UWA NEWS20 April 2009 Volume 28 Number 4

In this issue P3 SILVER MEDALS P8 INDIGENOUS ART ROCKS P13 A BIG FISCAL STIMULATION

It was an occasion when the word incredible could be used with confidence.

UWA’s Zadko telescope – WA’s biggest – was launched with promises of detection of gamma ray bursts, exploration of uncharted skies and tracking of hazardous asteroids.

An early achievement of the newly-commissioned telescope is the detection of an explosion that happened more than 11 billion years ago.

For those of us who do not study astronomy or astrophysics, this is a mind-boggling feat, difficult to understand or even believe: in short, incredible.

For the Commonwealth Chief Scientist, Professor Penny Sackett, a physicist who has recently branched out into astronomy, it is exciting but entirely credible and understandable.

By Lindy Brophy

As she prepared to launch this next big step for UWA and international astronomical research, Professor Sackett took a philosophical look at what she described as “the transformative powers of astronomy.

“The universe is largely beyond our reach,” she told a room full of scientists, journalists and eager Shenton College students on the morning of the launch. “But it is not beyond our understanding.”

She said the patterns in the sky helped our ancestors to find their way home; it helped the early explorers to navigate their ships through unknown waters.

“Astronomy has always been an important part of our lives.”

The Zadko telescope is co-located with the Gravity Discovery Centre near Gingin and is part of a global network of telescopes linked to a NASA satellite ground station. It will search for massive

cosmic explosions known as gamma ray bursts which herald the formation of black holes at the edge of the known universe.

Zadko project leader Dr David Coward said UWA’s niche role was the study of the transient universe, exploring uncharted and previously unmonitored space.

The telescope, made possible by a generous donation from Jim Zadko, the CEO of Claire Energy, and an ARC Linkage grant, was described by Dr Coward as a “million dollar project”, though Jim Zadko does not want the exact amount donated made public.

It joins other exciting astronomy projects including the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (in partnership with Curtin University of Technology) and the quest for the location of the $2 billion Square Kilometre Array in WA.

Searching

for massive

cosmic

explosions

at the edge

of the known

universe

Professor Penny Sackett’s enthusiasm for astronomy is backed by the Zadko telescope at Gingin Picture by Paul Ricketts Centre for Learning Technology

Beyond our reachbut not our understanding

2

The great Australian dream has become exaggerated and characterised by “the five bedroom McMansion”, according to WA’s most outstanding architecture graduate for 2009.

Clare Porter, who graduated last month with a swag of prizes, says the recent prosperity of the mining boom has encouraged “reckless housing developments”, the impact of which is overwhelming.

“Our stretched suburbs cling to our coastline, creating a car-driven sprawl,” she said. The running and maintenance costs and the larger mortgages for these big homes and the costs associated with commuting from far-flung suburbs is putting an unnecessary strain on resources of all kinds.

“As architects, we need to consider the ways in which Perth can adopt strategies to densify its suburban fabric … encourage a shift from private to public transport, increase diversity of housing types and experiment with materials and construction methods.”

A smaller sustainable footprint for homes is Clare’s quest and in a couple of months she is going to Japan to study compact living in dense urban environments to see how the designs

Reckless housing plans stampbig footprints

Clare Porter receives her award from Troy Buswell, Minister for Housing and Works, and Australian Institute of Architects chapter president Rod Mollett

A private home being built in suburban Perth

and lifestyle could inform domestic architectural practice in Australia.

Clare was awarded the Gus Ferguson travelling scholarship to fund her trip and also won the Australian Institute of Architects Woods Bagot Graduate Prize, for the most outstanding architecture student in 2008.

After former UWA architect Gus Ferguson presented Clare with her prize, they discovered a connection that stunned them both. Clare is the great granddaughter of UWA patron Joe Skinner, who was a life-long friend of Gus Ferguson’s.

“I had no idea about the relationship,” said Clare. “It’s incredible. I have grown up around Joe’s paintings and find it amazing that I can further my own art with his friend’s enormous generosity.”

Mr Ferguson was just as surprised when, after the presentation, he received a phone call from Joe Skinner’s daughter Angela.

“I mentioned to Gus that he had just given a prize to a girl called Clare Porter and before I could say anything else, he started raving about her, that she was one of the best young architects he’d ever seen,” said Ms Skinner.

“When I finally interrupted him to tell him that she was my granddaughter and so Joe’s great granddaughter, he was stunned into silence, and then over the moon that she was related to his old friend.”

Joe and Rose Skinner donated their collection of more than 60 well-known works of Australian art to the University in 1978. The bequest was exhibited in its entirety for the first time at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery last year.

The Skinners pioneered the presentation of contemporary Australian art in Perth in their Skinner Galleries, opened in 1958.

Clare is working with JCY Architects until she goes to Japan. While keen to explore Japan’s smaller more sustainable domestic footprint, she is also keen to see Australian homes retain their verandahs and back yards.

“It is necessary to consider the cultural anthropology in combining eastern and western ideas about dwelling and territory and … basic human needs,” she said.

UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 The University of Western Australia2

Members of the team who prepare your lunch in the University Club café have won a silver medal in the Restaurant of Champions competition.

Executive chef Costa Simatos took three experienced young chefs and an apprentice chef to the competition, which is modelled on the Restaurant of Nations (part of the international culinary Olympics), at the Perth Convention Centre recently.

Their skills and presentation, the taste of the food, and their methods and kitchen set-up were judged by chefs from Switzerland, Germany, South Africa and Singapore.

“We had four hours to prepare and serve a three-course restaurant-style meal to 80 people at a cost (not sale) price of $20 a head, including beef or lamb in the main course,” Costa said.

“We only entered four weeks out from the competition, so that, and the fact that our team was very young, made it an exceptional win.”

The Restaurant of Champions is the first culinary competition in Australia to be judged according to the rules of the World Association of Chefs Society.

General Manager of the University Club, Gary Ellis, said Costa was committed to developing his junior chefs.

Medal winning meals at the Club You would not want to have a

dispute with Hayden Teo.

The fourth year Law student (pictured below) is ranked number two in the world for his argument skills.

Hayden won a silver medal at the finals of the Jessup International Law Moot Court competition in Washington.

The UWA team finished second in the national finals in February then represented Australia at the international finals in March, along with Melbourne University.

They had to argue the same complex problems that faced them in the Canberra rounds, including humanitarian intervention, the use of foreign intelligence in international law, the laws of sexual exploitation and broadcasting, and the legality of the death penalty.

Their coach, UWA Law graduate Jeremy Sher, said all four members of the team did more research after Canberra and worked hard on their speaking skills.

“Hayden consistently scored incredibly high marks in his moots. Like the rest of the team, he worked very hard over the summer and impressed the international panels with his performance,” Mr Sher said.

