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Centenary lecture on Einstein's epoch-making insight

July 29, 2005

einstein-s.gifThe University of New England is celebrating the Einstein International Year of Physics with a public lecture on the origin and meaning of Einstein’s famous formula linking energy and matter.

Dr Elisabetta Barberio, a physicist from the University of Melbourne, will present the lecture at UNE on Wednesday 17 August. She will focus on the publication, just 100 years ago, of Einstein’s paper containing the formula E=mc^2.

Referring to it as “the most famous formula in physics”, she will talk about its implications for physicists during the past 100 years and into the future. “The formula links energy and matter,” she says, “and arises from the fundamental idea that the laws of physics are ultimately egalitarian: the same for everybody. Today, high-energy physicists routinely convert energy into matter and vice versa as allowed by Einstein’s formula.”

One of those physicists is Dr Barberio herself; she collaborates internationally in experimental work on particle physics, and was the organiser of the session on high-energy physics at the conference “Australian Frontiers of Science, 2005” convened earlier this year by the Australian Academy of Science.

The free lecture, sponsored by UNE and the Australian Institute of Physics, will be in UNE’s Biological Sciences Lecture Theatre at 6.30 pm. Wine and cheese will be provided afterwards, when people will be able to ask more questions and talk.

This celebratory event will take place during National Science Week. Earlier that day, UNE will stage its annual “Science in the Bush”, when high-school students from throughout the New England region spend a day of scientific adventure in laboratories around the campus. A talk to the students by Dr Barberio will be included in this year’s “Science in the Bush” program.


Media contact: Dr Sarah Pearson, Physics and Electronics, UNE (02) 6773 2061 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 11:38 AM

UNE economic historian heads International Commission

July 28, 2005

Henning.thumb.jpg
A distinguished economic historian from The University of New England, Graydon Henning, has been elected President of the International Commission for Maritime History.

Mr Henning, who is only the second Australian to be honoured with this role in the Commission’s 30-year history, is a specialist in the history of Australia’s maritime industries and coastal shipping.

His election took place at a conference of the Commission’s umbrella body, the International Congress of Historical Sciences (CISH), in Sydney earlier this month. The conference was the first time that CISH had met outside Europe since its formation in 1898.

Elected for a five-year term, Mr Henning is joined on the Executive of the Commission by three Vice-Presidents (one each from the United States, Canada and Finland). He himself served a five-year term as a Vice-President (after being a member of the Executive Council for five years) before being elected President.

Mr Henning, who taught Economic History at UNE for 30 years, now devotes himself to research as an Honorary Fellow of the University. He is a Founding Member (and Honorary Life Member) of the Australian Association for Maritime History, and edited the Association’s journal "The Great Circle" for 11 years. "The Great Circle" is the only scholarly journal on maritime history published in English in the Southern Hemisphere.

He pointed out that Australia has relatively few academic researchers in the field of maritime history. “This is an anomaly because, as a nation, we’ve been very dependent on seaborne traffic for a long time,” he said. “Maritime history in Australia has nothing like the number of scholars who have interested themselves in railways.”

His own passion for maritime history began when a general interest in transport led him, as a post-graduate student, to the shipping treasures of the University of Melbourne Archives and then the Noel Butlin Archives at the Australian National University. This was after his discovery that “apparently everyone else in Australia interested in transport was working on railways”.

One of the projects he will be working on during his term as President of the International Commission for Maritime History is a study of 19th-century deserters from the Royal Navy base on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. In another of his projects he is investigating Australia’s system of maritime apprenticeships up to the time of World War I. And he and his colleagues will have much to interest them in contemporary developments such as the rise of container shipping and the ageing of mercantile fleets.


Media contact: Graydon Henning, School of Economics, UNE (02) 6773 2702 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 11:02 AM

Year 12 students get down to Business at UNE

July 27, 2005

EBLStudy.thumb.JPGMore than 200 Year 12 students are a step closer to Higher School Certificate success after taking part in the annual HSC study day at The University of New England’s Faculty of Economics, Business and Law.

The students came to UNE from schools in Armidale, Tamworth, Guyra, Gunnedah, Glen Innes, Inverell and Tenterfield for the full-day program last Friday [22 July].

Sessions throughout the day focused on aspects of the HSC curricula for Business Studies, Economics, and Legal Studies. UNE academics conducted the sessions on Economics and Legal Studies.

An innovation in this year’s study day was the presence of a prominent authority on the Business Studies curriculum, Stephen Chapman. Mr Chapman, who travelled to UNE from Goulburn to conduct most of the sessions on Business Studies, is an HSC marker and co-author of the textbook "Business Studies in Action" used by many students. He has worked as an advisory consultant for government bodies, is a regular presenter at schools’ in-service and professional development days, and has won awards for teaching excellence and pedagogical writing as well as a Commonwealth Parliamentary Teaching Scholarship.

Professor Patrick Hutchinson, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty, said Mr Chapman had been invited to take part in the study day as part of the University’s service to regional schools. “We want to give students in the region access to experiences that metropolitan students often take for granted,” he said.

Professor Hutchinson said the study day had provided the students with “an opportunity not only to revise for their exams but also to see what a university campus is like”. “The Faculty hopes that the experience will help students in the region to appreciate the advantages of studying at UNE when making their choice of university,” he said.

The photograph displayed here shows Stephen Chapman at the study day with three students from Duval High School, Armidale. They are (from left) Tara Gates, Mitchell McCallum and Oliver Finch.


Media contact: Professor Patrick Hutchinson, Faculty of Economics, Business and Law, UNE (02) 6773 3902 or Judy McDonald, Faculty of Economics, Business and Law, UNE (02) 6773 3964.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 02:36 PM

Public lecture examines tsunami aftermath

July 26, 2005

TsunamiPic (2).jpgA first-hand account of how Indonesia is rebuilding itself following the
devastating Boxing Day tsunami will be given by a high-profile UNESCO
executive at a lecture at The University of New England.

