Annual Report 2008 - Central Queensland University

The Faculty established the Centre for Intelligent and Networked Systems (CINS),
sponsored by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Network on
Intelligent Sensor, Sensor Network and Information Processing (ISSNIP). The
Centre will appoint four senior post-doctoral research fellows and host five visiting
professors and scholars throughout 2009. The centre will focus on four major
areas including networks, computational intelligence, data mining and agent-based
systems. Associate Dean (Research and Innovation), Professor Qing-Long Han will
act as the Centre Director with Professor Kevin Tickle, Professor Brijesh Verma and
Associate Professor Dennis Jarvis exercising key roles as lead researchers in their
respective fields of expertise.
Professor Qing-Long Han was awarded an ARC Discovery Grant for research
entitled Variable Structure Control Systems in Networked Environments, one of
only 127 grants awarded nation-wide in the area of Mathematics, Information and
Communication Sciences and is the first ARC Discovery Grant for the University
since 2005.
Professor John Rolfe and Dr Galina Ivanova, in collaboration with Professor
Stewart Lockie of the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Health, were successful
in cementing a CSIRO National Flagship grant for their research into the ‘Future
Sustainability of Australia’s Mineral Industry: Valuing Social and Economic Impacts
of Mining’. The research trio will receive a total of $399,000 over three years to
fund their project. Professor Rolfe and Dr Ivanova also secured a further $150,000
over three years from the Queensland Government to conduct research in the
area of ‘Regional Planning to Minimise Economic and Social Impacts of Mining
Development in the Bowen Basin’ in conjunction with Professor Bob Miles of the
Institute for Sustainable Regional Development.
Mrs Beth Tennent, Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching) was successful in securing
an Australian Learning and Teaching Council grant in collaboration with researchers
from Charles Sturt University, University of Queensland, University of Southern
Queensland and University of Western Sydney. The group will receive a total of
$219,000 over two years and will be conducting valuable research into ‘Valuing Quality
Teaching in Business Education’. This research will be of great significance to the
Faculty and will be used to improve the teaching content of a range of business courses.
To conclude a very successful year in research activity, the Faculty achieved Research
Higher Degree Completions, granting a total of eight PhD, one Doctor of Education
and three Masters by Research awards.
Report from Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Health
2008 has been a particularly challenging year for the Faculty. The University’s
Organisational Review, coupled with the implementation of new systems and
processes has meant many changes have had to be incorporated into the Faculty’s
operations. These changes, and the opportunities they will bring as they become
fully operational, will continue to provide impetus to the fulfilment of the Faculty’s
market oriented and externally focussed strategies. However, they also provide the
Faculty with particular challenges to maintain and improve the level and quality of
educational services to its students through 2009.
Learning & Teaching
Rising enrolments, particularly in the relatively new flexible delivery mode offering
of nursing and engineering programs, justifies the belief that increasingly students
and organisations want to combine work and study. As a result, whilst student
numbers increase, the number of courses per student has fallen as a reflection of
increased part-time study. The Faculty is confident, however, that in 2009 its revised
marketing plans will generate the student numbers and course enrolments that will
once again see an increase in revenue.
Well-grounded
solution
CQUniversity
Adjunct Professor of
Property, Terry Boyd,
works to alleviate
poverty in the Asia-
Pacific through
secure land tenure
and equitable
property valuation
as an International
Advisor on
Education Strategy
and Professional
Development on the
Land Administration
and Management
Project - a project
funded by the
World Bank and
AusAid. To improve
the system of land
administration in the
Philippines, which
involves recording
information on
the ownership,
value and use
of land, Boyd is
working to establish
undergraduate
and postgraduate
courses in Property
Valuation there.
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