Issue 15. 4 October 2010.pdf - UWA Staff - The University of Western ...

UWA NEWS
4 OCTOBER 2010 Volume 29 Number 15
Searching for a solution to hot spot threat
PHOTO: The Fitzgerald River area is devastated by Phytophthora dieback
by Lindy Brophy
Visitors to the South West will be
familiar with big expanses of dead
and dying trees and shrubs.
Most of us probably put this down to
lack of rain or perhaps bushfire but it is
actually a soil-borne pathogen,
Phytophthora cinnamomi (Phytophthora
dieback) which affects 40 per cent of
the native plant species in the South
West of Western Australia.
It is the single biggest threat to one of the
world’s 34 International Biodiversity Hot
Spots – the only hot spot in Australia.
For many years, government and
industry programs have successfully
used the fungicide phosphite to reduce
the spread and impact of Phytophthora
dieback, but it has its own potential
problems. A group in the School of Plant
Biology is working to understand how
phosphite works, in the search for an
alternative treatment.
Research Assistant Professor Stuart
Pearse and Research Associates Dr
Ricarda Jost and Dr Xuanli Ma are
members of a larger group of
researchers at UWA and Murdoch
University which has an ARC Linkage
Grant with industry partners to study
Phytophthora dieback, the effects of
phosphite treatment and the sensitivity
of native plants to phosphorus.
“While phosphite is currently the best
tool for managing the impact of
Phytophthora dieback in native plant
communities in WA, we think that
applications of phosphite may
inadvertently be disrupting the natural
balance of phosphorus in the soil,” said
A/Professor Pearse.
“Our natural environment is particularly
sensitive to phosphorus. Long-term use
of phosphite could have a potential
fertilisation effect by increasing the
phosphorus in our extremely lowphosphorus
ecosystems. This could
promote invasion by weeds and other
plant species that would otherwise not
do well in the ecosystem,” he said.
“It could also be impacting negatively on
phosphorus-sensitive species. Further
experimentation is required to determine if
phosphite is having any negative impacts
in native plant ecosystems in WA.”
A/Professor Pearse said Phytophthora
dieback affected nearly 2,300 of the
5,710 native plant species in the
continued on page 2
In this issue P3 ASTRONAUT INSPIRES STUDENTS P4 Climate Change QUESTIONS? Real Science Answers

Searching for a solution to hot spot threat
from page 1
South-West botanical province of WA. Its severe disruption of
plant community structure causes decline in species richness
and abundance, degradation of habitats for animals and changes
to ecosystem function and health, making it the most significant
threat to landscapes and biodiversity in south-western Australia.
“Its impact has been likened to a biological bulldozer and some
botanists have indicated its impact on biodiversity is similar to
the last ice-age!” he said.
Phytophthora dieback was recognised in the Environmental
Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999 as a major threat to
Australia’s biodiversity.
Despite that, the Plant Biology group received only 27 per cent
of the ARC funding it requested for this project. The importance
of this research is demonstrated by the number of enthusiastic
industry partners: ALCOA of Australia Ltd, Tiwest, BHP Billiton
Worsley Alumina, Western Power and BHP Billiton SSM.
The project is also supported by the Minerals and Energy
Research Institute of Western Australia, the Department of
Environment and Conservation (DEC) as well as UWA and
Murdoch University. DEC sprays phosphite aerially over
selected biodiversity-rich sites in the Stirling Range National
Park, the Fitzgerald River National Park and other areas of the
south coast to control and prevent the impact and spread of
Phytophthora dieback.
“Plants die quite quickly from Phytophthora dieback,”
Dr Ricarda Jost said. “Banksias, native grass trees and other
highly susceptible ‘indicator’ species tend to die first.
“We hope that, by understanding how phosphite works, we will
be able to substitute it with something else that doesn’t have
phosphorus in it, or at least manage the application of
phosphite better, perhaps being able to reduce the quantities
used,” she said.
Stuart Pearse and Ricarda Jost do a lot of their work
in the greenhouse
Succulent response to drought
It started with a dragon tree.
“We’ve wanted to put one of these in on
the campus for a long time,” said
Grounds Supervisor Jamie Coopes.
“They are a great feature tree.”
From it grew the stunning new succulent
garden on the east side of the Willsmore
and Tattersall lecture theatres.
The UniGrounds staff sourced low-water
species from around the Crawley
campus, from nearby properties owned
by the University and from the taxonomic
garden.
There are already more than a dozen
different species in the new garden and
more will go in over the next few months.
Jamie said that the tree aloes would
grow to cover the east-facing wall in 10
to 15 years. “This is a long-term garden,”
he said. “We’re really pleased with it and
we hope that staff and students will see
how good a low-water garden can be
and do the same at home.”
He said the site was very hot in summer
which made it difficult and wasteful to
keep a water-hungry garden thriving.
“We planted this garden two months ago
and haven’t had to water it yet.”
Next year the different varieties of aloes
will flower in red, orange and yellow,
making it even more spectacular.
Jamie Coopes in the new garden
2
UWA NEWS 4 October 2010
The University of Western Australia

Astronaut inspires students
Andy Thomas with a captive audience in the Octagon
Photo by Paul Ricketts, Centre for Learning Technology
Space will become militarised; humans may never
colonise other planets; and Australia should have its own
space program.
These are some of the thoughts that Australia’s only astronaut,
Andy Thomas, left with UWA’s Fogarty Scholars during his
two-day visit to Perth last month.
His visit was initiated by the Fogarty Foundation, a philanthropic
and education foundation which engages leaders in their fields
to speak about their achievements and their passions and
encourages others to take leading roles in the community.
Dr Thomas spoke to more than a thousand students and their
teachers at events co-ordinated with UWA, Curtin University of
Technology, the International Centre for Radio Astronomy
Research (ICRAR), Curtin University, Scitech, Aspire UWA, the
UWA/WA Department of Education teachers’ enrichment
program (SPICE) and the US Consul General.
His most intimate chat was an hour with 40 Fogarty Scholarship
winners who asked him about the value of postgraduate study,
how the passion for the US space program could be reignited
and what he did in his spare time on the Space Shuttle.
“I loved postgraduate study,” he told them “I encourage
anybody who has the opportunity to go for it. To be rid of the
structures of undergraduate study and, for the only time in your
life, to be able to focus on just one thing is a real privilege.”
Dr Thomas did his PhD in mechanical engineering at the
University of Adelaide, where he became close friends with
former UWA lecturer Dr Michael Norton.
Dr Norton arranged Dr Thomas’ first visit to UWA in 1996 and
gave him the tiny silk UWA flag which the astronaut took into
space with him, and which is now displayed at the UWA
Visitors Centre.
He said interest in the US space program had dwindled
because the education system had failed to ascribe value to it.
“The wider community just doesn’t see the value of it,”
Dr Thomas said.
He said that space would definitely become militarised.
“There are no two ways about it. It gives you great strategic
benefit. That’s why Australia should get its own space program.
Satellites are the best way to ensure national security, to protect
Australia’s vast shoreline, to give access to information for
environmental studies and so much more.”
Dr Thomas said he could not see humans getting any further
than Mars. “It may be that it is just not physically possible to go
any further. We don’t even know the technology that might be
needed.
“We have got to take care of the Earth. It’s irresponsible for
people to say that we will eventually go somewhere else to live.”
During Space Shuttle flights, Dr Thomas listened to Beethoven,
Bach and the Beatles. “While we keep to Greenwich Mean
Time, we actually experience 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24
hours,” he told the students. “When Paul McCartney heard that
I’d played Here Comes the Sun on the shuttle, he invited me
onto the stage at one of his concerts.”
Dr Thomas has flown four space flights, including a longduration
flight with Russian cosmonauts on the Russian Space
Station Mir for 130 days.
“That was the best flight because it was long and the pace
slows and your can savour the experience,” he said. “I also
enjoyed the intellectual challenge of learning Russian.”
He told the students not to rely on chance, not to wait for a
good opportunity to come along. “Make it happen. Be
tenacious. Find out what needs to be done to achieve your goal
and do it. You will be amazed at what doors will be unlocked.”
The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 4 October 2010 3