The competition was won by the University of the Andes (Colombia), who defeated University College London (UCL). UWA and Melbourne were defeated by UCL in the preliminary rounds.

Student has a silver tongue

Rory Kennedy and Costa Simatos prepare the winning meal

Costa Simatos concentrates on the dessert

“Opportunities to compete on the international stage are very rare and they did themselves proud,” he said.

Gary arranged for a practice run for the team with 40 Club guests. Their feed-back resulted in the colours of the desert being changed slightly and some of the seasoning being ‘tweaked’.

“To stay within the budget, we used two cuts of beef, a primary (rump eye) and a secondary (cheek). We slow roasted the rump and braised the cheek and won accolades for our innovative use of the two together,” Costa said.

The beef was served with a Swiss chard crepinette, potato royale and braised leeks, carrot and fava bean jus with sauce béarnaise.

An entrée of salmon confit was served with celeriac purée, goat’s cheese fondant, truffle, dill and tomato dressing and yellow bell pepper coulis.

Dessert (pictured above) was a pistachio and olive oil cake with steamed mascarpone cream, dried figs, saffron jelly and raspberry foam.

Costa said he was lucky to have 18 staff from whom to choose his team. “We were able to go to the competition for five hours while knowing that the business was still running. Not every business is able to do that.”

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 3

4

Offi cially openfor business

Alan Robson Vice-Chancellor

The lung Institute of Western Australia (lIWA) has received a special birthday present to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year.

LIWA’s director, Professor Phil Thompson said the Institute received $10,000 from an anonymous donor.

“This is a signifi cant donation in our 10th anniversary year and as LIWA is a not-for-profi t organisation, donations like this are extremely well received.

“The donor wishes to remain anonymous but is quite happy for LIWA to make a public announcement if it encourages others to donate a birthday gift in our anniversary year,” Professor Thompson said.

LIWA is a medical research unit focusing on respiratory disease and lung health. This year it celebrated its anniversary with the 2009 Lung and Biological Science Symposium marking the achievements it has made in respiratory health over the past decade.

The institute is one of only two research centres in Australia dedicated specifi cally to investigating lung diseases.

It is affi liated with the Co-operative Research Centre for Asthma and Airways and the WA Medical Research Institute.

Anonymousgift boosts

lung research

As a Vice-Chancellor, there are not many things more satisfying in university life than the dedication of new and improved facilities to advance our primary role of teaching, learning and research.

In a little over a week, we will be offi cially opening our new UWA Business School building at the southern end of the campus with formal gatherings and an Open Day on Sunday May 3 to which the University community and the wider community has been invited

While we acknowledge the completion of this new state-of-the-art facility, we are in fact celebrating far more than just the successful building program.

The opening of this new chapter in business education provides us with an opportunity to formally acknowledge the vision of the original founders of The University of Western Australia and look towards a future in which this great institution is positioned well to deal with the challenges and accept the opportunities of the years ahead.

We are in fact celebrating the UWA Business School – its contribution to business education in Western Australia and further afi eld; its collaborations across the faculties and schools of our university; and importantly, its partnerships with individuals, groups and institutions outside the University that have given fi nancial support and encouragement to this great endeavour.

With the help of our partners – and through the fi ne work of the Chair of the School Board, Mark Barnaba, the Chair of the Fundraising Committee, Tony Howarth, and the Business School Dean, Professor Tracey Horton – we recently announced that the School’s

fundraising campaign had reached its target of $25 million. The enormous generosity and support of the community is appreciated and valued.

Our Business School already enjoys a reputation as a leader in Australia and abroad. We have built a truly world-class school which provides internationally excellent business education for the benefi t of undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as for the business sector and the wider community.

These new facilities will continue to encourage strong collaboration with the private and public sector to further develop teaching and research at an international standard.

These collaborative arrangements allow us to engage fully in the highest levels of teaching and the development of new knowledge, as well as helping to deliver the level of research demanded by industry and the community generally.

Finally, I would like to acknowledgethe drive and determination of both academic and professional staff across many parts of the University. These staff have nurtured andguided this project over manyyears and deserve the University’s congratulations for their profession-alism and dedication.

The challenge before us is to position the University and the Business School so that the value of the UWA experience is maintained in an increasingly competitive environment. It is an exciting opportunity to build on decades of achievement and take business education at The University of Western Australia to a new level. Professor Phil Thompson

UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 The University of Western Australia4

The future of food security and the production of biofuels lie not just with plant biologists, but with computer scientists and mathematicians.

As well as its plant scientists, the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology has a team of fi ve computing specialists (within the state-funded Centre for Computational Systems Biology). Together, they have recently completed the mammoth task of modelling all the enzymes in the organelles known as peroxisomes.

Peroxisomes burn fats in plants. They break down the oils in the seeds of plants such as canola to provide the energy for germination.

“Knowing how plants capture, control and use their energy will have a signifi cant impact on the future use of plants as food sources, biofuels or as factories for pharmaceuticals,” said Professor Ian Small, Director of the Centre.

“Using our Centre’s expertise in proteomics and fl uorescent tagging techniques it has taken several years to draw up the list of enzymes and we are still fi lling in the gaps. But it’s pretty well complete. It’s a rare but essential combination of biological skills and computer skills that has allowed us to put it all together.

“It’s now up to the biologists to work with the model, while the computer science and maths team start work on the next

“Knowing how plants capture, control and use their energy will have a signifi cant impact on the future use of plants as food sources, biofuels or as factories for pharmaceuticals.”

Professor Ian Small

Secure future assured with $9.8 million

organelles – mitochondria. After that, we want to model chloroplasts. But this work will take several more years.”

The Centre is confi dent that it has the time and money to complete the project because it has recently been awarded a $9.8 million renewal of its ARC funding.

Following a review of 11 centres of excellence around the country that started in July last year, Plant Energy Biology has come out in the top three, in funding terms. The $9.8 million will be paid over three-and-a-half years.

“When I started my PhD 20 years ago, I spent three-and-a-half years working on one gene,” Professor Small said. “Now we expect people to work on 5,000 at once.

“The future will come from merging biology, computing and maths. The entire plant energy system is so big and complex that you just can’t do the work without using a computer. Now, for the fi rst time, we have the ability to look at everything simultaneously.”

He said to see the Centre go through the competitive review process and come out as one of only three ARC centres nationwide awarded such substantial funding was a true testament to the team’s efforts.

“I congratulate the staff and students on the Centre’s high standard of research and community outreach since we opened in 2006.”

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 5

About half of undergraduate teaching in Australian universities is done by sessional staff.

The support and professional development of sessional teaching staff at UWA will be the focus of the CATLyst network for the next two years.

While the proportion of teaching by sessional staff at UWA is believed to be less than the national estimate, they still have a significant role to play in the student experience.

