Archive for November, 2011

Amanda Kennedy knew she was up against formidable odds in applying for one of the Commonwealth Government’s inaugural Discovery Early Career Research Awards.

But the young lawyer from the University of New England was not only among the 12 per cent of applicants from around the nation to be granted one of the awards, but also the only successful applicant in the field of law. “It’s amazing, really,” she said, “and it’s a real honour to have been chosen.”

Now, funded by her $375,000 award, she is about to embark on a three-year study of the role of the law in managing disputes over the use of natural resources.

Dr Kennedy (pictured here) is Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law (AgLaw Centre) at UNE. In that role, her research over the past three years has focused on aspects of natural resource law and rural social policy and, early this year, she coordinated an international colloquium at UNE – “Water Law: Through the Lens of Conflict” – that attracted participants from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Iceland, South Africa and the United States.

“My aim in this new research project,” she said, “is to investigate how conflicts over the use of natural resources develop, and how disputes might be managed more effectively through approaches that recognise the competing values of stakeholders and the influences on such conflict of both legal and other regulatory frameworks.

“The protracted conflict between farming and mining interests on the Liverpool Plains has been very much in the forefront of our minds here at the AgLaw Centre. That conflict escalated – in typical fashion – to litigation, taking a toll on those involved.

“The current applicable legislation tends to prioritise the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources, and mistrust abounds over the exploration licence process. The growing scarcity of natural resources, combined with the fact that different resource users are moving in closer proximity, means that such disputes are increasing in number. It is therefore of fundamental importance that systems for managing conflict over natural resources are effective. Any improvement in resolving such conflicts has to come from approaches recognising that stakeholders have divergent values and that the law is an actor in such conflict situations.”

Dr Kennedy will be studying cases of conflict in Australia – and also in the United States, where UNE’s partnership with Penn State University will facilitate her work.

The new Early Career Research Awards program, administered by the Australian Research Council with the aim of assisting talented young researchers to develop their careers, takes account of considerations such as the need for young women to have breaks in their careers for maternity leave. After graduating from UNE as a Doctor of Philosophy in March 2007, Amanda Kennedy’s first period of maternity leave was after the birth of her first daughter, Sarah, in December 2008. Her second daughter, Olivia, was born six months ago. “It was great to be applying for an award where I didn’t feel I had to make excuses for my time away from research,” she said.

Mohammed Alshammari provides practical help to his fellow Saudi Arabian students at the University of New England while conducting research that he hopes will contribute to health care in Australia.

Mr Alshammari, a Registered Nurse, is developing a model of family-based dementia care.

While working towards that goal in his PhD program at UNE, he acts as the local student representative of the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, helping other Saudi students sort out any visa or enrolment problems that might arise, and organising cultural events such as the celebration of Muslim festivals.

In this latter role he organised the recent visit to UNE of the Saudi Arabian Cultural Attaché, Dr Ali Mohammed Albishri. That event was part of the Cultural Mission’s schedule of annual visits to the many Australian universities that attract students from Saudi Arabia – most of them studying with the help of King Abdullah Scholarships. Dr Albishri met many of the 165 Saudi Arabian students currently studying on the UNE campus, as well as senior management staff of the University.

The students, together with their accompanying family members, comprise a Saudi Arabian population of 240 in Armidale. At the most recent Eid festival, Mr Alshammari cooked for a gathering of about 270 people, including members of the wider Armidale community – a community he’s getting to know from the inside through his work as a nurse at Armidale Hospital.

Mohammed Alshammari says he was “just a random guy” when he came to Australia with nothing eight years ago. Since then he has gained a Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Southern Queensland, married his Saudi Arabian wife and become the father of two boys, worked as a nurse at St Vincent’s Hospital, Toowoomba, and is now a doctoral research student at UNE.

One of the things that surprised him about Australian society, he says, was the prominent role of nursing homes in the care of elderly people – including those suffering from dementia. “This was quite a contrast to the situation in Saudi Arabia,” he said, “where, in Riyadh, for example – a city of seven million people – there is only one nursing home.”

