ADDITIONAL REPORTS
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Additional reports for Council
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Media Highlights
Faculty and Institute News
o Faculty of Arts
o Faculty of Business
o Faculty of Health Science
o Faculty of Law
o Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology
o IMAS
o TAFI
Media Highlights
Research News:
Chickpeas are dietary gold
New research at UTAS found that chickpeas can help lower blood cholesterol and improve
insulin resistance. The legumes are also satisfying and may help in weight control. Jane
Pittaway, a UTAS Lecturer in Health and Biomedical Science in the School of Human Life
Sciences, carried out several studies on chickpeas over three years, advertising in the local
media for participants aged between 30 and 70. The results showed while they consumed the
same amount of dietary fibre during the two diets, the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA) was greater during the chickpea diet and there was a small reduction in total
cholesterol after the chickpea diet compared to the wheat diet. Simplot Australia donated more
than 2000 canned chickpeas during the study, which was carried out at facilities at the Clifford
Craig Medical Research Trust.
Coverage
Local: Hobart Mercury, ABC TV Hobart, ABC radio
National: ABC News Radio Sydney, ABC Darwin, Grazia magazine
Surveying social attitudes to trees in cities across Australia
The changing face of the nation’s urban tree estate is under the spotlight as part of new
research into what influences private home-owner decisions to plant trees or remove them. The
UTAS School of Geography and Environmental Studies is conducting a national survey to help
build a comprehensive picture of Australian attitudes related to trees in cities. The survey is
part of a three-year $130,000 study under an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant.
The national study includes assessment of changes in tree cover in parts of Adelaide, Brisbane,
Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney and Townsville, as well as interviews with urban land managers.
Coverage
Local: ABC radio Hobart, Hobart Mercury (front page and two page inside spread)
National: ABC 702 Sydney, ABC Newcastle, Yahoo News Australia, Canberra Times
Insomnia and depression link
Tasmania’s insomniacs have something to think about in the dark hours of the night, with an
invitation to participate in a new UTAS research project which aims to find a treatment for the
condition. The School of Psychology is about to conduct confidential interviews for people
suffering from sleep deprivation or depression in the next few weeks. Project supervisor, Dr
Frances Martin, said the results of the one-hour interviews could help determine if sufferers are
being treated for their primary condition.
Coverage
Local: ABC 936 Hobart
National: Triple J Radio
Pointy end of public health
The first full-scale study of the rise of global vaccination is well under way at UTAS.
Professor Michael Bennett, from the UTAS School of History and Classics, is leading an
Australian Research Council project which examines the success and failure of the first major
public health campaign in world history. Prof Bennett said in the 18th Century smallpox was
universally feared. It was responsible for killing or scarring a signification proportion of the
world’s children. Prof Bennett said the project addresses major gaps in our knowledge and
understanding of the early history of vaccination, including the use of children in trials of the
practice and in securing the supply of vaccine and the beginnings of the system of compulsory
vaccination.
Coverage
Local: ABC Northern Tasmania, ABC 936 Hobart, Southern Cross News
MANCHECK program to help future doctors
The UTAS School of Medicine is developing a program to help doctors-in-training become
better skilled in performing sensitive men’s examinations. Under the MAN-CHECK program,
men recruited from the community will be trained as “professional patients” who undergo
genital and other physical examinations. UTAS Head of the Discipline of Surgery Professor
Richard Turner said the professional patients, or Clinical Teaching Associates (CTAs), will
provide valuable feedback to medical students on appropriate technique and etiquette.
Coverage
Local: Hobart Mercury, ABC1, ABC Northern Tasmania, Burnie Advocate, Launceston
Examiner, Southern Cross, Win News, Sunday Examiner
National: ABC Darwin, Triple J Radio, ABC Southern Queensland, CFM Toowoomba, Mix
92.7 Mooloolaba, Sea FM Sunshine Coast
University News:
Festival of Broadway in Hobart
The recent Festival of Broadway in Hobart featured eminent composer/lyricist Stephen
Schwartz for a series of concerts, master classes and workshops.His successes include hit
musicals Godspell and Pippin and worldwide phenomenon Wicked.The event featured solo
singers, 66-piece orchestra and the Southern Gospel Choir. Schwartz also discussed his career
with Michael A. Kerker of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Coverage
Local: Hobart Mercury, Southern Cross, Win News, Launceston Examiner, ABC1, Derwent
Valley Gazette
National: Weekend Australian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Jetstar Magazine, ABC1
Melbourne
New ship building course
The Australian Maritime College is part of a new course in ship building which is offered in
conjunction with Flinders University. The shipbuilding degree will be offered at Flinders from
next year, in a move designed to meet skills shortages in the booming defence industry. The
Bachelor of Engineering (Naval Architecture), which will cover the design and construction of
large ships, submarines and yachts
Coverage
National: Cruise Magazine, Lloyds List DCN, Adelaide Advertiser
Fresh Science winner UTAS IMAS PhD student
PhD candidate in IMAS at UTAS, Natalia Galin was one of 16 winners at Fresh Science, a
national science talent search. Ms Galin developed a helicopter radar system that can measure
the thickness of snow on polar sea ice, which is a key measurement in understanding climate
change. She was also invited to present her findings at the Melbourne Museum in early June.
Coverage
Local: Hobart Mercury
National: Radio National, Sunday Age, Can
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News from Faculties and Institutes
Faculty of Arts
Colonialism and Its Aftermath Research Centre (CAIA) hosted its Oceanic Passages
Conference (23–25 June 2010) in Hobart. The Faculty congratulates Dr Mitchell Rolls and Dr
Anna Johnston on their organisation of the event.
School of English, Journalism & European Languages
The School hosted an international, interdisciplinary conference called Antarctic Visions:
Cultural Perspectives on the Southern Continent between 21 – 23 June 2010.
Dr Nicola Goc chaired all sessions at a recent MediaPass workshop sponsored by the Walkley
Foundation.
School of Art
Exhibitions
Group Action; Group show at Criterion Gallery, Hobart. Artists include Mrs Pat Brassington
(Manager Plimsoll Gallery), Mr Neil Haddon (Associate Lecturer), Dr Yvette Watt (Associate
Lecturer), Dr Meg Keating (Associate Lecturer), Professor Geoff Parr (HA), Mr John Vella
(Associate Lecturer) and Miss Megan Walch (casual drawing lecturer), and opened 20 May
2010.
Let’s Make the Water Turn Black; Group show at Inflight Gallery, Hobart. Artists include Mrs
Pat Brassington (Manager Plimsoll Gallery), Professor Geoff Parr (Honorary Associate) and
Ms Lucia Usmiani (Admin Officer) opened 04 June 2010.
GREEN, Plimsoll Gallery, Curated by Professor Geoff Parr. Artists included Ms Lucy Bleach,
Associate Lecturer, Dr Colin Langridge, sessional sculpture lecturer, Mr Richard Wastell,
MFA candidate and Ms Rebecca Stevens, graduate (plus Mr David Haines, Mr Richard Giblett,
Mr Roman Signer, Ms Ruth Jarman and Mr Joe Gerhardt), opened 16 April 2010.
ONLINE, Plimsoll Gallery, curated by Mr John Vella (lecturer sculpture) opened 21 May 2010.
Publications
Dr Yvette Watt, Associate Lecturer, entry in "Art, Animals and Ethics" twovolume Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare, edited by Marc Bekoff, published
by Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut: 2009.
Dr Yvette Watt, Dr Brigita Ozolins, Dr Wayne Brookes, Dr Megan Keating, Dr James Newitt
– Images since their PhD’s published with Mr Peter Hill’s article Keeping it Visual: The
Studio-based PhD, in Art Monthly Australia #229, May 2010, pp 5 – 7.
Mr Dean Chatwin, PhD candidate, work published in Sculpture Magazine (USA publication)
international juried commissions section.
Mr Michael Singe, Ms Belinda Winkler, Ms Catherine Woo, Research Higher Degree
candidates, published in Craft Australia International.
Special Events
Artrage 2009; Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery curated 2009 Yr 12 College art student
exhibition opened 07 May 2010.
Young Archies; Education Department, Kinder – yr 12 portrait exhibition, opened 02 June 2010.
Screenmachines; Collaboration between Tasmanian School of Art, Tasmanian Museum and
Art Gallery, Department of Education and Tasmanian Catholic Education Office, Yr 9 & 10
student workshop coinciding with City of Hobart Art Prize closing with exhibition opened 23
June 2010.
4B2; Tasmanian School of Art, Pathways Project, Department of Education collaboration – Yr
10 student 4 day ‘taster’ workshop at the School of Art.
