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Tough words on making meat tender

November 30, 2004

Thompson John.jpgWays in which an animal can grow muscle and whether this results in a tough or tender piece of steak will be examined on Wednesday, (December 1) when a Professor from the University of New England delivers his inaugural lecture.
"Beef producers are always striving to produce more meat from their animals," Professor John Thompson (pictured) said on the eve of his lecture at Armidale Town Hall.
"How the animal goes about creating this extra muscle in the carcass can impact on the tenderness of the meat and the efficiency of turning grass into muscle."

Examples of different systems which will be examined by Professor Thompson are the extra muscle which is produced by using Hormonal Growth Promotants (HGPs), or Braham cattle, both of which will produce tougher steaks.
Said Professor Thompson: "This is largely because HGP-treated or Brahman animals achieve the extra muscle by slowing protein turnover in the live animal. This in turn impacts on the rate of tenderisation of meat after slaughter and results in a tough steak."
But the mechanism is not the same in all muscles, so only those muscles which have a faster protein turnover in the live animal will produce tougher steaks when treated with HGPs or produced from Brahman carcasses compared to muscles which have a low rate of protein turnover which will show no effect of these treatments.
Other systems that will be discussed include growth rate, where faster growing animals can either improve eating tenderness, or in some situations have no effect on tenderness of the beef.
Professor Thompson has worked extensively in the development of beef and sheep grading schemes which guarantee the tenderness of meat to the consumer. These systems have given Australia a unique advantage in making sure the consumer gets meat that eats as described.
"If we understand the mechanisms by which the extra muscle is produced this will help in developing pre- or post slaughter treatments which may help to overcome the problem" Professor Thompson said.
Professor John Thompson's Inaugural Lecture, The Influence of On-Farm Practices on the Eating Quality of Beef, starts at 7.330pm. It is free and open to the public.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779 or Professor Thompson on 6773 2228 or (0417) 277 167.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 10:33 AM

Historic boardroom suite relocated to UNE

November 26, 2004

furniture.jpgAn historic suite of table and chairs commemorating Australia's 150th Anniversary has been relocated to the University of New England.
At the instigation of Professor Ingrid Moses, Vice-Chancellor of UNE, the suite of chairs, table and sideboard was given to the University on a long-term loan by the Director of the Art Gallery of NSW, Mr Edmund Capon.
"I met Edmund Capon at a dinner and he told me about the furniture and that he did not need it any longer," Professor Moses said. "I thought Booloominbah would make a most appropriate home for it."
Its presence has special significance to Armidale, since the chairs of the suite were commissioned by Howard Hinton, whose collection of artwork adorns the walls of the university and is stored at the New England Regional Art Gallery (NERAM).

The suite's table and sideboard date to 1815 and are made of mahogany imported from Honduras.
In 1938, Hinton commissioned artist and fellow Art Gallery board member B J Waterhouse to design 13 chairs to match the table.
He designed a President's chair (in which is carved an unusual coat-of-arms), two Vice-Presidents' chairs and 13 armchairs.
To build the chairs, Waterhouse approached Sydney's leading cabinetmaker of the time -- Captain Francis De Groot, who six years earlier slashed the ribbon at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The completed suite was presented to the Art Gallery of NSW's board of trustees on December 8th, 1938, to be used in the gallery's boardroom.
It had been in store at the Art Gallery for many years before being resurrected by Mr Capon, who returned the suite to the boardroom.
"The gallery's boardroom has become another exhibiting space, and I am delighted Hinton's suite is on loan to such an appropriate 'home'," Mr Capon said.
Professor Moses decided to place the suite in the Dining Room at Booloominbah, where she hopes it will be used for meetings and for dinners and lunches.
"This is a great contribution to our historic building and I am grateful to Mr Capon for lending the suite to the University," Professor Moses said.
The unusual coat-of-arms on the back of the President's chair features a kangaroo, British lion and a single sword on a red shield.
On the back of the chair is inscribed: "To commemorate Australia's 150th Anniversary, 1788-1938, Howard Hinton, trustee, presented to the Art Gallery of NSW, chairs, table and side table, December 8th, 1938."
Minutes taken of a committee meeting of the Trustees of the then National Art Gallery of NSW in 1938 show Hinton's gift was unanimously accepted by other board members.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 05:24 PM

Armidale to get international golf tournament

November 25, 2004

ThumbGerman Consul General.jpgAn International Golf Tournament sponsored by BMW will be held in Armidale next year to kick-off a German Festival, the Consul-General said during his visit to the University of New England today (Thursday, November 25).
Dr Günter Gruber, German Consul-General for NSW and Queensland, is visiting Armidale to promote business, cultural and sporting links between the two countries.
Part of his brief is to help organise a German Festival in Armidale which could be the "prototype" for similar events across Australia. The week-long Festival, planned for March 12-19 next year, will start with a golf tournament. The tournament will bring together top golfing players and tee-off will be at the Armidale Golf links on Saturday, March 12. The official opening will be on Sunday at NERAM with a reception co-hosted by the Consul General, Armidale City Council and NERAM.

