The Graduate Union Newsletter June 2017

The Graduate Union Newsletter June 2017

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 1

Contents GU Collegiate

Resident News

4 June Monthly Luncheon David Beauchamp

22 Residents push forward by Parisa Shiran

5 Coming Monthly Luncheons 6 Investing for your future Scott Fisher

23 National Student Leadership Forum 2017 24 Students look at architecture on Mars 26 Graduate House Student Group expands

7 Roaring Twenties Gala Fundraiser

8 John Cain Foundation Monthly Lunch

Academic and Professional Development Meetings

Features 9 Advice for Graduate Students Ratna Ratnakumar - Keys to success in a demanding graduate job market 12 Graduate Pathway Haya Daghlas - A Life in Engineering

Review 15 March Women's Forum 16 Monthly Luncheon Prakash Singh 19 Oaktree's "Live Below the Line" event

Graduate House News 20 Seen at Graduate House Faculty of Architecture reunion

MCG Visit

27 April 2017 Listings

Other Sections 29 Australian Asian Association of Victoria celebrates 60th anniversary

Literature Corner with Mac Nicol

31 Discovering Melbourne 32 Innovation Advanced technology to rid ocean of hazardous plastics 33 Extracurricular The creative benefits of walking 34 Feedback and Prize Winners

Developing friendships through mentoring

21 Rotary Scholarships Evening

2 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

GU Collegiate Tues 6th, 20th

JUNE

Italian Conversation Dinner

6.00pm

Come along to dine while learning to speak Italian with an experienced teacher.

Members $15, non-members $20.

Wed 7th

JUNE

Monthly Luncheon

12noon for 12.30pm

with Mr David Beauchamp who will speak on "The 19th century notables of Leicester Street. The engineer, the inventor, the academic, his brother, the industrialist and the soprano".

Resident Members $10, non-resident Members $30, general public $40 and concession $35.

Thur

7th, 14th, 21st, 28th

JUNE

Bridge Nights

7.20pm for 7.30pm

Join in a game or learn to play the card game Bridge.

Enjoy a shared platter for supper, as well as tea and coffee.

Members $2, non-members $5.

Tue 13th

JUNE

Special Morning Breakfast

7.30am to 8.30am

Non-resident Members are welcome to join Resident Members for a hearty breakfast.

Free for Resident Members, non-resident Members $20.

Tue 21st

JUNE

Women’s Forum

10.00am for 10.30am

Join the discussion on “The role of parents” and stay for lunch if desired.

Forum is free. Lunch is at Member and non-member prices.

Wed 29th

JUNE

Investment for your Future Seminar 2 Learn from expert guest speaker, Scott Fisher who will advise on how to manage your finances.

BOOK NOW

via our website, by phone 03 9347 3428, by email admingh@graduatehouse.com.au or at reception, 220 Leicester Street, Carlton

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 3

7th June

Monthly Luncheon

12.00 NOON for 12.30 PM

David Beauchamp will talk about

The 19th century notables of Leicester Street: the engineer, the inventor, the academic, his brother, the industrialist and the soprano.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, David Beauchamp attended Canterbury University College where he completed his B.E. (Civil). He worked in the New Zealand Ministry of Works in Fiji and Wellington, before moving to Melbourne in 1963, working with Civil & Civic and John Connell & Associates, and spending a year with Mott, Hay and Anderson in their London, UK bridge design section.

David founded his own structural and civil consultancy practice in 1969, David Beauchamp Pty Ltd, latterly Beauchamp Hogg Spano Consultants Pty Ltd in Richmond. The firm specialises in engineering design and consulting services and naval architecture services, and has worked with many Melbourne’s leading architects on the design of structures for a wide range of buildings.

In later years, David specialised in forensic and heritage engineering. He has prepared reports on building Murtoa Grain Store, Parliament House, Melbourne, the world heritagelisted Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, and several historic bridges, including the Barwon Heads Bridge in Geelong, Princes Bridge in Melbourne and the 1867 Ellerslie Bridge.

In the 1970s Beauchamp collaborated with George Tibbits and Miles Lewis on an analysis of the historic fabric of Carlton, for which they were awarded the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Victorian Chapter) Robin Boyd Environmental Medal for their report Urban Renewal Carlton - an Analysis. This report was an important contribution to the change in planning policy which stopped the Housing Commission of Victoria’s Program to demolish 80 hectares of the historic inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton.

Graduate House, 220 Leicester Street, Carlton, Vic 3053 Cost $10 Resident Members $30 non-resident Members $40 general public $35 concession ABN 55610664963 | IAR No. A0023234B

Bookings (03) 9347 3428 Email: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au Website: graduatehouse.com.au RSVP by Monday 5th June

4 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

COMING

Monthly Luncheons

First Wednesday of the Month Wednesday 2nd August

Mr Tony Pooley The shame of the risk profession: Bernoulli and Boole must be turning in their graves.

Wednesday 6th September

Dr Stefan Arndt Can trees ‘learn’ to be more stress tolerant in a future climate?

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 5

The chance to help secure YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE 7.00pm

29th June 31st August 26th October

S

cott Fisher is a Senior Relationship Manager with Lanyon Partners Private Wealth. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning, is a Certified Financial Planner and a member of the Financial Planning Association. He also holds a Bachelor of Biological Science from La Trobe University.

Scott joined Lanyon Partners in 2006. With experience in superannuation, Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs), Centrelink, tax structures, insurance, direct shares and managed investments, Scott’s breadth of advice is extensive.

Scott Fisher

As a financial advisor, Scott helps to plan, build, manage and protect everything his clients need for a confident financial future.

Mr Fisher is past Chair and now member of Lanyon Partners Investment Committee which oversees the construction of model portfolios and is involved with the research and valuation of direct shares.

Scott grew up on a small hobby farm in Arthurs Creek (north of Melbourne) with all the usual pets – horses, emus, geese, dogs, snakes, lizards and birds.

book online call +61 3 9347 3428 email admingh@graduatehouse.com.au

Trading the sprawling acres of Arthurs Creek for the innercity life Scott now resides in Hawthorn East with his wife and two children, Olivia (2 years old) and Jackson (7 months). When time permits, Scott enjoys keeping fit, gardening, playing golf and watching his favourite football team, Carlton.

We are grateful to Scott for his many years of managing and growing the William Berry and Barbara Funder Postgraduate College Trust and know that our Members and others attending these seminars will be in capable and professional hands.

FREE for MEMBERS

15 per seminar for non-members

$

6 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

60th Year

Diamond Jubilee The Graduate Union presents the

2017

ROARING THE

· FUNDRAISING GAL A ·

Saturday 2nd September, 2017 Resident Members $45.00 graduate students $120.00  Silent Auction non-resident Members $120.00  Event Auction concession $180.00 This Gala Ball with be the bee’s knees! general public $190.00 Dance the Charleston on your own or grab a partner for the Tango

Book by 28th August, 2017

THE GRADUATE UNION of The University of Melbourne

Phone: +61 3 9347 3428 Email: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au Website: www.graduatehouse.com.au

ABN 55610664963 | IAR No. A0023234B

 Door Prizes

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 7

Monthly Lunch, Wednesday 21st June, 2017 Future work - what will it look like?

Peter Gahan, CDC (Dip) PHD BCom Hons Experts agree that there is no doubt that work is changing, and much faster than most of us had imagined. Technology is driving the fourth industrial revolution, the skills required will be different and almost all occupations will be affected.

At the same time more and more people are working part time, often juggling several jobs to make ends meet. Casual, often insecure employment, is now the norm in some industries. Full time, permanent employment is for many a thing of the past. It goes without saying that education and training need to change to meet these challenges.

When: 12.30pm – 2.00pm; Wednesday 21st June

Where: Graduate House, 220 Leicester Street, Carlton

Cost: $40 ($30 concession – pensioners, full time students) BOOK HERE: https://www.trybooking.com/QHLO

For information about the John Cain Foundation contact: secretary@johncainfoundation.com.au 8 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

FEATURE ADVICE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

Keys to success in a demanding graduate job market from Ratna Ratnakumar, Consultant, Best Practice Advisory Services It’s an increasingly competitive job market out there. Late last year, research by National Institute of Labour Studies at Flinders University showed that between 2008 and 2014, the proportion of new university graduates in full-time employment dropped from 56.4 per cent to 41.7 per cent.

