The Biofuels Initiative takes off

June 29, 2007

A team of 30 science and policy researchers from the University of New England and the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has won a $480,000 grant from the NSW Government to develop technologies for the production of biofuels.

The Climate Action Grant will fund research for two years. It is the first part of a larger "Biofuels Initiative" program developed through the Primary Industries Innovation Centre and led by UNE's Professor Paul Martin, Director of the Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law.

"The purpose of the Biofuels Initiative is to tackle both the physical science and the policy, environmental and economic aspects of biofuels," Professor Martin said. "This Climate Action Grant, which is concerned with the technical aspects of fuel from wood, represents the first step in that much larger initiative."

The grant is for a project titled "Developing lignocellulosic technologies for next generation biofuels in Australia". The technical team is led by Emeritus Professor Peter Rogers from the University of NSW (who is an Adjunct Professor with the Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law), with Dr Bob Martin leading the DPI team.

Lignocelluosic alcohol production involves the conversion of plant biomass rather than sugars. It allows the production of fuel from timber and timber waste, woody weeds, stalks, waste material, and possibly even from garden waste. "This will be the next big story for biofuels," Professor Martin said. "At the moment attention is focused on using feed-grade grains, and that’s why we're seeing concerns emerging about the impact upon livestock production and, potentially, on the cost of human food. Lignocelluosics is the only ethanol production strategy that has a fair chance of not causing high cost to grain-dependent industries; so, strategically, it is the main game in biofuels."

Professor Martin, who is also on the Premier’s ethanol taskforce, said the researchers would be drawn from the DPI and a wide range of disciplines within UNE, and would eventually involve collaborators from Pennsylvania State University in the United States.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 05:11 PM

Country students gain HSC insights from city-based educators

June 28, 2007

Three prominent educators in Economics, Business and Law travelled from Sydney to the University of New England this week to enlighten and encourage about 300 secondary-school students from around northern NSW who are preparing for Higher School Certificate examinations in those subjects.

They were all taking part in an HSC study day that is organised each year by UNE's Faculty of Economics, Business and Law and was held this year on Tuesday 26 June.

The students of Economics, Business Studies and Legal Studies came from 15 schools in Armidale, Coffs Harbour, Coonabarabran, Glen Innes, Guyra, Inverell, Manilla, Moree, Quirindi, Tamworth and Tenterfield. Organisers said it was the Faculty's best-attended HSC study day so far.

Mr Tim Riley, Director of the Economic Literacy Centre, advised the students on preparation techniques for the HSC Economics examination, and discussed HSC curriculum topics such as "monetary/fiscal policy" and "issues of unemployment and inflation in the Australian economy". Mr Riley is the editor of Current Economics and the author of HSC Economics texts.

Ms Kate Dally, Head Teacher of Social Sciences at Birrong Girls' High School in western Sydney, covered Legal Studies topics such as "law and justice" and "human rights". Ms Dally is co-author of Cambridge Preliminary Legal Studies, and is Vice-President of Economics and Business Educators NSW. (The photograph displayed here shows Kate Dally with Oxley High School student Matthew Holding. It expands to include Aimee Waters from Guyra Central School.)

Mr John Nairn, who was the Supervisor of Marking for Business Studies in Sydney from 2002 to 2006, guided the students through "business management and change" and "global business". Mr Nairn teaches Business Studies at Pymble Ladies' College in Sydney.

Three UNE academics contributed to the informative, full-day program: Associate Professor Russell Hogg from UNE's School of Law focused on crime, and Dr Alfons van der Kraan and Dr John Kellett (both from the School of Economics) spoke on the global economy and employment relations.

Dr Josie Fisher, the Faculty's Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), said the day had enabled students from a large area of regional NSW to gain insights into HSC curricula and examination techniques from Sydney-based educators prominently involved in HSC planning and marking.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:42 PM

Students take Armidale experience back to Japan

June 27, 2007

The University of New England has said farewell to its third group of English language students from Chubu University in Japan after further cementing the productive relationship between the two universities.

That relationship allows Chubu University students majoring in English to come to Armidale to fulfil their course requirement of spending half a year abroad in an English-speaking environment.

After arriving at UNE in February, the 18 second-year university students completed more than 300 hours of tuition at UNE's English Language Centre while gaining first-hand experience of Australian culture, landscapes, and family and university life.

This one-semester program for students of English represents only part of the relationship between Chubu and New England Universities: exchange programs for both students and staff are also under way. Several of last year's English language students from Chubu University have come back to UNE this year as exchange students.

This year's English language students ended their Australian experience last week with a guided tour of Sydney. Before leaving for Sydney they took part in a farewell function at UNE, during which UNE's Director of English Language and International Services, Dr Vernon Crew, presented each of them with a certificate of achievement, Dr Naoki Motouchi from Chubu University expressed his institution's thanks for the invaluable "experience of Australian life" the students had received, and the students themselves entertained the audience with a varied musical program. "These young people are very good ambassadors for their country," Dr Crew said. "We look forward to seeing more of them here."

Mark Cooper, Deputy Director of Studies at the English Language Centre, said the specially designed program of study for the Chubu University students included the development of a range of social communication skills, and skills in listening, reading, writing, oral presentation – and singing. He said that an important part of the students' learning had been a period of "homestay" during the Easter vacation, when they were billeted with Armidale families to experience Australian family life.

In addition to their English-language program, the students joined UNE undergraduates for lectures and discussions in a linguistics unit, taught by Professor Cliff Goddard, called "Cross-cultural Communication Study". "The University provided them with a support teacher who prepared them for each of Professor Goddard's classes, enhancing their level of engagement in the course," Mr Cooper said. "This gave them valuable experience in an English-language academic environment."