School of Sociology and Social Work
The Faculty congratulates Dr Maggie Walter for her part as Native American & Indigenous
Studies Association secretary in organising the Native American and Indigenous Studies
Conference held in Tucson 20-22 May 2010. The conference is the largest Indigenous
scholarly association globally and had 752 registrants with presenters from the USA, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Taiwan, and Southern and Latin American countries. Her
presentation was so well received that she was immediately offered a book contract with Left
Coast Press for a book on Indigenous quantitative research methodology (nayri kati). Dr
Walter is also in negotiations with the University of Minnesota Press for a book on Indigenous
Research Methodologies with Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson.
School of Government
Dr Matthew Killingsworth will now be on radio (ABC936) on a weekly timeslot to discuss
International relations with Mr Tim Cox on Mondays, between 9.40am – 10.00am.
Associate Professor Marcus Haward presented a keynote address to the Symposium on
Antarctic Politics at the Antarctica New Zealand Conference.
On 29 June 2010, the School of Government and the Tasmanian Police formally launched their
joint new Police Recruit In-Service Training program.
Professor Richard Herr gave an address to the Tasmanian Council of Professional Bodies on 03
June 2010 entitled "Restoring the 'Parliament' in Parliamentary Reform" and it considered
some neglected issues in the current debate on restoring the numbers in the Tasmanian
Parliament.
Dr Matthew Sussex and Dr Matthew Killingsworth published an opinion piece ‘Iran has finger
on nuclear pulse’ in the Canberra Times.
Associate Professor Kate Crowley recently returned from France where she worked to establish
a valuable alliance with the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations
for Sustainable Development and Sciences Politique University in Paris, to progress a
collaborative public policy research/partnership and undergraduate student exchange that will
commence in 2011.
School of Visual and Performing Arts
The 5 Days of Innovation Festival was held in Launceston from the 18–22 May 2010. The
Festival was a collaboration with key stake holders, Autech, Launceston Chamber of
Commerce, Launceston City Council, UTAS and the Department of Economic Development
Tourism and the Arts to promote, highlight and acknowledge all of the innovation in the
community and within the business community particularly in northern Tasmania. The School
of Visual and Performing Arts hosted the 5-Plates of Innovation degustation dinner as the
finale event of the Festival in the Academy Gallery to 80 business guests.
The inaugural Tasmanian Technology Entertainment Design (TED) event was held in the
Annexe Theatre on Friday 18 June 2010. TED brings together the world’s leading thinkers and
doers to share ideas that matter in any discipline; technology, entertainment, design, science,
humanities, business, development etc. TED has created TEDx, a program of local, selforganised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. 5 live and a couple
of 18 minute video ‘TED talks’ were presented at this first TEDx Tasmania conference. Dr
Lycia Trouton, Head of Art & Design Theory was one of the 5 local presenters.
The Artist in Residence (AIR) Program has had new sponsorship of $5000 from the WD Booth
Trust. The funds will be used to pay a per diem to artists in residence, which can be put
towards their supplies, subsistence and car hire. Additionally, the AIR program has moved into
a new artist-in-residence 'Riverside' cottage at the Newnham Campus. The historic AMC
caretaker cottage has benefited from a coat of paint and renovation of the grounds in
preparation for our July glass artist resident, Mr Lubomir Ferko of Slovakia.
Arts Industry Drinks (AID) was hosted by the Academy Gallery on 15 June 2010. AID is a
regular event hosted by arts@work, (the industry arm of Arts Tasmania) designed to bring arts
industry workers together to share experiences and spark new artistic endeavours. This event
was also hosted by AbaF (Australia Business Arts Foundation) and included a large proportion
of business guests as well as the board members of the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board.
Academy Gallery is currently hosting the Mind Your Mind exhibition, an official component
of National Drug awareness Week.
Conservatorium of Music
In association with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the
Conservatorium of Music presented the second Festival of Broadway featuring guest composer
Mr Stephen Schwartz and his music for stage and screen. The festival ran from 11-20 June
2010 contributions from the Conservatorium’s Tasmania Discovery Orchestra and the Festival
of Broadway Choir/Southern Gospel Choir. Performances featured international artists as well
as Conservatorium staff and students. Other Festival highlights included a musical theatre
composition seminar presented by Professor Purcell and masterclasses/workshops with Mr
Stephen Schwartz and Ms Liz Callaway.
Mr Kelly Ottaway has been commissioned by the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra,
Australia's leading Big Band, to arrange a work for a project involving Ms Kristin Berardi, one
of Australia's premier jazz singers.
Dr Arabella Teniswood-Harvey presented a number of lecture-recitals whilst in America such
as:
Colby College Museum of Art, Maine, 15 June 2010: ‘Schubert’s Moments Musicaux: The
inspiration for Whistler’s 6 Projects?’
Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 26 June 2010: ‘Night-Music’ - A lecture-recital on the
musical resonances of Whistler’s Nocturnes.
The documentary, ‘Tetsuya’s Pursuit of Excellence’ which screened nationally on SBS 1, 17
June 2010, featured music and performances by Dr Andrew Legg, Mr Alistair Dobson and Mr
Stewart Long.
School of History and Classics
Curiosity Symposium, Sponsored by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation
History & Classics is hosting the Curiosity Symposium in Hobart on 13 August 2010 and in
Launceston on 16 August 2010. Several international speakers will be in attendance, headed
by Professor Richard Drayton from Kings College, University of London.
Faculty of Business
On 28 June 2010, the Faculty launched the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge on the
Launceston Campus. This is a 3 week pilot program designed to allow school students to
engage with business processes in a competitive and fun environment. The Challenge will
give the students a holistic view of business as well as connect them with real business people
from the Tasmanian community. Year 10 students at the following high schools in Northern
Tasmania are involved: Riverside High, Queechy High, Port Dalrymple High, Prospect High,
and Kingsmeadows High.
The Faculty will host a public lecture by Mr Todd Sampson, CEO of advertising agency Leo
Burnett, and regular on the ABC’s Gruen Transfer. This will be in Hobart at 1.30pm on
Sunday 08 August 2010 in the Stanley Burbury Theatre, as part of the Open Day offerings.
School of Accounting and Corporate Governance
Dr Sue Hrasky attended the CPA’s International Forum for Academics in Sydney on 07-08
June 2010. At the invitation of the CPAs, she gave a presentation on the new Faculty unit
BAA702 Engaging in the Global Workplace (designed by Ms Jan Counsell, the Faculty’s
postgraduate Academic Advisor). This unit is for students who are intending to work in a
multicultural environment. The 5 components of the unit are: communication skills, cross
cultural awareness, presentation skills, employability skills and professional preparation. Dr
Hrasky’s presentation was extremely well received and generated a lot of positive comment.
The School has championed the introduction of a specialization in the Master of Professional
Accounting degree, designed to enhance students’ skills in communication, awareness of
workplace culture, self-management and stakeholder management.
School of Economics and Finance
Professor John Tisdell has been invited to edit a special issue of the International Journal of
Water on ‘The Science, Economics and Policy of Environmental Flows’.
Dr Paul Blacklow delivered his opinion/interpretation of the 2010 Federal Budget at a
breakfast function for Deloitte, on 12 May 2010 in Hobart.
Associate Professor Graeme Wells gave several talks following the Federal Budget,
organised by KPMG including a talk at a budget breakfast to the Launceston business sector;
to Launceston College students, and to Hobart business people. Associate Professor Wells
also gave budget interviews on ABC radio and ABC TV.
School of Management
Mr Stuart Crispin has been appointed as Acting Deputy Head of School for the period 01 July
to 31 December 2010.
Dr John Byrom visited Beijing from 23-27 May 2010, attending a series of open days in
relation to the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Higher National Diploma (HND)
programme. Open days were held at 7 universities.
Australian Innovation Research Centre (AIRC)
Research Associate Mr Kieran O’Brien represented the AIRC on the judging panel for the
Tasmanian Building and Construction Industry Training Board Construction Innovation
Award, a $10,000 grant awarded to an innovative firm in the Tasmanian construction sector.
Associate Professor Jack English’s latest book (with Ms Babette Moate), Managing a Small
Business in Australia, will be launched by the Minister for Economic Development in July
2010.
On 21 May 2010, Associate Professor Jack English conducted an ideas workshop in
Launceston, in collaboration with the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and
the Arts, as part of the 5 Days of Innovation Festival.
The recently released OECD publication, The OECD Innovation Strategy: Getting a Head
Start on Tomorrow (2010), makes a reference to the AIRC’s publication Innovation in
Tasmania: An Innovation Census in an Australian State (Smith, KH and O’Brien, KR, 2008),
and adopts one of the points from the Census. The referencing of the AIRC’s work in such a
key document reinforces the quality, value and international relevance of the AIRC’s
research.
Research Associate Mr Ben Wills accepted the 2010 Tasmanian Environmental Protection
Authority Award for Environmental Excellence (Community Group section), on behalf of
Source Community Wholefoods Co-operative. Mr Wills is a co-founder and current
Treasurer of the Source Co-op, which is Tasmania’s first and most comprehensive urban
sustainability demonstration site, as well as being the state’s largest consumer food cooperative.