“I grew up in a community where it was mandatory for families to look after their elderly parents,” he said, “and, with that background experience, I’m now looking at how people here could reduce the ‘family burden’ of dementia care while continuing to look after demented family members at home.”

Altogether, his move to Australia has turned into quite a journey for this no-longer “random” guy – a journey he’s planning to write a book about one day.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows Mohammed Alshammari (left) and Dr Ali Mohammed Albishri during Dr Albishri’s recent visit to UNE.

Students at Armidale’s Minimbah Aboriginal Primary School and at the University of New England are benefiting from a collaborative project involving UNE, Minimbah, and the Association of Independent Schools (NSW).

Nine UNE students, who are all studying to be primary school teachers, are helping 28 Minimbah students develop their literacy skills.

Using a program called Multilit (“Making Up Lost Time In Literacy”), the UNE students have been visiting the school three times a week to work with pairs of the 28 Minimbah students nominated for the project. Their use of the Multilit program is being coordinated by Lee Roxborough, a teacher at Minimbah, with the guidance of education consultants Sue Stacey and Lisa Ridings from the Association of Independent Schools (AIS).

Minimbah is one of four schools in NSW in which the AIS is being funded through the Commonwealth Government’s Closing the Gap program to support the literacy development of under-achieving Indigenous students.

The nine volunteers from UNE have been working with the Minimbah students for the past two terms, and the collaboration will continue through some new developments next year. Ms Stacey and Ms Ridings, who have visited Minimbah regularly throughout the project, said that all the Minimbah students had made progress – some of them “amazing” progress. “We’ve observed that progress, and it’s been wonderful,” Ms Stacey said.

Carolyn Briggs, the Principal at Minimbah, reported that, as well as its positive impact on her students’ literacy development, the project had caused a big improvement in their levels of attendance “The kids really want to be here,” she said.

Dr Jeanette Berman, the lecturer from UNE’s School of Education who has facilitated the project at Minimbah, said that it was providing “a wonderful basis” for the UNE students’ professional training both through working with the primary students and through the professional learning that accompanies the use of the Multilit program, which is widely used throughout Australia.

“This collaboration is not only meeting the needs of the children at Minimbah, but is providing a rich learning experience (and specific training) for our future teachers, most of whom go out into rural communities,” Dr Berman said. “Another real benefit is the development of closer links between UNE’s School of Education and the AIS.”

UNE Partnerships, the education and training company owned by the University of New England, celebrated its 25^th anniversary during a recent dinner at Lindsay House in Armidale.

UNE Partnerships was established as a technology transfer company in May 1986, and for the next 10 years it played a role in commercialising UNE research. In 1996 the company’s focus changed to education and training, leading to its establishment as a registered training organisation in 1999. UNE Partnerships currently has 35 nationally recognised vocational qualifications on its scope of registration.

At the anniversary dinner the Managing Director of UNE Partnerships, Richard Doyle, welcomed the Chancellor of UNE, the Hon. Richard Torbay, who spoke about the significant contribution that UNE Partnerships had made to the University. Mr Doyle also welcomed UNE Partnerships staff and Board members, and several local students.

Dr James Harris, Chair of the UNE Partnerships Board, said: “Staff members of UNE Partnerships have a proud history of serving their clients to the highest standards, whether they be individuals or companies, and the Board congratulates them. UNE Partnerships is entering a growth phase, and we are developing plans that will enhance our ability to grow, as well as to continue to provide great service.”

During the evening a special presentation was made to Debra Swanson and Carolann Ryan, who had achieved 20 years of service at UNE Partnerships.

UNE Partnerships also celebrated its 25^th anniversary by holding a graduation ceremony at Doltone House in Sydney earlier this year. The graduating students travelled from as far away as Melbourne and Brisbane to attend the ceremony, and the evening was enjoyed by the graduates and their families, representatives of corporate client organisations, and members of the staff and Board of UNE Partnerships.

