jobs database, provides career development modules.
In 2010, QUT will continue to support our students from low- income backgrounds.
This year saw a big increase in Q-Step students, and, consistent with the Federal Government’s Widening Participation agenda, considerable work is underway involving the university’s Equity team with many other parts of QUT to help provide the learning and personal support necessary to ensure the success of these students.
Tak ing a personal approach through our service and support activities at QUT has always been key to enhancing the overall experience of our students.
A recent posting from a graduating student to the TellQUT feedback site seems to suggest this approach is working:
“Thanks QUT for providing me support, it helped me a lot to fi nish my degree! I’ll miss being part of the QUT community.”
May the class of 2010 say the same in the years ahead.
Dr Carol Dickenson Registrar
Technology
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake paid a visit to social work students at the university’s Kelvin Grove campus during O Week ... but he didn’t have to leave his desk.
Professor Coaldrake, who is based at Gardens Point campus, dropped in via Skype in a live link-up to fi rst-year students in lecturer Ross Daniels’ class during an orientation seminar.
The Vice-Chancellor welcomed the new students to the university and said they could look forward to using technology to get the most out of their learning experience at QUT.
Mr Daniels’ research interests include new ways to apply technology to teaching and learning. This year he will use Skype to make himself available to students outside classroom hours.
Professor Coaldrake will also use video blogging during 2010 as another way to connect with students.
He plans to record informal video blogs around campus from time to time, touching on issues and information that may impact on QUT staff and students. His fi rst video blog - an orientation welcome - is posted at www.orientation.qut.edu.au.
- Mechelle McMahon
Creative Industries
SOME of the world’s brightest creative minds will meet to share their expertise with up-and-coming entrepreneurs at the inaugural creative3 international f o r u m h o s t e d b y Q u e e n s l a n d University of Technology’s Creative Enterprise Australia in Brisbane from April 14 to 16.
Wotif.com founder Graeme Wood and the Academy Award-winning director of Harvie Krumpet, Adam Elliot, are among the stellar keynote speakers, while a prize valued at
$100,000 will be awarded to a promising creative business.
The new international industry event will promote the power individuals and organisations can harness through
creativity, investment and enterprise by providing invaluable insights and practical learnings from some of the best in the business.
The creative3 forum will act as a key platform in powering the growing creative industries sector which is worth approximately $32 billion or 3.5 per cent of Australia’s GDP and supports around 474,000 jobs in 102,000 enterprises.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Queensland to be a leader both nationally and internationally in fi nding new ways for creative industries to forge vital links with the business sector,” said Premier and Arts Minister Anna Bligh.
Delegates will be off ered the chance to gain invaluable insights and practical lesoons from an impressive line-up of
internationally-recognised creative and arts leaders and entrepreneurs alongside Graeme Wood and Adam Elliot, including Russel Howcroft, panel member of Gruen Transfer and chairman of George Pattersons Y&R and Michael Lynch, CBE, AM, board member of the ABC.
The three-day program also off ers creatives the chance to show off their talents, and features an investment pitching marketplace session whereby one successful Australian business will win a $100,000 investment package.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake said creative3 was an important platform for supporting the competitiveness of Australia’s creative ventures by opening new investment pathways and international collaboration opportunities.
g
Media star of the month
Associate Professor Rebekah Russell-Bennett
GENERATION Y’s view on breastfeeding was a hot media topic around Australia during February, thanks to research done by QUT’s Associate Professor Rebekah Russell-Bennett.
Associate Professor Bennett, pictured, surveyed 18 to 29-year- olds and found that our future parents knew very little about breastfeeding, with most perceiving the act as “embarrassing”
when done in public.
The study found that more than 75 per cent of respondents were unlikely to exclusively breastfeed their children until six months of age - the recommended ideal by the World Health Organisation.
Professor Russell-Bennett’s research targeted women likely to have their fi rst child within the next 10 years and its fi ndings supported the Australian Government’s national breastfeeding strategy which focuses on changing cultural norms.
