News Aug 7 · 8/7/2000 · Apparently, by accident, yet with cumulative power, we have suddenly...

Up, up and awayThe University of Western Australia Volume 19 Number 11

newsUWA7 August 2000

The battle of the mascots is on . . .This is Pinchy, the blue marron, who

keeps staff in the Mechanical and MaterialsEngineering workshop entertained.

Senior technician Steve Armitt reckonshe would beat Oscar the budgie(Zoology’s mascot, featured in UWANews in June) hands down . . . in anunderwater race.

“Mind you, he’s not too good at flyingor talking, but what a personality!”

Another senior technician, Mike Reid,bought Pinchy from a pet shop andinstalled his aquarium near the door tothe workshop “to give the place theambience of a doctor’s surgery”.

Our black and white photographcan’t do justice to Pinchy’s brilliant blueshell but the technicians are confidenthe would win any beauty competitionbetween department mascots.

Any takers?

Anybody want to challenge Pinchy?

W ashington, Paris, Singapore, Germany,Rotterdam, Los Angeles . . . just a few of

the places where postgraduates from UWA’sDepartment of Surgery are in demand.

Dr Barry Iacopetta, senior lecturer in the Department ofSurgery, has always recommended his postgraduate studentsare exposed to overseas research environments in the courseof their studies.

And they usually make such a good impression that theyare asked to stay.

Cancer research around the world is being boosted byPhD students and postdoctoral fellows from Dr Iacopetta’slaboratory.

A few years ago, Dr Richie Soong was offered postdoc-toral postings in Germany and Singapore, before he’d even

Dr Barry Iacopetta (left) with another team of brilliant postgraduates:Nirosha Suraweera, Brenda Powell, Bev Shannon and Dr Hany Elsaleh.

Up, up and away

Continued on page 4

Our cancerresearcherssoughtoverseas

■ Page 3 HISTORY’S FRED ALEXANDER FELLOW■ Page 6 LAW STUDENTS EX EL ■ 1 INNOVATIVE WISE PROGRAM

2 UWA news

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA • 7 AUGUST 2000

VCariousthoughts …

That common phrase — “It’s only academic . . .”or “It is just an academic matter . . .” —

seemed even more odd than usual when I heardsomeone use it in a week full of media discussionabout academics, the ‘knowledge nation’ and the‘new economy’.

Apparently, by accident, yet with cumulative power, wehave suddenly had a series of national debates concerningeducation and the educators.

Consider: a discussion about the crisis in school teaching. . . a fierce debate about the value of the humanities to thenation . . . a resurgence of the ‘brain drain’ scare, led by adeparting scholar . . . a sharp rejoinder, which put the blameback on academics for having failed the nation . . . plus somecoverage of a wide-ranging survey of the academicworkplace which found it a highly stressful place . . . and along and powerful editorial in a national weekend paper,which blamed many of these ills not only on underfundedstate universities, but also on the Commonwealth policyframework which has prevented universities from beingmore self-reliant, through over-regulation by DETYA.

It was quite a week on the Australian campus, so tospeak. But it was fortunately ‘only academic’! The nationsoon returned to GST stories.

Our own University is quite a good sampler formeasuring the deeper realities behind these educationheadlines. In a previous UWA News column I wrote aboutthe meeting on campus of the National Science Teachers’Association, which addressed the specific issue of a shortageof science graduates entering the profession, and the moregeneral problem of a profession under considerable strain.As Susan Mitchell has subsequently written, in an excellentarticle in The Australian, “Teachers are today on a hiding tohell and back. It is no longer regarded as a noble professionto which only the gifted are called. It is no longer regardedas a profession. It is no longer regarded.”

The status of teachers, and the need to value them morehighly (including financially), was the central argument of amajor Commonwealth Report, A Class Act, issued a fewyears ago. But it would be hard to say the situation hasmaterially improved.

And yet the consequences are potentially dire. “Unlessour teachers are recruited from among the brightest andbest minds in each area of study”, Susan Mitchell concluded,“we will simply not be able to keep up with the rapidchanges engendered by the technological revolution. The

countries that will prosper in this century will be those thathave invested in their teachers.”

I would say the same is absolutely true about ouruniversity teachers. If we want to create the kind ofintellectual base, plus the human resource-base of theknowledge nation, the academic community is absolutelycrucial. Not only is it now substantially established that newknowledge, new economies and new jobs are integrallyrelated to basic research, leading on to innovation, but thatthe learning experience of a university degree —undergraduate or postgraduate — is the critical empoweringforce for the twenty-first century citizen.

Once again, however, it is plain that academe is anincreasingly demanding professional environment.

Just why this is so has provoked many impassionedexplanations. Perhaps the most provocative has come fromDale Spender in The Australian this past week (26 July) withher pungent article: “Globalisation not just academic:Universities are their own worst enemies”.

Working from Peter Drucker’s well-known critique —university campuses will be relics in 30 years time (thanks tothe IT revolution and globalisation) — Dale Spenderportrays academics as their own worst enemies. We haveturned ourselves into victims.

And how? “It is all very well for members of the academyto argue that it is because they have no money that theycannot do a good job. Yet it is possible to argue quite thereverse. That it is precisely because they aren’t doing a goodjob. It is because they have lost the respect and status thatthey once enjoyed, that the government can afford to keepthe universities poor . . .”

That failure, says Spender, relates to the isolatedcharacter of academe, not being fully integrated into theneeds of the new knowledge nation. “The source of thismismatch is blindingly obvious. The emergence of the newtechnologies is no academic matter. That is the problem”.

Would that our problems were so simple!The reality is both more complex and tougher to

overcome. Expectations of a quality university such as oursare now huge. We must sustain the core generic disciplinesof the arts and sciences, undertake advanced research,provide professional training, integrate knowledge andindustry and contribute to the public policies and publicvalues of our nation, itself experiencing an extraordinaryglobal era of transformation.

Yes, we must work more smartly, be more income self-reliant, create borderless education environments of cross-disciplinary knowledge, interactive lifelong learning . . .

But the resource base to the policy environment isimportant. And here our governments and industry need todo more to invest in higher education, in universities andtheir staff. Our commitment and professionalism requiresmajor support.

In this twenty-first century, that is becoming more thanmerely academic.

Deryck M. SchreuderVice-Chancellor and [email protected]

‘Only an academic matter’?


UWA news 3

Despite the enormous difference in populationdynamics, Australian and South African

societies have a lot in common.Dr Jane Carruthers, the Department of History’s 2000

Fred Alexander Fellow, says the way indigenous and non-indigenous people in both countries relate to the land is verysimilar.

“We can learn a lot from each other about land andidentity, land restitution issues and the historical linksbetween nationalism and the conservation of aspects of thenatural environment,” Dr Carruthers said.

“For a long time, there was no communication betweenour countries. The white South Africans who were in favourof apartheid cursed the Australians who upheld sanctionsagainst their country.

“But now we’re speaking again, we realise that we share acolonial history and that we are all very much affected bywhere we live: our sense of who we are comes from theland,” she said.

Dr Carruthers said history was a beleaguered subject,suffering, along with the other arts, from a swing to IT andbusiness studies.

“But in these days where so many people find they areinventing their own jobs, the study of history is mosthelpful. It teaches people to think creatively and read

Fromnationalparks tonationalidentity

Dr Jane Carruthers . . .discovered that her benefactorhad also been interested inSouth African political history.

analytically — good grounding for creating a niche forthemselves.”

Dr Carruthers’ immersion in history began with aninterest in nature. She began a history of the KrugerNational Park.

“It became clear to me that politics is an over-ridingconsideration when it comes to decisions about nationalparks. From the politics of land, I moved on to the politics ofland restitution and became involved in communityconservation and aspects of rural community development.”