Faculty of Health Science
The Faculty of Health Science, in partnership with the Department of Health and Human
Services, was successful in obtaining funding from the first round of Health Workforce
Australia grants to increase the number of clinical training places for health professional
students in Tasmania. The 18 month project, led by the Faculty for Partners in Health,
received $1.84m to establish a Tasmanian Clinical Placement Partnership between the
Tertiary education sector and Tasmanian health services for expansion of clinical placements
across Tasmania for students in Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy
and Psychology.
School of Human Life Sciences
The first cohort of students will graduate with a Bachelor of Exercise Science from the
School of Human Life Sciences in July 2010. 5 of these students are continuing to Honours
which will give the School a cohort of 10 Honours students.
Progress has also been made on a joint arrangement with another University for students to
progress from this degree into postgraduate Physiotherapy training.
The Masters of Biomedical Science has just received CRICOS registration and will be
available from mid-year.
School of Medicine
A large number of medical students are currently attending the Australian Medical Student
Association (AMSA) conferences hosted by Tasmania in Hobart.
2 Rural Clinical School students are co-convenors of the AMSA Global Health Conference.
School of Pharmacy
A major focus for the School in 2010 is the joint external accreditation and internal university
review, planned for November. Curriculum review has been ongoing within the School,
which will facilitate preparations for the accreditation process. Recent course enhancements
include a bolstering of the teaching of communication across the Bachelor of Pharmacy
program, the addition of a placement session with accredited medication review pharmacists,
and the inclusion of a dedicated module on management.
Members of the Unit for Medication Outcomes Research & Education (UMORE), within the
School, have been extremely busy completing several large research projects in tight
timeframes. It was pleasing to note that UMORE had 17 presentations at the National
Medicines Symposium in Melbourne in May. Equally pleasing was the Federal Budget
announcement that the electronic documentation of clinical interventions of community
pharmacy was to be funded to the extent of $97m in the 5th Community Pharmacy
Agreement. This represents the culmination into national practice of almost 10 years of
research and development (PROMISe projects) by UMORE.
Rural Clinical School
A Centre of Excellence for Rural Clinical Education at the Mersey Community Hospital is
being established following a successful application for $1.48 million of REID (Rural
Education Infrastructure Development) Pool funding. Planning has commenced and work is
anticipated to get underway in the next few months.
eHIEP (electronic Health Information Exchange Project).
eHIEP’s vision is of a regional community of practice in which electronic patient health
records can be shared across healthcare organisations in North West Tasmania, providing
secure access to accurate, relevant information at the point of care, using GP software
applications already being used in the North West.
The eHIEP team (General Practice North West, Rural Clinical School and Cradle Coast
Authority) has determined to progress electronic referrals to North West Area Health
Services (NWAHS) from GPs, and electronic diagnostic services requests from medical
practitioners to NW diagnostic imaging services as first-up priorities for their project.
eHIEP will be providing an integrated education and training program as part of the change
management integral to develop the required culture for health information sharing and to
support implementation within the key organisations.
University Department of Rural Health (UDRH)
The UDRH has been active across a range of program areas during the first half of 2010 and
has presented at a range of professional development workshops and seminars including
those of Community Engagement for Productive Ageing and Sensory Therapy.
Senior Research Fellow Dr Clarissa Hughes and colleagues continue to progress research and
practice relating to positive, innovative models of health education for young people through
the Social Norms Analysis Project (SNAP). An article based on this work has been accepted
for publication in the UK-based journal Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy.
Following the coordination of a successful State Symposium on Climate Change, Dr Erica
Bell is working with a number of leading climate change scientists on the publication of a
forthcoming book “Climate Change and Rural Child Health”.
Community Health Development continues as a major theme for the UDRH with further
work being undertaken in mapping health needs of rural communities. Health mapping work
is currently being conducted within the West Tamar municipal area.
Faculty of Law
In May-June 2010, Dr Brendan Gogarty travelled to Europe with the support of the Faculty to
respond to a collaboration invitation with the Minerva Judicial Independence Research Group
at the the Heidelberg Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International
Law (MPIL).
The group is funded by the prestigious Max Planck Society which is an independent research
organization promoting and supporting high-level research.
The Heidelberg Max Planck Institute where the research group is located conducts research in
different fields of international law and comparative public law. It is closely affiliated to
Heidelberg University Law Faculty.
During his stay as visiting researcher, Dr Gogarty undertook comparative work examining
how European jurisprudence on independence and impartiality of state judiciaries under the
European Convention on Human Rights, Article 8 might contribute to current legal debate
about the independence of state tribunals in Australia.
He also attended the Faculty's sister Law School in Lucerne, Switzerland, where he audited
the postgraduate transnational litigation masters program to help build upon the Law
Faculty's own conflict of laws course. During his trip he presented papers on legal issues
relating to unmanned vehicles in advance of a special edition of the Journal of Law,
Information and Science dedicated to that subject.
Dr Gogarty secured 2 contributions to the journal as well as 2 new visiting scholars for the
Faculty's summer school program - Professor Matthias Harwig, MPIL, (transnational issues
in constitutional law); Dr Hitoshi Nauru, ANU (migration law).
On the 24 May 2010 a function was held in the Law School to celebrate the success of the
2009 prize winning students and to thank the prize sponsors. It was attended by staff, prize
winning students and a number of prize donors or their representatives.
Distinguished Professor Don Chalmers and Professor Margaret Otlowski were invited to
attend a Symposium at the University of Sydney Faculty of Law on Umbilical Cord Blood
Banking on 25 May 2010.
This Symposium brought together legal and other experts to discuss legal and ethical issues
surrounding the decision-making process for donating and banking umbilical cord blood.
This is a joint study between the University of Sydney, the Centre for Values, Ethics and Law
in Medicine; the Centre for Health Governance, Law and Ethics; and Sydney Children’s
Hospital. The research is funded by the National Institute and the Australian Bone Marrow
Donor Registry.
Professor Margaret Otlowski, was invited to attend the ceremonial sitting of the Full Court of
the Federal Court at the Commonwealth Law Courts Building, Hobart, to welcome the newly
appointed Chief Justice of the Federal Court, the Honourable Patrick Keane.
Reverend Professor Michael Tate attended the International Criminal Court Review
Conference held in Kampala, Uganda, in early June 2010. He attended as a Legal Adviser to
the Australian delegation of ten officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Defence, and the Attorney Generals Department.
The main issue for the conference was whether the crime of aggression should come within
the effective jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court: what definition of the elements
of the crime would be adopted, and how would the Prosecutor’s investigation and/or
prosecution be triggered, especially bearing in mind the role of the UN Security Council in
relation to this matter.
The conference had a successful outcome, with the Australian delegation playing a key role
seeking a consensus which could embrace “like-minded” States and the permanent members
of the Security Council. Professor Tate was thanked by the delegation for his “support,
insights and advice”. The attendance by Professor Tate enhanced the already high reputation
of the UTAS Faculty of Law in the area of International Humanitarian Law.
The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute (TLRI) released its 16th Issues Paper, Racial
Vilification and Racially Motivated Offences on 11 June 2010. The topic for this project was
suggested by the Vice-Chancellor of UTAS, Professor Daryl Le Grew. The paper reviews the
Tasmanian laws that are relevant to the issues of racial vilification and racially motivated
offences and asks if these current provisions are adequate or whether new provisions need to
be introduced.
The paper describes the applicable Commonwealth provisions and international conventions
and declarations, and their application in Tasmania. The paper also includes a survey of the
relevant civil and criminal provisions used in other Australian jurisdictions and other
common law countries. The final part of the paper looks at the various legislative reform
options available.
These reform options include introducing a criminal racial vilification provision alongside the
existing civil provision in the Anti-Discrimination Act 1998; introducing a racial vilification
provision in the Criminal Code or the Police Offences Act 1935; or introducing specific
sentence enhancement provisions in the Sentencing Act 1997. The paper provides a summary
of the benefits and disadvantages of each reform option. The Institute has offered to provide
community consultations with interested stakeholders, including Migrant Resource Centres
and Adult Migrant English Services.
Senior Lecturer, Mr Rick Snell, has recently given a number of presentations. He presented a
talk at the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day Conference in Brisbane, and was invited to
present a seminar on the Teaching-Research Nexus at Bond Law School. On 19 May 2010,
Mr Snell met with Federal Special Minister of State Senator Joe Ludwig for a 40 minute
consultation on administrative law and other accountability reforms at the Federal level. In
June 2010 he attended legal education conferences in Canada and New Zealand. Mr Snell
was invited to present a keynote address at an Access and Privacy conference in Halifax,
Canada.
On the 17 June 2010 UTAS and the Faculty of Law hosted a delegation of 7 members of the
Bar Council of India, as well as 2 accompanying persons. This was part of a visit to the 7
Australian universities which have applied to the Bar Council of India for recognition of their
LLB degree in 2007 (in accordance with the relevant sections of the Advocates Act 1961).
