17 November 2004
17 November 2004
Monash researchers have been awarded almost $15 million in the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grants and $3.5 million in Health Service Research grants announced last week.
Twenty-nine projects received $14.7 million in funding as part of the $222 million provided to researchers across Australia to boost research into major health problems including cancer and heart disease.
Monash received $4 million more this year than in the same round last year.
Projects receiving funding under the grant scheme this year include a project into fatigue, attention and sleep disturbance after traumatic brain injury; an investigation into the factors that regulate blood clot formation; risk prediction in coronary heart disease; and developing a common outcome measure for priority setting in health.
Two teams of researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine received over $1 million in funding. Professor John McNeil, Professor Andrew Tonkin, Associate Professor Christopher Reid, Professor Henry Krum, Professor Lawrence Beilin, Dr Mark Nelson received $3,503,500 for their project ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly. Associate Professor Paul Myles, Professor Julian Smith, Professor John McNeil, Associate Professor John Knight, Associate Professor Jamie Cooper and Dr Brendan Silbert received just over $1 million to investigate the role of aspirin and tranexamic acid in coronary artery surgery.
In addition to the project grants, Associate Professor Anthony Harris and Professor Jeff Richardson, from the Centre for Health Economics, and Professor Peter Dixon, from the Centre of Policy Studies, in the Faculty of Business and Economics, received a $3.5 million Health Services Research Grant for a program modeling the economics of the Australian health care system for policy analysis.
17 November 2004
The Victorian Minister for Innovation, Mr John Brumby, has opened a new stem cell research facility in the Science Technology Research and Innovation Precinct (STRIP) at Monash's Clayton campus.
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From left: SCS chief executive officer Dr Peter Mountford, Treasurer and Minister for Innovation Mr John Brumby, deputy vice-chancellor (academic and planning) Professor Alan Lindsay and SCS director and general manager Mr David Newton, at the STRIP. |
Mr Brumby formally welcomed Melbourne-based biotechnology company Stem Cell Sciences Ltd (SCS) to the precinct, where it joined the Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC).
At the welcome, on Monday 15 November, SCS chief executive officer and Monash alumnus Dr Peter Mountford said his company would soon release the first embryonic stem cell line to be made freely available to researchers without commercial or intellectual property restrictions. Called, Mel-1, it is the first of six stem cell lines to be developed and distributed over the next two years by SCS.
Deputy vice-chancellor (academic and planning) Professor Alan Lindsay said the STRIP enhanced and supported vital technology transfer.
Mr Brumby praised the announcement. "This is an incredibly generous and forward-looking approach that will allow stem cell research into diseases like cancer, diabetes and Parkinson's to advance faster and further than ever before," he said.
He said the new $700,000 SCS facility at the STRIP would play an active role in commercialising Australian research, and that the stem cell work at the STRIP would bring the world to Victoria's doorstep.
Mr Brumby described the STRIP and its research facilities as "magnificent". He said the STRIP and the Australian Synchrotron -- being built adjacent to the Clayton campus -- represented two major investments in the future.
"These facilities add up to a genuinely world-class research cluster in Melbourne's south-east," he said.
Mr Brumby said the initiatives would help leverage investment in science and technology that would propel Victoria to a leading position in international scientific investment over the next few years.
17 November 2004
Monash's Art and Design faculty is this week hosting the influential Design Research Society (DRS) International Conference, the first time the biennial conference has been held outside Europe.
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Excellence in design research: From left: Associate Professor Arthur de Bono, head of the Art and Design faculty's Department of Design; Professor John Redmond; and Mr Denis Masseni, conference manager and manager of the faculty's multimedia masters program. |
Some 350 delegates representing 32 countries and 100 universities will converge on Caulfield campus for the five-day event from 17 to 21 November.
With the theme of 'FUTUREGROUND', the conference will debate directions emerging from design research around the world, covering an extensive range of topics including human-centred design, sustainability, architecture, industrial design, engineering, philosophy, visual communication, design practice and education.