An academic with the School of Advertising, Marketing and PR, she regularly assists media with expert comment relating to issues in the public eye, as well as her own research.
Her previous studies include research into young female entrepreneurs, social networking applications like Facebook, and marketing strategies to reduce binge drinking.
To read the full article on her research into breastfeeding and Gen Y, visit www.news.qut.edu.au and search under her name.
Vice-Chancellor makes O Week visit via Skype
Places equipped for work and play
Students have embraced the new study and relaxation zones in S Block’s Level 4 foyer and Level 5.
The spaces are designed to be an inviting place to relax and study between lectures as well as facilitate group work.
They are equipped with Wiis, laptops and streaming TVs, and funky furniture that can be moved around for group collaboration.
Science
ANIMALS have been found to have infected humans sometime in the past with the common respiratory disease Chlamydia pneumoniae, according to QUT infectious disease expert Professor Peter Timms.
Unlike the sexually-transmitted form of Chlamydia, Chlamydia pneumoniae is a major bacterial ger m that causes widespread respiratory disease in humans.
The discovery was made by an international team of scientists from QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland
School of Medicine, who used koalas to prove the link between Chlamydia pneumoniae in animals and humans.
“We were able to sequence the genome (an organism’s hereditary i n fo r m a t i o n ) o f C h l a myd i a p n e u m o n i a e o b t a i n e d f r o m an Australian koala and found evidence that human Chlamydia pneumoniae was originally derived from an animal source,” Professor Timms said.
“Infections acquir ed fr om wildlife, known as zoonotic infections, are one of the most signif icant growing threats to global human health.
“We’ve already seen the impact of zoonotic infections with the
H1N1 infl uenza pandemic which spread worldwide and originated from swines/pigs.”
Professor Timms said the research revealed evidence that humans were originally infected zoonotically by animal isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae which have adapted to humans primarily through the processes of gene decay.
He said Chlamydia pneumoniae was originally an animal pathogen that crossed the species barrier to humans and had adapted to the point where it could now be transmitted between humans.
“What we think now is that Chlamydia pneumoniae originated from amphibians such as frogs,”
he said.
Professor Timms said it was impor tant to understand the origins of zoonotic infections to know the risk animal infections had for humans.
“It means we can look for solutions such as developing improved Science
FOUR QUT students have worked on solutions to the world’s looming food and energy crises while earning money for the year ahead thanks to a prestigious summer studentship at the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry in St Lucia.
QUT senior lecturer Dr Peter Cooke said the four science students, from QUT’s Faculty of Science and Technology were among only six students (22 students nationally) chosen for Brisbane’s CSIRO Plant Industry summer studentship program.
Each student completed a ten-week individual research project for which they were paid $6000.
“There aren’t many student summer jobs where you can engage in cutting edge research and earn good money at the same time,” Dr Cooke said.
“It was a fantastic and inspiring opportunity for our students, who had just completed their second year of studies, to work on meaningful projects in a real-world situation with the country’s top scientists.”
Student Andrew Kettle researched resistance to fungal pathogens like wilt disease in food crops such as bananas
and tomatoes.
“CSIRO has the best summer studentship,” Andrew said.
“They have g reat labs, g reat supervisors and projects, and the best reimbursement. They even fl ew us down to Canberra to give our presentations. And the GRDC (Grains Research Development Corporation), who along with the Australian Pastoral Research Trust, sponsor the program have a great model to support young scientists.
“The studentship has made me appreciate all the theory and practical work I was learning at QUT could be instantly applied – I was able to walk in and know what to do in the lab and speak knowledgeably with a room of senior scientists.”
Tess James’ project also concerned food crops. She studied how wheat plants sugar levels respond to changed levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
“The aim of the research was to fi nd out how to increase wheat’s ability to produce grain in the face of our ever- increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels,” Tess said.
