Associate Professor Janelle Wilkes

Associate Professor - School of Environmental and Rural Science

Phone: +61 2 6773 2025

Biography

Associate Professor Janelle Wilkes holds a PhD in sustainable feedlot management, Graduate Certificate in Higher Education and Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of New England. She has two decades of experience in higher education and is currently the Convenor of Teaching and Learning for the School of ERS, and the Senior Faculty of SABL representative on the University Teaching and Learning Committee.

Janelle is a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. In 2017, she received the UNE Teaching Excellence Award. In 2012, Janelle received the Office of Teaching and Learning Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning for addressing deficiencies in numeracy of students in engineering, so as to reduce mathematics anxiety and influence, motivate and inspire students to learn; and gained a High Commendation for Engineering Education Engagement by the Australasian Association Engineering Educators.

Janelle coordinates two first year subjects on sustainable agricultural systems, another first year subject in fundamentals of agriculture and teaches specialist subjects in sustainable water management and feedlot management.

As a member of the UNE Ruminant Research Group, Janelle led a project quantifying the quality of drinking water in Australian feedlots funded by Australian Lot Feeder Association and Meat and Livestock Australia. She was a member of the Graded levels of woodchip during wet feedlot conditions where she investigated the changes in pen condition with wood chip addition and the effective composting of the final pen product. Janelle is currently part of a large project investigating the impact of the chemical and physical characteristics of sheep and cattle manure under differing environmental conditions on ammonia.

Janelle is also an active researcher in teaching and learning, particularly in strategies to reduce mathematics anxiety, development of quantitative skills and use of distributed leadership.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Science (Hons) - UNE
PhD (Environmental Engineering) - UNE
Graduate Certificate in Higher Education - UNE

Teaching Areas

ENGT352 Principles of Hydrology (unit coordinator)
RSNR402/502 Freshwaters: Ecology and Management
NR331/531 Remote Sensing and Surveying (unit coordinator)
RSNR110 Sustaining Our Rural Environments (Climate module and unit coordinator)
RSNR120 Sustainable Management and Monitoring of Agricultural and Marine Systems (Surveying module and practical coordinator)

Research Interests

Monitoring and management of salt movement from beef cattle feedlots
Environmental impact of sewage treatment plants (biosolids and wastewater) to land
Acid sulphate soil monitoring
Information literacy
First year teaching

Sustainable Engineering Group

Research Supervision Experience

Student Supervision

PhD and masters students

White, N. (completed) Changes in coastal wetland chemistry due to changes in drainage management
Jenkins, R. (completed) Develop methods for monitoring any impacts of longwall mining remotely

Honours

Crosdale, T The development of a framework for the assessment of indirect greenhouse gas emissions within the environmental impact assessment process in NSW

Cooper, N. Impact of sewage treatment plant on water quality

Clibborn, B. Feasibility of using sheep abattoir paunch to rehabilitate agricultural soil

Lawrence, J. The environmental and economic implications of use of rainwater tanks in Sydney as an alternative to reticulated water supply

Publications

Selected Publications

Wilkes, J. 2012, Screencasts – are they the panacea for dealing with student's diverse mathematical skills?, AAEE conference, Melbourne, December

Glencross-Grant, R., Wilkes, J. 2011, Embedding Sustainability in Bachelor of Engineering Technology, Engineering in Engineers Australia Regional Conference, Armidale, September

Wilkes, J. 2010, Addressing the Diversity of Student Mathematics Preparedness for Engineering Surveying: A Proposal for a Technology Supported Learning Scaffold, Proceedings of the University Learning and Teaching Futures Colloquium, UNE

Wilkes, J., Gurney, L. 2009, 'Perceptions and Applications of Information Literacy by First Year Applied Science Students', Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 40 (3), 159-171

Wilkes, J. 2010, Soil carbon changes in response to feedlot manure application, Australian Society of Soil Science Inc Recent Advances in Soil Science and Management, March

Gurney, L J and Wilkes, J 2008, Creating a library presence in online units, Australian Academic & Research Libraries, vol. 39 (1), 26-37.

Trotter, T., Frazier, P., Jenkins, R., Lamb, D., Wilkes, J. 2007, The effect of longwall mine subsidence on native vegetation and agricultural environments at Proceedings of the 2007 Regional Convention Newcastle Division of Engineers Australia, October.

White, N., Faulkner, R., Frazier, P. and Wilkes, J. 2006, The impact of restoring a tidal regime on wetland water quality: Little Broadwater, NSW, Australia, paper presented at SWS, Cairns, July.

Goonrey, C., Hose, G., Page, D., Pelekani, C. and Wilkes, J. 2003, Allocation of Communally Owned Resources, paper presented at Water: the Australian Dilema, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Melbourne, November.

Memberships

* Member – Australian Society of Soil Science
* Member – Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA)
* Member - Australasian Association for Engineering Education(AAEE)

Professional Recognition

2012 - Office of Teaching and Learning Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning For addressing deficiencies in numeracy of students in engineering, so as to reduce mathematics anxiety and influence, motivate and inspire students to learn

2011 - School of Environmental and Rural Science Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

2009 - National Finalist in the Lecturer of the Year (Uni Jobs)