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378.9431 103
ISSUE No. 13
I N S T I T U T E
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Queensland Institute of T~chnology, George Street, Brisbane 4000. Telephone 223 2111. October 1985
Senator ' criticises higher ed. efficiency
Only half of Australia's higher education budget of $2 billion per annum was spent efficiently, and of the sfudents lucky enough to gain entry to higher education, many were not working towards the career they really wanted, Senator Parer told a graduation ceremony at QIT on October 3.
The ceremony was for 250 students from all QIT Schools who completed courses mid year.
Senator Parer said many courses had high attrition rates and students frequently took longer than the minimum course time to complete their studies.
"This, apart from being ineffi- cient, keeps other students out," he said.
"Let us suppose that out of 100 students only 60 complete their co
se
and of these, 200Jo take~!IJII'IIItiiii~g;~er thm sfiUidard course time to complete. This would mean only $1 billion of the $2 billion higher education budget was efficiently spent."
Senator Parer said, the whole ter- tiary education system was in need of major reform. The lack of available places meant thousands of eligible young Queenslanders could not gain entry to tertiary education, let alone to the course and institu- tion of their choice.
"Often the course done has been determined not by the student but by a T.E. score," he said.
At the same time, Senator Parer said institutions were now permit- ted to accept overseas students who paid fees. However, this opportuni- ty would not be available to Queensland students who qualified but missed out on the quota.
"Presumably if they emigrate to a neighbouring Asian country, they will be able to gain entry,"he said.
"We must free up the education system to enable the majority of students to do the course of their choice at the institution of their choice."
The Senator's proposals for reform include a degree of privatisation.
All of the so-called free places currently available would still be made available through a scholar- ship system awarded according to grade 12 results. Those who did not qualify under this system could pur- sue the course of their choice by paying fees, with the assistance either of parents or personal loans.
"If the paying demand for
courses is sufficient, the facilities and teaching staff will quickly become available," Senator Parer said.
Scholarship students would be provided with vouchers to be presented at the institution of their choice. '
"This would introduce competi- tion in, the tertiary sector which means that some institutions, if they did not reform, would not survive."
Other areas for attention in the interests of improved efficiency identified by the Senator included:
•large variations in funding per student between institutions offer- ing the same standard of courses;
• buildings and equipment lying idle for a significant part of the year which would not be tolerated in · the private sector; and
• a change in tenure for academics so that they are appointed for agreed periods.
Senator Parer asks new graduates Angela Whitaker (B.Bus.-Comm- unication) and Maurice Gibbons (B.Eng.-Mechanica/)
if
they studied' " ' -«1fmmf! ..,.. tiMI ~d-. 'l"'H!W
~nswers? Yes and yes.
QIT' s research role formalised by BAE
New 'Guidelines on Research and Development Activities in Colleges of Advanced Education' issued by the Board of Advanced Education in September, formalise the research role of QIT - a role which earned $1.4 million in the 1984 calendar year.
The guidelines, which were ap- proved by the Queensland Minister for Education on August 27, pro- vide a framework within which the Council of QIT may exercise its responsibility for research and development.
The fundamental difference bet- ween QIT and a university under the terms of the States Grants (Ter- tiary Education) Act is that QIT is expected to expend monies on the running of courses in advanced education and on continuing educa- tion; while universities may expend monies on courses, contin~ing
education and research.
As QIT Deputy Director, Dr Tom Dixon points out, this leads to a paradoxical situation.
"You cannot run a place like QIT, where staff must remain at the cutting edge of knowledge without at least being involved in applied research," he said.
"QIT has a direct responsibility for educating professional p'eople and our response is to the total pro- fession, not merely to the young beginner training stage. That means we have a continuing link with pro- fessionals, and an involvement in research is a necessary part of that link.
"Our staff must be available to consult with professionals and be able to work on the major problems the professionals face."
Dr Dixon also explained that cer- tain courses were unique to QIT in Queensland, for instance op- tometry, building, landscape ar-
chitecture, and medical laboratory science. The Institute had a total responsibility to these professions.
~ link between teaching and research promotes rapid application of the results of· research to industry's
"Our staff are responsible for fundamental research in those areas," he said.
According to Dr Dixon, the new guidelines give the go-ahead to the kind of research QIT should be in- volved in.
Chairman of QIT Council, Mr Ian Cameron, said the guidelines ' would have widespread benefits.
"Council believes that research activities should play a vital role in the professional lives of all · academic staff because these ac- tivities invigorate and refresh· the mind and help to sustain authoritative teaching," he said.
"In addition, research is an essential element in the maintenance and development of close links with Queensland in- dustry and has undoubted economic benefits to the State. The
problems." ·
The new guidelines divide QIT
~research into two broad areas:
research which meets the definition of 'college purposes' as set out in the States Grants (Tertiary Educa- tion Assistance) Act 1984, and other research.
College purpose research in- cludes research undertaken as part of a ·program of higher education, or to improve the effectiveness of higher education, for example:
• research undertaken by masters students, or by undergraduate or postgraduate students in subjects in_tegral to professional com- petence in a particular field, such as engineering projects, ex- perimental design and marketing research;
A tug-of-war on the kidney lawn was one of the on-campus student activities during Foundation Week from September 2-6. Other ac- tivities included a paper plane contest, a pram derby, scavenger hunt, raft race, iron man contest and 'prank of the week'.
l --
QIT is to offer Queensland's first nursing degree commencing in 1986. Approval was announced by Minister for Education, Mr Powell on September 23, 1985.
The two year full-time (four year part-time) degree is for nurses who already hold a hospital registration certificate.
Head of Department of Nursing Studies at QIT, Miss Ails!! Curran said the post registration degree would give nurses professional status by broadening and deepening their knowledge related to practice.
"T]lere is considerable demand for the degree and many nurses have been going interstate to enrol in degree programs," she said.
Queensland is the last state to in- troduce the degree program for nurses.
"It is the result of considerable activity. on the part of nurses. We are extremely pleased at the an- nouncement," Miss Curran said.
In 1986, the degree will be offered in its second year only, due to the short preparation time available.
