Archive for October, 2010

The University of New England, the major sponsor of this year’s Sustainable Living Expo (SLEX) held at the Armidale Creeklands, demonstrated its commitment to sustainable initiatives for students today when it unveiled new electric bikes that will be available to students in 2011.

The “e-bikes” will offer an alternative mode of transport for students on and around campus and will be available for short or long-term rental from Semester 1 next year.

UNE’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr Peter Enlund, used the official opening of SLEX today to launch the new transport initiative which he said would promote sustainable living and contribute to students’ healthy lifestyles while studying at UNE.

“A vital part of our sustainability strategy at UNE is the promotion of a healthy and active lifestyle on campus,” Mr Enlund said. “UNE is always looking at ways to enhance our students’ on-campus experience, which is consistently rated among the best in Australia.

“These e-bikes are a unique addition to campus life and will provide a reliable, safe, and cost-effective means of getting around. Students will be able to use these e-bikes as an alternative mode of transport to get to lectures and tutorials. And when a break from campus life is required, a trip to town will be more affordable and enjoyable.”

The “Challenger” e-bikes operate as regular bicycles until the rider kicks in the rechargeable battery-powered motor to reach speeds of up to 27 kilometres per hour for up to 50 kilometres of cycling.

“The real environmental advantage is the fact that these bikes are practically emissions-neutral,” Mr Enlund said. “A quick charge on the 200W battery charger is all it takes for a fully electric mode of transport.”

The benefits of acquiring these e-bikes will be further realised through UNE’s Master Plan, which will include the establishment of a major bicycle network with clearly marked off-road cycling lanes to connect campus precincts.

“We aim to create an integrated transport network that promotes the use of public transport, walking and cycling as the primary modes of movement across campus and into Armidale,” Mr Enlund said. “UNE is proud to be able to launch these e-bikes today as part of SLEX to champion incentives that meet our commitment to environmental responsibility,” he said.

THE IMAGE displayed here expands to show (from left) Dave Schmude, Executive Director of SportUNE, Professor Annabelle Duncan, UNE’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), and the Chancellor of UNE, Dr Richard Torbay, with e-bikes at SLEX.

Hugh Mackay, the well-known social researcher and writer, will be in Armidale next week to talk about the insights into human nature he has gained during a lifetime of listening to people talk about their dreams, fears, faith, hopes, disappointments, frustrations, and fantasies.

He has documented those insights in his latest book, What Makes Us Tick? The ten desires that drive us, published by Hachette Australia earlier this month.

In a public lecture organised by the University of New England’s School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences, Hugh Mackay (pictured here) will address questions such as: “Why do we seek change, yet resist it?”, “Why do we want more of the things that have already failed to satisfy us?”, and “Why do we fall out of love?”

The lecture, on Wednesday 3 November, will be in the Armidale Ex-Services Memorial Club at 7 pm.

Hugh Mackay’s many books include Reinventing Australia (Angus & Robertson, 1993), Right & Wrong: How to decide for yourself (Hodder, 2004), and Advance Australia … Where? (Hachette, 2007). His fifth novel, Ways of Escape, was published by Hachette in 2009. He is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and a Fellow of the Market and Social Research Society of Australia. His publication The Mackay Report was the benchmark of social research in Australia for more than 30 years.

In his previous books, he has documented the trends that have been reshaping our society. In What Makes Us Tick? The ten desires that drive us the focus is on us as individuals. Each of the ten “desires” mentioned in the title is dealt with in one of the ten chapters of the book.

“Let’s call them our ‘social desires’,” Mackay says, “that are linked to our sense of personal identity, our relationships with other people, and our place in society. They influence our approach to love and friendship, family life, work, power, and our connections with neighbourhoods and communities.”

For more information about Hugh Mackay’s public lecture in Armidale on Wednesday 3 November, contact Helen Creagan on (02) 6773 3012 (e-mail: hcreagan@une.edu.au).

The University of New England’s vital role in researching and teaching about biodiversity in north-eastern NSW will be illustrated in an exhibition marking the International Year of Biodiversity.

