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Queensland University of Technology Newspaper • Issue 224 • May 14 - July 15, 2002
Student invention goes commercial
by Margaret Lawson
W
hen two QUT undergraduate students agreed to design some software for a final-year project, they never imagined their invention would be a world-first - and potentially multi- million dollar - innovation.Now Richard Mason and Kit Thambiratnam, who have managed to create the first automated, high volume system to track radio broadcasts, are coming to terms with the fact their assignment is about to become a commercial realiry.
The project, which began just one year ago, was inspired when Melbourne company Commercial Monitors approached QUT's Research Concentration in Speech, Audio and Video Technology director Professor Sridha Sridharan for help.
"They had looked all around the world and not been able to find an automated solution that met their requirements for ...
monitoring radio broadcasts," Professor Sridharan said.
Broadcast monitoring is essential for organisations such as record companies, which track how often songs are played to calculate royalties.
It is also used by advertising agencies to monitor and verify the frequency and placement of their own and their competitors' advertising.
"Currently, the only way of monitoring broadcasts is for someone to listen and keep a record," Mr Tham.biratnam said.
"However, this is time consuming and very expensive."
So Mr Thambiratnam and Mr Mason designed a system called the BLT (Broadcast Logging Tool) which allows computers, using speech recognition technology, to "listen in"
and log multiple radio stations, 24 hours a day.
"Our software works by identifying the acoustic properties that make up a song, an ad or the other elements of radio," Mr Mason said.
"It segments the broadcast into its individual elements, and then compares each song or ad to a database of I 00,000 elements and logs each match."
The pair, supervised by Professor Sridharan, also designed a distributed computing system (a system where the power of many idle computers work together) so that many radio stations could be monitored and processed in parallel.
According to Commercial Monitors director Mark Scatchard, his company would begin using the BLT this month.
"We were absolutely flabbergasted that the results the students achieved were achieved so quickly ... the results surpassed all our expectations," Mr Scatchard said.
"This will take our business from being a small company to being a very large company ... the potential is there that it could increase our staff numbers by 500 to 600 per cent."
Mr Thambiratnam and Mr Mason have now both enrolled in PhDs at QUT, and were recently awarded the Siemen's $5,000 Queensland Prize for innovation for the BLT.
Though both are excited that QUT and Commercial Monitors will work to commercialise the product for the multi- million dollar world market, they said the best thing was just being involved in a real project.
"We could not have achieved this success without the research facilities and technical advice provided to us here," Mr Mason said.
"Being able to use that to produce a complete product, and especially to invent something useable and take it from start to finish as an undergraduate was a great experience."
Kit Thambiratnam and Richard Mason designed the
"BLT", which is about to be commercialised.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Andrew Lesnie visits · QUT
Oscar-winning director of photography Andrew Lesnie visited QUT in April to share his thoughts on filmmaking and the future of the Australian film industry.
Sarah takes on the Universe
Artworks donation
Dressed in thongs, King Gee shorts and shirt and sipping coffee, Andrew Lesnie comes across as the quintessential Aussie bloke.
Friendly, joking and laid back, the only hint he has won an Oscar for his work as director of photography for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is when he says, "Do you wanna hold it?"
as he passes over the golden trophy.
He was special guest recently at the QUT Cultural Precinct, Gardens Theatre where he gave a personal insight into the making of the spectacular film.
Sydney born and bred, Mr Lesnie said it had been a tough road getting to where he was today.
'The film industry is very seasonal, there are slumps. Some people try to get into the industry because it's fashionable but when they get to a set and ... cart stuff up a mountain all of a sudden it's not glamorous any more," he said.
"Only the people who are passionate about being in the business when the slumps happen hang in there."
And there's no doubting Mr Lesnie's passion - ever since he can remember he's wanted to make movies.
When he left school he had two jobs - as a storeman/packer at an auto parts factory and making "s" hooks for butchers in a machine shop - until he got a place at a filmschool.
Another of his passions is the sustainabiliry of Australia's filmmaking industry.
"People shouldn't be lulled into a false sense of confidence when Fox Studios in Sydney are absolutely chock-a-block ... and Warner Brothers in Queensland is going through the roof," he said .
"It's great because it keeps the industry buoyant and a lot of technicians in work but everyone needs to be aware of the danger that if your indigenous films don't get funding then the voice of the country is not being heard because foreign films don't reflect the concerns or the culture of Australia."
Lesnie's next project is The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. After that?
He said, "Who knows?"
Mr Lesnie was hosted in Brisbane by the Australian Cinematographers Society in association with QUT's Creative Industries and QPIX.
- Toni Chambers
Making it big on real TV
http://www.corpcomm.qut.edu.au/insidequt 2 George Street Brisbane 4000 Telephone (07) 3864 2361 Registered by Australia Post - Publication No. QBF 4778
Review provides a challenging opportunity
The appointment of a new Federal Minister often heralds a period of change rn federal policy, as new m1n1sters, quite understandably, will look at their portfolios from a different perspective to that of their predecessors.
The new Minister for Education, Science and Training, Dr Brendan Nelson, is no exception to this, and since his appointment he has made it clear that he has a keen interest in rethinking the way that we engage in higher education in Australia.
This new approach can be seen in two ways - as yet another, potentially meaningless review, or as an exciting and challenging opportunity to participate in a serious rethink of the higher education sector after 14 years of status quo.
