links alumni magazine
August 2006A brilliant career
contents
CRICOS No. 00213J
3
Cover story
6
Global health campaigner Dr Amaya Gillespie has been awarded QUT’s top alumni award. For her story and profiles of all 2006 Alumni Award winners, see pages 6, 7 and 8.Research
1
Australian snakes’ venom may provide the next generation of life-saving drugs.3
Research shows parents are overdosing children with fever medicines.10
Shorter work hours make people more productive and happier, research reveals.11
Young workers are more vulnerable to workplace woes.Features
4
A tireless advocate is ensuring people with disabilities enjoy the same rights as others.12
Even the lightest of exercise can have health benefits.14
Queensland’s first lady of jazz is hitting a high note in academic research.16
Microsoft and QUT are making smart phones even smarter.Profiles
9
Lee Lai Huat: from IT grad to internet entrepreneur.15
Two acting grads are playing out their dreams.18
Pia Francini has engineered success in a traditionally male-dominated career.19
Engineering researcher Avin Mathew has a bright future.20
Helen and Jenny Masters continue a family tradition.Regulars
News round-up 2
Legal-ease 11
Research update 16
Alumni News 21
Keep in Touch 22-24
Last Word
Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake comments on the role of universities, and in particular how QUT is meeting today’s challenges.
See inside back cover for details
Editor
Janne Rayner
Phone: 07 3864 2361 Email: j2.rayner@qut.edu.au
Contributors
Toni Chambers Sandra Hutchinson Mechelle McMahon Carmen Myler Niki Widdowson
Photography
Erika Fish
Graphic Design
Mike Kuhn
Our cover
Dr Amaya Gillespie travelled to Brisbane from her UN base in Geneva to accept the 2006 Chancellor’s Outstanding Alumni Award which recognised her remarkable international career. See page 6 for her story.
QUT Links is published by QUT’s Marketing and Communication Department in cooperation with the QUT Alumni and Development Services. Editorial material is gathered from a range of sources and does not necessarily reflect the opinions and policies of QUT.
6 12 14
By Niki Widdowson
Deadly Australian taipans are proving to be life-savers, thanks to new research.
AUSTRALIAN snakes’ venom could provide the next generation of human therapeutic drugs.
A blood-clotting protein in taipan venom has been identified by QUT PhD researcher and alumnus Liam St Pierre to rapidly stop excessive bleeding during vascular surgery and major trauma.
The genetic code for the toxin, Factor X (Factor Ten), was identified by Dr St Pierre from QUT’s School of Life Sciences during a study of the venom of eight of Australia’s deadliest land snakes for its therapeutic potential.
His study focussed on the genes in the coastal taipan’s venom that are responsible for the pro coagulant or blood clotting agent called Factor X which could stem blood flow in a matter of seconds.
A drug lead based on Factor X is being evaluated for clinical trials by bio pharmaceutical development company
QRxPharma.
“Australian snakes literally have a two- pronged attack when they bite their prey,”
Dr St Pierre said.
“Firstly, venom injection causes massive blood clots instantaneously followed by paralysis as a result of neurotoxins which eventually immobilise and kill the victim.”
Dr St Pierre said mammals and snakes naturally produced a small amount of Factor X in their livers.
“Snakes produce a more stable and faster acting form of Factor X in their venom which is the only source of Factor X other than mammalian livers,” he said.
“They have developed the ability to deliver massive fatal doses of Factor X to specifically target the systems of mammals.”
Dr St Pierre studied the venom of the inland and coastal taipan, the common
brown, the red bellied black, the mulga, the rough-scaled snake, Stephens banded snake and the tiger snake.
“Only the mulga did not have Factor X as it has developed its own unique mechanism of killing.”
Dr St Pierre said snake venom was a huge untapped source of potential drug therapies.
His study is the most detailed ever conducted on the genes responsible for Australian snakes’ toxins. It is hoped a comprehensive study of all the venom components from Australian snakes may yield further novel components that could be targeted as human drugs.
Dr St Pierre’s work was co-supervised by Professor Martin Lavin at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. Research into the components of Australian snake venoms is funded by a $1.5million ARC Linkage grant to UniQuest in collaboration with commercial partner, QRxPharma.
saviour snakes
“Snakes have developed the ability to deliver massive fatal doses of (blood clotting agent) Factor X in their venom to specifically target the systems of mammals.”
QUTlinks August 2006
New head for top institute
Professor Ross Young has been appointed as executive director of QUT’s flagship Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation. Professor Young, who was
previously Head of the School of Psychology, will lead the institute which combines science, biomedical engineering and health in its research projects.
Shell appoints QUT
Royal Dutch Shell plc has appointed QUT for its global Project Academy. In conjunction with university partners, the UK Cranfield School of Management, Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, and the US University of Texas at Austin, QUT is collaborating with Shell professionals to develop a world-class curriculum.
Olympian honoured
Australian gold medallist Herb Elliott added an honorary doctorate to his list of accolades, when QUT recognised his achievements on and off the track.
Mr Elliott has made an outstanding contribution to the Australian athletics community and nonprofit organisations including QUT, as the chairman of the Telstra Foundation.
Smith Family/QUT bond
The Smith Family and QUT formalised a new partnership that offers scholarships and other forms of assistance to students from low-income families to help them succeed at university. Under the partnership, QUT will provide a number of scholarships of at least
$2000 to students who are part of The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program.
National research funding up
QUT has secured $4.7 million in grants to fund 16 projects in the latest round
of Australian Research Council funding – the fourth best performance of 37 universities across the country. Only three universities ranked higher – Sydney University with $7.4 million in grants, Monash University with $5 million and Melbourne University with $4.6 million.
$ million biotech boost
QUT scientists have been awarded more than $1 million in new Smart State grants to boost research into wound healing, turning sugarcane waste into commercial products, and improving the viability of ethanol production.
The biggest funding injection in the trio of grants was $600,000 from the Queensland Government to help QUT researchers develop a sugarcane bio- refinery pilot plant.
QUT teacher is tops
Professor Joanne Wood was recognised for her outstanding contribution to higher education at the 2005 Australian Awards for University Teaching last November.
Professor Wood, from the School of Optometry, was named Australia’s most outstanding university teacher in the field of Biological Sciences, Health and Related Studies.
Careers expert honoured
QUT careers expert Col McCowan received an Order of Australia Award in the 2006 Australia Day Honours for his services to the development and
implementation of new knowledge in career management for young people.
Mr McCowan is a registered psychologist, teacher and guidance counsellor who has managed QUT’s Careers and Employment Service since he established it in 1993.
