Flinders Highlights 2009

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Flinders Highlights 2009

inspiring achievement

Introduction In a year at Flinders that has featured a number of exceptional achievements by individuals, some of the University’s most outstanding achievements and accomplishments were achieved through coordinated action across schools and faculties. The University’s strong research effort in matters relating to the environment and the ever more urgent problems of sustainability has received external recognition with our leadership of a National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, and will be concentrated internally by the establishment of our new School of the Environment. Our prowess as a teaching institution is clearly acknowledged by our expanding role in medical education. A series of senior administrative and academic appointments made over 2009 will boost the University’s levels of experience and competence in key areas. A concerted commitment to the University’s future has been taken in the form of the Strategic Plan, and I have every confidence that the varied achievements outlined here will be emulated and extended in coming years. Eight outstanding achievements of 2009 open this document, and many others are described in the pages that follow. They encapsulate a record of enterprise in research, teaching and community engagement of which Flinders is proud.

Dr Damien Keating, ARC Future Fellow and outstanding mid-career researcher

Outstanding achievements National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training Based at Flinders and led by hydrogeologist Professor Craig Simmons, the new National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) will make a major contribution towards understanding Australia’s groundwater systems and underpin the decision-making required to ensure their sustainability. With major funding from the Australian Research Council and National Water Commission, the NCGRT will tap the knowledge and experience of the country’s leading water experts in research institutions, water industry bodies and government agencies.

Fulbright Distinguished Chair The University won the first national competition to host the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in American Political Science from 2011. Five distinguished scholars from the United States will be based at Flinders over the five years of the Fulbright program, which will add a new dimension to the University’s strong record of teaching and research in American Studies.

Southern Knowledge Transfer Partnerships The University’s ambition to expand tertiary education, contribute to the skills required in a changing regional economy and engage with the community was boosted with a $3.25 million grant from the Federal Government. The Southern Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Program (SKTP) will see Flinders staff and students increase their contact with community organisations, businesses and government agencies in a partnership designed to deliver enhanced skills, knowledge and innovation for the southern region of Adelaide. Ms Penny Crocker was appointed Head of the SKTP in May.

Northern Territory Medical Program Government funding of $28 million to establish the Northern Territory Medical Program was announced in the May Federal Budget will allow NT students to undertake their entire medical training in the Territory for the first time. The funding will finance new buildings and facilities at Charles Darwin University and the Royal Darwin Hospital to support the full four years of training in the Flinders postgraduate-entry medical course. The proposed degree has an NT-specific focus on Indigenous, rural and remote health.

Sidney Myer Chair School of Education academic Dr John Halsey was appointed the foundation Sidney Myer Chair for Rural Education and Communities from an international field of candidates. Professor Halsey will lead a program of research and teaching aimed at improving access to high quality education and training for people living in rural and remote Australia. The position has been established with a $1 million grant from the Sidney Myer Fund as part of the Myer Family Philanthropy’s 2009 Commemorative Grants Program.

School of the Environment Flinders University’s capacity to train experts and provide the research required to tackle major environmental issues has been enhanced with the creation of a new School of the Environment. The hub of environmental expertise will be established in January next year, and will later be housed in a state-of-the-art “green” building on campus. Concentration of the University’s diverse research activities and courses related to the environment and sustainable development aims to establish a flagship environmental school of national standing.

Flinders University, Victoria Square Flinders has established a long-term presence in the Adelaide CBD, taking a lease on two floors of the former Reserve Bank building on Victoria Square. The building will act as a highly visible city location and base for the University, and components of a range of postgraduate courses will be taught there from the start of 2010.

GFC the focus of Flinders-Nankai Conference Flinders academics and their counterparts from Nankai University addressed the issues stemming from the Global Financial Crisis at a conference in China co-hosted by the two institutions in October. The conference coincided with the graduation ceremony for the Master of Arts (International Relations in Economy and Trade) taught by Flinders at Nankai University in Tianjin.

Professor Michael Barber, Vice-Chancellor, Flinders University and Professor Barney Glover, Vice-Chancellor, Charles Darwin University

University highlights Eminent plant scientist Professor David Day has been appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). Previously Dean of the Faculty of Science and Executive Dean of the Faculties of Science, Agriculture and Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, he is recognised for leading high-level research groups, and was founder of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology.