Celebrating
21 years
of our
School of
Indigenous
Studies
Our School of Indigenous Studies
celebrated 21 highly successful years
last week – a milestone that could not
have been reached without the
dedication and intellectual zeal of the
School’s former and present staff and
students.
This School plays a vital role in our
University, providing Indigenous
leadership, a visible and vibrant
Indigenous community on campus, and
an accessible entry point for Indigenous
students and communities.
Certainly, within our University,
Indigenous education is integral to our
activities. In fact, Indigenous knowledge
is one of the six priority areas for our
research. The principle that guides our
activities is the respect of Indigenous
people and their culture.
We are particularly proud of our strong
track record in graduating Indigenous
students from professional degrees such
as Law, Medicine and Engineering – a
record only possible through the
fantastic efforts of the School’s staff and
students.
Led by Winthrop Professor Jill Milroy, the
School has established strong and
extensive links to establish effective
pathways for Indigenous students from
secondary school to University. The
School also has a strong publication
record, particularly in Indigenous
knowledge and oral history.
Alan Robson
Vice-Chancellor
Some years ago there was a special
edition of the highly respected medical
journal The Lancet focusing on
Indigenous health research. The front
cover of that special edition was blank
but for a single paragraph from an
editorial which read:
“The most urgent call of all is to
remove the cloak of invisibility from the
shoulders of Indigenous peoples… to
protect and strengthen their essential,
foundational place in human society.”
Given this – and the fact that tertiary
education is recognised as ‘a critical
pillar of human development
worldwide’, the important role of
universities in engaging with
Indigenous issues becomes clear.
Universities play a significant
leadership role within our communities
and it is from research and scholarship
that we can continue to work towards
changing society, creating a future
where all people are equal and where
we celebrate rich cultural differences.
Our role, as educators in general, is
now more critical than ever in the
construction of civil societies which
understand and respect all cultures
– particularly Indigenous cultures.
There is no doubt that by exploring
and acknowledging our shared
heritage, and by coming to
understand and respect cultural
differences we can make our
community and our society a better
place in which to live.
Forget
the
debate...
The current “debate” about whether
the climate is changing seems to be
a uniquely Australian phenomenon.
“There IS no debate about the
fundamentals in Europe,” said Professor
Stephan Lewandowsky. “They are just
getting on with reducing their carbon
emissions. Debate is completely
unnecessary in light of the overwhelming
scientific evidence.”
But in Australia, people are still arguing
whether sea levels are rising, whether
human beings and their activities are to
blame for global warming, whether we
should have carbon credits.
Professor Lewandowsky (a cognitive
scientist) and two UWA colleagues,
Professor Malcolm McCullough
(Premier’s Research Fellow in the
Oceans Institute and Fellow of the Royal
Society) and mathematician Professor
Kevin Judd, formed a group dedicated
to exploring and communicating climate
science.
In less than 12 months, the group has
grown to include about 40 UWA
academics and others from the Bureau
of Meteorology and CSIRO.
“The purpose of this group is to provide
real science information and reach out to
the community,” Professor
Lewandowsky said.
His involvement began as a cognitive
scientist with his investigations into
scepticism. “I started looking at the
climate change literature and discovered a
huge discrepancy between what the
literature said and the often misleading
and false statements made by some in the
media and politics, and realised that it was
important that we counter that,” he said.
“We are not a research group, even
though most of us are doing research
associated with climate change. We just
want to communicate real scientific
answers to climate questions, to dispel the
unfounded scepticism that is encouraged
by a small sector in the community which
4
UWA NEWS 4 October 2010
The University of Western Australia

... it’s
time for
action
usually has vested interests in keeping
the energy status quo.”
With funding from the Vice-Chancellor
Professor Alan Robson, Pro Vice-
Chancellor Professor Alistar Robertson,
the Science faculties, the Engineering
faculty, and the School of Psychology,
the group has hosted two big public
events, in December and June.
They have a fortnightly spot on radio
RTR-FM 92.1 on which Professor Judd
or Professor Lewandowsky essentially
deliver a three-minute lecture on an
aspect of climate change.
The lecture is then posted on a science
blog run by a UQ physics graduate,
www.skepticalscience.com
“This blog had 400,000 hits in March,
from people who spent long enough to
look at three pages,” Professor
Lewandowsky said. “The blogger, John
Cook, is co-ordinating the contents of
his site closely with scientists around
Australia and the world.”
All members of the group contribute to
public debate about science. Professor
Lewandowsky has repeatedly written
about climate change on the ABC’s
website The Drum, and Professor
McCulloch gives public lectures as part
of his Premier’s Fellowship. Professor
Judd has been interviewed on ABC radio
and met with politicians in Canberra. WA
Chief Scientist Professor Lyn Beazley
supports the group and chaired one of
the public meetings.
“Our group is still building but we are
getting the message out there,” he said.
“We welcome scientific input from
anybody else who wants to get
involved.”
“Two independent peer-reviewed papers
have recently established that 97 per
cent of all active climate scientists agree
that we cause climate change. It’s time
we stopped talking and started doing
something about it.
“The real problem is not that people
are not turning off their appliances but
that the power to run those appliances
is generated in the worst possible way
in Australia compared to other
developed countries. According to the
OECD, only Mongolia and North Korea
emit significantly more CO 2 per unit
energy produced than Australia, and
we emit more than three times as much
as Sweden.
“We need to look at other economies:
Portugal is already producing 45 per
cent of its power from renewable
sources; Germany has more solar power
than Australia; and the EU reduced coal
consumption by 16.3 per cent in 2009
alone. Between 1990 and 2009,
Germany reduced its greenhouse gas
emissions by 28 per cent and is on
target to reduce them by a further 40 per
cent. In that time, Australia’s emissions
increased by eight per cent. Over the
same period, the German economy grew
by 32 per cent. They employed 350,000
people last year in the clean energy
sector and emit about half as much
CO 2 as we do for each dollar of GDP.”
US climate change authority and
author Professor Naomi Oreskes
from the University of California will
be the star attraction at the group’s
event in November.
For more information about
the visit and the group, go to
www.climatescienceWA.org
which links to the UWA website.
The go-to group for climate change questions: (back, from left):
Associate Professor Nancy Longnecker (Science Communication); Professor
Malcolm McCulloch (Premier’s Research Fellow); Asst/Professor Thomas Stemler
(Mathematics and Statistics); Asst/Professor Julie Trotter (Oceans Institute);
Professor Kevin Judd (Mathematics and Statistics); and (front)
Professor Stephan Lewandowsky (Professorial Fellow, Psychology)
The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 4 October 2010 5