Professor Alison Sheridan, a member of the UNE Partnerships Board, said: “The celebration of the achievements of our graduates is a highlight for all those involved in the delivery and support of our programs. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet many of the graduates and hear how they are now putting their studies into practice in their workplaces. With so many family members and friends there to celebrate with them, and the opportunity for them to catch up with new friends they had met through studying with UNE Partnerships, there was a real ‘buzz’ to the occasion.”

Researchers from the University of New England and CSIRO will soon be conducting a survey of rural landholders as part of a two-year project exploring control and management options for fireweed.

The project is being funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).

Fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis), a native of South Africa, is a poisonous plant that, when eaten by cattle or horses, may lead to a decrease in condition and, eventually, death.  It is capable of germinating and flowering throughout much of the year, making year-long management difficult.

Fireweed (pictured here) is recognisable from its yellow daisy-like flowers, which have 13 petals.  It can grow up to 60 centimetres in height and spreads rapidly.

The survey will examine the ecological conditions under which fireweed grows best, what kinds of pasture grasses compete most effectively with fireweed, what methods landholders use to control the weed, and the impact it has had on farm management.

As fireweed is primarily a weed of coastal grazing pastures, the survey will be aimed specifically at graziers and dairy farmers in coastal NSW and south-east Queensland, where it is currently spreading rapidly.

UNE’s Professor Brian Sindel, the leader of the project and a world authority on fireweed, conducted a similar survey during the 1980s, and so the 2011 survey will provide important information on how the impact and management of fireweed have changed over the intervening period.

The eagerness of fireweed-impacted communities to manage this weed more effectively is illustrated by the formation of landholder action groups, such as the Bega Valley Fireweed Association, and Dorrigo Community Weed Action.

Other aspects of the fireweed control research project include field trials to improve understanding of the ecology of fireweed, and research currently under way in South Africa into potential biological control options.

“The results of the research will be provided to landholders through a management guide to be published in 2012, as well as through DAFF, local community groups, and a project Web site,” Professor Sindel said.

“We hope that landholders who receive a copy of the survey will return it promptly with all questions answered,” he added. “We also hope that landholders who do not receive the survey in the mail will consider completing it online. The experience of those who complete the survey will help Australian landholders to improve their ability to control fireweed.”

A link to the online version of the fireweed impact survey, as well as more information on the research, is available on the project’s Web site, hosted on www.ruralfutures.une.edu.au.

People who would like to receive a paper copy of the fireweed impact survey, or who are interested in finding out more about the project, can contact Professor Brian Sindel in UNE’s School of Environmental and Rural Science by an e-mail to bsindel@une.edu.au, or by phoning (02) 6773 3747.

The University of New England Heritage Centre has won a national award for a popular exhibition it mounted in Armidale earlier this year.

The inaugural Museums & Galleries National Awards, including a “Highly Commended” award for the UNE exhibition, were announced last week at the Museums Australia and Interpretation Australia National Conference in Perth.

Through the Collector’s Lens: Dissecting “Booloominbah”, which was on show at the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) from the 11^th of February to the 15^th of May 2011, used UNE’s important scientific, historical and cultural collections to explore the style and character of the grand late-nineteenth-century house around which the University has grown.

Through the Collector’s Lens, prepared by the University Curator, Ian Stephenson, and UNE Art Collection Manager, Michelle Arens, brought together an eclectic array of items in exploring the common theme of “Booloominbah”. Those items included basalt from UNE’s Mineral, Rock, Fossil and Drill Core Collection of the type that can been seen in the outer walls of “Booloominbah”, pressed specimens (from the N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium) of hydrangeas and other plants found in the “Booloominbah” gardens, brightly coloured bird skins from the Zoology Museum, a soldier’s Crimean War diary from the UNE and Regional Archives, a blackboard from the Museum of Education recalling long division, ancient urns and vases from the Museum of Antiquities displaying patterns to be seen in the interior detailing of “Booloominbah”, and a Landseer steel engraving of a dog from the UNE Art Collection evoking the taste in pictures of the house’s original owner, Frederick Robert White.