“Woodlands: Understanding the biodiversity of woodlands through science and art”, opens at The Woodland Centre, Armidale Tree Group, at 6 pm on Saturday 30 October.

The exhibition looks at different aspects of woodlands through the eyes of both scientists and artists. Featuring works by eight prominent local artists, and specimens from UNE’s N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium and Zoology Museum, it highlights the beauty, diversity and fragility of New England’s woodlands.

“Both the Herbarium and the Zoology Museum at UNE are critical in discovering, researching and teaching about one of the most biodiverse regions of Australia,” said Associate Professor Jeremy Bruhl, the Director of the Beadle Herbarium. “Selected specimens – including recently discovered, rare and as yet unnamed species – will be on display.”

Artists exhibiting their works  include Kerry Wilson, Fay Porter, David Allan, Andrew Parker, Mick Jarochowicz, Marty Branagan, Arthur Chaffey and Bob Roden. All works will be for sale.

The opening event on Saturday evening will see the local launch of a new environmental arts organisation, Eco Arts Australis, which aims to foster public engagement with biodiversity, climate change and environmental sustainability through the arts. Dr David Curtis, who is well known in New England for his work as an environmentalist, will launch Eco Arts Australis, and the event will also feature the local group Trelos Lantana performing odes to the wonders of woodlands and environmentally-friendly household cleaning products.

This year – 2010 – was declared the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations. The International Year of Biodiversity and UNE have provided funding for the “Woodlands” exhibition, and the exhibition is being presented by the Armidale Tree Group, UNE, and Eco Arts Australis. It will continue at the Tree Group’s Woodland Centre in Mann Street, Armidale, until the 6^th of December.

The University of New England, which was recognised for its commitment to sustainability by the NSW Government in this year’s Green Globe Awards, is once again the major sponsor of Armidale’s annual Sustainable Living Expo (SLEX).

UNE is a signatory to the Talloires Declaration, which supports sustainability as a critical focus of teaching, research, operations, and outreach at universities around the world.

Among the 11 experts from UNE who will be speaking at SLEX 2010 will be Dr Robyn Bartell, Chair of UNE’s Talloires Declaration Implementation Committee. Dr Bartell, from UNE’s School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences, together with Valerie Dalton, from UNE’s Graduate School of Business, will give a presentation titled “By degrees: education for and about sustainability”. They will explain why education at university is essential for sustainability, and will give information on new degree programs at UNE that have an emphasis on sustainability.

UNE’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr Peter Enlund, will speak about the University’s commitment to sustainability measures. “UNE is one of more than 350 universities worldwide that have declared their commitment to incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy into all aspects of their teaching, research, and operating activities,” Mr Enlund explained. “SLEX is a wonderful forum in which to introduce our latest additions to service and sustainability and their benefits for our students and the community.”

SLEX will run from Friday 29 October to Sunday 31 October at Armidale’s Curtis and Civic Parks. The three-day program will include a keynote presentation by the popular author and science commentator on Australian radio and television Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and a “backyard demonstration” by Costa Georgiadis from the SBS TV program Costa’s Garden Odyssey.

Other presentations by UNE staff members will address topics including how to live comfortably while using less energy in the home, international carbon markets, and native plant diversity in north-eastern NSW. Professor Martin Thoms, an expert on Australia’s rivers, will present a talk titled “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink”. Professor Thoms is the secretary of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences’ International Commission on Continental Erosion, and editor of the international scientific journal River Research and Applications.

More than 70 exhibitors will present a wide range of sustainable products and practices – including the Uralla Community Garden, New England Sustainable Strategy, and New England Land Care. On the Friday there will be opportunities for upper primary and secondary school students and teachers to participate in the educational activities about sustainability comprising “EdFest Day”.

The program also includes two “sustainable farm” tours and a tour illustrating the supply and treatment of Armidale’s water.

The Hon. Justice James Allsop, President of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW, will discuss the concept of “good faith” as it applies to Australian contract law in a public lecture at the University of New England this Thursday, 28 October.