To enter directly into the second year, registered nurses must meet certain additional entry requirements.
"Nurses who have completed a post-registration diploma will be considered for entry," Miss Curran said.
Mr Powell said the Capricornia Institute of Advanced Education would offer a nursing degree part- time and externally commencing in 1987.
\
Time for hard decisions
Over the last four years, Qll has increased enrolments by 18% at there- quest of the Commonwealth. Funding over this period has increased in real terms by 3%. This mismatch between growth and funding cannot continue without remedial action.
In planning for the 1985-87 triennium and framing the 1986 budget, it became clear that for QIT to live within budget it must reduce the number of courses it offers and teach larger groups of students.
Rationalisation of courses is not an easy exercise. QIT is the sole pro- vider of training in Queensland for some professions and Is more or less obliged to run these courses whether or not they are cost effective.
Another consideration is that a number of fields are growing rapidly (eg.
computing, electronics, biotechnology, nursing) and it is essential to move resources within the Institute to fund these developments.
It is also important that QIT builds on its areas of solid reputation, achieving excellence through such initiatives as master's programs. At the same time, the Commonwealth's directive is to give priority to school leavers enrolling in undergraduate courses.
Decisions mt:st be made on which courses will be closed indefinitely over the next three years, and which programs will move to alternate-year intakes. Considerations in this process will include course enrolments, cost effectiveness, availability of alternative programs in Brisbane/Queensland, attrition, progression, length of program, overall quality of department offering the program and relationships with the pro- fession and the world of work.
Some of these very difficult decisions must be made this month. Staff will be kept informed of developments.
Dr Dennis Gibson, Director
Flying visit from CTEC Chai rm- a · n
....
BEBIND PARLIAMENT HOUSE
-,
u P~MAS&-Y ••• IF QUEENSLAND sruoeNTS EMIGRJrrE" "TO A. NEIGHBOURING ASIAN COuN1'RY .•• 1\fEY' WlLL • ABLE 1b GIIIN 6NmY TO AN AIJS'(RALIAN 1'J!:R:TlARY' INSTt1lJ'T'E.
ON A FEE. BASIS •
Council Profile: Robert D~ngavell
By Geoffrey Rodgers operations of Q Search, determin- ing which projects were to be undertaken and in what capacity, and controlling the large revenue it accrued.
Mr Dungavell believes that ex- perience and knowledge, secured through-the close liaison with the external working environment, has enhanced QIT's reputation as an extremely practical mstitution.
"Graduates from QIT are never overlooked, as employers in every field know that their education is a practical one - an education which prepares the students for the out- Mr Dungave/1 side world," he said.
"I know for a fact that in my With a distinguished background in field - computing - QIT graduates both computers and accountancy, are always at the top of the Mr Robert Dungavell, F.C.A., employer's list."
Managing Director and founder of Born and raised in Charters
elude TourAcc for the tourist/hotel/resort industry, Lega!Acc for solicitors, and In- tegAcc and Schoo!Acc for the academic and education communities.
Although the rapid expansion of ComputerAcc has meant that Mr Dungavell is an extremely busy man, he takes the time to maintain his association with QIT. He said that one of the highlights of that assocation was his appointment as chairman of the working party con- vened last year to investigate the scope of operation of the internal audit organisation.
CTEC Chairman, Mr Hugh ·Hudson with QIT Director Dr Dennis Gibson CompterAcc, has been a valued Towers, Mr Dungavell founded the trj'Mra ~i'HWm'tDIII .y • ....,. ~ --~~~~~ffyd~eit!~F~in~an~4-;~an;ici~~--1~r~is~b~an;te-based ComputerAcc in
"I was privileged to have on the committee two experts on internal audit from the fields of government and commerce. After a number of meetings during which time we took submissions from senior QIT management and staff, a report was submitted to Council which was subsequently adopted and implemented. u
On a visit to QIT on August 29, the Chairman of CTEC, Mr Hugh Hudson said CAEs would be ex- pected to manage their affairs effi- ciently in the future within a stu- dent number range for which they were funded. This would give some financial flexibility through marginal adjustment of intake within the range.
"We have to be more effective in stopping programs that can't be justified," Mr Hudson said.
He said colleges needed to develop policies on efficiency in- cluding staff assessment "to ensure academics who are not performing up to scratch are brought under a degree of pressure."
An interdepartmental committee of review on the more intensive use of campuses would have institu- tional involvement from the start.
Mr Hudson said he preferred to think of good or bad institutions or even departments rather than think- ing sectors.
"But let's keep 'pi:ofessor' out of the college sector," he said.
Mr Hudson does not see a role for institutes of technology in offer- ing doctorate programs except
"where the doctoral course cannot be offered any other way or where the university I college interface is muddied."
"A course work component for doctorates is favoured but it would be hard to justify expansion of resources for this purpose with the backlog of undergraduate demand."
Mr Hudson said implementation of the Special Assistance to Technological Institutes proposal in the CTEC supplementary report had been deferred pending a review
Acknowledgments
'Inside QIT' is published by the Public Relations Office, QIT (U Block), George Street, Brisbane, phone 223 2386.
Postal address: G.P.O. Box 2434, Brisbane 4001.
A number of the articles are written by tommunication students at QIT, as indicated.
Production by Press Etching Pty Ltd.
Printed by Sunshine Coast Newspaper Co. Pty Ltd.
Page 2 Inside QIT, October 1985
of related schemes by the Depart- ment of Industry, Technology and Commerce, but he had "not given up hope."
The $2.5 miilion proposal was to provide research support to technological CAEs through 50 per- cent government funding of ap- proved projects undertaken for ex- ternal organisations.
To facilitate research funding, Mr Hudson said Q Search needed more flexibility to enter into joint venture arrangements.
"Q Search needs to be in a posi- tion to float subsidiaries and to get into joint venture arrangements ...
to be able to take risks without bringing the Institute down."
In recognition of his contribution to, and close cooperation with the Optometry Department, Dr Boris Crassini has been appointed an Associate of the QIT.