A digital
future
for
libraries
University Librarian and IT Director Dr Mary Davies
Computers and books were
positioned, at the end of last century,
at opposite ends of the cultural and
intellectual spectrum.
But as both information technology and
libraries experience rapid change,
computers and books are now merging:
friends rather than foes; partners in
education, research and knowledge
transfer.
The new University Librarian and Director
of Information Management, Dr Mary
Davies, is both an information scientist
and a chartered librarian with an MSc
degree in Managing Information
Technology. She is ready to meet the
challenge of an exponential growth in
digital media.
“Both staff and students have increased
expectations in this area,” Dr Davies
said. “We are concentrating on
integrating staff and services from the
library and ITS into an Information
Services department. The staffs have
complementary and overlapping skills
and, together, they will be a much
stronger team with greater clarity in
service provision supporting research,
teaching and learning, and central
administration, respectively.”
Dr Davies’ initial plan for Information
Services is to make its services more
strategic in support of corporate
objectives to help UWA flourish in an
internationally competitive higher
education market.
“We will offer better services and give
staff the opportunity to multi-skill, which
will create a more flexible workforce
being pro-active rather than reactive in
service provision,” she said.
Dr Davies was formerly the Deputy Chief
Information Officer and Director of
Research and Learning Support at
King’s College London. She successfully
led the development of King’s
Information and Knowledge Strategy,
including the roll-out of the first centrallysupported
e-learning system at King’s.
She won a King’s Professional Services
award for her outstanding contribution to
the development of a research
information management system.
“Libraries now offer information
management, citation analyses,
information technology and a whole
range of services but, despite the
changing character of libraries and
knowledge systems, there will always be
a place for books,” she said.
“Part of the book budget is for
undergraduate texts, of which we would
have multiple copies. But more of them
are now becoming available online and
when we buy a licence for multiple
electronic access, there can be virtually
one for every student, to access
anywhere at any time. It beats having to
put your name down and wait for one of
the 10 hard copies to become available.”
Dr Davies said students would always
come to a library to work, even when
they could read their texts and journals
on their laptops.
“They will always come to a positive
learning environment. They may not have
a good physical environment in which to
study at home, and they always like to
be surrounded by others who are
studying, either to interact with them or
just to be part of an environment that
encourages them to work and not to be
distracted,” she said.
Dr Davies is in charge of 224 staff and
says that they all face great challenges
currently and into the future.
“I am interested in capitalising on the
evolution of both the library and IT
professions to make them future-proof,”
she said.
6
UWA NEWS 4 October 2010
The University of Western Australia

Footy, Scrabble and flying high all
part of the experience
Wang Xuelu takes off in a Tiger Moth
Five young students from the University of Science and
Technology China had what might be described as a
well-balanced stay at UWA in August.
After spending six weeks with an academic supervisor and a
postgraduate student mentor, they farewelled the University
with comments including:
“I loved the challenge of research in the lab and I loved the
morning teas”; “My experience here has been very good,
including my experience of footy and nightclubs”; “I learned
about Arabidopsis and I also learned to play Scrabble”; and
“I learned a lot about research and also about the comfortable
way of life in Australia.”
The students’ internship developed as a consequence of an
Endeavour Executive Award won by Dr Judy Berman,
Associate Director, Research Development, to increase
research linkages with China.
She went to China last summer to map their research strengths
against ours, intending to concentrate on Nanjing and Zhejiang,
but when it emerged that USTC was interested in developing a
research training exchange program with UWA, based on one
they had with the University of California Los Angeles (which
they had previously discussed with our VC), she worked with
their International Office to make it happen.
“These students are some of the best in China,” Dr Berman
said. “They are undergraduates and the research training
program we offered them here was during their summer break,
between their third and fourth years of study. We embedded
their training in research labs with leading researchers and
assigned them each a postgraduate student mentor.
“We hope that they will now be spreading the word about UWA,
raising our profile at USTC and some of them will hopefully be
planning to come back here for postgraduate work.”
Professor Don Robertson supervised Ji Chen in his Auditory
Laboratory, in Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical
Sciences; Professor David Blair took Wang Jiang under his
wing in the Australian International Gravitational Research
Centre, in Physics; Wang Xuelu was supervised by Professor
Alice Vrielink, also in BBCS; Dr Katharine Howell stepped in for
Professor Ian Small, Director ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant
Energy Biology, to take Zheng Fengya into their laboratories
while Professor Small was overseas; and Yuan Hongyuan was
also in Physics, supervised by Professor Bob Stamps.
Dr Berman provided a sumptuous feast of cultural experiences for
the students, including homestays with Australian families, visits to
AQWA (underwater park), Caversham Wildlife Park, Rottnest (with
Professor Vrielink), the Gingin observatory and even a flight in a
Tiger Moth with Professor Ian McArthur, Head of Physics.
“The visit to Gingin was the highlight for all of them,” Dr Berman
said. “There was a Chinese student there from USTC who had
just finished his PhD and he took great care of them, showing
them around the observatory, taking them to nearby Yanchep
and introducing them to koalas and our wildflowers.”
She said she had heard from the International Office at USTC
that there have already been many enquiries from USTC staff
and students about next year’s program.
Dr Jo Edmondston from the Graduate Education Office ran a
study skills seminar for the visiting students, who had to deliver an
oral presentation on their research before they left UWA, and a
written report in their own language when they returned to China.
They also spent some time with Professor Gary Sigley,
Professor Barry Marshall, Professor Dongke Zhang, and at the
Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis. Katherine
Webster from the International Office informed them about
postgraduate funding available for overseas students.
The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 4 October 2010 7