Personally, I see it as the latter. I think it's time to be positive, and to celebrate the great success of Australian universities over the last decade and the contributions that they have made to Australia.
The review, and the intensive debate that it will generate, is a real opportunity to remind ourselves that the taxpayers investment in our
universities has given our nation a wonderful return, no matter how we choose to measure it.
Perhaps our aim should be to convince the taxpayer that a bigger investment in universities will give them an even bigger return.
Consider, for example, that over the decade the number of graduates went up by nearly 60 per cent, a striking improvement in graduation rates.
Despite chis growth the world of work continued co employ our graduates at the same high levels and the transfer of graduates to full-time employment and full time study remains at nearly 90 per cent.
The Nelson Higher Education Review is being guided by a 22-member reference group, consisting of a cross section of vice-chancellors, representatives from TAFE, business, industry and the academies, Indigenous representatives and one of our own graduates, James Moody (Young Australian of the Year, 2001, Science and Technology).
I have been invited to join this panel, and consider it a tremendous honour and privilege to be able to contribute to
this important debate.
- Professor Dennis Gibson
Prof Bill Caelli honoured with international award
QUT's Professor Bill Caelli has become the first Australia~ to receive the prestigious Kristian Beckman Award in recognition of his contribution to information security.
The award was made by the In cernational Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) at its Technical Committee conference in Cairo on May 9.
Professor Caelli, who is head of the School of Software Engineering and Data Communications, has worked in QUT's IT Faculty since 1988.
IFIP Technical Committee 11 chairman Leon Strous said the award aimed to recognise an individual who had contributed significantly to developing information security at an international level.
"Although the award can be granted annually, the prestige of the award is illustrated by the fact that the strict criteria have resulted in [the committee]
not selecting a winner every year during the past decade," Mr Serous said.
Professor Caelli joins a notable list of previous winners including the late Donald Davies, who pioneered the packet-switching technology which makes the World Wide Web possible, and the late US educator, author and academic Harold Highland.
Professor Bill Gae/Ii
Before joining QUT he was a founder, technical director, and managing director ofERACOM Pty Ltd, a major information technology security company.
In 2000, Professor Caelli was chosen to participate in an international reference group set up to advise the United Scares government on IT issues, and in 2001 he received the Queensland Premier's award for his contribution to IT.
Recognition for CISCO trainers
Two staff members from the School of Software Engineering and Data Communications have been recognised for their work with high school students who come from war-torn countries.
Associate lecturer Les · Smith and training support officer Mike Milford have supported students from Yeronga State High School studying the CISCO Systems Networking Academy Program (CNAP).
in March, Mr Smith and Mr Milford
received Outstanding Performance Awards from the CISCO Networking Academy Conference for their work with students from Afghanistan, El Salvador, Eritrea, Somalia and Yugoslavia.
Mr Milford's award was presented in recognition of the time and effort put into the Yeronga High School project while Mr Smith's award was for the work he has put in to introducing the program into a number of schools and other learning institutions.
Page ·2 '
In - side
OUT May 14 ...1. 'Jdly 15; 2002BEE Dean - bids farewell after five years at QUT
A
fter five years as Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering Professor Weilin Chang is leaving QUT in July with mixed feelings.He is satisfied with the faculty's achievements bur is concerned about the pressures facing higher education.
Professor Chang said he was worried financial pressures would increase.
"Academic staff are quite over- stretched. Because of budget pressure we have not been able to maintain the staff numbers we had when I joined QUT. I hope the Government's Higher Education Policy Review will address chis issue because it's a real worry."
Professor Chang said he was also sad
to be leaving Brisbane.
"My wife and I have made many good friends and we have received a lot of support at QUT.
"Also, staff in my faculty are the most - hard working and dedicated I have ever come across," he said.
Later this year Professor Chang cakes up the position of Dean of the College ofTechnology at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Professor Chang, who undertook his undergraduate studies in Taiwan and his postgraduate qualifications in the US, is an American citizen. He said family factors had featured strongly in his decision to return to the US.
Of his time at QUT, he said the consolidation of schools in the BEE Faculty and reorganisation of the management structure were important achievements.
"We have created many new courses, such as five new Bachelor of Engineering courses and we have also been successful in developing the Dean's Scholars program," he said.
The development of minors for undergraduate courses and the revision of curricula to include more generic and professional skills was another important milestone.
He received the Vice-Chancellor's Management Excellence award in 1998 for having changed all faculty curricula to standard 12 credit points.
He said he believed QUT and the higher education sector in general had to give more attention to developing
Professor Wei/in Chang
generic skills for professional discipline graduates.
"Australia is the only country in which I have worked where engineering students go directly into their professional subjects.
"Engineers need co communicate with their clients and understand community needs and they can only do chis well if they have a broad education," Professor Chang said.
"Australian universities need to see what's going on in the real world.
Generic skills will become increasingly important to graduates and that is why our faculty has been putting more emphasis on generic skills and developing the minor system."
He said the fee allocation structure at many Australian universities needed to be re-examined in order to provide broader and holistic education for students.
Professor Chang, who has been living in Chapel Hill for the past five years, said his family would miss Brisbane, "it has the best weather in the world", bur he joked that chis did not include chaotic Coronation Drive.