Sessional staff may be honours and postgraduate students who tutor for a semester or two through to highly skilled qualified clinicians and practising professionals.

Their experience and needs vary hugely across the University and even within faculties. In the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, for instance, typical sessional teachers in the Schools of Humanities and Social and Cultural Studies are young postgraduate students while in the School of Music they tend to be professional practising musicians who are generally older and with more teaching experience.

With this variation evident, the professional needs of sessional teachers will vary. Some might require professional development to enhance their teaching, clinical and mentoring strategies, while others may seek more collegial involvement in curriculum and planning.

Professor Denise Chalmers, Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL), said it was vital to support and develop sessional teachers, particularly as UWA was committed to providing an excellent student experience.

“These staff contribute a vast variety of experiences and skills which is sometimes under-recognised and the issues of working as a sessional teacher can be under-addressed,” she said.

“We want to support sessional staff, help them to be better teachers and assure them that they are appreciated,” said Dr Lee Partridge, CATLyst Coordinator.

In 2009 and 2010, CATL and the CATLyst Network are focusing on developing faculty-specific support and professional development for sessional staff to enable them to better carry out their teaching.

A CATLyst is a faculty-based member of staff who works on the sessional teaching project for one day a week.

Over the next two years they will be drawing on the findings of a national study into sessional staff, The Contribution of Sessional Teachers to Higher Education, an Australian Teaching and Learning Council funded project, as a framework to map the requirements of the sessional staff in their faculty.

As a starting point, sessional staff are being surveyed to better understand their specific requirements.

Five faculties and the Centre for English Language Teaching currently have a CATLyst working with CATL to identify best practice already existing around the University.

The Business School is the only faculty that builds a three-hour training session into its contract for sessional staff. Eileen Thompson, a lecturer and CATLyst in the Business School, said that many of her faculty’s sessional teachers were Honours students and Business graduates completing double degrees.

“We have nearly 20 tutors for the University’s biggest first year unit, Macro-economics, which has 1,300 students. But we have a huge turnover, as students complete their Honours projects and degrees in their other disciplines,” she said.

The CATLyst Network will also be developing web-based resources for all sessional staff at UWA as well as workshops which will be faculty-based.

Faculties interested in joining the CATLyst Sessional Staff project should contact CATL Director, Professor Denise Chalmers.

Unrecognised teaching resource

CATLysts meet to discuss strategies: Natalie Skead, Sandra Carr, Louisa Chawhan, Bonnie Thomas, Lee Partridge, Yola Szymakowski and Eileen Thompson

UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 The University of Western Australia6

While in some parts of the University, students are looking back in time by billions of years (via the new Zadko telescope) others are content to go back less than 200 years.

Victorian literature is going through a purple patch, with two of its proponents winning Faculty teaching awards.

Alison Jaquet, who is completing her PhD in Victorian literature, won an Excellence in Teaching award for sessional staff and tutors; and Dr Kieran Dolin, who supervises honours students working in the same period, won an award for collegial support.

Associate Professor Judy Johnston, in English and Cultural Studies, said it was interesting that society thought young people were not interested in books and writers from the 19th century yet the teaching staff who specialised in this area had been nominated by young students.

Alison Jaquet was nominated by three students for teaching Romanticism and Revolution and Ideas of Modernity.

“Winning the award meant a lot to me. And Kieran is a wonderful colleague and an outstanding teacher, so I think it was really fitting that he should win the award for collegial support,” she said.

“I had previously taught for Kieran in the unit, Victorian Ideologies, which was a great experience. Positive feedback from Kieran and students helped to support my application for the teaching award,” Alison said.

“I absolutely love teaching. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. In fact, it doesn’t even feel like a job, compared to the work I did for four years before coming to UWA.

“It’s so rewarding and I really feel that it’s an important thing to do, that it matters. I have great colleagues who support me and the students are inspiring. I think we owe it to the students to be the best teachers that we possibly can.”

Alison did a teaching internship at the Centre for Advancement of Teaching and Learning when she began teaching in 2006.

“That was invaluable. But you know, I always think that if you can host a successful dinner party, you can get a conversation going – and keep it going – in a tutorial.”

Alison’s PhD, supervised by A/Professor Johnston, is on Victorian writer Ellen Wood and her novels that were dubbed ‘sensation’ fiction. “Wood raises a lot of questions about morality that make for great discussions today.

“The Victorian period was a time of great transition, similar to the changing world around us today, and some of the debates of those times are still taking place, for example, the gender debate, or ‘the Woman Question’ as it was labelled in the 19th century.”

She said that as her thesis submission date of May 25 approached, some colleagues encouraged her to lighten her teaching load.

“But teaching energises me,” she said. “So I’ll stick with it.”

Associate Professor Bev McNamara won two of the Faculty teaching awards, for individual teaching and one for research supervision. Dr Ethan Blue won an early career award, Dr Roderic Pitty won an award for teaching small groups or tutorials, and Associate Professor Tanya Dalziell, Dr Kati Tonkin and Dr Andrew Broertjes were all high commended.

Winning teachers bring Victorian era alive

Alison Jaquet loves to curl up with a 19th century novel

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 7

Some of the oldest and newest art forms in the world are being used together to discover more about Australia’s Indigenous history.

ARC Postdoctoral Fellow Liam Brady is using computer software to enhance faded or damaged rock art in the Torres Strait islands in far northeast Queensland.

Dr Brady used the technique to discover more about Torres Strait Islander cultural history for his PhD.

He has been working in Archaeology (School of Social and Cultural Studies) since November last year and has just returned from a rock-art recording project in the Burrup

Peninsula where he was ‘blown away’ by the extent and concentration of rock art at the Burrup and other sites in the north west.

“I’ve just come back from the Burrup and in an area about two kilometres by 200 metres, we found more than 1,000 images. At one stage, there were 14 of us working at Deep Gorge, recording them all. I’ve never seen concentration of rock art like this before,” Dr Brady said.

He is part of a team involved in setting up a rock art centre at UWA, recruiting the expertise of various researchers including the University’s archaeologists, whose skills are already in demand through their commercial arm, Eureka, and those of Dr Martin Porr, who came to UWA from Germany about the same time as Dr Brady arrived.

The young archaeologist used the computer enhancement techniques for the fi rst time during postgraduate study at Monash. “My supervisor had seen people starting to experiment with it in New Mexico but we were among the fi rst to use the software extensively and on a regional scale,” he said.

Dr Brady takes digital photographs of what might look like an ochre smear on the wall of a cave, then uses the software to saturate different colours, one at a time, until he can see what has been worn away by lichen or water run-off over centuries.

“They are the main destroyers of rock art, but sometimes wasp nests have damaged the images as well.”