There will be a week of activities both in town involving local businesses as well as at the university. Well known director Barbara Albury will stage the drama Woyzeck. Other highlights of the Festival include a poetry reading in Armidale Mall and lectures by UNE academics, Professor John Moses on Germans in Australia during World War I and World War II and Dr. Janice Wilton on Germans in the New England region. There will be other cultural, educational and sporting activities - something for everyone.
The German Festival Week will conclude with a soccer tournament, followed by beer and umpah music. Running throughout the week will be an exhibition of German cars, a poster competition for school students and an exhibition of German products. On of the highlights of the soccer day will be the drawing of a raffle with a major sponsored prize.
Since accepting his post in Sydney in July this year, Dr Gruber has already travelled to Armidale twice and hopes to visit again before the German Festival in March.
Dr Gruber is working on the Festival together with Dr Kerry Dunne, a Senior Lecturer in German at UNE and her colleagues, Associate Professor Herman Beyersdorf, Dr Linda Hess-Liechti and Dr Andrea Schalley.
"Dr Gruber came to UNE last August to attend the opening of our International Film Festival," Dr Dunne said.
"He was impressed by our enthusiasm and thought Armidale would be a good place to start a festival which would spark a series of other events in Australian cities such as Newcastle, Wollongong and Brisbane."
She said the events would build interest in Australia for German goods and culture in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup being held in Germany in 2006.
Meanwhile, Dr Gruber was particularly interested to speak with local business people, including Armidale Dumaresq Chamber of Commerce, and to discover other existing links with German industry. "Also, Germany is the third largest economic power in the world, specifically, we have a world-class technology industry. We need to promote this since many people think about China, India and the US, but not necessarily Germany."
He met with Professor David Brunckhorst, from UNE's Institute of Rural Futures, to discuss links between German business and research projects at UNE.
On a lighter note, Dr Gruber is also interested in local wineries that specialise in producing German-inspired wines.
Said Dr Gruber: "A lot of people tend to view Germans as austere and serious, whereas we love having fun".
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779 or Dr Kerry Dunne on 6773 2335.


Posted by Lydia Roberts at 04:42 PM

Older people must "fight" for acceptance: academic

November 24, 2004

miniacello thumb.jpgAgeism is the new sexism, a gerontologist from the University of New England will tell a conference on ageing on Friday.
As generations of women have successfully fought for equal rights, so older people must fight for legislation which encourages healthy ageing and sees ageism as an offence.
Professor Victor Minichiello (pictured) will be addressing ways older people, governments and the media can combat ageism in his keynote address at the Aged and Community Services Association of NSW & ACT at the Quality Hotel Powerhouse, Tamworth on Friday.
"Ageism without a doubt is one of the major challenges of the 21st century and an important issue for responsible government," Professor Minichiello said on the eve of the conference.
"The passion to bring about this change must come from older persons themselves becoming political activists. With this change will come significant liberation and opportunities for them."

Professor Minichiello's soon-to-be-released book, Contemporary Issues in Gerontology: Promoting Positive Ageing, (Allen and Unwin and Routledge) backs up his assertion with papers from academics around the world.
He begins by telling how successive generations have viewed older people with disdain, from Greek philosophers such as Euripides describing growing old as "that irresistible foe" through to the 21st century, where anti-ageing creams are frequently advertised and a women's magazine (Marie Clare) even featuring an anti-ageing guide.
Yet, most older people live independently, not in nursing homes, and hold the greatest net worth of assets of any age group.
"Greater numbers of older people are dating and remarrying in their 60s and 70s with the expectation that they will enjoy a full life," Professor Minichiello said.
"Governments, older people themselves, the media and industries need to adopt new ways of thinking about later life in society."
He urged governments to continue reforming ageist laws, focus health programs on healthy ageing, support town policies and architectural designs that are user-friendly to older people and develop retirement programs that allow older people to be productive members of the labour force.
In his book, Professor Minichiello cited policies from a number of countries in support of a "positive ageing" agenda which allows older people to "age in place" as being a good way of keeping older people independent and relevant within society.
For more information phone Professor Minichiello on 6773 3862 or
Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 01:07 PM

UNE reaches to Hong Kong for graduate ceremony

November 23, 2004

Strong links forged between the University of New England and students from around the world have been confirmed, with 155 external students receiving their degrees at a graduation ceremony in Hong Kong.
About 700 guests attended the graduation, held at the Miramar Hotel in Hong Kong on Monday, November 15.
In all 172 students from Hong Kong graduated in their chosen fields from UNE's Faculties of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) and Education, Health and Professional Studies (FEHPS).
Present at the ceremony were colleagues from UNE's various partner institutions, including The Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Shue Yan College and the University of Hong Kong.
UNE has more than 15,000 external students from around the world, with many of these now coming from China.

