In Brief
Ralston’s lifetime honour
The past month brought our much awarded Laureate Professor and former South Australian of the Year, John Ralston, AO, just a little bit more success when he was honoured by the Clunies Ross Foundation with a lifetime achievement award.
One of Australia’s most honoured physical chemists, Prof Ralston said he was both personally delighted and thrilled that the award also reflected well on his colleagues at the Ian Wark Research Institute and UniSA.
The prestigious award recognises his long career in particle physics and colloid science as they apply to one of Australia’s most important industries, mining and minerals production, along with his research leadership and important role in forging a fruitful nexus between research and industry.
Prof Ralston said while there was no doubt that times were tough in the mining and minerals sector, the Australian industry had recovered from the doldrums before and would again.
"Our strength lies not just in our abundant resources, but the most integral resource of all - people," he said.
"The pool of talent that we have in this country is deep - from the upper levels of management, to visionary engineers and scientists, and people who are tremendous at applications.
"Through them transformational changes will take place. They will stand the industry in good stead in the future and it will be productive, well into the future, when my grandchildren will have retired."
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Høj said there were few other people who had made such a significant impact in both the research community and in supporting vast improvements and cost benefits across an industry sector.
"Laureate Professor Ralston combines the heart of a true researcher – the curiosity and drive to make important discoveries - and the head of a visionary. He is someone who can imagine the future and lead change," Professor Høj said.
Recession balancing act
UniSA’s Hawke Centre is hosting two topical seminars this month, the first focusing on work-life balance during a recession and the other on the effects of carbon trading on the world’s poor.
The first seminar, to be held on June 18 is Short term pain for long term gain: managing work life balance in a recession. It will be presented by Professor Linda Duxbury of the Sprott School of Business at Canada’s Carleton University. She will discuss the effects of organisations and governments that think work-life issues are of secondary importance to the recession.
Prof Duxbury will discuss the human and financial costs of this type of approach and will also make links between work-life balance and organisational success factors such as recruitment, retention and succession planning.
The second June seminar is part of Australia’s One Just World free seminar series on global poverty and development.
The forum, Carbon Trading Exposed: The impact on the world’s poor, will be held on June 25 with the aim of stimulating discussion and ideas and encouraging action.
For more details on both forums or to register visit Hawke Centre events.
Audio files of the forums will also be available on this website afterwards.
New career before the new year
UniSA’s Centre for Regional Engagement in Mount Gambier is opening up some of its programs for a midyear intake.
Professor Neil Otway, Director of the Centre for Regional Engagement said it’s an opportunity for ambitious potential students to fast track their studies.
"With a focus on hands-on experience and an inherent understanding of the needs of students living in regional areas, the Mount Gambier Centre for Regional Engagement offers world class education to the people of the South East and western Victoria," Prof Otway said.
"The Centre for Regional Engagement boasts state-of-the art technology in teaching, and smaller class sizes, enabling the students to form good networks with their peers and staff at the University."
Programs offered under the new midyear intake are the Bachelor of Social Work, Associate Degree in Accounting, Associate Degree in Business Ventures and the Bachelor of Business and Enterprise.
Doctorate for daring artist
Artist, curator, broadcast producer, television performer,
acclaimed photographer, writer, and lecturer - UniSA’s Brenda L.
Croft is a formidable talent. And those broad talents and her long
standing contribution to the development of Indigenous art and
culture and the representation of Aboriginal perspectives in the
Australian art landscape were acknowledged last month in a
significant way.
Croft (pictured) was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sydney (Sydney College of the Arts) where she also gave the occasional address at graduations.
Born in Perth, Croft is originally of the Gurindji/Mudpurra peoples from the Northern Territory. She began her university studies at the Sydney College of Arts in 1985 but was quickly exhibiting her photography, mixed media installations and performance pieces. She was a founding member of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative in Sydney and later it’s General Manager. Croft received a Master of Art Administration from the University of NSW (College of Fine Arts) in 1995 and a UNSW Alumni Award in 2001. From 1999 – 2009 she worked in public galleries as a senior curator of Indigenous art at state and federal levels. She has also exhibited in major galleries and exhibitions in Australia and internationally and today her work is held in the National Gallery in Canberra, among others.
In a letter of congratulations from the Premier of NSW, Nathan Rees, Croft was acknowledged for making "visible the art of Indigenous Australia in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America".
"Brenda illuminates; she makes her subjects vivid, and somehow universal. She brings home to other eyes the Aboriginal experience, in its beauty, division, torment and ever-defiant magic, and makes plain and accessible what it is to be a people colonised, and yet unbroken," Rees said.
He said for energy, daring and entrepreneurial shrewdness, in recent Australian history, she has no equal.
China communications deal
UniSA’s
reputation as an international institution received a major boost on
April 29, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with
China’s largest communications university.
Founded in 1954, the Communication University of China (CUC) is devoted to the cultivation of high-level talent and scientific research in the fields of radio, television, film, network, publication and new media.
Under the new agreement, both CUC and UniSA are exploring the possibility of student exchanges; a potential doctorate program with shared course units; and media internships in Australia for Chinese students.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Pro Vice Chancellor of the Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, Professor Pal Ahluwalia said the agreement marked a new chapter of international cooperation for UniSA.
"Here at UniSA we’re keen to forge links with our esteemed counterparts in China and this memorandum represents an exciting new era for our media and communications students and researchers," he said.
Support for powerful peddlers
UniSA
has just signed on as a lead sponsor for one of South Australia’s
most popular school activities, the Australian HPV (Human Powered
Vehicle) Super Series.
Known to many South Australians as the Pedal Prix, the annual series of events is designed to develop competitors’ teamwork, technological and engineering skills, enterprise and fitness and health.
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Høj says the HPV Super Series is a perfect fit for the University.
"The Super Series encapsulates so many of
UniSA’s core values around education, the development of sustainable
communities, healthy lifestyles, communication and teamwork, and
research and innovation," Prof Høj says.
The UniSA Australian HPV Super Series involves more than 500 teams and draws up to 35,000 spectators to the Murray Bridge 24-hour endurance race in September.