Archive for June, 2009

A public art exhibition at the University of New England is delighting visitors with its vibrant blend of Oriental tradition and contemporary Western sensibility.

The exhibition – “Flying Brush, Dancing Ink” – comprises works created by students of Chinese calligraphy at UNE. After just one semester’s practice of this ancient art form, they have succeeded in using it as a basis for self-expression.

All the works display not only technical competence, but an appreciation of the aesthetic principles underlying the art of Chinese calligraphy.

Dr Cuncun Wu, a Chinese scholar and UNE Senior Lecturer who is herself an accomplished calligrapher, initiated the University’s one-semester calligraphy course in 2004. She has been impressed by the application and creativity of her students – this year no less than in previous years – and points out that some of them have achieved outstanding results without any knowledge of the Chinese language. This year’s class includes students of – for example – business and law as well as students of Chinese.

“Traditionally, calligraphy is regarded as the highest Chinese art form,” Dr Wu said, “and is an important part of Chinese cultural life. It integrates mind and body, has a strong meditative component, and is believed to promote longevity.”

The students have triumphed over the initial difficulties of the exotic script and calligraphic technique. “As I practised more, and the characters got more complex, I came to enjoy it more,” said Emma Pracy, a fourth-year student of Chinese. For her exhibition piece, Emma transcribed a Chinese poem onto a Chinese lantern, and created a background scene depicting an ornate, Chinese-style window. “It’s a reflection of my experience last year as a student in China,” she says, “and expresses the emotions of a person looking at the moon and thinking of home. The poem conveys a sense of longing and wonder, while the lantern reflects the poem’s night-time tone while creating a feeling of warmth and security.”

Belinda Rowe’s work comprises a series of portraits of her children, with calligraphic inscriptions describing their qualities as individuals. Adele Lovi has painted Chinese characters onto iced cup cakes displayed as part of a traditional English high-tea setting as a way of depicting the contrasting “tea rituals” of Chinese and Anglo culture. Jean-Paul Shanahan has depicted his family “tree”, with each leaf – including a Chinese character in the form of a personal seal – representing an immediate member of his family. Katie Williams has built a lamp and decorated it with characters translated as “Cherish the moment”, while Anthony Rummery has transcribed a poem from the Tang Dynasty – “Watching the Hunt” – onto a mirror “after long deliberation of different kinds of material”.

“I’m amazed at what I’m seeing,” said the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of UNE’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Professor Margaret Sedgley, when officially opening the exhibition today. Professor Sedgley said she was impressed by the creativity of the students, and their extension of ancient techniques and traditional aesthetic principles into a contemporary Australian environment.

The exhibition will remain on show in Room 102 of the Arts Building until the 4^th of July.

THE IMAGE displayed here expands to show Belinda Rowe with her exhibition piece.

A new postgraduate course delivered through the University of New England aims at ensuring that Australian farmers get the best possible advice on managing their farms both profitably and sustainably.

The Graduate Certificate in Rural Science (Agricultural Consulting), developed jointly by UNE and the Cooperative Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation (Sheep CRC), is Australia’s first specialist course for practising or intending agricultural consultants and advisers. Delivered by distance education, the course begins in Semester 2, 2009.

UNE’s Professor Steve Walkden-Brown, the Education Program Leader for the Sheep CRC, said the new Graduate Certificate program would help the adoption of innovation in agricultural industries by enhancing the knowledge and skills of consultants and advisers.

“It will increase the capacity of these professionals to support the growth in production and profitability that the informed uptake of innovation can deliver,” Professor Walkden-Brown said.

“The program’s online delivery by distance education will allow the flexible and self-paced study necessary for people balancing full-time work and study,” he added.

The Sheep CRC’s newly appointed Industry Training Project Leader, Lu Hogan, said that the two core units of the course would deal with how to run a consultancy business, and how to provide advice to clients on a wide range of issues – including enterprise planning, resource allocation, and succession planning.