Dr Crassini, who is a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Queensland, teaches and researches in the area of visual perception.
Since the introduction of the four-year course in Optometry at QIT in 1981, he has maintained a close liaison with the Department of Optometry, particularly in the areas of visual science and vision research.
The Departments of Optometry (QIT) and Psychology (University of Queensland) have conducted several joint seminars in visual science over the last four years.
Dr Crassini is a co-investigator with Dr Brian Brown, senior lec- turer in optometry, and Mr Ken Bowman, Head of the Optometry Department, on an Australian Research Grants Scheme project, 'Ageing Effects on Peripheral Retinal Function', awarded to the Institute for 1985.
Dr Brown and Dr Crassini are also joint investigators on a project being conducted at the University of Queensland. These cooperative ventures have led to Dr Crassini's
· , !f"1i1f iblibllt l'Well~year
since his appointment to Council in career in accountancy.
June, 1983. ComputerAcc continues to ex-
"The volume of money we deal pand its operations, distributing with at QIT on the Finance Com- digital computers and computer mittee is large and the responsibility software throughout the eastern of the committee membership is states of Australia and opening new taken very seriously," he said. markets in Western Australia and
As far as Q Search was concern- the Northern Territory.
ed, Mr Dungavell said that since his The company · finds its main appointment to that committee two customers in the local government years ago he had seen the agency field, where its Counci!Acc systems grow rapidly. are very popular. Other systems in-
Mr Dungavell said that he saw QIT as a quality tertiary institution which practically prepared its students for their careers and car- ried out very useful research for Queensland commerce and industry.
"I am pleased to be associated with it and will continue to support the Institute through my positions on the Finance and Q Search com- mittees," he said.
"Q Search is becoming well- known in government and commer- cial circles as a first-rate Consultan- cy and research organisation," he said.
Mr Dungavell said the function of the committee was to oversee the
Foundation Head for Electronic Systems
assistance in the conduct of the final year optometry research projects.
Mr Bowman said that he propos- ed the associateship because Dr Crassini had made a significant contribution to the Department.
"This kind of professional co- operation is especially importaii't since we are the only centre in the State that exists solely to investigate vision," he said. "Shared access to facilities and knowledge benefits everyone who works in this field."
Dr Miles Moody was confirmed as Foundation Head of the newly- formed Department of Electronic Systems Engineering at QIT in August.
Dr Moody has wide experience in teaching and industrial research in the electronic systems field. He has worked in industry locally and overseas and researched areas in- cluding compatible single sideband broadcasting and radio navigation systems. He recently worked in America and West Germany where e eveloped a new radio naviga- tion system for use in the North Sea oil fields. His current interest is techniques for authentication of tape recordings used in legal proceedings.
The new department separates electronic systems expertise and resources from the Electrical Engineering Department, providing Electronic Systems with a spearate identity. .
"The formation of the new department is an exciting initiative taken by the QIT in its endeavour to further the interests of the elec- tronics industry in Queensland,"
Dr Moody said.
"The department is already ac- tive in master's degrees by industry- related research and is also involved with consulting projects through Q Search, developing a diverse range of electronic and microprocessor systems for small scale manufac- turers. It is our intention to provide significant service to these manufacturers and to other institu-
Dr Miles Mooay
tions in need of our special exper- tise and facilities."
The department offers a new electronic systems strand in the undergraduate engineering courses at QIT and the very successful com- bined degree in electronic systems and computing.
Dr Moody is vice-chairman of the Queensland Section of the In- stitute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers of America, a senior member of the Institution of Radio and Electronic Engineers and a member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. He was formerly a senior lecturer with QIT's Electrical Engineering Department.
State funds new
laser interferometer for Mech. Eng.
A new, State government-funded laser inferometer was formally presented to QIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering on September 3 by the Minister for In- dustry, Small Business and Technology, Mr Mike Ahern.
The $56 000 portable laser in- terferometer, the only one of its kind in Queensland, will enable the department to carry out very ac- curate calibrations for private industry.
Mr Ahern stressed the value of having this kind of service available in Queensland.
"Quality control assurance and quality management will be key areas in our manufacturing in- dustries in the days ahead, in par- ticular in defence supply con- tracts," he said.
The volume of work carried out for industry by the department's Metrology Laboratory increased by 1 OOOJo in the last year and is set to go on increasing in the future.
The increase in work is at- tributable to its assessment and recognition by the National Association of Testing Laboratories (N.A.T.A.).
According to laboratory techni- cian, Mr Eric Mills, providing the data for that assessment by N.A.T.A. was a complicated exercise.
"We had a two-tonne granite slab surface table of the type used for calibration and this had to be calibrated for flatness to Australian standards. We had an instrument capable of measuring the surface topography of the table but that too had to be calibrated before it could be used," he said.
"We sent this instrument down to the National Measurement Laboratory (N.M.L.) and they calibrated it for us. Then we did our own surface table calibration using that instrument. Our figures and results were verified by N.M.L.
who congratulated us on the ac- curacy we obtained. In the final analysis it was more difficult to meet the required report structure
Sugar industry funds
Prin. Lect.
position
The . first privately sponsored academic appointment at QIT was approved by QIT Council on September 19.
The appointment of Dr Will Scott as principal lecturer in terotechnology within the Mechanical Engineering Depart- ment is partially funded by the Sugar Research Institute.
of N.A.T.A. than to do the measurements themselves.
"To my knowledge we are the only laboratory registered for metrology in Queensland which will undertake work for outside peo- ple," Mr Mills said.
"The work we are doing now is calibration of measuring in- struments for all types of Queensland industries, including G.E.C., Hastings Deering and the Commonwealth Department of Housing and Construction.
"The new laser interferometer will undoubtedly bring even more work to the laboratory."
The Metrology Laboratory also ran a series of courses for private industry to familiarise _inspectors and workshop foremen with Australian quality control stan- dards and methods of calibrating
measuring instruments used in mechanical engineering.
The courses, ran for six hours on 1 alternate Fridays, starting in March and, while the course itself took on- ly four days to complete, so many companies enrolled staff that the courses were booked up until the end of September.