With competition being so high in the job market – Goldman Sachs for instance, received 250,000 graduate applications in 2016 – it is imperative for job seekers, especially graduate job seekers to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Consultant of Best Practice Advisory Services and graduate student mentor, Mr Ratna Ratnakumar said that some of the most important skills that graduates need to develop are problem solving skills, networking and adaptability - academic proficiency is not necessarily the golden key, especially if every other person in a field has a high distinction.

“Every other person has a distinction, so high academic achievements aren’t necessarily going to play a role,” he says.

“It means problem-solving skills, behaviour and networking can be important when you have applied for a graduate program.”

MAKING CONNECTIONS Networking, talking to others and making new connections is vital

Ratna Ratnakumar mentors graduate students, preparing them for the demanding graduate program journey.

to progress in your career at any stage. Volunteering or attending professional functions as a student member, explains Ratna, can assist job seekers who may meet senior members and managers working in their chosen industry. These managers may in turn assist them in the employment process at their respective organisations.

“Having a wide contact network can also help and it can be a valuable asset for a company to have an employee who could be able to link them with relevant individuals, professional associations and other businesses.”

Ratna does acknowledge that networking is not necessarily easily mastered by everyone.

“It is difficult, even I found it hard at the beginning and it depends on getting experience by attending,” he said.

“When you sit and do nothing it is difficult. Of course when you go for the first meeting you will find it hard. If you go for the second meeting, sometimes you may still find it hard, but when you are quiet and sitting in one corner, someone like me will come and talk to you, so that way you are developing a network.” 

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 9

Some international students may be deterred from attending social functions, perhaps due to any language barriers, but this is easily remedied, as according to Ratna, the best solution is still to connect with others.

“[Students have] to get out of their circles,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with having a circle - but get out of the circle, get into the mainstream. By talking to other groups you are coming out of the shyness. This even happens in the workplace where cultural groups only mix with each other and don’t mix with others.”

“Speaking must come from talking to your colleagues. My background is Sri Lankan, if a Sri Lankan student comes here and only wants to mix with Sri Lankans [they are] not going to develop their skills.”

He recalls his time at an organisation where he was the only Sri Lankan on his floor, but rather than finding it challenging, he saw it as an opportunity to engage with the others around him. “The guy sitting next to me asked to go to the pub and go and play table tennis during lunch time. By playing table tennis during lunchtime I came to know other people from other areas and developed more connections,” he said.

University, says Ratna, is a good platform to improve your language because no one is going to pick on you at the university level. At work level, other employees may have a tendency to hinder your progress.

GETTING A FOOT IN THE DOOR Graduate programs are some of the most sought after entrylevel positions, and are therefore competitive to break through.

Behavioural interviews are common when progressing through the interview progress for graduate and associate level jobs, and are used to ascertain the candidate’s suitability for the role through their problem solving abilities.

Generally, the interview panel will give a hypothetical scenario perhaps that is common within that organisation like how you might handle a difficult client and candidates are required to offer their hypothetical treatment of the issue.

This is why having some work experience is imperative, even if it’s a casual hospitality job at a fast-food chain. Ratna explains that a young graduate doing some odd jobs in a coffee shop or at McDonalds will give better practical answers at behavioural interviews, as opposed to a student who has not explored and is not developing other aspects of work life such as, or perhaps most importantly, communication.

Ratna says preparation, work experience, networking, flexibility and presentation are key to finding a job.

For a final year student, applications begin from February to March, and interviews begin in April and the appointment process commences in June to July, subject to completion of the course in November and the placement will usually begin in February, the following year.

Students must apply for programs in February for the following year, and progress through four or five different types of interviews.

First they will ask for an aptitude test, then they will sit for a group interview, and then successful applicants who are successful here will progress to the one to one interview, and then the next level.

While some applicants may have a specific role in mind that they would like to progress to, the selection panel may recognise that your talents be suitable for another area. Ratna remembers one mentee of his that had applied for a particular role, then progressed to the individual interview stage and who later found out that he was not successful for the role, but was offered a job in another area within the company.

“Say I’m doing marketing as a major, and I know I’m not fit for marketing, but I can show other skills that are relevant for other jobs,” said Ratna.

But what if marketing is what we really want to pursue? “Sometimes we are born like that, we might struggle with something that we feel we might want to do,” said Ratna, “but our innate skillset might serve us, and others, better in other occupations. First, get into the workforce, then work your way to the marketing area because you are already inside the system.”

“You can ask for a job in an area you like within the larger companies and graduate programs

10 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

which offer a three month rotation, so that within one year you would have covered a few different departments. ”

Weaknesses are strengths that have not yet been properly developed. To help build confidence Ratna advises his mentees to write down their perceived weaknesses and learn how to develop it, depending on what it is.

If it is public speaking for instance, Ratna will advise his mentees to write a small paragraph, stand in front of a mirror or in front of a group of friends and speak.

Seeing and hearing your weakness in action can help you pinpoint the areas you need to work on.

“You can’t change it just like that, the mentee must break that barrier.

What I would advise actually is that the mentee has to move around his or her own crowd, talk to other people, get comfortable, and once you get comfortable, it will then be easy to go out and mix with the people,” he said.

He gives the example of a doctor who came from overseas, and was required to take an exam before she could practice. Ratna said that she would not do well if she rushes to sit for the exam while dealing with the anxieties associated with moving countries.

Ratna advised her to take a little more time to absorb the local culture and engage with the community. “Then I advised her to organise a session to observe a domestic doctor in practice, sit with a GP and see how they talk and practice in Australia, it's to learn those techniques before you go and sit in the exam.”

“Now she is comfortable and slowly recovering and gradually getting through that shyness,” said Ratna.

INTRODUCTIONS ARE EVERYTHING While resumes have been used for the recruitment process for graduate programs, in some cases, explains Ratna, the resume is usually looked at last. Therefore candidates must satisfy all the other requirements in a graduate intake process before the managers check their resumes thoroughly.

One of the most vital components of the resume is the introductory summary, a short and sweet paragraph about yourself.

“The first paragraph is very important. Most of the managers don’t have time to go through all the resumes because for each graduate program, they get about 12,000 applications, so with 12,000 resumes you can’t go through it entirely,” said Ratna.

A winning introductory summary is direct, it showcases achievements and highlights educational milestones. It is useful to mention tertiary awards, professional memberships, voluntary work with an additional sentence or two about your practical and work experience, explained Ratna.

While the graduate job market and entry-level positions are a competitive area, preparation, work experience, networking, flexibility and presentation are key to assist graduates in finding and securing jobs.

“I wish all students good luck with their graduate program applications and placements!”

*

Ratna Ratnakumar is a committee and advisory board member with over 30 years of Financial Services experience including 11 years in academia and mentoring. He has worked for several leading life insurance companies, superannuation administrators and for a software developer and as an accredited examiner and lecturer/tutor for tertiary institutions.

Ratna is a Fellow of AIM, ANZIIF, ASFA & FINSIA. Mr Ratnakumar is also a mentor for those looking to take their first steps into the world of work, and those looking to delve further into their careers by providing invaluable advice for every step of the process. Students are free to contact Ratna for advice with graduate programs at manager@bestpracticeadvisory.com

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 11

GRADUATE PATHWAY

A life in engineering, the graduate pathway of Haya Daghlas From Jordan to the UAE to Melbourne, Haya Daghlas proves time management can overcome any challenges

W

hen Haya Daghlas moved from the United Arab Emirates to Melbourne with her two small children and husband to pursue her Masters, little did she know that two years later she would have graduated with a prestigious engineering award and with first class honours.

She comes from a civil engineering background, having completed her undergraduate degree at The University of Jordan. During her undergraduate years, she completed an internship in Germany undertaking work in fluid mechanics, and after graduation published a paper on reusing water treatment sludge as a construction material. She also worked at Emaar Group, a leading global property developer and later moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to work mainly with an environmental consultancy in project management.

Seven years after finishing her Bachelor degree and working in the industry for a while, she unearthed one very important piece of information about herself: she was a civil engineer veering towards project management.

Subsequently she enrolled in a Master’s degree in engineering project management at The

University of Melbourne, where she is now a PhD candidate in the School of Engineering.

Haya then came to an impasse after working in the environment and project management field for five years in The UAE. As an engineer, she says that you reach a point where you feel that the technical capabilities that you have are not enough. “While I was doing my master’s degree, I did an engineering leadership course that teaches engineers soft skills that we mainly don’t have or we don’t know how to develop them,” she said.

“I was awarded a prize, it's the W Julian King Prize 2016, for my assignment, and I feel now I’ve come to this point where I’ve combined my technical skills with my soft skills. And this is really important if you’re working specifically in the project management context,” she said.