Students can choose their two elective units from a wide range of UNE disciplines including animal production, crops, pastures, agribusiness, and natural resources. Even specialist units from other universities can be included as electives.

The course can be completed in one semester of full-time study, or in one or two years of part-time study. Applications are open for enrolments in the course in Semester 2, which begins on the 27^th of July.

The Sheep CRC is offering a number of scholarships for the course. These are for students who are planning to provide a service to the sheep industry.

For more information, contact the Unit Coordinator for the core consulting units, Deborah Maxwell, on (02) 6779 4262 or 0437 524 163 (Deborah.maxwell@une.edu.au). Detailed information and more contacts are available on the Sheep CRC Web site: http://www.sheepcrc.org.au/education/graduate-cert-in-rural-science.php.

THE IMAGE displayed here expands to show (from left) Deborah Maxwell, Professor Steve Walkden-Brown, and Lu Hogan with course notes for the Graduate Certificate in Rural Science (Agricultural Consulting) program.

The Hon. John Kerin AM visited the University of New England earlier this month in his current capacity as Chair of the Interim Board of the newly-formed Australian Weeds Research Centre.

Mr Kerin, a former Federal Government Minister, subsequently served as Chair of the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management (Weeds CRC), which wound up its operations last year.

During his visit to UNE he discussed the future of weeds research in Australia – and UNE’s vital role in that research – with scientists and research managers including the Head of the School of Environmental and Rural Science, Professor Iain Young, and UNE’s Professor of Weed Science, Brian Sindel. He also launched two new booklets that UNE researchers have produced to help farmers detect and control weeds on their properties.

UNE collaborated in research projects as a participant in the Weeds CRC, and Mr Kerin said that UNE’s research capacity meant that it was “well placed to continue the work”. He spoke passionately about the continuing need for a collaborative approach to weeds research.

He also spoke about the need for research results to be made available to farmers in a readily understandable form. “Once you get the science done, you have to get it to a level at which people can understand it,” he said.

In this context, he praised the two booklets he launched at UNE: Weed Detection on Farms and Weed Detection and Control on Small Farms. These practical guides are the results of national surveys of farmers and weeds inspectors conducted by UNE with funding from Land & Water Australia. Mr Kerin referred to them as “very practical”, emphasising that “the more material we can get into people’s hands the better”.

Weed Detection on Farms, written by Professor Sindel and Om Jhorar from UNE’s School of Environmental and Rural Science, and Ian Reeve, Lyndal-Joy Thompson, Jonathan Moss and Michael Coleman from UNE’s Institute for Rural Futures, discusses the significance of weeds to Australian agriculture, and describes the current “best practice” principles for early detection of weeds on farms. The booklet is in print, and is also available on the Internet at: http://www.ruralfutures.une.edu.au/

Weed Detection and Control on Small Farms, written – particularly for owners of “hobby” and “lifestyle” farms – by Professor Sindel and Michael Coleman, explains how to identify potential weeds, how weeds spread and how to minimise their spread, discusses methods of control and the importance of early detection, and provides information on available assistance. It will be published soon.

THE PHOTOGRAPH of John Kerin (taken on the day of his visit to UNE) displayed here, expands to show him with Professor Brian Sindel (centre) and Michael Coleman.

Sixteen students from Chubu University in Japan have left Armidale after a 17-week experience that has enhanced both their competence in the use of the English language, and their understanding of its cultural context.

This is the fifth successive year that a group of students from Chubu University, Nagoya, has come to Armidale to undertake English language and cross-cultural communication studies at the University of New England and to engage with spoken English within an Australian community.

The students, all in the second year of degree programs with a major English-language component, arrived at UNE in February. They left at the end of last week, after completing a semester-long linguistics unit for UNE undergraduates (“Cross Cultural Communication Studies”) and more than 300 hours of tuition at UNE’s English Language Centre. During their stay they engaged in Armidale family and community life as well as the life of the University.

These annual study tours to Armidale are the result of a partnership arrangement between UNE and Chubu University that also includes various forms of staff and student exchange.

