Archive for November, 2010

Seven students from the School of Education at the University of New England are spending eight weeks teaching English at schools in the South Korean city of Daejeon.

UNE’s Korea Internship Program, funded by the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education, is now in its second year. The UNE students are paired with Korean teachers of English in primary and secondary schools, where  their main tasks are making lesson plans, developing teaching resources, teaching English in classes, and presenting their English pedagogical approaches in demonstration classes open to the public.

This year the UNE students are allocated to seven different schools (three secondary and four primary) from the 18^th of October to the 10^th of December. They stay in Korean family homes, and receive $100 a week for their expenses.

“The Korean Internship program provides a wonderful opportunity for UNE students to experience Korea and to develop their pedagogical skills while being paid for most of their expenses,” said UNE lecturer in Education Dr Myung-sook Auh, “It also provides an opportunity for them to inform Korean teachers, students and families about Australia. For example, they are teaching Australian folktales and folksongs to Korean students.”

Supervisor Hwang In-sung in the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education is in charge of the Korea Internship program, and Dr Auh and Dr Chris Reading (also from School of Education) coordinate the program at UNE.

“South Korea is ranked at the top in international scholastic tests, such as PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study),” Dr Auh said. “Thus it is an eye-opening experiences for UNE students to observe Korean students’ school life – their discipline in classrooms and their parents’ enthusiasm for education.

The UNE education students – a mixture of postgraduates and undergraduates – are Timothy Boyle, Amy Taylor, Amy Keir, Amie Jacobs, Chloe Pillar, Jessie Geaney, and Kerry Newton. “The Korea Internship program is recognised as school practicum by the NSW Department of Education and Training,” Dr Auh said, “and four of the students are doing the internship as their practicum unit.”

The Korea Internship program is also supported by Asiana Airlines and Australian Educational International (AEI) in the Australian Embassy in Seoul, South Korea.  Mr Dean Woodgate, Education Counsellor in the AEI, is scheduled to visit Daejeon to attend UNE students’ demonstration classes on the 8^th of December.

For more information about the Korea Internship program contact Dr Myung-sook Auh on (02) 6773 2917 (e-mail: mauh@une.edu.au).

The Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education logo (“Everybody enjoys education”) displayed here expands into a photograph taken at the welcome ceremony for the UNE Internship teachers and their Korean advising teachers on the 18 th of November. At the centre of the front row is the Chief of the School Education Division, Lee Sang Soo. On his left in the photograph is UNE’s Dr Myung-sook Auh, and on his right the Executive Supervisor of the School Education Division, Bae Hong-sik. Standing at the right of the photograph is Supervisor Hwang In-sung, Supervisor of English Education Affairs and Coordinator of the Daejeon Internship program.

An international conference and reunion of staff members and graduates in Geology at the University of New England, held on campus earlier this month, celebrated 70 years of research on the geology of the New England region.

About 160 geologists attended the reunion – the “Geomuster” – and the conference, which ran from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 November.

The University has taught geology and conducted research on the geology of the region ever since 1939 – the year after its foundation as New England University College. The institution’s first Honours graduate in geology, Dr Ken Williams, and its first Doctor of Philosophy in geology, Professor Keith Crook, were among the conference participants, some of whom came from as far away as the United States, Canada, the UK, and Hong Kong. The conference program included talks by several UNE geology graduates on their subsequent careers and current research interests.

Titled “New England Orogen 2010″, the conference focused on the formation, geological structure, and mineral resources of the region of tectonic upheaval (called an “orogen”) that centres on New England. The keynote speaker was the British structural geologist Professor John Dewey, a leading figure in the development of the theory of plate tectonics, whose ground-breaking research has included the production of a model to describe the formation of mountain chains including the Himalayas.

The first day of the conference, Tuesday 16 November, was a “Tectonics Symposium” devoted to papers on the formation of the New England Orogen. The symposium honoured the significant contribution of the UNE geologist Peter Flood to an understanding of this phenomenon. “The conference proved to be an excellent blend of nostalgia and research,” said Professor Flood, whose research has already spanned more than 44 years.