She says she has enjoyed talking about South Africanissues with postgraduate students.

“We have the same frame of reference and I’m pleased tobe able to inform them of the current and living history ofSouth Africa. I visited Australia last year and, back in SouthAfrica, I am also able to feed Australian material into what Iteach my students at the University of South Africa.

“I feel privileged to be here and to facilitate this sharingbetween our countries and our universities.”

Dr Carruthers said that Fred Alexander had visited SouthAfrica for five months in 1949-50 and had recorded someinsightful comments about South African political history.

Some of Professor Alexanders’ reflections andreminiscences are in the UWA Press publication On Campusand Off.

Department of History

Women’s award at water centreThe Centre for Water Research’s Caroline Wood has been selected as a state finalist in the TelstraBusiness Women’s Awards 2000.

The manager of the centre is one of seven finalists judged on their achievements, communicationskills, performance, leadership, motivational ability, personal development, managing and decision-making, innovation and creativity and community involvement.

Professor Jörg Imberger, Chair of the CWR, said Ms Wood (pictured) had been responsible forintroducing a series of highly innovative strategies at the centre, in order for it to remain a viableinternationally-recognised research organisation.

“Caroline has successfully combined a career, family life and commitment to the widercommunity, including a deep commitment to Amnesty International. We are very proud of herachievements,” he said.

4 UWA news


completed his thesis. His colleague DrBrett Dix was head-hunted byProfessor Anthony Braithwaite inDunedin, New Zealand, the worldleader in his highly competitive field ofspecific cancer research.

Currently, Dr Iacopetta’s lab hasfour shining postgraduate students ontheir way to Paris and Rotterdam andwinning prizes and awards from the topinternational cancer research insti-tutions.

Brenda Powell, Bev Shannon andNirosha Suraweera are all sciencegraduates part-way through their PhDs.

Ms Powell’s special area of researchis breast cancer and she was awardedthe UWA Graduates’ Association andJohn Nott Cancer Foundation TravelAwards to carry out part of her work atthe Josephine Nefkens Cancer ResearchInstitute in Rotterdam. She has alreadybeen offered a postdoctoral positiononce she finishes her PhD.

Bev Shannon’s possibility forcollaborative work overseas isrestricted by family commitments butDr Iacopetta said she would besnapped up if she was available. MsShannon is studying an important newform of genetic alteration in bowel andbreast cancer referred to as DMAmethylation. She has recently had workaccepted for publication in CancerResearch, her fields’ most prestigiousinternational research journal.

Nirosha Suraweera is in the firstyear of her PhD but is already in Paristo spend 12 months in Dr RichardHamelin’s laboratory. Her work onanother form of genetic alteration inbowel cancer is part of an ongoingcollaboration between Dr Hamelin andDr Iacopetta, which has also resulted inpublications in Cancer Research andOncogene in the past year.

Dr Hany Elsaleh, who is a medicalgraduate from UWA and has passed hisRadiation Oncology college exami-nations this year, is close to finishing hisPhD in molecular genetics and has hada paper published in the highly reveredLancet in May (in association withcolleagues).

His translational research (knowncolloquially as benchside to bedside),applying knowledge of the molecular

basis of cancer to improve themanagement of cancer patients, adds animportant dimension to his medicalresearch.

Dr Elsaleh recently won a John NottTravel Award to follow up in northAmerica the work he published inLancet this year.

This research shows how molecularanalysis of tumour DNA can be usedto provide new insights into the likelyresponse of bowel cancer patients to

Continued from page 1 chemotherapy. He presented thiswork at a plenary session of theAmerican Society of Clinical Oncologyin New Orleans in April.

Over the past year he has madepresentations to international con-ferences in Boston, Washington, NewOrleans, Los Angeles, Houston,London and all around Australia. Hehas had more than 20 publications inprestigious journals, including Inter-national Journal of Oncology, Radio-therapy and Oncology and, of course,Lancet.

He was awarded a $10,000 SirCharles Gairdner Hospital researchgrant this year.

“Every time Hany makes apresentation at a conference, he wins aprize,” Dr Iacopetta said. “It’s being aclinician that makes the difference tohis approach.”

While modestly proud of hisstudents, Dr Iacopetta doesn’t condonea brain drain from Australia.

“It’s important for the students tobe exposed to other research environ-ments and it’s obviously of great benefitto them when seeking postdoctoralpositions. But it also helps them seethat we are not as isolated as theymight think we are.

“And, of course, all their travels aremost beneficial to UWA because of thescientific collaborations and exchangesthey nurture,” he said.

Alarm bells rang when an Australian Bureau of Statistics literacysurvey revealed that almost half Australia’s population between theages of 15 and 73 had trouble coping with the literacy demands ofdaily life.

Previous UWA research had already shown that low literacy/numeracy skillsreduced job opportunities, and for economist Professor Paul Miller, the recentsurvey has underscored the need for more research in this area.

“English language skills are among the most important an individual canpossess to participate fully in the labour force and in society,” he said.

Funding from the Australian Research Council will enable UWA to studythe causes and consequences of English language deficiencies, and gauge themerits of self-assessed versus test-based measures of English skills with a viewto assessing the quality of data available.

The information will help identify ‘at risk’ groups and provide guidance onremedial action.

Looking at literacy-employment links

“It’s important for

the students to

be exposed to

other research

environments …”


UWA news 5

Equity Office

Issues such as these are the new focus of UWA’sEquity Office, rather than simply assuring

compliance with equal opportunity legislation.Equity, with its new project manager Malcolm Fialho

(pictured above), is moving towards diversity, in line withhigher education institutions around Australia and in northAmerica.

“Equity is not about target groups and quotas any more,”Mr Fialho said.

“Culture change is the core issue. We need to change ourthinking about issues such as what constitutes merit andexcellence. We must question it: are we using multiculturalterms of reference?

“It’s what some detractors have called ‘lowering thebar’. But it’s not lowering the bar, it’s widening the door!”he said.

Mr Fialho’s appointment in February as diversity projectofficer is part of the University’s commitment to embracingdiversity in the community.

“My appointment is consistent with UWA’s mission and

How do wedefine

excellenceand merit?

This is a call to individual academics by the Institute of AdvancedStudies for proposals to convene a short program of activities oncampus. The aim of the initiative is to stimulate cross-disciplinaryscholarship.

We are seeking proposals for projects to commence planning inlate 2000 and run through 2001. The Institute has a commitment tosupport and promote innovative and collaborative research, and istherefore encouraging proposals for short programs that mayattract scholars from across departments and faculties.

The successful applicant will be offered a Teaching Award(valued at $13,500 to cover one semester) to convene such aprogram. Some administrative and publicity support will be madeavailable from the IAS, and it would be expected that someadditional support may come from department or faculty level.Funding may be used for a variety of activities, including a regularseries of on-campus seminars for scholars from variousdepartments and visitors to UWA, or hosting a workshop orconference. The project will be necessarily constrained in itstiming, but may provide the groundwork for a more ambitious

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

TEACHING AWARD 2000/2001future program. It should explore issue/s of academic and publicimportance.

Of particular interest to IAS are projects which may notordinarily be part of the work that occurs within departmental orfaculty structures. Involvement by individuals or sectors outside ofthe academic community as well as projects which engage in widercontemporary debates will be favourably considered.

Deadline for proposals is August 30. Proposals must notexceed two written pages and should provide details of the broadparameters of the project including anticipated speakers and visitorsand the range of intended activities.

Proposals should include a clear statement of themes andoutcomes and argue the case for the relevance and timeliness of theproject. The selection process will include advice from members ofthe Advisory Board of IAS. It is anticipated that decisions will bemade by the end of September.