Justice Allsop’s talk – “Good faith and Australian contract law: a practical issue or a question of theory and principle?” – is this year’s lecture in the annual Sir Frank Kitto Law Lecture series organised by UNE’s School of Law.

The lecture will examine both the practical and the theoretical considerations attending the notion of “good faith” in the context of Australian contract law. Justice Allsop said he would “seek to show not only the elements of the notion already well known to – and part of – Australian law, but also the forces operating to require a more explicit recognition of the requirement in Australian contract law”.

Everyone is welcome to this free event, which is scheduled for 5 pm in Lecture Theatre 4 in UNE’s EBL Building. The lecture itself will begin at 5.30 pm.

Justice Allsop (pictured here) was appointed Senior Counsel in NSW in 1994 and Queen’s Counsel in Western Australia in 1998. He served as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia from May 2001 till June 2008, when he was appointed as President of the NSW Court of Appeal.

While in the Federal Court, Justice Allsop was the Convener of the National Admiralty Committee of the Federal Court, and Chair of the Admiralty Rules Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Board of the Australian Maritime College and, from 2005 to 2009, was a member of the Board of Governors of the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden.

More than 100 early childhood workers from around NSW and beyond met at the University of New England on Saturday to explore the creative use of the Commonwealth Government’s new national early-learning framework.

That framework, published as Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, has been mandatory as a guide for early childhood educators since the beginning of this year.

While there has been a considerable amount of in-service training for practitioners on the implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), the UNE symposium, titled “The Early Years Learning Framework in Action”, helped its participants to engage with the guidelines on a more insightful and creative level. Margaret Sims, UNE’s Professor of Early Childhood, said it had enabled them to address the question: “How do we use the framework in a way that enhances our practice rather than constraining it?”

“Our discussions were about the values underpinning the EYLF,” Professor Sims explained, “and how to focus on those values as a way of guiding our work.”

In her own address to the participants, Professor Sims discussed the development of young children’s understanding of “rights”, “responsibilities”, “fairness” and “respect” as outlined in – and encouraged by – the EYLF.

The symposium’s program of interactive workshops, led by early childhood lecturers at UNE, included sessions on encouraging young children to become effective communicators, and on ways of “embedding” mathematics in everyday activities.

The guest speaker was Philip Gammage, an Emeritus Professor at both the University of Nottingham in the UK and Oulu University in Finland. Professor Gammage is co-Chair of the Trustees of the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (based in Birmingham, UK), an adviser to the State Government of South Australia, and a member of the Tasmanian Early Years Foundation.

“The symposium’s participants are all working hard to engage with the EYLF,” Professor Sims said, “and they really appreciated this opportunity to explore its potential for creative application in their workplaces. For some people from rural and regional centres this was their first opportunity to take part in such a discussion.”

Many child-care centres sent their entire staff to the symposium, with one Sydney centre sending an eight-strong contingent.

Children from Armidale Community Pre-School welcomed the visitors with songs at the opening of the symposium. They – as well as children from Uralla Pre-School and UNE’s Yarm Gwanga child-care centre – had painted calico conference bags – each one of them unique – for all the participants. “Their contribution helped us to keep children at the front of our thoughts throughout the day,” Professor Sims said.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows one of the conference bags decorated by pre-school children. It expands to include Penny O’Doherty (centre) and Neil Gorring, symposium participants from Coffs Harbour, with UNE postgraduate student Gina Rahmalia Ginandjar.

A cheque for $9,500, the result of a fund-raising campaign by students at the University of New England’s Robb College earlier this year, was presented to Angel Flight during the College’s annual sporting dinner last week.

Money raised by Robb College students during their annual “Project Week” campaign goes to a different charity each year. This year the students – dressed in lab coats and helicopter hats – spent the last week of July raising money for Angel Flight.

Angel Flight, which relies solely on fund-raising and donations to support its work, coordinates non-emergency flights for financially disadvantaged people from rural and regional areas who require specialist medical treatment in capital cities. While the pilots donate their own planes and time, the money is needed for fuel and to discount commercial flights.