“Over the ten weeks I looked at how fast different wheat varieties grew, how long they took to fl ower, and
Students paid to help
‘save world’
A study of koalas has proved the link between a common respiratory disease in humans and animals.
diagnostic tests, ensuring people take appropriate precautions to prevent the disease spreading and also develop vaccines,” he said.
The fi ndings have been published in the Journal of Bacteriology.
- Sandra Hutchinson
Animals linked to
human pneunomia
the amount of grain they produced to see how much sugar was stored in wheat stems because the amount of sugar contributes to the fi nal weight of the grain.”
For her project, Sasha Selivanova worked on the DNA of sugarcane plants.
“I worked on improving current protocols used for studying sugarcane genes,” she said.
“At the end of the project, I had developed a method that could successfully be used in the lab, saving time and improving results.”
David Lam’s project was all about the economics of using the biomass of sugar cane for biofuels.
“There is increasing interest in biofuels as cheaper, cleaner alternatives to fossil f uels and sugar cane is
an efficient crop that has a lot of by-product plant material that could be turned into biofuels thus avoiding the use of food crops for fuel production,”
he said.
“My research involved investigating how to increase the yield of sugar cane to provide a feasible biofuel supply.”
- Niki Widdowson
AED locations
Health and Safety
QUT has added another level of fi rst aid support to its three campuses with the installation of 15 publicly-available defi brillators which can be used to stabilise a person’s heart rate after a collapse.
T h e d e f i b r i l l a t o r s o r A E D s (Automated External Defi brillator), pictured left, are portable and easy-to- operate medical devices. Once applied to a victim’s chest, the AED’s built-in computer analyses their heart rhythm and automatically delivers an electric shock, if it is needed.
QUT AED project coordinator Echo Wang said that the AEDs could be used by staff or students and
were user-friendly. Once turned on, automatic voice commands and screen messages guided the operator through the process.
Ms Wang said that if someone became unconscious and stopped breathing, those nearby should immediately call 000 and QUT security on extension 88888 and start CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation).
“If there is more than one person on the scene, while one is doing CPR they should bring an AED to the scene, follow the text and voice prompts and place the pads onto the person’s chest,”
Ms Wang said.
For more details, visit www.hrd.qut.edu.
au/healthsafety/worksafely/aed.jsp.
- Niki Widdowson
Campus heart starters
Gardens Point
A Block, A100 – Level 1 Foyer opposite Student Services S Block, S206 – Level 2 Security Offi ce
V Block, V300 – Level 3 Foyer opposite Loans Desk Y Block, Y208 – Level 2 QUT Bookshop
X Block, X400 – Level 4 Foyer outside the Medical Centre Caboolture
J Block, J103 – Level 1 Student Administration Centre
MERF, 201 – Level 2 Foyer (next to lift)
Kelvin Grove
A Block, A119 – Level 1 Security Offi ce
F Block, F608 – Student Services Foyer next to Cashiers
Y1 Block, Y100 – Level 1 Facilities Management Middle Hallway O Block, B Wing, OB600 – Level 6 - Reception Foyer
44 Musk Avenue, 0.02 – Ground Floor – QUT Optometry Reception Foyer
Q Block, Q400 – Level 4 Reception Foyer (IHBI)
Z1 Block, Z109A – Level 1 La Boite Theatre Reception (Box Offi ce) 126 Margaret Street, Level 2, Alumni and Development Foyer wall
At Gardens Point, above, Riley Hadwen; right, (L to R), Lucas Allan, Claire Trembath, Maddy Stoneman, Aaron Boyle and Linley Morley; below right (L to R), Ann-Marie Coleman, Carmen Pennisi, Will Ponting; below left (L to R), Divya Raj, Dylan Coombs, Savannah Browne and Matthew Tham.
Orientation
QUT threw down the welcome mat for around 10,000 new students who bounced on to the three campuses last week. There was lots of entertainment and smiles aplenty, before getting down to the
serious business of study.
New students also had plenty of help from more seasoned QUT students and staff with study advice, information and campus tours.