Teaching quality recognised
QUT staff members have been honoured in one of the country’s top teaching awards for their contribution to student learning. QUT scored eight citations – recognising 16 staff – out of the 200 awarded nationally in the inaugural Carrick Citations for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.
The citations each came with $10,000 prize money.
Leading by example
QUT has named Alison Macintyre as the 2006 Student Leadership Award winner. The third-year business student has used her leadership skills to instigate a number of key
initiatives at QUT which have greatly contributed to the university community, including the Brisbane Rural and Isolated Students Network and the Faculty of Business Student Choice Awards. With a GPA of 6.64, Alison has also been a QUT peer mentor and a spokesperson for regional and mature age students.
New national dementia research centre
QUT has won Federal Government funding to establish a $2.2million Dementia Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) at Kelvin Grove to help strengthen Australia’s ability to improve the quality of life for people with dementia – a group now numbering more than 200,000.
QUT is also involved in a new network of Dementia Training Study Centres to help health professionals improve their dementia care skills through access to specific dementia training.
roundup
QUTlinks August 2006
roundup
By Judith H Moore ALMOST half of all parents incorrectly
dose their children with over-the- counter medications to manage temperatures, according to a QUT researcher.
Nursing researcher and alumnus Anne Walsh said international studies showed more than 30 per cent of parents overdosed children, while a quarter underdosed youngsters with drugs like paracetamol and ibuprofen – or both.
As part of Australia’s first study into how parents manage fever
in children, Ms Walsh has reviewed 24 years of worldwide research and found mismanagement of fever is a universal trend.
She said while little had changed in what parents knew about fever, there was some concern about the new trend of alternating different types of medication.
“A lot of parents are now being advised to give their children paracetamol and then follow up with some ibuprofen maybe two hours later,”
she said.
“The concern is that there has been no research into the effects of dosing children with these two drugs ... the side effects of ibuprofen alone can include bleeding and stomach upset if not taken with food.”
The PhD researcher said 95 per cent of parents administered medications to manage temperatures, but in many cases it might not be necessary and could even make recovery from illness longer.
“Few people seem to realise temperatures of up to 40 degrees can be beneficial in helping the body fight bacteria and viruses,” she said.
“When you fight temperature, the body will raise it again and again until the bacteria or viral levels have dropped sufficiently.
“Administering incorrect doses of medication every four hours for a prolonged period, or too high a dose, can result in liver damage.”
Ms Walsh, who is based at QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, has published her review in the April issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.
By Carmen Myler Parents should seek medical
attention if children:
n are feverish under six months n suffer headache, neck stiffness or
light hurts their eyes n have breathing difficulties n refuse to drink
n persistently vomit n are drowsy n suffer pain
n have a rash of red-purple spots n or do not improve from mild
symptoms within 48 hours
phobia
Many parents don’t know how to deal with a child’s fever.
She said it was understandable concerned parents turned to over-the- counter medications when their children were sick, and health practitioners often reinforced the belief that temperatures needed to be managed.
“Many parents worry that high temperatures will bring on febrile convulsions but less than 5 per cent of children suffer from these,” she said.
“I am not saying parents should ignore symptoms when their children are sick but it would be better to focus on their wellbeing rather than their temperature.
“Medication only needs to be administered if a temperature is around 39.5 degrees or higher or if a child is irritable, miserable or appears to be in pain.”
In the next stage of the research, she will analyse data from surveys with Australian parents, in order to design an education program on correct fever management.
The project received financial support from the Royal College of Nursing Australia.
fever
Still breaking
down barriers
QUTlinks August 2006
By Carmen Myler FOR 20 years Kevin Cocks has been advocating for people with disabilities to enjoy basic human rights but, he says, he feels his work has just begun.
This work is at the helm of Queensland Advocacy Incorporated (QAI), and saw the QUT alumnus awarded Australia’s prestigious Human Rights Medal for 2005.
The father of four’s sense of social justice came to him early, living in the remote community of St George.
“I saw a lot of injustice around Aboriginal people living in camps around town and also saw in school how people were treated differently, particularly Aboriginal children and children with less money,” he said.
His disquiet with the way of the world grew as he worked very long hours for little pay in a range of jobs from cotton chipping, labouring at the “roo works” and working as a baker.
Life became all about “sport, cars and having a good time” until a sports accident in 1981 set the young man on a new course as he learnt to live in a world with new physical boundaries, and navigate life from a wheelchair.
“There was no support available and I was dependent on my family to have my personal needs met. It was a couple of years before I decided I needed to take control of my life and make my own destiny,” he said.
As fate would have it, things were changing and, in 1985, the new Disability Services Act presented Kevin with new opportunities.
“Prior to the Act, you couldn’t study or work with a disability, because you couldn’t get your fundamental needs met,” he said.
“The greatest barrier was the attitude of many professionals – that it was my problem I couldn’t access public buildings, etc., and they had no role to play in redressing the physical barriers.”
Kevin soon put a stop to that.
One of his greatest achievements has been his involvement in the landmark 1994 case that found the Building Code of Australia was incompatible with the Disability Discrimination Act.
Through his – and other people with disabilities’ – relentless work more proud achievements followed.
Queensland was ahead of other states in rolling out accessible public transport, and QAI helped expose two decades of abuse and neglect of people with
disabilities living in hostels and boarding houses.
However, Kevin said there was so much more to be done.
His lifelong plan is to ensure people with disabilities enjoy the same rights as other people.
In the current political environment, he said, we were reverting back to the bad old days of locating the problem within the individual.
“We made gains in the ’80s and ’90s but these are starting to be wound back … the leadership in Commonwealth and State disability programs comes from totally different backgrounds, and the corporate knowledge of the past decades has been lost,” he said.
While he does feel that “while there is life there is hope”,
with respect to the new guard of bureaucrats working in disability, he is aware that successful advocacy is as much about them as it is about him.
“The people you are advocating against have to be mature enough to take criticism and maybe admit they are wrong,” he said.
“Otherwise, when someone does speak out (against injustice) – and it’s well-constructed and evidenced – they can isolate and discredit that voice to remove it, rather than taking the criticism.”
As he embarks on a new project – to develop human rights indicators in line with the United Nations’ new convention on disability – it is clear this is one voice that will not be quieted.
Kevin Cocks completed an Associate Diploma in Social Science (Residential Aged Care) at QUT’s Carseldine campus in 1988 when it was the Brisbane College of Advanced Education. In 2004, the university awarded him the Outstanding Alumni Award in the field of humanities and human services.