Mark Cooper is pictured here with one of the students from Chubu University, Yasuhiro Kondo. The photograph expands to include another of the students, Aymi Endo.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:48 PM

Armidale to feel the excitement of philosophical debate

June 26, 2007

Armidale will be buzzing with lively conversation throughout the first week of July when 200 philosophers gather to discuss the meaning of just about everything.

They will be attending the 2007 conference of the Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAP), to be hosted by the University of New England and held from Sunday 1 July to Friday 6 July at the heritage-listed C.B. Newling Centre ("the Old Teachers' College") in Armidale.

Some of them, with their colleagues in History and Sociology, will also be attending the associated 2007 conference of the Australasian Association for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science, to run – also in the C.B. Newling Centre – from Saturday 30 June to Monday 2 July.

Members of the wider community can participate in the intellectual excitement and discussion: as an important part of each conference, there is an open invitation to the public to attend a Keynote Address on a topical subject. The open lecture for the AAP conference will be given by Professor Eleonore Stump from St Louis University in the United States. In a talk titled "Modes of knowing: autism, fiction, and second-person perspectives", Professor Stump will present new insights into the social function of stories, plays and films – insights gained through recent studies of the "mind-reading" (or "social cognition") skills of ordinary people, and the lack of such skills in autistic people. Her talk will be on Tuesday 3 July, from 8 pm till 9.30 pm, in the Auditorium of the C.B. Newling Centre.

The open lecture for the History and Philosophy of Science conference will be on Saturday 30 June, from 5 pm till 6.30 pm, in Room G31, C.B. Newling Centre. Associate Professor David Miller from the University of NSW will trace the history of the debate as to whether scientific discoveries are "public knowledge" or "intellectual property" – a debate (going back to the League of Nations in the 1920s) that shaped twentieth-century concepts about the role of science in society. Dr Miller is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and author of Discovering Water: James Watt, Henry Cavendish and the Nineteenth-Century Water Controversy (2004). For inquiries about either of the public lectures, phone (02) 6773 3581.

The choice of Armidale as the venue for this year's AAP conference highlights the significant place of UNE Philosophy – with its distinguished professor Peter Forrest – in the spectrum of an Australian philosophy that is a world leader in some branches of the discipline. The Australian contribution to the history and philosophy of science is similarly outstanding in the international context. The Australian Academy of the Humanities has reported that the number of Australian scholarly publications in both Philosophy and the History and Philosophy of Science is "considerably in excess of the world average".

Philosophers from Japan, Brazil, the United States, the UK, New Zealand and Singapore will join those from throughout Australia at the AAP conference to present about 150 papers across a wide range of philosophical areas – including applied ethics, Asian philosophy, philosophical psychology, philosophy and religion, metaphysics, aesthetics, and epistemology.

Papers at the History and Philosophy of Science conference will range from weapons research in the ancient world, through seventeenth-century physics and astronomy, to amphetamine use by Allied Armed Forces in World War II and "the politics of bicycles" in contemporary Australia. Participants from UNE include Dr Eric Livingston, speaking on the sociology of problem-solving in science, and Professor Peter Brown, who will outline the history of controversies surrounding publication of the discovery, on the Indonesian island of Flores, of the remains of Homo floresiensis (a very small human relative, nicknamed 'the Hobbit').

THE IMAGE of Socrates displayed here expands to reveal "The Death of Socrates" by Jacques Louis David.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:36 PM

Students help their peers to PASS

June 26, 2007

A group of students at the University of New England may be finding exam season a little less stressful this semester thanks to some help from their friends.

Students enrolled in some of the university's toughest undergraduate units benefited from participation in the PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) program, run jointly by the university's Academic Skills Office and the Faculty Mentor Program in the Sciences. The program, pioneered in the US in the 1970s, involves senior students helping their peers come to grips with difficult material through weekly study and revision sessions.

Twelve students led PASS sessions for units in statistics, chemistry, accounting and economics. They were chosen on the basis of their own high achievement in the units and an interview. They received training in the PASS methodology and were paid for their time.

PASS coordinators Ingrid Wijeyewardene and Julie Godwin said the PASS leaders were role models for their fellow students and helped their peers by encouraging good study habits and passing on their enthusiasm for the subject. Studies in the US and in Australia had shown the program was effective in reducing student attrition in difficult subjects, they said.

"We're very proud of all our PASS leaders," Ms Wijeyewardene said. "They've done a fine job of helping their peers and have hopefully gotten something out of the experience themselves."

PASS leader Jodie Quodling said she was enjoying economics more since she began assisting students taking ECON201 (Intermediate Microeconomics). Jodie, who is studying for a Bachelor of Agribusiness, said: "It's been a great chance for me to revise, and going over the material again for this unit has helped me with one of the units I'm studying now."

Jodie said the difference between the PASS program and tutoring was that the PASS program encouraged students to support each other in mastering the course material, rather than having a tutor "re-teach" it to them.

"If someone asked a question, I would generally throw it back to the other students to try to answer, rather than answering it for them," Jodie said.

She said an average PASS session for ECON201 attracted between four and nine students. Chemistry leaders reported attendance rates of up to fourteen per session.

The PASS program is based on a technique known as "SI" (Supplemental Instruction) developed by Deanna C. Martin at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1973. Dr Martin was assigned the task of decreasing the attrition rate of minority students in the schools of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry. After a review in 1981, the SI program was designated by the US Department of Education as an Exemplary Educational Program. It has since spread throughout the world, and is used in at least seven other universities in Australia.

PASS was previously run in the early 90s at UNE in first year economics. 2007 marks the second year the PASS program has been run. Funds are now being sought to run the program in future years.

Posted by Leon Braun at 10:22 AM

Women support each other on academic pathways

June 25, 2007

Academic women at the University of New England have attended the third group of workshops in a career-development program that has won the commendation of the Australian Government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA).