Another important link with in- dustry was the invitation to senior laboratory technician, Mr Dick Magnus, to become a member of the Council of the Australian Organisation for Quality Control (A.O.Q.C.), a group which is part of the Australian Confederation of Industry.
Mr Magnus, who is in charge of the laboratory facilities in the department, said that his appoint- ment to this council meant that QIT would be officially represented in an industry-based organisation.
Laboratory technician, Mr Eric Mills demonstrates the laser interferometer for Mr Ahern.
Funds to · boost
ERDU's computer based education
With the approval by QIT's Equip- ment Committee of $53 000 expen- diture on computing equipment and software in September, the realisa- tion of a significant computer based education (C.B.E.) facility on cam- pus took a great step forward.
The C.B.E. facility is to be managed and overseen by the Educational Research and Develop- ment Unit (ERDU), but will be located in the A.M. Fraser Library.
Library staff will be closely involv- ed in the operation of the facility.
facilities without a constant erosion of educational standards.
"Early users of QIT's C.B.E. system will be the Departments of Physics and Electronic Systems Engineering, but we expect a rapid build-up, with a majority of schools of study represented during the first three years."
QIT's substantial continuing education program, offering pro- fessional updating courses to in- dustry and commerce, is also ex- pected to utilise the new facility. In- terest has been expressed by business organisations in hiring the facility during QIT vacations and other times of low internal demand.
Time they were told .... Minister for Industry, Small Business and Technology, Mr Mike Ahern, took the opportunity of questioning media priorities when he presented the new laser interferometer to QIT on September 3.
"Technology is much more important than racing," he said.
But the latter was receiving much more publicity at the time.
* * *
Senior-lecturer in management, Mr Reg Hardman, certainly has friencts lfl high places.
U.S. astronaut,._Dr Don Lind, was in Australia for a total of one and a half days to attend the Bert Hinkler memorial ac·
tivitles. Barely a whistlestop, but Reg and acting head of Physics Department Mr Ross Dunlop persuaded him to give a 40 minute lunchtime lecture on campus on September 4. An audience of 90 people, mainly from Applied Science, were lucky enough to hear Dr Lind's film-illustrated talk about his adventures in space.
* * *
Brains and beauty from the QIT campus were a winning com- bination in September. Delia O'Donoghue, a third year stu- dent in the Dip. App. Sc. (Diagnostic Radiography) won the RSL Girl in a Million Quest and Kirsty Robertson, third year nursing studies student, won the charity crown in the Miss Cattle Queen quest.
* *
The Podiatry Clinic is appealing for children's toys and magazines for their waiting room area. They say they are desperately short of both items. If you can come to the rescue, foot it to the 'A' Block clinic with your pre-played-with or pre-read contributions.
New equipment for Surveying
Department
The QJT Department of Surveying has recently taken delivery of this Zeiss Planicomp CJOO analytical stereop/otter controlled by an HPJOOO A600+ computer with 2623A graphics display terminal.
Also connected to the system is an HP7580B automatic drafting plotter for rapid output of the digitised data. The equipment pro-
duces three dimensional coordinates from photographs of the same area taken from different angles. The total package, valued at about
$250 000 will be a major new resource for the Key Centre in Land In- formation Studies. The centre involves QIT, Queensland University and the State Department of Mapping and Surveying in a cooperative teaching and research arrangement.
Dr Scott was a senior lecturer in the department and this appoint- ment follows the usual selection panel procedure.
According to Dr Scott, the sugar industry has supported QIT research in the past and is now in- creasing that support to include funding of the new position for three years.
Academic direction of C.B.E.
will be the responsibility of senior lecturer, Dr Dan Ellis, who is cur- rently seconded to ERDU from the Department of Physics. Dr Ellis has been researching the use of com- puters in education world-wide, and will be working to incorporate the latest ideas and practices in the QIT facility.
Initially' around 20 microcom- puters will be housed in a special area of the library, each one being networked to a mass-storage device. Students will book time on the system according to their needs, and will enjoy very flexible hours as the opening times will be similar to those of the library.
QIT old boy donates H RM software to Management Dept.
Dr Scott described
terotechnology as a discipline which combined management and technology.
"It is concerned with the
specification and design for reliability and maintainability of plant, machinery and equipment,'' he said.
"The Terotechnology Centre at QIT, funded by a group of in- dustrial firms, is an extension of services concerned with maximising utilisation of equipment and people to help industry. The sugar industry believes we fulfill a useful function in this. area."
Dr Scott said that the sugar in- dustry was a major employer of QIT mechanical engineering graduates.
Head of ERDU, Mr Derick Un- win, said that in addition to the equipment, the Institute had to fund replacement staff for Dr Ellis in the Physics Department and pro- vide the services of a half-time pro- grammer throughout 1986.
"However, it is clear that after many years of experimentation, especially in the U.S., C.B.E. has finally become cost-effective," Mr Unwin said. "Indeed, C.B.E. is probably the only way in which ter- tiary institutions can meet the ever- increasing demands on staff and
A former QIT student and academic who now runs his own very successful human resource management (H.R.M.) consulting company, gave something back to QIT's Management Department on September 17 in the form of an H.R.M. software package valued at
$30 000.
Mr Peter Howes of H.R.M. Con- sulting Pty Ltd at Milton, boasts 65 major finance, mining and govern- ment clients using his specially developed H.R.M. software package since leaving QIT and establishing his company in 1983.
His wife, also a QIT graduate and chartered accountant, is his partner in business.
Together, they_ have built up a company employing 16 staff with
offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and soon to expand to Perth and Adelaide. Half of their professional staff are also QIT graduates in computing and business.
Mr Howes said the
microcomputer-based system allowed manipulation and analysis of people data which was a prere- quisite for managing the human resource function.
"Too often, personnel managers are involved in activity rather than managing," he said.
The system provides for 15 or more categories of employee infor- mation and 20 or more standard reports (e.g. age distribution, tur- nover) tailored to the individual needs of the organisation, as well as
ad hoc cross-referencing and reporting.