At the ceremony, graduate Yiu Man Kit was awarded a University medal and
moved a vote of thanks on behalf of the newly graduated UNE students
in Hong Kong.
He spoke fondly about his experience as a UNE distance education offshore student.
Mr John SL Ng, the government security officer of the Hong Kong Government, delivered the Occasional Address around the theme of "considerate" and "persistence" in his native language.
Among those who graduated were:

* Three graduates in Master of Advanced Leadership
* Master of Counselling (24)
* Master of Education Administration (9)
* Master of Health Management (10)
* Master of Health Sciences (Ger/Graduate Diploma Ger (21)
* BA (Hons) (40)
* Bachelor of Advanced Leadership (39)
* Bachelor of Professional Studies (26)

Said Professor Minichiello, Dean of FEHPS: "The University has trained some of the country's most skilled educators and health professionals using a wide range of flexible forms of open learning.
"We are widely recognised in Australia and overseas for our strong academic reputation in teacher education, nursing, health management, adult learning, administration, higher education and a range of specialisations in professional studies."
He said graduations happening overseas were particularly rewarding and congratulated his teaching colleagues in offshore programs in Hong Kong and the School of Professional Development and Leadership and the School of Health.
For more information phone Professor Minichiello on 6773 3862 or
Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 03:19 PM

Award for high achiever in two worlds

November 22, 2004

thumb Ian Anderson 002.jpgDr Ian Anderson, who has combined an outstanding professional career with leadership roles in the international development organisation Oxfam, has received the University of New England's Distinguished Alumni Award for 2004.
Dr Anderson, pictured, who was Chair of the Board of Oxfam International from 1999 to 2003, graduated from UNE in 1996 with a Master of Letters degree in Peace Studies, and in October this year with a PhD. UNE's Vice-Chancellor,
Professor Ingrid Moses, will present him with the award on Wednesday night (24th November) at a celebratory dinner for UNE alumni and friends at the Windsor Hotel in Melbourne. "Ian has undoubtedly displayed personal qualities of
vision, leadership and outstanding dedication in his professional life and
in his service to the global community," Professor Moses said.

Dr Anderson's involvement with Oxfam (initially with its Australian
affiliate, Community Aid Abroad) began in the early 1970s in his native
Melbourne. In 1981 he moved to Hong Kong, where his Oxfam involvement
continued at the same time as he pursued his accounting career (holding
senior management positions in international tax practice and investment
banking). He served as Founding Chair of Oxfam Hong Kong from 1987 to 1997,
Vice-Chair from 1997 to 2000, and a Council member from 2000 to 2003. In
1995 he was a founding Board member of Oxfam International, through which
Oxfam's global equity, human development and humanitarian relief programs,
strategies, policies and advocacy are coordinated. He served as that
organisation's Treasurer before his election as its Chair.
"I'm honoured and surprised by the award," Dr Anderson said. "I feel an
enormous sense of privilege to have had the opportunity to be involved in
Oxfam Hong Kong from its beginnings, and in the formation of Oxfam
International, and to have held leadership positions in both those
organisations at critical times. Part of that privilege was, thanks to the
patience and understanding of my colleagues, being able to do this in
conjunction with a full-time professional career."
His PhD research focused on the impact of Oxfam International's advocacy
activities on the poverty reduction policies of the World Bank. "I found
that NGO advocacy, when it picks the right issues, is well researched, and
carried out with full commitment, really does have the capacity to exert
significant influence on global decision makers," he said. In the course of
his research, representing UNE as both an alumnus and a postgraduate
student, he conducted interviews with the President of the World Bank, the
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, the present Prime Minister of Canada, and
other high-ranking politicians, journalists, and officials from around the
world. Professor Moses said that UNE was "proud to have had such a
distinguished person represent it, as he worked towards the reduction of
global poverty both through his outstanding voluntary service and through
his empirical research while a UNE student".
Since returning to Australia in 2000, Dr Anderson has resumed his engagement
with Oxfam Community Aid Abroad. He was appointed to its Board in 2003 and
elected as Treasurer in 2004. Since 2002 he has been Founding Chair of
Australians for Just Refugee Programs Inc. and its "A Just Australia"
campaign.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 12:46 PM

Triticale: field day points to abundant future

November 18, 2004

thumb.Jessop.jpgFarmers, agronomists and agricultural consultants from throughout the Northern Tablelands saw evidence today that triticale (a hybrid cross between wheat and rye) could yield up to 10 tonnes of grain per hectare.

They were attending a Triticale Field Day at the University of New England’s Laureldale Research Station, where experimental crops of triticale were on display.

UNE’s Associate Professor Robin Jessop (pictured here, centre), the agronomist who leads the University’s triticale research program, said that the average wheat yield in Australia was two tonnes per hectare, but that the “hybrid vigour” of triticale allowed much higher yields. “Our aim is to design an agronomic package that will allow an optimum yield of 10 tonnes per hectare,” Dr Jessop said.

He pointed out that triticale thrived in “somewhat adverse conditions”, such as the cool Northern Tablelands climate, and that it was available in forage, grain, and dual-purpose varieties. “The market for triticale has opened up,” he said, “particularly for its use by dairy farmers as both grain and forage.”

As well as the specific benefits of triticale, the field day focused on the threat of rust disease to grain growers generally. Dr Jessop was one of the scientists who identified, in 1978, Australia’s first outbreak of stripe rust, a disease that went on to affect a large proportion of Australia’s wheat crop. He talked today about a new variety of stripe rust that arrived in Western Australia in 2002 and then spread to the eastern States. He said the New England climate provided ideal conditions for this disease, which thrived in Europe.

