If you’ve got it, cite it

Over the summer break the Group of Eight provided a directory of members’ fire and disaster management expertise for government

It circulated to the Department of Education, the Prime Minister’s office, PM&C and the Emergency Management Authority. Of course, other universities have expertise, but the Go8 never misses a chance to present as a national resource.

There is more in the Mail

In Features, Shelley Kinash (Uni Southern Queensland) on why we need less lecturing-at-students. It is a new essay in Contributing Editor Sally Kift’s series on what we need now in learning and teaching.

Plus, Merlin Crossley (UNSW) on why good research departments need to teach more.

And Sean Brawley explains how Macquarie U transformed its curriculum.

UNSW leads new announcement of Linkage Grants

The Australian Research Council has funding  for 18 new research projects, with a 40 per cent success rate 

UNSW leads with five of the 46 projects, followed by Macquarie and Monash universities, plus the universities of Melbourne and Queensland, with four each. Another 17 institutions shared the balance.  Monash and Macquarie unis were also leaders in the first announcement of this Linkage round, (CMM January 20).

Successful projects asked for a total of $24m and will receive $21m.

CMM’s faves are; Katherine Mosby and colleagues (UNSW and partners), “improving the anti-predator responses of native mammals.” Douglas MacFarlane and others (Monash U and Energy Storage Pty Ltd), wind and solar energy storage. Craig Wheeler and team (Uni Newcastle with Bradken Resources), grinding mills for mineral refining.

Below: Dan Tehan’s new research strategy

Hail to the chief

Monash U chancellor, Simon McKeon, was out early Australia Day, with an all-staff message on VC Margaret Gardner winning an AC

“I have been privileged to witness Professor Gardner’s passion and commitment to her role in education. It truly is second to none – there are so many students, researchers and educators benefiting every day from what she does,” he said.

Other Monash staffers were also honoured, but the chancellor did not mention them.

Australia Day honours list below

The risks TEQSA will assess

TEQSA asked the HE industry what it wanted in a new risk assessment framework

The Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency commenced consulting in May and now announces what it heard and what it will do.

Stakeholder suggestions included

* frameworks, “differentiated by provider characteristics

* continue not to publish provider data

* use adjusted, rather than raw, attrition data

* add student satisfaction indicator to graduate satisfaction, or replace the latter with the former

* “better take into account contextual factors in its staffing indicators

* “financial risk indicators need to better account for various business models, sizes and strategic financial goals”

What happens next

TEQSA says it expects “key areas of focus” in the next RAF will include;

* consider engaging providers earlier

* “refining and revising existing risk indicators”

* “revising the current presentation of risk assessment reports, to ensure their comprehensiveness and utility to providers (including through the potential incorporation of provider benchmarking)”

Tehan’s Australia research sell

The Morrison Government has a new programme to “recognise the importance of research into Australian society, history and culture” 

Some $12m of ARC funding will go to the grants, with cash to kick-in from October.  There will be $20 000 to $100 000 for up to 40 projects per annum for three years. Perhaps this will mean rebadging money for Discovery Grants, but with more addressing Australiana than would otherwise be funded.

This is smart politics by Education Minister Dan Tehan, covering the political bases that can be covered.

Mr Tehan presents himself as a true believer in job-generating research (CMM September 2), which helps with the STEM lobbies.

And this announcement will also help with coalition backbenchers inclined to scoff at research projects they cannot promote in their electorates or that they deem insufficiently patriotic. With a Senate committee inquiry into, “nationhood, national identity and democracy” Mr Tehan appears to anticipate criticism of research that is not wrapped in the flag.

The new funding will also be hard for HASS and Australian studies peak bodies to ignore, addressing complaints that their capacities are too oft ignored – “we welcome the announcement … and stand ready to help,” the Australian Academy of the Humanities tweeted yesterday.

The minister also has evidence to answer allegations that research will only be accepted if it is wrapped in the flag.

