The Innovative Research Universities has answers to improve undergraduate completion
A space agency of our own: we could call it NASA
Medical research award winners: the best and brightest (mainly) blokes
The kids are alright: top ANZ unis under 50
Open Day of the Day
“Make liquid nitrogen icecream, handle live snakes, learn about hacking, ransomware and more at our Open Day,” Edith Cowan U promises, via Twitter, yesterday. So what more could there possibly be? Well, “renowned hypnotist and comedian, Matthew Hale is here to help you focus your mind (and make you laugh)” in his “how to have a great career by choice not chance.” And the career mindreader is back (an ECG that records brain stimulation as you consider courses). There is no talk of anybody using brain waves to bend spoons
Faster and more frequent finishers
Fears of attrition are over-blown but there is more, much more, universities can do to measure and maximise student completion, peak body IRU argues
The Innovative Research Universities group acknowledges providers can do more to assist students in its response to the Higher Education Standards Panel’s (CMM June 14) discussion paper on improving undergraduate completion. “The reported ‘crisis of attrition’ is an exaggerated response, yet there is more the sector can and should do to support students to complete their studies,” the IRU asserts, in a discussion paper released yesterday.
However, the group resolutely rejects HESPs proposal for a demographically based ‘prediction calendar’ to provide prospective students with a guide to how long completing a course takes. “The provision of this kind of predictive score comes with a significant risk of perpetuating community stereotypes about success and will undo the work of the sector to raise aspirations for tertiary education.”
But IRU does endorse developing metrics that “provide more accurate information of performance in supporting student success.” And it calls for career-long professional development for academics to; “support the development of curricula that is authentic to the discipline whilst also supporting students to develop the academic skills, agency and employability capabilities that will improve completions and success.”
The group also advocates an all-resources website to help students “make informed decisions about their studies.”
Cold cash for Antarctic knowledge
UNSW Scientia Professor Matthew England has received the 2017 Tinker-Muse Prize
The $100 000 award from the Tinker Foundation goes to Professor England for his “profound insights into the influence of the Southern Ocean on the continent.” The US based Tinker Foundation funds the award in honour of its long-time president, Martha Muse who recognised the importance of Antarctica.
NASA would be a good name
The government wants to send Australian space industry to the stars
Before the budget Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Arthur Sinodinos said he was interested in the case for a space agency (CMM April 10). Now he has appointed former CSIRO chief Megan Clark to lead a panel to tell him all about it, with a review of space industry capabilities. The panel is charged with reporting on technologies and products that can build market share for niche products and “the most effective institutional arrangements to support the strategic direction of Australia’s space industry.”
The could call for a new body and call it the National Australian Space Agency.
Ms Clark is joined by Russell Boyce (chair of space engineering UNSW, Canberra), Michael Davis (chair, space industry association), David Williams (group executive, CSIRO astronomy and space science), Stuart Minchin (chief, environmental geoscience, Geoscience Australia), Steven Freeland (dean and professor space law, Western Sydney U), Anna Moore (director, ANU Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre), Jason Held (director, Saber Astronautics) and Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO Fleet Space Technologies.
It caps a big week for staff stuff. On Tuesday Senator Sinodinos signed an agreement giving Australia astronomers access to the European Southern Observatory in Chile.
And on Wednesday Australian Research Council CEO Sue Thomas launched the snappily titled $33m Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics in Three Dimension, at ANU.
Al honoured
The University of Melbourne awarded Al Gore an honorary doctorate last night
The former US vice president received a doctor of laws “in recognition of his efforts to recognise and tackle man-made global warming.
Made their day
The QS ranking of the top 150 universities under half a century old is out
UTS leads the Australian and New Zealand entries at eight, followed by the University of Wollongong (17), QUT and RMIT (equal 18th). Curtin U follows at 22, ahead of the University of South Australia at 26, Deakin U at 29, Griffith U at 32 and James Cook U at 43. As the Australian Technology Network noted, its members make up five of the first Australian six.
The second 50 (grouped by decades) includes Swinburne U (51-60), Bond U (51-60), Auckland University of Technology ( 61-70), Murdoch U (71-80), Uni Canberra (81-90), Western Sydney U (81-90), CQU (81-90).
The final 50 are presented as one group. They include Charles Darwin U, Edith Cowan U, Australian Catholic U and Southern Cross U.
The list extracts qualifying universities from the overall QS ranking, scoring them on a survey of academic and employer opinion, citation of research publications and rations of staff to student and international faculty and students.
Boys night out
The National Health and Medical Research Council has announced all the winners of its annual awards (below). Some 16 men are honoured compared to six women (ANU’s Carola Vinuesa was named twice).
Top ranked applicants
Rising Star Award: for the top-ranked application by an Indigenous researcher in the Early Career Fellowship scheme, James Ward, Finders U
Gustav Nossal Award: to the highest ranked applicant for a scholarship in medical/dental research, Joshua Osowicki, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Marshall and Warren Award: for the most highly innovative “and potentially transformative” Project Grant application, David Evans, University of Queensland
Project Grant Award: for the highest ranked applicant, Carola Vinuesa, ANU
Programme Grant: for the highest ranked applicant, Scott O’Neill, Monash U
Development Grant: for the highest ranked applicant, Chris Williams, Bionic Institute
Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowships
Biomedical: Carola Vinuesa, ANU
Clinical: Phyllis Butow, University of Sydney
Public health: Rebecca Guy, UNSW
Fellowship Awards
Practitioner Fellowship: David Paterson, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Research Fellowship: Alan Cowman, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Frank Fenner Early Career Fellowship: Larisa Labzin, University of Queensland
Career Development Fellowships
Biomedical CDF level one: Willem (Joost) Lesterhuis, University of Western Australia
Biomedical CDF level two: Stuart Brierley, Flinders U
Clinical CDF level one : Julian Elliott, Monash U
Clinical CDF level two: Kiarash Khosrotehrani, University of Queensland
Industry CDF level one: Dominic Hare, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Health
Industry CDF level two: Julie Brown, Neuroscience Research Australia
Population Health CDF level one: Michael Livingston, LaTrobe University
Population Health CDF level two: Andrew Steer, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Biennial Awards
Ethics Award: Nikolajs Zeps, Epworth Hospital
Outstanding Contribution Award, Jane Hall, UTS
Science to art award: Joshua Shing Shun Li, University of Queensland
Heads UP
appointment news of the week
Subra Suresh will be the fourth president of Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, Professor Suresh is now president of Carnegie Mellon U, where he has served four years. He is a previous president of the US National Science Foundation, appointed by President Obama in 2010. He takes over at NTU in January.
ANU is recruiting a chief financial officer. The position is in the portfolio of the highly- regarded chief operating officer Chris Grange.
David Pitt is leaving Monash. VC Margaret Gardner announced yesterday the university’s CFO “has decided to depart in search of new challenges.” The VC is effusive about Mr Pitt’s achievements over 12 years, including the recent $218m green bond issue. Mr Pitt stops work in December.