UNE's "Pathways to Careers and Promotion" program brings together academic women from various parts of the campus – including some who hold senior positions – to share information on career choices and research possibilities. Its ultimate aim is to help participants prepare for promotion.

Since the program began in 2004, EOWA has commended it – along with several other equity programs at UNE – in its annual "Employer of Choice for Women" citations. (UNE has been named an "Employer of Choice for Women" every year since 2002.)

In officially opening this year's workshops, the Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew, said the "Pathways to Careers and Promotion" program reflected the University's commitment to promoting the full participation of women, and to supporting the exchange of information and experience that can be vital to the advancement of their careers.

The workshops, held on two half-days earlier this month, dealt with issues such as balancing work and other areas of life, leadership, managing workload, research networks and collaboration, and applying for promotion.

The special guest speaker was Dr Colleen Chesterman, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at the University of Technology, Sydney. Dr Chesterman has published extensively on women's leadership in higher education and has conducted a ground-breaking research project on the impact of women in senior management positions. She presented an overview of women in the higher education sector, and discussed gender differences in academic career paths (such as the "time out" taken by many women in bearing and raising children), and the characteristics of workplace cultures that sustain and support women.

"Women have a great deal to offer within universities," Dr Chesterman said. "They should be looking for opportunities to contribute, and universities should be looking for ways of encouraging them to do so."

"The feedback I've had on the workshops shows that women appreciate the opportunity to meet together and establish networks," said Lyn Tucker, UNE's Employment Equity and Diversity Officer. "They find the personal stories and strategies of recently promoted and senior women invaluable. The senior women involved have been very generous with their time, both in the workshops and in terms of providing ongoing assistance."

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows Dr Colleen Chesterman (left) and Lyn Tucker.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 10:53 AM

Armidale finalist in international writing contest

June 22, 2007

A PhD researcher and full-time employee at the University of New England, Bronwyn Clarke, is one of two Australians who are finalists in the annual Romance Writers of America "Golden Heart" contest. The competition honours the best unpublished manuscripts in the romance genre.

Romance Writers of America (RWA) is a 9,500-member professional trade association representing the largest fiction genre – romance – and its $1.2 billion industry. Despite its prominence, Ms Clarke said, the genre does not receive the respect it deserves.

"A lot of people hear 'romance' and think of just Barbara Cartland or ill-informed stereotypes held by those who haven't read a contemporary romance novel," she said. "It's a little scary, coming out and saying 'Hey, I'm a romance writer'. However, recent academic scholarship is challenging those myths, and recognising romance as a very rich and diverse genre. My colleagues here at UNE and my PhD supervisors have been very supportive." For her PhD, Ms Clarke (pictured here) is examining online communities of romance readers and writers, and their perspectives on the genre.

Nearly 1,100 manuscripts were entered by aspiring writers in the 10-category "Golden Heart" contest. The first round of judging narrowed the field down to nearly 70 finalists, including eight finalists in Ms Clarke's category, "Romantic Suspense".

"When I found out that I was a finalist I was very excited," she explained, "but I found out on the morning of my very first PhD seminar, so I was also quite distracted. It's only now sinking in. When I finished my novel late last year, I'd been writing it – on and off – for four years."

Being named a finalist means a possible fast track to becoming a prominent, published author. "The finalists in each category go for judging to senior editors at three different publishing houses in the United States," Ms Clarke said. "Close to 40 per cent of finalists get published within about a year. I am currently seeking a US agent to represent my novel."

The 2007 "Golden Heart" winners will be announced during a "black tie" awards ceremony at RWA’s 27th Annual Conference, to be held from the 11th to the 14th of July in Dallas, Texas. Ms Clarke will be attending both the conference and the awards night.

She faced a challenging workload while finishing the novel. "I work full-time at UNE's Teaching and Learning Centre, and I'm doing my PhD part-time," she said. "I made many sacrifices in my life to get the manuscript of Falling into Darkness finished."

Falling into Darkness is a gritty romantic suspense novel, in which two detectives search for a child abducted from a traumatised town on the edge of the outback. They have only days to find the girl alive, but they have few clues, a town full of suspects, and a vast wilderness to search. "While the town and its characters are purely fictional, the setting is inspired by the landscape of the Pilliga region," Ms Clarke said. "I love regional and outback Australia, and exploring the combination of the emotion of a romance and the intensity of a suspense plot with the drama of the Australian landscape."

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:59 PM

Researchers work to soften 'sea-change' impact on coasts

June 21, 2007

An international research team has emphasised the urgent need for governments and developers to consider the impact on the environment of trends such as global warming, massive "sea-change" population migrations, and general land-use shifts.

The team is from the Institute for Rural Futures (IRF) at the University of New England, Armidale, and the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, USA. With funding from Land and Water Australia, the researchers have analysed 30 years of landscape change from satellite imagery, and socio-economic change from census data, and are examining alternatives for regional development. Their research is being field-tested in the Northern Rivers region of NSW.

The Director of IRF, Professor David Brunckhorst, and two researchers from Nevada – Dr Dave Mouat and Dr Scott Bassett – presented results from studies in the Northern Rivers region (and in the USA) at a recent international resource-management conference in Bendigo, Victoria. They also presented a methodology for understanding histories of land use change and migration, and scenarios for future landscapes and better planning.

They said that all levels of government, as well as developers and residents, should be concerned by the increasing demands on land and water resources that trends such as the "sea-change" phenomenon have caused. "We are increasing rather than decreasing the risk of disastrous consequences," Professor Brunckhorst said. "Half of Australia’s population lives within seven kilometres of the coast. More than six million people live within two kilometres of high water. In the last 10 years, the 'sea-change' phenomenon has resulted in a population growth of more than 50 per cent in many coastal areas."