Last week the ARC jointly funded a Linkage project with the Australian Council of Trade Unions, “that highlights the Hawke era to show the ACTU’s history as one of transition to governance, we aim to reveal the potential of the Australian labour movement to effect change,” (CMM January 20).  There is also $230 000 for Elizabeth MacFarlane and colleagues’ project for the University of Melbourne and the National Library on  contemporary Australian comics, which “expects to generate new knowledge about narrative innovations comics use to reflect diverse national identities and cultures in Australian society.”

First coronavirus case on a campus

UNSW has the first student confirmed with coronavirus

Yesterday UNSW management advised a student had returned from Wuhan on January 23 and was now in hospital. “The student did not attend any classes at the university and stayed on her own in campus accommodation with no close contact before she was admitted to hospital.”

On Friday universities around the country were advising their communities to stay away from Wuhan in China, but not on risks at home. This morning they will be preparing for them.

Australia Day Honours

People presently working in/affiliated with higher education and research include,

 

Companion (AC) the General Division of the Order of Australia

Margaret Gardner, VC, Monash U. Bruce Robinson, dean of medicine, Uni Sydney. Anthony Thomas, nuclear physics, Uni Adelaide.

Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

Larissa Behrendt, Indigenous Education, UTS. Genevieve Bell, social sciences, ANU. John Bloomfield, sports sciences, UWA. Shaun Brennecke, obstetrics, Uni Melbourne. Rachelle Buchbinder, epidemiology, Monash U.

Robert Cumming, epidemiology, Uni Sydney.

John Dewar, VC, La Trobe U. Ronald Dullard, education. Uni Notre Dame Australia.

Jules Guss, molecular bioscience, Uni Sydney.

Jane Hansen, Deputy Chancellor, Uni Melbourne. Hal Hill, economic policy, ANU.

Kevin McCann, director, United States Study Centre, Uni Sydney.

Peter McCluskey, ophthalmology, Uni Sydney. Peter McIntyre, medicine, Uni Sydney, Linley Martin, education, Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency.

John (Michael) Permezel, medical education, Uni Melbourne. John Piggott, population ageing research, UNSW.

Alison Ritter, drug and alcohol research, UNSW. Roy Robins-Browne, microbiology and immunology, Uni Melbourne.

Matthew Sanders, clinical psychology, Uni Queensland. Robert Simes, cancer research, Uni Sydney. Raymond Specht, botany, plant ecology. Uni Queensland. Geoffrey Stevens, chemical engineering, Uni Melbourne.

Brian Walker, wildlife and ecology, CSIRO. Rachel Webster, astrophysics, Uni Melbourne.

Jeffrey Zajac, endocrinology, Uni Melbourne.

Australia Day Hons: Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia A- K

John Abbott, Chancellor, CQU. Mohamad Abdalla, Islamic studies. Uni SA.

Joan Beaumont, war history, ANU. Warren Bebbington, education, Uni Melbourne. Geoffrey Boughton, engineering, James Cook U. John Boulton, paediatric medicine, Uni Newcastle. Stephen Bourke, archaeology, Uni Sydney. Frank Brennan, medical education, UNSW. David Briggs, medical education, UNE. Richard Broome, history, La Trobe U.

Anthony Cassimatis, law, Uni Queensland. Pierre Chapuis, colorectal surgery, Uni Sydney. John Clements, immunisation, Uni Melbourne. John Collins, breast cancer, Uni Melbourne. Marita Cowie, community health, James Cook U. Mary Crawford, women, QUT. Brendan Crotty, dean of health, Deakin U. Geoffrey Currie, nuclear medicine, Charles Sturt U.

Karen Day, science education, Uni Melbourne. Richard de Dear, built environment, Uni Sydney.  Gillian Duchesne, radiation oncology, Uni Melbourne.

Harriet Edquist, architectural history, RMIT.  Terence Evans, higher education and law, Uni SA.

Graham Faichney, animal nutrition, CSIRO. Mary Featherston, industrial design, RMIT. John Fitzgerald, Chinese studies, Swinburne U. George Fox, law, Uni Southern Queensland. Raelene Frances, dean of arts, ANU. Erica Frydenberg, psychology, Uni Melbourne.

Jeffrey Goldsworthy, legal history, Monash U. Sanghamitra Guha, medical education, Uni Adelaide. John Guttmann, mathematical sciences, Uni Melbourne.