“Angel Flight has strong connections with the New England region, helping many local families,” explained Robb College’s Project Officer, Lauren Burke. “As Robb College accommodates many rural and regional students, we are proud to be supporting this worthy charity that helps rural families gain access to the medical attention they require.”

Bill Bristow, the founder and chairman of Angel Flight Australia, and his wife Wendy, attended the dinner to accept the cheque. “This year’s Robbers should be very proud of themselves – not only for their commitment to raise money for Angel Flight, but for achieving such a fantastic amount of money to donate,” Mr Bristow said.

Also at the dinner were 13-year-old Hannah Chaffey, who has the rare chromosomal disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, and her parents Anne and Grahame Chaffey, who are regular passengers with Angel Flight.

THE IMAGE displayed here expands to show (from left) Samantha Ackling (Head of Robb College), Grahame Chaffey and Anne Chaffey with their daughter Hannah, and Bill Bristow, Wendy Bristow and Lauren Burke with the cheque.

The successful completion of the first UNE Academic Women’s Leadership Shadowing Program was celebrated on Tuesday, October 12.

Participating members of the program, including Professor Graham Webb, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, Associate Professors Josie Fisher, Nicola Schutte and Lorraine Graham and program coordinators from Human Resource Services, gathered at the Quality Hotel Powerhouse Armidale Restaurant to celebrate the successful pilot program and discuss the participants experiences throughout the 2010 program.

The UNE Academic Women’s Leadership Shadowing program commenced in March 2010, with the aims of enhancing leadership capabilities of academic female staff members of UNE, and assisting the progression of women into leadership positions within UNE. Six Academic female employees were successful in their application for the program, and went on to shadow key members of the University including the SDVC-DVCA, CDO, PVC, PVC-Dean Arts & Sciences, and HOS of Business, Economics and Public Policy over the course of six months.

After opening the evening and welcoming all attending members, Program Coordinator Bronwyn Kirk invited the “shadows” to share some of their experiences and the value they received from the program.

Associate Professor Lorraine Graham said: “I benefitted from the program through developing a deeper understanding of how UNE operates at the senior executive level within the broader higher education context. For me, it was an opportunity to shift perspective from my work to the issues that concern UNE’s leaders, to understand more about the factors that affect their decision-making and to observe different leadership styles in interaction.”

Professor Graham Webb, a key initiator and champion of the program, added: “Programs like this are invaluable in allowing insight into leadership roles. While leadership theory is interesting and necessary, participants in shadowing programmes are able to see the day-to-day reality of leadership in their own organisation.  They also get to see the stress, interpersonal relationships, personal struggles, and wider life choices of leaders.   The program provides a great opportunity to build relationships with fellow UNE colleagues that we do not interact with through our typical work activities.”

Ms Kirk said: “This program provides real benefit to participants in a variety of ways, including raising the profile of the participants amongst the UNE middle and senior leadership teams. One of the most important learning opportunities within the program are the regular meeting between the ‘shadows’. This allows the participants to get together to discuss their experiences and learn from each other, as well as building important networks with fellow senior female colleagues.”

The UNE Women’s Leadership Shadowing Program will be offered again in 2011, and senior female general staff will be invited to apply from December 2010. Interested employees can contact the Organisational Development Unit for more information.

A new Animal Science degree program at the University of New England will offer students opportunities to gain work experience in exotic locations such as South African game parks.

UNE’s Bachelor of Animal Science program, to begin next year, has three specialist majors: Livestock Production, Wildlife Management, and Canine and Equine Science.

One of the champions of the new degree program, Dr Wendy Brown, travelled to South Africa earlier this year to explore the potential for students to gain experience working with wild animals in Africa. “There’s a fantastic program at the University of Pretoria that offers – over a three-week period – hands-on experience with some of the major African wildlife species,” she said. “I’ll be encouraging wildlife students to take part in this program.”

“People who are serious about working in the field need wide experience,” Dr Brown said. “And there are a lot of similarities between wildlife management practices in Australia and overseas.”