The judges commended the UNE exhibition for “the quality of its research” and its “insight into the objects and their context, creating a picture and understanding of a remarkable historical New England home and its inhabitants through time”.

In welcoming the news of the award, Mr Stephenson said that the exhibition had been “done on a shoestring” but had been successful “because it made great use of the University’s talent and skill.”

“That involved drawing from our extensive scientific and cultural collections – probably the most significant aggregated collection of scientific and cultural material outside the capital cities – and bringing a team of specialists together to explain how the artefacts within their particular discipline could contribute to an understanding of the history and fabric of “Booloominbah”, he said.  “The collections themselves, and the team – comprising  Professor Jeremy Bruhl and Ian Telford of the N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium, Dr Nigel Andrew of the Zoology Museum, Dr Nancy Vickery of Earth Sciences, Bill Oates (the University Archivist), Michelle Arens and myself – were  the key.”

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here was taken on the opening night of the exhibition at NERAM in February.

Researchers at the University of New England are conducting the final survey in a study of biodiversity on the Northern Tablelands. They are inviting community members to participate in the brief online survey, which is aimed at building a second snapshot of biodiversity in the region based on the views of local residents.

“The local response to our first online survey was very encouraging,” said Professor Don Hine from UNE’s School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences. “With more than 400 participants, the preliminary results provided a useful starting point in understanding both the importance of local biodiversity and the extent to which it is integrated into everyday lives.  More than 86 per cent of respondents indicated that biodiversity loss represented an important or very important problem where they live, with the introduction of non-native animals, urban development, and land clearing for farming identified as particularly important threats.”

“Biodiversity is clearly an issue that people in the region are interested in and concerned about,” Professor Hine said. “Indeed 90 per cent of respondents indicated that they would be willing to accept higher local rates to establish a dedicated fund to protect and enhance biodiversity in the region. When a large proportion of respondents are willing to pay more taxes, you know that you have struck an important issue.”

“This final survey is significantly shorter than the first one,” he continued. “But it is no less important. We want to determine the impact of local HiCUB (High Country Urban Biodiversity) projects over the past seven months, and the current prevailing attitudes about biodiversity utilisation, protection and enhancement, and compare these results to those of the first survey.”

The UNE team comprises both environmental and behavioural researchers, representing – according to one of its members, Dr Robyn Bartel – “a truly multi-disciplinary approach to understanding potential threats to biodiversity in the region”. “The research findings will tell us a lot about how the biodiversity around us might best be managed in the future,” Dr Bartel said.

The team is encouraging residents of Armidale, Guyra, Uralla and Walcha to complete the short questionnaire about their biodiversity-related beliefs and behaviours.  “Even if people didn’t participate in the first survey we would like to encourage them to participate in the second one and enter the draw for an iPad2,” said the Project Coordinator, Methuen Morgan. An online version of the questionnaire is at http://tinyurl.com/HiCUB-2.  Hard copies of the questionnaire can be requested from Methuen Morgan at mmorgan5@une.edu.au or 6773 2899.

For more information on the project itself, contact Dr Robyn Bartel at rbartel@une.edu.au or 6773 2904.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows Dr Robyn Bartel and Professor Don Hine.

The Oorala Aboriginal Centre at the University of New England will celebrate its 25 years in higher education with an Anniversary Ball on the University’s “Booloominbah” lawns on Saturday 10 December.

Founded in 1986, the Centre is commemorating its 25-year history of offering facilities, programs and services of a nationally recognised standard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who have chosen to study at UNE.

The name “Oorala”, from a local Aboriginal word meaning “a camp” or “a place where people come together”, was chosen by Aboriginal students enrolled at UNE when the Centre opened. It reflects the historical significance of the site and its connection with the local Aboriginal community, and also highlights the Centre’s significance as a place that draws together Aboriginal students from all regions of Australia.

In September Oorala’s founding Director, Lynette Riley, presented the 2011 Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture to mark the 25^th year of the annual UNE lecture series that she established in the year of the Centre’s foundation.

