University of _Technology Newspaper

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University of _ Technology

Newspaper

Queensland University of Technology 2 George Street Brisbane Q

DISPLAY

Issue No. 51 Registered by Australia Post- Publication No. QBF 4778 28 February 1990

Medical physicist was in swim for Aussie gold

A QUT medical physicist made a major contribution to the success of the Australian Commonwealth Games swimming team.

Senior lecturer Dr Bob Treffene did the ne\t best thing to swimming every race himself· he maximised the perfor- mance of those who did swim.

As a medical consultant to the

Au~tralian team in Canberra prior to the Game<.. Dr Treffene helped coaches develop swimming programs to condi- tion the swimmers to their best form.

H1s theory is an uncomplicated one·

work the body too hard (or too little) and performance will suffer.

Dr Treffene believes the answer to performance lies in ''heart rate sets" · the recording of swimmers· heart rates during high intensity sessions.

"If a swimmer's heart rate during these sessions gets within 10 beats a miximum rate at which it

should beat, the swimmer is told to slow down." he said.

In the final few weeks before com- petition, swimmers tapered down to within

: w

beats a minute of the maxi- mum. Swimming at that pace main- tained the -,wimmers· fitness but gave their bodies room to rest. ~

Su.:h famous superstars as Tracey Wickham. Duncan Am1•.tron11. and the

"Mean Machine" relay team haYe used this heart rate tapering method.

Dr Treffene ha-, been labelled ~" the force behind the acceptance of heart rate set'> in Aw,tral ia.

He was adamant that the technique was a major factor in the team ·s recent '>UCCe'>'>.

"This was the first time that every swimming coach in Canberra used heart rate sets. I was especially pleased to see sprinters using the technique."

Dr Treffene said.

Remaining humble about the impor- tance of his own contribution. he praised the swimmers. "It was the best working team with which I have ever been involved." he said.

No throw away comment · he ha-, been consultant to every Common- wealth and Olympic Australian swim- ming team since,l978.

Dr Treffene made an une\pected prediction based on his program.

"Lisa Curry-Kenny could further improve her ouhtanding perfom1ance.

"She clid very few heart rate sets in

the five weeks before competition and this meant her aerobic fitness was not at its peak. The proof was that she began to '>low toward'> the end of her swims." he said.

Dr Treffene said Susan

o·

eill. on the other hand. trained well on her heart rate sets and improved her times sufficiently to come second to Curry- Kenny in the butterfly final.

Dual OJ: mpian Tom Stachewicz probably has Dr Treffene to thank for his gold medal swim in Auckland.

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arm~ felt like lead. He t11an";o.:d a .l11!!h altitude training camp he had attend~d some wecb earlier.

Dr Treffene determined this was not the case. but rather that Stachewicz was experiencing a "mas'>ive backward aerobic shift".

"In such instances short-term perfor- mance suffers.

"If a swimmer continues to train hard. then micro tears will appear in the mu-,cles caused by insufficient oxygen circulation. They then become tired very quickly," he said.

Dr Treffene was a'>signed the task of preparing a program which would maintain Stachewicz's fitnes-, while repairing the muscle tears.

Once again Dr TrefTene relied on heart rate monitoring · a ten day

:w

beat per minute program.

"This kept him at the '>arne aerobic level until the damaged area-, of muscle recovered." he said.

He praised the head coach. Mr Don Talbot. saying: "He had the result~ on the board to know what was best for each competitor."

Dr Bob Treffene attaches a heart rate monitor to 1500 metre swim·

mer Graham Bohl at the OUT pool.

; r

An entertaining idea · Brisbane mine artist, Monica Gilfedder, amused students at orientation while they waited for entry to the library.

The number of students beginning the first year of courses at QUT on 16 February was 20 percent higher than in 1989.

The 4450 cummencin!!. students brought QUT's total cn;olment to

I~ 000. However. this figure will pass

~0 000 when Brisbane College of Ad- vanced Education and QUT amal- gamate later this year. to create the eighth largest university in Australia.

QUT Vice-Chancellor. Professor Dennis Gibson. told students attending orientation that. this year. additional Commonwealth and state laces had

eased the traditional problem of unmet demand for higher education in Queensland.

Minimum TE scores for entry to most courses had dropped slightly; the average TE score for students entering QUT this year was about 920.

However. QUT still proved popular in relative terms · there were two first preference applicants for every place available at QUT.

Most unsuccessful applications were in the high·demand areas of busi- ness and law; many of these students would have been accommodated at other institutions in the state.

Study will assess CML

^{from Am}overseas paying fees of between ^{ong the new students are 180}

$9000 and $16 000 a year. They join I 00 overseas students already enrolled atQUT.

The Faculty of Information Technology has received a

$106 000 gr~nt to research the benefits of' a Computer Managed Learning_(CML) sys- tem for part-time stl!$1ents.

The grant was awaHied from the Depart~ent of Employment, Educa- tion and Traiifi!lg (~T) Reserve Fund. ""'•

Project m[iiiiiger and information systems lecturer, Mrs Sylvia Willie.

said a comparison of attrition rates of part-time and full-time students indi- cated that significantly more part- timers failed to complete their studies.

"Because part-timers have difTicul- ty in regularly attending lectures and tutorials, their learning programs can be severely disrupted.

"They often tend to attend fewer

tutorials as each semester progresses.

and then, towards exam time. lec- turers find the students knocking down doors to ask for help." she said. Mrs Willie said DEET recognised that the part-time student attrition problem was widespread.

She said the students· reasons for attending university would need to be determined in conjunction with a study of the reasons why they left.

"Part-time students have different

goals and a more mature attitude towards study than their full-time counterparts.

"Some part-timers study to answer a '>pecific work-related problem.

while others need a degree for promo- tion." Mrs Willie said.

The Faculty of lnfonmttion Tech- nology installed a Computer Managed Learning (CML) facility in 198!1. It was introduced to reduce costs and increase staff efficiency for large classes in tem1s of tutorial sup- port and assessment.

The system. on QUT's VAX 8550.

is open 24 hours a day. seven days a week.

Mrs Willie said students from near- ly every university department are likely to usc CML when studying in- fomlation technology subjects.