In engineering, teams are important, says Haya because in engineering, especially civil engineering, you don’t work alone.

“You’re always with a team, so you do need these soft skills on how to deal with people, how to deal with conflict management,” she said.

The development of soft skills is imperative for engineering

students, particularly for the university to work transition. The truth universally acknowledged is that postgraduate students have a lot of contact hours and spend a lot of time studying. “Suddenly out of nowhere you have to join a company and be a team member,” said Haya. “This is where soft skills come in again. You have to combine your technical expertise with soft skills. This transition is really important in terms of how I can convert all the technical aspects that I’ve learned at university, in the workplace.”

“This is where the challenge is.

During university, we complete three months of training before we graduate to ensure a smoother transition. Engineering or civil engineering is a wide spectrum.

You can work anywhere from construction to transportation to water and some people struggle to find where they fit,” said Haya.

This is why Haya says being both a transactional and a transformational leader is important, as when you delve deeper into the industry you will find that you need to understand the different types of employees and how they best work and foster their strengths for situations that are the most relevant to them.

12 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

When I started my second semester, I felt more confident and could manage my time better than the first semester. I think it’s all about managing time and having the support around.”

Her resilience is also inspiring her daughters, such as her older daughter who beamed at Haya’s graduation ceremony, expressing to her mother that “if mother can do it, I can definitely do it!”

“There is no such thing like there is a hard subject to pass, or it’s a hard exam. I don’t believe there is such a thing. It is all about time management. If you’re lagging, you won’t be able to make it, you will find time if you manage it correctly.”

Haya Dahglas was awarded the W Julian King Prize 2016 for her research in engineering leadership

Perhaps it is her impeccable leadership skills and command for project management that has assisted with her success in managing her life outside of study and work. Haya is also a mother of two young daughters, Zeina and Lena, six years and three years respectively – although they were 4 and 15 months respectively when they moved from the UAE to Melbourne. Doing a full-time Master’s degree meant that she had to be at university almost every day and sometimes during the weekend so that she could complete her assignments.

“Doing that with kids is huge,” she said. “I came to a point where I asked myself - what was I

thinking? This is too much.

[My kids] were doing full-time at day care and my husband would drop them off and pick them up and I saw them at home.

Whenever I was home there was no studying, I was just committed to the children.” I could never have achieved what I achieved without the unconditional and continuous support from my husband.

“I was really under pressure during the first semester. I was tired and did not know where I stood. There was a lot going on. I was in a new country and I had two kids. I went through my first semester and I received first class honours and I had this push and I realised that I can do this,” she said.

* While in Jordan, where more than 35 percent of the engineers are females and this number increases every year, in Australia it does seem to be a little more male dominated. Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2016 for instance, indicated that of those enrolled in tertiary programs, 1.4 percent of women were enrolled in engineering compared to 14 percent of men. “In this field, when I came here, I had a few people surprised to see that I was in an engineering field,” said Haya.

“I was not personally offended but I was offended for women in general. There are really intelligent ladies in the engineering field but I do find that over here it is more male dominated.” 

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 13

"Engineering is about innovation, solving problems, contributing to the community" “Engineering, in general is misunderstood in terms of you having to always be working with typical engineering corporates or those in the field. Engineering is about innovation, solving problems, contributing to the

community, so I really advise people that before they go to talk to people at the university and in the industry, they should know exactly what they will be encountering and it is not purely a male thing at all.”

Fast forward to her graduation and Haya completed her program with first class honours, an acknowledgement for her inclusion on the Dean’s Honours List and a place in a PhD program. “I want to come to a point where I can make a change, whether it is within a project management or personal context,” said Haya.

“I’m interested in homelessness issues, encouraging more females to join engineering industries, and I just want to use some of the skills that I have to contribute more to the community. I am also looking to learn more, and therefore I am looking to join an exciting project so that I can learn in return.”

Haya’s international experience is invaluable when considering Melbourne’s status as one of the world’s most liveable cities, but she suggests that work needs to be done on high rise buildings, which are very prominent not only in the inner city, but also apartment buildings that are cropping up on the outskirts of the city. High rise buildings, says Haya, could put pressure on our infrastructure and could affect the quality of living in apartments due to the small size of the rooms – some of which have no windows and include an open plan kitchen which could affect the air quality of the space.

“I think we need to regulate this more and I’m sure they’re working on this now to get more quality living within high rise buildings,” said Haya.

*

Haya Daghlas with her husband and two daughters in the grounds of The University of Melbourne.

As Haya prepares for the coming months, she remains imbued with a sense of positivity not only for her future, but also for the future of female representation in engineering, and for those in engineering. “First of all I want to tell people to do something that you love so that whenever you’re weak you’re still motivated to do it. And manage your time. There is no such thing like a hard subject to pass, or a hard exam - I don’t believe it’s such a thing.”

14 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

REVIEW

Women's Forum Review

Wednesday 15th March Rules for a contented life

1 2 3

4

5

6

Health is the greatest gift, and contentment is the greatest wealth.

7

Contentment is living without limitation.

One's ability to live the life they desire may be blocked by set limits and may not produce results they are capable of achieving. It is important to attain true abundance, satisfaction and fulfillment in life.

Live in the present and look into the future.

Live purposefully (e.g., a reason to get up and get on with the day). Don’t just exist, really live your life with purpose because research shows that people are happier when they have meaning in their life: a belief in something bigger than themselves – from religion and spirituality to a philosophy of life.

Develop a happy family situation. A contented life is having family and/or friends around you. Mutual respect, love and friendship have a much bigger effect on happiness and contentment.

Aim to leave the cup half full, not half empty.

Focus on the positiveness of one's life. Live working towards goals that are aligned with our needs, values and identity (self-concordant goals). When pursuing self-concordant goals our sense of satisfaction (happiness) increases.

Deal with what you can influence and don't worry about things you cannot influence.

8

One can be content if one has enough to meet one's own needs with a little bit even to deal with emergencies. Having sufficient financial resources takes the load off one's shoulders so one can focus on living a fulfilled life.

9

Invitation (with material goods or people) is the enemy of contentment. One has to be able to like oneself and accept what one is in order to be content.

10 11

Contentment comes down to personal relationships. It is related to living one's own life and not prospecting one's own towards the ambitions on to one's offspring.

Conclusion: My contentment is that I am "content" with who, what and where I am.

Life is for living, therefore live happily with what you have and who you are.

The next forum is on Wednesday, 21st June with the topic The Role of Parents The forum is free. Lunch is at Member and non-member prices.

ERRATA The 2017 Calendar contains incorrect Women's Forum dates. The correct dates are: JUNE - 21st, JULY - 19th, OCTOBER - 18th, DECEMBER - 13th.

We apologise for the confusion and have rectified the online version of the calendar. www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 15

REVIEW

Monthly Luncheon with Prakash Singh Dr Prakash J. Singh is Professor and Head of the Department of Management and Marketing at The University of Melbourne, having served as the department’s PhD director for three years, supervised ten successful PhD students and seven postdoctoral research fellows.

At May’s Monthly Luncheon, Professor Singh discussed the differences between the presentday PhD process in Australia, comparing it to the North American model, the evolution of the PhD program in Australia and some of the realities around the PhD from the perspective of the student and the university.

At the Faculty of Business and Economics, many enquiries are received from a wide range of people with general interest who wish to pursue a PhD, whether in economics or accounting, finance, or management or marketing, with the reality being that PhD directors are having to turn down very good candidates. Professor Singh ventured to explain why this is the case, what is happening at this highest level of study and what is different about what is happening in the business area as opposed to what is happening in other fields of study.

What is a PhD in business?

The PhD, explained Professor Singh, is about someone contributing to knowledge - there is a very broad objective that can be achieved in many ways.

Lower levels of study are usually the acquisition of knowledge but at the PhD level it is generally about making some sort of contribution to the body of knowledge.

There is a big difference between science and social sciences fields.

If you think about a contribution to knowledge in the sciences it is usually through a discovery - that, if you like, is the nature of the PhD in sciences. In the arts and the social sciences, contribution can be somewhat challenging in the sense that we are not necessarily discovering new things or inventing new things.

What is it that we look for when we’re talking about contribution to knowledge?

Fundamentally in the social sciences it is about a focus on theory – theory is a very valuable instrument when it comes to developing unique and novel insights into all kinds of phenomena and it can also be very useful in terms of providing critical commentary and generating philosophical interest. The PhD in the social sciences is about contributing deep theoretical insight to the body of knowledge.