"The City Council has been working on that road for two years bur I have my doubts chat the traffic will be any better when it's finished. Perhaps it's a good example of how built environment and engineering designers and planners should listen more to the community."
- Colleen Clur
... •
4
Graduate Deborah Mailman wins Logie
by Margaret Lawson
A
cclaimed QUT a~ting graduate Deborah Mailman was named Australia's most outstanding actress at the annual TV Week Logie awards in April.The 30-year-old actor, whose on- screen work has previously been recognised with Australian Film Industry and Film Critics' Circle of Australia honours, won her latest award for her role in the hit show The Secret Life of Us.
Ms Mailman plays the infectious character Kelly Lewis who co-narrates the show.
She received the peer-voted award over veteran actor and dual Gold Logie winner Georgie Parker from All Saints and her Secret Life co-star Claudia Karvan.
"When I won the AFI it was an overwhelming feeling and it's repeating
itself here," Ms Mailman said on Logie night.
"[Secret Life] is a really interesting piece of work, it's a job I'm really proud of."
Until landing the role of Kelly, Ms Mailman was best known for her work in films including Radiance, for which she won the AFI best actress award, and Rabbit-Proof Fence.
She has also appeared in a long list of theatre productions, including the one- woman show, The 7 Stages of Grieving, for which she won a Matilda award in 1995.
According to Ms Mailman's acting teacher, former QUT head of acting Dianne Eden, Ms Mailman's success has not come as a surprise to those who know her.
She said the former Mount Isa local, who first took a high school drama course because she "didn't want to do business principles", was always a stand- out performer.
"You could just look at her and see she was a star," Ms Eden recalled of Ms Mailman in her student days.
"She has an ability to make it real, and brings a potency to the stage or, as it turns out, to the screen ... we just fell in love with her."
Ms Eden said while Ms Mailman always had a strong desire to win, she had never been "big-headed" about any of her successes.
"She did what good QUT students should do: she came in and took what we had to offer, she did the work and was loved by everybody in her group,"
Ms Eden said.
QUT 1999 acting graduate Conrad Coleby received a Logie nomination for the Most Popular New Male Talent category.
Mr Coleby, who plays Scott Zinenko in All Saints, has previously appeared in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch Down Under and the series Flat Chat.
Uni opens new centre for
postgrad research _ students
A new centre at Gardens Point campus catering for the needs of postgraduate research students opens its doors on May 20.
The Research Students Centre, located in newly refurbished O Podium (Level 3), will provide advice on scholarships, candidature and examination of postgraduate research students.
Centre staff will be involved in the admission and enrolment of all QUT's doctoral and research masters students.
"The centre was established in response to feedback from postgraduate research students and after a careful review of the services we currently provide," said the director of Research and Training, Professor Rod Wissler.
Assistance will be offered with:
• Admissions - prospective students will be able to access admission forms, as well as expert assistance on applications andcourses;
• Scholarships - students will be guided through the scholarship application process;
• Candidature - centre staff will be available to discuss any concerns students
(From left) PhD students Nurcan Temel and Joshua Green get a sneak preview of services to be offered by centre staff members Lyle Matheson and Ayesha Lawrence.
might have with their studies and will be able to help them with a range of issues for example, helping them apply for grants to attend conferences; and
• Examination -staff will work closely with supervisors and ocher faculty staff to ensure theses are efficiently examined.
Centre staff will be available at Kelvin Grove, on level 3 of the Library building
on Tuesday from 9am to 11am and at Carseldine on Mondays from 1 pm to 3pm. The Research Students Centre at Gardens Point will be open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm.
For further information visit www.qut.edu.au/draa/or, email [email protected] or call 07 3864 4475.
Griffith University honours QUT's Dr Cherrell Hirst
QUT Chancellor Dr Cherrell Hirst has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Griffith University in recognition of her distinguished service to the community through education and medicine.
Her service has also been recognised by three ocher important awards.
Dr Hirst was named Queenslander of the Year in 1995. She was the first Australian to receive the Jean Harris International Rotary Award for services to women in 1998 and in the same year was made an Officer of the Order of Australia General Division.
Dr Hirst (pictured here at a recent QUT graduation ceremony) was appointed to a second five-year term as QUT Chancellor in January 2000. She was recently appointed to the Board of Suncorp Metway and was director of the Wesley Breast Clinic for almost 20 years.
Australia's most outstanding actress Deborah Mailman.
Cows on campus for Queensland week
by Toni Chambers
If you're walking down Main Drive at Gardens Point campus in June and think you see a herd of cattle grazing on the Kidney Lawn, you could be forgiven for doing a double cake.
On closer examination you'll see the cows, though life-size, are made of corrugated iron.
They have been sculpted by New Zealand-born Jeff Thomson who cues, folds, forms, welds and decorates the material more commonly used on Australian roofs.
The cows have already graced the pastures of Melbourne's Heide Museum of Modern Arc, and are making the trip to QUT to coincide with Queensland Week from June 2 to 9.
QUT Cultural Precinct director Dr Sue-Anne Wallace said the exhibition was a way of recognising and celebrating Queensland's rural origins.
"The cows are on one hand playful and a lot offun, but they are at the heart of Queensland's pastoral heritage and reminiscent of the nineteenth century-
coinciding with the foundation of
Queensland and the ubiquitous
corrugated iron shack," she said.