Meg O’Sullivan, left, and Alex Connor at Gardens Point.
Jessica Tree, left, and Charlotte Launder at Gardens Point.
C C
At Kelvin Grove, above, (L to R), Larissa Donald and Jack Draper from the QUT IT Helpdesk with Hannah Burnett, Nathaneal Bowden and Victoria Haffey; left, Brian Whyte.
At Caboolture, below left, (L to R), Carmen Webster, Jade Batalibasi, Kathryn White, Fiona Heyman, Taylor Debruin; below right (L to R), Jordan Hayward, Bryden Bostock and Kyle Booysen.
At Kelvin Grove, above, a QUT music student performs at Orientation; right, Helene Hainaut; below, left to right, Lauren Halstead, Genevieve Kennedy and Sarah Chaffey.
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Technology
A CHANCE meeting at a technology conference last year led QUT network prog rammer Antony Somerville to travel to Papua New Guinea last month to help improve the standard of education at a local university.
Mr Somerville, pictured, took QUT’s surplus wireless and access points and switches worth around $30,000 to Divine Word University at Madang, on PNG’s north coast. He spent a week installing the equipment with fellow IT staff member Norman Tee.
Mr Somerville developed the idea after working on QUT’s 2009 wireless upgrade, and fi nalised it following a conversation at an IT conference where he met Divine Word University representative Alfred Tivinarlik.
“QUT did its upgrade because technology had improved but despite the equipment still being in good work ing order, we would have destroyed it,” said Mr Somerville.
“When I met Alfred at QUESTnet technology conference last year I respectfully asked him if he thought his university could make use of our equipment and he gladly accepted.
“What it means is that DWU have been able to improve their IT services and have greater fl exibility for wireless access. Importantly they can, for the fi rst time, get access to the eduRoam service, which means any researchers or academics can go to this remote part of the world and connect with the secure global higher education network.”
EduRoam allows visitors to use their home institutional eduRoam login on the DWU campus, enhancing the utility of the campus for visiting scholars.
Mr Somerville also took two boxes of other much-needed supplies to Madang – bras, donated through the Australian Services Union which works with the local Red Cross movement.
The initiative was star ted by ladies from the ASU and is a parallel humanitarian effort work ing to enhance the lives of women in Papua New Guinea. Mr Somerville and Mr Tee handed over the apparel to Maureen Hill, the local President of the Red Cross movement in Madang.
It will be included in care packages sent
to new mothers in the PNG Highlands.
“It’s the old story that what we in western society take for granted and are quick to throw away, other people who have less than us can gladly use,”
Mr Somerville said.
“I would hope that our work encourages other universities, and other organisations generally, to think about how they can help people in countries less fortunate with humanitarian aid.
“The trip was enormously satisfying, even though we had numerous technical challenges but we do our best work when we have to think on our feet.
“In the end we were able to help them build a wireless network that was viable and manageable and up and
running by the time we left.”
Mr Somerville said the mission would never have succeeded if it weren’t for the generosity of QUT, which donated the equipment and supported the staff costs. He also thanked QUT’s Gordon Howell for his long-standing experience and relationship with DWU; Chris Hancock and AARNET (Australian Academic Research Network) for the eduRoam hardware and expertise;
Mike McCauley from Open Systems for radius confi guration; and Richard Northam and Council of Australian University Directors of Information Technology (CAUDIT) for fi nancial support.
- Ian Eckersley
QUT helps PNG
university go wireless
People’s
question time
QUT hosted the state’s first o n l i n e Pe o p l e ’s Q u e s t i o n Time last week. The People’s Question Time, the fi rst in a series of forums planned by the State Government this year, took place on Friday before a live audience at QUT’s Gardens Point campus. Members of the public were invited to send in questions about the future of the state education system to a panel headed by Premier Anna Bligh.
The session was streamed live to the public via www.qld.gov.
au/questiontime, in front of an audience that included QUT staff and students and education experts and stakeholders invited by the Premier. The forum was moderated by QUT academic Erin O’Brien.