He said that his research had been part of collaborative projects involving local Indigenous communities who were carrying out

Computer technology rocks Indigenous art

UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 The University of Western Australia8

their own cultural heritage projects. In many instances members of the local Indigenous community showed Dr Brady cultural places they wanted recorded, and heavily faded paintings were found.

“We can even do the enhancing on site with the community members watching,” he said. “We take our laptops, take the photographs, then feed them into the computer and watch images appear on the screen.

“Often, of course, you think you see something, but enhancing the ‘smear’ reveals nothing more. Working in the western and central Torres Strait Islands, we recorded about 1,000 images – about 10 percent of the total number of rock paintings recorded from Torres Strait.”

Dr Brady said that all documented images were returned to the local Indigenous communities and copies archived at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies in Canberra.

His work in the Top End discovered some distinctive designs that were similar to those found in Papua New Guinea.

“There seems to have been a massive artistic sharing network that we didn’t know was going on. The same motifs appear over hundreds of kilometres.

“We know the Indigenous people in PNG were horticulturalists and those in the Cape York Peninsula were hunter-gatherers. But the Torres Strait Islanders could be either. It has always been somewhat of a grey area. It seems to be a transition zone, which is really fascinating.”

Dr Brady hopes the rock art he has enhanced and recorded will eventually be used to help tell the story of Torres Strait cultural history.

His current work continues to focus on Torres Strait archaeology, but now concentrates on the small group of islands located closest to the tip of Cape York Peninsula. Here is working with the Kaurareg Aboriginal community to learn more about the history of cultural relationships between Torres Strait and Cape York groups prior to the arrival of Europeans, through research into such things as similarities in rock art.

Dr Brady’s fellowship is part of a personal ARC Discovery grant, a prestigious achievement for an individual early-career academic. (The success rate for these grants is only about 20 per cent.) Under the terms of the funding, he spends 25 per cent of his time teaching.

“I love teaching students the signifi cance of rock art and the skills they need to recognise and interpret what they see. These skills are complemented by constant improvements in digital technology.

“It’s getting better all the time,” Dr Brady said. “We recorded an image in 2003 that we found was a canoe. We knew there was something else there but we just couldn’t see it; the technology wasn’t powerful enough.

“We have resaturated the image recently using a higher-powered camera and now we can see a lot more, including a faded image behind the canoe.

“So, with this tool, instead of monitoring sites for deterioration, we are monitoring for more discoveries.”

Taking digital

photographs of

an ochre smear

on the wall

of a cave, the

software saturates

different colours,

and reveals what

has been worn

away by lichen

or water run-off

over centuries.

TOP: Canoe superimposed over a heavily faded design

ABOVE: Heavily faded human shapes with headdress. Both images are from Kirriri, south-western Torres Strait.

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 9

Anything that advises student not to study harder has got to be popular.

Study smarter, not harder is the message from Student Services’ Learning, Language and Research Skills (LLRS) team.

And last year, students acted on that message, with more than 900 of them attending the workshops runs by LLRS, about 300 calling in to the daily lunch-time drop-in sessions at the Reid Library and 800 signing on for the Get Smart weekly e-newsletter, with study tips and dates for workshops and events – all designed to help them study smarter.

“A lot of staff are signing up for Get Smart too,” said Dr Lucy Reilly, a Learning Skills Adviser. “Then they can let their students know the topics of our workshops and our latest study tips.”

LLRS has expanded its programs and staff in recent years. In addition to Lucy, advisers now include Dr Cheryl Lange, Dr Liana Christensen and Sophie Sunderland, as well as long-standing team members, Siri Barrett-Lennard and Dr Lisa Cluett.

Five years ago, when Siri and Lisa started, LLRS only a few services were offered and students generally had to come to Student Services to access these.

“LLRS services are now multi-layered,” Siri said. “And students can access them in any number of ways – face to face and online. To improve access, we also go out to students wherever we can instead of waiting for them to come to us.”

In fact, LLRS goes out to almost every Faculty on campus, working with teaching staff, advising on curricula and assessment materials and delivering specific seminars for groups ranging from first year engineers through to medical practitioners and MBA students.

These partnerships, such as one with Introduction to Professional Engineering (IPE) staff, have been a huge success, Advising students on how to write and present reports helped

students win three of four national awards at last year’s Engineers Without Borders competition.

Whether it is for competitions or for grades, the team stretches capable students and helps them achieve their goals.

The team also has a focus on equity. Their partnership with IPE, for example, has boosted the performance of struggling students with extra support provided in streamed tutorials for students deemed at risk of failing the unit.

Another of their equity initiatives, LACE, a program of Language and Cultural Exchange, encourages staff and local students to get to know international students and kindles friendships across language groups.

Information about LACE is one of the networking sections of the STUDYSmarter website, designed for staff.

The STUDYSmarter website also includes a wealth of other language and academic skills information, resources and advice.

“We treat it like another member of staff,” explained Lisa. “Our on-line delivery has really improved,” she said. “The slide shows, video clips, workshop podcasts and digital resources embedded in the website help us engage better with students.”

The English Language Corner on this website is a new resource for students to improve their English language skills.

On the website, teaching staff can also find help with referring students who could benefit from assistance in any academic skill area.

The LLRS group has been nominated for an Australian Learning and Teaching award for Services Supporting Student Learning this year.

To learn how you can help your students to www.studysmarter.uwa.edu.au where you can also sign up for the Get Smart newsletter.

Staff help students to get smart

UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 The University of Western Australia10

Steeped in alcohol, stoppered and sequestered away in a lab in the former Department of Zoology for almost 20 years without even a reliable label, a series of pin-point sized crustaceans have finally been identified.

They are copepods Paranitocrella bastiani (pictured below right) and belong to a species unique to the Gnangara Mound.

But for Dr Danny Tang, who recently named them, the result was not a cause for celebration because the creatures are likely to be already extinct; they certainly have not been collected since 1996. Dr Tang’s work, co-authored with his Animal Biology colleague Dr Brenton Knott, has been published in the prestigious journal Zootaxa. In their article, they describe the freshwater crustaceans belonging to the copepod group, introducing them to the science community for the first – and probably last – time.

Dr Knott, who describes an animal as ‘big’ if it is about one centimetre long, collected the copepods and preserved them in the 1990s as part of two decades of work on the miniscule fauna of the Mound. He has noticed a rapid drop in the water table and a corresponding dramatic decline in the numbers of several species of animals that depend on the health of the ecosystem for their survival.

“Stretching from the Swan River to the Moore River, the coast to the hills, the 2,200 square kilometre Mound hosts several caves around Yanchep, a string

Gone but not forgotten

by Sally-Ann Jones

of lakes and a series of tumulus springs,” Dr Knott said. “The groundwater below it has been used for market gardens, pine plantations and urban development. Until fairly recently, underground streams coursed through the caves where, among the matted tree roots, lived several varieties of freshwater crustaceans, including copepods.

