UWA NEWS16 November 2009 Volume 28 Number 18

In this issue P3 OUR NEW RHODES SCHOLAR P5 WHAT’S BETTER THAN A BEX AND A GOOD LIE DOWN?

continued on page 2

As the price of oil goes up, it becomes worth the cost for resource companies to spend billions of dollars exploring and drilling in deeper and deeper water.

And the huge financial cost is only the start of a host of differences between drilling in relatively shallow water and exploring the deeper water – with seabeds more than 500 metres below the surface.

But what of the environment? It is a question that has been on many lips over the past two months, as an oil spill off WA’s far north coast grabbed headlines.

SERPENT PROJECT

Drilling down into deep sea exploration

by Lindy Brophy The first extensive and long-term scientific studies into the ecology of the deep is taking place in more than a dozen off-shore drilling regions around the world, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Barents Sea and the north-west coast of Australia.

The SERPENT project is a world-wide collaborative program between scientific partners and a network of major oil and gas producers, It makes use of ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicles) technology to make data more accessible to the world’s science community, to develop deep-sea research responsibly.

SERPENT stands for Scientific and Environmental ROV Partnership using

These studies revealed valuable data on how drill spoil deposits change with time in the deep sea

“ “

PROfESSOR CHARI PATTIARATCHI

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SERPENT probes the deepcontinued from page 1

Existing iNdustrial Technology. In Australia, the project is dubbed SEA SERPENT (for South East Asia) and the Chief Investigator at UWA is Winthrop Professor Chari Pattiaratchi from the School of Environmental Systems Engineering.

While his project colleagues are discovering some weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit the deep water, Professor Pattiaratchi looks at the physical side of drilling in this environment.

“We are studying the water column structure (changes in temperature, salinity and oxygen content) and the seabed (looking at the current and sediment transport),” he said.

“When companies drill through the earth under the sea, whether it’s for exploration or production, they discharge back into the ocean whatever they drill out. It is not just earth, because they use chemicals for lubricants and in cooling the drills.

“We want to find out what the impact of this ‘drill spoil’ is on species which live in the deep waters. How far does it move? Does it move once it has settled on the sea bed?

“This is quite a new phenomenon because of the depth. In shallower water, strong currents will disperse the drill spoil quickly and it will have little effect. But we don’t know what happens at greater depths.”

SEA SERPENT, a collaboration between UWA, the University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney and the University of Wollongong, started as an ARC linkage project with $800,000. Chevron has recently given the consortium more than $1 million for the next three years, for research related to its Gorgon project. Other major sponsors are Woodside, Santos and Inpex.

“It has been about five years since we signed an MOU together,” Professor Pattiaratchi said. “We actually started going offshore to collect data a couple of years ago.”

His group includes a PhD student, Saif farooqui, who started this year, and an Honours student, Sanjeewa Senanayake. While their research is focused on the north-west, other groups in SEA SERPENT are working in the Southern Ocean and Bass Strait.

All the projects use the ROVs that are owned by the resource companies and are attached to every drilling platform. They are used for routine maintenance on the rig and are always on standby for

emergencies. So, for more than half the time, they are lying idle on the surface, a resource that is ideal for scientific research.

“Australia has just one dedicated research vessel, so this is a great opportunity to do research from the platforms, using the ROVs and their technology, to help us understand and record what’s going on down there,” Professor Pattiaratchi said.

In a report in AIR magazine, Mark McCallum, deputy CEO of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, said his members were backing the work because they needed to understand more about the oceans, even if there was a risk that the scientific findings would not be to their liking.

“We can use the knowledge to better plan, time and execute our projects with lower environmental impact,” he said.

Honours student Kate Swain, supervised by Professor Pattiaratchi last year, conducted studies on the turbulence generated close to the sea bed at well sites near Exmouth.

She gathered data on sediment resuspension due to turbulence in low current environments.

“These studies revealed valuable data on how drill spoil deposits change with time in the deep sea,” Professor Pattiaratchi said.

UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 The University of Western Australia2

It might sound like many students’ idea of fun to drive a BMW X5 towards a balloon shaped like a full-sized Hyundai Getz.

But this isn’t a prototype of a new fairground side-show attraction. It is serious science that could save thousands of lives.

Director of the Centre for Intelligent Information Processing Systems and of the Renewable Energy Vehicle Project (REV), Professor Thomas Braunl in the School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, explained the BMW was being fitted with an automatic collision avoidance system.

“The X5 is being installed with a steer-by-wire and a brake-by-wire intelligence

Collision avoidance anything but child’s play

Dustin Stuart has had the best experiences of his life teaching children and teenagers about science.

Some people might cite the thrill of sky-diving, the taste of a truffle or hearing a perfect violin concerto as their pinnacles, but for the 2009 Rhodes Scholar, it’s sharing his passion for science that excites him.

After completing a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) in Physics and Chemistry, Dustin is finishing up his Honours project in Physics and plans to study for his DPhil in Laser Physics at Oxford University from next year.

“My project will involve laser cooling atoms to a fraction of a degree above absolute zero, and using them as a quantum computer,” Dustin said.

With High Distinctions and a swag of academic prizes, the 21-year-old is heading for a life in academia but along the way, he has learnt that education has the power to be life-changing.

“That’s why I want to teach,” he said. “I believe education truly has the power to change people’s lives for the better. And fundamental research in physics has that potential too – to have a real effect on people’s lives.”