Equity
A QUT Equity Scholarship has secured Warwick twins Jacqueline and Jarred Adams’ dream of attending university.
Jacqueline began her Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology and Jarred his double degree in Social Work and Psychology last week at QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus.
”We both received an Equity Scholarship,” said Jacqueline who is also a keen sportswoman. “We definitely could not have afforded to come to Brisbane and study at university without the scholarships.”
Jacqueline said they would use the money to buy textbooks, relocate to Brisbane and to “pay back Mum and Dad for the money they lent me to buy a new laptop.”
“Jarred has a job and I am looking for one for about 10 to 15 hours a week,” she said.
QUT Equity director Mary Kelly said QUT had put several additional measures in place for fi rst-year students from low-income backgrounds who were faced with uncertainty about Commonwealth Scholarships and Youth Allowances due to the blockage of legislation in the Federal Parliament.
In response, QUT has implemented a range of measures to assist students in need. It has increased the number of its own scholarships and bursaries and will pay students as soon as possible.
As well, it has geared up its safety net of loans, grants, support and advice for students in need.
- Niki Widdowson
Help for students
Jacqueline and Jarred Adams
VOLUNTEERS, both with and without asthma, are wanted for research into the disease which aff ects more than two million Australians.
QUT PhD student Camilla Tuttle is investigating the eff ect of induced airway infl ammation in both asthmatics and non-asthmatics.
Ms Tuttle, the inaugural recipient of an Asthma Foundation of Queensland scholarship, said the information generated would have important implications for the development of new asthma treatments.
The study, to be conducted at QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Kelvin Grove on Brisbane’s northside, needs asthmatics and non-asthmatics aged between 18 and 50, who are currently non-smokers and
otherwise healthy.
They will take part in three testing sessions and will be compensated with a gift voucher and transport costs.
“With more than 300 million people estimated to suff er from asthma worldwide, the disease is one of the most common in the developed world,” Ms Tuttle said.
Volunteers should email [email protected] or telephone 3138 6458.
PEOPLE concerned about their excessive drinking are invited to take part in a study by QUT psychologists aimed at helping them to better cope with the thoughts and emotions that lead them to over consume.
Dr Esben Strodl, who heads QUT’s Psychology Services, said many people were worried they
were drinking too much but were not sure about what to do to curb their drinking.
“About 10 per cent of Australians regularly drink at levels that present signifi cant long-term risk; 21 per cent are at short-term risk from alcohol use at least once a month,”
Dr Strodl said.
Older drivers sought for research
IF you are aged over 65 and hold a driver’s licence, QUT researchers would like to hear from you.
A team led by Associate Professor Karen Sullivan, of the School of Psychology and Counselling, is examining the relationship between driving experience, conf idence and performance among drivers aged 65 and over.
P r o f e s s o r S u l l i v a n s a i d volunteers would be g iven a computer touch-screen “hazard perception task” that would require them to respond to real life driving situations.
They will also be asked to complete a questionnaire about their driving experiences and attitudes.
Professor Sullivan said the proportion of older drivers in
LEARNING your child has been diagnosed with a social, emotional or behavioural impairment can be a confronting experience for parents.
But QUT researchers are now trying to discover what makes some couples stronger - and are asking them to provide the answers in a survey.
QUT researcher Shannon Strecker said parents could suff er anxiety and stress upon discovering their child had a developmental impairment which might deprive the family of a “normal” life.
“Redef ining f uture plans is undoubtedly confronting and, for many parents, overwhelming,’’ Ms Strecker said.
“Yet despite the hurdles along the way, some parents are able to adapt and even emerge a better person for it.”
Ms Strecker, part of a QUT School of Psychology and Counselling research team, wants to discover what factors help parents to see their challenges as a meaningful experience.
“We want to understand how
parents can go beyond ‘just getting by’,” she said. “What helps parents emerge with a changed outlook on life and relationships?”