A championing alumnus has been awarded the nation’s top honour in human rights.
“We made gains in the
’80s and ’90s but these are starting to be wound back … the leadership in Commonwealth and State disability programs comes from totally
different backgrounds,
and the corporate
knowledge of the past
decades has been lost.”
The Outstanding Alumni Awards recognise the professional achievements and contributions
of graduates of QUT and its predecessor institutions.
This year’s awards ceremony was held on August 10.
006 Chancellor’s Outstanding Alumnus Award winner and Faculty of Health winner
Dr Amaya Gillespie, secretariat director, UN Secretary General’s Study on Violence Against Children
HEALTH, education and children have been at the heart of Dr Amaya Gillespie’s local and international work for more than 20 years.
The QUT education graduate is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and travels the world with the United Nations in her role as the secretariat director for the UN Secretary General’s Study on Violence Against Children.
She previously worked for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in New York as its senior advisor for HIV prevention and young people.
Dr Gillespie’s career began as a health and physical education teacher in Brisbane. In the late 1980s she won a Rotary Scholarship and Queen Elizabeth Trust Silver Jubilee Scholarship that enabled her to do postgraduate research into health promotion at the University of Oregon.
She came back to Australia in 1990 to take up a position with Education Queensland which focused on developing drug and alcohol education and HIV/
AIDS interventions in schools. She then returned to the academic sector to work as a senior research fellow with UQ’s Centre for Health Promotion and Cancer Prevention Research for three years and a part-time lecturer with QUT’s School of Public Health for seven years.
The 1990s also saw Dr Gillespie establish her own consultancy to design and implement school and community health promotions related to HIV/AIDS for agencies including UNICEF and UNESCO
… valuable experience which helped lead to her UNICEF appointment in 1999.
Dr Gillespie has a Diploma of Education (Health
& Physical Education), Graduate Diploma in Health Science (Health Education) and a Bachelor of Education from QUT and is an Honorary Fellow of QUT’s School of Public Health.
Special Excellence Award – Professional Excellence
Jason Pourpouras, federal agent, Australian Federal Police (Australian Embassy, Jakarta)
Jason Pourpouras has made an outstanding contribution to national and international law enforcement cooperation, development and counter-terrorism practice. Mr Pourpouras is a federal agent with the Australian Federal Police, based at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. He is currently the executive manager of the Secretariat for the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation. In 2004 and 2005, Mr Pourpouras was awarded Commonwealth and AFP Citations for Bravery and Excellence in Overseas Service. He has a Bachelor of Justice (Investigations and Policing) and is currently researching terrorism financing practices for a Doctor of Juridical Science degree.
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award winner
Stephanie Jarvie
Stephanie Jarvie is a communications expert who has pushed the boundaries of media and technology to open up new channels of communication for the Scottish Government, Number 10 Downing Street, the European Commission and the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles. She launched online news and government websites including sites specifically aimed at youth audiences and also utilised live webcasts, video mobile messaging, text message alerts and digital interactive TV to develop new media communications strategies. Ms Jarvie returned to Australia in 2005 and recently joined Ericsson as general manager of public affairs. The QUT alumnus holds a Bachelor of Business (Advertising).
Special Excellence Award – Excellence in Contribution to Industry and the Community
Lawrence Truce, chairman, Indigo Group
Lawrence Truce has been recognised for his work in property development across Australia and for helping developing countries overseas.
Mr Truce is chairman
of the Indigo Group – one of the top 20 privately-owned organisations in Queensland. Indigo’s philanthropic contributions exceed $100,000 each year. Mr Truce has also worked for Australian Volunteers Abroad and continues to support many local and international projects. His contributions to developing countries were recently acknowledged with an Australian Government Citation and by Rotary who named him a Paul Harris Fellow. Mr Truce has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Graduate Diploma in Architecture.
Built Environment and Engineering winner
Mike Wilke, chief operating officer, Parsons Brinckerhoff Americas For the past two
years, Engineers Australia has rated civil engineer Mike Wilke as one of Australia’s 100 Most Influential Engineers.
The chief operating officer of Parsons
Brinckerhoff Americas has played a key role in developing the company’s Australian operations and global strategy over the past decade. He has led many major infrastructure projects including the Port of Brisbane Motorway, the Pacific Motorway, and the Tugun Bypass.
Mr Wilke has served as President of Engineers Australia in Queensland and Chair of the QUT Faculty Advisory Committee for Civil Engineering. He holds a Bachelor of Technology (Civil) and postgraduate qualifications in management and engineering science.
QUTlinks August 2006
Business winner
David Pradella, joint managing director, the Pradella Group of Companies
Property developer David Pradella has been one of the key players in Brisbane’s transformation into a sophisticated and modern city over the past five
decades. The joint managing director of the Pradella Group of Companies has been a driving force behind new developments including the landmark Roma Street Parklands, Allegro at South Bank, and Leftbank at West End. During the early 1980s, Mr Pradella designed and constructed the first serviced apartments in Queensland and founded Central Apartment Hotels, the first serviced apartment chain in Australia. This company now manages 420 apartments.
Mr Pradella has a Bachelor of Business (Management) and a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy).
Creative Industries winner
Peter Alwast, artist Peter Alwast graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (First Class Honours) in 1997.
The following year he was awarded the prestigious Samstag
International Visual Arts Scholarship to complete his Master of Fine Arts at the Parsons School of Design in New York. The artist’s work has been shown in 17 group exhibitions and three solo exhibitions in Australia and the United States. His work is also held in collections in both countries. This year Mr Alwast returned to QUT when he was awarded a public commission for the university’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Kelvin Grove.
Education winner
Dr Joseph Pagelio, permanent secretary for education, Papua New Guinea Department of Education Dr Joseph Pagelio
has devoted more than 30 years to the advancement of education in Papua New Guinea. He began his career in 1975 as a teacher
in Morobe Province, advancing to high school headmaster, inspector, and then to a number of appointments within the Department of Education. Earlier this year, he was appointed permanent secretary for education. Since then, he has been leading the reform of an education system facing challenges including a lack of social cohesion and linguistic diversity across a large population dispersed over vast areas of wilderness that is poorly served by transport and infrastructure.
Dr Pagelio completed his Doctor of Education at QUT.
Humanities and Human Services winner
Dr Gregston Terrill, international climate change negotiator Dr Greg Terrill is
one of Australia’s most senior international climate change negotiators.
