Issue 562 (March 2007) - Office of Marketing and Communications

4U Q N E W S , M A R C H 2 0 0 7Universal appealof BrisScienceA series of entertaining sciencelectures will begin with a journey intothe final frontier.Astrobiologist and cosmologist DrCharles Lineweaver will deliver the first 2007BrisScience lecture at 6.30pm on Monday,March 19 at Brisbane City Hall where hewill explore questions about the origins ofthe Universe and life: where and when thefirst stars and terrestrial planets formed;the locations of liquid water in the Universe;the age of life on Earth; and whether life iscommon in the Universe.Now coordinator of the PlanetaryScience Institute, Dr Lineweaver was partof the Cosmic Background Explorer teamwhich discovered fluctuations in the cosmicmicrowave background.BrisScience, a UQ outreach initiative,made a successful debut in 2006, showingthe popular potential of public sciencelectures. BrisScience director Jennifer Dodd,of UQ’s School of Physical Sciences, said thenine 2006 lectures had built a loyal following.“The success of BrisScience shows thatscience has popular appeal,” Dr Dodd said.“If you give talented sciencecommunicators an opportunity to explaintheir work in a relaxed evening forum, theaudience will follow.”Speakers in 2006 included UQ’sProfessor John Drennan, Professor IanFrazer, Professor John Mattick and ProfessorJohn Quiggin; the University of Sydney’sProfessor Ed Blakely; the Australian NationalUniversity’s Professor Brian Schmidt; andwriter and commentator Margaret Wertheim.“BrisScience has drawn a diverseaudience including school and universitystudents, retirees, public servants,academics, and business people,” Dr Doddsaid. “The events are free, and because weprovide wine, soft drinks and cheese after thelectures, they are an occasion for social andprofessional networking.”Dr Dodd has teamed up with charismaticUQ physicist Dr Joel Gilmore to develop the2007 program, which will be posted at www.brisscience.org. To subscribe to the mailinglist, email signup@BrisScience.org.LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCEUQ’s first Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teachingand Learning, Professor Deborah Terry,sees great opportunities for strengtheningthe UQ student experience.Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay, AC,appointed Professor Terry in February.The role expands her portfolio as ExecutiveDean of the Faculty of Social and BehaviouralSciences, and comes at a time of leadershipby UQ in teaching and learning, and of ongoingchanges in higher education policy and themarketplace.“We’ve seen in teaching and learning a movefrom making sure the right processes are in place,to treating teaching and learning more like we treatresearch: monitoring, understanding and beingresponsive to the key indicators of quality in thisarea,” Professor Terry said.Reforms billed for both the national highereducation scene and within UQ will create newopportunities, she believes.“Done right, the (Federal Government’s)Research Quality Framework (RQF) will enhanceteaching and learning,” Professor Terry said.“We will continue to build the research profile ofthe University, and that will be recognised throughthe RQF.“This will, in turn, enhance teaching andlearning quality, through the staff we attract andthe way in which we engage research excellencein our teaching and learning.“The challenge will be to bring together whatwe’re doing in different areas in teaching andlearning, to align them more closely to ensurethat teaching and learning remains strategicallyimportant in the RQF environment.”Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) ProfessorProfessor Terry meets studentsduring O Week.Michael Keniger retains responsibility for the overalldirection of teaching and learning and academicpolicy. He will also oversee the integration ofteaching and learning resources and services.UQ’s policy of regularly updating corestrategies affords an opportunity to sharpen theteaching and learning focus.The University’s five-yearly Teaching andLearning Enhancement Plan is scheduled forreview this year, as is the curriculum reviewprocess. The outcomes of these will feed in to theongoing review of teaching quality appraisal.Professor Terry will chair the enhancementreview committee and sees the next plan, covering2008 to 2012, as an opportunity to identify thecurrent key priorities in teaching and learning, andto incorporate a stronger focus on outcomes.“The ideal end result will be better experiencesfor UQ students, as measured by factorsincluding student satisfaction, retention rates andemployment outcomes,” Professor Terry said.“Close attention to program structures,flexibility, and the role of pedagogical technologieswill be integral.“We need to respond to the fact that some ofour students want to fast-track their studies, andmany are working and have other responsibilities.“We need to look more closely at how we canenhance the online experience, and how we canmake better use of the Summer Semester andother concentrated modes of course delivery.”Outcomes will be measured by UQ’s successin attracting national awards for teaching andlearning, the Learning and Teaching PerformanceFund outcomes, and grants and fellowships fromthe Carrick Institute.However, Professor Terry stresses theimportance of global standing and the internationalcurrency of a UQ qualification.“It’s imperative that we put in place strategiesthat will ensure that we have national andinternational recognition for excellence in bothour program offerings and in our teaching andlearning,” Professor Terry said.EVENT DETAILS:The Origin of the Universe andLife by Dr Charles Lineweaver6:30pm-7:30pm, Monday, March19Ithaca Auditorium, City Hall(King George Square, Brisbane)Free, no RSVP requiredContact: Jennifer Dodddirector@BrisScience.org