He emphasised the need for vigilance, as “mutations of stripe rust occur regularly, with the result that resistant varieties of cereal crops start to be attacked”. The 35 participants in the field day had a chance to examine rust-affected plants, enabling them to identify the disease if ever they should encounter it.

Returning to triticale, Dr Jessop said he was optimistic about its future on the Northern Tablelands. The real potential here was likely to be in dual-purpose varieties, he said, and UNE would soon be releasing several more of these. It would also be releasing new grain-only varieties with higher levels of resistance to stripe rust. “As long as markets continue to open, and we can minimise the threat of disease, the crop will continue to grow,” he said.


Media contact: Associate Professor Robin Jessop, School of Rural Science and Agriculture, UNE (02) 6773 2502 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.
Photographs are available. Please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:57 PM

Rural crime: UNE to coordinate global research

November 17, 2004

thumb Barclay Donnermyer.jpgCrime in rural communities, a cause of increasing concern in many countries, is to be the focus of a new international research centre at the University of New England.

The Centre for Rural Crime, Safety and Security, announced last week, will be at the hub of a global network including researchers at The Ohio State University in the United States and the University of Plymouth in the UK. The Centre will be located within UNE’s Institute for Rural Futures (IRF).

Professor Joseph Donnermeyer from The Ohio State University, an international expert on rural crime, visited UNE last week as the new Centre’s International Research Coordinator. “IRF is one of the few institutions in the world focusing on rural crime, and is leading the way,” Professor Donnermeyer said. “To have a single centre bringing researchers together from around the world is a great advance.”

The Director of the new Centre is Dr Elaine Barclay (pictured here with Professor Donnermeyer), an IRF researcher who, over the past six years, has developed and led the Institute’s program of research on rural crime, safety and security, working in collaboration with Professor Pat Jobes of the Australian Institute of Criminology (formerly of UNE), and Professor Donnermeyer. A research report by Dr Barclay was among the evidence that led the NSW Attorney General’s Department to appoint 32 new rural crime investigators around the State.

“Rural crime is an emerging field of criminology,” Dr Barclay explained. “The Centre will provide research on policing and the criminal justice system in rural areas, crime prevention, agricultural and environmental crime, ethnicity and crime, and the growing fear of crime among many rural people. It will explore the various social factors that impact upon crime and safety in rural communities.”

As well as Australian and international researchers, the Centre’s network will incorporate a wide range of professionals such as rural police, representatives of farming organisations, and representatives of State and Federal Government agencies for agriculture, justice, emergency services, health and welfare. “The inclusion of these practitioners will ensure the relevance and practicality of the Centre’s research outcomes,” Dr Barclay said.

Mr Brendan Doyle, the Acting Director of IRF, said the establishment of the Centre had been “a vision of Dr Barclay’s”. “It’s important for this research to be based in rural Australia rather than in a big city,” he said, “and so the Centre’s location at UNE in northern NSW, and within that University’s Institute for Rural Futures, is ideal.”

Professor Donnermeyer said he was returning to the United States to a meeting of the American Society of Criminology, and was sure that many of the delegates to that meeting would be keen to become involved with the new Centre.

Media contact: Dr Elaine Barclay, Institute for Rural Futures, UNE (02) 6773 5141 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.
A photograph of Dr Elaine Barclay and Professor Joseph Donnermeyer is available. Please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:10 PM

Award for man who linked UNE to the world

November 16, 2004

TruswellAward.thumb.jpgIan Truswell’s resourcefulness has been a significant factor in the successful adoption of new audio-visual technology at the University of New England over the past 30 years.

Now the Manager of UNELink, the University’s videoconferencing unit, Mr Truswell has received the 2004 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Service.

Mr Truswell started work at UNE in 1972 as a Technical Officer in the Rural Science laboratories, and after two years moved to the fledgling Audio-Visual Unit. Since then he has played a leading role in the acquisition and deployment of audio-visual resources at UNE, culminating in the establishment of UNELink in 2003.

Along the way he installed the University’s sound-recording studios in their former as well as their current location. In the early days of his UNE career, he recalled, such assignments were a matter of “buying the parts and building it yourself”. Now that this “do-it-yourself” approach has been largely superseded, he can turn his resourcefulness to solving problems and exploiting opportunities related to UNE’s regional location. (“It’s not like a capital city, where everything’s laid on at your fingertips,” he explained.) Because of the expertise he has developed in this way, his colleagues at other universities often ask for his advice.

The Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Ingrid Moses (pictured here, left, with Mr Truswell and Dr Robyn Smyth of UNE's Teaching and Learning Centre), referred to this in the citation she read at the presentation ceremony. “Ian is regularly sought out by colleagues in the tertiary sector, beyond UNE, for advice about technical, administrative and management issues associated with videoconferencing,” Professor Moses said. “He was instrumental in setting up a collegial network for videoconferencing managers working in tertiary institutions to support each other in their work, in problem-solving and with advice.”

2004 has been a big year for UNELink, with the opening of seven UNE Access Centres throughout north-west NSW, all with broadband telecommunications links to the Armidale campus and to each other. “In preparation for the opening of the seven UNE Access Centres this year,” Professor Moses said, “Ian made himself available day and night to assist with the testing of equipment across multiple sites. His cooperation and dedication ensured the successful and smooth running of each opening.”