“With the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at UNE having grown each year – from 20 enrolments when the Oorala Centre was established to more than 475 enrolments this year – we have much to celebrate,” said the Director of the Centre, Debra Bennell. “The Oorala Centre is committed to access and participation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from communities around Australia, and to supporting their achievements. Since 1990 more than 550 of those students have graduated from UNE.”

“Oorala is inviting community members to join current and former staff members and students for a great night out on the 10^th of December,” Ms Bennell said. “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates of UNE, and Directors and members of staff who have worked at Oorala throughout the years, will be especially welcome to get together at the Ball.”

The Oorala Anniversary Ball, beginning at 6 pm, will include a formal dinner with entertainment by the Buddy Knox Blues Band. Tickets, costing $80 per person, are available in limited numbers. People wishing to attend can contact Oorala on (02) 6773 3164 to buy tickets by the “RSVP” date of 30 November. Details and a payment form are also online at www.une.edu.au/oorala.

The University of New England will launch a seminar series next week that aims to stimulate critical thinking and collegial discussion about recent innovations in teaching and learning.

Throughout 2011 and 2012, UNE will bring a diverse range of expert speakers to this exciting new seminar series facilitated by Professor Victor Minichiello, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean, Faculty of The Professions and Professor Don Hine, School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences.

The seminar series will provide an important opportunity for UNE staff, students, and the general public to learn about new developments in pedagogy and technology that have the potential to transform higher education in Australia and across the world. The seminars will also provide a forum for discussing the opportunities and risks of these new developments, and implications for academics, students, and the future of tertiary education.

Upcoming sessions include:

November 24, 2011
12.00 to 2.00 pm – Lewis Lecture Theatre

Presenters:
Professor Philip Long, Director of the Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology, University of Queensland and Professor Jim Barber, Vice-Chancellor and CEO, University of New England

Topic:
From Teaching to Learning Redux – Technology for Emerging Humans and an illustration via the UNE Future Campus

December 8, 2011
12.00 to 2.00 pm – Lewis Lecture Theatre

Presenter:
Professor Josep Duart, Open University of Catalonia, Spain

Topic:
Using technology to deliver higher education to disadvantaged groups.

February 9, 2012
12.00 to 2.00 pm – Lewis Lecture Theatre

Presenter:
Dr. Rosalind James, Director DEHub Project, UNE

Topic:
EduONE: Bringing communities and education together

UNE staff, students and members of the general public are welcome to attend and a light lunch will be provided at all seminars. For more information visit: www.une.edu.au/une-itl.

The violin performer and composer Kerry Watson will play in two concerts in Sydney this week as part of her work towards a PhD degree at the University of New England.

Kerry (pictured here) is turning her passion for Celtic, Gypsy and Sundanese music into a “creative practice” research project, in which a recording of one of the Sydney concerts will be included (along with other concert recordings, a composition portfolio, a CD and a written exegesis) in the documentation of her doctoral project, titled The Transcultural Violin: Processes and Concepts in Present-Day Intercultural Music Performance. “My focus is on aspects of playing the violin and composing for it within an intercultural performance context,” she explained.

The concerts, evoking the contemporary sound world of West Java and Bali, are in collaboration with the Macquarie University Gamelan Ensemble and the Sydney University Balinese Orchestra. They will include the first performances of compositions by Kerry Watson for violin, saxophone and gamelan, in which the saxophonist will be Dr Jennifer Game-Lopata, a music lecturer at UNE.

The concert this evening (the one to  be recorded) will be at 6 pm on the Macquarie University campus, and the concert on Saturday 19 November (the one in which the Sydney University Balinese Orchestra will participate) will be at 6.30 pm in the Old Darlington School on the University of Sydney campus.

The Macquarie University Gamelan Ensemble was established by Dr Andrew Alter at the beginning of 2011 when he moved to Macquarie from UNE. “The concerts build on UNE’s traditional strengths in gamelan performance, and the Ensemble will be using instruments borrowed from UNE,” Dr Alter said.