2009 saw the completion of the Education and Health Sciences buildings, as well as the opening of an extensively refurbished lecture theatre in the School of Medicine by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard. The lecture theatre incorporates state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, providing an important link to remote teaching facilities, including the Northern Territory Rural Clinical School.

The Lincoln Marine Science Centre (LMSC) is set to enter a new phase in leading edge marine and aquaculture research following the opening of Stage II of the Port Lincoln-based Centre in March. A $6.59 million development has nearly doubled the size of the Centre, which can now house around 35 permanent and visiting scientists and educational staff, and cater for increased student numbers.

The Science Innovation Learning Centre building, designed to support teaching and community outreach and to provide extra study and recreational facilities for first-year science students, has been completed. As well as providing additional teaching and demonstration space, from 2010 it will house audio-visual, photocopying and printing equipment for student use, a café and an administration area.

Eight Flinders staff received Citations for Contributions to Outstanding Student Learning from the Federal Government’s Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) announced in July. Each carrying a $10,000 prize, the annual awards are made for high quality, innovative teaching. At the national awards in October, nanotechnologist Professor Joe Shapter won a 2009 Award for Teaching Excellence from the ALTC worth $25,000.

Flinders Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Barber has been recognised for his “outstanding contribution to the field of applied mathematics and computational science” by the USbased Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). Professor Barber was named in the SIAM Fellows Class of 2009 in the inaugural SIAM Fellows Program. He was also made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering for his contribution to Australian science and technology as an applied mathematician and through senior leadership in universities.

Following wide consultation, the University’s Strategic Plan for the next five years was released. Entitled Inspiring Flinders Future, it describes nine key strategies aimed at expanding and strengthening the University’s teaching and research efforts and community involvement. A refreshed branding and marketing approach is being developed to support the goals of the Strategic Plan. To honour Professor Peter Karmel, the University’s first Vice-Chancellor, who died in December 2008, the Karmel Endowment Fund has been established to channel the support the University receives from friends, alumni and corporate partners to enhance and develop the distinctiveness of Flinders.

Library Mr Ian McBain was appointed to the position of University Librarian, only the third occupant of the post in 44 years. A Flinders graduate, Mr McBain has worked in the Library since 1982, and has held a number of senior positions. The Library’s commitment to community engagement was continued through eight very successful events held in 2009 as part of the ‘Fridays at the Library’ series. Redesign of space in the Sturt Library has created a Collaborative Learning Hub for students, and plans have been generated for a similar redevelopment of the entry level of the Central Library in 2010.

Education, Humanities, Law and Theology Flinders held the 8th International Conference on Greek Research in July. Attracting local and international scholars from numerous disciplines, the biennial conference is the largest of its kind outside Greece. While focusing on issues related to Cyprus, the bilingual program also featured papers on a wide range of themes related to ancient and modern Greek culture, a professional development seminar for teachers of Modern Greek, exhibitions and book launches. High-tech research in the performing arts will benefit from a $500,000 grant to Flinders drama academics Professor Julie Holledge and Dr Jonathan Bollen. The National E-Research Architecture Taskforce grant will fund the development of digital tools to advance data collection, analysis and research.

In September, a party of Humanities and Social Sciences academics from Flinders travelled to Beijing to participate in a joint international symposium with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Organised by Professor Francis Regan, Associate Head (International) of EHLT and led by Professor Andrew Beer, it was the first conference between CASS and Australian social scientists for two decades. Professor Jane James was made South Australian of the Year in the Tourism category at the annual awards, acknowledging the influential contribution made by her teaching and research to the State’s tourism industry over many years. She was earlier honoured for “Outstanding Contribution by an Individual” in the 2009 South Australian Tourism Awards.