Following his QUT PhD and a postdoctoral
fellowship at Oxford University, he worked for the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat in Geneva and Bonn. Returning to Australia in 1998, he worked with increasing levels of seniority in government. In 2002 he was awarded an Australia Day Medallion for his work on negotiating implementation rules for the Kyoto Protocol. Dr Terrill has also been a senior international negotiator in forums such as the WTO and APEC.
He is currently assistant secretary of the strategy branch within the heritage division of the Australian Government’s Department of Environment and Heritage.
Information Technology winner
Greg Davies, vice-president (human resources), Mincom As Mincom’s
executive vice- president (human resources), Greg Davies is responsible for developing and implementing
the technology company’s global HR strategy which covers 1100 staff on five continents, with an annual remuneration budget of $83 million. Mr Davies is a computer analyst and programmer proficient in six programming languages.
After gaining his Bachelor of Applied Science (Computer Science), he developed his knowledge and skills in a range of industries before joining Mincom in 1991 as manager of software development. He was then made vice-president (business improvement projects) in 2001. He is also currently a director of Mincom’s Leukaemia Foundation Trust.
Law winner
Michael Bowers, CEO, Lions Football Club It took Michael Bowers less than a year to return the Lions Football Club to profitability after he took over as CEO in 2002.
The Brisbane
Lions boss helped deliver $6.8 million in profit over the following four years, giving the club long-term viability. He brought to the job industry credentials in law, business and town planning, along with the academic qualifications of a Bachelor of Law (1986) and Graduate Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning (1993). After gaining his graduate diploma, his reputation for excellence increased in areas of law covering town planning, property development, commerce, business development and business practices.
Science winner
Paul Nitz, CEO, Panbio Limited Paul Nitz’s skills
in chemistry, computing and management have enabled him to make a significant contribution to the medical diagnostics
and biotech industries in Australia, the United States and Indonesia. As CEO and managing director of Australia- based Panbio Limited, he oversees the production of diagnostic kits for tropical and infectious diseases including dengue fever, Ross River fever, glandular fever and whooping cough. Panbio’s technology supports over 120 clinical laboratories in more than 60 countries worldwide. Mr Nitz obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science (Applied Chemistry) in 1984 and then spent several years working in management roles for Abbott Australasia before becoming a software engineer for Abbott Laboratories in Dallas.
QUTlinks August 2006
By Sandra Hutchinson QUT alumnus Lee Lai Huat has clicked on to the
potential of e-commerce.
The Singapore-based IT graduate started HolidayCity.com, an online discount accommodation company, which last year had a transaction value of
$32 million.
Mr Lee said HolidayCity.com was launched in 1998 as a one-man business operating from his home office but today boasted a staff of 55 with customers from across the world.
Like its rivals, wotif.com and lastminute.com, HolidayCity.com sells discount hotel accommodation over the internet with the distinct difference that it can be booked up to 365 days in advance.
“In 2005 we sold 26,000 room nights in the Australian market place and that has been a tremendous success for us,” Mr Lee said during his recent Australian visit.
“Presently we offer more than 7000 hotels in over 400 destinations worldwide.
“Last year we recorded more than 190,000 room nights with a transaction value of $32 million.”
Mr Lee, who graduated with a Bachelor of Information Technology from QUT in 1995, said his studies helped prepare him for a business in the global online industry.
“The study at QUT was very much my foundation. It helped me jump start my business,” he said.
Mr Lee admits tapping into the internet market and competing against popular rival discount online holiday companies was a challenge.
“The study at QUT was very much my foundation.
It helped me jump start my business.”
A business-savvy IT grad from Singapore has tapped into the global boom of booking holidays on the net.
“At the end of the day all providers will have access to similar products and similar rates, what will be different for us is the customer experience,” he said.
Mr Lee said starting up a business was not always easy and in his case involved an entire change of business direction.
He said HolidayCity.com grew from an attempt to make money from an online restaurant guide.
“I had descriptions, images and promotions of restaurants which were recommended to my online readers,” he said.
“But the restaurant business was such a difficult business. It had a low profit margin because there were very few restaurants willing to advertise.
“I was really struggling, really desperate and so I was working hard to supplement it with alternative revenue.”
And it was this alternative revenue that turned into a real money spinner for Mr Lee.
He branched out in to giveaway movie tickets, then giveaway holidays and then his ultimate winner discount accommodation.
Mr Lee said Australian customers booked accommodation online because they felt they “get a good deal”.
“That’s the key, they know they can get the best deals if they buy online,” he said.
“They also know that it’s easy, it’s convenient so it’s becoming a way of life.”
site SEEING
COMPLEX construction projects can be brought in under-budget and under-time when working hours are re-arranged to achieve work/life balance, QUT School of Management researchers have found.
Professor Kerry Brown, who heads the Australian Research Council-funded Work-life Balance in the Construction Industry Project, said practical implementation of work-life balance policies could help develop innovative strategies for productive workforce management and retain more young people in construction industries.
Her view is based on the results of a study of the Wivenhoe Alliance, a major civil infrastructure project, undertaken by SEQWater, Leighton Contractors, Coffey Geosciences, Department of Commerce (NSW) and MWH Australia.
This particular alliance’s approach suggested long work hours were counterproductive to the efficient and cost effective completion of a project.
“The study followed the project manager who cut back the working week from six to five days so employees could “have a life” and brought the project in six months early and under budget,” Professor Brown said.
“It was a high risk strategy but it paid off.”
Professor Brown said the project manager’s brave move was motivated by the fact that young professional employees would not stay in the industry if they were expected to work six days and 70 hours a week.
The project’s success was testimony to proficient advance planning before the first sod was turned.
By Niki Widdowson
They can revitalise their workforce by making it poor workplace practice for employees to work long hours and not to go home.”
“The project manager avoided long delays thanks to advanced and accurate project design and scheduling which allowed the team to work smarter not longer,” Professor Brown said.
She said work/life balance policies were not taken up in many
companies because they were seen to go against the prevailing workplace culture.
“Employees are not able to make the most of flexible work arrangements.
Many work extra hours and never take time off because they fear career consequences. They fear being seen as not diligent, not promotable or not giving their all for their work.”
Managers were the key to the practical implementation of policies which recognised employees had lives and responsibilities outside work.
“Managers can tell employees to go home. They can revitalise their workforce by making it poor workplace practice for employees to work long hours and not to go home,” Professor Brown said.
“Managers should adopt a flexible attitude to ensure projects are completed but allow employees to arrange their own work hours to achieve a balance between their work and non- work commitments.”