Mr Howes said the computer side complemented the consultancy side of the business.
"We are moving toward a data base system which is portable across hardware including minis and mainframes," he said.
In other states, the software is be- ing introduced to leading institutes of technology which offer degree courses accredited by the Institute of Personnel Management, Australia, Inc.
The institutes, according to Mr Howes, carry the main thrust of H.R.M. education in Australia, following introduction of the first tertiary subject in personnel management at QIT in 1970.
Mrs Elaine Darling opens the QIT Open Days program.
Health surveying upgraded
Queensland's only health surveying course will be upgraded to an en- vironmental health degree at QIT in 1986 in response to major changes in community food habits, in the workplace and in lifestyle.
Mr Bruce Fleming, senior lecturer in environmental health and course coor- dinator for the new B.App.Sc. - En- vironmental Health, said new demands in community health made a higher level
of training essential.
"For the put tea years - haw been
training health surveyors to work in state and local government, in the arm- ed services and in quarantine. The range of work required has grown steadily with expertise now needed in the built environment and the natural environment in rural and urban areas,"
he said. "It became obvious that the course as it stood would not provide an appropriate level of training across such a broad sper.trum.
"We actively pursued the upgrading and consider that we are able to provide the kind of course that will deal with the important new health aspects that are emerging.
"For instance, 250Jo of Australia's food budget is now spent on take-away food, and this percentage is increasing.
Therefore food management will be a major theme in this course, with a big emphasis on the maintenance of stan- dards from manufacturing to the point of sale."
Mr Fleming said that another main area of interest would be occupational health and safety.
"Up until now this area has attracted a relatively low level of interest but the State Government is planning increased
involvement in this area. We will ensure that graduates are properly qualified in the health and safety field."
Other aspects of community health covered by the course will be a range of environmental monitori s such U:ftOile' measuremd t control and the management of solid and hazar- dous wastes and the monitoring of water and air pollutants.
However, Mr Fleming was careful to point out that the course would only deal with those environmental factors that had a direct relationship to human health.
"This is where our course differs from science degrees in environmental studies offered at other institutions," he said. "Our cqurse is tailored to produce practising health surveyors or en- vironmental health officers as they are now more commonly called overseas,"
he said.
The course is approved under the Health Act for qualification as a health surveyor and is the only course offering training in environmental health in Queensland. Because of its health orien- tation, it has a strong foundation in the physical sciences and health sciences which include human anatomy, physiology and microbiology.
"This is a very interesting course of study and one which will lead to good employment prospects. Right now we are only just meeting demand," Mr Fleming said.
"Queensland gets its fair share" - Darling
Queensland would receive more than its share of higher education funding in 1986 and claims of unmet demand for places were ex- aggerated, Mrs Elaine Darling, MHR, told a gathering of QIT staff, students and potential students on August 23.
Mrs Darling was opening the QIT Open Days program run over August 23 and 24, representing the Federal Minister for Education, Senator Susan Ryan.
Commenting on the shortage of tertiary places available in Queensland, Mrs Darling said that the State was in fact receiving above average funding for higher education.
"I am concerned that inaccurate claims that thousands of Queenslanders miss out on places in higher education could result in prospective students 'opting out' of education or narrowing their priorities," she said.
A recent federally funded study undertaken by Queensland Univer- sity showed that the true figure for unmet demand for places in Queensland was about 1400 for degree and diploma courses and 400 for associate diploma places.
Mrs Darling said that the Com- monwealth Government recognised the importance of higher education and supported its steady growth.
"Despite difficult budgetary cir- cumstances facing it, the Govern- ment will increase higher education in 1986 by over $39 million, or 1.9 per cent in real terms.
"This follows the increase of 2.9 per cent for 1985, the largest fun- ding increase since the establish- ment of the Commonwealth Ter- tiary Education Commission in 1977," she said.
"Queensland's increase. in recur- rent funds of 4.8 per cent compares well with the 2.9 per cent national average."
Mrs Darling said a total of over 20 000 new higher education enrolments would be created over the three years 1985 to 1987.
Queensland would be receiving more than an equal share of these.
"In 1984, 770 of the 3900 extra places created were in Queensland." Mrs Darling said.
"The planned national tertiary growth in the 1985-87 triennium is 6 per cent, while the growth for Queensland is 9 per cent," she said.
Mrs Darling said the QIT was receiving a recurrent grant from the
Federal Government of $35 million for 1985.
"In addition, the Government will give $6 112 million for a new building to provide for 800 students in the areas of optometry, Jaw, health, sciences, geology and for expansion of library facilities."
Mrs Darling said in 1984
$275 000 was paid to QIT for an ex- tra 110 student places.
"This year, $80 000 has been pro- vided to increase participation of women in engineering and survey- ing courses at QIT."
Some Open Day activities which drew special interest were an Flll flight module on the Kidney Lawn, providing a visual link to a major computerisation project carried out by QIT students under lecturer supervision on F111 flight plann- ing; a foundry demonstration with molten metal; robot arm demonstrations; a laser display and high voltage arc demonstrations.
Mr Craig Hunter, administration officer in admissions who coor- dinated the Open Day program said there was a much better attendance on the Saturday, with some 2000 student visitors on campus, and this could lead to a revision of the cur- rent Open Days format.
Project management course to meet industry demand
A new postgraduate diploma course in project management for architects, engineers, builders, quantity surveyors and eo le in al ied fields, w· e 'n if
Qrtln tft6
M; se o n- dustry demand.It
will consist of two years part-time study.
Course convener and senior lecturer in the Department of Building and Quantity Survey- ing, Dr Tony Barnett said the
·course would provide graduates
with a sound appreciation of the overall management process in- volved in the planning, control and coordination of a major project from inception to completion.
''These skills will enable pro- ject managers to meet a client's requirements with completion on time, within cost and to specified quality standards.
Their performance will further promote the growth of profes- sional project management in its c:>wn right within the land and
,property development in- dustry," he said.
The course content will be
multidisciplinary, coveringsalient as ects of several profes-
'Sio It will be taught to agroup of students of different disciplines and backgrounds who will already be successful professionals in their own right.