We encourage prior discussion of your proposal. Allenquiries should be directed to: Terri-ann White,Academic Executive Officer, [email protected]

“The Equity Office promotes and supports UWA’s vision to provide an inclusive environment which acknowledges

and celebrates diversity — which recognises, utilises and values the abilities, the skills and ideas of all our people,

irrespective of ethnicity or religion, sexual orientation, educational level, socio-economic background, age,

disability or family responsibility.

strategic plan: wanting the staff profile to reflect thecommunity,” he said.

Mr Fialho has a master’s degree in cross-culturalpsychology and has worked for 12 years in the multi-culturalsector, mainly in the area of social justice.

“My academic and working life has been largely in thearea of race and I’m looking forward to the challenge ofhelping the University community deal with transgenderissues, disabilities, age and cultural differences.

“Being a person from a culturally different backgroundfuels my passion for this work.”

His projects since the beginning of the year have includedInternational Women’s Day, Harmony Day, the Law andReligion project and a very successful diversity skills “audit”for Student Services.

Diversity courses have been offered through the Centrefor Staff Development and Mr Fialho has also created ablueprint to encourage an inclusive environment for all staff.The draft of this document, the UWA Workforce DiversityPlan, will be circulated soon.

6 UWA news


NO ARGUMENT:legal fledglings rule the roost

UWA law students excelled at a recent Asia-Pacific forum in Melbourne, where they won

two out of four competitions.The occasion was the annual conference of the

Australasian Law Students’ Association, when students fromAustralia and New Zealand came together to discusscontemporary issues and match their skills against oneanother.

UWA won both the mooting competition (whichinvolved arguing points of law in front of a judge) and thestudent’s paper competition (an essay on a legal topic).

In the mooting competition, students Kathleen Foley,Belinda Buschenhofen and Lee Carroll presented the

NO ARGUMENT:legal fledglings rule the roost

winning argument, and Kathleen Foley also carried off theprize for the best ‘oralist’ in the mooting grand final, despiteadvocacy not being officially part of the law course. BenPlayle won the best student paper award.

Hosted by Monash and Deakin Universities, the annualconference is a unique event, according to Mark di Renzo,President of the Blackstone Society (the UWA law students’association) in that few other faculties offer students thechance to meet and discuss topical issues with their peersfrom around the country.

“It is a really good forum for association presidents tofind out more about the kinds of services being offered tostudents in other law schools,” he said.

Kathleen Foley, Belinda Buschenhofen and Lee Carroll celebrate their win.


UWA news 7

Testing infants for deafness is a costly process,partly because the equipment needed to

measure the small signals from the ear and braincomes at a very high price.

Each “evoked response averager”, must generate thecomplex sound signals to stimulate the ear, amplify and filterthe microvolt signals from the child’s head, and then averageand analyse the signals that are found.

Equipment costs ($20,000 to $40,000) is one of manyfactors that has limited the availability of such testing,especially when screening for hearing loss at maternityhospitals. About 21,000 babies are born in WA each year.The equipment and staff required to test these babies fordeafness is daunting (hearing loss is one of the mostcommon problems for children).

Until recently, the testing has not been carried outroutinely. Despite these difficulties, a pilot neonatalscreening program has begun in Western Australia, underthe direction of Dr Harvey Coates at Princess MargaretHospital. The program is the first of its kind in Australia, andis supported by the Garnett-Passe Foundation.

The ongoing high cost of the equipment and staff to carryout the testing will probably continue to be a problem. Inresponse to this local problem, and to address equipmentavailability worldwide (there are at least 10 million deafchildren in China alone), staff and students in the Depart-ment of Physiology are working to develop more cost-effective test equipment using standard computer hardwareand sophisticated software.

Leading the team, which also includes an electronicengineering honours student, and staff from the NationalAcoustics Laboratories in New South Wales, is Dr RobPatuzzi (an electronics engineer and an electrophysiologist).

He has recently taken on the role of co-ordinator of thenew Master of Audiology program within the Faculty ofMedicine and Dentistry.

“Most of the commercially available test gear generatesits sound stimuli with dedicated and therefore costlyelectronic hardware,” he said.

“These days, with high-quality sound systems common indesktop or laptop computers, we can generate the soundswith the computers sound card at full CD quality.”

Kosmic Sound and Lighting of Osborne Park, one of thesponsors of the new audiology program in Physiology, hasgenerously donated the necessary software.

“It has allowed us to generate the complex sound stimulifor the baby testing and has proved invaluable in demon-strating speech production and analysis in laboratory classesfor our audiology students. It also allows the audiologystudents to record and analyse speech patterns from hearingimpaired children, providing them with an insight into howloss of hearing alters normal speech development.

“It will prove very useful in generating complex soundsfor many other research projects within the audiologyprogram.

“The research projects have also been supported byWidex, a major international hearing aid company. Wehope to have the baby test gear completed by the end ofthe year, and the audiology research projects for ourmaster’s students will start in 2001.”

Some aspects of this and related work will be discussed ata public talk during Deafness Week (August 22 to 28) at the

Speech and Hearing Centre in Wembleyon Saturday from 9 to 11am. Alsospeaking will be Helen Bailey, co-ordinator of the new neonatal hearingscreening program in Perth, Dr MarcusAtlas, the new professor of ear, noseand throat surgery in the Faculty ofMedicine and Dentistry, and Dr RobPatuzzi, co-ordinator of the newaudiology program at UWA.

A Kosmicconspiracy to

improvehearing tests

Department of Physiology

Dr Rob Patuzzi (right), with PhD studentGreg O’Beirne and biomedical engineeringhonours student Rena Tong, discussing thenew low-cost equipment for testing babies’hearing.

A four-way collaboration between the privatePerth company Kosmic Sound and Lighting, thenational government, a biomedical engineeringstudent and the Department of Physiology willproduce more cost-effective test equipment fortesting for hearing loss.

8 UWA news


UWANews is published fortnightly.Information for the publication dated21 August should be forwarded toJoanna Thompson, Publications Unit,

ext 3029, fax 1162,email: [email protected]

NO LATER THAN 5PMON 9 AUGUST

Media enquiries to Public Affairson 9380 2889.

Unless a restricted audience or charge isspecified, all the events/exhibitions listedhere are free and open to all and may

attract media interest.

Monday 7 August

BOTANY SEMINAR“N and P nutrition of Pinus pinaster”,Charlie Warren. 4pm, Room 2.14, Botany.

HISTORY SEMINAR“Telling stories in Australian history.” JennyGregory, 4.30pm, Postgraduate Lounge,Hacket Hall. All welcome.

Tuesday 8 August

LAWRENCE WILSON ART GALLERY“A Fortunate Life: Robert Juniper andStephanie Green”. Celebrated WA artistRobert Juniper, whose illustrations ofAlbert Facey’s novel are featured in thecurrent exhibition A Fortunate Life, will talkabout his response to Facey’s story and thelandscape of Western Australia. StephanieGreen, LWAG Education Officer, willfollow with a discussion of Facey’s workand the genre of life-writing. 1pm, LWAG.

SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANTNUTRITION/CENTRE FOR LANDREHABILITATION SEMINAR“Why dryland and water salinisation arestill major environmental problems”,Elizabeth Kington. 4pm, AgricultureLecture Theatre.

UWA DISTINGUISHED LECTURESERIES IN SCIENCE, PHILOSOPHYAND RELIGION“Creationism and sociobiology: towards anew morality?” Professor David Hull,Dressler Professor in the Humanities atNorthwestern University, Illinois. ProfessorHull will be introduced by ProfessorDeryck Schreuder. 8pm, Social SciencesLecture Theatre.

Wednesday 9 August

PATHOLOGY SEMINAR“Peptide tools to dissect signal trans-duction pathways”, Dr Marie Bogoyevitch,Biochemistry. 1pm, Pathology ConferenceRoom, G14, Ground Floor, M Block,QEIIMC.