Working smarter, not longer, is the key to increasing productivity, says new research.
smarter achieve
more
QUTlinks August 2006
The Federal Work Choices Act came into effect earlier this year.
QUT employment law expert Frances McGlone answers some important questions.
1: Can I still look to my award for the terms and conditions of employment?
Since the early 1990s people have been able to make other forms of workplace agreements such as Australian Workplace Agreements and union and non-union Collective Agreements.
These types of agreement take precedence over the terms of an award. In addition, the Work Choices Act has placed further restrictions on the matters which can be included in awards, e.g.
many matters relating to the rights of trade unions can no longer be included.
2: How will the Australian Minimum Wage now be set?
The Work Choices Act established a new statutory body, the Australian Fair Pay Commission which now sets the Australian minimum wage. The commission’s primary responsibility is the improvement of the Australian economy and it will determine the minimum wage through a process of consultations with relevant stakeholders. There will no longer be necessarily an annual review of the Australian minimum wage.
3: My teenage daughter is starting out in casual employment, how can I be sure she will be paid fairly and not be exploited?
The Workplace Relations Act now provides for minimum conditions of employment, which are known as the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard. The Standard applies to all workplace agreements and cannot be reduced or bargained away. The Standard covers things such as minimum pay rates and loadings for casual staff. Apart from these minimums, there is no protection other than what your daughter can negotiate as part of her employment agreement.
4: Can I now be dismissed without good reason?
Assuming that you come within the operation of the Workplace Relations Act 1996, whether you can be sacked unfairly, i.e. without good reason, depends on a range of factors. For example, if your employer employs less than 100 people or you have been employed for less than six months, you can be sacked for any reason, good or otherwise. Even if you have statutory protection against unfair dismissal, an employer’s operational needs, e.g. the need to restructure a business, may amount to a good reason. The exception is where you have been sacked for a reason which is unlawful, e.g. because of your age, gender or ill health.
PEOPLE under 25 are more vulnerable to workplace injury and bullying, lower pay, and higher rates of dismissal and redundancy, a new study of almost 5000 workers has found.
The study, conducted by QUT and Griffith University, examined complaints made to a youth advisory service over three years and found that almost half of complaints (41.8 per cent) concerned unfair dismissal.
Project leader Dr Paula McDonald from QUT said problems related to employment conditions – including hours, contract arrangements or physical work conditions – and low pay, were reported by more than 25 per cent of complainants.
Dr McDonald said that, while young people made up 20 per cent of Australia’s total workforce, they had less power due to their inexperience in negotiation and less awareness of industrial relations.
She said young people should seek information from their parents, unions and the media to arm themselves for the workforce.
“We hear a lot about ‘Generation Y’ and their increased job mobility, the way they have less commitment to employers than to developing their own skills sets, and how they are savvy at work,” Dr McDonald said.
“But a lot of the time, these Generation Y’s are educated, middle-class young people who do have negotiating power and quite a bit of control over their own lives.
“Our study reflects a group of Generation Y’s who are casualised workers, who may not be so well-educated, and who are a more marginalised, peripheral group, often living in regional areas.”
Dr McDonald said the majority of workers represented in the study worked in retail and hospitality and data was gathered over a period from 2002 to 2005.
The management researcher said she feared the new WorkChoices legislation may make young workers more vulnerable, especially as they may struggle with negotiations over Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs).
“Almost half of 15 to 19 year olds who are in full-time education also work, so it is really crucial for them to try to understand their rights and responsibilities in employment,”
Dr McDonald said.
“A greater emphasis on industrial relations at school would be useful.
“It’s also crucial for parents to try to talk through work issues and discuss their own employment experiences with their children from a relatively young age.”
Young find
workplace tricky
By Carmen Myler
QUT exercise researchers have good news for obese, sedentary people looking to improve their fitness: take a light walk and you’ll do yourself a power of good.
Professor Andrew Hills and his colleagues from QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation studied ‘walking for pleasure’ in 30 obese people with a mean BMI (Body Mass Index) of 35.5 and 20 non-obese people.
They found that the speed obese people described as
‘walking for pleasure’ (5.4 km/hr) produced an exercise intensity that was enough to improve their cardiorespiratory fitness at the start of an exercise program.
However, the same ‘walking for pleasure’ rate provided no benefit for normal-weight adults.
“When obese people walk for at least 30 minutes at a
‘pleasurable’ pace they lift their heart rate and improve their cardiovascular system without feeling over exerted,” Professor Hills said.
“It appears that the extra fat in the obese causes a significant elevation-of-intensity effect on the heart and lungs at walking speeds that people describe as ‘pleasurable’.
“So people who are obese and have been inactive should
exercising
Don’t get in a huff – light walking can do the trick for those on the weighty side.
… step by step
GRAB a frisbee and ‘move it’ because now is a good time to get the kids ‘up and at ‘em’ to compensate for hundreds of ‘lost’ physical activity hours during the school year, QUT researchers say.
Dr Ken Edwards and Dr Craig Daly of QUT’s School of Human Movement Studies have estimated that, compared with their mid 1970s counterparts, today’s school leaver has missed out on 5000 hours of physical activity at the end of 12 years’ schooling.
The researchers, whose calculations were based on similar research in overseas countries, presented their findings at the World Summit on Physical
Education in Switzerland. They said Australia’s 3.5 million school aged children ‘lost’ 1050 million physical activity hours in 2005.
“The typical primary school child spends about 300 fewer hours being physically active and it gets worse in high school where up to 600 hours a year are lost,” Dr Edwards said.
The findings were important in the light of the rise in childhood obesity and lost exercise could be part of the problem along with ‘computer lifestyles’, safety concerns and inappropriate food choices.
“The loss of opportunities for getting physical occurred when about 30 hours
a year of formal physical education and sport was deleted from the primary school curriculum,” Dr Edwards said.
“And traditional schoolyard play and sports practice before and after school and lunch time as well as organised weekend activities have disappeared.”
“Many children are driven to school because of security fears and the average school now has one bike rack where once there were dozens which means young Australians now have to find 45 minutes a day to do a mix of mild, moderate and vigorous physical activity.”
Kids ‘lose’ billion exercise hours
start walking for pleasure to start getting the benefits of weight loss and cardiovascular fitness from exercise.”
Professor Hills said the research findings suggested people perceived the intensity they were exercising at from some other factor than heart rate because obese people did not feel as if they were overexerted when they ‘walked for pleasure’.”
He said this finding underlined the need to define better guidelines for exercise by basing them on body characteristics instead of the current one-size-fits-all approach which is based on a common base energy expenditure.