In the business area, practical insight is vital. Perhaps in other area of the humanities and social sciences, the practical side might not be as important compared to theory, but in the business area, real-world relevance is imperative.

A strong grounding in reality or

practice is usually a starting point for a PhD in business. An applicant might be interested in a whole range of issues. Professor Singh’s department of Management and Marketing, for example, is quite interested in what motivates individuals, in how teams work and what makes them effective, and in looking at an organisational level, comparing one set of teams to others.

“We are usually very strongly interested in real world phenomena and then using rigorous methods to bring the understanding to a level which can be generalised and that then becomes a strong theoretical contribution,” said Professor Singh.

“That is a critical element of what PhD level study in the business area is,” he added. “Slightly more advanced than is typically the case in the humanities and the arts which can generally remain at the philosophical or theoretical level in the business area we’re always asking relevance questions.”

16 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

The evolving nature of the PhD and how it relates to business.

Professor Singh compared the past nature of the PhD to its current state, by looking at aspects including thesis, timelines, supervisory model, study approach and the model (British or US).

Thesis The past model saw the thesis in the business domain as a single voluminous tome, however now it is increasingly in the format of two or three essays which are close to journal articles or manuscripts that could be submitted. In many cases those manuscripts would already be submitted to a journal, and in some cases these would have already been accepted for publication before that candidate is ready to graduate.

Timeline A PhD program used to have a timeline of three years. Now the Faculty of Business and Economics has a four-year program, and sister departments in economics, finance and accounting are moving to a five-year fulltime program. The Department of Management and Marketing, explained Professor Singh, will be moving to this timeline. The very

top schools around the world are offering six-year PhDs - some have even seven-year PhD programs.

Supervisory Model In the past there were one or two supervisors – the nuclear family model: two parents and students.

In the new model there is a supervisory panel consisting of a principal supervisor, a subject matter specialist that compliments the principal supervisor, a methodology expert and a senior academic, all of whom are overseen by the Head of the Department.

Study approach The traditional model focused on independent, autonomous, self-paced learning. While that is expected in the new world, it is not limited to this model. We now have an expectation that there would be a high degree of collaboration, not just within the advisory panel but also to others, more so internationally if possible.

Models While the traditional model is the British model, many PhD programs outside of the US and Canada are moving towards the North American model, the question of why, therefore arising.

“The reality is that our highest quality journals and those who publish in these journals are expected to be trained with this model. North Americans have had this model for many years and it is a very successful model. Given that the North Americans also control all of our major journals, it naturally follows that their's is the training model required for such success,” explained Professor Singh.

“Beyond that, when it comes to placement of our graduates, the universities to which our graduates aspire towards, we have not been able to crack the Ivy League and we have not been able to place a PhD graduate into a program at these universities,” explained Professor Singh.

“We are very successful locally and we’ve also been successful in Europe, graduates earning positions in Oxford and Cambridge.”

“Many of our candidates have gone to interview in North America for jobs, but they basically don’t understand what’s involved in a three-year PhD program. Most universities are not willing to take a punt on these graduates.” 

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 17

The issue, explained Professor Singh, is that if a student wants to be join an Ivy League university, PhD programs need to replicate the academic environment so that students can seamlessly move between universities.

many people to pursue a PhD. On the intrinsic side, most people also have a strong intellectual yearning for learning, and are driven enough to go through the whole process in pursuit of acquiring the knowledge.

What happens in those extra one or two years?

“What we find is usually that no one is exclusively intrinsic or extrinsic, they might start at one end and move over, so it is a very dynamic situation,” said Professor Singh.

As the chart indicates, the traditional three-year program used to be about working on your research proposal, then that proposal is accepted, and the third year is when you write the thesis. Presently, the four-year program in the first year is about doing coursework on a range of subjects and attending advanced doctoral seminars. The second year sees more coursework and a research proposal. The final year sees final rounds of study and the dissertation. The future fiveyear program sees two years of coursework, a research proposal in the third year and the study and papers completed in the final years.

Why do it?

Professor Singh used the extrinsic and intrinsic model to identify the underlying purpose and the motivation for undertaking a PhD. For the student, extrinsically, the motivation usually is about achieving a higher-level qualification. It is evidence of a certain level of attainment and that is a very strong motivation for

What motivates the supervisors?

Extrinsically, creating and publishing academic papers is key. Intrinsically, a very strong motivation, for many of Professor Singh’s colleagues, he explains is the benevolence of supervising as it seen as a form of giving back, contributing to the future of academia because if it is not done, then it may cease. But the extrinsic motivators are more prominent for academics.

From the department or the university’s perspective, extrinsically, the department is interested in contributing to the research and training – its social obligation is to be training the next generation of researchers, and the PhD program is where that takes place. The PhD venture does not make money per se. From an intrinsic sense, the motivation for a university department is to produce well-rounded, public-spirited intellectuals.

At a community level, it can be difficult to work out what the extrinsic and intrinsic motivators are and what the broader community expects from a PhD program.

What is it that we look for in our PhD graduates?

An ideal PhD graduate is a welltrained independent researcher, has mastery over body of knowledge, is engaged in academic debate/ discourse and is interested in a life-long career in academia.

Recruitment to the PhD program is a very competitive process, with several hundred applications and only five to ten accepted into the program. It is a single intake, meaning that everyone applies and the applicants are then scored and ranked. The expectation is that there is a recent undergraduate study in a relevant area, or an equivalent degree that is four years in duration. Masters by research which has a thesis component is also highly desirable as well as GMAT or GRE results. Candidates are also interviewed and asked questions as to why they want to undertake a PhD degree, what they think is involved, their areas of interest and, more generally, what their level of preparation is.

A PhD can take you to the boundary of human knowledge, in time taking you just beyond that boundary, so that the knowledge frontier has been extended.

18 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

REVIEW

Oaktree's "Live Below the Line" event raises over $1,100 at Graduate House 12th APRIL - The Live Below The Line lunch on

the 10th May raised over $1,100 from donations and participation.

Hosted for the first time at Graduate House, the lunch gave the opportunity to experience the typical meal of those living below the poverty line.

Adjusted to reflect the Australian equivalent, and veering from the traditional Oaktree challenge which is to live on $2 a day, rather than to pay $2 for just one meal, the humble food on offer was lentil soup and plain pasta, as well as bread and butter pudding.

CEO of Oaktree, Sashenka Worsman, speaking at the Live Below the Line event.

Sashenka Worsman, Chief Executive of Oaktree said that through the funding raised from Live Below The Line events, Oaktree has implemented various educational and youth empowerment projects across the Asia Pacific region.

Their biggest success has been in Cambodia where they aimed to increase the standard of education in secondary schools.“The project was so incredibly successful, that model has now been replicated as International Policy by the Cambodian government,� said Ms Worsman.

Ms Worsman said that she hopes that the lunch prompts a conversation around the poverty line.

The $2 lunch was enjoyed by over 100 guests of all life stages, disciplines and ethnicities who came together to share and support their passion for education access and equality.

More than 100 people participated in the lunch and lauded Oaktree, which is run by around 150 volunteers all under the age of 27 years.

"I'm delighted to be here to support a wonderful young Australian group," said Cr Keith Ryall.

"Isn't it great for Australia and Australians that we've got such a wonderful young group of people making Australia great and spreading the gospel of what a great country Australia is," added Cr Paul Southwick.

Graduate House thanks all who attended and donated to this worthy cause of breaking the poverty cycle. Please be assured that your $2 meal payments, as well as all additional donations were forwarded to Oaktree in full. We are proud of our staff for having donated over half of this gift to Oaktree.

Council Members Keith Ryall and Paul Southwick enjoying pasta and soup cooked for under $2 per person.

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 19

GRADUATE HOUSE NEWS

Seen at Graduate House Faculty of Architecture reunion Organised by Life Member Mr David Eyres, the graduates from the Architecture School who started their course in 1953 at Melbourne University, met for lunch on 24th April. Mr Eyres' alumni friends attending included Bruce Gifford, John and Margaret Lester, Gwyneth Dickson, Dorothy Werrgall, Hugh O’Neil, Nell Rickard, Robert Martin, Geoffrey Borrack, Elizabeth Retallick, Pamela Bloom, Henry Retallick and Robin Cumming.