Dreams made to order
Engineering students change the lives of people with disabilities
A huge workshop, eight offices, 67 students, a charitable
foundation and a phone that never stops ringing.
This is Darren Lomman’s domain: the founder and CEO of
Dreamfit Foundation, a unique Western Australian not-for-profit
organisation helping people with disabilities to realise their dreams.
Dreamfit uses innovative engineering solutions to design and
create recreation equipment for people who never thought they
could surf, ride a bike or climb a tower.
Six years ago, Darren designed and built a motorbike for a
paraplegic friend, as his final year engineering project.
Last month, the foundation’s
new home, Dreamplex, opened
at UWA’s Shenton Park Field
Station and Darren’s work was
applauded by 140 guests,
including the chair of the
Dreamfit board, Vice-Chancellor
Alan Robson, WA’s Chief
Scientist Professor Lyn Beazley,
CEO of Wesfarmers Richard
Goyder, and Malcolm and Tonya
McCusker from the McCusker
charitable foundation.
The cavernous headquarters were donated by the University,
and Wesfarmers paid for the removal of asbestos and the
recladding of the building, the single biggest cost in the
renovation and refit that turned an empty warehouse into a
creative hub.
Hames Sharley architects took on all the design and
engineering work and did the contracting work. Global
Construction Services donated eight prefabricated site offices,
complete with air-conditioning, plumbing and wiring, that have
now been incorporated into the main building.
Thirteen fully-equipped work stations were sponsored by
different companies, including Starbucks, which paid for four.
Donations and work by volunteers meant that the huge refit
was completed for less than $10,000. Now 67 engineering
students are working on Dreamfit projects, under six different
Now 67 engineering students
are working on Dreamfit
projects, under six different
supervisors
supervisors. More than 30 of them are involved with the
Dreamcatcher project, co-ordinated by Dr Nathan Scott.
The project is a competition between teams of engineering
students to create the best solutions for three Perth people with
disabilities.
The first is 12-year-old Sladjana Miljailovic who wants to be able
to draw and paint independently. Sladjana, who has won prizes
for her art, holds her pencils and brushes in her mouth as she
has quadriplegia, but she can only pursue her passion when
other people can help. She would like to be able to drive her
wheelchair up to an easel, choose her own colours, squeeze
them onto a palate, select a
brush or two and complete a
painting without having to ask
for assistance. Sladjana hopes
that one day she may be able to
use her talent as a source of
income. Three groups of
students are working on a
motorised easel for her.
Imran Ariff has cerebral palsy.
The 30-year-old dreams of being
able to complete a gym workout independently on a single
machine without the need for assistance between machines
and equipment. The final three teams chosen for this challenge
are building a piece of equipment which will provide the support
Imran needs and offer him an independent workout.
The final challenge is to design a seated water ski for 50-yearold
Karen Anderson, who also has cerebral palsy. She currently
uses a sit ski but it is heavy and needs two people to launch it.
Like Sladjana and Imran, Karen would love to indulge her
passion without having to depend on other people.
This year, occupational therapy students from Edith Cowan
University are helping with the designs. And again each of the
final 12 teams has funding, support and a mentor from industry.
Dr Nathan Scott, senior lecturer in Mechanical and Chemical
Engineering, is supervising the 32 students, who have until
mid-November to complete their projects.
Darren with the sit ski
Juan Lim and Adam Stephen work on gym equipment
8
UWA NEWS 4 October 2010
The University of Western Australia

Darren Lomman in the Dreamplex: the bike modification will become Dreamfit’s first production run
“All 200 of the students in one of my first semester classes did
preliminary designs, then they put their hands up if they wanted
to continue with the project,” Dr Scott said.
“The biggest challenge for them is that they are all doing a full
academic load, so they have assignments and other studies
that take them away from the project.”
He said the students were all learning new skills to be able to
build their designs. “This is one of the driving forces behind the
Dreamcatcher project and, indeed, many educational initiatives
in the Faculty, to stretch the students, to put them into real
situations, to teach them new skills, so they can develop
equipment that works, that is safe, that is what the client wants
and needs,” he said.
Last year the competition threw out the challenge to more than
200 students to design and build a bicycle for a nine-year-old
boy with no arms, Josiah Kappert, who was born without arms,
is now happily riding with his parents and sisters, after choosing
his favourite bike from the four finalists.
One of the bikes he didn’t choose won the engineering award
and the detachable modification is soon to become Dreamfit’s
first production run.
“You have no idea how many requests we’ve received from
people all over Australia for bicycles for kids with no arms,”
Darren said. “This design is great because it can easily be fitted
onto a normal bike, then taken off again when the rider
outgrows the bike.”
Alongside the Dreamcatcher projects are a hovercraft and ski
boat, on which Darren has been working for a few years, a
motorbike for a quadriplegic which can be controlled from the
side car, and a seated surfboard.
“I took a young guy with cerebral palsy out surfing and he was
able to tell me, by widening his eyes for ‘yes’ and screwing up
his face for ‘no’, that it was uncomfortable for him to lie down
on the surfboard,” Darren said.
“So we’re working on a seated surfboard, which is steered by
the surfer leaning on the armrests. It will be used by a disabled
surfing association that take hundreds of people with different
disabilities out surfing four times a year.”
This is when Darren is happiest, being hands-on.
“It’s not hard to be hands-on when you’re the only one here,”
he laughed. He has a part-time finance officer and the
McCusker Foundation is planning to fund an operations
manager for two days a week. But all the other people who
keep Dreamfit going are volunteers.
Darren’s phone rings constantly with requests. “The worst part
of my job is saying no,” he said. “I hope that, one day, I won’t
have to.”
Darren is happiest,
being hands-on
While on his Churchill Fellowship last year (50 cities across
Europe and the US in five months), two ideas caught his
imagination and he wants to put them together.
“I’m always hearing about people who want to walk again. Well,
this might, just might, be an answer. I saw a mind-controlled
wheelchair which moves right or left or forward or backward
based on what the person in the chair is thinking.
“In another place I saw a suit like an exoskeleton that you can
put on to strengthen your muscles. It’s being used by nurses to
help them lift heavy patients.
“Well, what about if we put those two together? If somebody
could wear the exoskeleton and think ‘left leg, right leg…’?
“It’s many years away, but I would love to get an ARC grant to
explore it one day.
“It might sound crazy but hey, that’s what we’re about here –
dreams and finding a way to make them come true!”
The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 4 October 2010 9

Healthy minds at UWA
Next week is Mental Health Week at UWA and around the state
Flowchart will help with a mental health crisis
By Pauline Pannell, Disability Officer, UniAccess
Everyone deserves the opportunity to maintain good
mental health.
Like dental hygiene or good nutrition, looking after our mental
health should be a conscious part of everyday life for each of
us. Around one fifth of us, through no fault of our own, need
additional support to maintain mental health.
Before starting at UWA in 2008 I worked as a Registered
Psychologist for many years assisting young people and their
families and I have a huge respect for people challenged by
mental health problems.
In contrast to the outdated community perceptions that mental
health problems are a sign of weakness, most of the people I
worked with showed a lot of courage and resilience in getting
on with their lives while managing the challenges of their health.
I am now one of the Disability Officers in UniAccess, part of
Student Support Services at UWA. UniAccess provides
assistance in managing academic demands for students with a
medical condition or disability. I see the same courage and
resilience in our students who seek assistance with the impact
of their mental health challenges on their studies.
For some small number of people affected by mental health
problems, despite their best efforts, there may still be very
challenging or high risk times, when something beyond the
person’s control triggers a crisis.
When a student or staff member is in need of urgent help due
to a mental health problem, it is important for those around him
or her to act quickly and effectively to provide the best
immediate support for that person.
I am part of a UWA Mental Health working group which has
been meeting over the past two years. Our priority was the
development of a clear process for assisting anyone in the
campus community experiencing a crisis due to mental health
issues. We were supported by a new mental health policy, also
developed by the group. We have representatives from the
Academic Staff Association, Student Services (the UWA
Medical Centre, UniAccess, Counselling Services and the
Health Promotion Unit) and Human Resources (Equity and
Diversity and Safety and Health)
The group worked together to develop a simple clear process
for supporting a person experiencing a Mental Health Crisis.
A flowchart sets out in simple language what to do if:
• the person is willing to accept help and can wait for
assistance, then contacting services such as Student
Counselling Services (6488 2423), UniAccess (6488 2423) or
in the case of employees, our Employee Assistance Program
provider (1300 361 008);
• the person needs assistance immediately, in which case the
Mental Health Emergency Response Line (1300 555 788)
(24 hours) or Crisis Care (9223 1111) (24 hours) should be
contacted; and
• the person is behaving in a way which puts themselves or
others at risk, in which case people should always ensure
their own safety and UWA security should be called (6488
2222 or a free call from a public phone 1800 655 222).
The flowchart is designed so that any member of the UWA
community can use it. Posters will soon be distributed
throughout the campus so that everyone can become familiar
with this process. Contact Averil Riley 6488 2784 for a copy.
Pauline Pannell (Student Services)
10
UWA NEWS 4 October 2010
The University of Western Australia