Professor Stephen Hill is Director of the Jakarta-based Office of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). He has been invited by Associate Professor Peter Ninnes, Director of UNE's Centre for Research on Education in Context (CREC), to deliver his public talk, "The Day the Ocean Moved: the Story of the Tsunami Disaster in Indonesia", on Monday, August 1 at UNE.

CREC members have invited Professor Hill to UNE because of their growing research interest in education in the Asia-Pacific region, and especially in post-conflict and post-disaster settings.

Based in Indonesia's Aceh province, Professor Hill is leading projects on education, human trauma response, environmental damage and recovery, rebuilding communications and media networks and capacity, and building Indonesia’s (and the region's) disaster preparedness and warning systems.

Professor Hill witnessed the destruction of the Boxing Day tsunami first-hand, and is now working with other UN agencies and the Indonesian Government on relief and recovery actions.

In his lecture, Professor Hill will talk about how the underwater earthquake that set the tsunami in motion led to one of the world's most horrific natural disasters. "Aceh, the province of Indonesia adjacent to the underwater earthquake that set the tsunami in motion, was hit just 15 minutes later by walls of water that reached 35 metres in height just south of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, obliterating entire populations and towns with the tsunami's incredible power," he said. "This was not merely a large wave. The whole ocean moved and invaded the land at the speed of a jet plane.

"There was more. The earthquake that spawned the tsunami was the precursor of a cascade of earthquakes that have subsequently progressed down the island chain west of Sumatra, delivering a devastating 8.7 magnitude earthquake three months later to the islands of Nias and Simeulue and many smaller quakes through the whole region, and threatening a future tsunami generated west of the near-one-million-inhabitant city of Padang."

Six months on, the focus of danger has shifted but the recovery program in Aceh, while moving forward, still leaves many Indonesians deeply traumatised and without basic housing.

In his talk (at 3 pm on 1 August in Room 111 in UNE’s Education Building) Professor Hill will describe what is happening now in Aceh and how the residents are trying to rebuild their everyday lives. For more information on the lecture, phone CREC on 6773 3087 or 6773 4228.


Media contact: Associate Professor Peter Ninnes on (02) 6773 3087 or Lydia Roberts (Public Relations Manager, UNE) on 6773 2779.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 12:17 PM

Workshop offers wider markets to businesses

July 25, 2005

AlisonSheridan.thumb.JPGPeople who own and manage a small business will be able to improve their promotion of the business in the media after attending an Armidale workshop next week.

Titled "Public Relations Strategies to Help You Shine in the Media", the free workshop is being funded by the Department of State and Regional Development in cooperation with the New England Business School (NEBS) at The University of New England, UNE Partnerships, and Connect. It will be at Armidale TAFE College on Tuesday 2 August, running from 6 pm to 9.30 pm.

The Deputy Head of NEBS, Associate Professor Alison Sheridan (pictured here), said the award-winning public relations consultant Sue Currie would conduct the workshop.

Dr Sheridan said the workshop was integral to the commitment of NEBS to organise training for local business people that was relevant to their regional location. "For example," she said, "last year NEBS and UNE Partnerships ran a series of intensive and highly successful business development courses for women from throughout New England and the north-west of NSW."

She emphasised that next week's workshop would be for all business people: men as well as women.

"Business people are always telling us that they need to expand their market," she explained. "To do this, especially in a regional location, they often need some initial assistance. This workshop will give them skills that will enable them to elevate their business into another arena."

Sue Currie, a former ABC Television publicist and Prime Television newsreader, is the Director of Shine Communications Consultancy.

Light refreshments will be provided during the workshop. For more information, and to make a booking, ring Wendy Berkley on (02) 6771 2881 or e-mail: wberkley@bigpond.com.


Media contact: Sally Lade, New England Business School, UNE, on (02) 6773 3908, or Sue Currie, Shine Communications Consultancy, on (02) 9555 6952 or 0417 068 599.



Posted by Jim Scanlan at 02:24 PM

UNE beefs up links with Korea

July 22, 2005

thompson-pic.JPGStudies into consumer attitudes to beef has helped a meat scientist from The University of New England secure an international award.
Professor John Thompson, from UNE’s School of Rural Science and Agriculture, received an engraved plate and golden key as part of the Korea’s Award for Distinguished Overseas Scientists.
Only two such awards are bestowed each year.
“I am truly honoured to receive this ward, which comes after many fruitful years of collaborative research between Australia and Korea,” Professor Thompson said at a ceremony to mark the occasion on Thursday, July 21.
He was presented with his award by Dr Sung-Jong Oh, Dr Hong-Ki Moon and Mr Seung Hwan Lee, Senior Science Administrators from the National Livestock Research Institute, which administers the award.

Professor John M Thompson was given the award of Honorary Scientist by Dr Sung-Jung OH National livestock Research Inst Rural Developement Administration for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of agricultural research and developement
They are visiting Australia as part of a collaborative research project on Korean and Australian cattle genetics with the newly-formed CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies.
Relationships between UNE and Korea date to the mid-1990s, when research projects were initially established to investigate beef and ways of boosting its quality.
In 2002, Professor Thompson carried out research between Australian and Korea beef eaters to assess palatability of the meat and discovered Koreans were “harsher judgers” of beef quality.
Future projects involve examining critical control points in beef production and looking at the genetic make-up of beef and how to quantify this.
Professor Thompson is a distinguished international beef scientist who has worked extensively in developing beef and sheep grading schemes which guarantee the tenderness of meat to the consumer.
These have given Australia a distinct advantage in ensuring the consumer receives meat that eats as described.
He has also pioneered key studies of consumer attitudes to beef products in Australia and Korea, working closely with that country’s International Technical Cooperation Centre.
Dr Heather Burrow, Chief Executive Officer of the CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies also presented the three Korean visitors with Australian gifts at Thursday’s ceremony.
Pictured with Professor Thompson are Ms Burrow, Professor JM Thompson, Dr Sung-Jung OH lopement and Dr Hong-Kil Moon. For more information phone Professor Thompson on 6773 2228 or
Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 10:03 AM

UNE strengthens ties with Thai health

July 21, 2005

Thai Crown PrincessTwo academics from the University of New England have visited Thailand to see how Thais are dealing with a problem that has plagued Australia for years: a shortage of doctors in rural areas.