LAND, PLACE, CULTURE, IDENTITYSEMINAR“What belongs, and what doesn’t, in theAustralian bush: the case of the Pilbararegion of Western Australia”, Dr PeterKendrick, Regional Ecologist, Departmentof Conservation and Land Management,Karratha. 4pm, Lawrence Wilson ArtGallery

ANATOMY AND HUMAN BIOLOGYSEMINAR“Medical acupuncture — a westernscientific approach”, Dr Jaspal Kaur. 4 to5pm, CTEC Seminar Room, adjacent toAnatomy and Human Biology Building.

PHILOSOPHY SOCIETY MEETING“Deconstructing Darwin”, Professor DavidHull, Northwestern University, Illinois.4.15pm, Arts Seminar Room 1.33.

FRIENDS OF THE UWA LIBRARYMEETING“Self-publishing: win or lose! The birth of ofDutch Point”, Barbara Yates Rothwell,author. Barbara will talk about herbackground, and current problems withgetting published in today’s publishing scene.Self-publishing is becoming more respec-table while electronic developments pointto a new future for authors. 7.30 for 8pm,Scholars’ Centre, Reid Library.

Thursday 10 August

ASIAN STUDIES SEMINAR“Iranun — the Vikings of Asia: globalisation,maritime raiders and the birth of ethnicity”,Jim Warren, Murdoch University. 1pm,Room G.25, Social Sciences/Economics andCommerce Building.

CHEMISTRY SEMINAR“New supramolecules incorporatingmacrocycles as structural elements”, LenLindoy. 1pm, White Lecture Theatre.

PHILOSOPHY SOCIETY MEETING“The time of our lives”, D. H. Mellor,University of Cambridge. 5pm, Arts G.14.

ZOOLOGY SEMINAR“Large scale engineering and environ-mental interventions to save a large coastallagoon.” Dr Russell Hanley, BCEOM: TheSegara Anakan Conservation andDevelopment Project. 4pm, Jennifer ArnoldLecture Theatre.

Friday 11 August

MICROBIOLOGY SEMINAR“Iron, siderophores and root nodulebacteria”, Dr Kerry Carson, Division ofMicrobiology and Infectious Diseases,PathCentre. 9am, Seminar Room 1.1, FirstFloor, L Block, QEIIMC.

ANTHROPOLOGY SEMINAR“ ‘The job only requires the husband . . .’:lives, wives and identities in the ever-changing petroleum industry”, MarianneYrke. 12 to 1pm, Anthropology Con-ference Room, First Floor, Social SciencesBuilding.

BIOCHEMISTRY SEMINAR“The power of the proteome”, Dr RobLock, Curtin University. 1pm, SimmondsLecture Theatre.

CENTRE FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH INNEUROPSYCHIATRY“Research in a clinical setting: oppor-tunities and obstacles.” Dr Peter Gibbon,Senior Research Officer, PsychologicalMedicine, Clinical Care Unit, PMH. 3.30pm,Seminar Room 3, Gascoyne House,Graylands Hospital

CIVIL AND RESOURCE ENGINEERINGSEMINAR“Reinforced concrete members in com-bined tension and bending”, Ken Baker.3.45pm, Room E151, Civil EngineeringBuilding.

Sunday 13 August

KEYED UP!Piano Recital 4. International pianisticsensation Robert Levin presents Bach,Brahms, Wyner and Franck in the finalconcert of the 2000 Keyed Up! season.8pm, Octagon Theatre. Tickets areavailable at $25.30 and $19.80 (includesGST) and can be booked on 9386 4767.

Monday 14 August

HISTORY SEMINAR“Art and/or anthropology: what picturescan tell us about the first decade of thepenal colony at Sydney.” Ian McLean,4.30pm, Postgraduate Lounge, Hacket Hall.

Tuesday 15 August

LAWRENCE WILSON ART GALLERY“Frances Andrijch: on Max Dupain”. Well-known Perth photographer FrancesAndrijch gives her lively and enthusiaticperspective on the photography of MaxDupain. 1pm, LWAG.

SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANTNUTRITION SEMINAR“Water balance and growth relations of apine stand in east Germany”, Dr ChristophHinz. 4pm, Agriculture Lecture Theatre.

2000 M. J. BATEMAN MEMORIALLECTURE“The future of financial centres in atechnology-driven marketplace”, LesHosking, Australian Centre for GlobalFinance. 6pm, Octagon Theatre.

Wednesday 16 August

CHEMISTRY SEMINAR“Motivated macrocycles: cage amines tocalixarenes”, Jack Harrowfield. 12 noon,White Lecture Theatre.

ANATOMY AND HUMAN BIOLOGYSEMINAR“The quality of Surgical Care Project: theswings and slides of evidence-basedmedicine and implications for thetreatment of aneurysmal disease”, DrJames Semmens, Public Health. 4 to 5pm,CTEC Seminar Room, adjacent toAnatomy and Human Biology Building.

ENGLISH WORK-IN-PROGRESSSEMINAR“Confronting desire and eroticism inliterature and performance.” RachelRomano, 1pm, English Department,Ground Floor, Common Room (G14).

UWA news 9


PHILOSOPHY SOCIETY MEETING“My soul is not me: philosophies of mindreviewed and revived”, John Haldane,University of St Andrews. 5pm, ArtsSeminar Room 1.33.

Thursday 17 August

FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERTThe WAIM Guitar Ensemble, directed byJohn Casey, presents Bensa’s TroisMouvements Dynamiques , Wüsthoff’sConcierto de Samba and Concerto GrossoOpus 3 by Antonio Vivaldi. 1.10pm,Octagon Theatre.

ZOOLOGY SEMINAR“The effects of environmental flows onecological processes in the MurrumbidgeeRiver, NSW.” Dr Robyn Watts, School ofScience and Technology, Charles SturtUniversity. 4pm, Jennifer Arnold LectureTheatre.

Friday 18 August

MICROBIOLOGY SEMINAR“Polymorphism of the human NK cellreceptor family”, Dr Campbell Witt,Department of Clinical Immunologyand Biochemical Genetics, RPH. 9am,Seminar Room 1.1, First Floor, L Block,QEIIMC.

ANTHROPOLOGY SEMINAR“Principles and pragmatism: an indigenousnew order”, Ulli (Helen) Corbett. 12 to1pm, Anthropology Conference Room,First Floor, Social Sciences Building.

BIOCHEMISTRY SEMINAR“Liver development and carcinogenesis inthe p53 Knockout Mouse”, Mel issaDumble. 1pm, Simmonds Lecture Theatre.

ASIAN STUDIES SEMINARHonours seminar: “Prospects for a peacefulsettlement in the South China Sea”,Charlotte Woodhill. 1pm, Room G.25,Social Sciences/Economics and CommerceBuilding.

CIVIL AND RESOURCE ENGINEERINGSEMINAR“Rockburst damage mechanisms”, JohnAlbrecht. 3.45pm, Room E151, CivilEngineering Building.

CENTRE FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH INNEUROPSYCHIATRY“The implications of a ‘family violence’,rather than ‘domestic violence’ paradigmfor intervention, prevention and treatmentin indigenous communities.” Dr HarryBlagg, Research Fellow, Crime ResearchCentre. 3.30pm, Seminar Room 3, Gas-coyne House, Graylands Hospital

ADVANCE NOTICE

Monday 21 August

HISTORY SEMINAR“History, native title and the law: processesand challenges in the practice of history.”Christine Choo, 4.30pm, PostgraduateLounge, Hacket Hall. All welcome.