The delegation was led by the Chairman of the Bar Council of India, Indian Solicitor General,
Mr Gopal Subramanium. The other delegates comprised: Mr Ashok Parija, Member of the
State Bar Council of Orissa; Mr Biri Singh Sinsinwar, Member of the State Bar Council of
Rajasthan; Mr Ramestinar Singh Rana, Member of the State Bar Council of Tamil Nadu; Mr
Devendra Kumar Sharma, Associate Managing Trustee, Bar Council of India Trust and
Member of the State Bar Council of Himachal Pradesh; Mr Vijay Bhatt, Member of the State
Bar Council of Uttarkhand; and Mr Manan Kumar Mishra, Member of the State Bar Council
of Bihar.
The Advocate in attendance was Mr Gaurav Khanna. The group was accompanied by Mr
David Naylor from the Law Council of Australia. The program for the visiting delegation
included meeting with Law Faculty staff, briefings from staff and student representatives on
key topics of interest, lunch meeting with senior UTAS management including the Acting
Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Rich, the Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor for Students and
Education, Professor Gary O’Donovan, and Executive Director - Planning & Development,
Mr Paul Barnett as well as Ms Sue Lacey-Laweczko, Deputy Director, International Services.
Other guests in attendance were the Honourable Justice Alan Blow OAM of the Supreme
Court of Tasmania, Mr Tim Bugg, Chair, of the peak national body International Legal
Services Advisory Council, and Mr Martyn Hagan, Executive Director, of the Law Society of
Tasmania. The final component of the Tasmanian visit was a visit to Government House at
the invitation of the Governor, His Excellency, Peter Underwood AC.
At the conclusion of the visit, the Head of the Bar Council of India delegation, Mr Gopal
Subramanium, advised that they would be recommending recognition of the UTAS Faculty of
Law LLB as well as its postgraduate degrees (LLM and PhD).
In June 2010, Distinguished Professor Don Chalmers gave a keynote address at the
University of Uppsala, Sweden, for the Medical Ethics Conference, Is Medical Ethics Really
in the Best Interest of the Patient. His keynote paper was entitled: ‘Are research ethics
committees working in the best interests of participants in an increasingly globalised research
environment?’
In June 2010, the Faculty hosted a number of visits from students at the Tasmanian Academy
interested in future Law studies. Our student recruitment team, consisting of representatives
of the Tasmanian University Law Society assisted greatly with the visit. Among other things,
they organised a scavenger hunt, tour of facilities, and a mini-problem solving scenario
exercise with the students.
The Law Faculty welcomes 2 new commencing postgraduate students – Ms Lucy de Vreeze
and Ms Sarah Hillier, both enrolled to undertake PhDs.
Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology
School of Architecture & Design
Grants
The Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) won grants from Forest Wood
Products Australia, to support the development of a new graduate coursework program, and
from CSIRO for building monitoring support.
Memberships
 Professor Stephen Loo – Elected as Councillor, Australian Institute of Architects (AIA),
Tasmanian Chapter.
 Dr Ceridwen Owen – Continuing member of the Sustainability Committee of the AIA
(Tasmanian Chapter).
International Visitors
 Professor Jan Gehl and Mr Lars Gemzoe, Gehl Associates, Copenhagen, Denmark. Urban
design consultancy collaborations in Launceston and Hobart and public lectures.
 Professor Adrian Carter, Research Centre Utzon Foundation, Aalborg, Denmark.
Masterclasses and workshops.
Awards, Congratulations & Scholarships
Mr Geoff Clark
 Troppo Architects (Mr Clark’s Architectural firm): Winner of ‘Global Award for
Sustainable Architecture’, Paris, 2010.
 Wrote a Continuing Professional Development unit for ‘Assessment of Buildings for HotHumid Climates’.
 2 commendations at North Queensland Architecture Awards: Beatson Residence, Tyto
Wetlands Centre.
 House of the Year – North Queensland Architecture Awards, Beatson Residence.
 Attending Queensland State Awards – 19 June 2010: Beatson Residence, Tyto Wetlands
Centre.
 Co-host, Tasmanian Architectural Narratives: A Weekend Away, Bruny Island.
Other
 Mr Tim Law (PhD student) winner of UniQuest Workshop Pitch Competition.
 Mr Keith Westbrook (recent graduate) won the 2010 National Colorbond Steel Student
Biennale Prize.
 Miss Alysia Bennett (recent graduate) won the National Student Prize for the
Advancement of Architecture, 2010.
 Mr Alex Neilsen (student) awarded the inaugural Rory Spence Travelling Scholarship.
 School of Architecture & Design building shortlisted for the Triennial Award AIA
Tasmanian Chapter.
 Furniture Design Building: Award entry for AIA State Awards Tasmanian Chapter.
 Summer scholarships awarded to students through Launceston City Council and State
Architect, Department of Justice.
 Faculty summer scholarships awarded to students.
 Furniture Scholarships awarded to undergraduate students.
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Mr Tim Law (PhD student) – Winner of UniQuest Workshop Pitch Competition.
Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) - Congratulation on the
construction of the second building constructed by the Gumatj community of eastern
Arnhem land. A congratulatory dinner hosted by the Governor of Tasmania.
Research Contracts
 Mr Geoff Clark applied for Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) –
‘Improved thermal performance with lightweight construction: Design guidelines and
regulatory assessment constraints.’
 CSAW:
o Continuation of the Tasmanian Timber Promotion Board contract.
o Committee membership.
o Appointed member of the FWPA Industry Standards group.
Media Interviews
 Mr Simon Ancher – ABC Radio interview about the Furniture Design Building.
 Mr Stuart King – ABC Radio interview on heritage architecture in Launceston.
 Professor Stephen Loo – Southern Cross News bulletin on Furniture Design Building.
Marketing Communications
 2010 Student Handbook published.
 New Course Guide published.
 Regular website updates.
 Updating of all online brochures.
 School of Architecture & Design Newsletter published.
 16 school visits and tours (8 more scheduled for June to August).
 Marketing events (see ‘Events’ below).
Staff Appointments / Promotions
 Professor Stephen Loo – Appointed Head of School (until June 2010). Appointed
Professor.
 CSAW – New international exchange staff member for the School of Engineering,
Architecture and Wood for the Berne University of Applied Sciences.
 Ms Kirsty Mate – Appointed Program Director (Interior Design) and Senior Lecturer,
commencing July 2010.
 Mr Mathew Hinds – Appointed Associate Lecturer.
Speakers / Presentations
 Dr Ceridwen Owen – Speaking at a roundtable on Sustainable Futures hosted by
Architecture Australia.
 Mr Ian Clayton
o Presenter at the ‘Tacit Knowledge’ forum on Creative Learning Practices in the
Architectural Design Studio.
o Presenter at the ALTC symposium in Melbourne, 25 June 2010 – Assessing
Creativity: Strategies and Tools to Support Teaching and Learning in Architecture
and Design.
 Professor Geoff Clark – Presenter at the ALTC symposium in Melbourne, 25 June 2010 –
Assessing Creativity: Strategies and Tools to Support Teaching and Learning in
Architecture and Design.
 Professor Stephen Loo and Dr Undine Sellbach, “Emotion, Space, Animality” Emotional
Geographies Conference, Adelaide, April 2010.
 Professor Stephen Loo and Dr Undine Sellbach, “A Picture Book of Invisible Worlds”
Thinking the World Symposium, Hobart, April 2010.
 Professor Stephen Loo, Invited Speaker, Critical Spatial Writing Practices Symposium,
RMIT, 2010.
Events
 CSAW hosted the launch of the New Forest Industry Strategy at Architecture’s Inveresk
building.
 Associate Professor Adrian Carter guest lecture 20 May 2010.
 Furniture Design Building Official Opening, opened by the Governor of Tasmania, April
2010.
 Design Futures (a three-day event for grade 10 students interested in architecture and
design to be held in June or July 2010).
 Design Day (a one-day event for grade 12 school leavers interested in architecture and
design, to be held in September 2010).
 School of Architecture & Design to participate in Faculty Fair, 16 June 2010.
 School of Architecture & Design to participate in UTAS Open Day, 15 August 2010.
Exhibitions
 Mr Simon Ancher – Tablelands vs Midlands exhibition.
 Furniture Design students – Tabled Works exhibition.
 Professor Stephen Loo, Stony Rises, Group Installation, Victoria.
Research publications
 CSAW – Paper accepted to the World Timber Engineering Conference 2010.
 Professor Stephen Loo, Review of Furniture Design Building, Architecture Australia,
May 2010.
Representations
 Submission to the National Building Energy Standard-Setting, Assessment and Rating
Framework
Other achievements
 Establishment of School of Architecture and Design Student Office with Launceston
Assistance and Research Centre (LARC).