The project team. together with consultant to the project and Senior Training Officer · Research and Dcvelop~ent with Queensland Rail- ways, Mr Howard Cool-.. will evaluate the benefits of the CM L system for part-time studenh, and determine whether acce~s to other material also 1s required.

Mrs Willie said the project team would investigate what fonns of addi-

continued page 2

Professor Gibson said students who completed their courses were almost guaranteed a job. Last year only 1.7 percent of QUT graduates had not found work within four months of course completion.

He described the city campus as a small town of 13 000 people with all conveniences.

That community had shared values including a commitment to quality courses designed to meet the needs of profo.:ssions. employers and students.

QUT budget tops

$100 million ... p3

Vice-Chancellor's comment

QUT builds quantity and quality

In 1990, first year students at OUT number 4500, 10 times the first year intake of 450 part-time students in 1965 when OfT began cour- ses in engineering, accountancy, chemistry and architecture.

Over that period, OUT has earned a reputation envied by many universities. The quality of degrees has risen as the university has

grown and diversified. ~. .

The rate of growth in student places is now much faster as govern- ments respond to community demands for greater access to univer- sities. As a university, OUT will be funded at a higher level per student

for natural growth. '' ~' -

Amalgamations also will have a strong influence on OUT's future - the university will double in size by 1995 to 25 000 st1..1dents.

Indeed the impact of the Daw- kins revolution presents strong challenges to OUT's academic and general staff.

In particular, this university must build further on its close links with business and industry, on its high teaching standards and on the excellent reputation of OUT degrees.

I am confident that, with the support of all staff, improved teaching quality can be achieved along with strong growth.

Professor Dennis Gibson

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OR· SRtl>NA SRtONARAN AND

Fund raisers not 'beggars' Science alumni's founding chief

extends his hand

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Mr Darryl Low Choy of OUT's Planning and Landscape Architecture Department (left), Ms Kay Grace and M1 Stephen Rainbird of BCAE's School of the Arts at the fundraising seminar.

QUT's third alumni group. science, met for the first time early this month.

Science alumni foundation presi- dent. Mr Peter White. said founding members had begun to discuss how such a group could help final year stu- dents and graduates.

The alumni hope to establish mechanisms which support the career and professional development of stu- dents and graduates.

"One suggestion was to write a newsletter which would introduce members to professional bodies.

"Science encompasses such a vast

arra~ of professions making it better to collate information from all the profes- sional bodies in a single publication."

Mr White said.

He said the founding members agreed that raising pub! ic awareness was of vital importance. They have therefore concentrated on establishing

pressed interest in contacting schools to talk about the benefits of a science education and the career opportunities open to such graduates.

"Such talks would provide high school students with a recent graduate's view of study and, in par- ticular. science." Mr White said.

He admitted alumni plans were only in the elementary stages and more thought would need to be given to any schemes.

Mr White holds a Bachelor of Ap- plied Science, Associate Diploma in Applied Science and a chemistry cer-' tificate from QUT.

He works for the Queensland Electricity Commission (QEC) as an environmental sciences technician and coordinating radiation safety officer.

The amalgamation between QUT and BCAE will present new oppor- tunities in fund raising a staff seminar on 26 February was told.

Ms Grace said fund raisers were not beggars.

"The validation of QUT's right to raise money among its friends and alumni, and in the community is con- tained in the community's perception of its ability to meet vital human, social, educational, cultural or other needs."

she said.

professional and social links for futur~

Graduation me;:~;s~embers

^at the meeting ex-

Graduates and staff interested in joining the science alumni can contact Mr White on 228 7316 (w) or 269 6255 (h), or phone the QUT Foundation on 223 2147.

Discussion leader. Ms Kay Grace. a leading US fund raising consultant who chaired the Keystone Program of Stan- ford University's Centennial Campaign and who is presently attached to the Centre on Philanthropy at the University of Indiana. helped participants draft a

"case statement" for the new university. A case statement is the sum total of all the reasons why someone should support QUT, including its history, im- pact. staff, facilities, programs. finan- ces, mission, goals and objective,.

continued from page 1

"When our focu' is on the needs of the community -rather than the needs of the organisation - our feelings of being beggars should disappear."

Forty senior staff from BCAE and QUT attended the seminar organised by the Academic Staff Development Unit.

caption:

-

Study to assess CML

tiona! support would best meet the dations on a support structure, indicat::

needs of part-timers; what information -the effectiveness of home-based ac- the CML should provide to these stu- cess, and evaluate whether CML dents; the demand for external on-line should be expanded into other areas.

access; and the system's suitability for

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ad hoc training in the workforce.

ew ou ncl ors

"We intend to lend a limited number of part-time students a PC and modem so they can have access to the system from home," she said.

The team will then assess the extent to which the CML facility enhances part-time student performance.

Mrs Willie said preliminary discus- sion groups had investigated student computer use, time management for study, the preference for self-directed learning, and the role of required texts.

Further student reactions will be in- vestigated via survey, examination results and review sessions.

The final report, to be completed in December, will indicate the value of CML for part-timers, make recommen-

Two new members have been ap- pointed to Council - Mr Alan Baxter and Mrs Leneen Forde.

Mr Baxter, Director of Computer Merchants Pty Ltd, has served on QIT/QUT councils since 1985.

Mrs Forde is a solicitor and partner in Cannan and Peterson.

Under the QUT Act, Council can ap- point two additional members.

Mr Baxter and Mrs Forde will sit beside the Chancellor, the Vice-Chan- cellor, the eight State Government ap- pointees, the Director Generals's nominee, four Elected Staff, two Con- vocation members and two student members.

INSIDE OUT, 28 February 1990 Page 2

is held in Singapore

QUT held a graduation ceremony at the Australian High Commission in Singapore on 21 February for I 0 stu- dents who completed courses in Bris- bane last year.

In Singapore to present the awards.

the Dean of Information Technology at QUT. Professor Dennis Longley. said the special ceremony was an indication of the importance the university placed on serving the needs of students from Singapore and Malaysia.

He said four of the students had graduated with distinction in comput- ing courses, putting them among the top performers. Three students com- pleted postgraduate programs.

"Perhaps because students from overseas pay fees to attend QUT. they arc more motivated to achieve good results than some Australian students."