"The NSW Government has forecast that an estimated 150,000 new residents will make their home on the coast between Forster and the Queensland border in the next 25 years," he added. "However, current trends suggest there could be four-to-five times this population increase."

The researchers have devised a technique through which urban and regional planners could take greater account of local ecological factors and gauge the effects of alternative planning scenarios. "Haphazard development, particularly on the coast, has already resulted in the loss of – or reduction in – good agricultural land, and water quality and supply," Professor Brunckhorst said. "We have mapped a long-running pattern of urban sprawl and loss of natural resources. There has been, however, little planning or policy response, or use of landscape ecology design principles to plan sustainable futures.

"New Orleans should have been a wake-up call for planners at all levels of government. The recent storm surges around Newcastle and flooding in the Hunter Valley are closer to home. We were very fortunate the levy banks were not breached this time."

The Web site for the project is at:
http://www.ruralfutures.une.edu.au/projects/3.php?nav=Landscape%20Mosaics&page=49

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 05:09 PM

Australian rock art impresses Spanish research student

June 20, 2007

Armidale is a long way from home for Trinidad Martinez, a Spanish student of archaeology; but, as she says, "if you want to study rock art, Australia is the place to go".

The Valencia University student’s visit has not been confined to Armidale, though. During the first two months of her three-month stay at the University of New England she went on a field trip to the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia's Pilbara region with Professor Iain Davidson (UNE's Professor of Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology) and Ken Mulvaney (UNE PhD researcher), and on another field trip to central Australia with Dr June Ross (UNE archaeologist) and Dr Mike Smith (Director of Research and Development at the National Museum of Australia and the first PhD graduate of UNE's Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology Department).

"Wow! I’ve never seen so much rock art in all my life," Ms Martinez said. "It’s very impressive for me. The engravings on the Pilbara coast were interesting, not only because it’s very good art, but also because of how the archaeologists are dealing with development in the area. The art in central Australia was also very interesting because of the way it is used for communication within and between different groups."

The 25 year-old, who is in the second year of her PhD program, came to UNE as part of a Spanish Government-funded three-month research tour. Ms Martinez (pictured here) chose UNE on the recommendation of her supervisor, who knows Professor Davidson.

"Professor Davidson is my supervisor here," she said. "He’s been giving me work and advice and leading me through Australian rock art research, which is huge. I could easily get lost amongst all the papers, but Professor Davidson has been really helpful in guiding me through it."

Ms Martinez gave a seminar at UNE earlier this month on the Levantine art of the Iberian Peninsula. Like Australia’s own "Bradshaw" paintings of north-western Australia, Levantine rock art is surrounded by mysteries such as the chronology of the paintings and the nature of the people who made them.

After the seminar, she spoke about the temptation to over-interpret such artworks. "In Europe and America there is great pressure to give all rock art a meaning," she said. "The first thing I learnt here is that the meaning is less important. It can be good to keep an open mind."

Ms Martinez, who has been living at UNE's Mary White College, says that while she initially had some difficulty adjusting to the Australian timetable of eating dinner early and going to bed, she has made some great friends. "I’ve had a great experience in rock art, which will give me a lot of ideas to apply to my thesis," she said. "I have also made a lot of good mates, and I really want to come back to Australia to study the Bradshaws in the Kimberleys."

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:35 PM

East meets West in creative calligraphy

June 19, 2007

A public exhibition at the University of New England celebrates the creative encounter of 25 Australian students with the art of Chinese calligraphy.

After just one semester's study, the students have produced works that have impressed everyone who has seen them – including their calligraphy teacher, Dr Cuncun Wu.

Dr Wu said that the works, as well as displaying the students' newly-acquired skills in the traditional techniques of Chinese calligraphy, showed them bringing their own personal – and, necessarily, "Western" – perspectives to the application of those techniques.

"I'm really impressed by the students' creative work," she said. "And I've learnt a lot about Western perceptions and interpretations of Chinese calligraphy."

Dr Wu, a Chinese scholar and UNE lecturer who is herself an accomplished calligrapher, initiated the University's calligraphy course in 2004. She said the practice of calligraphy "can provide insights into Chinese culture and philosophy". The one-semester course has attracted people who have no knowledge of the Chinese language but are interested in acquiring such insights, as well as students of Chinese.

Uniquely, the course is delivered to distance-education as well as on-campus students. Dr Wu uses the Internet to keep in touch with the distance-education students, requiring them to mail her examples of their work once a fortnight and to attend two residential schools at UNE. She and her colleague Isabel Tasker, the Convener of Chinese at UNE, have created a DVD that enables the students to study the techniques involved in great detail.

The exhibition shows the application of the ancient art to a variety of uses, both decorative and practical. As well as framed works on paper and wall hangings in a wide range of media, it includes three lamps and a light shade decorated with Chinese characters, a quilt cover and pillow cases embellished with Chinese papercuts and calligraphy, and characters painted on to ornamental shells and pebbles. Each of the works is accompanied by the artist's explanation of its meaning and significance, and their insight into the process of its creation.

Frank Murphy, one of the students, has created a Chinese version of one of the best-known lines of Australian poetry: "I love a sunburnt country". He explains that it was "inspired by the contribution of Chinese settlers to the development of outback Australia". Sorrel Watts explains that she decorated the quilt cover and pillow slips as a wedding present for a friend, featuring the "double happiness" character used at Chinese weddings, and lines of poetry and proverbs relevant to the prospering of intimate relationships.

Joan Relke, a well-known sculptor who lives near Armidale, says one reason she took the course was her interest in the combination of painting and calligraphy. One of her works – an interpretation of the line "A ripe fruit naturally falls" – depicts the "fruit" in the purest simplicity. She describes, in her notes, the creative process through which she arrived at that simplicity.