 Jan Gehl project.
 Mr Ian Clayton:
o Ross Byers project for the National Regional Arts Conference, August 2010.
o Art Bike project for Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart.
 Dr Stuart King – Completion of PhD April 2009.
 Ms Louise Wallis – Study leave June 2009 to June 2010.
 New postgraduate students: Ms Jennifer Smit, Mr Anthony Crawford, Mr Ian Berger.
 New research assistant in CSAW, Miss Sybille Blum.
Workshops /Professional Seminars
 Mr Geoff Clark
o Commercialisation seminar – April, Newnham Campus.
o Assessing creativity Symposium – Friday 25 June 2010.
School of Agricultural Science / TIAR
Research, Development & Extension
 Transfer of extensive agriculture and horticulture branches (staff and resources) of
DPIPWE to TIAR. Staff have transferred and JVA currently being revised. TIAR will
take over management of Cressy Research Station.
 Reviews of farms completed and recommendations being implemented.
 Associate Professor Shabala submitted an Expression of Interest for an ARC Centre of
Excellence “Tasmanian Node” with the whole Centre being led by Professor Steve
Tyerman from University of Adelaide. ARC has now requested a full proposal for the
second round of assessment.
 MOU with Dairy Australia signed late last year will take effect this year providing a
stable funding based of $1m over 2 years, with opportunity to extend.
 A comprehensive review of Development & Extension will be undertaken in 2010 –
external consultants are currently being engaged.
 Significant collaboration with the State Government in relation to the Water Innovation
strategy which was a pre-election commitment.
 Significant success with awards from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural
Research giving an international focus to TIAR’s research and extension of that research
into the Asia Pacific region.
 Awarded leadership of the national program for apples and pears (PIPS) and expect that
we will be formally awarded the national cherry program leadership.
 Projects: 18 projects new submitted ($3,327,064), 12 successful projects announced
($3,115,448) and 2 unsuccessful projects announced ($1,788) covering 11 potential/
actual funding organisations. Project report activity included submission of 32 final or
progress reports.
 Written media reports included 50 reports in Tasmania, Western Australia, Queensland
and Victoria, and 8 national publications.
 Other activities included a host of national and international visitors, seminars,
stakeholder meetings, and local conferences as indicated.
Teaching & Learning
 Expansion of the Masters by Coursework program.
 Realignment of the Bachelor Applied Science (Agriculture) to help meet the State
Government’s initiative for a “Top Flight Farm Management Course”.
Conferences
 Likely that TIAR will host the International Symposium on Cool Climate Wines in 2011.
 The School and TIAR will host the 2012 Joint Australian and New Zealand Soil Science
Society Conference at Wrest Point in Hobart.
Staff Development
 26 activities across 12 countries including keynote addresses project activities, conference
presentations and inviting participation in industry and other reviews.
Staff/Student Awards & Achievements
 Dr Alistair Gracie - Teaching Merit Certificate in recognition of his contribution to
teaching at the University of Tasmania.
 Mr Will Bignell - Awarded the Fonterra Agricultural Award and the Premier's Southern
Cross Young Achiever of the Year Award.
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Mr Robert Arvier - 1 of 3 finalists in the Southern Cross Young Achievers Award for
2010 in the Fonterra Agriculture Award Category. Mr Arvier is a third year BAgrSc
student at the School of Agricultural Science.
Miss Ashley Hobbins - RIRDC Investing in Youth Studentship from the Grape and Wine
Research and Development Corporation – Miss Hobbins is a first year BAppSc student at
the School of Agricultural Science.
Mr Rolf Nilsson - Recipient of the 2010 Tasmanian Becton Dickinson Award to attend
and present at the Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM) 2010 Sydney Annual
Scientific Meeting & Exhibition.
Ms Esta Hages - Recipient of the 2010 Tasmanian Becton Dickinson Award to attend and
present at the Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM) 2010 Sydney Annual Scientific
Meeting & Exhibition.
Ms Fiona Kerslake - Selected for an oral presentation at the International Cool Climate
Symposium in Seattle on 10 June 2010.
School of Chemistry / ACROSS
Awards and Appointments
Dr Karen Stack elected Fellow of APPITA (Australian Pulp and Paper Industry Technical
Association). This prestigious title is conferred upon those who have contributed exceptional
service to the industry.
Visitors
Students from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom are participating in various
research activities within the School. The students visiting are Mr Francia Allabush, Mr Tom
Congdon, Mr Oliver Hutter, Ms Caroline Moore, Ms Helen Thomas and Mr Rich Wakefield.
Dr Armando Guidote Jr from Ateneode Manila University, Philippines, is visiting ACROSS
and the School to undertake research activities with Dr Lito Quirino.
Mr Feng Huo, a student from Sichuan University, China, is hosted by ACROSS and under
the supervision of Dr Michael Breadmore.
Miss Kara-Lea Angoy a visiting exchange student from Kings College, United Kingdom, is
undertaking a 3 month research project with ACROSS as part of her MSc.
Dr Herman Cortes a visiting researcher who is collaborating with Dr Emily Hilder and Dr
Robert Shellie in relation to several research projects.
Dr David Muir from the CSIRO Parker Centre, Perth WA, is a visiting lecturer for the annual
Nyrstar Lectureship.
Agfest 2010
The School of Chemistry once again attended Agfest, Tasmania’s prestigious agricultural
show, which was recently held at Carrick, from the 06–08 May 2010.
The Chemistry staff enthralled the public with various working displays including a number
of various types of periodic tables. The periodic table handouts were very popular with a
number of adults which shows that there is still an interest in chemistry by the general public.
And this year, instead of having to choose your colour slime production line, the public were
provided with the opportunity to grow their own crystal garden. The experiment was a big
hit, and by the end of the show there was quite a spectacular garden.
The interaction with the public combined with the promotion of Chemistry makes this
activity a very worthwhile event.
Research Evening
The School of Chemistry hosted a Research Evening on 29 April 2010 to showcase the
research of the students and staff within the School, from both Hobart and Launceston
campuses. Over 125 people attended from the University and Tasmanian community,
industry and government. A total of 61 posters were presented on the evening, including 35
presented by postgraduate and undergraduate students.
Congratulations are extended to the winners of the student poster prizes: Ms Lea Mauko (1st
prize), Ms Esme Candish (2nd prize) and Mr Jason Barnett (3rd prize).
Conferences
 Pittcon 2010, Orlando, Florida USA (27 Feb - 06 Mar 2010)
Attended by Dr Greg Dicinoski (oral & poster), Dr Rob Shellie, Professor Paul Haddad
(oral), Mr Boon Ng (oral & poster)
 Microscale BioSeparations (MSB) 2010, Prague, Czech Republic (21-24 March 2010)
Attended by Dr Michael Breadmore (oral & poster), Dr Lito Quirino (oral)
 64th APPITA Annual General Conference, Melbourne (19-21 April 2010)
Attended by Dr Karen Stack (session chair), Dr Rhitu Rao (oral) and Mr Roland Lee (oral)
Radio Interview
Dr Emily Hilder was interviewed by ABC National radio’s The Science Show on Saturday 15
May 2010.
School of Earth Sciences
Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) Field Trip
The CODES SEG Student Chapter has completed a highly successful 10-day field excursion
to Thailand and Laos that included visits to five mines and a number of geological sites.
The trip was led by Associate Professor Khin Zaw from CODES. Participants were
comprised of a wide variety of people from various sources and cultural backgrounds
including industry representatives, and students originating from Australia, UK, USA,
Canada, France, Mongolia, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, Spain, China, Italy, Japan, Peru,
Russia and Thailand.
Southeast Asia Meeting
Progress meeting for the Ore Deposits of Southeast Asia Project was held in Chiang Mai,
northern Thailand with industry project sponsors from Kingsgate, Pan Australian Resources,
OZ, Barrick, Newmont, Indochine, Monument, Southern Gold and MMG. Representatives
from Chiang Mai University and Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), Thailand, also
attended.
Minerals and Metals Group (MMG) sponsorship
International base metal mining company, MMG, has been secured as a major sponsor of the
Centre. The Centre now has 10 major Industry Partners.
Invite to Join Selection Committee
Professor Jocelyn McPhie has been invited to join the Australian Research Council’s (ARC)
Selection Advisory Committee for ARC Future Fellowships (for 2010).
International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits Symposium and Exhibition
CODES exhibited at the IAGOD international symposium in Adelaide in April.
In addition, twelve CODES researchers presented papers at the event, which attracted
geologists and industry representatives from around the world.
ABC Interviews
Professor Jocelyn McPhie was interviewed at length by ABC radio in April 2010 regarding
the volcanic eruption in Iceland. The interview was broadcast in a prime time slot, leading up
to the 6.00pm news. She was also interviewed by the ABC in Canberra on the same subject.