Professor Longley said.

He said QUT degrees were recog- nised world-wide.

"The practical nature of QUT degrees is well known and valued by Australian employers, and now the university will be lifting its profile in South East Asia.

"We expect that at least 50 students from this region will complete courses in 1990, and l80 have begun QUT courses this year.

More than 80 family members and friends witnessed the graduation

ceremony. Science alumni president, Mr Peter White.

Speech scrambler makes phone, radio more secure

Security of voice communication has long been a major concern in diplomatic and military domains.

With the upsurge in popularity of mobile and cordless phones, concern is now increasing in the private and public sectors.

* * *

A QUT team has designed and built a new analogue speech scrambler that makes telephone and radio com- munications far more secure. The sys- tem also is faster and far cheaper in operation than other voice scramblers.

In radio communication, including that via satellite, it is impossible to prevent unauthorised people from eavesdropping unless speech scramblers are used. It is also difficult to prevent intelligible interception when using the cellular mobile radio system, where the same frequency is reused in different geographic areas.

QUT researchers, Dr Sridha Sridharan of Electrical and Electronic Systems En- gineering and mathematician Mr Ed Dawson headed the development team to design the encryption system.

The device first digitises (converts to a digital value or number) the speech. A Texas Instruments TMS 320C25, a powerful microprocessor, and an AUS- TEK A41102 Frequency Domain Sig- nal Processor are used for the digital signal processing.

The digital sequence is then scrambled, and converted back to the original analogue form for transmis- sion.

As long as the scrambled signal oc- cupies the same band width as the original speech signal it can be used with existing telephone, satellite and mobile communication systems.

Both the speaker and listener must have the system installed.

"This approach is referred to as analogue scrambling, even though digital techniques are used in implementing it".

"A totally digital encryption device has been developed for military ap- plication. It is not commercially attrac- tive at present, however, because it doesn't retain individual voice charac- teristics," Dr Sridharan said.

Although the Australian telephone

The OUT-developed encryption device which stops unwanted listeners from eavesdropping on telephone conversations.

network is still an analogue system, it is expected to become digitised within the next decade. "Once this occurs encryp- tion systems will also have to become digitised," Dr Sridharan said.

He said analogue systems would still be in use in the third world and developing countries for at least 20 years.

According to Dr Sridharan, the scrambled message QUT's system produces is harder to decipher than that

given by other commercially-avail- able encryption devices.

u.()ur scramblet· ~"Very lOW residual intelligibility,' meaning that the scrambled message is very difficult to understand, and high cryptoanalytic strength, making it hard for a decipher- ing expert to analyse the message," he said.

This has made the system very at- tractive to crime-fighting forces - the Queensland police are looking at the possibility of buying some scramblers as soon as they become available.

Health cover for QUT staff

The project has attracted funds totalling $35 000 from the Australian Telecommunication Research Board ($8000), CSIRO/QUT collaborative research grants scheme ($18 000) and an internal QUT grant ($9000).

Dr John O'Sullivan, principal re- search scientist at the CSJRO's Division of Radio Physics in Sydney is the third member of the team.

Dr Sridharan and Mr Dawson are also developing a fax encryption sys- tem which will ensure security and authenticity of document communica- tions using existing fax machines.

Month by month

A neglectful OUT graduate, now living in New South Wales, recently committed herself to Foundation membership. The application form she forwarded to the Development Office was from a 1986 newspaper. The form displayed the once common, but now almost forgotten, molecule logo of QIT.

* * *

Results of a recent competition in The Courier-Mail suggest Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Coaldrake, could have some competition from his boss for the limelight as Queensland's foremost political commentator.

Courier-Mail readers had to write an appropriate caption for a photo showing Mr Ahern and Mr Goss conversing at a Castlemaine Club lunch. Professor Tom Dixon was runner-up in the competition. He had Ahern declaring "I shall return", to which Goss replied "Well, if you do you'll need a new deputy".

The winning entry was as follows. Ahern: "Cooper's left me with a bad taste." Goss: "Stick to XXXX, mate."

*

*

*

A OUT Landscape Planning Group will provide expertise for the future management of the Logan River. Lecturer, Mr Darryl Low-Choy will head the group.

They will address issues such as flooding and erosion control, riverside development, sand and gravel extraction, tourism, and public access strategies.

* * *

Student exchanges are common. Staff exchanges a little less so. But a staff and council worker exchange? Probably unheard of until now, but QUT urban planner Associate Professor Phil Heywood and Brisbane City Council senior town planner Ms Robyn King Cullen have swapped jobs for six months - the first such academic exchange between the Council and an educational institution.

* * *

Minister for Manufacturing and Commerce, Geoff Smith, will be the guest speaker for the first joint OUT and Department of Manufacturing and Commerce sponsored breakfast for 1990.

He will speak on the relevant policies of the Goss Government.

The breakfast will be held on Thursday 8 March from 7.30 am at the Hilton International Hotel. Registration is at 7. 15 am and the cost is $30.

* * *

The Golden Casket Art Union, already praised for its contribution to charity, has now established an annual $200 prize within QUT's School of Management.

The prize will be awarded to the management student who gains the highest grade in the third year "Strategic Marketing" subject.

* * *

,.

Administration Officer of Security and Transport, Mr John Norton, retired in December after 14 years. Mr Bernie Daniels has replaced Mr Norton in an acting capacity. Mr Daniels was the Assistant

Al'Mitr;i8flllfbiemt!@lffJef();e accepting the position. :c;.,-r _-i \ •_{_-. --}... , . _{_ tL .•}

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*

*

Dean of Business, Professor Bernie Wolff, must find his latest membership on a steering committee very taxing. Professor Wolff and four of Australia's leading a.:counting and tax experts were invited to form the Accounting and PA YE Steering Committee.

The Australian Tax Office formed the committee to initiate a new accounting system and a system to support administration of the Pay As You Earn (PA YE) taxation provision. Both systems will be used Australia-wide.

*

*

*

QUT graduate and former policeman, Mr Garry Hannigan, has been appointed senior policy adviser on police matters to the Goss Government.