Victoria's Minister for Education and Training, Ms Lynne Kosky, will open the conference, while DRS president and director of doctoral studies at the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Professor Richard Buchanon, will deliver the presidential address.
Keynote speakers include Professor Mark Burry, director of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory; Dr John Armstrong from Melbourne University's Philosophy department; and Mr Clive Dilnot from the Parsons School of Design in New York.
Conference co-chair and Art and Design faculty dean Professor John Redmond said choosing Monash to conduct the conference recognised the university's growing contribution to excellence in design research on an international basis.
"The conference will feature leading-edge design research across a wide range of contemporary issues from the international research community," Professor Redmond said.
"This presents delegates with an ideal opportunity to discuss, exchange and reflect on the latest developments and challenges in design research and map out design's future ground."
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The DRS was formed in the UK in 1967 as a learned society for the design research community and is dedicated to advancing the theory and practice of design.
For further information, visit the FUTUREGROUND website.
17 November 2004
Senior lecturer in pharmacy practice at the Victorian College of Pharmacy Dr Jennifer Marriott has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia to investigate the problems associated with patient discharge from hospital.
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$20,000 funding boost: Dr Jennifer Marriott |
Dr Marriott will begin the research project, titled 'Hospital discharge: the existing and potential role of the pharmacist', early next year with Monash PhD student and former colleague Dr Tracey Bessell from the Canberra Hospital.
The pair applied for the Abbott Australasia Hospital Pharmacy Research Grant earlier this year.
Dr Marriott said the project would take up to 12 months to complete.
"We are obviously thrilled with the grant, as it will give us the opportunity to further investigate the problems related to the discharge of patients from hospital and the impact this can have on the workload of pharmacists," she said.
Dr Marriott said pharmacists and hospital staff would be surveyed to determine what kind of problems existed, how extensive these problems were and what possible solutions would be workable.
17 November 2004
About 150 people attended the opening of a three-day Indigenous symposium titled 'Dialogues across cultures' at the Sheraton Towers in Melbourne last week.
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Official opening: From left, Professor Richard Larkins, Mr John So, Wurundjeri elder Ms Joy Murphy-Wandin, Professor Lynette Russell and prominent Aboriginal activist Professor Mick Dodson. |
The event, hosted by Monash, was an initiative of the Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies (CAIS).
Vice-chancellor Professor Richard Larkins and Melbourne lord mayor Mr John So officially opened the conference by acknowledging the Kulin nation and the Wurundjeri people as the traditional owners of Melbourne.
The conference included three days of seminars, presentations and film screenings, and provided a forum for more than 150 leading international and Australian academics and researchers in cultural and Indigenous studies.
CAIS chair Professor Lynette Russell said the conference's main objective was to "foster and encourage discussion about the relationship between various cultural identities and groups, with special emphasis on the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons, groups and cultures".
Professor Larkins said he was looking to a future in which Indigenous people were empowered by educational opportunities.
"Understanding and celebrating the cultural diversity of the Indigenous people of our country will be a critical component of the success we achieve as a multicultural society," he said.
"Despite the success of Monash and other Australian universities in becoming multicultural in every other respect, we have not achieved a similar level of success in incorporating people from our Indigenous communities into our university.
"We recognise the many complex issues related to historical injustices and particularly displacement from their traditional homes and dislocation of cultures faced by our Indigenous people.
"Although we cannot relive the past, Monash is committed to doing everything it can to repair some of the damage by rediscovering and reinvigorating traditional cultures and history through the Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies."
17 November 2004
Seven staff members in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences have been rewarded for excellence in teaching and research.
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Back row (from left): Associate Professor Rachelle Buchbinder, Professor Leon Piterman, Dr Carol Holden, Ms Lesley Hewitt. |
Deputy dean and acting chair of the faculty board, Professor Leon Piterman, presented the awards at the faculty's board meeting at the end of October.
Dr Carol Holden, Mr Michael Oldfield and Ms Jo Wainer were each awarded Dean's Awards for Excellence. These awards are presented to staff who have shown a commitment to promoting equity and diversity in the faculty.