Mark Cooper, the Deputy Director of Studies at the English Language Centre, said that members of this year’s group of students were aiming at a variety of professions – including that of teaching English as a second language.

Mr Cooper (pictured here), who was able to talk to the students about what to expect in Armidale during a visit to Chubu University last October, said that they had settled in “very easily”. This was not only because of his visit, he said, but also because they had spoken to fellow students who had taken part in the program in previous years.

“The bond between UNE and Chubu University is a strong one,” Mr Cooper said, “and Chubu has said that it wants to continue these annual study tours into the foreseeable future.”

During a farewell ceremony for the students on Friday 19 June, UNE’s Chief Development Officer, Mr Chris Patton, told them that the University greatly valued their presence on campus. “Your presence here is significant not only for UNE, but also for the wider Armidale community,” Mr Patton said.

Mr Cooper thanked the many people who had contributed to the success of the Chubu visit – including the Heads of UNE residential colleges and the members of Armidale households in which the students had stayed, Ms Catriona Bor and Mrs Katsuko Honour who coordinated this year’s visit, the English language teachers, and support staff including Ms Shizuko Yamagashi who was the students’ adviser in the cross-cultural communication course.

Caitlin Dittman, a student of Japanese at UNE, represented the UNE “buddies” assigned to the visiting group in delivering a farewell message in Japanese.

Two of the Japanese students responded in English. Natsumi Sakata pointed out that their UNE experience had enabled them not only to improve their competence in English communication, but also to broaden their horizons through sharing classes with students from all over the world. “Thank you for making our stay so memorable,” she said.

Noriharu Utsumi (pictured here) remarked particularly on the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone they had encountered both in their classes and in their college and “homestay” accommodation. “I really enjoyed Australian life,” he said.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows Mark Cooper presenting Noriharu Utsumi with his certificate during last Friday’s ceremony.

The Commonwealth Government’s provision of free vaccinations against human papillomavirus (which causes cervical cancer) will end soon, and doctors at the UNE Medical Centre are urging young women at the University who haven’t yet done so to take advantage of this opportunity while it’s still available.

The Medical Centre’s Dr Jane Watt said that, when the Government immunisation program began in 2007, UNE received a one-year grant through Hunter New England Health to run a special clinic employing qualified immunisation nurses. “In that first year we administered about 2,500 doses of the vaccine,” Dr Watt said, “and since the grant expired in 2008, we’ve continued with the program using our own immunisation nurse.”

Free courses of the cervical cancer vaccine “Gardasil” are still available to women aged 26 and under who have a Medicare card (i.e., who are not overseas students), and who begin the course before the 30^th of June. (If begun by that date, the course – three doses of the vaccine – can be completed by the time the program ends on the 31^st of December 2009.) The vaccinations are available at all GPs’ surgeries, as well as at the University Medical Centre – free for those who meet the criteria above, and otherwise at a cost of $450.

“Gardasil” is effective against the two types of human papillomavirus responsible for more than 70 per cent of cervical cancers. Used in conjunction, vaccination and regular Pap smears are recognised as an ideal prevention strategy against cervical cancer – a disease that kills more than 200 Australian women every year. “Gardasil” is now licensed in more than 80 countries.

Professor Ian Frazer, the 2006 Australian of the Year who played a leading role in the development of “Gardasil”, visited UNE last year as a guest of the UNE Medical Society.

Dr Watt urged young women who haven’t been vaccinated against human papillomavirus to consider the benefits – to themselves and to the whole community – that the vaccination offers. “As cervical cancer is caused by a virus,” she said, “it can be prevented by measures including vaccination. This preventative vaccine will have a huge impact on the incidence of the disease over the next 10 years.”

For more information, or to make an appointment for vaccination, phone the University Medical Centre on 6773 2916 or contact your family doctor.

A pioneering program at the University of New England that encourages students to engage in extra-curricular activities for personal and professional development is inspiring similar programs at other Australian universities.

