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Year of high achievement for UNE

December 23, 2005

BoolSnow.thumb.jpgThe University of New England has continued its strong performance in teaching and learning, and in research, throughout 2005. “News and Events”, in wishing its readers a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, is taking the opportunity to remind them of some of the year’s news highlights.

Research news from The University of New England included the continuing excavation and study of the remains of the extinct human species Homo floresiensis, discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores by an international team led by UNE’s Professor Mike Morwood, and analysed by UNE’s Professor Peter Brown. This work has continued to win international interest and acclaim.

In agricultural research, for which UNE has a worldwide reputation, agronomists broke the elusive “10 tonnes per hectare” barrier for the yield of a wheat-related grain crop. UNE’s research program on triticale (a hybrid cross between wheat and rye), led by Associate Professor Robin Jessop, had been working towards this goal for many years.

A research team led by Associate Professor Steve Walkden-Brown announced its development of a simple test for Marek’s disease (a disease of major concern to the international poultry industry). The test paves the way for “tactical” rather than “blanket” vaccination for the disease, which would save Australian poultry producers millions of dollars a year.

The results of an independent study published during the year showed that, among Australia’s 37 universities, UNE ranked 11th in “research per academic”. This ranking was based on PhD completions, publications, and government grants, with the size of each university’s academic staff being a factor in the calculation.

Many UNE academics won honours and awards during the year. Just one example was the award of the Ernest Scott Prize for 2005 to Professor Alan Atkinson from the School of Classics, History and Religion. The Ernest Scott Prize, awarded by the University of Melbourne, is the most important prize in Australia and New Zealand for a newly published work of history. Professor Atkinson won it for the second volume of his three-volume history “The Europeans in Australia”.

One of the stories that achieved national and international media coverage concerned the results of experiments in UNE’s Centre for Neuroscience and Animal Behaviour showing that domestic chickens use the Earth’s magnetic field to help them find their way around. Another was the development by researchers in UNE’s Institute for Rural Futures (in collaboration with Telstra) of a remote-controlled system that would allow farmers to control and monitor aspects of livestock movement and maintenance on their properties from virtually anywhere in the world.

In September the President of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW, the Honourable Justice Keith Mason A.C., officially opened the Sir Frank Kitto Moot Court in the Faculty of Economics, Business and Law. The well-equipped, modern courtroom for the training of student lawyers could be used, if required, for actual court proceedings and arbitration cases.

In late November the University learnt that it had been granted $2.2 million from the Federal Government’s new Learning and Teaching Performance Fund in recognition of its achievements in teaching and learning. UNE was one of only two regional universities in Australia to be honoured in this way. At around the same time the University received a separate Federal Government grant (from the Strategic Information Infrastructure Fund) of $2.5 million to develop a wireless network infrastructure. The grant will allow continued development of UNE’s information and communications technology infrastructure, and support innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

UNE joined the Armidale community in its involvement in annual events such as the Autumn Festival and Wool Expo, and extended its expertise into the community with the presentation of numerous public lectures. One highlight of UNE’s community involvement in 2005 was its key role (with Armidale Dumaresq Council) in staging the inaugural Armidale German Festival in March.

Finally, in mid-December, the Armidale and UNE communities combined, at a cocktail party held on the lawns of Booloominbah, in wishing Professor Ingrid Moses a fond farewell at the end of her eight-and-a-half years as Vice-Chancellor of UNE. The Deputy Chancellor, Mr James Harris, said Professor Moses’ “passion for education” had enabled UNE to become one of Australia’s “premier places of teaching and learning”. Professor Moses retires early in January, and will become Chancellor of the University of Canberra.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at December 23, 2005 01:09 PM