The trip follows a visit to UNE last year by 14 senior Thai health officials to discuss how rural medical education in Thailand is staving a haemorrhage of doctors and health workers from rural areas to the city. Doctors educated in rural areas, stay in rural areas, the Thai experience has shown.

The UNE academics that visited Thailand were David Briggs, Coordinator of the Health Management program for the School of Health at UNE and Adjunct Professor John Fraser, Director of the Rural Health Training Unit of New England Health. They were accompanied by Dr Prawit Taytiwat, a PhD candidate at UNE and an instigator of last year’s visit.

During their one-week stay in Thailand they went to Phitsanulok province in the north of the country to discuss rural medical education with academics from Naresuan University and officials from the Thai Health Ministry. They were able to find plenty of common ground with their Thai counterparts.

“They face many of the same challenges we do in getting more medical staff into rural areas,” Mr Briggs said. “What they’ve done is gone one step further by introducing rural medical education programs. They’ve found the best way to retain medical staff in rural areas is by educating them in rural institutions. That’s one step ahead of what we do in Australia, which is to educate medical professionals in city-based universities and then send them out on rural placements. We’ve learned quite a bit from them in that respect.”

Mr Briggs and Professor Fraser also visited a number of provincial hospitals and gave a press conference with the Permanent Secretary of the Thai Ministry of Public Health. A highlight of the visit was an audience with the Thai Crown Princess, Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (the princess is a patron of Naresuan University). At a ceremony attended by Buddhist monks and senior officials the UNE delegates presented the princess with an inscribed copy of A Spirit of True Learning: The Jubilee History of the University of New England on behalf of UNE.

While in Thailand the two academics discussed a variety of ways UNE and Naresuan University could collaborate to improve health management training for medical professionals in Thailand and Australia. Among the proposals were cooperative research projects, staff and student exchanges and sending rural Thai doctors to UNE on study tours, to give them a firsthand look at medical administration and practice in Australia. The first such tour is planned for later this year.

Mr Briggs said he was “extremely impressed” with the calibre of Thai health professionals. “I had been to Thailand about a decade ago to look at their health system, and I must say they’ve progressed a lot since then. I came away with a fair bit of respect for the way they do things. The system of rural medical education over there is something Australia should be looking at replicating if we’re serious about retaining medical professionals in rural areas.”

A photo is available to accompany this story. Contact Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on 6773 3771 for more information.

Posted by Leon Braun at 10:02 AM

People want farmland protected, survey reveals

July 20, 2005

WalmsleyGibson.thum.JPGPeople living in the Northern Rivers region of NSW are overwhelmingly supportive of proposed measures to protect prime farmland from suburban development.

The size of the majority in favour of such measures surprised researchers, who reported their findings today at The University of New England during this week’s Annual Conference of the Institute of Australian Geographers.

Dr Chris Gibson, a Senior Lecturer from the University of NSW, led the team that carried out the survey (developed in conjunction with the NSW Departments of Primary Industries and Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources) in Ballina, Byron and Tweed Shires.

“The Government Departments plan to map the quality of agricultural land in the region, and then grade land accordingly,” Dr Gibson told the conference. “They are hoping to use that map to protect prime farmland in the course of urban planning, and want to know how people in the community would feel about such measures.”

“Even though the issues are controversial, about 85 per cent of people who responded to the survey were in favour of protection measures,” he reported. “Overall, residents supported the role of farming in the region, acknowledged its place in the identity and heritage of the area, and supported policy initiatives designed to prevent the best farmland being lost to urban development. This contrasted somewhat with our expected findings, which were that the community would be divided over whether protection measures were appropriate for farmland.” (Dr Gibson is pictured here, at right, with UNE's Professor Jim Walmsley, the convener of this year's Institute of Australian Geographers Annual Conference.)

There has been rapid population growth within the region, particularly in the hills around Byron Bay and along the Tweed coast between Cudgen and Pottsville. Dr Gibson explained that much of this residential development had been on what was once prime agricultural land. An important factor in this development had been the subdivision of land by farmers who had been negatively affected by the deregulation of the dairy industry and who wanted to secure a retirement income, he said.

“Different groups of people responding to the survey had different reasons for wanting to preserve farmland,” he continued. “Those living in country areas themselves gave practical reasons such as ‘job creation’ and ‘productive use of the land’, while those living in suburban areas or so-called ‘boutique villages’ put more emphasis on the aesthetic value of a rural landscape.

“People are moving to these areas because they want to feel more in touch with the essential things of life, such as the food they eat. For example, they like to go to farmers’ markets and buy produce from the people who actually grew it. The Northern Rivers region of NSW, perhaps more strongly than anywhere else in Australia, is turning back to such traditional aspects of rural life.”

The 34th Annual Conference of the Institute of Australian Geographers will continue at UNE until Friday 22 July.