On Thursday 18 November, at a Granites Symposium, UNE graduate Bruce Chappell, now Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Wollongong, launched his New England Granites Database – the result of 50 years’ work. “It was great to have this opportunity to get together with other geologists and share the development of ideas on the geological history of New England,” Professor Chappell said.

On the last day of the conference a Resources Symposium, comprising papers on the formation and potential of mineral deposits in New England and adjacent regions, honoured the 25-year contribution of UNE’s Associate Professor Paul Ashley, who presented the final paper.

Clicking on the image displayed here reveals a photograph of Professor John Dewey (left), Professor Annabelle Duncan (UNE’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Research), and Professor Peter Flood.

Professor Iain Young, Head of the School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England, will give a talk tomorrow, Friday 26 November, as part of this year’s Dean’s Lecture Series at the University of Melbourne.

The Dean’s Lecture Series is an annual program of public lectures presented by distinguished guests, and hosted by the Melbourne School of Land and Environment.  The program is designed to enlighten, educate and encourage community involvement and discussion.

Professor Young’s lecture, titled “The biophysics of life in earth”, will focus on the importance of the microbial life in soil, and link the biology and physics of soil processes. It will cover soil water and the movement of nematodes and fungi, and use videos from Professor Young’s work on high-resolution computer tomography to illustrate the importance of biophysics.

Professor Young (pictured here) will present models of how this complex process can be conceived, explain the impact of these small microbes at larger scales, and discuss the importance of plant roots.

Tomorrow’s lecture is the G.W. Leeper Memorial Lecture, organised in association with the Victorian Branch of the Australian Society of Soil Science. It will begin at 5 pm in the Harold White Lecture Theatre in the University of Melbourne’s Arts Education Building, and will continue till 6.30 pm.

Professor Young, who holds a PhD in soil mechanics from Aberdeen University in Scotland, is Vice-President of the Australian Council of the Deans of Agriculture and Chair of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council’s Soil Project Reference Group.

After 12 years as a scientist in the Scottish Crop Research Institute, he became head of the Soil-Plant Dynamics Group. Before coming to Australia he was Director of the Scottish Informatics, Mathematics, Biology & Statistics group, and co-leader of the Terrestrial Carbon Initiative in the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society that pooled research across nine Scottish universities. He has published approximately 150 peer-reviewed papers, including papers in Science, Nature Reviews, Microbiology, and Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

Nine young women about to begin their professional careers have gained confidence and experience through a mentoring program made available to them at the University of New England.

This is the third consecutive year that UNE has taken part in the Lucy Mentoring Program – an initiative of the Office for Women within the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet that aims to prepare women students for their entry into professional life in the world of business and law. It links each participating student with a mentor who is a working professional in either the public or the private sector. The program at UNE has been developed through the collaborative efforts of Dr Lou Conway from the School of Business, Economics and Public Policy and UNE Careers Counsellor Airlie Bell.

This year the UNE students – all in the final year of their degree programs in the School of Business, Economics and Public Policy or the School of Law – began their involvement in the Lucy program in May and graduated from the program at the end of October. During the graduation ceremony in UNE’s historic “Booloominbah” they each gave a five-minute presentation on their experiences in the program. “Their personal reflections were amazing,” said Professor Alison Sheridan, Head of the School of Business, Economics and Public Policy. “They demonstrated the confidence – and the understanding of workplaces and workplace relationships – that they had acquired.”

“The Lucy program graduation represented the coming together of the knowledge they have gained through their degree programs and their personal development,” she added. “Although the program coincided with their final semester of study, they were able to fulfil all its requirements. And they all said it was an opportunity they wouldn’t have missed.”

The organisations that provided mentors for this year’s Lucy program at UNE included Community Mutual Group, the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, Telstra, Abbot Pardy & Jenkins, Red Cross Blood Centre, AusIndustry, and Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.

As well as spending 37 hours with their mentor, each of the students attended professional-development meetings with the other “Lucy” students and with staff of UNE Student Assist.