ASTHMA AND ALLERGY RESEARCHINSTITUTE SEMINAR“Inflammation in Atherosclerosis”, A/ProfJoe Hung. 12.30 to 1.30pm, Joske SeminarRoom, Medicine, G Block, SCGH.

Tuesday 22 August

LAWRENCE WILSON ART GALLERY“Mario D’Alonzo on John Brack”. ArtistMario D’Alonzo will reflect on the art ofJohn Brack from the point of view of apractising artist. 1pm, LWAG.

SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANTNUTRITION SEMINAR“Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis asa method to assess microbial communitystructure in the rhizophere”, Dr PetraMarschner, Institute fur AngewandteBotanik, Hamburg. 4pm, AgricultureLecture Theatre.

PERTH MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCEGROUP TALK“Celtic law: bloodshed and compensationin ancient Ireland”, Professor Neil McLeod(Murdoch University). 7.30pm, Post-graduate Common Room, Hackett Hall.

Tuesday 29 August

PERTH MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCEGROUP TALK“The Globe and globalism: Shakespeare’smaps”, Associate Professor Chris Wortham,English. 1pm, ALR 9, Arts Building.

MondayDefying Gravity with Tetrafide Percussionperform works by Sculthorpe, Piazzola,Stockhausen, Christopher Rouse, StuartJames, Eleanor Sandresky and MichaelBlake. 7.30pm, Callaway Music Audi-torium. Tickets at the door: $11 and$5.50 (price includes GST).

TuesdayFree lunchtime concert — DefyingGravity, directed by Tim White, presentsan innovative and energetic program,including much neglected xylophoneragtime! 1.10pm, Music Auditorium,WAAPA.A concert featuring solo and chambermusic by Andrew Ford. Mark-AnthonyTurnage and others. Performers includeAnna Sleptsova (piano) and MatthewStyles (saxophone). 7.30pm, CallawayMusic Auditorium. Tickets at the door:$11 and $5.50 (price includes GST).

WednesdayMagnetic Pig presents a program of newelectro-acoustic music by CathieTravers, Lindsay Vickery, Iain Grandageand other WA composers. 7.30pm,Callaway Music Auditorium. Tickets atthe door: $11 and $5.50 (price includesGST).

ThursdayFree lunchtime concert — a showcaseof compositions by WAIM students.1.10pm, Octagon Theatre.Patricia Pollett, Allan Meyer and RogerSmalley perform chamber works byAndrew Ford, Nigel Sabin, Kurtag andSmalley. 7.30pm, Callaway MusicAuditorium. Tickets at the door: $11and $5.50 (price includes GST).

FridayThe WA Symphony Orchestra NewMusic Ensemble and soloist PatriciaPollet, conducted by Roger Smalley,perform three works by Andrew Fordplus the first performances of speciallycommissioned works by Brad Gill andHannah Clemen. 7.30pm, CallawayMusic Auditorium. Tickets at the door:$11 and $5.50 (price includes GST).

LIONS EYE INSTITUTE CONCERT SERIES 2000

A soprano performance bySara Macliver

with Mark Coughlan on piano

Thursday August 17 should be a night to remember. One of WA’s best-loved singers,Sara Macliver, returns to the Lions Eye Institute for a fabulous night of musicaccompanied by UWA’s talented Mark Coughlan.

Sara Macliver has developed a high national profile for her concert performances withAustralia’s leading orchestras. She performs regularly around the country and we aredelighted that Sara is returning to perform for us as she recently moved to Sydney to live.

Mark Coughlan is a national figure in Australian music. He is a pianist and sought-afterteacher. He is also State Chairman of the Australian Music Examinations Board and Headof the School of Music at the University of Western Australia.

The concert will be at the Lions Eye Institute, 2 Verdun Street, Nedlands.Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres start at 7pm with the concert commencing at 7.30pmsharp. Tickets are $30.

All funds generated from the concert series will go towards supporting research into theinvestigation, prevention and cure of blinding eye diseases.

For further information or bookings contact Amelia Miller on 9381 0714.

Monday 7 toFriday 11 August

M U S I CW E E K

10 UWA news


• Wednesday 2 August 2pm to 7pmFaculty of Engineering andMathematical SciencesOPEN DAY 2000

• Displays in the Science/Engineeringdepartments

• Tuesday 8 August 5.30pmScience, Cognitive Science,Neuroscience, Plant Biology

• Winthrop HallRepeated Saturday 12 August

• Tuesday 8 August 6.30pmSecondary Teaching and SchoolPsychology

• Winthrop Hall

• Tuesday 8 August 7.30pmArts, Asian Studies, European Studies,Modern Languages


• Wednesday 9 August 5.30pmArchitecture, Landscape Architecture,Fine Arts

• Winthrop Hall

• Wednesday 9 August 6.30pmMusic and an introduction to WAIM

• Winthrop Hall

• Wednesday 9 August 7.30pmEconomics and Commerce


• Thursday 10 August 5.30pmComputer and Mathematical Sciences

• Winthrop Hall

• Thursday 10 August 6.30pmBiomedical Science, Health Science,Molecular Biology, Vision Science

• Winthrop Hall

• Thursday 10 August 7.30pmEngineering

• Winthrop Hall

• Friday 11 August 5.30pmPsychology

• Winthrop Hall

• Friday 11 August 6.30pmSocial Work

• Winthrop Hall

• Friday 11 August 7.30pmLaw

• Winthrop Hall

• Saturday 12 August 1pmAgriculture, Animal Science,Environmental Science, Horticultureand Viticulture, LandscapeManagement, Marine Science,Natural Resource Management

• Winthrop Hall

• Saturday 12 August 2pmArts, Asian Studies, European Studies,Modern Languages

• Winthrop Hall

• Saturday 12 August 3pmScience, Cognitive Science,Neuroscience, Plant Biology

• Winthrop Hall

• Saturday 12 August 4pmEconomics and Commerce

• Winthrop Hall

• Wednesday 16 August 5pmPhysical and Health Education, SportsScience

• Lecture Theatre Human MovementBuilding. Enter from Parkway, NedlandsRepeated at 7.00pm

• Wednesday 30 August 7.30pmInformation evening for prospectivemature-age students

• Alexander Lecture Theatre, Arts FacultyBuilding

• Monday 4 SeptemberInformation evening for prospectivestudents wanting to study at the UWAAlbany Centre

• Albany Town Hall

Unless otherwise specified these events areaimed at prospective students planning tobegin tertiary studies in 2001. Otherstudents are welcome to attend, as areparents and teachers.

For further information contact theProspective Students Office (93802477 or 1800 65 3050)

EVENTS FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTSEVENTS FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

UWA news 11


Who killed Lenny?’ was theburning question posed to

48 Year 10 students cum amateursleuths from schools around Perthand Mandurah.

The students — all female— were taking part in aninnovative holiday pro-gram organised byWomen in Scienceand Engineering(WISE) in co-operationwith the Departments ofZoology, Chemistry, Physicsand Geology and Geophysics.

The object of the exercise,according to Tricia Gardiner,administrative assistant with WISE, wasto enthuse the students into takingscience in Years 11 and 12, andhopefully going on to study it atuniversity. “This is the first time wehave held such an event and we’ve hadan amazing response.”

The amateur sleuths spent all day oncampus, analysing evidence from thecrime scene and sifting informationprovided by the ‘CIB’ followinginterviews with five suspects: GordonBleu, Dr Kurl, Pauline Huntsman, LucyLovelost and Joe Boulder.

In Zoology, they took a close-up lookat the life cycle of maggots; in theChemistry lab, they identified the poisonin the drink bottle – lead acetate. Usinglasers in the Physics lab, they measuredthe width of Lenny’s hair as well asother stray strands of hair found on his

clothing. (As lecturer Simon Woodingstold them, “Hair can be very importantin forensic investigations.”)