The graduates from Architects School enjoying pre-drinks and catching up before lunch

Developing friendships through mentoring Muan Lim, the former Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan Operations for Personal Systems Group at Hewlett Packard, is now mentor for former Resident Member, Betsy Yu. Ms Yu, who completed a Master of Management and Accounting at The University of Melbourne was introduced to Mr Lim as a potential mentee, and Mr Lim has been imparting invaluable advice to Ms Yu since late last year.

Former Resident Betsy Yu with her mentor, Member, Muan Lim, with his attempts at ancient Chinese seal script.

Mr Lim is currently mastering the art of using a brush (like the one pictured on the right) to paint a Chinese seal script used for formal documents.

Muan says that he is curious to explore his cultural heritage through this activity. Giving feedback on her mentor's efforts after just three formal lessons, Betsy says that she is very impressed!

The brush that is used to paint the letters.

20 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

GRADUATE HOUSE NEWS

Rotary Scholarships Evening 12th APRIL — Cr Keith Ryall, Chair of the Rotary International District 9800 Global Grant Scholarships (GGS) Committee, announced co-winners of the prestigious GGS valued at US$30,000 following rigorous selection interviews at Graduate House.

Dr Clare Lin (BDent (Hons)) and Dr Ida Whiteman (MBBS (Hons)), nominated by Rotary Carlton and Rotary North Melbourne respectively, were the co-winners of the scholarship.

Ms Lin, who will be commencing a Master of Public Health at Harvard University, provides oral healthcare to patients in a diverse range of settings from Melbourne dental clinics to Indigenous communities in the Kimberley region.

After completing her Masters, Ms Lin plans to return to Australia and work towards 'closing the gap' in oral health outcomes through public health advocacy, research and policy.

health into Australian Government Indigenous Programs.

Dr Whiteman is a Paediatric Registrar working at Sunshine Hospital and usually based at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

"Our congratulations are extended to all past and current Global Grant Scholarship winners on their outstanding achievements and personal qualities; as befits The Rotary Foundation, they are truly doing good in the world," Cr Ryall said.

She will be completing two Masters Programs at Oxford University - a Master of Science in International Health and Tropical Medicine and a Master of Public Policy.

Her goal is to use her study at Oxford to prepare her for a career working with Indigenous children.

Dr Whiteman aims to work initially in a clinical and public health role in Indigenous Health, and then move into a health policy role in the future. Through this, she will then integrate the evidence she gains working on community health programs in Indigenous

Rotary International District 9800 has been providing these prestigious Scholarships since 2013.

The inaugural recipient was Ms Lien Trinh who successfully completed a Master of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health in 2014. Ms Trinh has been working in the field of Eye Care, primarily for the Indigenous Community.

Graduate House extends its congratulations to Dr Whiteman and Ms Clare Lin and wishes them both much success.

Co-winners Dr Ida Whiteman and Clare Lin with Cr Keith Ryall. www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 21

RESIDENT NEWS most, like the talk by Adam Jelic (founder of Mi Goals) about ‘Learn how to network like a pro,’ or ‘Jessica Hudswell (GM, Change and Management at Telstra) who talked about communication skills that will help us to distinguish ourselves in the work place. Both Adam and Jess not only discussed these issues and skills but also got the audience involved in practicing them, giving them very tangible examples that hit the point home to the audience.

Resident Members Parisa Shiran and Chen Xin attended the generationYOU conference in Melbourne.

Residents push forward

by Parisa Shiran, Resident I first heard about generationYOU through the Graduate House publications email, and the title ‘Unleash your potential’ immediately captured my attention. When a second email came to announce that the College was sponsoring two Residents to attend the event, I knew I wanted to go.

As an international postgraduate student, I have long been looking for a workshop, seminar or similar event where I could learn these crucial skills, especially as I knew my neglect so far in developing these skills could be disadvantageous to me in the future. I was fortunate to be one of the two Residents to be chosen.

Attending the event, everyone got a little bag which held a few

items for the day, including a booklet. On the front page, was written ‘The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.’

I opened the booklet and the first sentence—another quotation, this time from Nelson Mandela—made me stop again to think for a while: ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’ Looking at the booklet, I thought how inspiring and energetic the language of the event was. But I soon realized that it was not just the language, but all the presentations and activities which were very empowering. generationYOU was a full-day event featuring many professional speakers and specialists who walked us through the difficulties of understanding the job application process, the skills we need to have and the way we can practice those skills until we master them. Although all the presentations were superb, there were a couple that I enjoyed the

There were some main threads running through all the presentations. One of the most important was not to shy away from the challenges of learning these career skills but to keep practicing. That, I found a very useful, productive and confidenceenhancing piece of advice. Two other points that almost all the speakers emphasised and which I found profound were the need to be patient and to pursue a career which one is passionate about.

'Patience' and 'passion' seemed to me to be the keywords of the event. The very challenging narratives that each speaker presented about how they strove for their current success made me realise that finding a job and becoming successful is not an easy path, and that in most cases it includes a lot of bumps on the road. One needs to be patient and never give up believing in one’s dreams and passions.

By the end of the day, I had taken copious notes in my booklet and had gained a very clear understanding of some of the skills I need to practice, and had already practiced, with the other attendees in a very friendly environment. Coming out of the event, I felt I have just had one

22 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

of my most productive days at an event because I had gained confidence about doing something which might seem impossible at the moment. The sun that was setting in the evening was only the

beginning of a long journey for future career success.

Thanks to the generationYOU team for their great effort in organising this incredible event.

Thanks also to all the speakers who taught us about networking, writing a CV, doing job interviews, communications skills, etc., which will be extremely useful lessons for the years to come.

The Generation YOU event provided a valuable experience for us to gain insight into the business world from the perspective of successful young professionals. Their speeches were very inspiring and motivated me to pursue my professional and personal goals. They generously shared their experiences. Some were exactly what I'm going through and some were where I want to head. They gave me new perspectives regarding my career directions and taught me skills to develop in order to achieve my career goals. I felt that this was a meaningful experience and I would recommend this event to others. — Chen Xin

Donate to graduate enrichment opportunities

Our Association regularly supports graduate students by funding their study and work related pursuits. To continue supporting our Members, your donations are appreciated. For example, a $2,000 donation funds attendance by one Resident Member at the National Student Leadership Forum.

National Student Leadership Forum 2017 Expressions of interest are now being accepted for the 2017 National Student Leadership Forum (NSLF) on Faith and Values to be held at Parliament House, Canberra, 7 th - 10 th September, 2017.

The National Student Leadership Forum is an annual four-day conference that brings together today's leaders and the leaders of tomorrow to discuss openly who they are and what they believe.

The National Student Leadership Forum is an initiative of Members and Senators of the Australian Federal Parliament. Over 40 Members and Senators come together, across party divides, to inspire and equip the next generation of Australian leaders.

For more info and applications: bit.ly/NationalStudentLeadershipForum www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 23

RESIDENT NEWS

Students look at architecture on Mars Interview with Sebastian Teo, Resident Member Resident Member Sabastian Teo's deep fascination of space exploration has led him to research the possibilities of outer space colonisation, in particular on Mars, for his final research project as part of his Master of Architecture at RMIT. Through Teo’s interest in robotic and digital fabrication in architecture, he uses computational tools such as algorithms and scripts to develop specific outcomes, and realising this in the real world through the use of robotics, such as various 3d printing processes, Computer Numeric Control (CNC) routing and various other automated methods.

The ever-evolving development of technology and computer generated design leads to fascinating and exciting possibilities which can be imagined using these emerging 3d printing technologies and robotic processes.

“What is important in my studies and is a constantly present issue is uncovering the limits and

constraints of current robotic fabrication and material characteristics, and is the basis of solutions to future Robotic and Digital Fabrication technique and processes,” says Teo. With a fast-developing interest on sending people to Mars, and major bodies such as NASA and Elon Musk seeing humans on Mars in the soon future, Teo says, ‘Architecture’ on Mars will be one of the problems which needs to be solved. This is where robotic fabrication, such as 3d printing, proves to be the most viable solution, as traditional methods such as human labour and various construction tools and machines are not easily accessible.

Teo’s research is interested in touching the surface of solutions to 3d printing buildings and shelter in the early stages of Mars colonisation.

Sebastian talked to Graduate House about the remarkable world of 3d printing.

3d is extremely basic in principle, and is essentially used to describe various types of processes which

end in a three-dimensional object, explains Teo. "While there are many different types of 3d printing which exist and are out there, the most common and usually thought of when 3d printing is mentioned is Direct Deposition, which extrudes, or deposits, material in layers to build up to the desired object," he said.