Professor Moses paid tribute to Mr Truswell’s “reliable, efficient and knowledgeable” service to the University over many years. She continued: “Ian’s commitment to service in the university sector is mirrored by his commitment to service in the community at large, as he is a long-term member of Lions International. He has been active as a member and an office-bearer, and his level of service was recognised by one of the organisation’s supreme service awards.”

Mr Truswell said he felt privileged to have been involved in the development of videoconferencing at UNE, a development that had brought this university in northern NSW “much, much closer to other universities around the world”. As an example, he said, he was setting up a broadband Internet connection to the United States that very night so that UNE’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), Professor David Rich, could address an international conference on educational technology in San Antonio, Texas.

Media contact: Ian Truswell, UNELink, UNE (02) 6773 3703 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049. A photograph is available; please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 12:11 PM

Academic’s warning on trying to defeat terrorism

November 15, 2004

Fighting terrorism with terrorism has never worked, history suggests, and it is failing in Iraq, where the “coalition of the willing” confront insurgency on a massive scale.
That’s the finding of Professor Howard Brasted, who will deliver his inaugural lecture, Reflections on History Today and the Appearance of a New World Disorder on Monday, November 22 at Armidale Town Hall.
Professor Brasted, Director of the Asia Centre at the University of New England, helped introduce Islamic Studies to UNE in 1991. In his lecture, Professor Brasted will initially reflect on the state of the discipline of history and how it has changed.

“Historians are keen to broaden the scope of historical study and non-historians – mainly scientists and postmodernists have begun to question its fundamental basis,” Professor Brasted said on the eve of his lecture.
Over the past 30 years, “Old” history -- or the history largely of the elites – has been overtaken by the “New” history, the “history from below” which focuses on all those groups who had previously been left out. These include women, the working classes and Muslims.
In the second part of his lecture, Professor Brasted will discuss contemporary Islam and Muslim Asia, a field he has been researching since 1991. He will talk about the failure of the New World Order, as proclaimed by George Bush Snr in 1991, to materialise and its likely replacement by a “New World Disorder” in the wake of 9/11.
“Rather than the dawn of international peace and harmony, we are confronted by the current ‘war against terrorism’, which looks unlikely to effect a new peace,” Professor Brasted said.
He will end his lecture by suggesting many of the underlying reasons for this turn of events are to be found in the past and are best explained historically.
The lecture starts at 7.30pm and is free to the public. Refreshments will be served afterwards.
For more information phone Professor Brasted on 6773 2067 or
Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 03:45 PM

Magpies: secrets of a complex society revealed

November 11, 2004

The author of a new book on Australian magpies has gone further than anyone before her in understanding the “language” of these intelligent birds.

Gisela Kaplan’s research has overturned some long-held assumptions about magpie songs and calls, and has enabled her to enter the “magpie world”: a world of complex social interaction and communication. Her book, Australian Magpie: Biology and Behaviour of an Unusual Songbird (CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 2004), is the result of 10 years’ immersion in that world.

There she found a social structure resembling that of the great apes, with a “vertical” dimension of dominant/subordinate individuals as well as a “horizontal” dimension of rivalry and cooperation. “Such social complexity requires a corresponding complexity in communication,” said Professor Kaplan, who lectures in Biological Sciences and Education at the University of New England.

Australian Magpie is the first comprehensive book ever published on this iconic Australian songster. It covers everything from the anatomy and evolution of magpies (tracing their history back to the origin of the songbirds in the great southern continent of Gondwanaland) to their relationships with people. These relationships involve the real bonds of affection and communication that can develop between magpies and their human neighbours, and the complex cognitive processes that underlie magpies’ selection of human intruders as targets for “swooping”.

Thousands of hours of patient observation have given Professor Kaplan the insights that she shares with the reader of her book. “Did you know, for example, that they only start mating when they’re five years old?” she asked. “And that only a small proportion of magpies reproduce, while the others act as helpers?”

The book contains new information on magpie anatomy, physiology, development, health, social life and communication. Her groundbreaking work on vocal communication has revealed that alarm calls can refer to specific sources of danger, that individual magpies may have a specific “signature” that they append to song syllables, that carolling can serve a range of purposes (including different songs for different stages of seeking and finding a source of food), and that males and females have largely separate repertoires (the female repertoire being the larger).

Songbirds, like humans but unlike most other mammals, have to learn their vocal communication sounds. Professor Kaplan’s work comes at a time when neuroscientists are using the bird brain (and particularly its “song centres”, which undergo seasonal changes) as a model for the possibility of neural regeneration in the human brain.

Gisela Kaplan is the author of many books and scientific papers on animal behaviour, including (in collaboration with her UNE colleague Professor Lesley Rogers) Birds: Their Habits and Skills (Allen & Unwin, 2001). Earlier this year she received an Australian Award for Excellence in Publishing for her children’s book Famous Australian Birds (Allen & Unwin, 2003).