"Our rural heritage may seem distant for those of us who live in Brisbane or in one of Queensland's large country towns, but it was the courage and tenacity of chose who first moved to the country chat opened up this great state."
Dr Wallace said it was fitting for the exhibition to be displayed on the lawn in front of Old Government House which is this year celebrating its 140th anniversary.
"Old Government House and the site it stands on was the birthplace of tertiary education in Queensland and Queensland Week provides a perfect opportunity to celebrate this link,"
she said.
A range of activities are planned for the Queensland Week Picnic in the Park event on June 9, including tours of the QUT Art Museum, a Big Brother tour of the Gardens Theatre, story-telling and face-painting for children, bands and a dance performance.
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Mum of five earns excellence award
by Margaret Lawson
P
hillipa Hancock laughs and wryly makes the biggest understatement of the evening."Life is very full," she says.
Across the table, her five children are in the process of serving six dinners, baking a cake, studying music homework, passing around 18 pieces of cutlery and carrying on several separate conversations.
Shep the dog is nosing at the door expectantly and Skipper the slightly overweight black and white cat is darting about the room in excitement.
On the fridge, a rewritable calendar reveals that Phillipa appears to have something on every day from now until - it looks like 2003.
Yet, she still maintains a slightly bemused, yet serene composure about it all.
"I've told the children not to let me enrol in anyrhing for a while," Phillipa, a recent science graduate, says.
"I love to study, but I'm definitely taking a break, at least until Anne and Megan finish high school."
The 48-year-old single mother of five could definitely use some respite, having just completed her QUT medical radiation technology degree full-time with a near-perfect GPA of 6.7.
For the past three years she has commuted from her home in Morayfield to the Gardens Point campus, using her long train trip to study.
Phillipa says she credits her outstanding results, which earned her
the 2002 Faculry of Science Dean's Award for Excellence, largely to the support of her children, rwins Anne and Megan (15), Claire (18), Tim (21) and Julie (23).
"When I first came back to QUT, it was so different," says Phillipa, who had previously studied at QIT in the 1970s.
"Computers were a big problem. I didn't even know how to log on.
"I would hit the wrong key and things would vanish, and they (the children) really helped me through that," she says.
"In my first year, Tim once spent a whole weekend on the computer, with me dictating an assignment on ovarian cancer to him because it would have taken me weeks to type the thing out by myself at that stage."
Tim adds jokingly that it was one of the most frustrating times of his life, because his mum's computing skills were
"woeful" and she is such a perfectionist.
"Good results are like a drug to me,"
Phillipa agrees.
"Once I got the first sevens I tried to tell myself 'a pass is fine', but it didn't work. I believe if you're capable you should give it your best shot - not just academically but with anything."
While focusing on her study and helping her children with their endeavours (they are all involved in extra-curricular activities including sport and music), Phillipa found little time for her other interests, which she is relishing now she has "spare" time.
She plays the flute and piccolo in an orchestra, is a volunteer at a local piggery ("I hose out, keep records, that sort of
Real Teaching Skills
For Higher Education Professionals
Teaching at university level presents many challenges. QUT's Faculty of Education offers the Graduate Certificate in Education (Higher Education), a qualification that is specifically designed to equip lecturers, tutors and research supervisors with the knowledge and skills required to meet these challenges.
The course allows academics to enhance their qualifications with formal studies aimed at developing their teaching skills. Those interested in understanding contemporary teaching issues, becoming more reflective about their teaching practice, further developing their skills in research supervision or seeking career progression will benefit from the course.
The program takes a multi-disciplinary approach, allowing you to use your own work environment and projects as part of your studies, and is relevant to those teaching in all university faculties.
The course may be completed in one year of part-time study in open learning mode and fully articulates into the Master of Education (Higher Education).
Full-time and part-time staff employed in a teaching position at OUT during the semester of study can apply for a Vice-Chancellor's Bursary to refund fees.
Applications for July entry close on 14 June 2002.
For further information phone the Faculty of Education on (07) 3864 3947, e-mail [email protected] or fax (07) 3864 3949.
a university for the rea I world
Queensland University of Technology Victoria Park Road Kelvin Grove OLD 4059 Website: qui.com
Page 4 Inside OUT May 14 - July15, 2002
thing"), has been a counsellor with the Nursing Mothers' Association and co- ordinator of a youth group, and regularly donates her energy and enthusiasm to the local high school.
She uses the skills from her degree working rwice weekly in the Wesley Radiation Oncology Unit in Nambour.
"The best thing about mum," says daughter Anne as Phillipa ducks out of the ·room in mock embarrassment, "is that she loves to share her knowledge and help us all."
"And she always has time for everyone," says Megan whom, like the others, Phillipa has tutored in music, maths and physics, among other subjects.
This could explain why Phillipa admits it wasn't easy to find time for her own study, and why she smiles at the fact that 30-minute computer "homework" shifrs and the idea of taking assignments on holidays are now memories.
"Life now is a lot more balanced,"
she says.
"We can spend more time together, and I definitely think that over the years I've had contented children because I've been at home a lot with them."
As the close-knit six finish their dinners, retire to study and start working together on the clean-up, Phillipa quietly admits that maybe one day she would like to go back to study again.