“The base measures that are traditionally used are incorrect.
This means the recommended 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise might not be enough for some people,” he said.
“We are now testing 240 men and women across different age and weight categories from normal to overweight to obese to assess the effects of extra weight.
“Our aim is to provide more appropriate general guidelines for activity promotion and also specific individual exercise prescription advice for people in different weight and age categories.”
By Niki Widdowson
QUTlinks August 2006
Studies on the move
QUT offers undergraduate and postgraduate units in the fields of exercise and sports science, and physical and health education.
The university also undertakes a range of multi- disciplinary research in this area.
Last year, leading QUT exercise scientist, Professor Andrew Hills, pictured left, was appointed associate director of the Australian Centre for Metabolic Fitness.
This Adelaide-based centre is dedicated to researching the impact of diet and lifestyle on obesity, heart and general health.
Professor Hills recently chaired a Physical Activity and Obesity Satellite Conference in Brisbane as part of the International Congress on Obesity in Sydney.
Why exercise?
n Coronary heart disease is the number one killer in Australia, with more than one-third of all deaths related to heart, stroke and vascular diseases.
n About 90 per cent of Australians have at least one modifiable risk factor for heart, stroke and vascular disease.
n Over 60 per cent of the adult population is overweight or obese.
n Making a change from inactive, sedentary
behaviours provides significant protection against a range of metabolic disorders including obesity and type 2 diabetes.
n All chronic diseases may be improved somewhat through appropriate promotion of physical activity and prescription of exercise.
QUEENSLAND’S first lady of jazz, Clare Hansson, has hit another high note in her already impressive career becoming QUT’s first “doctor” of jazz.
The Brisbane-based musician is the first student to complete a PhD in jazz studies at QUT’s Creative Industries Faculty, and a bound copy of her thesis is now archived at the prestigious Institute of Jazz Studies in Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.
Dr Hansson researched the musical career of New York jazz pianist Marian McPartland, now aged 88.
McPartland was not only Hansson’s study subject but the pair also shares a friendship through their mutual love of jazz.
“Initially I plucked up the courage to write to this lady because I had never heard another woman playing so powerfully. I also sent her my first recording,” Dr Hansson said.
“I was so surprised when she wrote back telling me ‘You play beautifully’.
Since then we have kept in contact and by 1995 I found I had accumulated quite a bit of information and memorabilia.”
Dr Hansson said she both loved McPartland’s music and admired her as a female jazz pianist who moved with the times to remain contemporary.
“She was a rebel, a maverick, who defied her very proper British family to embrace an unsuitable occupation amid the somewhat unsavoury jazz scene of the 1940s by marrying an American jazz musician and heading to the United States,” she said.
“Her career, first sponsored by her husband Jimmy McPartland, unfolded
By Sandra Hutchinson and blossomed throughout the decades
because of her natural talent, her eagerness to seize opportunities and her willingness to take risks.”
Dr Hansson said her own musical career had witnessed similar challenges and triumphs.
“As a female jazz pianist I know the difficulties of making it in the male- dominated jazz scene. Even though jazz was my first love, it was many years before I got the chance to share that in a professional environment.”
Dr Hansson is well-known to local music fans and has maintained her own jazz trio for the past 25 years. She is also a regular performer at jazz festivals
around Queensland and interstate.
“I have always loved jazz,” Dr Hansson said. In 1999, this passion came across strongly to American audiences when she was the first and only Australian guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, a radio program broadcast weekly to millions in the US.
As part of Dr Hansson’s musical journey, she was also the first student to be awarded a Master of Fine Arts majoring in Jazz Studies at QUT in 1996.
“To me it’s a feeling, a rhythm that’s kind of soaked into my soul.”
Dr Hansson’s research is the first doctoral study of the career of any white female jazz instrumentalist in the world.
“ To me it’s a feeling, a rhythm that’s kind of soaked into my soul.”
life
Jazzing
up
A jazz pianist’s passion
for her art has been the
catalyst for a valuable
contribution to jazz
research.
QUTlinks August 2006
By Mechelle McMahon TWO QUT acting graduates travelled to New York earlier this
year for the world premiere of their debut feature film at Robert De Niro’s prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.
Matthew Zeremes, 24, and Oliver Torr, 27, wrote, produced, directed and starred in Burke & Wills, which they made on a $20,000 budget representing their life savings and money borrowed from their parents.
Three other QUT acting graduates – Ashley Lyons, Libby Richmond and Dan Ferriegel – were among the cast who volunteered their talents so that the film could be made.
The gritty black and white film was shot in nine days and centres on a modern story of two young, inner-city men who are opposites.
Matthew grew up in Brisbane and went to Villanova College at Coorparoo before winning a place in QUT’s elite acting course.
He graduated with his degree in 2002 – the same year as his Burke & Wills partner Oliver Torr.
The film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 27 with at least four enthusiastic Aussies in the audience.
Matthew was reunited with English-born Torr – who currently lives in London – for the premiere, and was also joined by QUT acting lecturer Leonard Meenach and co-star and fellow graduate Ashley Lyons.
Matthew said he was out getting ham and bread rolls for lunch when his phone rang with the news that Tribecca had shortlisted Burke & Wills.
An email shortly afterwards confirmed that the film had made the final cut.
“I was just overwhelmed – it was a really good feeling to have such a reputable festival acknowledge our work,” Matthew said.
“To be playing in New York at such a respected festival was
“ I was just
overwhelmed – it was a really good feeling to have such a reputable festival acknowledge our work.”
A shot
at the big time
A small-budget film by two acting alumni has attracted critical notice at an international film festival.
pretty exciting but it was also nerve-wracking.
“Robert De Niro is such a hero of mine ... I’ve studied all of his films and I grew up on his films.”
Matthew said he’d probably be “lost for words” if he ever
actually got to meet De Niro ... but if he could get some words out he knows what he’d like to ask.
“Can I play your son in your next film?” he laughed.
Matthew said he and Torr hadn’t actually set out to recruit QUT graduates for their own debut film, but that their quality had shown through during auditions.
“They are all professional actors who felt passionate about the project,” he said.
“We auditioned quite heavily for the film. We focused on having the best actors that we could and the strongest actors for what we wanted were from QUT.”
Matthew also paid tribute to QUT acting lecturer Leonard Meenach whose acting methodology was the basis for Burke & Wills’ style.
He said Meenach encouraged students to draw on their own emotions and find ways to make scenes as truthful as possible to them, rather than just “act”.