To achieve this end, nearly
500Joof the lecturing input will come from industry profes- sionals outside the Department of Building and Quantity Surveying.
The course is aimed at people aspiring to senior management status in the land and property industry.
"With the current trend towards project management contracts, particularly in the public sector, there is a great de- mand for such professionals and career opportunities are seen to be excellent,'' Dr Barnett said
."Recent discussions with government, private enterprise and the related professional bodies has shown strong sup- port for the course. These ties
with industry and the profession will be essential for the ultimate success of the course."
Dr Barnett reports that
althou h the course has received
f
ery litt ,number of prospective can- didates have already made enrolment enquiries and some unsolicited offers to lecture in the course have been received from industry professionals.
Dr Tony Barnett
Interior design strand for Built
Env. degree
Students John Lassig (left), Dianne Pinder and John Park with Mr Ray Stuart from CSR.
A new interior design strand will be included in the B. App.Sc. (Built Environment) course in 1986.
advertisements in England and America," he said.
"Courses in other states have had a big demand and graduates have found employment very readily.
Three QIT students received awards from CSR Limited on September 13 under the company's $90 000 per annum undergraduate scholarship award scheme operating nationally.
They were Dianne Pinder (ac- countancy/law), John Lassig and John Park (joint mechanical epgineering winners).
The company offers scholarships annually to a first year student in accountancy and a second year stu- dent in mechanical engineering at Page 4 Inside QIT, October 1985
QIT. Each scholarship is valued at up to $3000 per annum for the re- maining term of the course, plus book allowance and paid vacation employment.
Applicants are judged on academic excellence, personality and career motivation.
CSR's Senior Personnel Officer, Mr Ray Stuart, said the scholarship scheme was important for the com- pany in its new graduate recruit- ment program.
"It gives outstanding students a taste of CSR, enabling them to make· a balanced decision on whether the company is a career op- tion for them," he said.
"We have had a high success rate
on ·graduates under the scheme
joining CSR."
The latest awards bring to seven the number of QIT students benefiting from the CSR scholarships.
The new strand will complement the architecture, industrial design and planning/landscape architec- ture strands of the degree.
Mr Tom Heath, Head of School of the Built Environment, said that the interior design strand offering was in response to the growing world-wide demand for · interior designers.
"It is the only design profession for which you still see extensive
"One firm in Brisbane is adver- tising regularly but is having to employ architects because there are no interior designers available."
Mr Heath said that the existing maths requirement would be eliminated for this particular strand of the course.
"Because of this, students will not be able to transfer to other strands," he said.
FEATURES
'Flying doctor' sets her sights on nutrition analysis
Researching vitamin and trace ele- ment levels in breastmilk, looping tbe loop in an aeroplane and work- ing with a nuclear reactor are all very different and original interests but they all belong to Dr Fiona Cumming, lecturer in QIT's Department of Public Health and Nutrition.
A doctorate is the most recent of Dr Cumming's achievements and - although official confirmation is yet to come, she was assured by her supervisors during a visit to Deakin University in August that she could return to Brisbane and change the name on her door.
Dr Cumming says it has been a long haul since she first 'drifted in- to' dietetics after being unable to get into her first choice of career, veterinary science. Two years of chronic illness during a crucial period of her schooling made it im- possible to meet entry re- quirements. Now, she says, going into dietetics has proved to be the right move.
"I began with a diploma of ap- plied science in nutrition at the Gordon Institute of Technology and then spent a year at the Melbourne School of Dietetics. With the ar- rogance of the young, I decided that I would only work as a dieti- tian if an exciting enough job came up. Luckily it did and I worked as
~ena\ di.et\.ti.an at the Alfred Hospital for 15 months," she said.
"Then I was awarded a small research grant to convert my diploma to a degree and to com- plete a research project at the new Deakin University in 1977. Another research grant to start a masters followed.
"My area of postgraduate research was a very neglected one. I was looking at what effect taking the oral contraceptive pill had on mothers who were breastfeeding and on their babies. It was postulated that there might be some effect because it is known that the pill affects blood vitamins and trace elements.
"Breast milk is synthesised from blood and so it was possible that similar changes would be found in the milk. I set out to measure what went into the mother's mouth, what effect that had on her blood, on her milk and therefore on her baby."
Dr Cumming said that after a year it was evident that this was such a big project that it would have to be converted to a Ph.D.
"It was virtually a new field. Lit- tle work had been done on lactation since the 1940s. Only one other researcher, Dr Peter Hartmann,
was doing similar work in Australia at the time and we managed to work together for a short time in Perth.
"The research was funded by W.H.O. and by two phar- maceutical companies who manufactured the pill," she said.
There were many variables to be considered in this research other than the direct effect of the pill in breastmilk. Some distinct patterns in milk composition were found. According to Dr Cumming, Vitamin A increases by about four times from the beginning to the end of the feed; the amount of Vitamin C varies significantly during the day and zinc levels drop off dramatical- ly during the first six months of lactation.
Carrying out the research involv- ed a chaotic schedule.
"My subjects were spread over about 75 km and I would leave home at 5.30 a.m. on what my col- leagues described as my 'milk run' in order to drive to the first mother before she had breakfast and take blood and milk samples. By 9.00 a.m. I had done almost a full day's work," Dr Cumming said.
"During that time I also had three other jobs: I was lecturing in nutrition and dietetics at Deakin and conducting a private dietetics prac ic . t e am im employed by Alcoa Australia to conduct a heart disease prevention program for their employees at Point Henry, outside Geelong."
Out of Dr Cumming's research emerged a new technique neutron activation analysis - for measuring trace elements in milk and blood.
"I worked with the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (now the CSIRO Division of Energy Chemistry) on this and carried out all my trace element assays at Lucas Heights, using their nuclear reac- tor," she said.
Results of the research showed that the pill did not affect the vitamin or trace element content of human milk.
"The milk is pretty well pro- tected no matter what happens to the mother," Dr Cumming said.