In Geology and Geophysics, theypeered into microscopes to

analyse pollen samplesfound on the corpse,

which they comparedwith samples from theshoes of the suspects.

Pollen is everywhere,they learned, which

makes it a powerful‘invisible’ tool for forensic

scientists, producing evidencethat has frequently persuaded a

criminal to confess.By early afternoon, PLC student

Sophia Chapman had singled out DrKurl as a prime suspect. She wasenjoying her foray into detective work,and is interested in pursuing science atuniversity: “This is good because it givesyou ideas for career options.” Fellowstudent Alison Cook agreed: “It is greatto be able to do real things,” she said asshe worked with the laser. “At schoolwe wouldn’t be able to do this.”

When they all came together at theend of the afternoon, they had littletrouble in identifying the culprit . . .who will not be identified here in caseWISE runs the program again!

The students left the campus withgreat enthusiasm for studying science.

(Women in Science and Engineeringwas set up in 1989 as part of StudentServices.)

Women in Science and Engineering

Suzannah Macbeth (St Hilda’s), Nina Yiannopoulos (Hollywood SHS), withTricia Gardiner, administrative assistant, Women in Science and Engineering(WISE).

Aboriginal people andarchaeologists are

some-times at loggerheadson the subject of Tasmania’searly history, but a newUWA research project hasthe full backing of anAboriginal community innortheast Tasmania.

Members of the communityare helping to gather materialthat will shed light on the lives oftheir hunter-gatherer ancestors.Little is known archaeologicallyabout the Aborigines of thenortheast, and the aim of theUWA project is to construct anarchaeological sequence of theiroccupation.

In the past there has sometimesbeen a lack of consultation withAboriginal communities, saidProfessor Sandra Bowdler. “Theimportant thing about thisproject is that it is beingdeveloped in close co-operationwith the Aboriginal communityand will employ Aboriginal siteofficers. It may also involve theRiawunna Aboriginal Teachingand Learning Centre at theUniversity of Tasmania.”

With funding from theAustralian Research Council, theproject will seek to establishwhether the local people madeuse of waterways, whether theysailed to offshore islands to huntand catch muttonbirds and howthey adapted to their coastalenvironment.

Historical records reveal thatthere were several tribal groupsin Tasmania: the UWA projectwill try to find out whether therewere cultural differences betweenthe groups.

The body of postgraduate science student Lenny is foundin the reeds on the banks of the Peel Inlet when an earlymorning jogger is attracted by the ringing of the victim’smobile phone. Police trace the call to Lenny’s girlfriendLola. A bottle is found near the body . . .

whok i l l e dLenny?

UNEARTHINGEARLY

TASMANIANHISTORY

12 UWA news


I rwin Barrett-Lennard couldprobably drive the road

between Perth and Wongan Hillswith his eyes closed.

He’s been doing the round triptwice a week for the past 28 years.

Late last month, the UWA senatorattended his last Senate meeting . . .and drove back to his Wongan Hillsfarm the next day.

“I’m still an active farmer, eventhough I’ve handed over one propertyto my family,” Mr Barrett-Lennard said.“I’ve always been lucky to have awonderfully loyal farm staff (and later,family) who’ve kept things going whileI’ve been involved in the community.”

As well as serving 28 years on theSenate, Mr Barrett-Lennard was a local

The end of the(much-travelled)road for senator

Chancellor ClinicalProfessor Alex Cohenand Vice-ChancellorProfessor DeryckSchreudercongratulate MrBarrett-Lennard onhis retirement fromSenate.

councillor at Wongan Hills for 22 yearsand continues to play an active role inlocal government.

“But length of service is not a greatthing in itself: it’s what you do whileyou’re there that matters,” he said.

While on the Senate, Mr Barrett-Lennard served on the generalpurposes committee, followed bystaffing, then finance and investmentbut he is modest about his role andachievements.

He brought the rural perspective tomany Senate discussions. “Breadth ofview is always an asset to any argumentbut it’s terribly important that peopleare not partisan because of theirbackgrounds,” he said.

“The really interesting thing aboutpublic and community service is thepeople you get to know well and howthey react to different situations andhow you can help them deal withproblems and opportunities.

“It’s been richly rewarding,” he said.

UWA wins Energy Efficiency AwardRadical changes to UWA’s air-conditioning system and other mechanicalservices have done more than save the University over a million dollarsand cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 13,000 tonnes.

They have also netted for UWA a win in the WA Energy Efficiency Awardsannounced in June.

In a project that took nine years to complete, most of the power savings wereachieved by converting from pneumatic control to Direct Digital Control (DDC).

Central plant technicians under John King, Senior Technical Officer(Mechanical) are now able to fine-tuneair-conditioning and other mechanicaldevices from computer terminals,achieving optimum conditions that werenot possible with pneumatic controls.The changes have been an ongoingchallenge for Mr King since he joinedthe University in 1991.

Congratulations to all the Office ofFacilities Management staff who havebeen involved in the project over thepast nine years.

Just when you thought itwas safe to open your

mail again . . .

Another survey has been sentto all UWA staff members.Please don’t ignore it. It hasnothing to do with the WorkingLife Survey, which is an internalUniversity project.

The latest questionnaire,National Survey of OccupationalStress, is being distributed to 17Australian universities. UWA isone of those participating in alongitudinal three-year study ofoccupational stress amongAustralian university staff.

The study is funded by twoARC/SPIRT grants with theNational Tertiary EducationUnion as the industry partner.The chief investigators for theproject are at the University ofSouth Australia, the University ofNew England and SwinburneUniversity of Technology.

It is very important to identifytypes and sources of stressaffecting university staff to enablestrategies and practices to be putin place to alleviate that stress.The survey will be repeated intwo years to measure changes inthe levels and sources of stressand highlight developments inimproving strategies for alleviatingstress in university staff.

The survey is sent with thefull support of the University andthe NTEU and staff areencouraged to spend half anhour completing it. Your res-ponses are anonymous.

Please complete both thisNational Survey of OccupationalStress and the Working LifeSurvey as soon as possible.

Feelingstressed?

UWA news 13


As many researchers will beaware, the ARC Small Grants

Scheme has been discontinuedin the recent reorganisation ofresearch funding to Universities.

The money that supported thescheme is still delivered to theUniversity but will be rolled into theResearch Quantum from 2001. Aworking party has been establishedunder the auspices of the ResearchCommittee to examine the role of theSmall Grants Scheme and to suggest ascheme to replace it at UWA. Themembers of this committee are:Professor David Badcock (Convenor);Professor Mark Bush;Associate Professor Arun Dharmarajan;Professor Michael McAleer;

The working party has suggested areplacement grants scheme.Back: Trudi McGlade, Associate ProfessorArun Dharmarajan, Professor DavidBadcock, Professor Michael McAleer.Front: Associate Professor PhilippaMaddern, Professor Mark Bush, Dr TerryQuickenden.

DW (pictured right)graphically described howhis stomach turnedsomersaults as the aircraft

shuddered and shook as it picked upspeed. He was convinced all aboardwere shortly to meet their maker.

Then he heard the call “Bombsaway!” and hung on for dear life asthe pilot levelled the plane out. They circled around for awhile as the aircrew checked out the bomb-impact site.Much to DW’s relief the angleometer was deemed asuccess.

With the end of the war the binocular project was woundup, but this didn’t mean that DW could put his feet up. Theteaching laboratories needed major upgrading and expandingto cope with the sudden rise in student numbers, many ofwhom were returned service personnel.