“The gradual disappearance of the water, the roots and the animals is cause for concern because it points to serious environmental degradation,” Dr Knott said. “As well, the crustaceans are evidence of the evolution of life forms – they existed when Australia was part of Gondwanaland – and therefore important to science.”

Dr Tang’s and Dr Knott’s paper identifies copepods from 23 sites – 12 cave,

three bore, five spring and three surface-water locations – within the Mound region. Some of the species were documented as long ago as 1820 while others were recorded for the first time and identified as being endemic to the region, and particularly to tuart root mats.

“Restoring the root mats and maintaining permanent water flow within the Yanchep caves, as well as minimising urban development near the Ellen Brook springs, are essential to protect the copepod species, particularly the endemic ones, inhabiting these unique groundwater environments,” Dr Tang said.

In August, Dr Tang takes up a new position at Hiroshima University where he will undertake postdoctoral research into parasitic copepods that pose problems in aquaculture.

Dr Knott said his interest in copepods was sparked when his first PhD student brought tree root material into the laboratory with the cave crayfish he had found in yabbie burrows. “For some reason, I looked at the tree roots and found the copepods there. Previously, I’d been working on bigger freshwater crustaceans – about one centimetre long – but these copepods hadn’t been studied before.”

Danny Tang named the species that is almost certainly extinct Brenton Knott finding copepods in a Yanchep cave

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 11

A rare communicable cancer is hastening the extinction of the Tasmanian Devil.

The feisty little mammal is suffering from a disfiguring and fatal facial cancer that is passed on from one animal to another.

How the cancer is communicated will be one of the subjects of the 55th conference of The Australian Mammal Society, at UWA in July.

The Society’s first meeting also took place at UWA, 50 years ago. It was organised by a young PhD student, Shelley Barker, who was doing one of the first studies of quokkas.

Dr Barker, who retired from the University of Adelaide 13 years ago, is also organising this meeting, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Society.

Many of the young scientists who attended the first meeting went on to distinguished careers. Two of them, Professor Geoff Sharman and Dr Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe, became Fellows of the Australian Academy of Sciences. Professor Ian Hume, another member of the Society, is also a Fellow of the Academy.

“It was Geoff Sharman, working at Macquarie University, who discovered that kangaroos have a delayed gestation,” Dr Barker said.

“They tuck away a fertilised egg, so it’s ready to produce as soon as the joey leaves the pouch.”

Dr Tyndale-Biscoe, who made a name for himself in the field of mammal reproduction, was a research student at UWA with Dr

Half a decade of discoveries

The local quokka is the face of The Australian Mammal Society

International Women’s Day was a perfect opportunity for UWA to introduce 100 teenage students to the idea of tertiary study.

The University underwrote the participation of the students, from high schools outside the traditional UWA catchment areas, in a Worldly Women IWD event at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

About 650 professional women and senior high school students attended the seminar and lunch, which included two award-winning UWA women (PhD candidate Aimee Silla and Dr Kristen Nowak) as speakers.

The annual event is run by Competitive Edge, an events company which specialises in women’s networking. An information expo, which included all WA universities, was held before the seminar and lunch.

The students sponsored by UWA came from several schools including Belmont City College (which has Learning Links with the University), and Pinjarra and Collie senior high schools.

Girls on track to be ‘worldly women’

Barker and was at the inaugural meeting. Wildlife experts Graham Chittleborough and Harry Waring were also present.

“In the early days of the Society, we started work on a photographic index of Australian mammals, which became the Australian Museum’s Complete Book of Australian Mammals, with our contribution recognised,” Dr Barker said.

Members and non-members can register for the conference on July 6, 7 and 8 on campus, by contacting Dr Roberta Bencini or Dr Harriet Mills in Animal Biology.

Staff from Prospective Students Office talked to the girls about university study before the IWD lunch

UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 The University of Western Australia12

Young men in tutus and young women in body paint did the job in encouraging Perth commuters to buy this year’s Prosh paper, The Fiscal Stimulation.

Prosh co-director Eva Bates said a record number of copies had been sold, with fewer than 1,000 left over from a print-run of 115,000.

The students raised a record $139,000 by the time UWANews went to press, with some donation tins still coming in from places such as Albany.

This year, most of the funds raised will go to Foodbank of WA Inc, the Epilepsy Association of Western Australia and GROW, a mental health organisation. Other smaller charities, including UWA’s Uni Camp for Kids, will also benefit.

Australians are polite, even though teenagers use so much slang they are often incomprehensible.

This is part of the picture of Australia that Italian exchange student Silvia Daverio (pictured) has taken home to Milan, after a five-week English language course at UWA’s Centre for English Language Teaching.

UWA has expanded a fourth exchange program with Italy by hosting the first group of 14 short-term students from the Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore, in Milan.

The exchange relationship now enables UCSC students to come to UWA for a short stay to improve their English language skills.

The International Centre at UWA operates four student exchange programs in Italy – three in Milan and one in Bologna. The programs usually allow students to study for one or two semesters in the respective universities.

UCSC language student, Silvia Daverio (23), described her study at CELT as a great experience.

“I first wanted to improve my English, know another culture and help open my mind up to a culture on the other side of the world,” she said.

The young Italian is now hoping to return to UWA to do her thesis on Aboriginal languages.

“I didn’t know anything about Aboriginal culture when I arrived and now I am interested in the linguistic aspect,” she said.

Silvia’s observations that Australians were polite included orderly queues at bus stops and in shops. “We’re probably more exuberant; in Italy waiting for a bus is more chaotic.”

CELT caters for international students who need to improve their English, often ahead of undergraduate or postgraduate studies.

Nine students from Italy are currently studying in the faculties of Law, Economics and Commerce and Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Visual Arts. A corresponding number of UWA students will be taking up studies in Italy in 2010.

Culture snapshot through language

Fiscal Stimulation of $139,000

Students hit the streets on Prosh morning

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 13

UWA NEWS classified

14

NEW STAFF

Please welcome the following new staff who joined the University during February and March 2009.