But for now, looking around at the cheerful activity· surrounding her, she assures everyone that she is content to be a mum.
"There's really no better job than that," she says.
Award-winning graduate Phillipa Hancock (centre) credits her academic success to her children (from back left) Claire, Tim, Julie, Anne and Megan, pictured with the family's dog Shep.
Caboolture campus officially opened
Representatives from local, state and federal governments, TAFE and QUT gathered to welcome new students and officially open the Caboolture Community Campus on April 30.
The campus - Queensland's first multi-partner community campus - is a collaboration involving the university, North Point Institute ofTAFE and the Caboolture Shire Council.
It has attracted more than 200 students to four courses, including 40 to the QUT Business Information Management degree which was specially developed for the campus.
Students were welcomed by Queensland's Employment, Training and Youth Minister Matt Foley.
QUT's Director for Northern Campuses, Professor Ruth Matchett, said plans were underway for a mid-year intake.
Pictured left are Caboolture Shire Council's Rob Noble, QUT's Ruth Matchett, Caboolture Mayor Joy Leishman, Minister M·att Foley, Director-General Ken Smith, Vice- Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson, QUT's Dr Eve Fesl, and TAFE's Kirsti Kee and Darrell Butcher.
OVERSEAS
IT STUDENTS
Dream research probes separation
A QUT researcher is investigating the dreams of recently separated or divorced people to shed light on how dreaming might help them deal with emotional turmoil.
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Psychology PhD student Sandy Eugarde said research in the US had shown separated people who dreamed frequently about their spouses tended to recover sooner from depression.
'Tm looking at how the dreams of married people differ from people who have recently separated or been divorced,"
Ms Eugarde said.
She will try to assess whether separated people who dream about their former partners adjust more quickly than those who don't have such dreams.
Ms Eugarde said the aim of her research was to create a better understanding of why people dream.
"One of the theories is that we're processing emotronal material in our dreams in order to help us adjust to life's interpersonal challenges, and this is the theory that I'm testing," she said.
The study will take other aspects of adjustment into account, such as stress, anxiety and life-satisfaction.
Ms Eugarde is seeking more separated people to take part in her research. Data will be recorded anonymously and all results will remain confidential.
Anyone interested in taking part in the study can call Sandy Eugarde on 07 3864 4685, or 0403 501 486 or email s. [email protected].
Teacher stress hurts education quality - research
Business student takes on quest of universal proportions
by Toni Chambers
T
he stress faced by teachers in south- east Queensland primary schools can be detrimental co maintaining high- quality education for children, according to new QUT research.Eva Duggan, who recently graduated with a PhD in education, interviewed teachers from primary schools in Brisbane and found they were under a great deal of pressure as a result of factors within the education system and their own expectations.
She said while the topic of teacher stress had been extensively researched, her work sought to complement existing statistics with descriptions of teachers' experiences.
"While teachers accept stress as an inevitable part of the professional role, they describe the experience of work- related stress as physically exhausting and psychologically debilitating," Dr Duggan said.
"Many teachers question their choice of career.
"A significant number of teachers rake time off during school terms because they are feeling stressed and need a day to clear their heads.
"They have disturbed sleep, they get tension headaches, they feel generally overwrought or they become shore- tempered in the classroom or at home."
tto
Dr Duggan said unrem1tttng curriculum changes, school leadership chat failed to recognise the pressures on teaching staff, demands for increased use of technology in the classroom, perceived lack of support for children with behavioural problems, ever- increasing workloads and negative parental attitudes were significant sources of stress.
"Teachers felt their effectiveness and professional self-esteem eroded especially when dealing with children with behavioural problems," she said.
"They feel inadequate and isolated
when they don't chink they're getting rhe right results with these special-needs children.
"They also feel guilty that the majority of children in their class miss our because their energies are directed cowards problem students."
She said reacher stress could be reduced by a commitment at all levels of the organisation co:
• effective school leadership;
• reacher stress management programs;
• support mechanisms within schools to deal with children with behavioural problems;
• recognition of the negative impact of stress on teachers; and
• evaluation of the viability of changes to curricula.
Business student Sarah Davies almost didn't enter the Miss Universe Australia quest because she thought that, at 19, she was too young and char she might like to wait a few years.
However, a lase-minute change of mind paid off and now, just weeks later, Sarah is representing the nation in Puerto Rico at the international Miss Universe pageant.
More than 600 million television viewers will rune in to the finals on May 29 but, surprisingly, Sarah says she is not nervous about sharing that spotlight with 85 other women from around the world.
"I feel very excited - I'm not nervous,"
she says.
"I know that I've made it chis far and
when I get co Puerto Rico, I just want to have fun. Even if I don't make it into the top six, I will have made so many contacts and friends it won't matter."
While she has had to put her study in public relations on hold for chis semester, Sarah is determined to finish her degree after her Miss Universe Australia commitments are over.
Leading up co her departure on May 10, Sarah has been putting in long days preparing for the pageant, attending media training and Spanish lessons, and devoting time to studying for pageant interviews.
"I've divided my study into issues about myself and career, issues about Australia, and world issues," she says.
"I also have to research a bit about Puerto Rico - its exports and government and what it's renowned for because the judges could ask me anything about chose topics."