Ms Lesley Hewitt and Dr Jane Tracy were presented Faculty Teaching Awards in recognition of their contribution to excellence in curriculum innovation.
Associate Professor Rachelle Buchbinder and Associate Professor Marcello Rosa received Faculty Research Awards, presented for "national and international standing of research over the previous five years".
Professor Piterman said the awards highlighted the remarkable achievements of the staff members and their commitment to furthering education and research excellence in the faculty.
17 November 2004
The playful, theatrical sculptures of Melbourne artist John Meade and a selection of key works from the Monash University Collection feature in two new exhibitions on show at the Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA) at Clayton campus.
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John Meade 'Black Duo: Self-portrait as Mary Magdalene, and Nude with Pitchfork 2004'. Courtesy the artist and Sutton Gallery, Melbourne. |
Incident in the Museum 2: John Meade features new work by the artist, who recently returned from 12 months' research in New York where he enjoyed a prestigious Anne and Gordon Samstag Visual Arts Scholarship.
The exhibition involves a trilogy of sculptural works, which have been choreographed within a purpose-designed light installation.
The centrepiece is a dramatic new work he completed in New York. Titled 'Black Duo: Self-portrait as Mary Magdalene, and Nude with Pitchfork 2004' , it depicts an aberrant upright figure -- loosely based on Renaissance artist Donatello's 'Magdalene' -- accompanied by an abstract reclining motif.
The Incident in the Museum series is an occasional program of newly commissioned exhibitions, projects and events by contemporary artists.
Before Night -- After Nature, Selected Works from the Monash University Collection takes as its starting point Domenico de Clario's powerful 'Night Paintings of 1972-77'.
Exhibition curator Ms Geraldine Barlow said the evocative works depicted various aspects of the landscape at night.
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Susan Norrie 'Natural Disasters (one) 1995'. Monash University Collection. |
"The exhibition considers the complex associations between night, shadows, fear, the landscape and the self," she said. "It also reflects on the interconnectedness of humanity and the land at a time of social and environmental distress."
The exhibition also features key works by artists Susan Norrie, John Perceval, Mike Parr and Ricky Swallow.
Both exhibitions will run until 17 December and from 1 February to 24 March 2005. Opening hours are Tuesdays to Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 2 pm to 5 pm. For further information, go to the Monash University Museum of Art website.
17 November 2004
Monash's Sir Louis Matheson and Caulfield libraries have each recorded more than a million users this year.
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From left: Mr Robet Hornett with Caulfield Library's one millionth user, Mr Allan Alexandersen Johansen. |
It is the first time the Caulfield Library has reached the milestone and the first time the Matheson library has recorded such numbers since 1996, when 1,070,048 visits were registered.
The one millionth user of the Caulfield Library was Master of Information Technology student Mr Allan Alexandersen Johansen, who visited the library on 29 October. The one millionth user of the Matheson Library was second-year Bachelor of Commerce student Mr Jovy Ismail, who came through the doors on 3 November.
Caulfield Library manager Mr Robet Hornett said the increase at Caulfield could be attributed to growing numbers attending the Caulfield campus, longer and more flexible hours of library operation and a marked increase in the number of international and part-time students enrolled at the campus, as well as improved facilities such as the number of computer workstations available for use and the development of electronic resources available to students. Group work as a study mode for students was also gaining in popularity.
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Matheson Library's one millionth user, Mr Jovy Ismail (right), with Ms Christine Cooze. |
"The 2004 count indicates a 100 per cent growth in users since 2001. In that year, we had a total of 501,000 customers through the door. This year, we anticipate a door count in excess of 1.1 million," he said.
Matheson Library manager Ms Christine Cooze said the number of staff and students visiting the library had steadily increased since 2000, with an average 3000 library users recorded daily.
"The growth in users indicates the major role the library plays in the academic life at Clayton campus," she said. "The library provides a welcoming, safe and impartial environment which is conducive to study yet is also a focal point for social interaction.