Media contact: Dr Chris Gibson on 0438 233 166 or Jim Scanlan, UNE Public Relations, on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 10:35 AM

Hold the doggy-bag and chill the water, dog scientist recommends

July 19, 2005

thumb_Brown Wendy 0002.jpgHere’s a conversation-starter for the water-cooler; dogs like it cold, according to latest research from The University of New England.
Water, the fountain of life, is not only preferred cold by humans but by dogs as well, says Mrs Wendy Brown, a Research Fellow at UNE.
Her findings hotly follow other research showing dogs fed a vegetarian diet fare just as well as those fed meat and rice.
“We as humans have a preference for cold water, so why shouldn’t dogs?” Asked Mrs Brown, who presented her findings at an international animal nutrition conference held at UNE last week.
More than 100 delegates from Australia and abroad attended the 18th biennial meeting, entitled “Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition in Australia”, with 25 specialists presenting papers.
Mrs Brown, a self-confessed dog-lover, said she was initially approached by a pet food company to investigate how dogs prefer water.
“Research has tended to concentrate on food for dogs, but no research had been carried out on their drinking habits,” she said.
So, along with her honours student, Ms Christine Sydenham, she set up a two-week experiment on 11 dogs of mixed breeds.
The “guinea pigs” were offered three drinks of water daily for 15 minutes for each dog, with water temperature being offered at 15C, 25C and 35C.
“Preferences were tested for 13 days, enabling dogs’ drinking water temperature preferences to be recorded over a range of room and outdoor temperatures,” Mrs Brown said.

Indeed, it was found dogs did prefer the colder water, irrespective of outdoor temperatures.
But wait, there’s more, for Mrs Brown also wanted to find out whether dogs performed better on vegetarian or meat diets.
For this experiment, she traveled to Singleton where she recruited 12 sled-racing Siberian Huskies, six dogs and six bitches, ranging in age from two to seven years.
“Surprisingly, sled-racing has quite a following in Australia,” Mrs Brown said.
She said she wanted to test her theory – that dogs performed just as well on a properly balanced meat-free diet than on a diet based on meat.
The Huskies entered regular sled-races across Australia, pulling a wheeled-sled over dirt.
This experiment lasted for 16 weeks and followed the dogs through pre-race training, competitive training and four weeks of recovery.
Sure enough, the dogs fed on soya bean and non-meat protein fared just as well as those fed on meat.
Admitting her own dogs are fed “leftover diets from feeding trials”, Mrs Brown is now turning her research skills to novel sources of proteins for dog diets, including feeding them protein from leaves.
For more information phone Mrs Wendy Brown on 6773 5125 or
Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779


Posted by Lydia Roberts at 01:07 PM

Tiny tots “designed” for tiny diets

July 18, 2005

sirpatrick.jpgThe defensive armour of fleas may provide a clue as to why some people are more prone to heart disease, an international scientist will tell guests at The University of New England on Wednesday (July 20).
Professor Sir Patrick Bateson is Professor of Ethology at Cambridge University. He will give a talk at UNE on studies showing a decisive link between babies’ low birth rate and heart disease.
“Studies proposing a link between low birth weight and heart disease have been confirmed repeatedly when the people concerned have been living in newly affluent environments,” Sir Patrick said.
One interpretation of this observation is, those born with a low birth weight may be better suited to low levels of nutrition. Indeed, they may be disadvantaged in a high-nutrition society and so, because they are not born to eat as much or varied nutrients, have a higher incidence of developing heart disease.
“If an individual is induced early in life to develop in a particular way, what can be done to reverse this developmental trajectory for a [human] adapted to an environment that no longer exists?”
Sir Patrick said living things “inherited” features that helped their parents or grandparents to survive.
He used as an example the defensive armour water fleas developed after their mothers were exposed to predators, or the migratory habits of desert locusts when previous generations were exposed to high population densities.
“Not all cases should be treated in the same way, but those that are relevant to human health suggest a ‘phenotype’ adapted to one environment might be maladapted to another environment inhabited by species from time to time,” Sir Patrick said.
“The public health implications are obvious if the hypothesis is correct.”
Sir Patrick will be the guest of UNE’s Centre for Neuroscience and Animal Behaviour.
Professor of Ethology at Cambridge, Sir Patrick’s main research is in the development of behaviour.
He has been a Director of the sub-department of Animal Behaviour and Head of the Department of Zoology at Cambridge.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1983 and was knighted for his services to science in 2003.
His talk begins at 1pm in the McClymont Lecture theatre. The public is welcome to attend.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 03:50 PM

Sowing the seeds to maintain native flora

July 15, 2005

plantpic.jpgWays of preserving native plants while using land for public use will be discussed at a special workshop at The University of New England next week.
About 100 delegates are expected to attend the two-day workshop, organised by the Australian Network for Plant Conservation (ANPC). A total of 13 presenters -- mainly from regional Catchment Management Areas from the Border, Gwydir, Namoi and Northern Rivers region -- will look at balancing development of the land with preserving native plants.
Project manager of the workshop, Ms Sally Stephens, said landholders, environmental land care groups and travelling stock reservists would all benefit from the workshop.
“Essentially, the workshop, including field visits, will focus on the knowledge and skills required to undertake ecological rehabilitation and management of disturbed native vegetation, for example, managing roadside vegetation or rehabilitating a site for its conservation and ecosystem values,” Ms Stephens said.
“We have drawn together vegetation management experts from Armidale and the region to present at the workshop and encourage the exchange of skills and knowledge derived from practical experience and research.
Local expert Ruth Tremont will be presenting local case studies on woodland rehabilitation. Ms Tremont has more than 15 years’ experience working with the community to restore disturbed native vegetation in agricultural landscapes and will be sharing the findings of her recently-completed study, “Does remnant fencing work? An evaluation of outcomes of fencing areas of native vegetation on the NSW northern Tablelands”.