One example of the students’ varied experiences is that of Emma Johnston, who recently co-curated an exhibition at UNE’s Dixson Library. Her mentor in the Lucy program, Dr Leigh Summers, the Curator of Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, said that Emma had been “very motivated” and was “off to a brilliant start” in the world of museum work. Dr Summers added that she had enjoyed being involved in the “impressive and useful” Lucy program at UNE.

Clicking on the “Lucy” image displayed here reveals a photograph of one of the student participants, Natalie Prisk, with her mentor, Gayle Moses (an independent businesswoman from Guyra).

The National Institute of Accountants (NIA) is providing direct financial support for research by University of New England academics under a joint research initiative recently announced by the NIA and the University’s Graduate School of Business (GSB).

The research initiative, focusing on the small-to-medium enterprise and small-to-medium practice sector, has already seen the allocation of $40,000 by the NIA to five research projects within UNE’s School of Business, Economics and Public Policy (BEPP).

Andrew Conway, the Chief Executive Officer of the NIA, said that the aim of the program was to address issues faced by accountants in their professional lives. “This research initiative provides us with a tangible opportunity to contribute to academic efforts in the sector while at the same time strengthening the already significant ties we have with UNE,” Mr Conway said.

In welcoming the research initiative, the Program Director of GSB, Valerie Dalton, said: “We have been pleased with both the number and standard of first-round applicants for funding, and have been pleased to offer support to five high-quality research projects.   There is considerable research activity in the sector which is of interest to the local community and which we believe will have a practical impact.”

Dr Jennifer Rindfleish and Dr Sujana Adapa have been successful in securing two research grants for the 2010 NIA/BEPP Joint Research Program. [The photograph displayed here shows Dr Rindfleish (left) and Dr Adapa.]

The first, “Investigating the rhetoric and realities of the concept of corporate social responsibility in small and medium-sized accountancy firms in regional Australia,” received $8,294. The second project (allocated $11,381) will see them exploring the importance of personal selling skills for accountants in small and medium-sized accountancy firms in Tamworth and Armidale.

“We expect promising results from these studies,” Dr Adapa said, “since there has so far been little focus on personal selling or corporate social responsibility concepts in small and medium-sized accountancy firms. We are planning to carry out qualitative interviews in order to obtain data from accountancy firms in Armidale and Tamworth.”

“The findings will be presented to NIA/BEPP and to appropriate academic journals, and will also be presented at international conferences,” she said.

Dr Adapa’s research will be building on her interest in practical solutions to creating value for business customers – the subject of research that led to her award of a PhD degree during a graduation ceremony at UNE last month.

The other three projects funded through the 2010 NIA/BEPP Joint Research Program are: “Exit plans and strategies of regional accounting practices” (Associate Professor Bernice Kotey, Dr Ashfaq Khan and Robyn Marshall – $6,775), “Corporate governance and payout policies of corporate firms in Australia” (Dr Subba Reddy Yarram – $5,520), and “The relationship between business owners’ forecast accuracy, use of financial reports, engagement in business planning and networking activity” (Brent Gregory and Professor Brian Gibson – $5,255).

The next Armidale & District Chamber of Commerce Members Meet will feature an address by the University of New England’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Jim Barber, on Wednesday, December 1.

Professor Barber was introduced to the Armidale community through the Chamber’s Conversation with Geraldine Doogue event earlier this year.

In his presentation entitled Deregulation of the University sector in 2012: and the impact on the University in the community, Professor Barber will outline the changes in policy frameworks facing the University in the next few years.

The legislative changes in Higher Education will see an uncapped system of funding university places. It is likely, according to the Bradley Review of Higher Education, that the new demand driven system will see funding shift between institutions in response to student demand.

Professor Barber will talk about how the University plans to address and prepare for these changes. He will also focus on the impacts the new legislation may have on the region and what role the community can play to ensure the strengths and accomplishments of the University and the Region are preserved.