"We have also been flexible and responsive to the needs of users through extended opening hours and increasing the number of personal computers available for use."
17 November 2004
Monash student and Young Australian of the Year Mr Hugh Evans has launched a book about his humanitarian work and how he established Australia's first youth-run international aid organisation, the Oaktree Foundation.
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Mr Hugh Evans |
Titled, Stone of the Mountain, from a Zulu hymn, the book is a journal of Mr Evans' experiences during 2002 when he spent seven months in South Africa working with World Vision in the impoverished Embo Valley near Durban.
The book also shares the vision of the Oaktree Foundation, how it started and its future plans. "It is a resource to equip and mobilise other young leaders -- to really encourage them, and show them the Oaktree processes," the third-year law/science student said.
World Vision Australia CEO Mr Tim Costello said he was privileged to officially launch the book on Monday 15 November.
"Hugh is blessed with a delightful enthusiasm and naivety to ask why so many people in the world today are disadvantaged, and to seek ways to help them," Mr Costello said.
It was a visit to the slums of Manila as a 14-year old schoolboy that first inspired Mr Evans to dedicate his life to others.
His humanitarian efforts since then have resulted in his being named Young Victorian of the Year in 2003 and Young Australian of the Year in 2004.
17 November 2004
The cream of Australian design is on show at the Faculty Gallery at Monash's Caulfield campus, where the entries of more than 60 finalists in the 2004 Australian Design Awards are featured.
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'Chunky Melamine' by Housewares International, Breville and Alex Liddy. |
The exhibition is being held in conjunction with the Design Research Society's (DRS) international conference 'FUTUREGROUND' being hosted this week by the Art and Design faculty.
Acting gallery manager Ms Bianca Durrant said the award-winning entries were an inspiration to those with an interest in design and highlighted the importance of an innovative design process.
The 2004 Australian Design Awards, judged in Sydney in April, are designed to promote the significance of professional design in Australia in the development of globally competitive products.
Products represented by the awards cover a wide range of industry sectors including medical and scientific, transport and automotive, business, consumer, sport and leisure, housing, furniture and lighting, agriculture, and fashion and textiles.
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'Philips 190B4 LCD Monitor' by Philips Design Taipei and Blue Sky Creative Pty Ltd. |
The Industrial Design Council of Australia established the awards in 1961.
The exhibition will be on display at the Faculty Gallery until 25 November. It is open weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 1 pm to 5 pm. For further information, see the Faculty Gallery website.
17 November 2004
Ten new recycling stations established at Monash's Clayton campus last month are capturing almost a tonne of bottles and cans a week.
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From left: Facilities and Services cleaning services manager Mr Arthur Brent, Mr Mark Boulet and Professor Richard Larkins at one of the new recycling stations. |
The public recycling stations were introduced by Monash's Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (OHSE) and Facilities and Services departments to provide further opportunities for staff and students to recycle bottles, cans and paper.
Eight fixed stations were installed around the campus in October and two smaller mobile units placed in the Campus Centre.
Vice-chancellor Professor Richard Larkins said Monash took its environmental responsibilities very seriously.
"As a large community, we must take a responsible stance and set an example for the rest of the community about recycling and the proper disposal of waste to preserve the planet for future generations," he said.
OHSE environmental adviser Mr Mark Boulet said Monash was leading the way in the tertiary sector because of the amount of recycling it undertook.
"With the various recycling services in place, Monash diverts more than 50 tonnes of material from landfill every month," he said. "We can recycle or re-use bottles, cans, milk cartons, printer cartridges, paper, cardboard, computers, printers, faxes, printer cartridges, mobile phones, fluorescent lights, books and furniture."
EcoRecycle Victoria has recognised Monash's commitment to recycling, having certified the university as a WasteWise organisation for the past four years.
Mr Boulet said plans for 2005 include increasing the number of fixed recycling stations at Clayton campus, as well as ensuring other Victorian campuses were provided with similar facilities.