The exhibition continues in Room 102 in UNE's Arts Building (10 am – 4 pm) until Thursday 21 June.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:02 PM

See the sites of Rome

June 18, 2007

Fancy a trip to Rome? Want to dig a little deeper into Roman history than what you find in the guide books? The answer may be to enrol in the University of New England's Classical Rome Summer School, a two-week study tour of the "Eternal City" that leaves in January next year.

The tour, run in conjuction with the University of Sydney and Academy Travel, will take participants on a series of guided walking tours of Rome's ancient sites, taking in famous landmarks such as the Colloseum, the Appian Way and the mausoleums of Augustus and Hadrian.

Many of the sites included on the tour cannot be accessed without academic credentials.

Tour leader Bronwyn Hopwood, a lecturer in the School of Classics, History and Religion at the University of New England, said the tour was likely to appeal to a wide range of people and not just those studying ancient history.

"When we ran the tour for the first time two years ago, we had a diverse bunch of people: students, school teachers, and people generally interested in ancient Rome," Dr Hopwood said. "The youngest person on the tour was 18, the oldest 79. It's a great tour for people who say, 'I want to visit Rome, and I want to see the sights, but I also want to know what I'm looking at'."

A series of lectures prior to the tour's departure will provide participants with the historical background necessary to make the most of their visit, and further lectures throughout the tour will supplement this knowledge.

Participants in the summer school can choose to receive credit towards a degree, or enrol as an "auditing participant" who does not have to complete any assignments as part of the tour.

"Whether you're an undergraduate, postgraduate, or just someone with a strong interest in Rome, you can get something out of this tour," Dr Hopwood said.

Dr Hopwood said January was an ideal time to go, falling in the middle of the European winter.

"The weather is mild, and it's their shopping and opera season. Once the day is over, the participants are free to go out and indulge in shopping, opera and gelato.

"We've designed the tour to give the group a couple of 'free' days, where they can just do their own thing. The whole thing is done in a way that gives them maximum opportunity to see everything, while still having the flexibility to zone out and have a cappucino if they feel like it."

Dr Hopwood said the best thing about the tour was the opportunity to explore a shared interest with a group of like-minded people.

"People read all this stuff about Rome and where these historic events took place, but to actually be there and see that come to life for them is just fantastic.

Anyone interested in joining the tour should contact Academy Travel on (02) 9235 0023 or Bronwyn Hopwood at bhopwood@une.edu.au.

Click here to view an online brochure for the tour (Adobe PDF format)

Posted by Leon Braun at 10:18 AM

UNE celebrates research-education link with India

June 15, 2007

The University of New England has celebrated a vital connection with India at a function to mark the near-completion of research projects conducted by the first holders of UNE scholarships specifically designed for Indian postgraduate students.

Eight students – and their UNE supervisors – attended the lunch-time function last week with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, and other senior managers of the University.

The students arrived at UNE in 2004; four of them are submitting their PhD theses this month, and four will submit theses towards the end of the year. The ninth scholarship recipient has already completed his PhD program and has taken up a postdoctoral research position at Harvard Medical School in the United States.

Speaking at the function, UNE's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Peter Flood, said these inaugural scholarships under the new research training scheme for Indian students represented a $1 million investment by UNE in an active research-education relationship with India.

The eight students all spoke highly of their UNE experience – particularly of the quality and accessibility of their supervisors. One of them, Subhadip Gosh from West Bengal, explained that UNE, in enabling him "to become a researcher", had helped to establish the course of his future life.

The students undertook their research within UNE's Faculty of The Sciences and Faculty of Economics, Business and Law. Their projects, having either an
agricultural or a biomedical focus, are on subjects ranging from soil fertility and weed management, through diseases in wheat and sheep, to reproductive physiology.

One of the researchers – Suresh Mohankumar, who comes from the south of India – has been studying a traditional, plant-based treatment for diabetes in a project aimed at uncovering the molecular basis of its effectiveness. Mr Mohankumar, who is a qualified pharmacist, described his UNE experience as "fantastic", and said he would like to continue work on the medicinal use of natural products after completing his PhD program.

Another of the students – Suresh Athiappan, also from south India – said he believed that UNE's investment in the scholarship scheme would pay dividends through an increased awareness in India of the opportunities offered by UNE and its supportive research environment.

The UNE scholarships include a living stipend as well as covering course fees. Some of the students also received funding from industry research organisations such as the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation. They said the opportunities offered by UNE's close relationship with these national organisations had been an important part of their learning experience.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here, taken at the celebratory function, shows Indian research student Amar Pandey with Dr David Backhouse, a Senior Lecturer in UNE's School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management. It expands to include another of the Indian students, Dalvinder Singh.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 05:22 PM

'Fontainebleau' painting in focus at 'Booloominbah'

June 14, 2007

A talk in the Chancellory restaurant in "Booloominbah" at the University of New England tomorrow [Friday 15 June] will examine a sixteenth-century painting by an anonymous artist belonging to the so-called "School of Fontainebleau".

Dr Jane Southwood (French, UNE) will discuss the painting, a reproduction of which hangs in the "Booloominbah Collection" of restaurants. (A detail from the painting is shown here.)

The School of Fontainebleau was a group of painters brought to France by Francis I (king of France from 1515 to 1547) to redecorate his château at Fontainebleau, not far from Paris. Dr Southwood will talk about the connections of the painting reproduced in "Booloominbah" to other works belonging to this school, and the underlying significance of the symbols found in the painting and linked works. She will examine the iconological tradition, and the influence of Petrarchism – i.e., the influence of the writings of the great fourteenth-century Italian poet and scholar Francesco Petrarca on the artwork and literature of the period.

Dr Southwood said she had been delighted to read an article in the inaugural issue of the UNE magazine – The UNE Experience – on Michelle Arens, Manager of the UNE Art Collection, and to see that Ms Arens emphasised the educational importance of the collection. "I have grown progressively aware of how valuable the UNE collection is," she said, "and of its potential to educate. So I was thrilled to hear that my scheduled talk would be consonant with the aims of the Collection Manager."