QUT’s Head of Acting and Technical Production, Dianne Eden, said she was extremely proud that her graduates had become artists of the world.
“Matthew and Oliver both stood out at auditions when they first came to QUT and their creativity and motivation was always outstanding,” she said.
Oliver Torr
Matthew Zeremes
Coffee has the power of persuasion
NEXT time you have a deal to clinch or a colleague to win over, do it over coffee. According to QUT researcher Dr Blake McKimmie, one of a team of psychologists who studied the effects of caffeine on cognition and persuasion,
a moderate amount of caffeine could influence persuasiveness of an argument. Results show coffee increases a person’s attentiveness, allowing them to scrutinise a message more closely.
Taking the toxins out of water
QUT science researchers have developed a novel way of removing harmful toxins from unclean water supplies leaving it clean enough to drink. Lead researcher Dr Wayde Martens said QUT had manufactured a material from titanium dioxide (TiO2) that had the potential to revolutionise the future of water purification. He said titanium dioxide was able to break down oil, organic matter, bacteria, viruses, mould and pesticides.
Fighting fatigue from cancer chemotherapy
IT’S often far from what they feel like doing, but women who do mild aerobic exercise during chemotherapy for breast cancer report significantly less fatigue.
QUT nursing researcher Professor Patsy Yates, from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, said the debilitating fatigue that accompanied chemotherapy treatment could be reduced by doing light exercise, such as walking.
Rural drivers feel bullet-proof behind the wheel
COUNTRY drivers tend to blame their city cousins for rural road crashes, a QUT study has found. Road safety researcher Gayle Sticher said most rural drivers attributed road crashes to other motorists and external factors rather than blame their own behaviour. This is despite data which shows single vehicle accidents are a major killer on country roads.
Climate changes to cause billion dollar losses
SOARING temperatures and declining rainfall could potentially wipe a billion dollars a year off Australia’s economy in the next 30 years, according to Professor Peter Grace, from QUT’s Institute for Sustainable Resources. He has examined five major grain-growing areas around Australia and found that while levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide were increasing, its effect of boosting productivity would be offset by increasing temperatures and lower rainfall.
No place like dome
A NEW building system developed by QUT to withstand very high cyclonic winds may hold the key to rebuilding and protecting cyclone-devastated communities. Structural engineers from the School of Urban Development, in collaboration with DomeShells Technology, have developed
a building system that integrates the inherent strength of the dome shape with composite panel technology. The system, which is the first of its kind in Australia, also offers highly efficient thermal properties, making it easy to cool or heat.
update
A new research project is helping build smart phone software of the future.
IMAGINE a world without offices where work and study could be done via mobile phones in any location.
That’s the future according to QUT’s Professor Paul Roe who, along with Professor Binh Pham, is heading a research project between QUT and Microsoft to develop more intuitive smart phone software.
The $1.3 million project aims to develop the software building blocks to create more intelligent smart phone applications so the devices learn what their owners like and what they need at different times, based on their surroundings or situation.
Professor Roe, pictured above right, said the project would unlock the true potential of mobile phones.
“Mobile phones have become the item you don’t leave home without so there is a genuine opportunity to make them even more useful by allowing them to be more aware of the different contexts in which people find themselves,” Professor Roe said.
“That’s where we come in. We’re hoping to develop the foundation to enable companies like Microsoft to build increasingly human-friendly smart devices.
“The phones of the future will be smart enough to know where you are and what information you need at specific times – for example, if you were driving to work and there was a road accident your phone could give you an alternative route, but wouldn’t bother you if you’d caught the train,” he said.
“Other applications we can envisage as a result of this research could include emergency services coordinating information between the public and staff or collaborative medical diagnosis between specialists in the field and at hospitals.”
QUT is also confident that the research, which is being funded by QUT, Microsoft and the Australian Research Council, will result in software that will form part of future versions of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software.
change in
For full details of these and other QUT stories visit www.news.qut.edu.au.
QUTlinks August 2006
Ringing
Microsoft is excited by the potential the project had to benefit the daily lives of mobile phone users around the world.
Technology analysts IDC forecast that 21 million Windows Mobile smart phones will ship worldwide by 2008, which means that more than 21 million people could have a piece of QUT research in their hands as a result of this project.
The smart phone research follows previous Microsoft research grants to QUT to support lifestyle software projects such as voice communication in online gaming and game development curriculum.
While Microsoft Research has had a long and successful relationship with QUT this project is the first major research collaboration between QUT and Microsoft Research Asia.
The $1.3 million grant comprises cash and in-kind (including software) from QUT, the Australian Research Council and Microsoft Research Asia.
For further information on QUT’s research programs visit
www.qut.edu.au/research
“… if you were driving to work and there was a road accident your phone could give you an alternative route, but wouldn’t bother you if you’d caught the train.”
change
A $2.7million e-Research lab has recently been established at QUT to speed up scientific discoveries in Queensland and across the world.
The lab, which is the first of its kind in Australia and one of only 12 in the world, aims to give scientists more time for discovery and invention by automating the data processes that are necessary to their research.
The lab is jointly funded by Microsoft, QUT and the Queensland Government and could be the forerunner to an international Microsoft Research Centre being established in Queensland.
Research focuses on such areas as climate modelling, urban design and traffic and water simulations.
Microsoft and QUT set up nation’s first e-Research lab
By Toni Chambers and Janne Rayner
By Sandra Hutchinson PIA Francini has the good oil on what it
takes to succeed in engineering.
The QUT alumnus holds one of the top jobs in oil and gas with global engineering
firm Schlumberger, and said while men tended to dominate the industry
there were plenty of opportunities for women in engineering.
“I think just by the nature of it and the history of where engineering
has come from, there are more men than women in the industry,”
Ms Francini said.
“However I think engineering offers a real opportunity for
women because many women tend to have very advanced problem-solving ability and are very good at facilitating team leadership.”
The Brisbane-born engineer, who now lives in America, holds
the position of vice-president of Schlumberger’s division of Well Services for North and South America.
Ms Francini graduated from QUT with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1994, and said her job involved dealing with specialised equipment, services, engineering and technology within the oil and gas industry.
“I am head of 6500 people, around 5000 pieces of unique equipment and the asset base is roughly 10–15 per cent of the company.”
The rise to the higher ranks of Schlumberger has given Ms Francini the opportunity to travel the world.
“I joined Schlumberger straight out of uni,” she said.
“I started in Australia but very quickly worked in various parts of the world as a field engineer.
“A field engineer in the oil and gas industry works in really extreme environments.