Mr Hannigan, 35, has a Bachelor of Laws from OUT

*

* *

If you have literary flair - and would like to be paid for it too - here's a chance you can't pass up.

One thousand dollars is up for grabs in the Imago Literary Magazine and QUT short story competition. Any writer can submit one unpublished work up to 3000 words long. First prize is $750.

The competition will be judged by famous Queensland writer, Mr Bruce Dawe. Entries must be submitted by 31 March. Contact Dr Phil Neilsen on 223 2466 for further details.

* * *

OUT's podiatry diploma has been upgraded to a degree level course with 25 new students enrolled this year. QUT offers the only podiatry course in Queensland.

Queensland Teachers' Union Health Society has a proud record of providing first class health insurance together with a range of general insurance policies.

Membership of the society is now open to all people employed at QUT or any educational institution in Queensland w ho are financial members of their relevant union.

QUT budget tops $1OOm

Premiums may be paid in instalments deducted directly from salaries.

Brochures are available from the QUT Pay Office. For further information phone QTUHS on 252 5821.

• queen/land teacher/ · union health fociety

438 ST PAULS TCE. FORTITUDE VALLEY P 0 BOX 265. FORTITUDE VALLEY 4006

QUT's annual budget has hit the

$100 million mark for 1990. And that is without taking into account the budgets of Brisbane CAE or the Con- servatorium of Music which are to combine with QUT later this year.

It includes $10 million for research,

$70 million for teaching and support programs and $14 million for capital programs and special initiatives.

Finance Manager, Mr Doug Brown, said the budget sought to match un- precedented growth in student load, an emerging research infrastructure, the need to upgrade library, computing and staff development services, and the demands placed on central administra- tion by the growth in teaching and re- search programs.

'This budget aims to provide for real growth in funds to faculties and divisions, substantially increased re- search infrastructure in areas of dif-

ferential expertise or advantage, and a strong capital program," he said.

Major sources of additional income are extra Commonwealth and state funded student places (including the impact of the transfer of pre-registra- tion nursing education from hospitals to higher education) and the doubling of the number of overseas students paying full fees to 280. Research ser- vices are expected to reap $6 million, up 25 percent on 1989.

Strategic initiatives funded by five percent "off the top" of total operating funds include:

*provision of $1 million towards the long-term computing plan

*establishment of an internal re- search fund of $1.3 million

*matching funds for the Queensland Tertiary Education Foundation con- tinuing education initiative of

$160000

*completion of the Educational Television Facility refit ($180 000)

*special equipment grants of law and built environment

*review of service teaching of science

*continued funding for the Com- puter Based Education Facility of

$100 000

*creation of an incentive scheme for academic excellence ($50 000).

Highlights of the capital program are the commencement of the $22 million Information Technology/Engineering building on the riverbank beside Gar- dens Point Road, completion of Chemistry building renovations and al- location of up to $3 million for QUT's first student residences.

"The total building program to 1993 is valued at $83 million of which QUT will have to find $26 million," Mr Brown said.

INSIDE OUT, 28 February 1990 Page 3

~

~

University appoints three professors from abroad

The university has appointed its first professors from applicants out- sideQUT.

Head of Geology

Primary school teachers need to view science more positively before Australia can recover from the anti- science trend.

That's the opinion of QUT's new Head of Applied Geology,

Associate Professor David Gust, who says students are shying away from taking science courses at univer- sity.

Recently-released Federal Govern- ment figures suggest that Australia will have I 0 000 less scientists than re- quired by 1995.

Professor Gust said the emphasis placed on science during primary school education shaped perceptions about the subject's worth.

"Science is short-changed at primary school, with insufficient time and resources spent on it," he said.

People took technology for granted - they saw it and science as being divorced, Professor Gust said.

He said it was too late to change students' images by high school age.

He called on Australian universities and the Federal Government to take a stronger stand in shaping community awareness of the importance of science.

but admitted that the problem required a long-term solution.

Professor Gust said geology academics had a part to play in this image formation.

"Geologists have always be<>'l con- tent to stay out of the limelight.

"People should be educateC: to realise that geology is vitally important and is an integral part of life." he said.

He said geologists were involved in the management of water and energy resources, land use and t•rban planning through mapping. They worked with

civil engineers, biologists, environ- mental scientists.

Professor Gust, 37, came to QUT in January from an Associate Professor- ship at the University of New Hampshire, United States.

He was a Lunar and Planetary In- stitute staff scientist and National Re- search Council post-doctoral fellow from 1984 to 1987.

He was awarded a PhD from the Australian National University in

1982.

Professor Gusts' research interests include problems in igneous petrology and geochemistry, volcanology, planetary and environmental geology.

Head of '

Construction Management

QUT's flexibility in responding to the demands of industry was a major factor in attracting the newly-ap- pointed Head of Construction Manage- ment, Professor David Scott, to the university.

"QUT's structure is not yet set in concrete so it is still possible to achieve whatever is appropriate," he said.

Professor Scott said QUT's con- struction management course drew from a range of disciplines, giving stu- dents a good foundation on which to build a career.

Professor Scott, 43, said: "QUT is going through a metamorphosis from a teaching institute to an institution of learning."

"In a teaching institute students are spoon fed information. In the latter stu- dents are given the technical informa- tion as well as being taught how to learn."

He believed students further benefited from this transition.

However, Professor Scott gave a word of advice to budding construction managers: dilemmas and compromises

are an integral part of construction management.

"You can't build a road which is both the cheapest and safest -they are conflicting criteria. It is necessary to balance and equate all construction re- quirements," he said.

Professor Scott is interested in con- struction in developing countries and the use of expert computer systems in construction management.

British born, a mixture of Consult- ancy and academic positions has taken him around the world- to Africa, Asia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and now Australia.

Professor Scott has been a lecturer at the University of Nottingham, As- sociate Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, and most recently senior lecturer at New Zealand's Canterbury University.

Head of Nursing

Preliminary investigations are un-

derway to determine the requirements for extending QUT's pre-registration nursing course from three to four years of undergraduate study.

The new Head of Nursing, Professor Michael Clinton, 44, said the previous hospital-based education system deprived nurses of a wider education by training them to work in specific institutions.

Professor Clinton said a four-year tertiary-based course would provide broad nursing education. He is now looking at what structural changes will be required to allow the broadening of the course.