Alexandra Christ Depelsenaire, Graduate Research Assistant, School of Medicine & Pharmacology Alison Jane Kenrick, Training Dental Clinic Assistant, Oral Health Centre of WA Alvin Kai Sheng Koh, Web/Data- base Officer, Office of Public Affairs Alynka Liane Youngman, Executive Assistant, Faculty Office – Engineering, Computing & MathematicsDr Andrew Hugh Ford, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences Aneesha Deanasen, Graduate Research Assistant, School of Medicine & Pharmacology Anne Elizabeth Georgina Todd, Research Officer, Graduate School of Education Dr Antonia Cole, Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine & PharmacologyArlene Raz, Systems Analyst, LibraryArman Hasani, Research Fellow, School of Medicine & PharmacologyAwoniyi Odunlami Awofeso, Associate Professor, School of Population Health Barbara Susan Matters, Assistant Curator, Berndt Museum of Anthropology Dr Bernard Andrew Callus, Senior Research Fellow, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular & Chemical SciencesBettina Arrow, Training Dental Clinic Assistant, Oral Health Centre of WA Britt Ainsley Watters, Manager, Faculty Office – Engineering, Computing & Mathematics Bruce Stuart Gardiner, Research Associate Professor, School of Computer Science & Software EngineeringCarissa Antonia Kezic, Graduate Research Assistant, School of Medicine & Pharmacology Caroline Angela Spiranovic, Research Fellow, Crime Research Centre Caroline Rani Martin, Administrative Assistant, Faculty Office – School of Medicine, Dentistry & Health SciencesCatherine Brennan, Administrative Assistant, School of Medicine & Pharmacology Catherine Louise Bachleda, Associate Lecturer, School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences Cathy Anne Lewin, Dental Clinic Assistant, Oral Health Centre of WA Cathy Cooper, Technician (Animal House), Animal Care Unit Chantal Simone Cross, Security Officer, Facilities Management – Security Christina O’Shea, Accounting Officer, Financial Services Christine Joanna Mo Whiteford, Lecturer, School of Population HealthChristopher Leatherday, Assistant (Laboratory), School of Mechanical Engineering Dr Chunbo Ma, Lecturer, School of Agriculture & Resource Economics Claire Johnson, Research Fellow, School of Surgery Clare Elizabeth Innes, Director (Risk Management), Finance & Resources Office Coleman T Garrett, Research Assistant, School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences Dr Danijela Kambaskovic-Sawers, Lecturer, School of Social & Cultural Studies

Prof David Anthony Mackey, Director, Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science David Lumley, Professor, School of Earth and Environment Dennis Jason Stanley, Ocean Glider Technician, School of Environmental Systems Engineering Donald John Braddick, Senior Technician (Mechanical), School of Physics Donna Bradley, Personal Assistant, School of Anatomy & Human BiologyEdith Cornelia Maria Nicholls, Administrative Officer, School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health CareElangovan Thaya Needi, Graduate Research Assistant, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular & Chemical SciencesElyshia Louise McNamara, Graduate Research Assistant, UWA Centre for Medical Research Emma Kate Pointon, Curriculum Writer, Centre for Learning Technology Dr Erica Lewin, Administrative Officer, Student Services A/Prof Eugene Ang, Associate Professor, School of Medicine & Pharmacology Dr Felicity Wray, Lecturer, School of Earth and Environment Frederick Ong, Research Assistant, UWA Centre for Medical Research Garry Lee, Professor, Faculty Office - Life & Physical Sciences Gemma-Lee Wright, Receptionist, Oral Health Centre of WA Gillian Yeo, Senior Lecturer, UWA Business School Helen Billiald, Curriculum Writer, Centre for Learning Technology Hemanthie Dodangodage Perera, Research Assistant, School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health CareIra Waqar, Administrative Officer, Research Services Dr James Falter, Research Fellow, School of Earth and Environment Dr James Kevin McElroy, Senior Research Fellow, UWA Business School James Skurray, Research Associate, School of Agriculture & Resource Economics Janette Helen Judge, Administrative Officer, School of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Janine Hatch, Research Officer, School of Earth and Environment Jason Fellman, Research Associate, School of Plant Biology Dr Jian-Guo Wang, Research Fellow, School of Mechanical Engineering Joanne Faulkner, Research Officer, Graduate School of Education Joanne Louise Salmons, Graduate Research Assistant, School of Medicine & Pharmacology Jonathon Crabtree, Administrative Officer, Research Services Julian Trent Osborne, Strategic Sourcing Officer, Financial Services Julie Farrimond, Dental Clinic Assistant, Oral Health Centre of WA Julie Fedele, Project Officer, School of Music Kara-Lee Lopes, Administrative Assistant, Student Services Karen Maree Leckie, Career Information Officer, Student ServicesKaren Metcalf, Administrative Assistant, School of Music Karren Pronk, Research Officer, School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health Care Katherine Kersley Hatch, Research Assistant, School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences

Dr Keith Arnold Howe, Medical Coordinator, School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health Care Dr Kellie Maher, Research Fellow, School of Plant Biology Kim Khanh Ly, Computer Support Officer, Western Australian Supercomputer Program (WASP)Kirsty Lyn Koevort, Information Architect, Office of Public Affairs Kylie Janette Wheatcroft, Administrative Assistant, UWA Extension Laura Michelle Coles, Administrative Assistant, UWA Business School Lee Ling (Cherie) Kew, Business Analyst, Information Technology Services (ITS) Dr Lei Gao, Research Fellow, School of Agriculture & Resource EconomicsDr Leo Langa, Lecturer, UWA Business School Lisa Rossi, Campaign Manager, Office of Development Lisa Thirer, Administrative Assistant, School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health Care Lorraine Sylvia Sholson, Research Officer, School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health CareDr Luis Gallardo, Lecturer, School of Earth and Environment Luke Brendan Byrne, Web Analytics Specialist, Office of Public Affairs Lynette Joan Cooper, Human Resource Officer, Human ResourcesMagdalena Zofia Matuszczyk, Marketing Officer, Faculty Office – Engineering, Computing & MathematicsMargaret Patricia Glenn, Administrative Officer, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences Marlies Loescher, Research Associate, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences Martin Christopher Gadd, Medical Coordinator, School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health CareMartin Venn Fey, Professorial Fellow, School of Earth and Environment Dr Matthew Warren Kemp, Research Assistant Professor, School of Women’s and Infants’ Health Maud Patricia Lowe, Senior Administrative Officer, Research Services A/Prof Maxwell Arthur Page, Associate Professor, School of Surgery Meagan Joy Shand, Senior Research Officer, school of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences Micah Lee Foster, Purchasing Officer, School of Physics Michael Champion, Associate Lecturer, School of Humanities Michael Paul Harris, Administrative Officer, Vice-Chancellery Michelle Louise Taylor, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Animal Biology Nandish Balagere Venkatesh, Technician, School of Civil & Resource Engineering Nina Harrison, Clinic Receptionist, School of Surgery Oliver Berkowitz, Research Associate,School of Plant Biology Dr Pantea Motearefi, Associate Lecturer, School of Dentistry Dr Peter Pivonka, Senior Research Fellow, School of Computer Science & Software Engineering Peter Zurzolo, Commercial Manager, CRC Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity Dr Philip McIlkenny, Associate Professor, UWA Business School Pier Vashti Leach, Executive Assistant, Vice-Chancellery