Media contact: Professor Gisela Kaplan on (02) 6775 3113 or Jim Scanlan (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3049.
For a photograph of Professor Kaplan, please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:39 PM

New tool helps wetland rehabilitation

November 10, 2004

A tool aimed at helping local communities decide which wetlands should be saved will be launched later this month by scientists from the University of New England.
Specifically, the computer-based tool will help wetland management agencies to analyse wetlands in the Clarence River catchment.
These include important wetlands such as the Everlasting Swamp, Shark Creek and the Broadwater coastal wetlands, all in the Grafton and Maclean areas.
“Wetlands are under threat throughout the world,” explained Dr Paul Frazier, a Senior Lecturer in UNE’s School of Natural Resources and Management.
“Increasing populations are placing ever-increasing pressure on these ecological hot-spots.
“The North Coast of NSW is one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions and this project targets wetlands in the Clarence River catchment.”

Last year, the research team from UNE received a $40,000 grant from the Northern River CMA through the National Heritage Trust to conduct a pilot study into the region’s wetlands and to assess their condition and plot any changes.
“Communities living near these wetlands are looking at prioritising certain wetlands for rehabilitation,” Dr Frazier said.
“This tool, based on a Geographic Information Systems (GIS), will allow those communities to make an objective decision based on all information available.”
He said current decisions on wetlands made by Government agencies and local communities were being made with fundamental knowledge gaps. UNE researchers are seeking to fill these knowledge gaps with ongoing collaboration with the Northern Rivers CMA..
“High-spatial and hyperspectral satellite imagery were also used to develop cutting edge wetland mapping and monitoring procedures that will assist us to understand our wetland resources.”
On Monday, November 29, more than 40 people from the local area – including representatives from Northern Rivers CMA, NSW Fisheries, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Clarence River City Council and land holders – will attend a special workshop to launch the tool.
During the day they are expected to use the tool to make a catchment-wide assessment and to look at monitoring vegetation in Little Broadwater and Micalo Island, for example.
“Using this tool, the communities can then go away and decide which is the best wetland to rehabilitate and from there decide how to spend their money, planting trees, building levees or whatever.”
The team from UNE expects to extend its study on other wetlands and is aiming to attract more funding to look at solving some of the ecological problems surrounding these areas.


Posted by Lydia Roberts at 02:52 PM

New structure for UNE senior management

November 09, 2004

thumb David Rich 0002.jpgThe University of New England has restructured its senior executive to
reflect more clearly the University’s dynamic, forward-looking focus.
As part of this process, UNE has redefined the functions of its senior
managers. The new roles are in line with the University’s progress towards
its strategic objective of openness to change, to challenges, and to its
communities.
Professor Robin Pollard, who moved from Monash University at the beginning
of 2004 to become UNE’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), is now Pro
Vice-Chancellor (International and Entrepreneurial). He is responsible for
all international and partnership arrangements. “This includes managing
educational partnerships at foreign and domestic locations,” Professor
Pollard said, explaining that “many of the matters that arise in
international education also arise in domestic projects”.

Professor Peter Flood, the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), becomes Pro
Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development). He is now responsible not only
for research, but for community, industry and alumni relations, fundraising
and commercialisation. “Among other things, this change is in response to
the increasing significance of UNE’s income from its research innovations,”
Professor Flood said.
Mr Graeme Dennehy, the Executive Director, has responsibility for the
business units of the University and represents UNE on the boards of a
number of its controlled entities.
The latest addition to the team is Professor David Rich, (pictured) the new Pro
Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), who replaces Professor Randall
Albury, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic), who retired at the end of October.
Professor Rich, who began work at UNE last week, said the position’s new
focus on teaching and learning was in line with his “personal passion and
professional experience”.
He comes to UNE from Macquarie University in Sydney, where he has been
Director of the Centre for Flexible Learning (which uses technology to
support teaching and learning) ever since he established that Centre in
1997. “What’s motivated me for a long time has been the process of enhancing
teaching and learning,” Professor Rich said. “Technology is an important
aspect of that process, but my passion is broader. My vision has always been
to give students the best of what technology can offer and the best of
face-to-face teaching.”
“I’ve also been very keen to do what I could to enhance access to
education,” he continued, “and was impressed with UNE’s tradition of
distance education.” (He was Chair, until last year, of the Australasian
Council on Open, Distance and E-learning.) Other factors that had attracted
him to UNE, he said, were the University’s unparalleled
graduate-satisfaction rating and its active role within the regional
community. “My early academic research as a geographer was on regional
economic development,” he explained. “Hence my attraction to a University
that plays a significant role in the economic development and cultural life
of its region.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ingrid Moses, said Professor Rich was a most
welcome addition to a highly professional senior management team that, in
the University’s 50th year of autonomy, was continuing to adapt to external
challenges.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 04:07 PM

UNE lecturer delivers public talk on “Hobbit” finding

November 08, 2004

Mike Morwood.jpgA public lecture by Professor Mike Morwood on his discovery of a new species of human will be delivered at Armidale Town Hall on Thursday, 11th November at 5.30pm.
Last year, Professor Morwood and colleagues from the Indonesian Centre for Archaeology conducted an expedition to the remote island of Flores, in East Indonesia, where they unearthed a skeleton of a tiny woman, who died about 18,000 years ago. The find nicknamed ‘Hobbit’ is now the type specimen for a new human species, Homo floresiensis.