After Dr Robyn Muldoon established the New England Award program at UNE in 2004, it quickly gained recognition as a valuable adjunct to a student’s academic program in terms of both personal development and readiness for employment.

Since 2005, more than 100 UNE students have been presented with the New England Award at their graduation. The award recognises that they have engaged in extra-curricular learning, professional development, and/or community-based activities at a required level of participation and commitment.

What began as a program for on-campus students was extended last year to include those studying by distance education. “This has resulted in a rapid expansion of volunteering in UNE’s communities across Australia,” Dr Muldoon said.

Last year, too, the program was extended to include two levels of attainment: the New England Certificate, which students receive after recording 1,000 “points” for their extra-curricular activities, and the New England Award itself, which requires the student to achieve – on average – a credit level in their academic studies, and write a reflective journal about their personal and professional development, as well as recording the 1,000 “points”.

Three other universities have invited Dr Muldoon to assist them in establishing similar programs. So far, this collaboration has seen the launch of the Phoenix Award at the University of Southern Queensland and the Canberra Award at the University of Canberra. During the launch of the Canberra Award on the 19^th of February this year, Canberra University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education), Professor Carole Kayrooz, thanked Dr Muldoon for her vision and her generous assistance during the development and implementation of the Canberra Award, and Senator Kate Lundy, the Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation, commended her for contribution to student development.

Dr Muldoon and her UNE colleague Ms Kim Heberley, comprising the New England Award team, were recognised for their “outstanding achievements in interdisciplinary innovation” at the recent Vice-Chancellor’s Awards ceremony at UNE.

Among the many activities that students have undertaken in working towards their New England Award are various teaching roles (including teaching migrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and the long-term unemployed), and volunteer work for churches, sporting clubs, and a wide range of organisations including Landcare, Lifeline, Amnesty International, and the Rural Fire Service.

Employers are consistently enthusiastic about the award, agreeing that – on an individual level – it indicates a job applicant’s willingness “to go the extra mile”, and that – on an institutional level – it demonstrates UNE’s concern for “the growth of the whole person”.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here, taken just after a UNE graduation ceremony earlier this year, shows Emily Hegney, who graduated with a Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree and received a New England Award. The photograph expands to include Dr Robyn Muldoon and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew.

Researchers at the University of New England have embarked on a project aimed at preventing the further spread of serrated tussock on the Northern Tablelands.

“Serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma) is a real problem for sheep producers, as it has very little nutritional value,” explained Annie Schneider (pictured here), a postgraduate student at UNE who is studying this weed for her PhD degree. “One study has shown that sheep can actually die of starvation if there is too much serrated tussock in their diet.”

“With serrated tussock, prevention is definitely better than cure,” Ms Schneider said. “Once it has become established, it is costly and difficult to control.”

“We can avoid further losses to farm productivity and biodiversity by being careful not to spread the seeds of serrated tussock into new areas,” she continued. To help in achieving this aim, she and her supervisor, Professor Brian Sindel, have designed a survey that will inform them about current levels of serrated tussock infestation throughout the Northern Tablelands, and about land managers’ views on methods that can be used to prevent its spread onto unaffected land.

“We’re interested in learning what land managers think of the prevention methods that are mentioned in the survey – methods that are drawn from various serrated tussock management guides,” Ms Schneider said.

“People reading through the survey may get some new ideas about simple steps they can take to reduce the risk of their property becoming infested with serrated tussock,” she added.

She and Professor Sindel hope that the results of the survey will reveal opportunities for tackling the problem as well as giving them a picture of its size.

They will be sending the survey to landholders early in July. “If you receive this survey, please take the time to fill it out and return it to us using the ‘postage paid’ envelope that will be provided,” Ms Schneider said. “Your insight could well help others in the community deal with this issue.”

For more information on the survey, please contact Annie Schneider on (02) 6773 3075.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here expands to show Annie Schneider working with serrated tussock in a UNE glasshouse.