Teo explains that the most accessible 3d printers today usually use polymer plastic materials, mainly polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable plastic, and what your takeaway coffee lids are made of for example, and Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS), the material which is, for example, what LegoTM is made from.

"There is research and development happening which looks at different ways to extrude other materials such as metals, fibreglass, concrete, and glass, always seeking to change the way we can find new ways to use these materials," said Teo. "3d printers can range from small machines that can fit on your desk, to industrial robot arms with extrusion systems, and even large scale 3d crane printing."

24 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

"In relation to architecture, the larger scale 3d printing processes are most beneficial in an architectural outcome."

* Teo says that while 3d printing in architecture is not so prevalent today, he does believe it will emerge at an exponential rate in the not-so-distant future.

"The benefits of robotic fabrication are proving to, I believe, outweigh the way traditional architectural practice works," he says.

"This can be said in terms of fabricating forms which would be deemed not possible by traditional means, or monetary, where the running cost of robotic fabrication and savings of efficient material used will end in cheaper overall costs."

Teo says that he is a believer that everything is and has to evolve, and while there is much to admire and learn from the ‘classics’, the ever changing current needs of society must be catered to, even architectural language and construction.

He cites the recent of example of Dubai where the government has placed laws which will require at least 25 percent of all buildings to be 3d printed by the year 2030, and recently approved plans for the world's first 3d printed tower.

There are many issues before the idea of 3d printed buildings can become the norm, however.

"While in places like Dubai, where construction workers have poor working standards and extremely low wages, the introduction of robotic fabrication can be beneficial in improving human rights issues, places like our home in Australia, where the trade unions have a strong presence,

might raise issues in having robots taking the roles of construction trades," he says.

"These will be issues that will come up in the future, and it will be interesting to see how they will be dealt with."

"I believe that the role of construction workers, and even architects, will have to shift and change in the future, which is not something that has not happened in the past, where the role of the architect has changed countlessly since old Roman times."

"I believe the world and particularly in the field of architecture, construction workers, architects, engineers and other consultants will have to learn and

work in collaboration with robots and advanced machines, rather than having robots replace us," said Teo.

* "I think we live in an extremely exciting time in history, where we are able to see the rapid development of technologies, robots, space exploration and how it affects society in not only architecture, but all fields and daily activities," he said.

"I encourage anyone who is remotely interested in technology and whatever fields of work and study or even hobbies, to embrace and be open to the change, and you may find a different perspective!"

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 25

RESIDENT NEWS

Graduate House Student Group expands 10th APRIL — The Graduate House Student Group (GHSG) has appointed sport and event coordinators to the committee during their first 2017 bi-annual general meeting.

Avi Gandhi, Haris Khan, Melissa Kennedy and Nouman Daud were the new appointees for sports and events respectively, and are excited to begin sharing ideas and encouraging new sports and activities for the resident body.

Graduate House Student Group (left to right): Prakhar Bhargava, Kimberley Auyong, Avi Gandhi, Haris Khan, Melissa Kennedy, Rhea Kanwar, Nouman Daud, Riyan Stephan.

Haris Khan and Avi Gandhi, the new sports coordinators, both say that they plan to enhance the Resident experience through sport which they say, is important not only for health but also to interact with other Residents. "I feel that regular sports and physical activity can play a substantial role in developing [health] and offer the residents an escape from their monotonous routine," said Haris Khan. "My aim is to create opportunities for residents to get to know each other through the means of attending events together, such as AFL games, as it allows a more down to earth and relaxed environment away from our respective home cities or countries," added Avi Gandhi.

Events Coordinators Nouman Daud and Melissa Kennedy are equally excited to reinvigorate the Student Group events schedule. "I'm looking forward to organising events catering for residents, whether they are undertaking coursework or research-only study," said Kennedy. The Research Talks sessions that was started in 2015 to great popularity is an event that Kennedy intends to restart this year. "Let's organise memorable events and strengthen the Graduate House community even more," said Nouman Daud.

MCG Visit Residents headed to the ANZAC Eve game at MCG to spectate Richmond versus Melbourne.

Left to right: Ming, Avi, Robin, Marc, Mikey.

26 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

Academic and Professional Development Meetings The following groups from The University of Melbourne have convened meetings, workshops and seminars at Graduate House in April 2017 Department of Finance Lunch Meeting 7th, 28th April 10 attendees

Department of Infrastructure Engineering MSE Celebration of Staff 5th April 100 attendees

External Relations Planning Day (Marketing and Communications) 28th April 7 attendees

Melbourne School of Engineering Kernot Fellowship Luncheon 12th, 28th April 73 attendees

National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources (Nectar) 26th, 27th April 8 attendees

Office for Research Ethics and Integrity HEAG / HESC Human Ethics Workshop 10th April 58 attendees

Research, Innovation and Commercialisation - Professional Certificate in Positive Psychology, Education (Positive Education) , Palliative Care - Contemporary Approaches to Bereavement 21st, 22nd, 26th, 27th April 140 attendees

The patronage of organisation Members in charitable, not-for-profit, government and professional development sectors is acknowledged, as is that of our many Members who organise functions.

Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) - Education sub-committee 20th April 10 attendees

Australia Teachers of Media (ATOM) 20th April 12 attendees

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) 6th April 23 attendees

Australian Asian Association (AAA) 10th April 6 attendees

Australian School of Applied Management (ASAM) - Leadership Programs 3rd, 4th, 20th April 60 attendees

Carlton - Parkville Probus Club Inc 11th April 70 attendees

Carlton Rotary - Lunch, Dinner, Board and Heritage Cluster Meetings 4th, 11th, 12th, 19th April 79 attendees

Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) Leaders Connect 11th April 45 attendees

Geography Teachers' Association of Victoria (GTAV) - Meet the Examiners 20th April 41 attendees

International Coach Federation (ICF) Victoria - Simplifying Core Competencies 20th April 20 attendees

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 27

Academic and Professional Development Meetings

Lunch Meeting

International Student Advisers Network of Australia (ISANA) - Branch Committee Meeting 10th April 67 attendees

John Cain Foundation Lunch Event 4th, 19th April 48 attendees

Melba Group - Lunch meeting 28th April 17 attendees

MosaicLab 4th April 4 attendees

Order of St. John 3rd April 8 attendees

Organisation Development Australia (ODA) - Geoff Manchester, Pamela Frost 26th April 20 attendees

Phoenix Australia - RESTORE Therapist Training 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th April 51 attendees

School Library Association of Victoria Coding, Scratch and Digital Curriculum 27th April 23 attendees

Selection Partners (SCLAA) - Busija Family 19th April 25 attendees

Social Education Victoria (SEV) Committee Meeting 26th April 12 attendees

Social Work Department Writing Group 27th April 8 attendees

The Graduate Union Collegiate Events and Governance Meetings 4th, 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 26th April 338 attendees

Turkish Teachers Association of Victoria (TTAV) 6th, 12th April 18 attendees

Uniseed Management Pty Ltd Uniseed Investment Committee 20th April 11 attendees

UNSW Canberra at ADFA Laser Safety Course 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th April 93 attendees

Vice-Chancellor's Office - Carlton Connect Initiative Program Control Committe 11th April 18 attendees

Victorian Rotary District Governors Nominee - Governor Rotary District 9800 12th April 6 attendees

28 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

MEMBERS NEWS

Australian Asian Association of Victoria celebrates 60th anniversary

22nd APRIL — The Australian Asian Association of Victoria (AAA) celebrated their 60th anniversary dinner at International House.

"On our 60th anniversary we acknowledge our founders, all our predecessors and the five past presidents," wrote President of the AAA, Wellington Lee. Mary Kelleher, a Graduate Union Council Member and an AAA committee member attended the evening along with newly elected

Graduate Union Council Member, Molina Asthana, the founder of Multicultural Women in Sport.

From left to right: Molina Asthana; Stella Wong, AAA committee member; Mike O'Meara, presenter and Chairman of the Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop Medical Research Foundation; Colin Abbott, former committee member of AAA; Takeshi Tanabe, Deputy ConsulGeneral, Consulate-General of Japan; Cameron Archer, Deputy State Director, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade;

Mary Kelleher (standing); Wellington Lee AM OBE (OAM) RFD JP (retired), AAA President; Sun Yan, Deputy Consul-General, Consulate-General of The People's Republic of China in Melbourne; and Dr Max Stephens, Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne.

Congratulations from all of us here at Graduate House where we are also celebrating our Diamond Jubilee as a residential college 60 years since the Gladstone Terraces were acquired.

