NEWS RELEASE
May 10 2002
UniSA May
graduation highlights
This
week will be a landmark in the lives of more than 4,400 people who will
graduate from UniSA.
Graduation
ceremonies will be held at the Adelaide Festival Theatre over four days
from Monday May 13 to Thursday May 16.
Monday
May 13 2002
A
foot in front – UniSA graduates first PhD in podiatry in SA
The first Australian women to complete a PhD in
podiatry will graduate from UniSA on Monday.
Dr Sara Jones will join a select group of only two
other Australian PhD’s in podiatry.
Dr Jones is a lecturer at UniSA but has spent 12 years
dedicated to helping Indigenous communities maintain and advance foot
care, an issue of special importance in communities with high incidences
of diabetes.
Her thesis looks at the range of foot problems present
in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Adelaide and what
factors caused the foot problems to develop. The thesis has also informed
a series of education strategies for Aboriginal Health Workers and carers
to help prevent or reduce the risk of these foot problems recurring or
becoming worse in the future.
Diabetes in Indigenous communities occurs at rates
between two and three times higher that seen in the wider community.
Left untreated, diabetes related foot problems can result in
amputation of feet or legs due to complications of circulation and
sensation. Dr Jones research
was undertaken in close collaboration with the diabetes education staff of
Nunkuwarrin Yunti, where she has been working as a podiatrist.
Her research findings are already being applied practically - her
work has supported the development of an educational program and book,
which are being used every day in treating people with diabetes.
Sara Jones graduates on Monday May 13 2002 – she can
be contacted on 8302 2382 or by email on sara.jones@unisa.edu.au
Professor
Freda Briggs
will be named an Emeritus Professor of UniSA and feature as guest
speaker at the morning graduation (Biography available)
Tuesday
May 14 2002
Malaysian
nurses on diabetes tour
Three
students from Sarawak, Malaysia will be travelling to Adelaide to graduate
with Bachelors of Nursing (international). While they are here, they will
visit the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where they will take a special tour of
the North Western Adelaide Health Service’s new state-of the-art
Diabetes Education Centre. Two of the Malaysians have specialist knowledge
of diabetes, and will arrive in Adelaide from China, where they attended
the Western Pacific Region of the International Diabetes Federation
Conference.
Senior
nursing lecturer, Marie Heartfield, said the visit would be a good chance
for health professionals from Australia and Malaysia to exchange knowledge
about diabetes management. “It’s an exciting chance for cultural
exchange around a common public health problem,” she said.
The Malaysians arrive in Adelaide on Sunday, May 11, graduate on Wednesday
May 15, and leave on Thursday May 16. The media is welcome to attend the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Visit on Tuesday, May 14, from 9.30am – 12
noon. Please contact Marie Heartfield on 0438 099 883.
Ms
Dagmar Egan, former
Deputy Chancellor of UniSA will receive and honorary doctorate and
feature as guest speaker in the afternoon graduation ceremony (biog
available)
Wednesday
May 15 2002
Homestart
CEO makes graduation just another day at the office
Thursday
May 16 2002
Almost
80 and still exploring the secrets of medieval architecture
Colin Dudley, 79, will
graduate from UniSA on Thursday with a PhD in architecture history. Colin,
who was an aviation navigator in WWII and headed art and design at
Christchurch College (now Christchurch University College) in Canterbury,
England, says he decided to study for a PhD to pursue a life-long interest
in geometry and architecture. “As a navigator flying over Europe I was
using geometry all the time, and I’ve always been interested in
architecture, so the thesis was a chance to combine the two interests.”
Colin’s thesis, titled "By Crafft of Ewclyde" The Sacramental Geometry of
Peterborough Cathedral, proves for the first time that the
architecture of the medieval Peterborough Cathedral in England was based
upon Euclidean geometry that was passed down by architects through the
centuries.
Colin says that although others had an inkling that the cathedral
was based on Euclid’s geometry, no-one before him had managed to prove
it. “The subject has had quite a bad name because all sorts of
crackpots have tried it and come up with lots of crazy diagrams – I
think at first they [the priests at Peterborough] thought I was another
one.” Researching the thesis was very much a family affair, with
Colin’s wife Joy joining him for a field trip to Peterborough where she
helped take measurements, and both his son and daughter offering their
support in different ways. Colin Dudley is available for comment on 8278 6074
Professor
Eleanor Ramsay will receive an
honorary doctorate and feature as guest speaker in the afternoon
graduation (biog available)
Media contacts:
Charlotte Knottenbelt
(08) 8302 0578 or 0407 726 175
charlotte.knottenbelt@unisa.edu.au
Michèle Nardelli (08) 8302 0966 or 041 8823673
michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