“It could be the jungle of Indonesia one day, then the deserts of the Middle East the next day, then in outback Australia, or off-shore in the Bass Strait. They can work in Latin America, Mexico, Venezuela, the US, Canada or the Arctic.”
Ms Francini said she worked as a field engineer for a couple of years before moving into more of an engineering consultancy position.
“From there I found my way into management pretty quickly,” she said.
Ms Francini credits her strong start in engineering to her studies at QUT.
“I got all the theory I needed but it was the way this theory was put in to practice in the exercises, and the contact we had with the lecturers was very good,” she said.
“That practical side gave me an edge over my colleagues when going into the workforce.”
With the current shortfall of engineers globally, Ms Francini said the industry was searching for new blood.
“My advice would be if you are after adventure, it’s a good career to be in. It’s flexible because once you’ve got the skill base you can branch out to engineering/
consulting and work your own hours and if you want a family then maybe work mainstream.”
She said anyone wanting to enter the industry should “be a good jack of all trades” but also focus on specialising in areas that were of greatest interest.
“The industries out there, whether it be the oil and gas industry, whether it be the IT industry, they are wanting problem solvers, they are wanting leaders, they are wanting people who can work with other people, people who can jump borders, work in different domains and different practices.
“Once you get a good grounding and get that foot in the door you can move on to great things.”
Good With engineering graduates in OIL
demand, successful Pia Francini
offers advice from a leader’s perspective.
Good OIL
By Toni Chambers FOR QUT’s latest Fulbright scholar,
his future career as an asset manager may have to be balanced with his love of music.
PhD student Avin Mathew will leave the family home for the first time later this year to continue his research at the College of Engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
But the -year-old will be leaving behind his band boymongoose which is currently recording an Indian comedy album after one of its songs received airplay on Brisbane radio station 6.FM.
“My brother, a friend and I originally got together to see if we could form an experimental jazz band, but two years ago our drummer, who is a marketer by day, had an idea to Indianise a Christmas carol,”
Mr Mathew said.
“So we tried our hand at the 12 Days of Christmas, and it got a good response, so we made a dramatic shift from experimental jazz to Indian comedy.
“We’ve all been brought up being exposed to Indian culture, and we wanted to share this through our music.”
The band will be busy over the coming months as they put the finishing touches to a CD before Mr Mathew leaves for the US where he will continue his PhD which is investigating ways of making it easier for asset managers to make decisions about water resources.
“Australia’s water utility industry is facing the pressing issue of water shortage,” Mr Mathew said.
“It is the job of asset managers to make critical decisions about the efficiency of their practices in order to appease the demand for water.
“As part of my time in the US I will be investigating the design of an engineering asset management data warehouse as a means of providing accurate and timely information on water resources.”
Mr Mathew is excited about the academic and personal opportunities the scholarship offers.
“I will be able to collaborate with top-class researchers, but also I’ll have more freedom living away from home in a different culture. I’ll probably really appreciate my Mum,” he laughed.
Mr Mathew said after returning from his scholarship, he would have to decide whether music would remain a hobby or become something more.
“I find music a fascinating area as it evokes a response from everyone. I tend not to get the same response with my PhD area of data warehousing in asset management,” he said.
A bright
future As a talented musician, Avin Mathew is a very bright researcher.
Avin Mathew took out the Postgraduate Award in Technology and Communications as part of this year’s Fulbright scholarship program, while another QUT graduate Brett Freudenberg received a 2006 Fulbright Professional Award in Business/Industry to conduct tax research at the University of Illinois.
Brett graduated from QUT in 1995 with a double degree in business and law.
The Fulbright Program is the largest and one of the most prestigious educational scholarship programs in the world, operating between the United States and over 150 countries worldwide.
Two grads rewarded
Teaching is a family affair
FOR Helen Masters her graduation from QUT earlier this year was particularly special.
Not only did she graduate with her Mum, she was carrying on a family tradition.
Her family has its roots in teaching – her mother is a teacher, four out of five in her father’s family are teachers, her grandmother was a teacher, even the name Masters means teacher.
“If I’d studied anything else, my parents would have been really surprised,” she said.
Mum Jenny graduated with her doctorate and said it was very special to graduate alongside her daughter.
“I did feel sorry for Helen though because I was worried I was upstaging her graduation,”
she said.
They have similar reasons for choosing teaching as a profession – both faces light up when asked.
“It’s such fun working with kids and seeing them enjoy something they previously didn’t like such as maths and also seeing them begin to understand different concepts,” Helen said.
“I’m interested in watching children learn, I just love it,” Jenny said.
Her PhD thesis has developed a strategy for primary school teachers to more easily integrate computers into their programs.
Helen took off to Japan in August to take part in a teacher’s exchange program.
By Toni Chambers
Readers give Links thumbs up
FINDINGS of a new readership survey of Links have revealed a strong level of support for the magazine.
A total of 1265 alumni responded to an email invitation in April to participate in a professional online survey aimed at finding out if the magazine was meeting their needs.
Ninety per cent of respondents said Links
was doing a good job in informing alumni about QUT, with a majority very positive about the content and the look and feel of the magazine.
Respondents said they like to read articles on issues, research and people/graduates.
In an ongoing effort to ensure Links remains relevant to its audience, further suggestions or comments would be welcome.
Please email editor, Janne Rayner at j2.rayner@qut.edu.au.
OAM and Toni Hoffman, went on to be awarded the top honour on the eve of Australia Day, January 26.
Dr Sally Goold was awarded Senior Australian of the Year 2006, in
recognition of her contribution to nursing and the Indigenous community, while whistleblower nurse Toni Hoffman was named Australia’s Local Hero for 2006 for her dedication in raising concerns about patient safety at Bundaberg Base Hospital.
Dr Goold, pictured right with Prime Minister John Howard, graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Nursing) in 1988. She later returned to the university’s School of Nursing to work as a lecturer and clinical educator for three years.
Ms Hoffman completed a Graduate Certificate in Management at QUT in 2002. QUT business/law graduate Alen-Igor O’Hran was a finalist for the Young Australian of the Year.
Tracey stars for QUT
QUT graduate and Australian television journalist Tracey Curro has applied her presentation skills to QUT’s latest corporate video.
The former 60 Minutes reporter travelled to Brisbane from her home base in Melbourne
recently to present a new nine-minute visual showcase of the university. Tracey completed a Bachelor of Business (Communication) in 1986 and is now writing feature stories for the Australian Women’s Weekly. You can view the new video at
www.marketingcomm.qut.edu.au/showcase/corporatevid.jsp.
