News

The University of Melbourne Voice

Issues, views, debate, University news and events, fortnightly

Vol. 2, No. 1, 4 – 18 February 2008

Cover Story

‘OzIPortal’ taps into the Global brain
Australia’s first ultra-broadband, high definition link – the OptIPortal (affectionately nicknamed ‘OzIPortal’) is set to revolutionise academic research, NERISSA HANNINK reports.

Melbourne’s passion fills the house at ‘Art History Olympics’
Herald Chair of Fine Art Professor JAYNIE ANDERSON reflects on a recent world congress on art history, hosted at the University of Melbourne, which drew a bigger local audience than Al Gore. Held every four years in a different location – and dubbed the Art History Olympics – it is the first time the Congress of the International Committee of the History of Art (CIHA) has been held out of the northern hemisphere.

Too good to miss
Glimpses of the territory covered by three University of Melbourne academics in their presentations to the CIHA congress.

News

Fast HD ultra-broadband link is powerful collaboration tool
The University of Melbourne has unveiled the powerful next generation of high definition ultra-broadband in a real-time demonstration linking the University of Melbourne’s ‘OzIPortal’ and the University of California San Diego (UCSD).

Odds of breast cancer double in high-risk women smokers
Women at high risk of developing breast cancer because they carry certain faulty genes will further double their risk if they smoke, according to a new international study.

Information Futures Commission gets under way
Around 200 staff and students attended last week’s launch of the University’s Information Futures Commission (IFC) by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis.

Students give ‘thumbs up’ to 2008 courses
The acceptance rate for University of Melbourne courses in the first Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) round of offers has leapt at least five per cent compared with the rate for enrolment in 2007.

Social justice research initiative
Social justice issues in welfare, unemployment, health, new technologies, global justice, climate change and other key policy areas are the focus of a major new University of Melbourne research initiative.

From the Vice-Chancellor
It has been good to see research – and research policy – in the news.

Campus Snapshot: Academic excellence
Top students in the University of Melbourne’s Extension Program were recognised recently for achieving first class honours and awarded prizes for their academic excellence.

Young adults not moving out
Young adults are living with their parents longer to save money, and leaving it later to marry, buy a house and have children, according to research by the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

AAH Fellows
Three University of Melbourne academics are among four new Honorary Fellows and 20 new Fellows elected recently to the Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH).

Hot 100 author
Professor Jane Gunn, Inaugural Chair of Primary Care Research in the University of Melbourne’s Department of General Practice, has been named a BioMed Hot 100 author by BioMed Central, publisher of 186 peer-reviewed open access journals.

Symbolic birds
Dr Lewis Mayo, of the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, gives an historical perspective of how birds have symbolised nations’ political struggles and aspirations in the latest edition of the University’s audio podcast Up Close.

Bushfire risk to water supply – $1m study
A new $1 million research program between the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Water will look at the potential impacts of bushfire on our water supply catchments, and the best ways to protect them and the city’s water quality.

Centre to investigate how insects adapt to climate
The adaptation of insects to climate change will be a key focus of research in new cutting-edge research facilities opened recently at the University of Melbourne’s Bio21 Institute.

Fly genomes hold clues to defeating the defence systems of crop pests
University of Melbourne researchers have contributed to a Nature paper analysing the genomes of 12 fly species that consume compost, shedding light on the defence mechanisms of pests which damage agriculture.

Making a difference
No frontiers

Making a difference: Ritu Prakash
Economics and Commerce student Ritu Prakash describes as a milestone the year (2006) she spent as part of the University of Melbourne’s Student Ambassador Leadership Program (SALP).

Plant scientists in demand
Melbourne is in a strong position to train the next generation of scientists who have a passion to discover and classify Australia’s flora.

Farmer bites back at slugs
Michael Nash, a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research (CESAR) is literally taking science to the field, conducting his research on his farm in Western Victoria.

Backing for abortion declaration
A 14-point Declaration demanding better access to quality family planning, abortion and sexual health services has been adopted by the University of Melbourne’s Key Centre for Women’s Health in Society (KCWHS) in conjunction with three major women’s health organisations in Victoria.

Forum on public health knowledge
A free one-day forum focusing on public health knowledge translation will be held on 21 February 2008 at the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth).

Reviews and Previews

Angela Paladino on ‘green energy’
... too much debate and not enough action. Government should set clear targets, and offer incentives for new technology investment.

Cultural collections in spotlight
The priceless and wide-ranging cultural collections of the University of Melbourne are highlighted in a new twice-yearly magazine, University of Melbourne Collections.

Australian politics – the book
Essential reading for anyone interested in Australian history

From the source
Ethereal 3D

60 seconds with ...
Joe Rotella

Scrabulously high scoring word makes headlines
The word skills of University of Melbourne postgraduate Engineering students, Sam Chenoweth (PhD) and James Brett (Masters) stirred international media interest recently, including an invited item in The Wall Street Journal.

A 21st century education
The big challenge for the new federal government is to overcome the under-funding and over-regulation of Australian universities, according to the past Warden of Trinity College, Professor Don Markwell.

Veterinary graduates from 1967 mark 40 years
It was the year when Prime Minister Harold Holt went missing while swimming at Portsea on 17 December; indigenous Australians obtained the right to vote in a national referendum; the Beatles released their top-selling single All You Need Is Love, and an historical occasion for the University of Melbourne, which saw 38 Veterinary Science students graduate after the reopening of the Veterinary School in 1963 – it was 1967.

Committee of Convocation celebrates service
University of Melbourne Chancellor Mr Ian Renard presented four past and current members of the Committee of Convocation with silver University medals in recognition of their outstanding service to the University at the December 2007 meeting of the Committee of Convocation.

VCA shorts at Sundance
Victorian College of the Arts Film and TV graduates Erin White and Polly Staniford had key creative roles in two short films, Dugong and Crossbow, shown at the recent 2008 Sundance Film Festival (17–27 January).

Spirit of youth
The top awards in the Visual Arts and Moving Image categories at the fourth annual Qantas Spirit Of Youth (SOYA) Awards have been won by VCA alumni Danielle Freakley (Art) and Dustin Feneley (Film and TV).

Sports oval gets ‘green’turf
If you’ve walked past the University oval lately, you’ll have noticed a remarkable change in appearance. With the oval suffering from an oppressive summer and a battering winter, Melbourne University Sport’s ground staff have worked around the clock since last October to revitalise the ground with new drought-tolerant turf. And we’ve now got one of the greenest ovals in metropolitan Melbourne.

World champ receives Australian sport award
Alice McNamara had a break-through rowing year in 2007. Not only did the University of Melbourne fourth year Commerce/Science student win a national rowing title, she also went on to win a world rowing championship. And to cap off a memorable year, Alice was named Australian University Sport’s Most Outstanding Athlete of the Year at a ceremony in December at the University of New South Wales.

Volleyball teams to compete in China
Members of the Melbourne University Volleyball Club are set to visit Beijing, host city for the 2008 Olympic Games, on their tour of China from 8–15 March.

Former rower wins national cycling event
Bride O’Donnell, former member of Melbourne University Boat Club, won the Australian Time Trial at Buninyong near Ballarat in January.

University Blacks in new round of recruiting
Promoted to the Victorian Amateur Football Association’s A-grade this year, the University Blacks are looking to add some AFL experience to their 2008 list.

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