Priscilla Lam, Dentist, School of Primary, Aboriginal & Rural Health Care Rachel Standish, Research Fellow, School of Plant Biology A/Prof Ramyasuda Swaminathan, Associate Professor, School of Medicine & Pharmacology Raylene Charlene Lewis, Lecturer, School of Population Health Ricarda Jost, Research Associate, School of Plant Biology Richard Hobbs, Professor, School of Plant Biology Rodney William Kirk, Research Assistant Professor, School of Electrical, Electronic & Computer EngineeringDr Sandra Sabine Kahlau, Research Associate, ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Energy BiologySarah Elizabeth Carson, Research Assistant, UWA Centre for Medical Research Sarah Patricia Kahle, Marketing & Student Liaison Officer, International Centre Sarah Rudling, Enrolments Officer, Student Services Scott Robertson, Dental Technician, Oral Health Centre of WA Dr Selvi Dev, Research Associate, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences Shalmalee Palekar, Lecturer, School of Social & Cultural Studies Shayne David Loft, Lecturer, School of Psychology Shuyi Kristine Fu, Graduate Research Assistant, School of Medicine & Pharmacology Simon Robert Simicevic, Library Officer 1, Library Steffen Wetzstein, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Earth and Environment Susan Harbers, Administrative Assistant, Facilities Management – Maintenance Workshop Susanne Helen Stanley, Graduate Research Assistant, School of Psychiatry and Clinical NeurosciencesSuzanne Gale Zekulich, Library Officer 1, Library Prof Ted Snell, Director, Vice-Chancellery Teresa Swarbrick, Dental Clinic Assistant, Oral Health Centre of WAThomas John Hughes, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Mechanical Engineering Thomas Schnepple, Project Manager (Commercialisation), Office of Industry and Innovation Tiana Jade Hunt, Assistant (Production), UniPrint Dr Todd Gaines, Research Associate, School of Plant Biology Toni Clare Musiello, Project & Research Officer, School of SurgeryVanessa Maria Crago, Library Officer 1, Library Vasanth Raman, Security Officer, Facils Management – Security Victor Justin Olsson-White, Dentist (Service Registrar), Oral Health Centre of WA Victoria Gray, Graduate Research Assistant, School of Population Health Victoria Jane Clout, Lecturer, UWA Business School Viki Cramer, Research Fellow, School of Plant Biology Vince McMullen, Assistant Professor, School of Earth and Environment Vivienne Marie Pepper, Research Officer, Graduate School of EducationVladimir Kapor, Lecturer, School of Humanities

UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 The University of Western Australia14

UWA NEWS classified

Whatever you need to print, UniPrint can print it. From a newsletter to an annual report. A brochure to a flyer.

What’s more, we can also design it, create quality artwork and see the whole job through from start to finish.

See UniPrint too for all your copying and binding needs. UniPrint is your printer on campus.

6488 7790uniprintjobs@admin.uwa.auuniprint.uwa.edu.au

Print?

UniPrint-it!

Wenwen Qin, Research Assistant, School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences Ying (Wendy) Huang, Project Manager, Information Technology Services (ITS) Yvonne Kuehne, Laboratory Technician, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular & Chemical SciencesYvonne Louise Hauck, Associate Professor, School of Population Health

NOTICES

CenTRe foR InTegRATeD HUMAn STUDIeS PUblIC SeMInARSWednesday 22 AprilEducation for the 21st centuryChaired by Prof Neville Bruce; with panellists Aileen Walsh, Canon Frank Sheehan and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Bill Louden5.30 – 7pm, Seminar Room 1.81, School of Anatomy and Human BiologyWednesday 6 MayThe Toad Work“Why should I let the toad work / Squat on my life?” Philip LarkinChaired by Prof Colin MacLeod; with panellists Prof Rob Lambert, Dr Elliot Wood and Anne Gisborne5.30 – 7pm, Seminar Room 1.81, School of Anatomy and Human Biology

DISCoUnT AT CHAllenge STADIUMIn recognition of the University’s contribution to the establishment of Challenge Stadium, staff and students receive a 33 per cent discount on the full price of entry to sports facilities at Challenge Stadium on the presentation of a current UWA Staff or UWA Student card.

PROMOTION BRIEFS

Provided by Elizabeth Hutchinson, Executive Officer, Academics Promotion Committee, Human Resources

WInTHRoP PRofeSSoRProfessor Anne Chapman (Graduate School of Education)Professor Chapman’s research is in the general cross-disciplinary field of Education Studies. Her research activities have been mainly concentrated in the areas of Semiotics and Education, Literacy and Numeracy, and, most recently, Internationalisation of Higher Education.Professor Chapman has taken a leadership role in teaching and learning, as Graduate Research Coordinator for four years, Director of Transnational Programs and PhD and MEd Studies Coordinator.Her analytical framework for exploring the role of language in the social

construction of shared meanings is a model for research across educational disciplines, including history, policy and international education. She has received several awards for her research supervisory skills and teaching performance.

RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

Grants Awarded Between 23/03/2009 to 05/04/2009

ARC lInKAge InfRASTRUCTURe eQUIPMenT fACIlITIeSProf David Sampson, Dr Janine Croser, Dr Mariapia Degli-Esposti, Prof Sarah Dunlop, Prof D Hampson, Winthrop Prof Alan Harvey, Assistant Prof Kathryn Heel, Dr Cassandra James, A/Prof Charlene Kahler, Prof Svend Klinken, Winthrop Prof Peter Leedman, Prof Barry Marshall, Prof Andrew Millar, Dr Ashleigh Murch, Dr Jacqueline Phillips, A/Prof Paul Rigby, A/Prof Una Ryan, Winthrop Prof Geoffrey Stewart, Dr Philip Stumbles, Prof Richard Thompson, A/Prof Anya Waite, Prof James Whelan, Prof Graham Wilcox, Prof George Yeoh, Dr Melanie Ziman, Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, Microscopy, Characterisation Ctr, Environmental Systems Engineering, ARC Centre for Plant Energy Biology, UWA Centre for Child Health Research, Centre for Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Anatomy and Human Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Murdoch University, Edith Cowan University, PathWest: ‘A Core Western Australian Cell Sorting Facility – Ultra-Small Objects and Rare Cell Populations’ – $814,000 (2009)

AUSTRAlIA CHInA bIoMeDICAl ReSeARCH ConfeRenCeMr Gavin Pereira, Ms Annemarie De Vos, A/Prof Angus Cook, Population Health: ‘Second Australia China Biomedical Research Conference – ACBRC2009 – Gavin Pereira’ – $1,000 (2009)

CRC PlAnT bIoSeCURITYAsst Prof Michael Renton, Plant Biology: ‘Forecasting Spread for Rapid Response’ – $374,500 (2008-11)

MeDICAl & HeAlTH ReSeARCH InfRASTRUCTURe fUnDA/Prof Grant Waterer, Medicine and Pharmacology: ‘MHRIF Round 12 – Waterer’ – $15,426 (2008)