"This development is a natural ex- tension of the work in nursing educa- tion undertaken at QUT over the last eight years," Professor Clinton said.

Nursing education in Queensland has continued the transfer from hospi- tal-based to tertiary-based this year.

Professor Clinton said the hallmark of the QUT school was close collabora- tion with health care agencies, high quality teaching, and the development of nursing practice.

Above: Professor Michael Clinton Left: Associate Professor David Gust (left) and Professor David Scot.

He said: "Association with the agen- cies is very beneficial to the students' practical education. Fifty-five percent of the pre-registration course is practi- cal."

Professor Clinton said he hoped the tertiary-based education would not dis- advantage minority groups, such as Aborigines. "I recognise the need to further recruit students from minority or disadvantaged groups," he said.

He said, however, that before this could happen the education system needed to become more responsive to the support requirements and equity problems of such groups. QUT had an important contribution to make to this process.

Professor Clinton has held registered nursing or nurse/health education positions in England and New Zealand.

He was appointed to QUT in December last year after holding the Foundation Chair in Nursing Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

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Page 4 INSIDE OUT, 28 February 1990

Nutrition survey finds vegetarians receive misguiding dietary advice

Many health food shop operators, dieticians and naturopaths offer vegetarian clients unorthodox infor- mation on children's nutritional re- quirements, a QUT nutrition re- search team has found.

The team conducted a survey to determine the source of nutrition infor- mation available to parents wanting to raise vegetarian children.

Headed by Dr Carla Patterson frora QUT's Public Health and Nutrition Department, the team surveyed first generation vegetarian parents, health food shop assistants, naturopaths and dietitians.

They found some information given by the shop asistants and naturopaths was misguiding.

"For instance, telling clients that cow milk should be avoided at all costs," Dr Patterson said.

She said most people surveyed, in- cluding parents, failed to recognise children had different nutritional re- quirements. .

"They need food which is more nutrient dense, while vegetarian food is usually less dense.

"It also contains more fibre which means much less of the nutrients are absorbed," Dr Patterson said.

She emphasised greater care was needed in planning childrens' vegetarian diets but that well planned ones were adequate.

Most parents surveyed had sought in- formation from more than one source but were not so much concerned with nutri- tion as what the children liked to eat.

Dr Patterson said information sug- gested that vegetarianism was on the rise in many industrial countries in- cluding Australia.

"We searched for a reliable confir- mation on which to hang our hat and agree that it could be true because the consumption of red meat has declined in recent years.

"This decline can be attributed to an incorrectly interpreted message: many people now believe red meat, rather than fatty red meat, is bad," she said.

In another survey, a QUT Public Health and Nutrition team compared the energy intake of vegan (plant food eaters), vegetarian (plant and dairy food eaters) and non-vegetarian children.

The vegetarian and non-vegetarian children had similar intakes of car- bohydrate, fat and protein. The vegan children, however, consumed more carbohydrate and less fat.

Dr Patterson said although the Heart Foundation had recommended adults eat less fat, controversy existed over the amount that should be recom- mended for children.

The study found the vegetarian and vegan children were leaner than the average, even though they were taller, she said.

She said there was a need for a course, I ike those run by T AFE, for health food shop assistants and parents of first generation vegan and vegetarian children.

Or Carla Patterson displays the fruit and vegetables that form the foundation of vegan and vegetarian diets ...

children have special nutritional needs.

omputer aata

An amalgamation between Brisbane College of Advanced Education and QUT could be effective from I May this year.

Minister for Education, Mr Paul Braddy, said recently that legislation enabling the combination of the two institutions under the QUT banner would go before the first session of Queensland Parliament in March.

The Queensland Conservatorium of Music also is expected to become part of the new university this year.

The new QUT will be the eighth largest of the 32 Australian univer- sities, with 20 000 students and four campuses in Brisbane city and northside.

It will offer a broad range of courses ranging from technology, business, law, health and science to education, the arts, and land and building develop- ment.

Mr Braddy said that staff of the three institutions had begun discussions on the huge task of integrating systems and courses, and creating new academic and administrative struc- tures.

"This is an exciting development in Queensland higher education," Mr Braddy said. "The combined institu- tion will enjoy greater economies of scale, more favourable funding treat- ment from the Federal Government, and strong marketing advantages."

"It also will offer students greater course and subject choice than the in- dividual institutions, as well as the con- venience of common equipment, library, sporting and other facilities.

'The ethos of these institutions is very similar. They have prepared young professionals for the workforce with vocational degrees which are highly regarded in the community," he said.

Longer term plans for the new QUT include a campus on the Sunshine Coast.

be Australia's saving grace r

Australia 's destin y lies in con- trolling the information which is pr ocesse d, s tored and tran s- ferred using computer technol- ogy, acc ordin g to a wo rld authority on compu ter security.

helicopter repairs in z

QUT Adjunct Professor Jack Carroll believes manufacturing industries in Australia, and other developed nations, have suffered as third world countries have become more competitive.

"Industry geared to handling com- puter-generated information is starting to take the place of manufacturing in- dustry in Australia.

"Along with this handling comes control of the generated information,"

he said.

Professor Carroll argues that com- puter security - or more correctly security of computer-generated infor- mation - is essential for maintaining effective control of data.

"If society cannot demonstrate that computer systems are secure, then people will be reluctant to use them," he said.

Computer security became a con- troversial issue in the 60s when American students protested that universities could misuse records filed on computer.

Since then it has grown into an in- vestigative discipline. researching every protection aspect of the process- ing, storage and transit (via satellite, for example) of information.

Professor Carroll admits computer owners and users have yet to be con- vinced that spending money on security is a wise investment.

He said businesses wanted to see the economic benefits of spending hard- earned money.

"How do you put a dollar value on an error or unauthorised disclosure of private information?

"Insurance, such as third party liability, is available to guard against such mishaps. But because insurance companies can't accurately assess the in formation loss, they are forced to charge maximum premiums," Profes-

Adjunct Professor Jack Carroll

sor Carroll said.

He said a conspiracy of silence per- sisted among computer crime victims.

"This is because companies fear that loss of public confidence could cause still more damage to business.

