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Medalling in media
UniSport Nationals start tomorrow, in Perth– 5000 people, 26 sports – ample bragging opportunities for corporate PRs. So, how will universities that are strong in sports science do? Morning Deakin U (world number one in the 2022 Shanghai ranking), Uni Queensland (seventh) and Victoria U (ninth).
There’s more in the Mail
In Features this morning
The Australian Collaborative Education Network Board on sharing good practise in work integrated learning. This week’s selection by Commissioning Editor Sally Kift for her celebrated series, Needed now in learning and teaching.
And on Monday
Virginia Barbour (Open Access Australasia) in Expert Opinion, on the NHMRC’s big open access move.
plus in Features, John Byron reviews Brett Mason’s new book on Florey and Oliphant. “These scientists are hardly unsung, but it is a marvel that this particular take on the pair is not already a staple of the Australian mythos. It’s also fortunate, in a way, because in Mason this yarn has found its ideal troubadour.”
Impact with numbers
Union members at Uni Newcastle, Uni Queensland and UTS were out Wednesday, striking over pay and condition issues in enterprise bargaining, separately underway at all.
Across the ditch Tertiary Education Union members agreed to a strike ballot for all eight NZ universities.
Performance funding for teacher education
The government wants ways to make providers improve
Education Minister Jason Clare chose yesterday’s national public holiday to release full membership and terms of reference for a panel to develop a “quality measure for initial teacher education courses.”
It’s in response to a recommendation of the unfortunately acronymed Quality Initial Teacher Education Review.
As previously announced by the last government and this (CMM February 25, August 15) Uni Sydney VC Mark Scott will chair the panel.
Members are: Jenny Donovan (Australian Education Research Organisation), Bill Loudon (UWA), Andrew Peach (former Queensland high school principal) Michele Simons (Western Sydney U and president, Australian Council of Deans of Education) and Rebecca West (deputy primary principal, Queensland).
what it will do: Terms of reference include
* “improve the quality of practical experience in teaching”
* “improve postgraduate initial teacher education for mid-career entrants”
plus two recommendations from QITER to,
* amend accreditation of programmes, “with particular attention to teaching reading, literacy and numeracy, classroom management, cultural responsiveness, teaching students with diverse needs and working with families/carers”
* “strengthen the link between performance and funding” with a quality measure of, increasing ITE student completion rates and increasing under-represented groups in teaching degrees, including First Nations peoples
what’s next: The Scott panel will consult with state and Commonwealth officials on the Teacher Workforce Action Plan Working Group, which is charged with addressing the teacher shortage and is due to report in December.
Professor Scott and colleagues’ recommendations are due June 30 next.
Peak body with skin in the game backs NHMRC on open access
The Council of Australian University Librarians adds to the not-many endorsements of NHMRC’s new Open Access policy
The National Health and Medical Research Council has announced that papers based on research it funds from now must be open access from publication date (CMM September 20).
This is a big deal indeed – bringing a major Australian agency into line with the European OA commitment and extending on President Biden’s new policy for federally funded research in the US.
The NHMRC’s policy, “represents a significant advance in making publicly funded research outputs openly available immediately upon publication,” CAUL states.
The council has skin in this game – negotiating deals between its members and publishers large and small that link open access and pay to publish to subscription fees (umpteen CMM stories, for example November 23 2021).
Husic ups the pace on quantum computing
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic announces a quantum advisory committee to deliver a strategy to government by year end
Chaired by Chief Scientist Cathy Foley, it will be “an integral part of the push to coordinate Australia’s quantum capability across research, industry and government.”
It’s a quantum continuum for Dr Foley, who was appointed by the previous government to develop a “quantum eco-system strategy” a year back (CMM November 18 2021).
Mr Husic has previously cited quantum computing as one of three critical technologies for funding support (with AI and robotics) and quotes CSIRO estimates that quantum computing technologies can generate $4bn in economic growth and 16,000 new jobs in 20 years (CMM June 6 and 24).
Dr Foley’s committee is
Michael Biercuk (Uni Sydney), Clare Birch, (venture investor Blackbird), Simon Devitt (UTS), Bronwyn Fox (CSIRO), Lloyd Hollenberg (Uni Melbourne), Andre Luiten (Uni Adelaide), Tanya Monro (Chief Defence Scientist), Ed Santow (UTS) Vikram Sharma (Quintessence Labs) Michelle Simmons (UNSW), Mark Stickells (Pawsey Supercomputing Centre), Peter Turner ( Sydney Quantum Academy) Jennifer Westacott (Business Council of Australia) Andrew White (Uni Queensland)
When MOUs will do
Curtin U and Uni Aberdeen have welcomed Calgary U into their “strategic alliance.”
The triple entente of universities in “energy cities” will “develop innovative solutions to global energy transition, climate change and sustainability challenges.” As to how, there are mentions of “student mobility” and research collaboration.
The three signed an agreement at a conference in Spain this week.
Monash U also has a new agreement, with Penn (as in sylvania) State, “to strengthen our partnerships.” The pair do student exchange and there is a research collaboration fund, although nothing seems to have happened during COVID
Appointments, achievements
of the day
Chennupati Jagadish (ANU and Australian Academy of Science) is elected an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Monash U DVC Global Engagement Abid Khan is moving to Australian Catholic U to become DVC Research and Enterprise. He starts November 7.
Dennis Petrie (Monash U) win the Australian Health Economics Society’s Policy Impact Prize.
Tim Soutphommasane is leaving Uni Sydney where he is Director, Culture Strategy to become inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at Uni Oxford.
The Commonwealth’s Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce includes, Rae Cooper (Uni Sydney), Jenny Macklin (VC Fellow, Uni Melbourne), Jennifer Westacott (CEO Business Council of Australia and in-coming chancellor of Western Sydney U) and Danielle Wood (Grattan Institute). Sam Mostyn (Chief Executive Women) is chair.
of the week
Philip Boyd (Uni Tasmania) and Wenju Cai (CSIRO) are named 2022 Fellows of the American Geophysical Union.
Australian Awarded University Teachers Network 2022 programme awards committee is, Mark Brimble (Griffith U) Graham Brown (Charles Sturt U), Abby Cathcart (QUT), Nicolette Lee (La Trobe U) David Sadler – chair (UWA).
Ian Burnett is incoming DVC STEM at RMIT, starting January. He will move from dean of engineering at UTS.
Melissa Edwards (UTS) is the Australian Business Deans Council inaugural Climate Action Fellow. She will “coordinate (member business schools) actions nationally and liaise with industry, the not-for-profit sector and government.”
Leah Heiss (Monash U) wins the 2022 Australian Women in Design Award.
The International Pharmaceutical Federation announces Betty Exintaris (Monash U) receives its award for pharmaceutical education. Carl R Schneider (Uni Sydney) becomes a Fellow.
Andrew Lawrence (Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health) is named VP of the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism.
National Health and Medical Research Council Partnership awards were in CMM Monday, HERE .
Women in Technology awards were in CMM Monday, HERE