Another demand on her time has been sourcing a huge range of outfits for the numerous functions and photo shoots she will be required to attend during her one- month stay on the Caribbean island.
r e
'Will
wilr more than$600,000 and will spend a year living in New York.
on at QUT? Go to
www.whatson.qut.edu.au
Sarsh says the pageant will add value ro her degree as she is getting excellent experience in dealing with the media, presentation and public speaking.Public relations student Sarah Davies is travelling to Puerto Rico this month to take part in the international Miss Universe Pageant.
Prestigious award goes to choreographer
Standing on stage with an award for first prize in the First Milwaukee Internacional Choreographic Competition in his hand, choreographer John Utans turned to one of his dancers for confirmation.
"This is the first prize, right?" he asked.
To which he heard," Yes, we made it ... "
"I was really totally stunned. When the person who I thought would win was announced as the second prize recipient I thought I had no chance," Mr Utans (pictured left) said.
There were almost 140 applications for the prestigious competition, with just four chosen to choreograph a new work with dancers from the Milwaukee Ballet Company over five weeks.
Mr Utans, a contemporary dance lecturer at QUT, was the only Australian among the finalists.
The judges included artistic director of the Hamburg Baller John Neumier and artistic director of American Baller Theatre Kevin McKenzie.
The judges said char while the ocher works were structurally sound and had all the right ingredients, Mr Utans' piece was conceptually strongest and rook chem on a journey.
"Winning the award is an affirmation char my work is valued and of interest co other people," Mr Utans said.
"But it's about more than the competition.
"It's about the experience of working with dancers who are mature, professional artists. When I give them instructions they put years of experience into it.
'This is different to working with students who have a rawness and an energy that older dancers don't have."
As part of the prize, Mr Utans will return to Milwaukee next year to create a major work for the Ballet Company repertoire.
The music for Mr Utans' work was composed by Brisbane-based composer and QUT graduate Susan Hawkins.
QUT head of dance Cheryl Srock said she was thrilled by Mr Utans' award.
"We congratulate John on chis wonderful achievement," she said.
People interested in seeing some of Mr Utans' choreography should attend the Dance Bytes season at the Garden's Theatre from June 18 to 22, where one of his new works will be performed.
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Inside OUT May 14- July 15, 2002 Pag~ 5
Professor John Hockings
Design head welcomes 'openness and energy'
F
or the new head of the School of Design and Built Environment, a shift from the sandstone surrounds of the University of Queensland to QUT's Gardens Point campus has meant more than just a change of scenery.Architect Professor John Hackings joined QUT earlier this year and says he has found "an incredible openness and energy that probably comes from the density of the campus and from being part of the city, and from not being a sandsrone institution".
"Everybody here seems to have at the forefront of their minds an agenda to get out there and do things, to think provocative thoughts, and do innovative things," he said.
Professor Hackings' move to QUT has also brought with it some new challenges, overseeing a school encompassing seven disciplines including architecture, interior design, industrial design, landscape architecture, surveying, and urban and regional planning.
"I find it really exciting," he said.
"They' re all areas I've been interested in but I've never been able to rub shoulders with people from those disciplines so closely.
"There once was a time when people had skills across most of these disciplines but they all split up for professional reasons.
"It's actually really nice to come back to circumstances where you're not just working side-by-side with those people - you can get back into their worlds."
Professor Hackings is adamant that despite the amalgamation of these discipline areas into one school, they will remain intact and have their own identities.
"The school is so big now that one of the challenges is to construct some kind of identity that doesn't submerge any one discipline," he says.
"The last thing I want is for someone to try to start to construct a generic 'designer of the built environment'."
Professor Hackings says his co- location with design professionals from so many fields is having great benefits for his research work, which revolves around his architecture practice.
"Design is now recognised as research which means we can practise what we preach and also get brownie points for it," he said.
"There was a time when you'd get good designers on staff at a university but you'd then have to tell them 'sorry you've got to stop designing and start writing' because that's what's involved in being a researcher."
Professor Hackings continues to make major contributions ro the local architectural landscape, most recently with his co-participation in the design for the Queen Street Mall refurbishment.
He also holds a position as chair of the Brisbane City Council Urban Design Advisory Panel, a statutory committee set up to oversee major city projects.
Inter-faith seminars foster understanding
The president of the Vedanta Centre in Sydney, Swami Sridharananda, addressed the first in a series of inter-faith seminars held at QUT in April. Swami Sridharananda is a member of the Hindu Ramakrishna monastic order. The seminar series, hosted by QUT Chaplaincy, aims to facilitate dialogue between all major world living religions to establish greater understanding.
QUT Carseldine to hold Careers Week
QUT Carseldine is holding a Focus on Careers Week event for students from May 14 to 16.
There will be information forums for students from the schools of Humanities, Human Services and Psychology and a range of other useful workshops.
The Busway has convenient stations at South Bank and the Myer Centre. It's then an easy walk to Gardens Point campus along the Goodwill Bridge or George Street. The Busway is stress free, safe and reliable. Guaranteed trip times also make it the smart way to be on time and keep your academic act together. For customised trip solutions TRANS
Careers and Employment is conducting a range of workshops, including a session for BA students undertaking an internship in second semester.
There will also be workshops offering advice on interviews, employment searches, and resume and letter writing.