"However, companies should keep in mind that computer crimes and even failure can be devastating," he said.

Professor Carroll has been inves- tigating ways of assessing and justify- ing company expenditure on computer security.

Extensive experience in com- munications and computer security has given him a concrete foundation on which to build such research projects.

A communications security officer for the United States Navy during the Second World War, he deciphered enemy codes and kept check on military communications.

American by birth, he has worked in Canada (where he wrote the first Canadian standard on computer security) and, more recently, in China.

Director of QUT's Information Security Research Centre (ISRC).

Professor Bill Caelli, invited Professor Carroll to work at QUT from Novem- ber to February.

Professor Carroll said the ISRC was unique. "To my knowledge no other centre in the world is devoted to re- searching computer security," he said.

A QUT surveying team new to New Zealand recently to help rebuild a damaged $1 million helicopter.

The team. lead by surveying lecturer Mr Murray Harris, carried out meas- urements for the construction of a "jig"

-a large steel frame to hold the helicop- ter body and parts while repairs are completed.

The jig is the first in the Australian and South Pacific region designed for the repair of the Lon granger 260L-l, the extended version of the Jetranger - the most popular helicopter design in the world.

Mr Harris said the Longranger to be repaired was damaged in a crash in Papua New Guinea.

Before the New Zealand jig was constructed, Australian owners of damaged Longrangers either had to abandon craft or have them shipped to a jig in Asia, Europe or America.

Jetranger owners can have their helicopters repaired at BH Pacific.

helicopter manufacturers, in Brisbane.

Mr Harris said: "When repairing a helicopter it's necessary to accurately measure - to I 0 OOOths of an inch -the points where each helicopter part is to be refitted.

"For this reason jigs are assembled at the place where the helicopter is to repaired .. The dimensional integrity of the jig could alter if it were assembled elsewhere and then transported," he said.

Components attached to the jig frame Mr Murray Harris and Mr Chris Cook in a helicopter shell ready for repairs.

hold the helicopter parts while repairs are carried out on the helicopter body.

Using a measuring technique called

"large scale metrology", the QUT team was able to accurately pinpoint where each component was to be at- tached to the jig.

Mr Harris said the work was more difficult than anticipated because the jig had been designed to repair Longrangers and Jetrangers-in fact all 206 series helicopters.

"Only after the frame hild been designed was it decided not to make it a combined repair jig. But we still had to work with the initial design." Had it been designed specifically as a Longranger jig then the task would have been far simpler," he said.

INSIDE OUT, 28 February 1990 Page 5

.--.

Uni. skips green crusade

Waste - the twentieth century pirate threatening to kidnap the fu- ture -is facing stiff combat from en- vironmentally-aware Australians.

On the QUT campus, however, there are still opportunities for students and staff to play a greater part in the green crusade.

While 24 paper recycling bins are distributed around the university, recyclable material (including ap- propriate paper) continues to con- tribute to the growing rubbish heaps.

On campus, no collection points yet exist for aluminium or glass - both valuable recyclable commodities.

Local community and government schemes around Australia recycle more than 30 percent of glass and 45 percent of aluminium.

Recyclable paper firm, Allpaper.

owns the on-campus paper bins.

Allpaper manager, Mr George But- terworth, said that in spite of increasing publicity on the environment and the benefits of recycling, many people were still unaware of which paper products could be recycled. Although users were filling the bins, it was often with the wrong material.

"Some people are using them as rub- bish bins, and throwing in all manner of foreign material," Mr Butterworth

said. Apples, drink cans, non-recycl- able paper and plastic wrappers have been found in the paper bins.

Mr Butterworth said the system was intended for quality paper, but often the company found newspapers, magazines, cardboard, wax paper and envelopes in the bins.

Allpaper (the company's motto reads: "One tonne of waste paper can save 17 trees"), has collected from QUT for two years. Mr Butterworth said the exercise was worthwhile, but it was difficult to quant1fy the amount of waste paper collected during that period.

He said: "We would be able to give an amount if it weren't for the non- recyclable material needing to be sorted from the recyclable."

Mr Butterworth said most people were environmentally conscious and

"do the right thing", but their efforts were spoilt by the others.

"We have to employ people to sort the recyclable paper from the rest of the material," he said.

This expensive sorting process in- creased the price of recycled products.

He said the Federal Government should accept partial blame for the high cost of recycled products.

Electronic controls bend exhaust pipes into shape

A QUT engineer has developed an electronic control board for a machine which bends vehicle ex- haust pipes into shape - the first fully programmable system of its kind in the world.

The machines are used in muffler shops.

Electronic systems engineer, Mr Ken Curwen, said the board programmed into memory up to 120 required bends. Car exhaust pipes are bent in about six places. The bending system can therefore memorise the bend angles for the exhausts of up to 20 car models.

"The machine can automate up to 16 bends per pipe if warranted," Mr Cur- wen said.

He said muffler shops only stocked exhaust pipes for the most common car models.

"It's not feasible to keep replace- ments for all vehicle types found in Australia, so the shop stocks the straight pipes and the machine bends the pipes automatically on the premises," he said.

The new bending machine, manufactured by Brisbane firm Radius Benders Pty Ltd, is 30 percent cheaper than similar imported systems which do not have large programmable memory.

Mr Curwen said the control board could download pipe data from a per- sonal computer-greatly increasing the amount of programmable memory.

The control board displays all dimensions required for each pipe before the bend is made.

The user slides the pipe to the re- quired feed distance, moves the bend- ing ram to the nip of the pipe and then rotates the pipe to the desired azimuth or angle.

The remainder is completed auto- matically.

Radius Benders manufacture a range of machines to bend all types of pipes.

Mr Curwen said the control board had been designed to work on other machines as well.

He started the project early in 1989.

The control system has just com- six months testi

Attached to this pipe bending machine is the OUT-developed control boa.-d which automates the bending process

Page 6 INSIDE OUT, 28 February 1990

"I understand Federal sales tax is added to recycled material. Anyone selling waste paper to recyclers must also pay tax," he said.

The Federal Government is looking at changing such tax laws.