The researchers are seek ing people with a child diagnosed with a developmental impairment more than six months ago and who are co-parenting with a committed partner of at least six months.
“It doesn’t matter if they are not the biological parent,’’ Ms Strecker said.
“We are interested in the extent to which parents, who have experienced personal growth, turn to their partner for support in times of distress and are satisfi ed with the caregiving their partner provides.
“We suspect that having the confi dence to reach out to a spouse and having your needs met are important ingredients in the growth process.”
The survey can be completed online at http://ow.ly/12dL7, by emailing [email protected] or phoning 0416 750 489.
Volunteers needed to put more puff into asthma research
QUT researchers work on many life-changing projects to help the
community ... but they often need the community’s help too. Here are just some of the latest projects seeking volunteers.
A helping hand
“So it is not sur prising that Australians are wrestling with an alcohol problem that is second only to cigarettes as a cause of substance- related death.”
The study is seeking people from the Brisbane area, aged between 18 and 65, who drink on average more than 28 standard drinks a week for men or more than 14 standard drinks for women. Participants in the study should also not be in any treatment for alcohol problems including anti- craving medication.
The study aims to compare a new form of therapy called meta- cognitive therapy with a traditional form of therapy called motivational i n t e r v i e w i n g . O n e g r o u p o f participants will go to the Psychology and Counselling Clinic at QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus for one face- to-face session and then receive eight telephone sessions. The other group will receive nine face-to-face sessions at the clinic.
To volunteer for the study contact the research team on 07 3138 0999 or 0414 463 089 or email [email protected].
Australia was increasing, with 46 per cent of the Queensland population expected to be over 50 by 2051. In 2006, drivers aged over 65 were involved in 13 per cent of fatal crashes and 10 per cent of serious injury crashes.
Volunteers will be required to take part in a 60-90 minute session at the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland (CARRS-Q)
at QUT’s Kelvin Grove or Gardens Point campus.
Participants will receive $20.
Volunteers should contact Dr Janine Beck on 07 3138 4625 or jk.beck@qut.
edu.au.
The project is jointly funded by the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust and the Queensland Department of Main Roads and Transport.
Study seeks participants concerned about their drinking levels
Finding the rose among the thorns of parenting challenges
Shannon Strecker Dr Esben Strodl
Camilla Tuttle
Jobs on offer
- QUT Careers Fair 2010 Students pondering life after uni are invited to QUT’s Careers Fair.
More than 120 organisations will outline their graduate programs and other employment opportunities, with many recruiting from late March.
Students from all campuses are invited to meet potential employers from a range of disciplines at the free event to be held on March 29 from 10am-2pm at Main Drive, Gardens Point.
Exhibition
MARCH 5 - APRIL 25 The most outstanding works and winner of the 2009 National Photographic Portrait Prize will be on show at the QUT Art Museum, Gardens Point campus. For details, phone 07 3138 5380 or visit www.
artmuseum.qut.edu.au
Performance
MARCH 29 - 31 The comedy Dirty Dusting features a trio of hard-working cleaners who when faced with redundancy set up a secret, sexy phone service.
Performed at QUT Gardens Theatre, Gardens Point campus.
For details, phone 07 3138 4455 or email [email protected].
au
Interact
MARCH 3 The free games and social networking showcase “Power to the PC” will visit QUT Gardens Theatre, Gardens Point campus, from 4pm-10.30pm.
Stalls and industry experts will discuss the future of computing and gaming power.
For details, visit www.
atomicmpc.com.au / Tour2010/
MARCH 15 - APRIL 2 Share your bright ideas for Brisbane’s future at the River City Blueprint stand at Z Block foyer, GP and the Refectory, KG. The stand features Discussions in Space, an interactive display you can update by SMS, developed by QUT PhD student Ronny Schroeter.