She said that there would also be opportunities for students to gain work experience with volunteer agencies in Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, and that she had tested the ground with one of her postgraduate students – Phonwon Singhaphan – who is doing research with elephants in Thailand. (Phonwon Singhaphan is pictured here, with “Ellie”, in Thailand.)

The degree program’s Canine and Equine Science major responds to the growing demand for animal specialists in – for example – services that employ “detector” dogs (including the police, customs and quarantine, and military services). “There’s a world-wide demand for detector dogs,” Dr Brown said, “and there’s currently no tertiary-level training for those working in the service dog industries.” UNE’s new degree program is, in fact, the first in the world to offer comprehensive scientific and practical training in the management of domestic dogs.

Dr Brown added that Australia’s large equine industry offered good job prospects for students specialising in horses, as the industry was seeking graduates to fill management as well as research positions. “The animal feed and pet food industries will also be looking to employ our Canine and Equine Science graduates,” she said.

The Livestock Production major will enable students to specialise in fields such as sheep and wool science, animal health and nutrition, intensive animal production, animal genetics, and consultancy and advisory services.

In expanding the traditional focus of animal science courses to include all animals and the careers related to them, UNE’s new degree program will allow students majoring in livestock production to include elective units on dogs, horses, or wild animals in their program.

UNE’s Bachelor of Animal Science program is a four-year full-time (eight-year part-time) degree course, and is available to both on-campus and distance-education students. For more information go to www.une.edu.au/animalscience or phone 1800 818 865.

Sonya Chervonsky, who won the Oceanic Judo Championship earlier this year, was named Sportsperson of the Year at the University of New England’s 62^nd Annual Sports Awards presentation ceremony on Monday evening.

Sonya, who also won a gold medal at this year’s NSW Open Championships, has travelled to Singapore, Japan, England, France, Hungary, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Estonia and New Zealand this year in the course of her training and competition schedule. Her Sportsperson of the Year award recognised her outstanding achievement in competing internationally throughout the year.

Murray Scown (pictured here), who competed in the World University Orienteering Championships in Sweden earlier this year, was presented with a Full Blue Award to acknowledge his services to University sport through his orienteering.

Emma Gillogly received the Spirit of Sport Award in recognition of her active and regular participation in sport and physical recreation while displaying a positive spirit and an enjoyment that is an inspiration to others.

The special guest at this year’s awards evening was Jock Bullen, a champion cyclist who has attended six Olympics and seven Commonwealth Games as mechanic for the Australian team. “Jock Bullen is a legend of Australian cycling, so it was invigorating to hear about his sporting experiences,” said Dave Schmude, Executive Director of SportUNE.

UNE’s Annual Sports Awards celebrate the achievements of individual athletes, teams and sports administrators.  ”There are some incredible people in the UNE sporting scene,” Mr Schmude said. “It’s very important to recognise the achievements and commitment of these people and teams.”

Sports Recognition Awards, which acknowledge their valuable services to sport, were presented to Charlie Belfield and Bernie Hine.

Libby Jeisman received the Olivia Molineaux Memorial Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to intercollegiate sport at UNE.

UNE Netball had a successful night, with Ali McKenzie being named Sports Administrator of the Year, Laura Cambridge being named Coach of the Year, and Peta Evans receiving a Club Honours Award. (Clicking on the image displayed here reveals a photograph of Laura Cambridge with her award.)

Club Honours Awards, recognising exceptional contribution and administration, were also presented to Brock Lamont of the UNE Men’s Soccer Club, Adrian Walsh of the Nomads AFL Club, and Mick McCarthy of Robb College Rugby Club.

Teams from the Eastern University Games were also successful, with the UNE Women’s Soccer Team winning the UNE Intervarsity Team of the Year Award and the UNE Women’s Volleyball team winning the Spirit of the Games Award.

The Club Team of the Year Award went to the UNE Stingers A-Grade netball team, and the McDonalds Club of the Year Award went to the UNE Water Polo Club.