New UWA Mental Health Policy
A UWA Mental Health policy has been developed by the
UWA Mental Health Working Group.
It will be available soon at:
www.universitypolicies.uwa.edu.au/search
The objective of the policy is to raise awareness and
understanding of the needs of people with a mental health
problem, and to support individual future success through
prevention strategies, early intervention and appropriate
management.
The University aims to:
• recognise the needs of those who are currently well by
offering opportunities for education and skills development;
• support those at risk of developing a mental health problem
through the timely use of education and support strategies; and
• assist those who are experiencing a mental health problem
as well as those who are supporting students, colleagues
and/or peers experiencing a mental health problem.
The formulation of this policy recognises that there is more to
mental health than dealing with mental illness. Reducing stigma,
building resilience and providing support to people in our
University community who may be at risk are considered
equally important components.
Help for students
By Alex Clark
UWA Health Promotion Unit
Recent research has found that 48 per cent of Australian
university students are psychologically distressed, with
lower perceived quality of life and self-rated health than
their age-matched peers.
UWA recognises the potential for such problems to affect not
only the individual but to inhibit the success of the organisation
and the healthy functioning of its community. The Mental Health
Network is the latest initiative by the UWA Health Promotion
Unit, which aims to inform individuals on how to recognise
mental health problems and ways to deal with these.
The project is being run by final year Health Science student
Alex Clark, who is currently completing a 450 hour practicum
with the UWA Health Promotion Unit.
The overall project goal is to establish an active network on
campus that will address mental health issues and improve
mental health literacy within the UWA community. This will
involve the creation of a quarterly newsletter, website, mental
health workshops, and a mental health education calendar.
Look out for Issue 1 of the Newsletter later this month and new
mental health workshops during Mental Health Week.
For more information visit the Mental Health Network website:
www.fitforstudy.uwa.edu.au/study_projects/uwa_mental_
health_network
Mental Health First Aid
Courses Edition 2
UWA has three Mental Health First Aid Trainers:
Tricia Wylde (Health Promotion Officer, UWA Medical Centre)
and Averil Riley (Senior Occupational Therapist, UWA Safety
and Health) and Nikola Horley (Counselling and Psychological
Service).
They have run more than 50 courses at UWA and trained more
than 500 staff and students.
Both Youth Mental Health First Aid course and the Standard
course have modules on most common mental illnesses, such
as depression and anxiety disorders and substance misuse.
Psychosis is also covered, and debunks commonly-held beliefs
that people with mental illness are all dangerous.
Participants learn how to apply mental health first aid, begin to
recognise signs and symptoms, and are given information on
what types of interventions are likely to be effective.
The next courses for staff are:
Mental Health First Aid (12 hours)
Tuesday and Fridays 9.30am-12.30pm
November 16, 19, 23, and 26
Youth Mental Health First Aid (14 hours)
Wednesday and Friday mornings 9.30am-1pm
December 1, 3, 8 and 10
Mental Health First Aid
Tuesday and Friday mornings 9.30am-12.30pm
November 16, 19, 23, and 26
To register go to www.osds.uwa.edu.au
Students may attend the courses and can send expressions
of interest to tricia.wylde@uwa.edu.au
Averil Riley (Safety and Health) and Kirsty Quinn
(Human Resources)
Mental Health Week October 10-16, 2010
Human Resources will be running events during Mental Health week and sponsoring a Being Mentally Healthy at UWA
Photograph competition. For information on the events, and the Terms and Conditions, visit www.safety@uwa.edu.au.
Photographs will be on display at the new Science Library later in the year. Prizes have been donated by Ricoh (camera),
The University Club, UWA Extension and UWA Publishing. Student Services Health Promotion Unit will also be organising
activities on the Oak Lawn during the week in the Guild Village.
The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 4 October 2010 11

Social club a winner as Dockers bow out
Two big events on one evening made a difficult choice for
some UWA football fans.
Photos by Belinda Ireland
But the clash with the Fremantle Dockers’ second-round finals
match did not dampen the enthusiasm for the new Staff Social
Club’s launch.
More than 200 people enjoyed the party in the Undercroft
(pictured left), many of them chatting with other staff they had
not met before.
Multi-coloured balloons, drinks and elegant finger food served
by Guild Catering staff, a dramatic fire performance (below left),
games for children and a draw for a weekend at a city hotel
were all part of the mix.
Organisers said they were pleased with the balance of
academics and professional staff mingling together.
The Undercroft had a buzz about it on which many people
commented.
“This has been a long time coming,” said inaugural president of
the club, Kim Brown. “It’s taken 98 years but finally we have a
staff social club for everybody.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Robson, launched the
club, reminiscing briefly about a similar one, the Tuart Club,
which was formed in 1948 to help the ‘lonely wives’ of new
academics make friends.
It emerged into a club that supported campus charities and
sport and was very successful in creating friendships and
networks. Professor Robson remembered fondly the babysitting
services provided by club members.
To keep in touch with the social club and find out what events
are coming up, visit the website at:
www.staff.uwa.edu.au/social_club
It’s never too early to think about postgraduate study
Postgraduate study is not something that high school students have needed to think about before.
But with New Courses 2012, many prospective students are
now looking beyond their initial Bachelor’s degree to
vocationally-oriented graduate study – before they have even
finished high school.
The Prospective Students Office (PSO) is holding its second
annual Postgraduate and Honours Expo later this month and,
for the first time, it is open to the public.
Julie Peterkin, Manager of the PSO, said students in their final
years of school are already asking how they get in to
postgraduate courses such as Law and Medicine.
“Last year, only current students came to our postgraduate
expo, but now we’ve opened it up to everybody,” she said.
“We are running 45-minutes seminars on topics including
New Courses 2010, Postgraduate Studies in Public Health
and Nursing and Graduate Research: Why do it? and more.”
The expo, at the University Club on Wednesday October 20,
will have staff and current graduate students ready to answer
questions from current undergraduates and prospective
students.
“We also have a substantial number of graduates from other
universities who come here to do Honours or further
postgraduate studies, so we expect they will come along to
get their questions answered too,” Ms Peterkin said.
Information will be available on opportunities, the difference
between course work and research projects, scholarships
and student services.
The Postgraduate and Honours Expo will run from 4-8pm.
Complimentary refreshments will keep everybody going.
To find out more or register for information sessions, visit
www.studyat.uwa.edu.au/postgrad/expo
12
UWA NEWS 4 October 2010
The University of Western Australia