In the late 1950’s, on the verge of retirement, DWbecame heavily involved in the design of the new Physicsbuilding, which we finally moved into in 1962.

together a document titled Developing aResearch Grant Scheme at UWA. Thisdocument describes a scheme thatplaces particular emphasis on thedevelopment of the research potentialof early career researchers and reflectsthe increased need for establishedresearchers to attract external fundingin order to build a strong research-based university. It can be found on theweb at: http://www.acs.uwa.edu.au/research/policy/gp/sgdis.html

The working party hopes thatresearchers in the wider Universitycommunity will read this document andprovide comment on it so that we canall work together to frame an internalresearch grants scheme to fund researchat UWA over the next few years.

Your opinion is valued and this isyour chance to provide an input to thedeliberations of the Working Party.Please email comments to TrudiMcGlade at [email protected].

Having served the University and his country magnificentlyfor some 48 years, with little fanfare or fuss, DW finallyretired in 1963.

Mere words seem inadequate to convey the praise that issurely his due, not only for his achievements, but forestablishing the high standard of dedication and service forfuture generations of technicians to aspire to.

Oops! I nearly forget the “Cure-em Quicks.” As youmight imagine, what with the long stressful hours workingon the binocular project, whilst at the same time managingthe department and maintaining the teaching laboratories,DW’s health suffered to some degree.

He frequently got the sniffles, but seemed always able tokeep on keeping on by sucking on copious quantities of thoselittle chunks of Irish seaweed extract called “Cure-em-Quicks”.

In view of the importance of DW’s wartime work alone itseems appropriate to acknowledge this humble medicationits rightful place in history.

I would like to thank Miriam Congdon and Colin Halbert of theUniversity Archives Office for their assistance in the preparationof this article.

Continued from page 16…the

lastword

Associate Professor Philippa Maddern;Dr Terry Quickenden;with Trudi McGlade as Executive Officer.

The Working Party had two maintasks. The first was to put in place ascheme to avoid a hiatus in the fundingof “small-grant-type” research at UWAin 2001. It was decided that a schememirroring the ARC Small GrantsScheme would operate at UWA in the2001 funding round. This scheme isnow under way and can be consideredas an interim measure.

The second task is the bigger one —to frame a replacement scheme for theARC Small Grants Scheme to operatein the 2002 funding round and beyond.

This working party has been busyover the past few months and has put

Have your say about small grants

14 UWA news


Redundant Equipment for Sale

Bids should be accepted by Monday 21 August with departments to have first option

Departments are reminded that all University equipment available for sale must be advertised in the UWANews. Receipts should be PeopleSoftaccount coded 490 (computing with barcode), 491 (non-computing with barcode) or 493 (items with no barcode). If equipment has an existing barcode

please contact extension 3618/2547 for details.

CONDITION refers to the general condition of item (1 = as new; 2 = good; 3 = serviceable; 4 = unserviceable). AGE refers to the nearest year.

CLASSIFIEDSFOR SALE

DAIHATSU APPLAUSE XI, 1991, white, auto, a/c,power steering, fuel injection, 4-wheel discbrakes, immobiliser, low kms, one owner,regular service, 6 months reg., immaculatecondition. $8000 ono. Telephone 9447 0632.

CAMRY 1998, white, 43,000km, auto, PS, CL.Under new car warranty until mid-2001.Excellent condition. $19,500 ono. Call Sharon onext. 2562 or 9305 3736.

MITSUBISHI SCORPION 1982, good studentcar with a/c. $1500 ono. Contact Paula on 93802597.

CAMRY SILVER (1989), reliable and in excellentcondition. $4500. Contact John on 9335 4734.

HOLIDAY CHALET, KALBARRI. 2 bedrooms,fully furnished, holiday chalet in strata complexof 22. Currently owned by UWA, $69,500.Contact Mike at WACRRM on 9384 2811.

WANTED

SKIING OUTFIT second-hand for a 9 year-oldboy who is definite on “no pinks please”. If youcan help please contact Filomina on 9380 2505.

ITEM PRICE AGE COND. CONTACT DEPARTMENT EXT

2 x NEC Pinwriter P93000 Printer ........... Offers — — Mark ECEL 1405MAC Imagewriter II Printer ........................ Offers — — Mark ECEL 14053 x Apple Mac LC630 .................................... Offers — — Mark ECEL 1405Brook Compton ParkinsonVacuum Pump .................................................. $300 14 2 Rosalie Surgery 9224 0223Packard 5000 SeriesGamma Counter ............................................. Offers 14 3 Rosalie Surgery 9224 0223Astecair Protable LaboratoryWorkstation .................................................... Offers 14 2 Rosalie Surgery 9224 0223Tissue Tek, TissueEmbedding Centre ......................................... Offers 14 2 Rosalie Surgery 9224 0223Apple LaserWriter Pro(not working) ................................................... $50 — 3 Tanya Research Grants 2003Umax Scanner, A4 size,SCSI interface .................................................. $200 — 2-3 Frank Physics 2730Apple Mac LC630 .......................................... Offers — 2 Renée LWAG 3708Canon Photocopier NP125 ......................... Offers — 2 Renée LWAG 3708Panasonic Fax UP-305-AL ............................ Offers — 2 Renée LWAG 3708

UNIVERSITYPHYSIOTHERAPY

AND SPORTSPODIATRY

PHYSIOTHERAPISTSSally Bigwood,

Gerard Hurst

PODIATRIST

Tracey Manifis

UWA Recreation Centre9380 2316

STUDENT RATESSports Card Holders

20% discount

RENTAL/HOUSESITTINGACCOMMODATION WANTED

FAMILY WITH GRADE SIX BOY returning toNedlands from overseas. In need of furnishedhome near UWA beginning September/October.Have recently lived in Nedlands for three years.Have excellent local referees and housesittingexperience. Non-smoking professionals. Happyto garden and/or look after pets. Contact: BeckyEmerson at [email protected].

ACCOMMODATION FOR RENT

BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER HOUSE FOR RENTin Mount Lawley, October 2000 to January 2001.Large 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom. Fully furnished,including two cats, walking distance to Perth.Reasonable rent to good tenant. Cars included ifrequired. Would suit visiting academic andfamily. Phone Kerri on 9272 9150.

NEW LUXURY COTTAGE FOR RENT inBlackwood Valley, near Balingup, offering views,tranquility, seclusion and a cosy wood stove.Call Jackie on 9336 3250 (A/H) or 040 7382527.

There are times when all of us have challenging issuesto deal with. When personal or work related issuesmake life difficult, the University has an EmployeeAssistance Program (EAP) to help staff manage theseissues more effectively.The EAP is a professional, confidential counselling andconsultation service. The services of DavidsonTrahaire are available FREE to you and your family forup to six sessions a year.For appointments, please ring Davidson Trahaireon 9382 8100 or if urgent 9480 4847(24 hours).Their offices are located at Suite 11, 100 Hay St,Subiaco. Further information can be obtained atwww.admin.uwa.edu.au/sho

UWAEmployeeAssistanceProgram

Research Grants and Contractswill be published in the next

issue of UWA News.

UWA news 15


EDITOR/FEATURE STORY WRITER

Lindy BrophyTel.: 9380 2436 Fax: 9380 1192Email: [email protected]

CAMPUS DIARY/ADVERTISING/CLASSIFIEDS/REDUNDANT EQUIPMENT/

DISTRIBUTION LIST

Jo ThompsonTel.: 9380 3029 Fax: 9380 1162

Email: [email protected]

Designed and produced byPublications Unit

The University of Western Australia

Printed byUniprint

The University of Western Australia

UWAnews onlinehttp://www.publishing.uwa.edu.au/uwanews/

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Colin Campbell-FraserTel.: 9380 2889 Fax: 9380 1020


newsUWA

MATILDA AWARD FORCULTURAL EXCELLENCE

Convocation, the UWA Graduates Association,in conjunction with the UWA Student Guild,makes an annual presentation of this culturalaward, recognising excellence and outstandingachievement in cultural pursuits such as:

Music — Classical, rock, popular, jazz and anyother form of music;

Literature — Fiction, non-fiction, short stories,prose, poetry, and any other form of literature;

Public Speaking — Debating, specialisedexpertise in a foreign language, and any otherform of public speaking;

Dance — Ballet, contemporary, ballroom andall facets such as choreography, production andperformance;

Visual Arts — Painting, graphic design, textiles,sculpture and any other form of visual art;

Drama — Theatre, television, street theatre,production and any other form of drama.