QUT bookshop manager, Mr Peter Newman, confirmed that recycled products were more expensive than the bleached pulped paper. "For example, a foolscap lecture pad is $1.40 for nor- mal paper against $2.40 for the recycled equivalent," he said.

The bookshop has begun to supply recycled products in an effort to aid the environmental cause, but Mr Newman emphasised that supply must reflect demand.

"There has been limited enquiry from staff and students, but consumer resistance to the brownish colour of recycled paper may be a problem," he said. The colour of recycled products varies from product to product and be- tween suppliers.

QUT Registrar, Mr Brian Waters, said the quality, colour, strength and cost of recycled paper were major con- siderations when preliminary inves- tigations were held into whether the university would change to recycled products for official letterhead.

Mr Waters said that although the in- quiry was abandoned on those grounds, he would not object to a fur- ther review.

He admitted universities had a responsibility as social leaders, but said such institutions must be guided by economic considerations as well.

He said it was a matter of weighing social responsibility against the university's fiscal responsibility to the government and taxpayers.

Biology lecturer, DrGrahame Kelly, s·aid recycling worked on a simple economy of scales - the more that is recycled the less expensive the recycled product.

He said that at present only ad hoc information filtered through to poten- tial users and this could explain why students and staff did not place the cor- rect material in the bins.

Dr Kelly said: "Greater education would make people more aware of recycling strategies."

* * *

Recyclable paper: all white or light pastel paper including computer paper, continuous stationery, bond paper, telex and fax paper, invoice paper, drawing paper (non-plastic), tabulating cards.

Non-recyclable paper: newspapers, magazines. cardboard, shredded paper, glossy paper, carbon interleaved paper, wax paper, paper towels, material with plastic or cellotape attached, material with reminder stickers attached, en- velopes with glue, stapled paper..

QUT's first official exchange stu- dent has left Australia for France.

Industrial design student, Mr Thierry Delarue, will spend six months studying at the University of Technology of Compiegne, 80 kilometres north of Paris.

Thierry, together with his French parents who now live near Noosa, last travelled to Paris I 0 years ago. At that time he was living in the French West Indies.

Before leaving he said he still missed the electric atmosphere of Paris and intended spending spare time enjoying that ambience once again.

"I'm fluent in French and that's the reason why I was accepted. I doubt if I would have been if I could only

speak English," Thierry said.

He admitted the prospect of leav- ing secure surrounds was "a little scary", but said it was comforting to have relatives living close to the university which he will be attending.

Thierry will return to QUT in late June to complete the second half of the Graduate Diploma in Industrial Design.

Globetrotting and education go hand in hand for him. He attended school in France, the West Indies and Australia.

"I also hope to do a Masters Design in Milan, Italy, before moving to the United States for the Harvard MBA program", he said.

OUT student, Mr Terry Delarue, practiced his tourist pose at the Eiffel Tower in Milton before he left for France.

Staff award rest ructure is a dange r: EO officer

QUT Equal Opportunity Coor- dinator, Ms Therese Pearce, has called the national award restructuring for general university staff a "dangerous opportunity".

Ms Pearce said that while the restructuring would be of great benefit to general staff if successful, it also had the potential to be disastrous.

Under the mooted restructuring, general staff awards could be reclas- sified into a single award category and promotion could be more closely re- lateci to training.

Ms Pearce said a number of occupa- tional categories existed at the moment including clerical, professional, ad- ministrative, technical, secretarial and a host of smaller catagories.

Reclassification under a single award - a university employer repre- sentative suggestion - would stream- line administrative procedures and allow employees to transfer from one category to another.

Ms Pearce warned, however, that the apparent simplicity of the system could be clouded by placing such a vast number of occupations under a single banner.

While unions agree streamlining is necessary, they believe a three-tier scheme would work more smoothly and still allow movement between the categories.

Theoretically, under either system a QUT employee could apply for work with any other Australian university, creating greater opportunities for mobility in the workforce.

"The object of award restructuring is to improve productivity and the work- ing lives of employees.

"Training is a critical element in this process and all sides agree more is needed," Ms Pearce said.

She said the system at present com- manded a position be vacant before someone could be promoted.

One proposed system would recom- mend promotion based on skills- staff would earn a new position, rather than waiting for a position to become vacant.

On-the-job training would be more likely to play a part in promotion also, making it easier for employees who did not hold formal qualifications.

She emphasised these were only suggestions forwarded by either the

university employer representatives or the unions. Industrial negotiations were continuing.

Ms Pearce believes the promotion system will most likely be a mix of position vacancies and progression based on efficiency and training.

More than 120 QUT staff, repre- sentatives of other tertiary institutions and employer representatives from Melbourne attended a seminar on award restructuring at QUT this month.

The seminar, "Award restructuring:

Future directions for general staff in tertiary institutions", was organised by the Equal Opportunity (EO) office.

Speakers included BCAE industrial relations expert, Mr Howard Guille, Australian Universities Industrial Association's senior industrial officer, Mr David Lambert, BCAE Equal Employment Officer, Ms Lyn Mar- liner, QUT Personnel Director, Mr Michael Toohey and Ms Pearce.

The seminar looked at the need for restructuring, proposed reclassification systems, skills development and train- ing, career paths and equity considera- tions.

SFrYOUR SIGHTS ONA

CAREER AT SEA

How- to join the Navy as an Officer

Entry into the Navy as an Officer is by selection and is based on the Navy's assessment of academic ability, intelligence, character, personal qualities and medical fitness.

The role of an Officer in the Navy encompasses professional command and management of a wide range of fle et and ship matters concerned with the effective conduct of Naval and joint Forces operations

at- sea and ashore.

Naval officers are expected to bear authority and responsibility at ages usually youn ger than th eir civilian counterparts.

As a consequence they are carefully selected. Candidates will be expected to prepare themselves thoroughly for their interviews with Navy careers Counsellors and the Navy Selection Board. On th e other hand, the Navy

undertakes to give its unreserved support and help to tho se who show they've got t he right stuff.

UNDERGRADUATE OFFICERS

Nurses, teachers, doctors, lawyers, dentists and engineers (mechanical and electrical) or any in the maths/science fi eld may make applications under this special entry scheme.