Literature Corner

Who Won?

"Why?" retorted Darren, his wiry body bristling with aggressive defiance.

By Mac Nicol, Life Member

"Because I asked you to."

"See me after class, please, Darren," said the teacher, frustrated by his erring student's unwillingness to carry out his requests for the last ten minutes.

Before the looming confrontation could be consummated, the school bell began its final blast for the day and soon the corridors were thronging with inner-city adolescents shouting and bumping their way to freedom.

In room Twenty One two people remained, different in age, in physique and in temperament, but alike in their fear that the coming minutes would be painful and that there would be consequences.

In battle terminology, they both wanted and needed a win.

"I gotta get home. I can't stay long."

ď‚„

www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 29

MEMBERS NEWS "O.K. I hope we're not too long, because I've got things to do too, Darren, but we've got to see how we can help you to keep up with your work."

Again, with a crestfallen look on his face and a “more in sorrow than anger voice” the teacher asked, “Just finish off the map and then you can go.”

This was a deliberately gentle start from the teacher who was a bundle of contradictory emotions as he tackled this interview, standing at the blackboard and trying to look relaxed and to sound pastoral. His heart was pumping with a strange mixture of surprise, fear and compassion.

If only he could understand what was going on in that youngster, whose eyes were narrowing, whose normally pasty colouring was rapidly turning a bright shade of red and whose pursed lips looked ready to snap open and bite.

Surprise, because Darren had actually remained; fear, because he had seen Darren explode before compassion, because he was aware of some of the problems that Darren brought in to the school with him.

"I've gotta get home ... and you're not allowed to keep me."

“I’ll keep you as long as we need.

Just settle down and finish your work and then we can talk about what happens next. You know I’ve talked to your mum and you know she wants to you have some success at school. Just sit down and finish copying that map and then you can go. It’ll only take a couple of minutes if you get stuck into it.”

“I’m not doing that now. I’ve gotta meet me friends and they’re waiting for me.”

The teacher had faced lots of these typical moves from wayward students who could not countenance staying back, particularly on a Friday afternoon.

He persevered, aware that his body was becoming more tense by the moment and that his voice was becoming softer in inverse proportion to his anger.

Again, the soft response.

Somehow this seemed to aggravate the situation and Darren turned to his desk, snatched up his folders – he never brought a bag to school – and looked as if he was going to flee.

“Darren, getting angry’s not going to help. If you go now, you won’t be allowed back next week and then your mother will be upset.

Let’s work out why you’re messing round so much and ruining your chances.”

“It’s none of your business. I’ll do what I like and you’re not going to stop me.”

There was a long pause while the combatants glared at one another, both victims and yet both strangely powerful.

In the teacher's mind, the last few months flashed by in a minisecond. Darren was one of the most frightened and angry students he had ever encountered, with a desperate need to keep adults at a distance and to play up to his peer group. Earlier in the year the school had arranged for him to attend a special small school where some gifted staff had built a relationship with him and helped him gain some self-respect on the way back to normality.

The teacher had visited the home, had a profitable discussion with Darren's mother and older brother and his return last month had been accompanied by some real hope for a better term than last year.

Now this ... and a sinking feeling of deja vu and another failure.

Who was winning?

By now, they had been in the classroom for ten minutes, so the teacher had succeeded in keeping Darren against his will. What sort of success was that? Darren was still frustrated and he had still not finished the assigned task - filling in a few cities on a map of India.

Once more the request was made, quietly and persistently. "Come on, Darren, just finish off that map and then you'll be free to go."

What happened next remained embedded in the teacher's memory for life. He often wondered whether he had provoked the outburst by the very deliberately quiet manner in which he had addressed his combatant.

With a sudden lunge, Darren leapt to the blackboard and slammed his clenched fist against it with all the accumulated anger he had been nursing. The sound echoed around the silent corridors along which he strode towards freedom from the oppression of the afternoon.

A winner?

The names in the story have been changed.

30 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

Discovering Melbourne We are very proud to have such a disparate and varied membership.

Graduate Union Members are all over Australia and the world. This month we present to you the latest Melbourne gems that should be explored, whether you are temporarily passing through the world's most livable city, or you reside here.

Aboriginal Heritage Walk

Winter Night Market Queen Victoria Market, Corner Queen and Therry Street.

7th June, 14th June, 21st June, 2017 Queen Victoria Night Markets are back on Wednesdays and will be starting in June.

Explore the wonder of one of Melbourne’s greatest markets against the backdrop of a starry Melbourne night sky.

Birdwood Avenue, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Birdwood Avenue.

With an Indigenous Australian guide, you can explore the Royal Botanic Gardens through the history of its Traditional Owners. The tour includes a traditional smoking ceremony, a guided walk through important areas of the gardens, discussions about the traditional uses for food, tools and medicine.

The tour is a fantastic way to learn more about Indigenous heritage.

Learn more at https:// www.rbg.vic.gov.au/ whats-on/aboriginalheritage-walk

Run Melbourne Presented by lululemon DENFAIR 2017 Design Exhibition

Federation Square, Melbourne, Corner Swanston Street and Flinders Street.

30th July 2017 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Join Sole Motive and run 1 Convention Centre Place, Melbourne again in 2017 South Wharf. to celebrate 10 years of Run Melbourne.

10th June 2017

Be part of the 170,000 plus who have helped participated in Run Melbourne since 2008, raising over $12 million for more than 400 charities. With distances of five and ten kilometres or the Half-Marathon, there is an option available for everyone.

Run for a charity close to 12,000 square metres of your heart, take on a new pure design with over 300 curated design brands challenge, or aim for a personal best. on display, you can lose yourself in the world of design that Australia has to offer.

Denfair is the leading destination for contemporary design in Australia. As the only design event dedicated to tailoring authentic design to design professionals, DENFAIR will open its doors to the public for one day only on 10 June.

If you have any recommendations for places or events of interest for our Members and Residents, email publications@graduatehouse.com.au www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 31

Innovation

Ridding the ocean of hazardous plastics

Dutch foundation The Ocean Cleanup has raised USD $21.7 million to initiate large-scale trials of its cleanup technology in the Pacific Ocean later this year.

The technology, which has been developed over the last four years, is a passive plastic capturing device which uses ocean currents to catch and concentrate the plastic.

This reduces the theoretical cleanup time of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch from milennia to years.

Representing the most important milestone on the road to the full-scale cleanup for the world's oceans, Founder and chief executive of The Ocean Cleanup said that due to the support of the project's funders, they are closer to returning the first batch of plastic to shore.

"Our mission is to rid the world's oceans of plastic, and this support is a major leap forward towards achieving this goal," he said.

An international study showed that in 2010, 8 billion tonnes of plastic entered the ocean and indicated that 192 nations produced a total of 275 million tonnes of plastic waste.

Other microplastic fragments can come from plastic packaging such as cups, bottles and bags, as well as fragments of fishing gear.

Marine animals face the most critical consequences of waste in the oceans, research showing that around 5,000 and 15,000 sea turtles are entangled in items like discarded fishing gear.

Around 90 percent of seabirds ingest plastic causing gut blockages or perforation of the intestines.

The newest technology of The Ocean Cleanup was significantly funded by San Francisco based philanthropists Marc and Lynne Benioff and an anonymous donor.

"With Boyan's innovative leadership, I believe The Ocean Cleanup will have an incredibly positive impact on the future of our oceans," said Mr Benioff.

The Ocean Cleanup aims to launch its first experimental cleanup system in the Pacific waters by late 2017.

Learn more about The Ocean Cleanup at www.theoceancleanup.com

As plastics are hard to break down, some items, such as a dense monofilament fishing line could last for up to 600 years.

Although a plastic bag could last for up to a month, a lot of negative environmental impact could have occurred before then.

32 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

Extracurricular

The creative benefits of walking From an early age Rousseau developed a passion for walking; finding delight especially from the journeys guided by chance: peripatetic randomness, or what he calls, “the pleasures of going one knows not where.” Such walks allowed his mind to wander as he penned in his Reveries of the Solitary Walker, where we are introduced to 10 ‘walks’ from Rousseau’s autobiographical musings toward the end of his life.

Through his walks, Rousseau delved deep into selfreflection and self-analysis, rejoicing in his freedom to “converse with [his] soul.”

benefited creatively from walking compared to sitting.