Scrap metal
shines on
world stage
A drawing of a violin on a School of
Music brochure inspired a sculpture
that is part of the Beijing Biennale.
Cathy the cashier with her new
short grey hair
“Is that really me?”
Lose the hair –
leukaemia research wins
Cathy Goldsworthy usually puts a smile on people’s faces.
She’s the University’s cashier and most staff leave her small office with a fistful of dollars.
But she has always wanted to spread the smiles and the dollars further, so Cathy
shaved her head to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation, for cancer research.
She has raised more than $11,000 – an outstanding feat for an individual fundraiser.
One of her colleagues, Byron Factor, an accountant in Financial Services, said he had
been involved in fundraising for the Cancer Council of WA for the past five years and
had never heard of any individual raising this much money.
“My son Luke used to shave his head every year for cancer research and I’d always
thought I’d like to do it but never had the guts. I’ve never done anything like this
before, but when Luke decided he wasn’t going to do it this year I made up my mind,”
Cathy said.
“I wasn’t ready to do it in March when the big promotion was on, but in July I felt ready
and the Leukaemia Foundation told me I could do it whenever I wanted.”
Cathy had the support of the University and her family and friends. She and her partner
Brian threw a party on Saturday July 31 and the great shave took place at 8pm.
“I wasn’t nervous about it. What gave me the biggest shock was seeing that the hair
close to my head was completely grey. I had been colouring it for years. I still get a bit of
a shock when I see my grey hair in the mirror, but I’m going to keep it this way now.”
She wore a beanie to bed for the first few weeks after the shave. “It was freezing. But,
hey, people who lose their hair during chemotherapy don’t get to choose when it
happens, do they?”
Cathy sent out emails via the University’s trading list and her partner Brian did the
same through his national accounting firm. She was hoping to raise $300, but
achieved that in the first few hours.
“People’s generosity is mind-blowing,” she said. “I’ve received donations from people
I’ve never met. I feel I haven’t done anything – it’s everybody else who has made this
such a success.”
Donations are still coming in. If you would like to donate, visit:
http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/personalPage.aspx?SID=126386
Len Zuks, artist, sculptor and tradesman
for Facilities Management, is in China for
his fourth exhibition. Concordia (pictured
below), a 2.4 metre tall 2.5 metre wide
zinc-dipped fabricated steel creation, is
Len’s third entry in the biennial
international arts festival. He also
exhibited his paintings in Beijing during
the Olympic Games of 2008.
Until now, Len has been the only Australian
represented at the Biennale. This year he is
joined by a sculptor from Canberra. After
the exhibition, Concordia will find a new
home in Nanjing, a short distance from
Beijing, at the Nanjing University, which
has a relationship with UWA.
“There’s another connection too,” Len
said. “Tony Jones’ sculpture of Eliza the
diver in Matilda Bay was fabricated in a
foundry in Nanjing. After the Biennale I
have been invited to join (Lord Mayor of
Perth) Lisa Scaffidi and a delegation from
the City of Perth on a sister-city visit to
Nanjing and I’m keen to visit the foundry.”
All Len’s sculptures are made from
recycled steel that he picks up from
demolitions or that has been thrown out.
“My job is to take disregarded steel and
give it regard again,” he said.
Len loves to have fun with his work.
“Carl Jung said that you will never be
joyous as an adult until you take what
you did as a child into your life. As a kid,
we were always picking up bits of metal
or wood or rope and making things. And
I still love doing that.”
The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 4 October 2010 13

Staff step up to
the challenge
UWA staff beat employees from all
other Australian universities in this
year’s Global Corporate Challenge.
The GCC is an on-line health and
fitness initiative developed for the
corporate workplace and this year
100,000 employees in 55 countries
around the world joined the program
and aimed to walk 10,000 steps a day
for 111 days.
This is the second year UWA has
joined the challenge. Last year, we
entered 14 teams: this year 25 teams,
with a total of 175 members of staff,
took part. They averaged 12,839
steps a day between May and
September, more than the Australian
average, more than the average
number world-wide, and more than
any other Australian university.
The winning team was The
Caffeinators, from the University Club.
One of its members, student and
part-time employee, Samantha Elliot,
walked the longest distance during the
program, with a daily average of
27,921 steps.
Each participant pays a registration fee
and receives a pedometer, so they can
enter their number of steps on a
website.
UWA participants, encouraged by
Safety and Health, kept in contact with
each other through dedicated
websites, blogs, emails, text
messages and tweets. They shared
walk diaries, tips, routes, maps and
events at which they all walked
together.
There were campus walks, two moon
walks (organised by Belinda Ireland),
and a historical walk (run by the
Business School which entered seven
teams). Some participants entered the
City to Surf and walked or ran the
course wearing their pedometers.
Rebecca Joel from Safety and Health
sent out a weekly newsletter and Mike
Rafferty (Safety and Health), Bob
Farrelly (Director, Human Resources)
and Gaye McMath (Executive Director,
Finance and Resources) all supported
the challenge.
Coming up at UWA for the newly-fit
walkers is Walk Week (November 1-7,
which will feature a staff lunch-time
walk) and the Staff Sports Fun Day on
November 5.
Berndt lecture
a drawcard
The Berndt Biennial Lecture is
expected to be a drawcard for
anthropologists and indigenous art
and culture fans everywhere.
The lecture is on October 21 from
7-9pm. It is a free public lecture at the
University Club Auditorium.
The speaker, Kim Akerman (pictured)
from the University of Tasmania, is an
anthropologist, specialising in traditional
and contemporary indigenous art. His
lecture will examine the manner in which
the frontier of European colonisation
impinged on the Indigenous inhabitants
of the arid areas in north-west WA.
The lecture is organised as a part of the
Professor Ronald M. and Dr Catherine
H. Berndt Research foundation, the
founders of the Berndt museum.
Want to get fit for summer?
The Berndt Museum of Anthropology is
now closed and some of its treasures will
be exhibited in the Holmes à Court
gallery in The Dr Harold Schenberg Art
Centre (incorporating the Lawrence
Wilson Art Gallery). Later this year an
announcement will be made about a
new home for the Museum.
UWA Sport and Recreation runs an exclusive staff-only BodyPump class
from 12-12.50pm twice a week.
This BodyPump class is strictly for UWA staff (no students) and runs during lunch
time to accommodate busy work schedules. It is held at the Fitness Centre in
studio one (upstairs), on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The next course starts on October 12 and runs for five weeks, until November 14.
Enrolments for this course close on October 10.
A second course (from November 15 to December 19) will follow. Enrolments for
that course are open from November 1.
Staff with gym memberships can come to these classes at any time. For UWA
sport members the five-week course is $40 and for non-members $55.
Visit www.sport.uwa.edu.au for more information and come along and get fit!
Early career assistance
Applications for the Fay Gale Fellowships for 2011 are now open.
Fay Gale Fellowships are designed to assist staff at an early stage in their career to
spend a period of time overseas, normally no less than three months, working in
another education institution.
Both academic and professional staff are eligible as long as they hold ongoing
appointments (full time or at least 50 per cent part-time) or have completed no less
than two years continuous contract service at the University. There is no application
form and no rigid criteria to be met.
The fellowship is broad to cater for both academic and professional staff. Preference is
given to staff who have not previously travelled overseas and have a particular need for
assistance because of family commitments. Applications should include an outline of
the proposal (proposed institutions to be visited, expected outcomes and benefits to
the individual and to the University).
Salary will be maintained for the period of the fellowship and applications should be
sent by Friday November 12, to Robert Farrelly, Human Resources M350.
For any enquiries contact Sasha Gabelish on 6488 3004
14
UWA NEWS 4 October 2010
The University of Western Australia