• The Matilda Award can be presented forexcellence in any form of cultural pursuit.

• Individuals or groups can be nominated forthe award.

• Nomination may be made on the basis ofwork as part of a University course or on thebasis of participation in the arts in the widercommunity.

• The significance of the nominee’s contributioneither in terms of personal achievement or ofcontribution to a group achievement, atinternational, national, state or at communityor University levels will be considered.

• The award consists of a framed certificate and$1000.

Applications are now open and must besubmitted by Friday 22 September 2000.

For further information and application formscontact:

The Graduates Co-ordinatorConvocation,

The UWA Graduates AssociationTelephone: 9380 3006


Australian Postgraduate Scholarships to theLondon School of Economics 2000–2001

The Australian Friends of the London School of Economics (LSE) wish to offer twoscholarships, each valued at $4000 to assist Australian students who are undertaking post-graduate studies at the LSE. To be eligible, students must be Australian citizens and either bestarting a course this year or be currently enrolled as postgraduate students at the LSE.

Applicants are invited to send a statement giving details of the course they are undertaking, acurriculum vitae and evidence that they meet the above criteria.

Applicants close on 1 September 2000 and should be sent to:Professor Russell Lansbury, Associate Dean (Research)

Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 AustraliaFax: 02 9351 4729 (in Australia); 612 9351 4729 (from overseas)


The University Department of Medicine at Royal Perth Hospital is seeking men with highblood pressure taking two or more medications for high blood pressure treatment, who alsosuffer from impotence. Volunteers are needed to take part in a worldwide study into thesafety and effectiveness of the drug Viagra® (sildenafil citrate).

For a short time only, places in this study are available to a strictly limited number of WAmen who fit these criteria. They must be over 18 years old, not taking nitrates in any form,including use as treatment for angina and amyl nitrite (“poppers”), and otherwise in goodhealth.

Volunteers must be available over 14 consecutive weeks, and be prepared to takethe study medication at least once a week. They must be prepared to take aplacebo (non active) tablet for six of the 14 weeks and to keep a detailed diary ofthe effect of the study medication and their response to it. They must also be ableto attend the University Department of Medicine Research Studies Unit at RoyalPerth Hospital at regular intervals during the study for routine health checks, andto complete a series of questionnaires relating to symptoms and sexual function.The study medication and all medical investigations will be provided free ofcharge for the duration of this study.

Men who consider they fulfil the study criteria and would like further details should ring theUniversity Department of Medicine and speak to either Pat Stroud on 9224 0236 or KarenShakespeare on 9224 0317.

This study has the approval of the Royal Perth Hospital Ethics Committee.

Today in China 10,000 bears are kept prisoner for extracting bile from their gall bladders.The bears are kept in a horizontal position, in cages that look rather like coffins. They wear ametal collar and are held down by pressure bars. A catheter is introduced into their body thatcontinuously absorbs the liquid from their gall bladders.

Every moment that passes is decisive for them, it’s either SUFFERING or LIVING. With theirpaw they take some food through a little opening in the cage. To quench their thirst theyhave to stretch their tongue to lick the bars of their prison. They suffer excruciating pain asthey have to stay for an average of 15 years in the same position that deforms their bones.We are talking about 15 years or 180 months, or 5,475 days, or 131,400 hours or 78,844,000minutes of continuous pain. The bile serves a disgusting market: it is used to produceshampoos, aphrodisiacs and ‘miraculous’ remedies.

If you wish to support the “Save Tortured Bears in China” Foundation, you cansend donations to Maureen Gordon, 21, Balaka Way, Queens Park 6107. A streetappeal and raffle is held annually and Maureen would welcome volunteers to helpout at the street appeal or any items which could be given away as prizes at theraffle. You can also become a member of the Foundation ($10 unwaged/$15waged) by calling Maureen on 9458 7214.

Volunteers wanted!

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND IMPOTENCE

Support wanted!

HELP SAVE THE BEARSOF CHINA

16 UWA news


Few people around today knowthat the Department of Physics

was involved in important workduring World War II for theAustralian military in refurbishingand preparing for use, mainly in thePacific war theatre, the thousands ofbinoculars donated by the Australianpublic to help the war effort.

The story goes back to the appointmentof a remarkable character, Don W.Everson, later known simply as “DW” asthe department’s first technician in 1915when the University was located in IrwinStreet, Perth.

An extensive knowledge in all thingselectrical, together with his all-roundmanual and innovative skills made thisexceptional do-it-yourself Yorkshiremanthe ideal person for what was to follow.

Military intelligence, thetechnician, the insurancesalesman, the greengrocer — and cure-em-quicks

John Budge Technical Officer, Department of Physics…

the

last

wor

dAlthough something of a quantum leap from making up

relatively simple experimental apparatus for the laboratories,DW took it all in his stride. He gradually built up theworkshop facilities from its home-handyman status to matchthe growing sophistication of the department. By the start ofWorld War II DW had acquired a superb American cabinet-makers’ circular saw, high-quality drilling machine, and astate-of-the-art precision nine-inch swing Holbrook lathe,still in use today, which was to prove invaluable in theoptical munitions work.

Just how the military came to involve the University in thebinocular work is a little unclear. Perhaps it was thedefinitive example of military intelligence!

Many of the binoculars were in a poor state of repair, withparts missing, chipped and mis-aligned lenses, and damagedfocusing mechanisms, etc. With the aid of the ScientificAmerican publication How to make a Telescope, DW setabout learning the art of lens-grinding and many tricks of thetrade peculiar to optical mechanics.

The first task was to make the apparatus for testing theoptical properties of the lenses, and a collimator for settingtheir alignment to ensure that both lens systems focused atthe same point.

Once the main technical problems were solved itwasn’t long before extra staff were needed to cope withthe increasing workload. DW was fortunate to obtain theservices of ex-insurance executive Victor Leggatt, anoutstanding member of Perth’s model engineers’fraternity, and ex-greengrocer Ralph Eades, secondedfrom F & R Tough in Perth, who were engaged in makingmortar bomb and hand-grenade casings and other militaryhardware.

These two gentlemen performed most of the precisionmachining for the reconstruction of the binocular, for whichthe Holbrook lathe proved indispensable, especially thefeature that allowed threadcutting to be carried out right upto a shoulder with the aid of a unique adjustable drop-outmechanism.

Notwithstanding DW’s hectic schedule other diversionssometimes cropped up requiring his attention.

Soon after the arrival of the Catalina flying boat squadronat Matilda Bay, Professor Ross was enlisted to act as atechnical adviser, which meant that problems of a practicalnature were passed on to DW.

One such problem arose from the use of the Catalinas asdive-bombers (believe it or not!) to attack the Japanesefreighters that were supplying their troops in the islands tothe north of Australia. DW was asked to knock up somesort of instrument that would allow the pilot to set theaircraft at the optimum dive-angle for this hazardousoperation. He made up a simple ‘angleometer’ that wasattached to the bulkhead near the cockpit, and was talkedinto going on a test flight to trial the device.

So off they flew down to the Peel estate where theunlikely dive-bomber gyrated like an eagle in a thermal, everupward to about 15,000 feet, then with little warning, thepilot threw the gangling old machine into a steep dive.

Continued on page 13

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