Mr Andy Spate, from Optimal Karst Management, will present a talk on returning a pine plantation to a natural woodland ecosystem, while Mr Stuart Johnston from TransGrid will talk about vegetation degradation and how to assess it.
Said Ms Stephens: “Themes to be covered in the workshops include legislation, ecological principles, applying the principles and understanding the task.
“Participants will expand their skills and knowledge, challenge preconceptions, exchange ideas and expertise, work with experts and broaden networks.
ANPC offers guidance to communities working on plant conservation. While there are about 22,000 described species of native plants remaining in Australia, the nation has lost more than 60 species of Australian plants since 1770 while a further 1,100 are under threat. Main threats to native vegetation include large-scale clearing and cultivation of land, grazing, industrial and urban development and weed competition.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 12:05 PM

Geographers hone skills on home work

July 14, 2005

thumb_walmsley jim .jpgPink ceilings and lime green walls, rural festivals and mosque development … these are just some of the topics to be discussed when geographers gather for a national conference at The University of New England next week.
Professor Jim Walmsley, convenor of the annual Institute of Australian Geographers conference, said geography has “come a long way” from the days when practitioners studied maps and plotted contour lines.
“It is a very exciting subject, looking at the real world and how that affects the lives of everyone,” Professor Walmsley, from UNE’s School of Human and Environmental Studies, said.
More than 100 people are expected to attend the conference, which starts on Monday, July 18, with more than 90 academics from across Australia presenting an array of papers on subjects including:
* Geographies of home
* Changing rural communities
* Geopolitics
* Leisure and tourism

On Monday, Dr Robyn Dowling, an Urban and Cultural Geographer at Macquarie University, will present a paper entitled: “Pink Ceilings and Lime Green Walls: Style and Comfort in Sydney Homes”.

Said Dr Dowling: “I will be considering the ways issues of taste, family and comfort intersect.
“Family homes are created and maintained through networks, social relations and materialities of style. The connections and disjunctures between style and family are complex and I will be talking about this.”
Her paper is just one under the general topic of geographies at home, which includes papers on public housing tenants, neighbourhood wellbeing and supportive family homes for gay and bisexual residents.
Professor Walmsley said one of the most interesting sessions will be on Rural Festivals and how rural towns have reinvented themselves as cultural centres to survive problems such as drought, falling commodity prices and a declining population.
“Many people are opting for a tree change and towns such as Bellingen [on the mid North Coast of NSW] are attracting these people by becoming cultural centres and holding rural festivals,” Professor Walmsley said.
He noted how Tamworth has bloomed as a rural centre, in part due to its annual Country Music festival.
“Geography is really the study of how people interact with the environment around them and this involves everything from climate change through to the role of government and business in planning and policy,” Professor Walmsley said.
For more information phone Professor Walmsley on 67732863 or
Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 12:25 PM

Academics help sheep settle into new pastures

July 13, 2005

Bahrain feedlot Mar 2005.jpg
An animal nutritionist from The University of New England will travel to the Middle East next month to help countries there in their efforts to maintain the welfare of sheep after their arrival from Australia.
Dr Darryl Savage, from UNE’s School of Rural Science and Agriculture, has already conducted a series of workshops on the nutrition and feeding management of newly-arrived sheep in Bahrain and Qatar.
"The workshops in Bahrain were so successful that we're extending the program to other countries that import Australian sheep," he said. These countries include Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman and Kuwait, with next month's workshops in Qatar being the next step.
"We in Australia (those in the sheep industry and members of the general public alike) need to have confidence that when we sell sheep abroad they will be managed well, even beyond our ownership," Dr Savage, pictured here at a feedlot in Bahrain, said.
"Our colleagues in the Middle East have a strong desire to improve their systems, and are very receptive to our involvement. We have a good working relationship with them, and that's going to be the key to our success."
Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) is funding the project (which started at the beginning of this year) and invited UNE's involvement.
Dr Savage is working with Dr Nigel Brown, MLA's Manager of Livestock Services for the Middle East and Africa, and Mr Peter Dundon, an Honorary Research Associate at UNE who is employed by MLA on the project.
While Dr Savage focuses on aspects of feeding and nutrition in the welfare of the sheep, the MLA officers are working on improvements in infrastructure (such as facilities for unloading sheep) and stockmanship skills.

MLA's Dr Brown, in a talk he gave last month at UNE to a meeting of the New England Branch of the Australian Society of Animal Production, made the point that if Australia did not sell sheep to the Middle Eastern countries they would buy them from countries whose animal welfare standards were not as rigorous as Australia's.
"Australia is the preferred source of sheep in Middle Eastern countries," Dr Savage said.
"So that gives us an opportunity to work with them on welfare issues."
Dr Savage pointed out that all stock feed in these countries is imported, and supplies can be limited.
"The workshops will enable us, first of all, to gain an understanding of what feed products are available, and how they're being fed to the sheep," he said. "Then we can work together on possible improvements."
For more information phone Dr Darryl Savage on 6773 3623 or
Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 10:27 AM

Enterprising ideas help UNE students win accolades

July 12, 2005

thumb_Sife Group0022.JPGStudents from The University of New England have been recognised nationally for their projects promoting ‘Regional Connectivity’ between the University, students and businesses across New England.
The 15 students, pictured, who comprise UNE’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team presented their projects at the SIFE National Competition in Sydney over the weekend (July 8, 9 and 10).
It was the third time UNE students entered the competition, involving teams of students from 22 universities, who each had 30 minutes to present their various projects to a judging panel made up of senior executives from major Australian corporations.
A not-for-profit organisation, SIFE challenges university students from all disciplines to make a difference in their communities and develop their leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practising and teaching the principles of free enterprise.
UNE’s SIFE mentors, Airlie Bell and Rhonda Leece, said they were pleased with the efforts shown by UNE students.
“This year’s SIFE team from UNE presented three projects: the Armidale Markets Online, the Graduate Aware Project, and the Seed of Growth Project,” Ms Bell said.
“These three projects all promote the team’s aim of achieving ‘Regional Connectivity’ which is the ability to bring people, businesses and communities together to promote economic success and sustainability in the New England Region.”
Ms Bell said she was particularly pleased with the successful development and growth of the Armidale Markets Online project which is now in its third year. The project established a web site facility for stall holders at the monthly Armidale markets to promote their products on-line. In addition, the students provided extensive training for stall holders in IT and business skills, so that they can manage their own e-commerce operations.