A resume-checking service is available for students who would like to submit their resumes ro Careers and Employment staff for feedback.
contact Translnfo on 13 12 30 or visit www.transinfo.qld.gov.au
Page_ 6' Inside OUT May 14 - July-15,' 2002 ,
For more information on the web, go to www.carseldine.qut.edu.au and see the full program under
"News Flash".
- Colleen Clur
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•
Sentencing is a question of balance - researcher
Dr Douglas Kagi
by Carmen Myler
S
entencing is a difficult and often- misunderstood process, says a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law, Dr Geraldine Mackenzie.Dr Mackenzie recently completed her PhD at the University of New South Wales on how judges make decisions about sentencing .
. Dr Mackenzie interviewed two-thirds of judges from Queensland's Supreme and District Courts. Her doctoral study was the first interview-based study of judges and sentencing ro have been carried out successfully in Australia or the UK.
"What the judges said, overwhelmingly, was that sentencing was a question of balancing many things - the different legal factors they are obliged to take into account and other factors such as the nature of the offence and the circumstances of the offender,"
Dr Mackenzie said.
She said that many judges saw sentencing as one of the most difficult aspects of their job, and took the task very seriously.
"They do have concern for the victim and at times sentencing can be a very stressful and emotional task for judges, particularly in difficult cases.
Collector donates artworks to QUT
"The relationship between the courts, the community and the media can be a difficult one," Dr Mackenzie said.
"If sentencing isn't fair and consistent,
or if the public perceives that it's not fair and consistent, then they will lose faith in the sentencing process.
Melbourne-based scientist and art collector Dr Douglas Kagi visited QUT in May to launch an exhibition of contemporary prints he donated to the university.
including Sidney Nolan and Henry Moore, under the Federal Government's
Cultural Gifts Program. "If too much emphasis in the media is put on extremely difficult cases where a low sentence may have been given - perhaps for a very good re3son - then it's easy and probably understandable for the public to feel that justice has not been done."
The Douglas Kagi Gift in Context - Contemporary Australian and International Prints, features 41 works which were recently valued at more than
$100,000.
QUT Art Museum curator Stephen Rainbird said the gift represented an important addition to QUT' s collection.
"It is difficult to access and acquire international art ... so this is a rare opportunity for QUT to expand and enhance our holdings," he said.
Dr Mackenzie said it was essential that the public be assured that checks and balances existed to ensure sentencing was being properly carried out.
Mr Kagi donated the prints, including works by highly acclaimed artists
The exhibition will run at the QUT Art Museum until June 30.
Careers counsellor appointed to guide international students
QUT has become the first Queensland university to appoint a careers counsellor dedicated to international students.
Former head of student services at the University of Southern Queensland Ellen Gibson took up the new position in February.
Careers and Employment head Col McCowan said the position was established in response to increased demand by international students for careers and employment assistance, as well as a request from marketing and admissions staff and agents for more specialist information on job prospects and support.
Ms Gibson said international graduates had much to offer when competing for jobs but often failed to capitalise on their experiences in their resumes.
"These students have got to cash in on everything they've got and everything they've learned here - their languages, their multicultural experience, the communication skills they've acquired, and their ~owledge of a different work environment," she said.
"It doesn't matter where they' re from, or whether they' re
applying for a job in Australia or off-shore, any multinational company will be interested in those skills."
Ms Gibson is dividing her time between working with students and liaising with overseas companies.
"We want to make sure that companies recruiting off- shore know that QUT has a good pool of graduates and hopefully they'll include them in the recruiting process alongside local applicants," she said.
"At the same time, we're making sure that our international students are as prepared for job-seeking as our domestic students."
Ms Gibson will initially target employers from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and India.
- Carmen Myler
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Dr Geraldine McKenzie
"Firstly, we have our judicial system itself and what is called judicial discretion where the judge determines the sentence based on the law," she said.
"Secondly, we have the appellate process where if either party is aggrieved by the decision they can appeal.
"What I concluded was that sentencing discretion should be left in the hands of judges and shouldn't be removed as was done in the case of mandatory sentencing in the NT," she said.
"There is room for more structuring . of that discretion and a good example of that has been undertaken in NSW.
"In a dangerous driving case there, the Court of Appeal judges took it upon themselves to lay down guidelines for sentencing and they've since done that in about five other cases.
"Although the Queensland Court of Appeal has done that to a certain extent, consideration should perhaps be given to introducing the NSW system of
guidelines judgments here."
Dr Mackenzie said her research also explored the influence on sentencing of public opinion and community expectations, and ways in which this could be taken into account in sentencing, where appropriate to do so.
The srudy concluded that public opinion and law and order considerations were assuming prominence in the political process with increasingly harsh sentencing structures being put in place in comparable jurisdictions to Queensland.
Dr Mackenzie said that improving communication between the courts and the community was of critical importance, and one way in which this could be achieved would be the establishment of a sentencing commission or council. Such a body could undertake research into sentencing, and play a role in educating the public about the process.
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Inside OUT May 14 - July 15, 2002 Page 7
..
II
IIQUT graduates and a student have been hitting the headlines in high-profile reality TV shows.
Education student Damian Hoo made quite an impression as the first Queenslander to appear on Big Brother.
His relentless pursuit of romance and his inexperience in share-house etiquette saw him the first person evicted from the house.