Alison Inglis, education, Uni Melbourne.

Margaret Jolly, education, ANU.

Martin Krygier, legal education, UNSW.

Australia Day Hons: Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia, L – Y

Murray Lampard, WA community, Edith Cowan U.

Kathryn McClymont, journalism, Uni Sydney. Helen McLean, dentistry, Uni Adelaide. Lenore Manderson, medical anthropology, Monash U. Marjory Moodie, health economics, Deakin U. Marea Nicholson, education, Australian Catholic U.

Pauline Nugent, education, Australian Catholic U.

Peter Plummer, health education, Menzies School of Health Research.  Laura Poole-Warren, biomedical engineering, UNSW. Sharman Pretty, musical education, Uni Melbourne.

Staniforth Ricketson, legal education, Uni Melbourne. Peter Riddles, science, CSIRO.

Marion Saville, cervical screening Uni Melbourne. Cindy Shannon, Indigenous health, Uni Queensland. Robert Shepherd, biomedical research, Bionics Institute. Judith Smart, social research, RMIT. Vivian Sunderland, pharmacy, Curtin U.

Acram Momolook Taji, education, Rajabhat Universities Network Thailand. Peter Thorne, computer science education, (Uni Melbourne). Mathew Trinca, museums, National Museum of Australia. Kenneth Trotman, education, UNSW.

Lea Waters-Scholes, education, South Australian Medical Health Research Institute. Roderick Wells, education, Flinders U. Ann Westmore, medical history, Uni Melbourne.  Edward White, higher education, Uni Queensland. Tracy Whiting, museums, Art Gallery South Australia. Graeme Worboys, conservation, ANU.

Justin Yerbury, biological sciences, Uni Wollongong.

 

Australia Day Hons: Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia, A-L

Phillip Antippa thoracic surgery, Uni of Melbourne.

Rosanna Baini, Lebanese community, Victoria U. Patricia Burke, charitable organisations, Victoria U.

Donald Campbell, trauma medicine, Griffith U. Jahana Cedar, services to Indigenous community WA, Curtin U. Adele Chynoweth, public history, ANU. Jeffrey Cohen, community health, University of Notre Dame, Australia.  Joan Cribb, higher education, Uni Queensland.

Gionni Di Gravio, community history, Uni Newcastle. Jennifer Doubell, charitable organisations, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. Kerrie Anne Dougherty, astronautical history, International Space University. Peter Doukas, multiculturalism, Uni Sydney.

Diana Egerton-Warburton, emergency medicine, Monash U.  Nicholas Evans, neonatal medicine, Uni Sydney.

Cecily Freemantle, population health, Uni Melbourne.

Antony Graham, vascular surgery, UNSW.

Shane Huntington, science communicator, Uni Melbourne.

Gregory Keighery, conservation, WA Government. Deborah Kenna, National Cancer Institute.

Liang Joo Leow, medicine, UNSW. Matthew Luther, nursing, Australian Catholic U.

Australia Day Hons: Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia, M-W

Jennifer McMahon, education, Uni Tasmania. Dianne Joy McGrath, humanitarian programmes, Australian Catholic Uni, Ballarat. William Mitchell, service to the law, James Cook U. Dallah Moss, eye health, QUT. Elizabeth Mourik, education, Charles Sturt U.

Sandra Navalli, international education, Columbia University, NY USA. Meng Ngu, gastroenterology, Uni Sydney.

Catherine Marie-Claire Oelrichs, international community of Indonesia, Southern Cross U.

Stephen Papas, community, Uni Queensland. Maria Parappilly, science education, Flinders U. Craig Purdam, sports administration, Uni Canberra.

Christopher Quinn, plant systemics, James Cook U.

Kim Rooney, medicine, Uni Tasmania.

Sarva-Daman Singh, tertiary education, Institute of Asian Studies. John Stanisic, conservation Queensland Museum.

John Wettenhall, international community, Clifford Craig Foundation.  Robert Wildermuth, building and construction, Southern Cross U.  Peter Williams, community health, Uni Wollongong. Clare Wright, literature, La Trobe U.