Two new projects were established this year – a Graduate Aware Program to strengthen links between graduates and regional employers, and the Seed of Growth project which aims to assist primary producers by enabling them to share information and discuss problems with one another, and academics at UNE via interactive chat rooms on a dedicated web site. This project is still in the development stage, working with the Dept of State and Regional Development and the New England North West Consultative Committee.
The UNE team was among the smallest at the competition, held at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre, and were runners-up in their heat.
Ms Bell said she was thrilled with their success and said the students were already planning to enter the competition next year.
For more information phone Ms Airlie Bell on 6773 2897 or
Ms Rhonda Leece on 6773 4407 or Ms Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 11:29 AM

Feeding farm animals for human health

July 11, 2005

MinganThumb.jpgVegetarian diets for dogs, alternatives to antibiotics for chickens, and the nutrition of abalones in Australian aquaculture are just a few of the topics to be discussed during an international Animal Nutrition conference at The University of New England next week.
More than 100 delegates from Australia and abroad will attend the 18th biennial meeting in the UNE conference series "Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition in Australia". The conference will run from Monday 11 to Wednesday
13 July.
Twenty-five specialist nutritionists, including four invited speakers from overseas, will deliver papers on a diverse range of topics related to the nutrition of farm animals and pets.
Dr Nigel Scollan (UK), Dr Roger Campbell (USA) and Dr Frank Dunshea
(Australia) will be presenting papers on "functional foods": animal products that can, through nutritional management of the animals, be enhanced with special components thought to have specific health benefits for human consumers. (Fresh forage diets for cattle, for example, enhance the concentrations in meat and milk of specific fatty acids that can protect people against cancer.)

UNE's Emeritus Professor Ron Leng will be returning to the campus to warn conference delegates about problems looming for agriculture in countries around the world as global oil reserves decline.
Dr John Lew (USA) will be talking about recent research on mineral requirements in horses, and other topics will include the effects of pre-slaughter nutrition on meat-keeping qualities, and dietary supplements for cattle in northern Australia.
The coordinator of the conference, Professor Mingan Choct, said that "Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition in Australia" was the only international Animal Nutrition conference in the world covering nutrition in the full range of farm, pet, and native animals.
Professor Choct, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Poultry Cooperative Research Centre based at UNE, added: "Testimony to the high degree of interest in the conference by nutritional consultants and commercial feed suppliers is the acknowledgement of 14 major financial sponsors in the Proceedings (printed or on CD) that will be given to delegates at the beginning of the three-day meeting."
Media contact: Professor Mingan Choct, Australian Poultry CRC, UNE (02) 6773
5121 or Lydia Roberts, Public Relations Manager, UNE (02) 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 12:56 PM

Award for accurate eye on Dutch wetlands

July 08, 2005

thumb_Kumar Lalit.jpgDr Lalit Kumar's pioneering work for the Government of The Netherlands on new technology for mapping coastal vegetation has won him an international award.
Dr Kumar is the Director of the Centre for Spatial Sciences at The University of New England. He jointly led a three-year project that has resulted in the adoption by The Netherlands of highly accurate remote-sensing technology to replace aerial photography in the vital monitoring of Holland's coastal wetlands.
Together with his research team in The Netherlands (which included his PhD student Karin Schmidt), he published a paper on the successful project in the leading journal Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (June 2004). The paper won an award, earlier this year, for "an outstanding paper of practical or applied value to the mapping science profession," presented to him and each of his co-authors by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, the world's largest and most highly-regarded society in its field. The project, funded by the Dutch Government, extended through the three years (1998-2002) that Dr Kumar worked at the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation in The Netherlands.
He explained that the remote-sensing technology his research had enabled the Dutch Government to adopt involved "hyperspectral imagery": a narrow-bandwidth analysis of the visual environment that can, for example, distinguish between adjacent plants of similar appearance but different species. "It's a method that's not only accurate, but quick, easy, and repeatable," he said. "Its rapid transfer to practical application was one of the factors that earned us the award."
Dr Kumar moved to Australia in 2002 to take up a position as Senior Lecturer in UNE's School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management.
Since then, he has helped the University attain a prominent position in the teaching of advanced mapping techniques and the use of those techniques in research. For example, his successful application to the Australian Research Council for a grant of $232,000 has resulted in the recent arrival at UNE of an instrument that will allow him to do work similar to his award-winning research in The Netherlands.