This address by Professor Barber continues the strong collaboration between the University and the Armidale business community and will mark the first in a new series of Chamber events set to bring some of the region’s most influential speakers into direct discussions with business owners, managers and employees in 2011.

Executive Officer Elizabeth Egan said that the Chamber’s regular Members Meet had developed into a strong forum for community discussion around issues affecting all aspects of business and the region.

“We’re looking forward to having Professor Barber address our Members and give us insights into how changes within the University will impact the community at large,” Ms Egan said.

Bernice Kotey, Associate Professor in the University of New England’s School of Business, Economics and Public Policy, received the Armidale Chamber of Commerce Innovation in Business Research Award 2010 during a ceremony held recently at UNE’s CB Newling Building (the old Teachers College).

As lead investigator for the project titled “Innovative Regional Small Businesses and Options for Economic Growth”, Dr Kotey accepted the award in front of a packed auditorium on behalf of her team, which includes researchers Tony Sorensen and Ron Reavell.

“Our project investigated the environment in which small businesses in cotton communities operate and the innovative practices that enabled them to maintain and even grow their businesses during the prolonged drought,” explained Dr Kotey.  “We determined best practices to maintain or grow the small business sector as an another source of income to the dominant agricultural and/or mining sector”.

The project is funded by the Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and was undertaken in four stages over the two-year period from 2008 to 2010. UNE is a core partner of the CRC, an industry partnership that aims to provide innovative knowledge to stimulate economic, social and environmental outcomes at farm, regional and national levels.

 In the first stage of Dr Kotey’s project, a socio-economic profile of each cotton community in New South Wales and Queensland was developed. Then, in the second stage, trends and critical factors in the cotton industry and their implications for the future of the industry were ascertained. Six communities – Emerald, Dalby and St George in Queensland and Moree, Warren and Wee Waa in New South Wales – were selected for detailed study in the third stage and the major opportunities and threats facing each were analysed. In the final stage, the innovative practices that business owners and managers employed to survive the drought and, in some cases, grow their businesses were assessed.

The study found that innovation among small businesses in cotton communities is largely influenced by the resources and opportunities available within their communities which, in turn, Dr Kotey said, are dependent on leadership within the communities.

“We concluded that Chambers of Commerce, local councils and small business owners should work together to facilitate environments conducive to small business operation,” said Dr Kotey, who also offers suggestions for how this might be accomplished, such as appointing a development officer to access and provide relevant information to the small business sector and for the Chamber of Commerce to assist small businesses with the pursuit of emerging opportunities.

For more information on the project and its findings, contact Bernice Kotey, tel: 02-6773-2830, email: bkotey@une.edu.au

On Tuesday 23 November 2010 the University of New England Heritage Centre is hosting a free public lecture at UNE’s Dixson Library by noted Australian architect Michael Dysart.

Dysart’s lecture, titled “The Manifesto of Natural Materialism: The Design of Robb College”, will recount his initial impressions of the University and the architectural influences that shaped his design for UNE’s most distinguished modern movement building.  

In 1958, twenty-four year old Michael Dysart, newly graduated from the University of Sydney, was awarded a cadetship with the NSW Government Architect’s Office. One of his first jobs was designing a college for the University of New England. Established as the “Third College” after Wright and Mary White, Robb College was named in honour of William Menzies Robb, the first Registrar of the University. Although the project had a tight budget, Dysart showed great skill in avoiding bland homogeneity by creating a series of distinctive spaces. His work on Robb College received high praise in architectural circles, including from the influential critic Robyn Boyd, and attracted national attention. Dysart went on to enjoy a very successful career with a practice spanning domestic, government and commercial work.

Also at Dixson Library is Rock-Solid Robb: A Celebration of 50 Years, an exhibition of drawings and photographs, including several by renowned photographer Max Dupain, showcasing the interior and exterior architecture of Robb College. The exhibition was curated by Emma Johnston, UNE Student Volunteer working with Ian Stephenson and Michelle Arens, the University Curators, and, and runs until 6 Feb 2011.