Dr Southwood's talk is one of a series of events organised by the "Bool Group". Beginning at 5.30 pm and continuing till 7.30 pm, tomorrow's event will include light refreshments (juice, wine and cheese). The cost is $18 per person, and everyone is welcome. Phone Kellie Simpson (at The Booloominbah Collection) on 6773 5174 for bookings.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 12:08 PM

Earle Page College Choir hits top note

June 13, 2007

The University of New England is celebrating the success of singers from one of its residential colleges in the recent Armidale Eisteddfod. Earle Page College Choir won first place in the Open Vocal Ensemble section (for groups of 10-20 singers), and third place in the Open Choral Championship.

The College attributes this unprecedented success to its acquisition, this year, of an expert conductor – the well-known Armidale music educator and conductor Deidre Rickards.

Mrs Rickards (pictured here) has been working with the choir since March this year. She said she had chosen the choir's eisteddfod repertoire of four songs – "Unter den Liebenden" (Mozart), "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" (Rutter), "For Once in My Life" and "Fly Me to the Moon" – to allow the students to work in four different styles. "Their performance was sensational," she said. "I felt very proud to be conducting a university choir wearing academic gowns in front of a packed audience in Lazenby Hall."

The adjudicator – Owen Nelson, President of the Australian National Choral Association – confirmed that the choir had demonstrated its "ability to successfully change style", and said that it had sung with "good attention to balance and choral blend". He concluded his comments by saying that the choir's performance had been "a convincing musical statement".

One of the Earle Page College singers, Gabriella Couto, said: "The whole choir would like to thank Deidre Rickards; we are so proud of our achievement, and we couldn't have done it without her." The choir won prize money of $100, and a trophy for the College.

The Master of Earle Page College, David Ward, said that Earle Page was "the only UNE college to have a proud choral tradition", and that the choir had participated in the eisteddfod – with student directors – for many years. "This year," he said, "under the direction of Deidre Rickards, the singers have been very excited to take the choir to a new level. I was delighted when Deidre approached me with the desire to take on this role in the life of the College and the University, and accepted her offer immediately."

He said the choir performed not only at all the College's formal dinners, but at civic events such as Senior Citizens' Week. "As UNE's only choir," he continued, "we would like it to participate further in the life of the University – at events such as Graduation. (The choir already performs for graduands and their families at our annual College Graduation cocktail parties.)"

The members of Earle Page College Choir will join about 500 other singers for a concert – with orchestra – in Sydney Town Hall in October.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:18 PM

Chancellor awarded one of the nation's highest honours

June 12, 2007

The Chancellor of the University of New England, Mr John Cassidy, has been given one of Australia's highest honours: he has been named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

The 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours List, issued by the office of the Governor General in Canberra, says Mr Cassidy's award is "for services to university administration, to the civil engineering and construction industries, and to the community".

Mr Cassidy (pictured here) was elected Chancellor of UNE in December, 2003, bringing to that role considerable expertise in corporate governance and management. He retired as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Abigroup Limited in February 2004 after turning the small, struggling business with 120 employees into one of Australia's leading construction companies, employing more than 3,000 people.

He regards the success of Abigroup as one of his major achievements, attributing it to the sense of belonging to a "family" that he was able to cultivate among the employees. "Those 'family values' are still there today," Mr Cassidy said. "The people I trained are still running the business, which is now turning over some $2 billion per year."

This family orientation reflects Mr Cassidy's approach to life and work in general: his happy marriage of 40 years, he said, had been a major factor in his success. "You can't do it without support," he explained, "and my wife Annette has been a great support to me. She should be getting half of this award."

"UNE is a wonderful institution," Mr Cassidy said. As Chancellor, he has worked to build on UNE's traditional strengths, including its reputation as a leader in agricultural research. "Those strengths need to be reinforced," he said. He added that, if this process of "revitalisation" could be informed by the "family" values he had shown to be successful elsewhere, it could benefit not only the University itself but the wider community in which UNE plays such a prominent role.

Since becoming Chairman of the New England Girls' School (NEGS) last year and rescuing the school from financial difficulties, he has overseen the reintroduction of a feeling of "family" among staff and students. "NEGS will now go on from strength to strength," he said.

As Foundation Chairman of the New England Conservatorium of Music (NECOM), he worked to realise his vision – now a reality – of the Conservatorium as a vital part of the New England community.

The official announcement of Mr Cassidy's award mentions – among other things – his role as founder and director of several companies, and his status as a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and Life-Governor of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

Mr Cassidy, who owns successful sheep and cattle properties at Kingstown and Ebor in New England, was President of the South Devon Cattle Breeders' Association from 1992 to 1994, and is current Vice-President of the South Devon Cattle World Congress (Canada, 2007).

He said the contacts he has made – in all walks of life – and the support he has received throughout his full and varied career have all played a part in the achievements that have led to his being named an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 05:30 PM

Professor Rich reinforces 'student focus' at UNE

June 08, 2007

Professor David Rich is moving on from the University of New England after leading several initiatives that will bring increasing benefits to the University.

Professor Rich finishes work today as UNE's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) to take up the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at the University of Tasmania.

"UNE has been wonderful to me in a variety of ways," he said, adding that he was following this new opportunity with some sadness at leaving the Armidale campus and his friends and colleagues there.

At a farewell function in UNE's heritage-listed "Booloominbah" yesterday evening, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, outlined Professor Rich's contributions to the University since his arrival from Macquarie University in 2004. Among them was his leading role in a major review of distance education at UNE that has set new directions for this vital aspect of the University's activities.