"This places UNE at the forefront of hyperspectral research," he said. "To begin with, it will enable us to enhance projects already under way: mapping Clarence River saltmarshes (in collaboration with the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources) and tracking the spread of lantana in a National Park (in collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Service)."
Media contact: Dr Lalit Kumar, School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, UNE (02) 6773 5239 or Lydia Roberts, Public Relations Manager, UNE (02) 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 09:48 AM

Singing star presents tonight's Indigenous Memorial lecture

July 07, 2005

cheetham.jpgSoprano, actor and author Deborah Cheetham will deliver this year’s Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture at Armidale Town Hall tonight.
Organised by The University of New England, the lecture honours the memory of revered Aboriginal community member Frank Archibald and has been held annually since 1986.
Ms Cheetham will talk about “Losing my Religion” at the lecture, which is open to the public and starts at 7.30pm.
Ms Cheetham achieved her ambition -- to take opera to a wider audience -- in 2000,when she performed at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games and again in 2003, when she sang the Australian and Argentine anthems with tenor Jose Cura at the opening of the Rugby World Cup.
A niece of renowned Aboriginal singer Jimmy Little, Ms Cheetham hails from Yorta Yorta country in southern NSW. She was taken from her mother as an infant and was reared with a white Baptist family in Sydney.
Music has been a part of her life from a young age; after graduating from the NSW Conservatorium of Music, Ms Cheetham studied at the Julliard School in New York.
She made her international debut in 1997 and has performed in theatres and concert halls in France, the UK, Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand.
She also wrote and performed her own play, “White Baptist ABBA Fan”.
Frank Archibald was renowned for his knowledge and interest in all issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly education.
To honour his memory, the Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture was established for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander speakers who are leading professionals in fields such as education, law, social justice and government.

Previous speakers include Aden Ridgeway, Australia’s only Indigenous Senator in the federal upper house, Magistrate Dr Pat O’Shane and the late Charles Perkins, the first Aboriginal person to become a permanent head of a federal government department.
Supper will be provided at the conclusion of the lecture.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 10:30 AM

NERAM spreads an Italian table

July 06, 2005

LeoniLally.thumb.jpgA truly “delectable” exhibition is on its way to the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) in Armidale.

Titled “Fifty Years of Italian Cuisine”, the exhibition features images and documents that illustrate life in Italy, from the mid-20th century to the present day, from the perspective of culinary art and culture.

NERAM and the Italian Section at The University of New England have cooperated in bringing this travelling exhibition to Armidale. It will be on show at NERAM from Saturday 9 to Tuesday 12 July. Professor Michael Macklin, Dean of UNE’s Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, will officially open the exhibition in a ceremony to begin at 10.30 am on the 9th (with light refreshments to follow). “Fifty Years of Italian Cuisine” has been brought to Australia under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy, the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, the Italian Institute of Culture, and the Italian Trade Commission.

“This exhibition will give people of the New England region an insight into the development of a cuisine that has had, in its turn, a major impact on the development of Australian cuisine over the past 50 years,” said Dr Franko Leoni, Convener of Italian at UNE. (Dr Leoni is pictured here with the Director of NERAM, Dr Janice Lally.)

The exhibition includes images of Italian farm produce and its harvesting, as well as of classic Italian dishes. The structure of the exhibition, however, is based on images such as those used in advertising, in magazines, in restaurant guides, and on the covers of cookbooks, that reflect the history of Italy through its food: from a country suffering the privations of war and its aftermath in the 1940s through the changing fashions and preoccupations of more prosperous decades to the present day. Images from Italian cinema and television illustrate the evolution of food-related culture as portrayed in those media.

“One reason for the ready acceptance of Italian cuisine in other countries is its simplicity,” Dr Leoni explained. “It is essentially a cuisine derived from the kitchens of poor people working with a limited range of ingredients. The genius of Italian cooking lies in what they have managed to do with those ingredients.”

“Fifty Years of Italian Cuisine” charts the activities of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, since its foundation in 1953, in protecting the rich heritage of Italian food.


Media contact: Dr Franko Leoni, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, UNE, on 0403 293 048, or Helen at NERAM on (02) 6772 5255.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 10:24 AM

UNE’s gut reaction to pioneering research

July 05, 2005

Gut micro 013 (2).jpgUsing diets to modify gut microbes instead of antibiotics to keep livestock healthy is just some of the research being conducted at a special Gut Laboratory just opened at The University of New England.
International scientists Dr Paul Iji and Dr Lene Mikkelsen have been recruited to head the laboratory and a team of five PhD and two MSc students.
Australia’s pioneering Gut Microbiology Laboratory is dedicated to one of science’s fastest-growing research areas, how microbes affect food use in poultry.
Pictured is Professor Peter Flood, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development) opening the new laboratory.
Nigerian Dr Iji, a Senior Lecturer in Animal Science at UNE, said scientists had previously believed there was little difference between microbes found in non-ruminant animals’ guts and that they had no specific benefit.
“Now, however, we know there are basic differences in microbes found in guts and one must have ‘good’ microbes in their gut to keep healthy,” Dr Iji said.
Microbes are also being seen as a natural alternative to antibiotics put into the feed of poultry to keep them healthy, Dr Iji said.
“Some of the work being carried out in the laboratory is on plant supplements, which may be a preferred alternative to antibiotics in poultry feed,” Dr Iji said.
The laboratory is also looking at how yeast extract and some plant extracts can stimulate the growth of ‘good’ microbes, which then “eat up” bad microbes, especially in poultry and pigs.

Bad microbes, according to Dr Iji, included Clostridia, which mainly affect chickens but which can occasionally infect humans. These, however, can be overcome by developing good microbes, such as Lactobacilli which are naturally found in animals’ guts.
“This laboratory and its work will prove extremely helpful to industry and institutions that may need such services,” Dr Iji said.
The laboratory, which is behind UNE’s McClymont Building, has already developed research links with Adelaide, Queensland and Melbourne Universities, which along with UNE, are members of the Poultry CRC.
Dr Iji came to UNE about five months ago. He taught at Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria for 12 years while studying for his postgraduate qualifications. After graduating from Adelaide in 1998, Dr Iji worked in South Africa, first as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Universities of Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal) and Pretoria, then as Senior Lecturer at the Technikon Free State (now Central University of Technology), and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
“My research interests centre on the nutrition and digestive physiology of farm animals,” Dr Iji said.
Dr Lene Mikkelsen, a Research Fellow working closely with Dr Iji, arrived at Armidale nearly a year ago from Denmark. She was previously a Researcher at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences. Some of the techniques Dr Mikkelsen uses at the new lab include anaerobic microbiology, which is also useful to studies on cattle and sheep. She also uses PCR and16S rRNA gene sequencing to confirm the identity of microbes. The contamination of food and other products can also be analysed through use of non-selective and selective cultivation techniques.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 12:00 PM