Victorian Institute of Earth and Planetary Sciences Participation (VIEPS)
Lectures on Ore Deposit Models were conducted from 17-21 May 2010 in the CODES
Conference Room. This was part of CODES / SES participation in the VIEPS Honours
program, which is held in conjunction with the University of Melbourne and Monash
University.
Short Course in Indonesia
A short course on ‘Volcanoes and their Products’ was presented by Professor Jocelyn McPhie
from 26 April to 03 May 2010 in Indonesia. This course was presented on behalf of Asian
gold mining company G-Resources.
Seminars
Visiting speakers have conducted a number of geology-based seminars. Recent participants
include speakers from Argentina, the UK and the USA.
Outreach
Local and interstate career advisors visited the School in March. Calvin Christian School
visited in April 2010.
New Staff/Students
3 PhD candidates have arrived from Israel, Malaysia, and Canada.
Visitors
Collaborators have recently visited us, for varying periods, from Argentina and Saudi Arabia
and Russia.
School of Engineering
Staff/Student Awards and Achievements
Ms Jessica Andrewartha
 Invited to Chair a session and provide closing remarks for the 2010 Engineering
Leadership Conference in Brisbane, attended by approx 600 delegates.
 Awarded Tasmanian Young Achiever TEMCO Science and Technology Award.
 Published multidisciplinary paper in ‘Biofouling’ (high impact journal) with colleagues in
Engineering, Geography and Plant Science.
Dr Tim Gale
 Recipient of the 2010 Endeavour Executive Award.
Dr Jason Lavroff
 NARGS grant of $20k approved for instrumentation of the 112 metre INCAT Catamaran
- Hull 067 for measurement of power and propulsion efficiency.
 Attended the UniQuest Commercialisation Workshop in Surfers Paradise, 13-16 April
2010.
 Was part of the UTAS team that won the Research Commercialisation Competition 13–
16 April 2010.
Dr Bernardo Leon de la Barra
 Delivered a seminar on Friday 14 May 2010 at the Faculty of Education of the
Universidad de Playa Ancha, Chile on "Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM) Education in At-Risk School Settings".
 Represented the Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology and IMAS on a
postgraduate student recruitment trip. He took part in Expoestudiante-Becas Chile
(http://www.expo-estudiante.com/expo2010/), a recruitment fair held in Santiago,
Antofagasta and Valdivia 15-20 May 2010.
Dr Hongyuan Liu
 Was appointed as a Lecturer in Geomechanics at the School of Engineering, UTAS.
 Engineering Tasmania briefly introduced Dr Hongyuan Liu.
 a member of Australian Geomechanics Society and International Society of Rock
Mechanics.
 was invited to review a journal paper for the international journal Tunnelling and
Underground Space Technology.
 received the new appointment research grant for his research project Impact loading of
rock to improve fragmentation efficiency in mechanical excavation.
 made a presentation on Underground Excavation in Hard Rock and Soft Ground in
School’s seminar series.
Other News
 Mr Simon Gamble was awarded the 2010 Fulbright Tasmania Scholarship.
 Mr Hayden Honeywood was awarded the Skills Excellence Award (Electronics) 2010.
 Students Mr Damien Reardon, Ms Kellie Konning, Mr Nick Nolan, Mr Daniel Doran, Mr
Dave Stuart and Mr Josh Greene represented the University of Tasmania at the
International Mining Games in Kalgoorlie, with the combined Engineering and Geology
team coming 12th overall (out of 26 other teams competing).
 Mr Will Owen has been sponsored to attend the World Conference on Timber
Engineering in Italy in June 2010.
 Mr Lyndon Johnson won the Edmund Melerski Structural Mechanics with the project title
“Finite Element Modeling of Cobiax Concrete Slab”.
 2 students won Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology Summer Research
Scholarship: Miss Thanh Thuy Nguyen and Mr Xuan Truong Pham.
School of Plant Science / Forestry CRC
Annual Science Meeting (Western Australia)
The CRC Forestry's Annual Science Meeting (ASM) was held on 18-20 May 2010, in
Fremantle, Western Australia. The annual event brought together students, researchers,
project managers, industry partners and directors for several days of research presentations,
research management meetings, student workshops, field trips and networking. Twenty-7
post-graduate students attended a professional development program which discussed current
issues in forestry, how to maximise the impact that their research makes on the industry, how
to write scientific journal articles and how to present their research to a general audience. For
CRC researchers, a workshop on plantation pests was held before the ASM on 17 May 2010.
Following the ASM (21 May 2010) there were 2 field trips: one that provided a whole
catchment perspective on managing forests for multiple outcomes; a second tour covered
some of the components contributing to the supply chain of the hardwood plantation sector in
WA.
International presentations
Plant Science was extremely well represented at the International Union of Forest Research
Organisations (IUFRO) Malaysian conference.
A group of Plant Science researchers and colleagues made a significant impact at the IUFRO
Malaysia 2010 conference, entitled “Sustainable Utilisation and Conservation of Forests in
the Genomics Era” (Kuala Lumpur, 7-12 March 2010). Prof Brad Potts, Dr Dorothy Steane,
Associate Professor René Vaillancourt, Professor Rod Griffin and Dr Chris Harwood
(CSIRO) attended the event. Both Professor Griffin and Dr Harwood were wearing their
Acacia hats for the purposes of their research presentations. Each researcher gave an (invited
or plenary) oral presentation that highlighted different aspects of forest genetics research:
breeding, propagation, gene flow, quantitative traits and molecular genetics. Professor Potts
spoke about assessing and managing the risk of gene flow from forest tree plantations into
native vegetation; Dr Steane extolled the virtues of DArT markers for population genetics and
phylogenetics in Eucalyptus and Associate Professor Villancourt gave an educational
presentation on the detection of Quantitative Trait Loci that influence growth and wood
properties in Eucalyptus.
Scholarships and Grants
Mr Matthew Larcombe has been awarded a competitive PhD scholarship from Forest and
Wood Products Australia (FWPA) to be taken up at the University of Tasmania. Mr
Larcombe will continue and extend the exotic gene flow research program.
Professor David Bowman won the following grants:
 NASA Proposal “Shifting Fire Regimes of the United States, Australia and Brazilian
Amazonia: The Roles of Climate Change, Land Use and Mitigation Efforts” (PI: Mark
Cochrane, SDSU) that will bring US$131K to UTAS
 Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Forest Industries
Climate Change Research Fund project - ‘Using permanent forestry plots to understand
the possible effects of climate change on Australia’s production forest estate’ that will
bring $400K to UTAS.
 USA National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education
(PIRE) WildFIRE PIRE: Feedbacks and consequences of altered fire regimes in the face
of climate and land-use change in Tasmania, New Zealand, and the western US$
3,798,547. This project involves a major field program this summer in western Tasmania
and subsequent summers for next 4 years led by senior academics from various US
universities, several postdocs, 2 graduate and undergraduates, a film crew in years 2 and
3, and a professional workshop for 10 senior scientists in year 3 at UTAS.
Staff Activities
Professor Bowman was interviewed on radio (14 April 2010) on Tasmanian scientists’
participation in a NASA bushfire study: ABC Rural - National Rural News, ABC Tasmanian
Country Hour, and ABC Radio National PM. Professor Bowman also ran a workshop at
University of California Santa Barbara National Center for Ecology Analysis and Synthesis
on the nexus between humans and landscape fires, and was invited to prepare a Feature
Article for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA on bushfire research.
Professor Bowman has been reappointed to the Kakadu National Park Research Advisory
Committee from 03 May 2010.
School of Psychology
Media Interviews
Mrs Christine Pritchett was invited to do a radio interview on her PhD research into sex
differences in executive cognitive function after traumatic brain injury. This was local ABC
radio in the popular afternoon drive slot.
Dr Caroline Schwerkolt recently gave an interview to ABC local Radio, promoting
Psychology week and gave an interesting spider phobia workshop at University Psychology
Clinic. Dr Schwerkolt also gave a presentation to GP South - Mind the Gap – an informative
talk physical and mental health co morbidities. This was an event in association with the
Mental Health Professionals Network.
Dr Mandy Matthewson, recently awarded her PhD, gave a television and radio interview with
the ABC TV and local radio about childhood anxiety research. The interviews were broadcast
nationally and internationally through the ABC national network and Radio Australia. Dr
Matthewson received numerous enquiries from the interviews.
Ms Kimberley Norris gave a television interview as expert commentator on the difficult case
of educating children about the abduction threat on the Eastern Shore of Hobart. The
commentary was on appropriate strategies to educate children without raising anxiety levels
to problematic levels.
Teaching Awards
Associate Professor Frances Martin was awarded, in the 2009 round, a Vice-Chancellor’s
Excellence in Teaching and Learning award (Citation).
Dr Nenagh Kemp and Ms Kimberley Norris received Teaching Merit Certificates in the 2009
round of awards.
