AVCC University News Line

FLINDERS AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS FULBRIGHT CHAIR

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (Flinders University) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:18:23 +1000

The Australian-American Fulbright Commission has awarded the prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Chair in American Political Science to Flinders University, following a national, competitive selection process. Flinders University will host the Chair for five years, from 2011.

Through the Chair, distinguished scholars from the United States will be based at Flinders to undertake collaborative research into key political issues affecting both countries.

Flinders Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Barber, said the appointment has confirmed the University’s standing as a leading centre for the teaching and researching of American Studies.

“Flinders University has a long and proud tradition in American Studies and we are delighted to be awarded this prestigious position which will add an exciting new dimension to the University’s teaching and research in the field,” Professor Barber said.

Professor Barber said Flinders appreciated the support received from Premier Rann in its bid for the Fulbright Distinguished Chair and concurred in the Premier’s view of the potential for further collaboration with American researchers on public policy that would raise South Australia’s profile in the United States.

Professor Don DeBats, Head of the Department of American Studies at Flinders, said that one of the key objectives of the Fulbright program is to encourage ongoing, collaborative research.

“The relationships formed between Flinders and the distinguished scholars from the US and their institutions could extend for decades to come,” Professor DeBats said.

The five scholars to sequentially occupy the Chair are expected to bring their own research projects to Flinders, and Professor DeBats expects there will be interest across the university, from Humanities to Law, in engaging with them.

The Fulbright Commission will work with Flinders University on an associated program of visits and presentations around Australia for the Distinguished Chairs.

“The Fulbright Commission is delighted to partner with Flinders University because of its well-established programs and expertise in American studies. It has strong links with U.S. Scholars, leading U.S. institutions and the U.S. Congress through its very successful internship program for Australian students,” Fulbright Commission Executive Director, Dr Joe Hlubucek, said.

The Australian-American Fulbright Commission is a non-profit organisation in Australia, established through a bi-national treaty between the Australian and United States governments in 1949. The Fulbright Program is one of the largest and most prestigious educational exchange programs in the world.

New applications for wool and other natural fibres

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (Deakin University) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:18:18 +1000

New applications for wool and other natural fibres are expected from an international collaboration between Deakin University, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and Tufts University in the United States.

The initiative recently received Australian Research Council Discovery Project funding.

“Traditionally, we think of natural protein fibres like wool and silk mainly being used in textile applications,” explained Professor Xungai Wang, project leader and head of Deakin’s Centre for Material and Fibre Innovation.

“This research will explore how we can turn these natural fibres into fine powders and make them available for a new generation of uses, such as artificial skins, medical bandages and pollution absorbers.”

Deakin senior research academic Dr Takuya Tsuzuki said the project was good news for the environment.

“We believe these new types of ‘green’ nanomaterials that are made from renewable raw materials will be biocompatible – compatible with living tissue – and biodegradable. We also think they will have a carbon-neutral nature in the entire product cycle from synthesis to disposal.

“One of the aims of the project is to produce a platform technology with 'green' organic micro and nano particles that have a wide range of applications.”

Dr Suzanne Smith, an ANSTO Senior Research Fellow, explained more about the powders and their potential benefits.

“This is an exciting journey which may lead to a new range of environmentally friendly products which can be used to absorb and clean up pollutants. These would be biodegradable and have extraordinary behaviour characteristics such as faster and higher absorption rates than current products,” she said.

“Natural powder products such as wool and silk are biocompatible, potentially making them ideal for wound protection, artificial skin or even drug delivery.”

Professor Wang said the research had the potential to make a positive contribution to the natural fibre industry.

“As well as supporting the Australian wool industry, this work could underpin the development of a future sustainable protein fibre industry,” he said. “It could also assist in recycling and reducing current high levels of product lost to waste.”

Also working on the project is Professor David Kaplan, Stern Family Professor of Engineering at Tufts University. Professor Kaplan will be exploring the integration of the particles into protein-based biomaterials. The project is expected to run over the next three years.

More information available here.

Mental health client's story becomes authentic teaching tool

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (CQUniversity) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:17:57 +1000

Belinda McCormack has bravely laid bare her experiences as a mental health client. Belinda takes us though a part of her journey from diagnosis to recovery including her initial misdiagnosis, the impact of her medication and how mental health services both provided and shattered her sense of hope.