According to the show's official website, within days of arriving Damian was dubbed "dodgy Damo" by his fellow housemates for attempting to seduce a couple of women on the show and for eating more than his share of the rations.
He has put his secondary teaching studies on hold for semester one while he fulfils his contract commitments.
Another member of the QUT community involved with the show is arts graduate Melissa Fox who is an associate producer/co-ordinator. Several media communication graduates have also been working behi~d-the scenes as· website monitors.
And on Popstars, visual arts graduate Julie Strickland and student Azaria beat stiff competition to make it to the final seven on the show.
The pair, who are also cousins, have performed as a duo and as members of a number of bands in Brisbane.
Although neither won, their profiles as performers were boosted through the popular show.
Their distinctly different perfo~mances of the Stevie Wonder song, Superstition - released on a bestselling CD fearuring the seven finalists from the TV @-OW - will remain a record of their brush with reality television. _
Popstars finalist Julie Strickland.
parents, players and coaches
Parents· of young rugby players and others -involved in the sport can get the latest information about a range of rugby issues at a QUT seminar program starting on May 14.
QUT's Centre for Rugby Studies is running a public program called
"Principles of Rugby" to provide rugby- specific information about topics including coaching, nutrition, touring, being a rugby parent, injury prevention and psychology.
Director of the Centre for Rugby Studies David Keating said the first series, which runs over three weeks, will feature guest speakers including rugby broadcaster Chris "Buddha" Handy and Queensland Reds physiotherapist Chris Mallac.
The seminars will be held on May 14, 21 and 28 at QUT's Kelvin Grove campus and cost $140 for all three.
"The seminars are designed to support rugby parents, players, coaches and enthusiasts, mainly at the club level,"
Mr Keating said.
'They will be an.entertaining way for people to get some advice from experts in the game, meet other interested people, and draw on the experience of QUT's academics in the area of human movement studies."
A second series, "Principles of Rugby 2", will follow in October featuring John Eales' father, Jack, talking abo_ut his experience as a rugby dad.
To enrol in one or both programs, call Mr Keating on 07 3864 5854 or email [email protected].
- Carmen Myler Popstars finalist Azaria. Big Brother evictee ... education student Damian Hoo. Photo: Network 10 - Margaret Lawson
QUT performers revive cult concert
Creative Industries performers will revamp a cult concert as they perform the new rock musical building THE WALL in the Gardens Theatre lacer chis month.
Set against the backdrop of Pink Floyd's The Wall, the production journeys through the sounds and styles of a musical legend, uniting the graduating cast with musicians, one of whom is a QUT student.
building THE WALL is conceived and directed by head of acting John O'Hare, whose previous directing credits include Faith Healer for the Sydney Theatre Company and Romeo &
Juliet for Bell Shakespeare Co.
Drawing on previous experience with Sydney's O'Punsky's Theatre, the director is embracing an intensive rehearsal process for the cast and crew, utilising exercises and improvisation.
"The rehearsal environment is about collaborative ensemble. work. Creating theatre without a script allows the actors to build associative narrative from the ground up," Mr O'Hare said.
"It's the music of Roger Waters that motivates the writing. If a lyric evokes something in us we follow that thread and see where it takes us.
"The musical director, the cast and I are working together inspiring and re-inspiring, creating a production by tapping ·into the rhythm and passion of the case.
building THE WALL ... (clockwise from bottom left) music director Donald Hall and students Craig Brown, Jason Zadkovich (co-musical director), Guy Edmonds, James McEwam, Suzannah Stock, Alexander Jenkins and Rebecca Lindsay.
"THE WALL evokes so many things about what is going on in the world right now, with issues like September 11, the Middle East, and what is facing our young people, and I want to investigate all of these themes."
building THE WALL runs from May 23 co June 1 in the QUT Cultural Precinct, Gardens Theatre.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 concession and $10 for full-time students. Bookings can be made at GardensTix telephone 07 3864 4455.
Reunion for Carseldine graduates
Join Tlie Xyerience of ~Page 8 Inside QUT May 14 - July 15, 2002 '
Some250 graduates, staff and their guests attended a campus reunion at Carse/dine in April including
·social science graduates David . Buchanan and
Leah Dowie.
Also attending was Mr Buchanan's wife, Sandy (left).
Latin - ..Jlmerican Vance witli ...
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lnhoquctory Lesson Free Beginne~ To Aciv;inceq Guys ;inci Girls Welcome lntorm;itive ;inci Enjoy;ible
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Westside & Eqst:de~~
.,, Sociql I lntermeqiqte I AdVqnced (lqsses.
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: : ; For more information contact __.
•v www.l;itinx.com.;iu , -
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Veronik;_i on 04-17 002 925 ~About Inside QUT
Inside QUT is published by QUT's Corporate Communication Department. Our readership includes staff, students and members of the QUT community. This paper is also circulated to business, industry, government and the media.
Letters to the editor are welcome. Email [email protected] or mail Colleen Clur, Inside QUT, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Qld, 4001. Corporate Communication is located at Room 501, Level 5, M Block, at Gardens Point. Opinions expressed in Inside QUT do not necessarily represent those of the university or the editorial team.
Colleen Clur (editor) Toni Chambers Margaret Lawson Carmen Myler Fax
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