WA DePARTMenT of AgRICUlTURe AnD fooD (DAfWA)Dr Karen Holmes, Dr Neil Coles, Environmental Systems Engineering, Earth and Geographical Sciences: ‘Assessment of Sediment Erosion &

Soil Sampling Methods Applied in WA’ – $50,000 (2009)

WA DePARTMenT of enVIRonMenT & ConSeRVATIonProf Richard Hobbs, Plant Biology: ‘Post Pine Rehabilitation Review for the Gnangara Sustainability Strategy’ – $26,450 (2009)

STAFF ADS

Classified advertising is free to staff. Email: staffads@uwa.edu.au

To leTFRANCE – South West Holiday accommodation. Self-contained apartment in a beautiful Medieval Village of the Perigord Noir, BELVES. For more details see website www.belves.info or contact Susana Howard on 9246 5942 or email: susana@belves.infoNEAR PEMBERTON holiday accommodation, cosy handmade cottage, peaceful jumping off place for forest walks, wineries and galleries. Telephone Karen 9772 3007 or email: keelys@iinet.net.auSCARBOROUGH: Fully furnished 2 bedroom villa + 1 bathroom, floorboards all around, $440/week. Located in a quite complex of 8 villas, consisting of separate lounge, dining. Kitchen with fridge, microwave, oven, (no dishwasher), electric stove. Separate toilet, laundry with washing machine, (no dryer). Single carport + visitors parking bay, courtyard to rear. Master bedroom with double bed, TV + DVD, air-con. Second bedroom

with sofa bed and a desk. Living area with TV + DVD. No smoking, no pets, minimum stay 30 days, does not include electricity. Contact 0413 197 856 / Ext 3443.

SUBIACO/SHENTON PARK: Charming house with separate studio and double garage, set in delightful gardens near UWA/Charles Gardner Hospital/train and bus. Available early May (furnished or unfurnished) for one year @ $700 per week plus bond. Non-smokers preferred. For pictures and floorplan visit. http://www.paxtonhoad.com.au/property.asp?pid=167971 Email: fritsch@iinet.net.au or call 041 356 6503

HoMe eXCHAnge

HOUSE SWAP/OXFORD UK: Academic couple are seeking a house swap or rental in the Perth/Fremantle region during Nov-Dec 09. We are non-smokers willing to look after pets and plants. Our house in Oxford has one double and one single bedroom, two bathrooms, and is 10 minutes walk from town centre. Car swap also possible. References and further details available on request. For more information email: dorothy.bishop@psy.ox.ac.uk

ACCoMMoDATIon WAnTeD

Responsible and careful UK academic couple visiting Perth from mid-September 2009 to late January 2010 seek 1 or 2 bedroom fully furnished rental accommodation, preferably inner Western suburbs. Contact ckc@liverpool.ac.uk

In a campuS emergency

dIal 2222Security staff will call the emergency services, direct them to you

and come to help you while waiting for their arrival.

It is more efficient and effective to dial 2222 than to call 000.

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 15

the last word …

Uni

Prin

t 68

623

EDITOR/WRITER: Lindy Brophy, Public Affairs Tel: 6488 2436 Fax: 6488 1020 Email: lindy.brophy@uwa.edu.au

Hackett Foundation Building, M360

Director of Public Affairs: Doug Durack Tel: 6488 2806 Fax: 6488 1020

Designed and printed by UniPrint, UWA

UWAnews online: http://uwanews.publishing.uwa.edu.au/

UWA NEWS

Mark StickellsCEO WA ERA

It is likely that in the creative and free-ranging environment of a university, a desire to have The Last Word, is misguided. However, this opportunity is appreciated.

UWA has been an important part of my life. I started as an undergraduate 21 years ago and joined the University as a professional staff member in 1995.

During my time here I’ve worked in both central and Faculty-based roles and have a strong connection to the campus and its unique community. Moving to a new role, based at CSIRO, provides an opportunity to reflect on what UWA has meant to me. After roles in Research Services and the Dental School (in East Perth), I joined the Faculty of Agriculture as a Business Manager for a start-up Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) in 2001. After joining UWA, this was the most significant move of my career.

Working in a CRC while based at UWA had dual benefit. I maintained involvement in the UWA community and all the best that it offers, and reached out nationally into other research organisations and industry. The CRC was an ambitious national partnership to tackle important environmental and production issues for agriculture. My professional and personal experience with the CRC was exceptional and I wish the CRC and the wider circle of researchers and educators that are involved in its work continued and much deserved success.

There are three points that I would make to any colleague at UWA, or to those who wish to work in any number of diverse and interesting jobs on or off-campus.

Universities are open, collegiate and transparent organisations. While frustrating at times, and appearing to be slow to adapt and respond to change, UWA, in my experience, always provided an environment that was open to new

Tips for a successful university career

ideas, challenged conventional thinking and embraced opportunity. My view is reinforced by many working relationships that bridged institutional divisions and professional status. I’m convinced that my personal and professional development has been richer and more rewarding through employment at UWA. I suggest that as a practical step, we should use the word ‘colleague’ when introducing someone from UWA without prefacing it with ‘general’, ‘research-only’, ‘academic’. This small step will help break down barriers to collaboration and effective working relationships.

Universities are very diverse organisations. The richness and the diversity of the organisation is something to be cherished and built, in my view, to greater competitive advantage. While pockets of initiative and excellence can be found across the University, I’m certain that as an organisation we’re not good enough at promoting and encouraging the essential qualities that ensure that the University has impact, for example, making the work that our researchers, students and science communicators do through innovative joint ventures such as CRCs, known to the wider community. We occupy a privileged space, and should be better at communicating our worth to the wider community. We should all encourage our colleagues to improve their communication skills, through positive

Mark Stickells left UWA in March after nearly 20 years, to join the WA Energy

Research Alliance as its Chief Executive Officer. He was, most recently, Commercial

Director for Future Farm Industries CRC Ltd, a national research joint venture

headquartered at UWA. The following is a modified version of a farewell speech to

colleagues at the University Club.

feedback and skills development. We should always have a clear view of the intended message and audience.

Get involved. I feel that we don’t always take advantage of the flexibility and diversity that exists within the organisation. Too often this has been tackled from the point of view of disadvantage and a need to address equity issues. I feel that the University is ripe to respond to being a much better ‘business’ where the policies are embedded into practice. I encourage each and every one of you to take full and creative advantage of these opportunities. I’ve felt that the University is a richer place when you participate, volunteer and explore what’s on offer. Not every idea or initiative will be accepted; however the great thing about our University is that it’s in the business of valuing and generating knowledge for the benefit of the wider community.

UWA NEWS 20 April 2009 The University of Western Australia16