In brief
BHERT applauds water education partnership
It might be a long way to the Yellow River in China, but Australian know-how
is preparing a new generation of Chinese specialists to tackle the problems
of water scarcity, water allocation and environmental degradation in one of
China’s most significant waterways.
In a unique Australian education program the University of South Australia (UniSA) in collaboration with the International Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Management (ICE WaRM) has been providing specialist education to a group of 18 future leaders of China’s Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC).
UniSA delivered its first program to a YRCC cohort in 2004 and this year its hosted a second cohort in an especially expanded program developed with ICE WaRM.
The group graduated from the program this month and at the same time, ICE WaRM and its partners were acknowledged by the Business/Higher Education Round Table with the 2007 Award for Outstanding International Collaboration in Education.
The ICE WaRM partnership brings together academic and applied expertise in key areas from its founding partners UniSA, Flinders, Adelaide and Deakin Universities and the University of Central Queensland and is now Australia’s leading water resources education, training and research organisation.
UniSA Professor Simon Beecham from the SA Water Centre for Water Management and Reuse says the success of the 47-week program has ensured more groups from the YRCC will take up educational opportunities in SA.
“This has been a very fruitful collaboration between two nations facing the sharp end of water management in a 21st century world that is increasingly impacted by climate change,” Prof Beecham says.
“The program brings together all the right elements from English language education, through to the technical and business aspects of water resource management.
“It is a fine example of how academic collaboration can deliver invaluable outcomes at an international level. Australia’s geographical history has been one in which water management is a core issue and for that reason we have developed strong skills in this field.
Professor Beecham says the BHERT award serves to acknowledge the success and importance of the ICE WaRM, YRCC collaboration.
The BHERT Awards also saw an honourable mention given to UniSA’s School of Communications under the category of Best Education and Training Collaboration for its collaboration with TAFE SA and the World Police and Fire Games 2007 to organise student journalists to cover the games.
Title changes reflect Uni’s core activities
Professor Caroline McMillen |
The importance the University of South Australia places on research and teaching and learning is being reflected in a symbolic way, with a change of title for two of the University’s senior managers.
Professor Caroline McMillen’s title has been changed to Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President: Research and Innovation.
And Professor Peter Lee’s title changes to Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President: Academic.
Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Høj said the change better reflects the importance the University assigns to those two core areas of university function.
“In the current and rapidly evolving higher education environment, there is a question of whether use of the titles Pro Vice Chancellor: Academic and Pro Vice Chancellor: Research adequately reflects that importance,” Prof Høj said.
Professor Peter Lee |
“This question is of importance for UniSA as we aspire to improve our performance in these key corporate priority areas.”
The change brings UniSA into line with the majority of Australian universities.
“For all intents and purposes the operation of these two portfolios will remain the same.” Prof Høj said. “There are simply strong evidential and visual reasons why it is appropriate to change the titles, and above all, the decision is closely linked with the type of university we aspire to be and be seen to be.”
Dr
Basil Hetzel wins prestigious international award
The King of Thailand will present former UniSA Chancellor, Dr Basil Hetzel AC with the 2007 Prince Mahidol Prize at a ceremony on January 30.
Named in honour of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol, the “father of modern medicine and public health” in Thailand who died in 1929 at the age of 37, the award recognises Dr Hetzel’s contribution to international public health.
Dr Hetzel's pioneering work in addressing intellectual disability and deformity resulting from iodine deficiency began in 1964 in Papua New Guinea.
In collaboration with the PNG Public Health Department, Dr Hetzel’s team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital showed that cretinism, a severe form of brain damage, could be prevented by the injection of iodized oil before pregnancy.
Subsequently at the CSIRO Division of Human Nutrition (1976-1985) his team demonstrated the profound effects of iodine deficiency on foetal brain development in animal studies.
Iodine deficiency is now recognised by WHO as the most common preventable cause of brain damage in the world today. There is an at risk population in excess of 2 billion from 130 countries.
In 1985 Dr Hetzel played the key role in establishing and then leading the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD), which is now a multidisciplinary global network of 700 professionals from more than 100 countries working with WHO and UNICEF.
The ICCIDD with WHO and UNICEF has played a leading role in a global program of prevention, dating from the World Summit for Children in 1990.
In 1999 an assessment by an ICCIDD/WHO/UNICEF team found that 68 per cent of households worldwide were consuming iodized salt, compared with only 20 per cent before 1990.
Recent research in Australia has identified significant iodine deficiency in school children and in pregnant women. This indicates the need for greater use of already available iodized salt.