Staff Achievements
Dr Nenagh Kemp
 Grants - Investigator on ARC LIEF grant, “The Big Australian Speech Corpus”, CI Denis
Burnham, MARCS Auditory Laboratories, UWS.
 Membership - Human Communication Sciences Network (HCSNet, Australia),
Developmental Disorders of Language and Literacy (DDOLL, Australia), Society for the
Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR, international).
 Voted as a committee member of Society for the Scientific Study of Reading Board for a
period of 3 years.
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Recent conference presentations:
Marriott, S., & Kemp, N. (2010, April). Pictures or words: Children’s understanding of
facts and emotions in storybooks. Poster presented at the Australasian Experimental
Psychology Conference, Melbourne.
Kemp, N. & Glass, T. (2010, April). Noun or verb? Adults and children are sensitive to
spelling cues to grammatical category. Paper presented at the Australasian
Experimental Psychology Conference, Melbourne.
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Invited to present 3-hour workshop (as one of 18 national and international speakers) at
HCSNet Winterfest in June 2010.
Invited to join editorial board of the international journal Scientific Studies of Reading.
International visitors - arranged for Jan-Feb 2011 for Professor Rebecca Treiman,
Washington University in St Louis.
Recent publications:
Kemp, N. (in press). Texting vs. txtng: Reading and writing text messages, and links with
other linguistic skills. Writing Systems Research.
Currently editing a special issue of the Journal of Computer-Assisted Learning on Mobile
Technology and Literacy, with 10 international contributors.
Dr Iain Montgomery
Dr Iain Montgomery has been reappointed Chair of the Australian Psychological Society’s
Program Development and Accreditation Committee. Dr Montgomery is also Director of
APAC (Australian Psychology Accreditation Council) the national body responsible the for
the accreditation of all psychology programs in Australia. On the local scene Dr Montgomery
is a Director of Holyoak.
Research and Grants
The School of Psychology has purchased a $47,000 driving simulator to be used in a range of
research projects including the impact of illicit drug use on cognitive and perceptual
performance in driving.
The following staff have received recent grants:
Professor Douglas Paton
 Dynamics of an effective risk communication campaign for Influenza A (H1N1). Health
Research Council, New Zealand. $147,000 (2010).
 Bushfire resilient communities: Understanding community and agency engagement
(extension of Effective Risk Communication – Warnings).
Professor Jeff Summers
 ARC Linkage Grant (with Professor James Vickers, Dr Mathew Summers (Psychology)
and Ms Susan Elder (Alzheimers’ Australia) (3 years) - Evaluation of multidimensional
cognitive enhancement training for healthy older adults.
 ARC Discovery Grant (International collaboration with Professor Vergler, and Dr Hak
Fujiyama) (3 years) - Age-related changes in Brain activation: Indicators of deficiency,
maturity or compensation?
Dr Raimondo Bruno
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Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) and Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System.
Dr Bruno continues to be successful in obtaining these contracts with the national survey
of illicit drug use.
School of Zoology
Outreach
Continuing our program of successful outreach activities, the School has hosted visits by
students of Hellyer College and McKillop College, as well as the National Youth Science
Forum. Feedback on the hands-on laboratory-based sessions run by Dr Ashley Edwards and
Dr Chris Burridge has been very positive indeed.
Appointments
Professor Susan Jones will soon take up a 1 year appointment as the Australian Learning and
Teaching Council (ALTC) Discipline Scholar in Science. She will share the position on a
50% basis with Professor Brian Yates (School of Chemistry). As Discipline Scholars, they
will work with their discipline community to develop threshold standards for graduates in the
sciences, as part of the ALTC Learning and Teaching Standards Project. Professor Jones
recently attended an ALTC workshop for Discipline Scholars in Sydney at which Professor
Robert Wagenaar, University of Gronigen, spoke about the European Tuning Project, which
has distinct resonances with the ALTC Learning and Teaching Standards Project.
International visitors
The School was delighted to host Professor Bill Milsom, Head of the Department of Zoology
at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Professor Milsom works on the comparative
neurobiology of respiration and circulation in vertebrates. He spent 3 months of his sabbatical
in Professor Frappell’s laboratory, and delivered a seminar on his research entitled: "From
burrowing lizards to high flying birds: cardio-respiratory support of metabolic extremes".
Visiting Fellow
Dr Paula Myatt of the Teaching and Educational Development Institute (TEDI) University of
Queensland recently spent a week at the School in her capacity as UTAS Visiting Scholar. Dr
Myatt and Professor Susan Jones are collaborating on a study of undergraduate research
opportunities within the School. This complements Dr Myatt’s work examining the benefits
of undergraduate research experiences at UQ. Dr Myatt also presented a CALT-sponsored
workshop on “Enhancing student outcomes through undergraduate research and inquiry” that
attracted a range of UTAS academic staff across several disciplines plus several members of
CALT.
New staff
The School is delighted to announce that Associate Professor Elissa Cameron of the
University of Pretoria has formally accepted an offer of a New Stars Level E appointment
with Zoology. Associate Professor Elissa Cameron is currently Director of the Mammal
Research Institute at the Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria: she
began her academic career with a PhD in New Zealand, her home country. We look forward
to welcoming her and her family to Tasmania later in the year.
Workshops/Professional Seminars
The Zoology seminar series recently included final seminars from 2 PhD students: Ms Karen
Richards and Ms Anne Watson. We congratulate them on completing their research, and look
forward to their graduations in due course.
Publications
At this point in the year, Zoology personnel have published 16 papers or book chapters in
2010, as listed below. We are particularly pleased to congratulate many of our postgraduate
students upon successfully publishing their research.
Cabby, C and Jones, SM and Wastrel, E, ‘Are increased concentrations of maternal
corticosterone adaptive to offspring? A test using a placentotrophic lizard ’, Functional
Ecology, 2 (24) pp. 409-416. ISSN 0269-8463 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Clapcott, J and Barmuta, LA, ‘Metabolic patch dynamics in small headwater streams:
exploring spatial and temporal variability in benthic processes’, Freshwater Biology, 55 (4)
pp. 806-824. ISSN 0046-5070 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Green, JA and White, CR and Bunce, A and Frappell, P and Butler, PJ, ‘Energetic
consequences of plunge diving in gannets’, Endangered Species Research: international and
multidisciplinary journal, 10 pp. 269-279. ISSN 1863-5407 (2010) [Refereed Article]
Grutter, AS and Cribb, TH and McCallum, HI and Pickering, JL and McCormick, MI,
‘Effects of parasites on larval and juvenile stages of the coral reef fish Pomacentrus
moluccensis’, Coral Reefs, 29 (1) pp. 31-40. ISSN 0722-4028 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full
Text]
Harris, RL and Nicol, SC, ‘The effectiveness of hair traps for surveying mammals: results of
a study in sandstone caves in the Tasmanian southern midlands ’, Australian Mammalogy
(32) pp. 62-66. ISSN 0310-0049 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Kawaguchi, S and King, R and Meijers, R and Osborn, JE and Swadling, KM and Ritz, DA
and Nicol, S, ‘An experimental aquarium for observing the schooling behaviour of Antarctic
krill (Euphausia superba)’, Deep-Sea Research. Part 2: Topical Studies in Oceanography (in
press) ISSN 0967-0645 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Koldewey, HJ and Martin-Smith, KM, ‘A global review of seahorse aquaculture’,
Aquaculture: An International Journal Devoted to Fundamental Aquatic Food Resources, 302
(3-4) pp. 131-152. ISSN 0044-8486 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Lachish, S and Miller, KJ and Storfer, A and Goldizen, AW and Jones, M, ‘Evidence that
disease-induced population decline changes genetic structure and alters dispersal patterns in
the Tasmanian devil ’, Heredity, tbc (tbc) pp. tbc. ISSN 0018-067X (2010) [Refereed Article]
[Full Text]
Leu, ST and Bashford, JD and Kappeler, PM and Bull, CM, ‘Association networks reveal
social organization in the sleepy lizard ’, Animal Behaviour, 79 (1) pp. 217-225. ISSN 00033472 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Macgregor, JW and Holyoake, CS and Munks, SA and Robertson, ID and Warren, KS,
‘Preliminary investigation into the prevalence of mucormycosis in the platypus
(Ornithorgynchus anatinus) in 3 catchments in north-west Tasmania’, Australian Veterinary
Journal, 88 (5) pp. 190-196. ISSN 0005-0423 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
McArthur, C and Loney, PE and Davies, NW and Jordan, GJ, ‘Early ontogenetic trajectories
vary among defence chemicals in seedlings of a fast-growing eucalypt’, Austral Ecology, 35
(2) pp. 157-166. ISSN 1442-9985 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Rose, RW, ‘Development of endothermy and non-shivering thermogenesis in the Tasmanian
bettong: a review’, Macropods: The biology of kangaroos, wallabies and rat-kangaroos,
CSIRO Publishing, Graeme Coulson and Mark Eldridge (ed), Melbourne, pp. 424. ISBN
9780643096622 (2010) [Research Book Chapter]
Sherman, CDH and Wapstra, E and Olsson, M, ‘Sperm competition and offspring viability at
hybridization in Australian tree frogs, Litoria peronii and L. tyleri’, Heredity (104) pp. 141147. ISSN 0018-067X (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Sinn, DL and Moltschaniwskyj, NA and Wapstra, E and Dall, SRX, ‘Are behavioral
syndromes invariant? Spatiotemporal variation in shy/bold behaviour in squid’, Behavioral
Ecology and Sociobiology (64) pp. 693-702. ISSN 1432-0762 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full
Text]
Wapstra, E and Uller, T and While, GM and Olsson, M and Shine, R, ‘Giving offspring a
head start in life: field and experimental evidence for selection on maternal basking behaviour
in lizards’, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 23 (3) pp. 651-657. ISSN 1010-061X (2010)
[Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Watson, A and Barmuta, LA, ‘Litter retention in Tasmanian headwater streams after clear-fell
logging’, Hydrobiologia: The International Journal on Limnology and Marine Sciences (637)
pp. 197-206. ISSN 0018-8158 (2010) [Refereed Article] [Full Text]
Awards and Congratulations
We congratulate Dr Ashley Edwards for receiving a Teaching Merit Certificate for KZA161
Biology of Animals. This is the second year in a row that she has received a Teaching Merit
Certificate for that unit.