UWA News classified
Promotions
Provided by Elizabeth Hutchinson,
Executive Officer,
Academic Promotions Committee,
Human Resources
Winthrop Professors
Barry Iacopetta
(School of Surgery)
Winthrop Professor Iacopetta
graduated from UWA with a PhD in
cell biology in 1985.
After three overseas postdoctoral
positions, he returned to the
University in 1991 to establish a
cancer research laboratory in the
School of Surgery.
The major focus of his work is to
translate research advances in the
field of molecular oncology into
improved outcomes for cancer
patients. His laboratory was the first
to draw attention to molecular
differences between tumours from
different parts of the large bowel and
the possible implications for
epidemiological and clinical studies.
Based on work by his group, a routine
molecular test is now performed on
tumours from all younger bowel
cancer patients in order to identify
those affected by a familial cancer
syndrome.
David Lloyd
(School of Sport Science,
Exercise and Health)
Winthrop Professor Lloyd has
developed a strong international
profile as a leader in the field of
computational and clinical
biomechanics.
He is currently involved in the
establishment of a Centre for
Musculoskeletal Bioengineering, and
with colleagues he is establishing an
equivalent National Centre with UWA,
the Queensland University of
Technology, The University of
Adelaide, Griffith University and the
University of Auckland.
The purpose of these centres is to
produce a research framework to
study musculoskeletal tissue
regeneration.
Ian McArthur
(School of Physics)
Winthrop Professor McArthur has
been Head of the School of Physics
since 2000, and will continue in this
role until 2012.
He is an outstanding leader in the field
of physics and a great contributor to
the profession. He is an international
expert in formal aspects of
supersymmetric quantum field theory
– one of the most technical areas of
theoretical particle physics.
He has been awarded numerous
distinctions for teaching, including
Excellence in Teaching Awards in
1995 and 2002, and has not only
inspired and taught many students
himself but has also created a culture
that supports teachers and
encourages the highest standards in
education.
RESEARCH GRANTS
Grants awarded between
4/09/2010 and 17/09/2010
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE
ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA
AND NEW ZEALAND (AFAANZ)
Assistant Professor Victoria Clout,
Dr Ellie Chapple, UWA Business
School, Australian National University:
‘Securities Class Actions and
Corporate Governance’ –
$8,434 2010)
AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF THE
HUMANITIES
Dr Ethan Blue, School of Humanities:
‘Undesirable Aliens – Deportation in
Interwar America’ – $4,000 (2010)
AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR HIV
AND HEPATITIS VIROLOGY
RESEARCH
Dr James Flexman, School of
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine:
‘Development of Novel Therapeutics
for Treatment of Hepatitis C Infection’
– $135,000 (2010-11)
DIISR ISL HUMANITIES
PROGRAM
Dr Ethan Blue, School of Humanities:
‘Comparative Wests Peripheral
Regions in Settler Colonial Societies’
– $15,000 (2010)
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS AND TRADE AUSTRALIA
CHINA COUNCIL
Winthrop Professor David Blair,
Associate Professor Li Ju,
Associate Professor Chunnong
Zhao, School of Physics: ‘Engaging
China to Join AIGO Project by
Exchange Students and Scientific
Visits’ – $24,840 (2010)
KALGOORLIE CONSOLIDATED
GOLD MINES PTY LTD
Professor Steffen Hagemann,
School of Earth and Environment:
‘Controls on Gold Mineralisation at
the Mt Percy Gold Deposits Kalgoorlie
Gold Camp Western Australia’ –
$19,999 (2010)
NHMRC CENTRES OF
RESEARCH EXCELLENCE
Professor Fiona Stanley, Associate
Professor Dawn Bessarab,
Associate Professor Julianne Coffin,
Dr Pat Dudgeon, Dr Sandra Eades,
Dr Cheryl Kickett Tucker, Professor
Rhonda Marriott, Mr Glenn Pearson,
Dr Roz Walker, Mr Michael Wright,
School of Indigenous Studies, UWA
Centre for Child Health Research,
School of Paediatrics and Child Health,
School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural
Health Care, Murdoch University, Curtin
University of Technology, Telethon
Institute for Child Health Research,
Combined Universities Centre for Rural
Health, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes
Institute: ‘From Marginalised to
Empowered: Transformative Methods
for Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing’ –
$2,500,000 (2010-14)
RURAL INDUSTRIES RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION
Associate Professor Manfred
Beilharz, Professor Thomas Riley,
Dr Sara Greay, Dr Demelza Ireland,
Dr Christine Carson, School of
Biomedical, Biomolecular and
Chemical Sciences: ‘Anti-tumour
Mechanisms of Action and
Prophylactic Activity of Tea Tree Oil
(TTO)’ – $377,134 (2010-13)
SOLARISCARE FOUNDATION
Assistant Professor Claire Johnson,
Dr Toni Musiello, School of Surgery:
‘Routine Screening and Management
of Distress in People with Cancer in
WA – A Pilot Study of People with
Lymphoma Treated in an Outpatient
Setting’ – $4,545 (2010)
STATE HEALTH RESEARCH
ADVISORY COUNCIL (SHRAC)
Associate Professor David
Mountain, Dr Peter Allely, Dr Tor
Ercleve, Mrs Penelope Richmond,
School of Primary, Aboriginal and Rural
Health Care: ‘Reducing Acute Coronary
Syndrome Time in the ED – Use of
Current Best Diagnostic Practice to
Reduce Time in the ED and Improve
Possible ACS Patients Experience and
Outcomes’ – $123,500 (2010)
TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES
PTY LTD
Dr Robert Woodward, School of
Physics: ‘Measurement of Noise and
Non Linearity of SQuID Systems’ –
$113,321 (2010)
UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH
WALES EX DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND AGEING
Winthrop Professor Leon Flicker,
School of Medicine and Pharmacology,
School of Psychiatry and Clinical
Neurosciences, Western Australian
Institute for Medical Research
(WAIMR), Rural Clinical School: ‘A Pilot
Study to Estimate the Prevalence of
Dementia in Torres Strait Islander
Communities’ – $30,000 (2010)
WA HEALTH PROMOTION
FOUNDATION
Associate Professor Colleen Fisher,
School of Population Health, Edith
Cowan University, University of
Southern Queensland: ‘Starter Grant
Domestic Violence in Midlife Women:
Experiences Intervention and
Prevention’ – $29,993 (2010)
WA ROYALTIES FOR REGIONS
KIMBERLEY DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSION
Professor Jorg Imberger, Centre for
Water Research: ‘Sustainable
Functionality of the Kimberley Region’
– $40,000 (2010)
WANTED
ACCOMMODATION
Apartment, flat, house sought for
short term rental: Feb-April 2011.
UK based Professor seeks apartment
/ small house while visiting UWA Feb
1st - April 15th 2001. Full references
etc. available.
Please contact Professor James
Leach, University of Aberdeen,
Scotland: james.leach@abdn.ac.uk
Notices
Manning Clark House Day
of Ideas – The Idea of
Refuge
The Institute of Advanced Studies is
pleased to be hosting the MCH Day
of Ideas at UWA for the first time.
We have invited a range of speakers to
provide insight to discuss the idea of
Refuge from a wide perspective. The
purpose of the day is to allow for the
raising and sharing of ideas between
the speakers and the audience.
Saturday October 16
10am-4.30pm
Theatre Auditorium, University Club
For more information or to register:
www.ias.uwa.edu.au/conf/doi10
2011 RAINE RESEARCH PRIZE
Closing Date: Wednesday 20 October 2010
Applications for the 2011 Raine Research Prize are invited from researchers in
Western Australia working in the field of medical/health science who have
completed their doctoral degree or professional qualification within the last six
years. The Prize, travel allowance up to the value of $5,000 and a medallion,
will be awarded for the best scientific paper arising from research undertaken
primarily at UWA or affiliated institution.
The Application Form and the Conditions are available to download from the
Raine website: www.raine.uwa.edu.au/prizes
The prize will be announced in November 2010. Submit applications to:
The Executive Officer,
Raine Medical Research Foundation,
Suite 24, The Hollywood Specialists Centre,
95 Monash Avenue, Nedlands WA 6009
(UWA Internal Mail: MBDP M651)
Raine Visiting Professor Lecture Series
Professor John Gordon
Professor of Cellular Immunology
MRC Centre for Immune Regulation
The Medical School, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
will present a Raine Lecture entitled:
The Emergence of ‘Neuro-Immuno-Pharmacology’:
Lymphoma Gets Nervous
on Friday 15 October 2010 at 1pm
Molecular and Chemical Sciences (MCS) Lecture Theatre
Life and Physical Sciences Building (G.33), Fairway Entrance No.4
When life is not plain sailing ...
The Employee Assistance Program
offers free confidential counselling
to UWA staff & immediate family,
for personal or work problems.
To arrange an appointment contact one of
the following service providers
PPC Worldwide
Level 16, 251 Adelaide Tce, Perth
Tel 1300 361 008 (24hrs)
Web www.au.ppcworldwide.com
UWA Counselling & Psychological Service
2nd Floor, South Wing, Guild Village
Tel +61 8 6488 2423 (Office Hours)
Web www.counselling.uwa.edu.au
For further information on the UWA Employee Assistance Program see www.safety.uwa.edu.au/policies/eap
UniPrint 66321
The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 4 October 2010 15