At the beginning of 1983, when the thesis was close to completion, Dr Cumming was appointed as a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at QIT. She is a keen pilot and in leaving Victoria, she also had to leave behind one of her most treasured possessions her custom-built Cessna Aerobat plane.
"It has a conventional body type with a high-powered engine ljnd
QIT student aims for
Com. Games
Craig Rogerson, a second year business studies student at QIT, returned from Japan in mid- September after creditably representing Australia in the diving section of Universiade '85 held at Kobe.
In this his first ever games com- petition he made the finals in both the three metre and ten metre events, scoring personal bests in both. Final placings saw him come 12th in a field of 28 in the three
metre event and 7th in a field of 22 in the ten metre event.
Craig said he was delighted with this result and would now work towards the national champion- ships in March with an ultimate aim of competing in the Com- monwealth Games to be held in Edinburgh in July next year.
In order to concentrate on his diving, Craig will suspend his studies at QIT but hopes to return for the Spring, 86 semester.
windows in the roof so that you can see the ground when you are upside-down," she said. "Unfor- tunately it is too difficult to get hangar space here in Brisbane, so I have left it behind on the family property. I manage to hire a Cessna here occasionally, just to keep my hand in."
Only six months after beginning work at QIT, Dr Cumming again became a victim of chronic illness.
It meant almost an entire year out of action but she was full of praise for the support she received from QIT.
Dr Cumming's research on human lactation will not end with the award of the Ph.D. She will spend the next few months planning how best to continue with it.
Dr Fiona Cumming
Corrosion cut costs
research to·
Metallic corrosion costs an in- dustrial!sed country about _three per Paul Schw;in~b;;rg, lecturer in physical chemistry at QIT, who will present a paper on the cure and degradation of epoxy metal resin coatings at the Australasian Corro- sion Association Conference at Newcastle in November.
"About 25o/o of corrosion costs can be saved by a knowledge of cor- rosion fundamentals, recognition of the common types of corrosion and by subsequent application of currently available control techni- ques," he said.
Dr Schweinsberg has been in- terested in corrosion and its mitiga- tion for the last seven years, teaching the subject to students in applied chemistry and in mechanical and civil engineering courses. He is also active in pro- moting a yearly continuing educa- tion 'Short Course in Corrosion Technology' and is secretary of the Queensland Branch of the Australasian Corrosion Association Incorporated.
The international significance of this field of research results in a great deal of overseas contact.
' The paper Dr Schweinsberg will present in Newcastle is an extension of the paper he presented at the 4th Asian-Pacific Corrosion Control Conference in Tokyo in June.
Another paper he co-authored was presented in Ferrara, Italy in September.
While in Tokyo, he was able to visit a number of industrial organisations engaged in applied corrosion research. One morning was spent at the National Research Institute for Metals. This is a government organisation employ- ing 447 people and is heavily involv- ed with industry-sponsored corro- sion research. Another visit was made to one of the three research and development laboratories of the Nippon Steel Corporation.
"Unlike at N.R.I.M., much of the work here was secret and no photographs were allowed.
However I was able to obtain a sample of a sound deadening material being developed for the Japanese automobile industry," he said. "This latest product consists of a visco-elastic polymer sand- wiched between two sheets of steel of different thicknesses. The material has exceptional sound·
deadening properties, can be spot·
welded and is being fabricated into
a i "
Dr Schweinsberg also took the opportunity of visiting Expo at Tsukuba Science City and said he was very impressed with the organisation and cleanliness of the operation, especially considering that crowds of 90-100 000 per day were the norm.
"The Australian pavilion was a credit to this country and our ex- hibit compared very favourably with those from wealthier nations,"
he said. "The most popular displays were those provided by the large Japanese corporations such as National Panasonic, N.E.C., Mit- subishi, etc. These companies spared no expense and I hope private enterprise here will do the same to ensure the success of our Brisbane Expo."
His visit to Japan also gave Dr Schweinsberg the valuable oppor- tunity to compare education systems.
"Education in corrosion and its mitigation fares quite poorly in Australia and I was interested to see what the situation was like in our nearest highly-industrialised neighbouring nation," he said.
As there are more than a dozen institutes of higher education in Tokyo and its immediate surroun- dings, he had to limit his visits to five different institutes: Tokyo University, Science University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Aoyama Gakuin University and Keio University in Yokohama.
He said that, as in Australia, the centre for corrosion studies in in- stitutions had come about as a result of individual interest and could be found, for example, in departments of chemistry, materials science, metallurgy or mechanical engineering. In Japan, four year degrees appeared to be the norm and corrosion studies at the undergraduate level were usual- ly conducted (if at all) in the fourth year.
"Masters degrees by two years of course work in the technologies are very popular. Most students opt for this type of post-graduate study and Japanese industry feels that masters graduates have demonstrated their capacity to solve problems and are suited to form the pool from which
selection for higher positions will be made," Dr Schweinsberg said.
" corr ion tudie ppear to be done at the course work masters degree level and I feel that perhaps one of the reasons for Japan's technological predom- inance is the ready acceptance of masters programs by industry, students and tertiary institutions,"
he said.
"I think we should look closely at expanding our course work masters programs generally at QIT and, in particular, further work in the corrosion area could be incor- porated in a masters degree in cor- rosion science/engineering or as a substantial part of a program in terotechnology I maintenance engineering."
In 1982 Dr Schweinsberg spent six months P.E.P.Ieave working on corrosion inhibitors at the Corro- sion and Protection Centre at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in the U.K. The paper presented in Fer- rara deals with continuing aspects of this work.
Over the last eighteen months he has been collaborating with Dr Graeme George, senior lecturer in physical chemistry on a project dealing with the degradation of epoxy resin polymers used as com- posite materials in the aerospace in- dustry ancl as the basis for corrosion-resistant paints. Dr Sch- weinsberg said that Dr George's ex- pertise in polymeric materials had enabled them to use a new method of optical analysis.
"It is called 'chemiluminescence' and can be applied to the study of the degradation of polymers and especially to epoxy resins used as corrosion-resistant paint coatings,"
he said. ''The applied nature of this program is well suited to the current thinking of QIT towards research."