The discovery was made at Liang Bua, a large limestone cave on Flores, 600km east of Bali. It is remarkably recent in age: the nearest anatomical equivalents lived in the Republic of Georgia, West Asia, almost 2 million years ago, with some features of the find harking back to 3 million year-old human ancestors in Africa.
This year, the remains of other hobbit-size individuals have been found dating to between 95,000 and 13,00 years ago. Their existence in Southeast Asia almost up to the start of agriculture 10,000 years ago means they were contemporaries of modern humans. In fact, the two human species probably overlapped in time by tens of thousands of years.
The skeleton, described and published by UNE colleague and paleoanthropologist, Professor Peter Brown, has been hailed as one of the most important early hominin discoveries of the past 100 years.
“It is a new species of human who actually lived alongside us, yet were half our size,” Professor Morwood said. “They were the height of a three-year-old child, weighed around 25kg and had a brain smaller than most chimpanzees. Even so, they used fire, made sophisticated stone tools, and hunted Stegodon (a primitive type of elephant) and giant rats. We also believe that their ancestors may have reached the island using bamboo rafts. The clear implication is that, despite tiny brains, these little humans were intelligent and almost certainly had language.”
The discovery was the cover story of the authoritative British scientific journal Nature, which has reported the world’s most significant scientific discoveries since it was founded in 1869. Significantly, Nature also reported the discovery by Eugene Dubois 110 years ago of the 700,000-year-old Homo erectus “Java Man” fossils, which initiated the scientific study of human origins and evolution.
Since the time of Dubois, no new human species has been found in Southeast Asia. Now the Flores “Hobbit” is set to make her mark in our understanding of human evolution.
The illustrated lecture will describe Professor Morwood’s research in Flores over the last 8 years, which culminated in the discovery the new human species, and what the find means for the history of human evolution and dispersal. It will be introduced by Professor Iain Davidson, from UNE’s School of Human and Environmental Studies.
Since the discovery was made public, UNE has been deluged with inquiries about the find, which is currently the subject a major exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London - with a replica of the Hobbit’s skull as centrepiece
For more information, contact Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779 or 0438 234 152.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 12:15 PM

King of the bush caught napping

November 05, 2004

Fritz Geiser.jpg
The body temperature of local kookaburras plummets more than 9ºC on wintry nights to help them survive the cold, an academic from the University of New England and his co-workers have found. Professor Fritz Geiser, (pictured) Convenor of UNE’s Division of Zoology, will present these and other interesting findings on the hibernation and torpor habits of Australian mammals and birds at his Inaugural Lecture, to be held on Wednesday, 7:30pm November 10 at Armidale Town Hall.
Entitled Hibernation and Torpor in Australian Mammals and Birds: Physiological and Ecological Implications Professor Geiser will report that some Australian mammals can lower their body temperature to near 0ºC, reduce their metabolic rate to 1% of that in active individuals and that one species can survive for a year without eating while in hibernation. He also will tell how global warming has affected Australian hibernating mammals, in particular, the rare mountain pygmy-possum.

“This species is endangered by global warming,” Professor Geiser said.
“It lives in the Australian Alps, where snow cover lasts up to six months and the possum hibernates during this time. It shows a classic hibernation pattern, hibernating from autumn to spring and with a sequence of torpor bouts where body temperature is around 2 ºC, arousing out of this state every couple of weeks or so.”
Professor Geiser has also examined torpor of other Australian birds and mammals, and in his talk will cover especially those living in the New England region including local Echidnas, Feathertail gliders, Mice, Bats, Tawny Frogmouths and Noisy Miners.
“It is very likely these animals living in other parts of Australia can vary their body temperature and employ torpor as a survival strategy,” Professor Geiser said.
He remained sceptical, however, about research being conducted by European scientists on humans and hibernation.
Scientists in the Northern Hemisphere are working on a drug that will send humans into “hibernation” for long periods so they can travel in space, probably to Mars. Professor Geiser said the likelihood of that happening was some years away.
Closer to home, he said he was convinced torpor is used extensively by Australian animals to survive their habitat, particularly mammals and birds living in cool areas and small marsupials living in the Australian deserts.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 03:21 PM

UNE preserves a proud tradition

November 03, 2004

A unique venture in Armidale is keeping alive the city’s tradition of teaching and learning Latin.

While Latin has dropped out of the curriculum in Armidale schools within the past decade, students of Latin at the University of New England are providing extra-curricular classes for primary and secondary students.

Final-year undergraduates in UNE’s Faculty of Arts are teaching the classes, enabling them to develop the skills required to carry on the teaching tradition. UNE has been a centre of Latin literacy and scholarship ever since its foundation as a University College in the 1930s.

About 20 students from Armidale High School, The Armidale School, PLC Armidale, and Armidale City Public School attend the weekly classes either at UNE or at one of the schools. Dr Charles Tesoriero, who lectures in Latin at UNE, coordinates the classes. He said his feedback from parents had indicated that, while they were disappointed that Latin was not available in their school’s curriculum, they were grateful for the opportunity UNE was offering their children. “They want their children to be exposed to languages in general and ancient languages in particular,” he said.