"Distance education is about students' interaction with each other, the staff, and the University," Professor Rich explained at the completion of the review in 2005. With this in mind, he said, UNE could continue to be a leader in distance education "by being responsive to social and technological change and our students' needs".

Professor Pettigrew said it was this emphasis on "students' needs" that had characterised Professor Rich's vision for UNE and his contribution to the development of the University's 2007-2010 Strategic Plan.

Professor Pettigrew also acknowledged the work of Professor Rich's wife Glenys who, as a Project Officer in UNE's Organisational Development Unit, has made a significant contribution to the University through – among other things – her expertise in team building and change facilitation.

Another major contribution by Professor Rich to the future prosperity of the University has been his leading role in an academic renewal program that seeks to build on UNE's traditional strengths in teaching and research by reconstructing the academic program to take account of changing student needs, evolving technology, and an increasingly competitive higher education environment.

Professor Rich thanked his colleagues in UNE administration – particularly his Executive Assistant Brenda Bell who, he said, had "made so much possible over the past two-and-a-half years". He also thanked the many people from throughout the University who attended the farewell function to wish him well in his career.

THE PHOTOGRAPH of David and Glenys Rich displayed here was taken at yesterday's farewell function. It expands to include the Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 05:47 PM

Student projects benefit the community

June 07, 2007

University of New England students have presented the results of various community-oriented projects to an audience of UNE senior staff and local business leaders as part of a global initiative that encourages university students to take up positions of community leadership.

These leaders of tomorrow honed their business and presentation skills through the international organisation "Students in Free Enterprise" (SIFE). SIFE began in the United States in 1975 with the aim of providing an avenue for university students to use the knowledge gained through their studies to pursue community outreach projects. The UNE team is one of 30 in Australia and 1,600 throughout the world.

The Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew, who provided feedback to the students after their presentations last Thursday, said he was impressed by what he saw. "SIFE assists students to develop their communication and business skills in their chosen fields of study while helping the community – and their own entry into the community," Professor Pettigrew said. "It’s a win, win, win situation really."

Projects undertaken this year involved assisting local and regional businesses recruit appropriate UNE graduates, assisting Minimbah Primary School – as well as University and local sporting organisations – to better manage their funds and undertake more effective fund-raising, and running a Web site promoting the Armidale Markets and teaching stall-holders how to maintain it.

The UNE team’s President, Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Laws student Elizabeth Walsh (pictured here), will take her team to the Minimbah school tomorrow for the first financial literacy workshop with parents. She said one of the best things about SIFE was that “it provides the opportunity to help people with the skills we have learnt”.

The students’ academic mentor, Peter McClenaghan from UNE’s New England Business School, said that the program gave participants the experience and ability to "handle being thrown in the deep end".

"A former SIFE student was appointed to a marketing role with an export business in Sydney," he said. "After four weeks of working with the firm, the CEO left for an extended overseas business trip and promptly asked the SIFE graduate to take over the business while he was away."

The 16-member UNE team will travel to Melbourne for the SIFE Australia National Conference, which takes place on 5 – 7 July. Should they win there, they will get an all-expenses-paid trip to New York for the SIFE World Cup in October. All UNE students are eligible to join the program at any time.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:21 PM

Vietnamese educators begin training at UNE

June 06, 2007

Seventy-one Vietnamese educators embarked on four weeks of training programs at the University of New England on Monday 4 June after the University secured a competitive contract, sponsored by the World Bank, worth almost $300,000.

The educators (with their six translators) will stay on-campus at UNE, undertaking training by UNE academics in educational management and teaching methodology through the Primary Education Development Program, which is administered by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training.

Members of the group, which includes senior government officers, school principals, deputy principals, teachers, curriculum specialists and university lecturers, will also get some first-hand experience of teaching in rural NSW by visiting local schools in Armidale and Uralla.

The program aims to improve the quality of primary schools in Vietnam through enhancing professional standards, offering specialised training, introducing new quality assurance measures and revising terms of service regarding teaching standards. The skills acquired at UNE will assist the teachers to train others on their return to Vietnam.

The Head of the Primary Division in Education in the Ninh Binh province of Vietnam, Mr Nguyen Van San, visited Australia last year as part of a delegation learning about more general education management, but said he was looking forward to undertaking this more specialised focus on primary education at UNE. (Mr Nguyen Van San is pictured here with the Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew.)

"We are at a different stage of development in Vietnam compared to Australia," he said. "We have a lot of difficulties; however, we hope to apply the use of technology, teaching practices and education management we learn here to improve education in Vietnam."

UNE's Professor Victor Minichiello, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Professional Studies, who will soon travel to Vietnam, said that the project was a clear indication of the reputation that UNE had established there over the past five years.

"We have specifically designed pathways that allow international students to undertake studies in educational management and leadership, and, to date, have enjoyed considerable success with Vietnam through the development of partnerships with local universities," Professor Minichiello said.

Vietnam has launched an ambitious program of reform and further development of its education system using training like that being undertaken at UNE. The past two decades have seen impressive economic and social development, with annual growth rates of between 6 and 8 per cent. Vietnam was recently admitted to the World Trade Organisation.

Photos from the visit can be found by clicking here.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:38 PM

UNE linked to Iran in wheat research

June 05, 2007

A postgraduate student at the University of New England, who is researching the use of silicon to enhance disease resistance in wheat, has established a collaborative relationship between UNE's School of Rural Science and Agriculture and a government department in Iran.

Ehsan Tavakkoli's research has the potential to save the Australian wheat industry millions of dollars through reduced herbicide and fungicide treatments. It is already attracting strong interest and support in both Australia and Iran. The Department of Soil and Water Research at the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture has made its laboratory facilities available to Mr Tavakkoli in the hope that his research will help Iran to increase its grain yield.