Men and women who have completed at least one year of their degree and have no more than three years to complete may apply to join the Navy as Undergraduate officers. Once accepted into the Undergraduate training

scheme, the Navy will provide a salary, additional funds to cover books and equipment, free medical and dental services, and in some cases will assist with rental and living expenses. In addition, the Navy will pay Graduate Tax

for as long as the member remains in Service.

Undergraduate members may be required to undertake limited periods of Naval Training. However, this will not interfere with degree studies.

-- - --- ---~---

Direct Entry/Graduate Officers

Men and women who have completed their tertiary education may join the Navy directly in their professions and will gain rank and pay seniority depending on the length of their

degree and employment experience.

For more information contact your local Careers Advisor at 288 Edward Street, Brisbane or call (07) 226 2626

Toll free number 008 114 004.

N.AV"~ OFFICER.

LEA))J~(';.

TilE

PI~J))E

OF TilE FLEET

Authorised by Dept. of Defence.

INSIDE OUT, 28 February 1990 Page 7

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Candy heads up Academic Staff Development

The new head of the Academic Staff Development Unit (ASDU) is As- sociate Professor Phil Candy.

Dr Candy was formerly with the Department of Administrative and Higher Education Studies at the University of New England, Armidale, where he helped develop a university- wide system for teaching assessment.

He also designed an induction proce- dure for new academic staff, and developed a program to enhance their teaching skills.

Professor Candy, holder of a Doc- torate in Education, lectured in the Department of Administrative and Higher Education Studies since 1987, and at the Centre for Studies in Adult and further Education at the South Australian College of Advanced Education between 1979 and 1987.

He sees ASDU as a cooperative and collaborative unit, working with the Of- fice of Research to develop both sides of the academic coin.

"There is a close relationship be- tween teaching and research. Therefore ASDU and the Office of Research must work together while maintaining inde- pendence," Professor Candy said.

On the teaching side, he intends to trial some initiatives which question the way people learn and the most effective

Associate Professor Phil Candy

A Monty Python-like series of training videos on solicitor/client communication is being produced by the Queensland University of Tech- nology and sold to law firms in Australia and overseas.

With production underwritten by QUT and the Queensland Law Society, the legal training videos will be marketed by the Law Society.

The series will be professionally produced with Michael Caton (Uncle Harry in 'The Sullivans') playing the harassed central character.

Director of the Legal Practice course at QUT, Associate Professor John de Groot, said a novel approach had been adopted to make the tapes entertaining for lawyers, as well as informative.

"In the first video, 'The 20 Com- mandments of Claims Prevention', Mr

methods of learning and teaching.

Professor Candy said the established Teaching Quality Program in the Facul- ty of Engineering could serve as a vehicle to trial and then develop such ideas and programs.

"It could become the teaching ligh-

thouse of QUT," he said.

Professor Candy is also keen to pro- vide support to academics who have accepted positions of administrative importance.

"An academic promoted to a management position may feel uncom- fortable in his or her new role; I think ASDU can help," he said.

In addition to organising the teaching development program and a senior staff plan which includes the annual senior staff conference, the unit also has ar- ranged a series of seminars for this year.

Although specific titles or dates are not yet available, the seminars will cover a range of topics which affect QUT and its staff- such as developing research skills, continuing education, administrative matters and effective reading.

Further information on the series and the unit is available from ASDU on 223 2697.

Caton confronts situations which could result in action against him by his own clients. In Monty Python style, he fails and is called to task by a 'God-like' voice from above to examine why," he said.

Law Society spokesman, Mr Michael White, said: "We see the video series as an exciting and important con- tribution to improved communication between solicitors and their clients."

On-line producer is Michael Wil- liams of Martin Williams Films. "The 20 Commandments" is being written and directed by Ron Finney of Videoman Productions. Mr Finney is a former lawyer who lectures part-time in QUT's Legal Practice course.

The first video will be available to the profession in May.

Page 8 INSIDE OUT, 28 February 1990

Solar steam generator has a very bright future

A QUT physics team has developed an inexpensive solar steam generator which could slice hundreds of thousands of dollars off industry energy bills.

Generation of low pressure steam for sterilisation, cooking, cleaning and water distillation accounts for about 30 percent of manufacturing energy use in Brisbane.

Team leader, Dr Jan Edmonds, said the QUT system was still at prototype stage.

A pair of parabola shaped aluminium solar reflectors con- centrate sun onto a boiler. This means the generator does not require mechanical aid to track the sun for optimum efficiency, unlike similar systems.

Dr Edmonds said this made the QUT unit cheaper to manufacture, less expensive to run and maintain, and easier to operate.

Nor does the QUT system use ex-

The solar steam generator

pensive evacuated glass tubing, but rather the boilers are coated with a thin plastic film.

Dr Edmonds said the solar steam generator also could be adapted as a solar booster for a conventional hot water heater.

Steam would be transferred at atmos- pheric pressure from the boiler via an insulated steam line directly into a con- ventional electric hot water heater.

But he said production of steam from solar energy was more difficult than hot water because higher temperatures were necessary for steam.

The prototype system converts about 35 percent of the solar energy to steam at I 00 degrees centigrade. A larger system will be built this year.

"Solar steam generators are not available commercially yet, although trials of different systems are being conducted around Australia," Dr Ed- monds said.

Dr Edmonds gave a talk on the sys- tem at the recent "Solar '89" con- ference.

Fellow QUT physicist, Dr Ian Cowling, also gave a paper, "Energy saving strategies through daylight- ing".

It investigated the way devices which enhance natural daylight can cut office building electricity bills.

Dr Cowling says 40 percent of CBD building electricity budgets go on lighting. He believes this figure can be halved with the natural light enhancement.

"Enhanced daylight is where natural I ight is redirected to light space deep into the core of an office building," he said.

He said any such device would need work for two to three years to pay itself off and then continue work- ing for another six or seven years in order to be worthwhile.

Baby possum in safe hands

OUT Health and Safety Officer, Mr Ralph Carlisle, holds a baby ring tail possum while it eats. Mr Carlisle displayed appropriate action for a safety officer when he offered the infant marsupial a safe haven some weeks ago. It appears his cat "discovered" the possum in the garden. It now lives in a canvas pouch around Mr Carlisle's shoulders during the day and in his bathroom at night.