Feedback from the parents of Timothy Williamson, who is in Year 5 at Armidale City Public School, is typical. “Timothy enjoys it,” his father Dugald said. “He finds it informal and fun, it keeps his interest, and he can see he’s making progress.”

The UNE students teaching the classes are Tom Atkinson and Leah O’Hearn. Tom, who is considering the possibility of teaching Latin after he graduates, said his aim was to give the school students “a grounding in a language that has traditionally been seen as important, but whose relevance is no longer generally recognised”. “I think everyone should have the opportunity to learn it,” he said.

Dr Tesoriero said he believed the program was unique in Australia in providing Latin tuition for students whose schools did not offer it.

He pointed out that there was a national shortage of Latin and Classical Greek teachers, “largely because there is no teacher training in these subjects anywhere in the country”. The program at UNE was “an alternative way” of developing these teaching skills in undergraduates, he said.

UNE is one of only three NSW universities teaching a full program in Latin and Classical Greek. (The others are the Universities of Sydney and Newcastle.) Dr Tesoriero said the numbers of undergraduates studying Latin at UNE were increasing, with about 20 internal and 40 external students this year. “The retention rate is also improving,” he said, “with more students following the Latin program through to an Honours year”.

“Latin exposes them to the foundations of Western culture and language,” he concluded.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 05:04 PM

UNE to provide education in organic agriculture

November 02, 2004

Organic.thumbnail.jpgThe University of New England is offering a new unit of study that will prepare people in rural industries for one of the most important developments of twenty-first-century farming: organic agriculture.

The unit, Organic Agriculture Principles and Practices, will be available for the first time next year. The coordinator of the course, Dr Paul Kristiansen (at right in photograph) from UNE’s School of Rural Science and Agriculture, said that while it was targeted at post-graduate students, the unit was “not just for those with training or a background in agriculture”.

“As concerns about the environment and personal health have increased in recent years,” Dr Kristiansen said, “more and more farmers and consumers have looked to organic agriculture as a means of producing healthy food sustainably. Organic agriculture can provide a number of benefits to society, such as pesticide-free food, less chemicals spreading beyond the farm or factory, rural and regional job creation, and opportunities for new industries including organic seedling production and pesticides made from native plants.”

“The unit consists of a special program of study tailored to meet the needs of individual students,” he continued. “Students will gain a thorough knowledge of organic agriculture in Australia and overseas, as well as skills and knowledge in specific aspects or organic production relevant to their interests.”

Topics to be covered in the unit may include the history, guiding principles and current status of organic agriculture in Australia and the world, the certification of organic products, and key principles and practices in soil management, plant production and animal production. Dr Kristiansen said it would also place organic agriculture in a broader context “by addressing important issues of environmental performance and socio-economics”.

He said the unit had been designed to allow students the maximum flexibility. “Students can take it in either first or second semester, and it is equally well suited to internal or external (distance education) study,” he explained. “It can be taken alone or as part of a post-graduate course such as the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Rural Science, or the Master of Agriculture or Master of Science in Agriculture.”

He pointed out that lecturers in Agriculture and Agribusiness at UNE had a wide range of direct experience within the organic agriculture industry. “Their fields of expertise include soil science, crop production, animal health, marketing, environmental management, and policy development,” he said.

For more information, Dr Kristiansen can be contacted on (02) 6773 2962 (e-mail: paul.kristiansen@une.edu.au).


Media contact: Dr Paul Kristiansen, School of Rural Science and Agriculture, UNE (02) 6773 2962 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.
A photograph is available. Please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:43 PM

National survey proves UNE academics among the best

November 01, 2004

Brian Dollery 0010.jpgTwo economists from the University of New England have been listed among the top in Australian universities by a national survey.
Professor Brian Dollery (pictured) and Associate Professor Mahinda Siriwardana were jointly ranked at 14th among 25 of their peers in the monthly journal, Economic Bulletin.
They are the only academics from a regional university listed in the survey, the first of its kind which is based on the total number of economics papers published between 1988 and 2000.
According to Professor Roley Piggott, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Business and Law, “publication in peer-reviewed journals is a traditional indicator of academic excellence.
“My guess is that about one-third of manuscripts submitted to professional journals in the economics discipline make it to publication. That two staff in our School of Economics have had such success will provide encouragement to others and it will assist us in attracting top students to the Faculty.”

Economic Bulletin is a national journal that draws on international research. In compiling their survey, authors Dipendra Sinha and Joseph Macri looked at research published over the years in 400 different journals, ranking their findings in two timeframes, 1988-2000 and 1995 to 2000, taking into account citations and reactions to the published papers.
Overwhelmingly, academics from Australia’s so-called Group of Eight universities scored highly in the survey, with UNE’s Professor Dollery and Associate Professor Siriwardana the only academics mentioned from a regional institution.
Associate Professor Siriwardana said he expected his research on trade liberalisation helped push his status in the survey.
“A lot of my research is in international trade,” Associate Professor Siriwardana said.
“It shows trade liberalisation is, generally, good, improving efficiencies and bringing lower prices to the consumer.
“I also looked at the Australian economy in the 1930s, when we were experiencing a Depression, and found the general assumption that import taxes are good for the economy did not always hold.”
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779 or Professor Roley Piggott on 6773 2990.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 03:57 PM