Her life journey expressed on a new DVD documentary provides a powerful teaching tool for nursing students and those in other education programs. It also includes worthwhile insights for the mental health sector and the wider community, enhancing engagement on the issue

More information available here.

Ben pipes up to ensure Woodford Festival is 'flushed' with success

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (CQUniversity) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:17:53 +1000

Ben Kele and his band of students hope no-one notices their performance during the Woodford Folk Festival.

They are directing a massive conga line of human waste, as the amount of effluent through the sewerage system suddenly peaks at 1 megalitre per day.

More information available here.

Prejudice and Discrimination Against Migrants: Is it Because Migrants are Hard to Think About?

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (The University of Newcastle) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:17:41 +1000

Researchers at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and the University of Kent, UK, have recently published research suggesting that bias against migrants is related to how easy people find it to think about migrants. Research participants were asked to imagine a situation in which people were randomly divided into two very abstract social groups called “Group A” and “Group B”. Participants then imagined that, through a process of random selection, some people stayed in their original group (i.e., non-migrant individuals) and some people changed to the other group (i.e., migrants). Surprisingly, even under these artificial conditions, participants were biased against people who changed groups. They rated migrants as possessing fewer positive qualities (e.g., honest, attractive, friendly) and more negative qualities (e.g., unintelligent, aggressive, rude) than people who stayed in their original group. In addition, people who found it difficult to think about migrants showed a stronger bias than people who found it easy to think about migrants.

These findings suggest that migrant bias may be related to the ease or difficulty that people have in thinking about migrants: People may not like migrants, in part, because they find them more difficult to process cognitively.

The research was supported by the Australian Research Council's Discovery Projects funding scheme (Project DP0556908). However, the views expressed above are not necessarily those of the Australian Research Council. The reference for the paper is as follows:

Rubin, M., Paolini, S., & Crisp, R. J. (2010). A processing fluency explanation of bias against migrants. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(1), 21-28.

The paper is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.09.006 Please note that online access to the full text of this article will depend on your personal or institutional entitlements.

For further information, please e-mail: Mark.Rubin@newcastle.edu.au

More information available here.

Victoria University appoints new Chancellor

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (Victoria University) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:17:16 +1000

Prominent Melbournian, Mr George Pappas will be the next Chancellor of Victoria University. He will take up his new role on 1 January 2010.

The University’s Acting Chancellor, Commissioner Di Foggo warmly welcomed his appointment.

Commissioner Foggo said: “Mr Pappas has wide ranging experience across the commercial, government and university sectors.”

“He is well known for his extensive contributions to the wider community, including western region icons such as the Western Bulldogs Football Club.”

“In the role of Chairman of the Committee for Melbourne, he has demonstrated a great level of support for higher education.”

“Mr Pappas will lead the University into the next decade and play a key role in ensuring that the University continues to build strong partnerships and relationships in Melbourne’s west and more widely across Melbourne and Australia.”

“He has contributed widely to the community through holding the positions of Vice-Chairman of the BioMelbourne Network, a Director of the Western Bulldogs Football Club, and Commodore of the Point Leo Boat Club.

His term as Chancellor will extend until December 31, 2011.

Mr Pappas succeeds Justice Frank Vincent, AO, QC who retired from the position of Chancellor in August this year.

Mr Pappas is the fourth Chancellor since VU’s inception in 1990, succeeding Creighton Burns (1990-94), Peter Laver (1995-2000) and Frank Vincent (2001-09).

More information available here.

Monash study suggests rainwater is safe to drink

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (Monash University) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:05:58 +1000

A world first study by Monash University researchers into the health of families who drink rainwater has found that it is safe to drink.

More information available here.

Clean algae biofuel project leads the world in productivity

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (Murdoch University) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:27:01 +1000

Australian scientists are achieving the world's best production rates of oil from algae grown in open saline ponds, taking them a step closer to creating commercial quantities of clean biofuel for the future.

A joint $3.3 million project led by Murdoch University, and involving the University of Adelaide, now leads world algae biofuel research after more than 12 months of consistent results at both universities.