Michael Dysart’s lecture, “The Manifesto of Natural Materialism: The Design of Robb College”, will take place in the FJH Letters Room of UNE’s Dixson Library at 11.00 am.

Enquiries to: Ian Stephenson, University Curator

Tel: 02 6773 6466; Email: istephen@une.edu.au

Photo caption: Robb College photographed by Max Dupain. Courtesy of Michael Dysart.

A free public lecture by the University of New England’s Prof Yihong Du will unlock some of the mysteries of mathematics by showing how it can be used to model the spread of invasive species.

Prof Du, a graduate of Shandong University in China, has worked at UNE since 1991. His research has focused on a number of areas, including the application of mathematics to ecology.

“To date, applications of mathematics to ecological problems have been rather limited,” Prof Du said.

“Unlike, for example, physics, very few principles in ecology involve a mathematical formula.

“Nevertheless, significant progress has been made in the mathematical modelling of several ecological problems, and some of these mathematical works have introduced new problems for mathematics itself, which subsequently found applications elsewhere.”

In his lecture, Prof Du said, he would review the history and current trends of such modelling efforts, before briefly explaining some of his own work and showing some numerical simulations of the new model.

The lecture will take place at the Armidale Town Hall on Wednesday, November 24 at 6:45 PM. The lecture will conclude around 8:20 PM, at which time a light supper will be offered in the foyer.

RSVP to Miss Lydia Waters, Acting PR Events and Project Coordinator, on 6773 2225 or by e-mail to events.pr@une.edu.au.

Rodney Duffy, who graduated from the University of New England with a PhD degree in aquatic science in April this year, has spent the past six months at the Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research in China as a volunteer in the  Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) program.

The AYAD program, funded by the Australian Government through AusAID, places skilled young Australian volunteers on short-term assignments in developing countries throughout the Asia Pacific region. While using their skills and expertise to contribute to international development, the Youth Ambassadors gain an increased understanding of the development needs of Australia’s neighbouring countries and broaden their experience by living and working in a cross-cultural environment.

“I decided to take up the offer of this AYAD placement in China because it would allow me to gain a first-hand understanding of environmental issues in a developing country – and would be the adventure of a lifetime,” Dr Duffy said. “As the Yantai Institute undertakes research into land, ocean, and coastal zone interactions, I thought the position offered an excellent application of my research experience in oceans, estuaries, and freshwater ecosystems.”

The Institute, in the coastal city of Yantai in Shandong province, is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr Duffy’s role has included involvement in the scientific program of the Institute, sharing his knowledge of coastal zone research in Australia, and helping the Institute to develop through the promotion of its work. He has been involved in field work looking at species diversity in the Yellow River Delta, has given presentations about coastal research in Australia, and has given a lecture series informing students at the Institute about modern scientific techniques as well as potential difficulties in cross-cultural communication.

“The science here is very advanced,” Dr Duffy said, “and I’ve learnt a lot too – not just about different scientific methods, but also about methods to enhance my own communication skills. I’ve formed life-long friendships, and have become part of an international network of researchers that will aid my future career.”

“On arrival in Yantai,” he said, “it was straight to work – reading a lot of reports to get my head around the diverse range of research undertaken at the Institute, and giving a presentation to school students on ‘Australian coastal zone issues and management’ (using Nemo, living on the Great Barrier Reef, to cross cultural barriers).”

“I was immediately struck by China’s mixture of developed and undeveloped areas,” he recalled. “While I live in a 20-storey building with air-conditioning, lifts, and all the ‘mod cons’, I can look out of the window and see people tending their crops right next to my apartment. Across the road from the Institute are some brand-new shopping malls, while about 500 metres down the road is a more traditional market selling everything you can imagine.

“I was also surprised by the level of environmental awareness here: people in the Institute are extremely careful to keep office lights turned off – not only when away from work, but during the day. People in Australian offices could learn a lot from this!”

THE PHOTOGRAPH of Dr Rodney Duffy displayed here was taken in the mountains near Yantai.