Dr Chris Burridge is participating in the Mentoring Circle program that supports promising
UTAS researchers at Levels B or C to develop their research careers.
Associate Professor Leon Barmuta has been invited to join the editorial panel of the journal
Oecologia.
Scholarships
2 new PhD students were recently welcomed to Zoology. Ms Mandy Caldwell has been
awarded a UTAS Elite Scholarship to work with Dr Erik Wapstra on links between the
environment and behavioural variation in Tasmanian snow skinks.
Mr Muse Opiang will work on the reproductive ecology of critically endangered long-beaked
echidnas in the Papua New Guinea highlands. Mr Opiang, who is from the highlands
himself, has a BSc with first class honours from University of Papua New Guinea, Port
Moresby. His honours work on long-beaked echidnas was published in the prestigious
international journal, the Journal of Mammalogy. He was awarded a scholarship to the
Whitney Harris World Ecology Center at the University of Missouri, St Louis, where he
completed an MSc in Ecology, Evolution and Systematics and a Graduate Certificate in
Conservation Biology. He has a strong interest in the biogeography of New Guinea mammals
and in integrating traditional ecological knowledge and the scientific approach to develop a
sound conservation program in Papua New Guinea. He has been instrumental in establishing
the Papua New Guinea Institute of Biological Research. As well as conducting research, and
training biologists and conservationists, the Institute shares information with policy makers,
landowners, and other stakeholders, and aims to integrate traditional customs with modern
conservation concepts. He has come to Tasmania to work with Associate Professor Stewart
Nicol, a leading expert on echidna biology.
Honours/Awards
Dr Geoff While has received the prestigious Royal Society of Tasmania’s Postdoctoral
Award for 2009. This annual award recognises excellence in scholars whose PhD was
awarded no more than 3 years ago. Dr While’s postdoctoral research with Dr Erik Wapstra
focuses on the behavioural ecology of Tasmanian snow skinks. Dr White is currently at
Oxford University, working on a short-term project with Dr Tobias Uller. Dr Erik Wapstra
also visited Dr Uller’s laboratory during his recent overseas trip.
Student Successes
The School continues to maintain its record of successfully completing postgraduate theses.
Currently there are 11 Zoology PhD theses under examination or being revised. We look
forward to listing graduands later in the year.
The School is delighted to acknowledge 2009 First Class Honours students Ms Lara Collins,
Ms Rachel Harris and Ms Georgina Gurney, who all received Dean’s Citations in the recently
released list of undergraduate achievements within the faculty.
Teaching and Learning Development
Professor Susan Jones, with Dr Julian Dermoudy, (Computing and Information Systems), Dr
Jon Osborn (Geography and Environmental Studies) and Professor Brian Yates (Chemistry),
is leading a faculty-wide teaching development project on Authentic Learning as a means of
engaging students. The project team ran a successful workshop recently, with participants
from ten schools across the Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology meeting to share
ideas on how they incorporate authentic learning principles into their teaching. A second
workshop with the project participants was held on 03 June 2010. The project aims to
develop a resource that will provide academics with ideas and examples of authentic learning
activities.
News from Institutes
IMAS
The temporary building for IMAS on the Sandy Bay campus, the former Computing and
Information Science building between law and the Gym, is very nearly completed with staff
from several areas of the University now housed together. Diving operations will shortly
move from the School of Zoology to the IMAS site in Taroona.
The structure of IMAS is now becoming clearer with the determination of 6 research
programs spanning the breadth of IMAS’ research interests. Through a call for Expressions
of Interest leaders will be appointed from within IMAS, and they, together with the 2
Divisional Directors and a Chairperson will constitute the Research Committee. The
Research Committee will assist the Board in drafting the 3-5 year Strategic Plans and the
Annual Statements of Intent. A Consultative Committee in IMAS, representing both sites and
all sectors of the IMAS community, has been formed and meets shortly.
At its June meeting Council appointed 4 members to the IMAS Board – 2 nominees of the
State Government and 2 of its own nominees. This inaugural Board will, at its first meeting,
draw up a list of stakeholder nominees and an eminent marine scientist for appointment by
Council in the coming months.
Planning for the waterfront building continues apace. The design consultants (John Wardle
and Associates, Melbourne) are preparing a detailed brief and will soon have completed a
schematic design for the building. The building will have a public access area in the foyer
which will carry exhibitions about recent work across the range of IMAS activities as well as
to interpret aspects of Tasmania’s links to Antarctica. IMAS’ public outreach activities will
be complementary to other planned interpretations about Tasmania’s marine and maritime
past situated around the waterfront.
A Master Plan for IMAS’ Taroona site has been commissioned. This will inform future
decisions about expansion possibilities, and site limitations. A new electricity sub-station is
being installed to provide sufficient power to a laboratory currently being refurbished, but
substantial power limitations lie ahead.
The Research Partnership Agreement, to replace the Joint Venture Agreement establishing
TAFI, has not yet been submitted to State Cabinet. Until it does TAFI retains its
independence within IMAS.
The Australian National Network in Marine Science (ANNIMS – established in 2009 under
the Federal Government’s Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund scheme) is due to hold
its second annual conference for Research Higher Degree students and senior undergraduates
in Townsville in July 2010. Eighteen students from UTAS will be attending. Readers of the
most recent edition of UNITAS may have seen that ANNIMS ran 2 very successful marine
voyages earlier this year resulting in the discovery of an uncharted deep canyon off the
Pilbara coast, near the Montebelo Islands. All up, ANNIMS has had a most successful first
12 months.
The CSIRO and the University have agreed to a continuation of the scheme in Quantitative
Marine Science – a highly successful collaboration in which CSIRO provides funds to
support PhD students who must study projects that are strongly quantitative in their
approaches.
TAFI
ARC Success
Associate Professor Graham Edgar was awarded an ARC Linkage grant for a project entitled:
Biotic connectivity within the temperate Australian marine protected area network at 3 levels
of biodiversity — communities, populations and genes.
2010 Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC) Tasmanian Rural
Woman of the Year Award
Dr Catriona Macleod was runner-up for the 2010 RIRDC Tasmanian Rural Woman of the
Year Award; and as part of the award Dr Macleod participated in the national awards
program in Canberra in May 2010. A key focus of the award is to raise the profile of rural
agri-business in general and Dr Macleod will be helping RIRDC and the other major sponsors
achieve this aim in Tasmania over the next 12 months.
TAFI Marine Laboratories Infrastructure Development
A Master Plan is currently being developed to support infrastructure development at the
Taroona Marine Research Laboratories. This site is the second footprint of IMAS, alongside
the current headquarters at Sandy Bay and the proposed developments at Princes Wharf.
Taroona’s infrastructure plans include a purpose-built diving and boating centre, new
demountable student accommodation, a Salmon Research Centre and major refurbishment of
existing Aquarium facilities.
CERF – Marine Biodiversity Hub
We have been successful in our bid for transitional funding for the Marine Biodiversity Hub
from Commonwealth Environment Research Fund (CERF). This funding ($750k) will be
used to extend existing hub operations for a further 6 months.
Our Expression of Interest for a second round of funding from the program now called
National Environment Research Fund (NERF) has been supported. This bid will extend the
life of the Hub for a further 3 years with Hub administration continuing to be based at TAFI.
It will continue to fund several post-doctoral positions within TAFI, as well as involve
contribution of a significant number of PhD positions within this space as part of the
Universities contribution to the Hub.