“It was previously believed impossible to grow large quantities of algae for biofuel in open ponds consistently and without contamination, but we've proven it can be done,” says Project Leader, Professor Michael Borowitzka from Murdoch.

The project has received $1.89 million funding from the Australian Government as part of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.

“This is the only biofuel project in Australia working simultaneously on all steps in the process of microalgal biofuels production, from microalgae culture, harvesting of the algae and extraction of oil suitable for biofuels production,” Professor Borowitzka says.

Professor Borowitzka says that due to the project’s success, construction of a multi-million dollar pilot plant to test the whole process on a larger scale will now begin in Karratha in the North-West in January and is expected to be operational by July.

“This is another potential growth industry and jobs generator for Western Australia and South Australia aside from mining – using our natural abundance of sunlight and year-round good climate,” he adds.

“We have achieved production rates of 50 tonnes per hectare per year, over half of which is converted to oil. These high production rates are expected to increase at the new pilot plant due to the even better climatic conditions in Karratha.”

The first stage is costing $1.5 million and further funding is being sought for future stages estimated to cost between $5-10 million.

Professor Borowitzka says the cost of producing biofuel from algae has already dropped from $12 a kilo to below $4 in the past year, but the aim is to get it down to less than $1 a kilo.

Dr David Lewis from the University of Adelaide says a key aspect of the project is to show that commercial levels of algae can be grown without competing for resources with food crops.

QUT research opportunities to help improve the world

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (Queensland University of Technology) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:26:51 +1000

Researchers interested in tackling climate change or improving the health and fitness of young people have been urged to take advantage of new opportunities at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

QUT's Institute for Sustainable Resources (ISR) is furthering its successful research program investigating greenhouse gas emissions from terrestrial ecosystems by offering three PhD scholarships in this area.

ISR director Professor Peter Grace said the PhD in Climate Change scholarships were open to researchers with a passion for the environment.

He said they would cover three areas: greenhouse gas emissions from irrigated grains and cotton farming systems; greenhouse gas emissions from natural and flooded ecosystems; and the impacts of land use changes and management on carbon and nitrogen cycling in land fringing metropolitan centres.

Leading Deakin academics appointed to Personal Chairs

webmaster@universitiesaustralia.edu.au (Deakin University) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:16:52 +1000

Deakin University has announced the appointment of three of its leading academics to Personal Chairs: Associate Professor Leigh Ackland, Associate Professor Damien Kingsbury and Associate Professor Jo Salmon.

Deakin’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sally Walker, warmly congratulated the trio.

“Associate Professors Ackland, Kingsbury and Salmon embody Deakin’s commitment to developing and supporting world-class researchers and to undertaking research that makes a difference. This commitment will play a vital role in Deakin reaching its goal of being in the top third of research universities in Australia,” Professor Walker said.

“Personal Chair appointments are very highly regarded as they recognise that the staff member is a distinguished scholar of international standing; the person must be recognised internationally as a leading authority in his or her discipline area. Deakin is very proud of Leigh, Damien and Jo. Their research is in different discipline areas, but they have in common a commitment to excellence and to solving real problems.”

Associate Professor Leigh Ackland is in Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences. She is Deputy Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. Leigh and her team are interested in the function of trace metals in human health and disease. She also has a research program that is aimed at better understanding breast cancer.

“I am greatly honoured to be granted a Personal Chair at Deakin University,” she said. “This leadership role brings with it the capacity for me to enhance research in biological and biomedical sciences within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Technology and to promote partnerships with external organisations.

“This appointment also gives me an opportunity to provide academic support and mentorship in the University and to profile the role of women in science.”

Associate Professor Damien Kingsbury is in Deakin’s School of International and Political Studies. A prolific author, he is in demand as a commentator and contributor on regional political affairs for Australian and international media. In 2007, Dr Kingsbury led the Australian NGO observer group to the East Timor presidential and parliamentary elections, following a similar task regarding the ballot on self-determination in 1999. In 2005, Dr Kingsbury was invited by the Crisis Management Initiative to advise the Free Aceh Movement in the Aceh peace talks being held in Helsinki.

More information available here.