Whether walking to sitting, vice versa, walking indoors, outdoors on a predetermined path, or on a treadmill indoors, the participants who walked produced more creative responses to their creativity tests. In all of the tests 81 per cent, 88 per cent, and 100 per cent of participants were more creative walking than sitting. And 100 per cent of those who walked outside generated at least one novel highquality response compared with 50 per cent of those seated inside.

“There is something about walking that animates and activates my ideas; I can hardly think when I am still; my body must move if mind is to do the same,” wrote Rousseau.

It was merely the physical act of walking which saw this increase in creativity, as the authors noted, “walking has a very specific benefit — the improvement of creativity … When there is a premium on generating new ideas in the workday, it should be beneficial to incorporate walks.”

Fast forward to 2014 where French Philosopher Frederic Gros released his book A Philosophy of Walking and he also speaks of the mind-freeing quality of walking. “A long walk,” writes Gros, “allows us to commune with the sublime,” he penned.

He notes the flaneur, coming from French meaning to stroll or to lounge, the casual saunter, roaming the many pathways of a city, observing, musing, pondering, and contemplative walking. This type is similar to that of Rousseau’s walking: a propellant for mind-freeing, “you’re doing nothing when you walk, nothing but walking,” writes Gros, “but having nothing to do but walk makes it possible to recover the pure sensation of being, to rediscover the simply joy of existing … It is at this point where our mind is free.”

When we walk, the mind walks also – it roams its own grey cellular paths to find ends that were known but not consciously realised: the good idea, the creative potential wedged inside the deep recesses of our mental workspace. Walk yourself, and you walk your mind along some new creative pathways.

In fact, in the 1960s psychologist Jerome L Singer conducted research which demonstrated that letting our minds wander is relatively crucial for a satisfying mental life. “Having to reread a line of text three times because our attention has drifted away matters very little if that attention shift has allowed us to access a key insight, a precious memory or make sense of a troubling event,” he discussed in a recent review.

Engaging in mundane tasks, mild exercise, or acts that require little cognitive effort are a kind of idea generator in their own rights. It is here we begin to think the ‘unthought’ — the thoughts what we didn’t realise we had because we were otherwise mentally engaged. Don’t be afraid of truly switching off because it’s not disengaging with the world, it’s reengaging with another world altogether, go for a walk and think about it.

There is scientific validity to this as well. For example, in a study by Oppezzo and Schwartz, it was found that walking improved divergent thinking – the more creative form of thinking, the thought process used to generate ideas by exploring many different possible solutions, as opposed to convergent thinking, like finding the single answer for a mathematical equation. The researchers found that walking had a large effect on creativity, and their participants www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 33

FEEDBACK Organising our function at Graduate House was a quick and easy process. Rosie is flexible and accommodating in working with me through the process. The morning and afternoon tea was good.

Staff was exceptionally helpful. Our presenters had several requests on the day and they were all met with speed and ease. Thank you very much to Rosie and team. Lee Goodson, UoM Commercial Ltd

Organising our function was seamless and efficient as always. The function rooms were perfect, the food, both in terms of quality and quantity was excellent as always and the staff were very helpful before and after our event. We are very grateful that we had a few servers circulating with platters due to the limited space.

Penny Beeston,

Geography Teachers Association of Victoria

Organising our function was very easy and stress free.

The food is good. We loved the scones for morning tea. The staff were extremely helpful as usual.

Nothing is too much trouble and they are all friendly, helpful and professional. Just the best!!!

Cindy Tschernitz,

School Library Association of Victoria

Best soup I have had for years!

Member, Dr George Luk OAM Always enjoy the friendly staff, in particular Marwa!

Member, John Johnson How do you get better than best?! Keep doing what you are doing!

Member, Anne Mulholland

The lucky feedback-giver for April is

George Luk OAM

who won a bottle of Emeri De Bortoli Chardonnay Pinot Noir Your feedback is important Submit a Dining Room Feedback Form to be in the Monthly Draw AND to be in the running for the Year-End Prize of a $500 Coles Myers Gift Voucher

Remembrance Day Poppies In our March Newsletter we invited members and friends to join us in making 500 crocheted poppies by November. The project is ongoing and while we do not have the tally yet, we have prepared yarns for our craft-minded members to collect from reception.

34 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B

9347 3428 mingh@graduatehouse.com.au www.graduatehouse.com.au

uaTe

DONATION

union of The universiTy of Melbourne inc.

Funding for Futures

Phone: 03 9347 3428 Email: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au Website: www.graduatehouse.com.au

The GraduaTe union of The universiTy of Melbourne inc.

The Gradua 220 Leicester Street VIC, Austr

D onati on Form

The Graduate Union 220 Leicester Street Carlton VIC, Australia, 3053

Donation Form

D onat i on For m 2 0 1 4

From its establishment in 1911, Members Donation Formhave lived, learned and met together to continue the experience of ‘the meeting of the minds’ beyond university as they entered the workforce, had families, became leaders, From its establishment in 1911, Members have lived, learned and met volunteered across the world andofretired. together to continue the experience of ‘the meeting the minds’ beyond university as they entered the workforce, had families, became leaders, volunteered across the world and retired.

Members built the organisation through great generosity

These in the form of These donations of funds and buildings, bequests and sponsorship, Members built the organisation through great generosity in the togetherform withof volunteer pro work.

We seek always to honour donations ofand funds andbono buildings, bequests and sponsorship, together with volunteer and proofbono work.

Wecontributing seek always to honour this legacy and to foster a culture active and membership. this legacy and to foster a culture of active and contributing membership.

PleasePlease give give to our unique association of graduates. to our unique association of graduates. giftdeductible is tax deductible and acknowledged in in TheThe Melbourne Graduate Your giftYour is tax and acknowledged Melbourne Graduate (please specify if you wish to remain anonymous). (please specify if you wish to remain anonymous).

Donor Information

or Information TiTle: naMe: daTe of birTh: naMe of orGanisaTion, Group or universiTy deparTMenT/ school: (for orGanisaTion MeMbers only)

birTh: Contact Information of orGanisaTion, Group or universiTy deparTMenT/ school:

of

business : GanisaTion MeMbers only)

tact

ss:

afTer hours:

Mobile:

eMail: address: (nuMber, sTreeT naMe or posT office box, suburb, sTaTe, posTcode and counTry) Information My donaTion will be $aud:afTer aT frequency:

hours:

once-off

Mobile: weekly

MonThly

annually

i auThorise The GraduaTe union To send Me a reMinder To send in a cheque or puT Money inTo The Gu accounT

ss: (nuMber, sTreeT naMe or posT office box, suburb, sTaTe, posTcode and counTry)

onaTion will be

equency:

uThorise

$aud:

complete this section, and the sections oPlease nce-off weekly MonThly overleaf, and send to The Graduate Union

annually



Carlton, Victoria The GraduaTe union To send220 Me Leicester a reMinder Street, To send in a cheque or puT Money inTo The Gu accounT Australia, 3053. www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B | 35

DONATION

Phone: 03 9347 3428 Email: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au Website: www.graduatehouse.com.au

Funding for Futures

The Graduate Union 220 Leicester Street Carlton VIC, Australia, 3053

D o nat i o n F o r m 2 0 1 4

The GraduaTe union of The universiTy of Melbourne inc.

Method of Payment

Please tick choice of payment and write the amount you wish to donate

cheque aMounT $ payable To The GraduaTe union of The universiTy of Melbourne incorporaTed

bank Transfer accounT naMe: The GraduaTe union of The universiTy of Melbourne incorporaTed bank: naTional ausTralia bank bsb: 083 170 accounT nuMber: 515612137 swifT code: (for inTernaTional Transfers) naTaau3303M descripTion of Transfer: your surnaMe or Group/ orGanisaTion and The word ‘donaTion’ crediT card aMounT $

card nuMber: expiry daTe: cardholder naMe:

/

/

/

siGnaTure:

Direct My Donation to:

Please indicate your preferred donation target

The fund of highest priority and need at the time of my donation Buildings Resident Members Capital Fund I am Interested in Gifting to Name: a space wiThin The GraduaTe union (buildinG, floor, rooM or oTher space) a scholarship or an award To a residenT MeMber a recoGniTion of excellence award for a residenT or non-residenT MeMber a career or reTireMenT developMenT proGraM for an in-career or a reTired MeMber

My Bequest (will) i would like To provide for The GraduaTe union in My will



(please Telephone The GraduaTe union on 03 9347 3428 in This circuMsTance)

To donate, please cut along this line and send the completed form to 220 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC 3023, Australia

aMounT $

36 | www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B