the last word …
A synthesised
last word
In September I ticked off 10 years working at UWA; for
me, a stimulating, rewarding and diverse workplace.
I am part of that diversity. Retinitis Pigmentosa reduced my
sight to a point where I have embraced blindness over the past
20 years.
Work goes on though! My job puts me at the point of contact
for two centres; the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean
Agriculture and the Future Farm Industries CRC. Duties include
front-end contact, administrative support and generally keeping
the CRC wing at FNAS running smoothly.
Largely I depend on good access to UWA’s computer-based
intranet, and access to the outside world via the internet. To do
this I use what is known as a screen reading program; in
particular a software package called Job Access with Speech,
more commonly known as JAWS. Using keyboard commands
to navigate around applications, the software, using synthetic
speech, voices what is on the computer screen. This gives me
access to the information I need to do the job.
Reading printed material is sometimes a bit of a barrier; getting
around that with the use of another software package, Kurzweil,
a text-to-speech scanning program, allows me to scan and
read printed material, again via a synthesised voice. For
example, I use it to scan, read and distribute the mail for the
two centres. Apart from those two software packages, my
faithful Braillenote note taker and a bit of Braille labelling around
the office: that is pretty much it for adaptive equipment.
I do have an assistant, my guide dog Nicholas. Nicholas has
been with me about six months now. Nicholas is my second
guide dog; and still learning the trickier skills of good guiding. Our
3km walk into work each day is nice training; he is really coming
along, apart from a bit of dog distraction; and sometimes he gets
mixed up and thinks he is a guard dog and not a guide dog. He
has certainly given a few people a fright with his loud booming
bark as they casually walked past the office door.
Getting around campus with a new guide dog can be a bit of a
challenge. The big wide walkways sometimes confuse a guide
dog looking for a logical path of travel. Trying to pick up clues
as to where to turn off, and give Nicholas some guidance for
the first couple of trips on a new route takes a fair bit of focus
and reliance on environmental cues. The direction of the
breeze, taking bearings from the sounds of air conditioning
units on buildings and picking up pedestrian flows via the
sound of chatter and laughter as various groups walk by, all
come into play. Recently, what was to be a quick 15 minute
walk to the Guild Village, turned into a two-hour discovery tour
to all parts of the University.
Pollock, my previous guide dog, spent just about his entire
working life at UWA and knew exactly where we were going,
probably before I’d even decided. He did have 10 years
experience under his collar. Sadly Pollock died in February. His
ashes are scattered beneath the paving of a new seating area
in front of the CRC wing where I work.
Greg Madson
Receptionist – CLIMA and FFI CRC,
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Outside of work, I keep busy volunteering for various disability
agencies, sitting on the boards of People with Disability WA,
Association for the Blind of WA, Blind Citizens Australia, Blind
Citizens WA, Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability and the
Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee at UWA.
Knowledge gathered while on these boards and advisory
councils gives me an opportunity to pass on information on
barriers faced by people with a disability, and feed it into the
university’s own knowledge base through the Equity and
Diversity Advisory committee; in turn, improving access to UWA
and its facilities so everyone can enjoy their UWA experience.
UWA NEWS
EDITOR/WRITER: Lindy Brophy, Public Affairs
Tel: 6488 2436 Fax: 6488 1020
Email: lindy.brophy@uwa.edu.au
Hackett Foundation Building, M360
Director of Public Affairs: Doug Durack
Tel: 6488 2806 Fax: 6488 1020
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UWA News online: http://uwanews.publishing.uwa.edu.au/
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UWA NEWS 4 October 2010
The University of Western Australia