VSU Inquiry seeks submission from UNE and community

July 04, 2005

thumb_Sport UNE Worsell room jpg.jpg
A delegation of citizens led by Professor Ingrid Moses, Vice-Chancellor of The University of New England, will address a Senate Inquiry into the effects of the abolition of Voluntary Student Unionism when it convenes in Armidale next Tuesday (July 5).
Representatives from the local community and the four UNE student organisations are expected to appear at the inquiry, which will be held in the Worsell Room (pictured) at Sport UNE.
The inquiry was set up in May to find out how the abolition of up-front Student fees would affect student services and the related local and regional consequences.
UNE is the only regional university the inquiry will visit on a nationwide fact-finding tour. All of the UNE student organisations have tabled written submissions to the Inquiry.
Mr Steve Griffith, Executive Director of Sport UNE, said staff cuts and a deterioration of student support, sporting and community services would follow if the bill was enacted in its current form.
The Federal Government has indicated its preference to make student union fees voluntary. Currently all internal students at UNE pay a compulsory General Service Fee to the UNE of $185 per semester or roughly half this amount for external students. This fee goes towards maintaining infrastructure, such as sporting facilities, which are used by students and the local community alike.
“If the legislation is enacted in its current form, Sport UNE’s full-time staff of 14 would be halved and up to 30 casual staff may be retrenched,” Mr Griffith said in his written submission to the Inquiry.
Other negative impacts of the legislation include:
* Dramatic fall in the amount of capital investment in non-teaching infrastructure
* Run-down of existing sporting, fitness and physical recreation facilities
* Reduction of a number of student support, welfare and academic services which would not be viable under a “user-pays” system
* Health care services such as dental care and child care facilities to face closure
* Reduced choice and higher cost of entertainment, food and retail services on campus
* Reduced employment, particularly casual employment for students with the flow on economic impact on the region

Mr Griffith said an alternative to the fee’s abolition would be the establishment of an amenities fee that would be charged by the institution for student support, cultural, welfare and sporting purposes.
Funds raised from this fee would not be able to be spent on any political activity.
He said Sport UNE had circulated a petition against Voluntary Student Unionism which drew support from 1,300 signatures.
“In a related survey by Sport UNE, “only 19 students indicated they supported the Government’s VSU legislation while 638 students expressed concern that services would be lost and those provided would be more expensive as a consequence of VSU legislation,” Mr Griffith said.
Four senators are expected to travel to Armidale for next Tuesday’s Inquiry. They are Senators Judith Troeth (chair), George Campbell, Mitch Fifield and Natasha Stott Despoja.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779 or
Steve Griffith on 6773 2783.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 10:22 AM

UNE students embrace traditional Chinese art form

July 01, 2005

Calligraphy.thumb.JPGA unique course in Chinese calligraphy at The University of New England is reaching out to students and art-lovers in Armidale, Australia, and the world.

Now in its second year, the one-semester course uses modern communications technology in teaching this traditional Chinese art by distance education.

An exhibition of the students’ work at UNE provides an eloquent testament to the success of the course, which is coordinated by a lecturer in Chinese at the University, Dr Cuncun Wu. The exhibition, titled “Flying Brush, Dancing Ink 2005”, is still on show in Room 102 of UNE’s Arts Building, ending today (Friday 1 July) at 4 pm.

The Director of the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), Dr Janice Lally, in officially opening the exhibition last Friday, commended Dr Wu for enabling a diverse range of students to gain practical experience of this important Chinese art form. (The photograph displayed here shows Dr Lally, right, Dr Wu, and calligraphy student Aaron Moore, with Aaron's work in the background.) All of the 20 students enrolled in the course this year submitted works for the exhibition. While some of them are on-campus students, others are from as far afield as Cairns in Australia and Hong Kong abroad. The exhibits themselves range from works on paper to ceramic utensils and seashells inscribed with Chinese characters. “It’s a credit to the students that we are enjoying this exhibition,” Dr Lally said.

Dr Wu uses the Internet to keep in touch with the distance-education students, requiring them to mail her examples of their work about once a fortnight. Dr Wu and her colleague Isabel Tasker, who also lectures in Chinese, have created a DVD that enables the students the study the techniques involved in great detail.

One of the distance-education students, Ann Somerville-Charles from Sydney, said that she had developed her skill by practising every day and attending the two residential schools that are part of the course. “I’m proud of my work,” she said, standing in front of her exhibit: a Chinese character etched onto copper. She, like many of the students, has no working knowledge of the Chinese language, approaching calligraphy as an artist rather than as a linguist. (In her UNE Arts degree she is focusing particularly on music education.)

Dr Wu, a talented calligrapher herself, confirmed that anyone with an interest in Chinese culture, whether or not they knew any Chinese, could enrol in the unit. “Calligraphy combines art and written language,” she said. “As well as opening a window on to the world of East Asian culture, practising calligraphy inspires some of the students to go on to study the language itself.” (Mandarin is also offered by distance education at UNE.)

Dr Lally mentioned the use of calligraphy as a meditative discipline, and the thought was echoed in one of the works: the writing of a Chinese couplet referring to the “inner tranquillity” required by the successful calligrapher.


Media contact: Dr Cuncun Wu, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, UNE (02) 6773 3580, Isabel Tasker, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, UNE (02) 6773 3504, or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 10:04 AM