Business and Law

About 170 Year 12 students of Business Studies and Legal Studies from around northern NSW visited the University of New England yesterday for a fresh insight into the requirements of the Higher School Certificate examinations in those subjects.

The students came to the “HSC Booster Day” from Armidale, Coffs Harbour, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Nambucca Heads, Quirindi and Tamworth.

They received advice about curriculum content and HSC examination strategies from two visiting experts: Mr Mohan Dhall, who teaches at the Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Croydon and also trains teachers at the University of Technology, Sydney, and Ms Anne Carter, who teaches HSC Legal Studies at Scone High School.

Mr Dhall, who has marked HSC Business Studies and Legal Studies papers and worked on the HSC Advice Line, is also a student of Law – and as such, he says, he can relate to any examination concerns the HSC students might have.

“The Booster Day gave them affirmation that they’re being as well taught here in regional NSW as are their counterparts in Sydney,” he said. “It also provided them with up-to-date information: for example, I was able to talk to Business Studies students and their teachers today about the Fair Work Act, which, when it becomes law on the 1^st of July, will affect all businesses operating inter-State.

“In Legal Studies I presented a contemporary perspective on how to assess the effectiveness of the law – particularly from the point of view of the disadvantaged.”

“It’s been a wonderful day,” Ms Carter said. “I went through the core of the course with them, emphasising what they need to do to prepare for the exam, and what to expect. It’s important for them to hear these things from someone else – as well as from their classroom teacher.”

UNE’s Ms Nola Holmes, one of the organisers of the day, said it had been very successful, with students not only receiving valuable advice on preparing for their HSC examinations, but also experiencing a university environment in which they could pursue their studies at tertiary level. “They received information about relevant UNE courses that flow on directly from their current HSC studies,” Ms Holmes said.

THE PHOTOGRAPH of Mohan Dhall and Anne Carter displayed here expands to include Glen Innes High School students (from left) Jared Willis, Fiona Annetts, Jessica Dunn, and Tom Halloran.

The Sciences

UNE also staged “Booster Days” this week for students preparing for HSC examinations in science subjects.

About 250 students from schools in Armidale, Barraba, Gunnedah, Guyra, Inverell, Uralla, Walcha and Warialda visited UNE yesterday and today for HSC-related activities in Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics and Physics led by UNE academics and technicians.

Joining them were 11 Year 12 students – coming from as far away as Brisbane and Newcastle – who are participants in the 2009 National Youth Science Forum (NYSF). Their NYSF-accredited “Uni Seminar” at UNE included the HSC Booster activities as well as a field excursion to Dangar’s Gorge, and an ecosystem management seminar presented yesterday evening by UNE’s Dr Karl Vernes.

After the event one of the teachers who had accompanied students from a rural school commented on “how much a program such as the HSC Boosters means to country – or, rather, rural – students such as ours”. It had given them “confidence, reinforcement, and an awareness that those in the big towns are at exactly where we’re at,” the teacher said.

Another teacher said that her students had learnt a great deal, and commented on the value of the “hands-on” experience they had received in the UNE laboratories.

THE PHOTOGRAPH of UNE’s Associate Professor Robin Jessop (one of the organisers of the Science Booster Days) displayed here expands to include Sam Moore and Christina Jeyaruban from O’Connor Catholic College.

Guyra Shire Council has entered into a formal agreement with the University of New England that will have employment and training benefits for the Shire, and enhance the regional impact of UNE’s teaching and research.

The Guyra Mayor, Councillor Hans Hietbrink, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last week with the University’s Chief Development Officer, Mr Chris Patton. The MOU will facilitate the provision of consultancy work and staff development training by the University to the Council. As the first general agreement of its kind between UNE and a local government authority, it will establish a model for similar agreements in the future – particularly within the  Strategic Alliance of Guyra, Uralla, and Armidale Dumaresq Councils.