Health Sciences Flinders has responded to long-standing demand from school leavers by providing an accelerated pathway for Year 12 students into the University’s medical course from 2010. Students in this pathway will be offered a six-year combined Bachelor of Clinical Sciences/Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and there will be 25 places available annually. The Year 12 pathway will complement the established and highly successful graduate-entry pathway. A new course in optometry commencing in 2010 aims to reduce the flow of local students interstate and boost eye health in Indigenous communities. The course will be introduced as a specialisation in Vision Science within a three-year Bachelor of Medical Science, to be followed by a two-year Master of Optometry. The Flinders course will fill a crucial gap in optometry training, as the only current qualifications are offered in the eastern States. Professor Konrad Pesudovs will be the Foundation Chair of Optometry and Vision Science. Ground-breaking research on how human nerve cells communicate earned Flinders neuroscientist Dr Damien Keating a prestigious Future Fellowship from

the Australian Research Council. The inaugural Future Fellowships, announced in September, were awarded to 200 outstanding national and international mid-career researchers, encouraging them to work in Australia by providing a salary of up to $135,000 for four years, with their institutions receiving up to $50,000 a year for associated infrastructure and other costs. Response to natural disasters is rapidly emerging as a research and teaching specialisation within the School of Nursing & Midwifery, with the accreditation of the School’s Disaster Nursing Centre by the International Council of Nurses and the establishment of the multidisciplinary Flinders University Research Centre for Disaster Resilience and Health, under Professor Paul Arbon. The Faculty of Health Sciences saw several senior appointments, most notably that of Professor Michael Kidd as Executive Dean; Professor Paul Arbon was appointed Dean of the School of Nursing & Midwifery; Professor Joseph Selvanayagam was appointed Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine; Professor Jeffrey Fuller was appointed to the Chair of Nursing (Rural and Primary Health Care).

Science and Engineering The regeneration of the University’s engineering courses has been supported by new flexible study agreements with the University of South Australia and Charles Darwin University that enable students to study a specialist engineering degree for two years at one institution before transferring to complete the course at the conferring institution. Flinders now offers five degree courses: biomedical, robotics, electronics, computer systems and software engineering. Josh Makepeace, who achieved High Distinctions in all subjects of his science degree, has become Flinders University’s fourth Rhodes Scholar. He is currently completing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at Flinders, and will take up his scholarship at Oxford University in September next year. Alisa Selimovic, who graduated last year with a University Medal and first class honours in Biomedical Engineering, was awarded a Menzies Scholarship to undertake her doctorate at Oxford University. The Menzies Foundation funds only one scholarship in engineering each year Australia-wide.

Computer engineering student Daix Tregenza and his ‘robot teaming’ project extended the University’s already extraordinary run of success by winning the SA and NT Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Rex Johns Presentation Prize for the eleventh time in 14 years. Biomedical engineering honours student Tony Carlisle won the national 2009 AusBiotech-GSK Student Excellence Award with his presentation on a prototype nasogastric tube insertion simulator. Professor Adrian Linacre, an internationally renowned specialist in DNA profiling, was appointed to take up the inaugural Justice Chair in Forensic DNA Technology. In a joint appointment with CSIRO, Professor David Lewis became Director of the Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology.

Social Sciences The University has appointed a senior Australian Research Council executive, Professor Phyllis Tharenou, to lead its revamped Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Professor Tharenou will take up the position of Executive Dean in February 2010. Following an internal review, the Faculty of Social Sciences will, from 2010, be restructured into four schools – the School of Psychology, Flinders Business School, the School of International Studies and the School of Social and Policy Studies. Flinders Business School has devised a new Internship Program that will give international accounting graduates valuable workplace skills and knowledge. Supported and approved by CPA Australia, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia and the National Institute of Accountants, the program is a 44-week part-time immersion course made up of coursework focused on the Australian workplace environment and a placement in a professional workplace.

The Southern Child and Family Clinic, officially opened on campus in September, will assist the Department of Family and Communities (DFC) in its child protection role while contributing to the training and experience of postgraduate psychology students at Flinders. Assessments of children, young people and their families will be provided, as well as some therapeutic counselling. The National Institute of Labour Studies appointed a new Director, Professor Kostas Mavromaras. He is the former Head of Labour Economics and Social Policy at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Research, and has held senior economics and labour market research positions in the UK.

Adelaide Advertiser 28/04/2009

Flinders in the News Southern Times Messenger 25/02/2009

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Port Lincoln Times 30/07/2009

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