Director of the Australian Synchrotron, Andrew Peele, and RMIT research fellow, Victor Del Rio are on a panel of six scientists to advise on the development of a synchrotron in Mexico, which will have an, “order of magnitude in power improvements.”
Greg Craven will continue as vice chancellor of the Australian Catholic University until 2022. Professor Craven became VC in 2008, joining from the University of Notre Dame.
Veteran Fairfax (remember Fairfax?) politics journalist Mark Kenny is joining ANU where he will be senior fellow at the Australia Studies Institute.
Brian Castro (University of Adelaide) has won the poetry prize in the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. John Edwards (Curtin U, adjunct professor) won the history category for the first volume of his John Curtin’s War.
Geordie Williamson from the University of Sydney is the Australian Mathematical Society medalist. Peter Taylor from the University of Melbourne receives the George Szekeres Medal for research. The Gavin Brown best paper prize goes to Nicholas Beaton, Jan de Gier, Anthony Guttmann ( Uni of Melbourne), Mireille Bousquet-Melou (Uni Bourdeaux) and Hugo Duminil-Copin (University of Geneva).
Maree O’Keefe, Uni Adelaide, health and medical sciences, is the (UK based) Higher Education Academy’s 1000th principal fellow. Principal fellows have, “wide-ranging academic or academic-related strategic leadership responsibilities in connection with key aspects of teaching and supporting learning.”
The University of Newcastle has announced its 2018 staff awards. The major category winners are: Teaching excellence, Denise Higgins (Health and Medicine). Professional staff, Jodie Herden, Lyniece Keogh, Paris Knox, Kathryn Sutherland (all Health and Medicine). Early career researchers, Elise Kalokeronis (Science), Jordan Smith (Education and Arts). Research supervisor, Anna Giacomini (Engineering and Built Environment).
La Trobe U’s (many) staff awards are also released. Winners in some of the notable categories are: VC awards for teaching excellence, Brian Grills (pathophysiology curriculum) and Professional writing team – Catherine Padmore, Hester Joyce, and Tonya Stebbins. Research excellence, Josephine Barbaro from the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre and the 15 member Rural Medical Model Training Team. VC award for living La Trobe’s cultural qualities, Antonia Lamanna.
Awards season rolls on, with Macquarie University announcing the vice chancellor’s Learning and Teaching awards. Major hons go to; Teaching Excellence, Penny Van Bergen (Human Sciences), Enhance Learning, Human Anatomy Program – Goran Strkalj, Anneliese Hulme, Richard Appleyard, Mirjana Strkalj and Michael Rampe. Excel Skills for Business – Yvonne Breyer, Nicole Bull, Phil Goody, Prashan Karunaratne, Tim Keighley and Nathan Sollars.