“It’s an opportunity, across the whole of the Alliance, to enter into a more formal relationship with the University,” Councillor Hietbrink said. “The sort of consultancy work that councils require from time to time – in the area of environmental impact, for example – is often suited to an academic or a research student. And UNE is well placed to provide professional development – including postgraduate studies – for council staff.”

Mr Patton said the MOU represented “a great opportunity for UNE to engage with local councils to support our regional workforce and community”.

“We are delighted to be taking this initiative with Guyra Shire Council, and we value the Council’s forward thinking in regard to its staff development,” he said. “This MOU reflects our commitment to enhancing the skills of the region’s workforce, and emphasises UNE’s unique ability to help people reach their educational goals ‘on their own terms’.”

Mr David Cushway, the General Manager of Guyra Shire Council, said the Council had welcomed UNE’s suggestion about formalising the relationship. “UNE is a great asset to the local community – particularly because of its regional focus in developments such as the School of Rural Medicine,” he said. “The relationship will have mutual benefits in educating the region’s workforce in – and for – the region.”

The image displayed here expands to show Mr Patton and Councillor Hietbrink signing the MOU.

The University of New England today welcomed to its campus Consuls General and other consular officials from nine nations in what the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, called an “historic” event for the University.

The visitors, representing Argentina, Canada, China, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the United States and Vietnam, were welcomed by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, who introduced them to the University – its history, achievements, and vision of regional and global engagement.

UNE’s Chancellor, the Hon. Richard Torbay MP, had invited the diplomats – members of the Sydney-based Diplomatic Corps – to Armidale to discuss potential partnerships in education and research. The Chief Development Officer, Mr Chris Patton, and Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Ray Cooksey, outlined the potential for such partnerships, after which the diplomats met international students and staff members involved in UNE’s International Program, and inspected the University’s facilities.

“What I, as Chancellor, would like to see emerge from today,” Dr Torbay said, “is a clear understanding of activities that this university can engage in that will open the way for better international collaboration and international partnerships.”

“UNE has strong credentials,” he explained. “We are a major recipient of competitive research grants from industry and government bodies in Australia. In 2008, for example, UNE was the recipient of more than $20 million in research funding grants across 23 international research projects. And UNE has cooperative teaching and pathway programs with institutions across the world.”

“I would like you to share with us, to the fullest extent, your insights into what might constitute a mutually beneficial partnership or opportunity,” Dr Torbay said. “I would like today to be the first day in a continuing relationship.”

Professor Pettigrew spoke about UNE’s unique qualities as a living-and-learning environment for on-campus students, its distinguished record in – and current and future development of – distance education, and its aspiration to “make a difference” on a global scale. “We want to engage with you,” he told the diplomats.

The United States Consul General, Mrs Judith Fergin, arrived at UNE yesterday and presented a public lecture in politics and international relations titled “The US-Australian alliance under Obama and Rudd”.

“This is a great experience for us, and an opportunity to share ideas,” said Mr Pedro Colombi, Consul General of the Argentine Republic and Dean of the Consular Corps. He said he looked forward to the development of international relationships – relationships that would see the further exchange of students and scholars between UNE and institutions worldwide, and the consequent enhancement of UNE’s international profile.

“It’s a great honour for us to be invited here,” Mr Colombi said.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows the Consul General of the United States, Mrs Judith Fergin, with the Chancellor, the Hon. Richard Torbay MP. Clicking on this image reveals a photograph, taken today at UNE, showing (from left) Mr Pedro Colombi (Consul General of the Argentine Republic), Ms Keiko Egusa (Consul of Japan), Mr Young Woon Ho (Education Director of the Republic of Korea), Mr Vu Hong Nam (Consul General of Vietnam), Mr Graham Molloy (Honorary Consul General of Ghana), Mrs Judith Fergin (Consul General of the United States of America), Mr Tom Macdonald (Consul General of Canada), Dr Torbay, Professor Alan Pettigrew, Mr Sudaryomo Hartsudarmo (Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia), Mr Hu Shan (Consul General of the People’s Republic of China), and Mr Nobuhito Hobo (Consul General of Japan).