"Silicon has been used for centuries in the prevention of plant diseases in agriculture," Mr Tavakkoli explained. "We are only now working to acquire a more precise understanding of its role in plant physiology and in disease prevention."

"Wheat farmers could easily incorporate silicon in their disease management strategies," he continued. "This would mean an increased resistance to plant diseases and a reduction in the need for fungicides. Integrating silicon application into fertiliser treatments would be very cost-effective. Silicon can reduce wheat farmers' costs, increase their profit margins, and help them meet growing pressure for more environmentally friendly, sustainable agriculture.

"So far I have studied the disease-resistant response to silicon application of a wide range of Australian and Iranian varieties of wheat. I now plan to investigate the mechanisms through which silicon enhances plants' defence against disease, and to examine the response of wheat to different silicon sources."

Mr Tavakkoli (pictured here) explained that wheat farms are generally smaller in Iran than in Australia, so Iranian farmers do not find the chemicals used by Australian farmers cost-effective.

During 1996-2004, he said, wheat production increased from 10 to 14 million tons. In 2004 Iran marked its biggest agricultural achievement, announcing that it was self-sufficient in its grain production. (Before that it had been forced to import several million tonnes of wheat every year.)

"Iran recognises that oil and gas are finite resources," he said. "Its goal is to be the number one producer of agricultural goods in the Middle East. (Currently it is number two – behind Turkey.) To help it achieve this goal, it is looking at emerging technologies and agriculturally advanced practices in Australia."

He said that the keenly awaited results of his research would be available to governments and farmers at the conclusion of his PhD project in 2009.

"At UNE I have found an ideal study and research environment," Mr Tavakkoli said. "When I came here – just over two years ago – to undertake my Master of Science in Agriculture degree I left Iran with a suitcase and no idea about where I was going. I have found some of the most respected, highly qualified, yet supportive academic staff here at UNE." Professor Acram Taji, an internationally renowned scientist, is his principal supervisor. His other supervisors are Peter English, Dr David Backhouse and Dr Chris Guppy.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 05:34 PM

School students visit UNE for day of inspiration

June 04, 2007

About 480 school students from throughout the region travelled to the University of New England last Friday for a day of inspiration and encouragement.

"Step to the Future" is an annual event that brings high profile speakers to local venues to speak to 15-to-18-year-olds about pathways to a successful career and a meaningful life.

2007 marks the third year in a row that UNE has hosted – and sponsored – this popular event.

The students came from nine schools in Armidale, Tamworth and Guyra.

This year's speakers included singer and actor Armondo Hurley, campDARE founder Brett Murray, The Biggest Loser contestant Kimberlie Smart and Olympic gold medallist Mark Torelli. UNE Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Pettigrew officially welcomed the students to the university.

One of the most popular speakers of the day was Armondo Hurley, the voice behind some of Australia’s catchiest advertising jingles, as well as a former backup singer to Jimmy Barnes and Diana Ross.

In his speech, Mr Hurley shared stories of his early career as a clown with Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus and had his young audience in stitches with his comic schtick. Later, he recounted his darkest hour: being beaten and left to die by racists in the US.

Mr Hurley said one of his goals was to get young people to challenge racial stereotypes.

"Not all black people are good at basketball," he said. "My brothers play basketball, I don't. I don't do sweat. Not all black people can sing. You should hear my brothers. They're terrible."

“The message I’m trying to get across is one of self-respect,” Mr Hurley said.

The Step to the Future program began in Sydney as a pilot project in 2002, and its immediate success led to events in other State capitals and Canberra (as well as its debut in regional NSW) in 2003. Each forum is organised and run by a committee of local students in Years 10-12, who come from government, private, and Catholic schools.

For more information about this story contact Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771. A photograph is available to accompany this story.

Posted by Leon Braun at 03:55 PM

Detecting early signs of psychosis among rural youth

June 01, 2007

More than 100 delegates from throughout NSW have gathered at the University of New England to develop strategies for the early detection of psychotic illness in young people from rural communities.

Hunter New England Health (HNEH) and UNE have combined forces to organise the "Focus on Psychosis" forum, being held on Thursday 31 May and Friday 1 June.

One of the conveners of the forum, Rhonda Wilson from HNEH, said it had brought together a wide range of health and community workers. Ms Wilson, a Clinical Nurse Specialist who is the Early Psychosis Officer for HNEH, said psychosis among young people in rural areas often went undetected and untreated for longer than among their city counterparts.

"People between the ages of about 18 and 24 who live in rural areas face particular conditions that can trigger, exacerbate, and prolong mental illness," she said. "These can include a lack of appropriate educational opportunities, and a social environment in which people are inclined to overlook (or 'cover up') a young person's antisocial behaviour in the belief that they are helping them. This can extend the period during which a psychotic illness goes undetected and can lead, in some cases, to increasingly serious psychotic episodes and chronic mental illness."

One of the keynote speakers – Dr Anthony Harris, a Senior Lecturer in Psychological Medicine at the University of Sydney – agreed with Ms Wilson that the immediate priority was to "raise awareness, among rural health and community workers, of the early signs of psychosis". "The earlier the treatment, the better the outcome," he added.

Dr Harris said that, although Australia was leading the world in the early detection of psychosis, there were still difficulties in rural areas because of "a lack of services and psycho-social treatments". "The treatment of psychosis needs to be multi-modal," he explained, "including psychological and family-based treatments as well as medication. Health workers need to understand that their psychological and social interventions are an essential part of the treatment package."

The "Focus on Psychosis" forum includes five keynote sessions presented by experts in early psychosis, three workshop sessions designed to integrate theory into practice, and a final panel session for delegates' input.

Media contact: Rhonda Wilson on 0428 618 680 or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771. FOR A PHOTOGRAPH, contact Leon Braun on (02) 6773 3771.

Posted by Leon Braun at 10:06 AM