The project is being funded by A.R.G.S and M.R.L. Dr Sch- weinsberg said that a recent grant from the QIT Research and Development Committee would enable equipment to be purchased so that the apparatus could be made portable.
"We hope that eventually an in- strument will be developed which will give a rapid, non-destructive test technique for assessing the degradation and remaining useful lifetime of polymers and protective coatings," he said.
Inside QIT, October 1985 Page 5
Visiting Fellow aids Optometry research programs
A distinguished visiting fellow join- ed QIT's Optometry Department during August/September.
Dr Gunilla Haegerstrom- Portnoy, Assistant Professor of Optometry and_ Physiological Op- tics at the School- qf Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, spent a total of five weeks in Australia. One purpose of her visit was ·to be principal speaker at this year's Australian Optometrical Association (Qid Division) State Congress at Noosa Heads held bet- ween August 16-19. The remainder of her time was spent in two dif- ferent areas of research at QIT with senior lecturer, Dr Brian Brown, and lecturer, Ms Jennifer Bevan.
Dr Haegerstrom-Portnoy ex- plained that her main research in- terest was in colour vision although she taught in the area of strabismus evaluation.
"I also hold a research appoint- ment at the Smith-Kettlewell In- stitute of Visual Science in San Francisco where I first met Dr Brown in 1973," she said.
Her research work with Dr Brown involves the use of a new device to aid in the diagnosis of macular degeneration.
"Research into the disease of maculopathy is still in its descrip- tive phase and it is important to be able to classify what is wrong clinically. This device allows the use of different coloured backgrounds to isolate three different kinds of cones which enable the eye to perceive colours," she said.
"Measurement of how bright an object appears against a particular coloured background is an indica- tion of which receptors are affected by the disease."
Dr Haegerstrom-Portnoy and Ms Bevan examined the efficiency of eye charts used to diagnose the vi- sion of very young children, especially those with vision handicaps.
"We know that there is a close correlation between ability to detect stripes of different widths and the ability to read letters in people of normal vision. It has been assumed that this correlation also holds for the visually handicapped and this may not be true. We need more ac- curate knowledge of what kinds of targets presented to babies will give an indication ·of their vision as adults," she said.
DoaQIT Science Degree ...
QIT's School of Applied Science announces the start of a new, more practical science degree in 1986.
After completing two years of the course, students now have the opportunity to gain one year's paid work
experience arranged by QIT, before returning for their final academic year.
The course also offers a wider subject choice than ever before. Students must complete major studies in one area of science (biology, chemistry, biochemistry /microbiology, geology, mathematics or physics), along with submajor studies and electives from other disciplines available at QIT (e.g. another science, business, computing). The major study area is chosen after the first year of the course.
For further information, phone the School of Applied Science at QIT on 223 2290.
GUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ~
Queensland Institute of Technology, George Street, Brisbane. Old. 4000. (next to the Botanic Gardens)
Ms Jan Lovie-Kitchin, lecturer in Optometry and Mr Ken Bowman, Head of the Optometry Depart- ment, are co-authors of a recently published book that is expected to attract world-wide sales.
Their book, Senile Macular Degeneration: Management and Rehabilitiation, is the only specialist text on the subject. It is aimed at primary eye-care practitioners.
Senile macular degeneration (known as S.M.D.) is one of the most common eye diseases in the western world. Clinical signs of the disease include reduced distance and near visual acuities, central visual field defects, and acquired blue-yellow colour vision defects.
The visual loss is usually steadily progressive and patients experience increasing difficulty with reading and other detailed visual tasks until functional central vision is significantly impaired.
The book discusses the effects of S.M.D. on visual function and presents a comprehensive review of the management of persons with visual impairment resulting from this condition.
The publishers, Butterworths, are releasing the book-in the U.S.
and in England initially. Later they plan to market it in Australia and eventually world-wide.
Mr Bowman said that the book started with an unsuccessful grant bid.
"The original work was done in the hopes of attracting a grant," he said. "The bid was unsuccessful, but since we had done a fair amount of work we decided to go on with it anyway."
The resulting monograph, published in 1983, was sent to a number of international journals for review and was so well received that there was a great demand for copies.
Butterworths' approach came after one of their representatives heard about the monograph at an international conference.
The QIT Library and QIT librarianship students were actively involved in Information Technology Month (ITM) which ran from September 2 to 28.
For the first time, the QIT Library demonstrated 'dial-up ac- cess' to their on-line catalogue from the ITM exhibit held at the Crest International Hotel.
According to QIT librarian, Ms Carolyn Chalmers, 'dial-up access' is essentially a remote access pro- viding material from outside the building.
"This is the next step after on- line access and it is just a matter of time before the equipment will be adopted at tertiary institutions and within the business community,"
she said.
Other ITM activities at QIT in- volved the provision of free on-line information searches on a variety of systems in the library between September 21 and 25; the demonstration of on-line informa- tion searches and a Q Search display providing live access to a number of engineering data bases at the Innovation Centre on September 26.
In order to promote ITM, librarianship students prepared two displays for the library foyer, under the direction of senior lecturer in library · Mr Bill Carroll. One
JJWlJli<OJ>c:u on-line
QIT staff
welcome computing
courses
The Educational Research and Development Unit (ERDU) has received an overwhelming response to a recent questionnaire which ask- ed QIT academic staff if they would like ERDU to arrange computing courses for them.
The ERDU initiative is being undertaken in collaboration with the School of Computing Studies, which will provide most of the ac- tual teaching on the courses to com- mence early in 1986.
Out of 372 full-time academic staff, 136 indicated a desire to upgrade their computing knowledge in fields as diverse as programming, expert systems, and computer-based learning.
However, the greatest field of in- terest was that of applications packages such as spreadsheets and data-bases.
The actual schedule of courses now is still to be worked out, and tailored to the widely differing needs of the diverse academic com- munity within QIT.
According to Mr Derick Unwin, Head of ERDU, all courses will be of a 'hands-on' workshop nature, and it is expected that participants will be able to exploit the potential of QIT's new Computer Based Education facility.