Staff
MARCH 8 - 16 The Vice-Chancellor’s campus briefi ng sessions for staff will take place at Gardens Point on March 8, 11am-12.30pm at D101 and 3pm-4.30pm at S410; at Kelvin Grove on March 11, 10.30am-12pm at Z2 - 226 “The Hall”, CI, and 1.30pm- 3pm at N515; and at Caboolture on March 16, 1pm-2.30pm at J201.
MARCH 13 QUT tutors and part- time lecturers are invited to attend the Sessional Academic Program from 9am-4.30pm. For details, phone 07 3138 9797.
Visit www.
whatson.qut.edu.au for more event listings and to submit your upcoming event.
WHAT’S on...
Queensland Law Society presents...
launch your career skyward!
QLS Legal
Careers Expo 2010
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre Thursday, 18 March 2010 | 2:00pm – 5:00pm
meet face-to-face with
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Blast off!
Birth dates infl uence the stars of football
New experiences, getting out there and learning new stuff.
Ricky Hernandez, 17 Bachelors of Business and Engineering Ian Eckersley (Editor) 07 3138 2361
Elizabeth Allen 07 3138 4494 Niki Widdowson 07 3138 1841 Rachael Wilson 07 3138 1150 Mechelle McMahon (Mo-Tu) 07 3138 2130 Sandra Hutchinson (Tu-Wed) 07 3138 2999 Erika Fish (Photography) 07 3138 5003 Marissa Hills (Advertising) 07 3138 5921 Richard de Waal (Design)
about IQ
Inside QUT is published by QUT’s Marketing and Communication Department.
Our readership includes staff, students and members of the QUT community. The paper is also circulated to business, industry, government and media. Opinions expressed in Inside QUT do not necessarily represent those of the university or the editorial team.
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PEFC/21-31-25
VOX POP What are you looking forward to most at QUT this year?
Making new friends. I might join some clubs.
David Buchanan, 17 Bachelor of Industrial Design
I’m looking forward to fi nishing my degree – it’s my fi fth year.
Amy Hourigan, 21 Bachelors of Business and Creative Industries The quality of education – QUT is great for technological subjects.
Muna Kashfi , 24 Masters of Urban Development
Health
PLENTY of birthday boys will be hitting the fi elds this AFL pre-season, according to QUT research which found the date of your birth infl uences your chances of becoming a professional sportsperson.
Senior research fellow Dr Adrian Barnett from QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation analysed the birthdays of professional Australian Football League players and discovered a disproportionate number had their birthdays in the early months of the year, while fewer were born in the later months, especially December.
The results of his research, which focuses on the seasonal patterns of population health, have been released in the book Analysing Seasonal Health Data published by Springer.
Dr Barnett said a child’s future health and fi tness could be aff ected by their birth month.
“Children who are taller have an obvious advantage when playing AFL,”
Dr Barnett said.
“If you were born in January, you have almost 12 months growth ahead of your classmates born late in the year, so whether you were born on December 31 or January 1 could have a huge eff ect on your life.”
Dr Barnett found there were 33 per cent more professional AFL players than expected with birthdays in January and 25 per cent fewer in December.
He said the results mirrored other international studies which found a link between being born near the start of the school year and the chances of becoming a professional player in the sports of ice hockey, football, volleyball and basketball.
“Research in the UK shows those born at the start of the school year also do better academically and have more confi dence,” he said.
“With physical activity being so important, it could also mean smaller children get disheartened and play less sport.
“If smaller children are missing out on sporting activity then this has potentially serious consequences for their health in adulthood.”
Dr Barnett said this seasonal pattern could also result in wasted talent, with potential sports stars not being identifi ed because they were competing against children who were much more physically advanced than them.
He said a possible solution was for some sporting codes in Australia to change the team entry date from January 1 to July 1.
Analysing Seasonal Health Data was co-authored by researcher Professor Annette Dobson from University of Queensland.
- Rachael Wilson Brisbane Lions AFL players in pre-season training. QUT research shows a greater proportion of professional AFL players were born early in the school year.