Teaching English in India as a volunteer, running a science holiday program for primary school children and coaching teenagers competing in science Olympiads have all fuelled his passion for teaching.

“I hope one day to start a science extension program to give kids the opportunity to discover science in the same way that has been so life-changing for me,” he said.

Rhodes Scholar wants to share his passion

system so that when you drive it towards another car it will stop itself before hitting the other car,” he said.

“The system will be far cheaper than the radar-based systems created by major automobile manufacturers. We use image processing via a low-cost camera and it’s a system that could be retrofitted into older cars, reduced to a warning system that only alerts the driver rather than a fully automatic braking system.”

Professor Braunl said the avoidance system could be perfected and ready for evaluation by June next year.

“for training and evaluation of the automatic emergency braking system we need a realistic looking car as a ‘target’, but for safety reasons we

cannot use a real car. So an inflatable car is ideal for this task,” he said.

“I did some research on the internet and found a company specialising in creating strange-shaped balloons for use in advertising and promotions and sent them the drawings of the car. The inflatable Getz was made in China to UWA specifications. It is made of PVC material, similar to that used in inflatable pools.”

Professor Braunl chose the Getz shape as the training model because the REV ECO car is a Getz converted to plug-in electric drive. further information is available from: http://robotics.ee.uwa.edu.au/automotive.html and http://theREVproject.com/

Inflatable Getz and project strongmen (from left) Thomas Braunl, Frank Ophelders, Markus Kohler and Soo Siang Teoh

Dustin Stuart in his physics lab

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 3

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Closer to 50We have moved closer to our goal of becoming a world top-50 university with the official release of the foremost international ranking of universities.

UWA has been ranked 113 in the world (up from 127 in 2008) in the Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Robson said this was particularly significant because the University has set itself an interim target of being counted among the top 100 universities by its centenary years (2011 – 2013).

“This major international ranking is confirmation of the University’s progress towards achieving its bold vision on behalf of the entire state of Western Australia,” Professor Robson said.

“A world-class university is recognisable by its research–intensive culture, its ability to engage actively in the international process of learning and discovery and its partnerships with the wider community.

“This describes UWA and its vibrant, contemporary environment which allows us to attract highly creative and skilled staff whose research and teaching support the social and economic goals of the Western Australian community,” he said.

Professor Robson said it had been calculated that in the next 40 years UWA would contribute more than $60 billion in kind to the Western Australian community through its research programs, educational functions, capabilities, relationships and investments.

Alan Robson Vice-Chancellor

Two vastly different milestones in the same week provided a valuable glimpse at both the depth and breadth of our University.

On the one hand we received the very positive news of the University’s continuing progress towards our goal of being counted among the top universities in the world; and on the other, we celebrated with the regional community a decade of commitment to the Great Southern region of the State.

In the foremost international ranking of world universities (the Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities) our rank of 113 – up 14 places from 127 in 2008 – is significant recognition of our international excellence, particularly in research.

While achieving international excellence, we are mindful of our commitment to those who live beyond our capital city. The UWA Albany Centre recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and University staff joined with the Governor (and former UWA Chancellor) Dr Ken Michael and the Albany community to celebrate this important milestone.

Ten years ago, the Governor was UWA Pro Chancellor, as well as holding the position of Chairman of Commissioners at the City of Albany. As such, he played an important role in seeing the vision of a regional centre developed into a thriving hub of learning.

Working with the City of Albany, the Great Southern Development Commission and the local community, our Albany Centre boasts outstanding facilities including a Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management and a Rural Clinical School program in partnership with Notre Dame University. Last year, the University’s Rural Clinical School won the Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Sector Management for creating jobs and economic prosperity.

It was fitting that in this anniversary year, the Director of the Albany Centre, Barbara Black, won an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citation for a sustained,

outstanding commitment to improving access to higher education in regional areas and providing high-quality learning experiences for regional students.

for almost a century, our University has served the Western Australian community, securing the strong social, cultural and economic fabric of the State.

* * *

Also significant in the work of our University was the inaugural In the Zone conference held last week. The highly successful conference positioned Western Australia – and our University in particular – at the centre of discussion on many common issues faced by the nations in our time zone which comprises 60 per cent of the world’s population in the nations that promise the greatest economic growth of the 21st century.

Conference speakers included the Western Australian Governor Dr Ken Michael and Premier Mr Colin Barnett; international guests including senior representatives from Japan, China, India, Indonesia and Thailand; and government and business leaders from across our nation, including UWA Chancellor and Chair of the National Australia Bank and Woodside, Dr Michael Chaney. All acknowledged Western Australia’s central role in the growth of the region and highlighted the fact that we have the means and opportunity to optimise our geopolitical position for the benefit of not only Australia but also our regional neighbours.

The conference was a very real way of demonstrating our vision as “an intellectual and creative resource to the communities we serve”.

Celebrations at both ends of the spectrum

UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 The University of Western Australia4

A good old Aussie oil will help soothe a worsening modern headache if Dr Kate Hammer has her way.

In a study funded by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, she is investigating whether tea tree oil can prevent the development of potentially disastrous antibiotic resistance.

“Resistance to antibiotics, including antibacterial and antifungal agents, is an enormous problem in health-care,” Dr Hammer (pictured), from the School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences said.

The discovery of antibiotics revolutionised medicine last century and she is hoping tea tree oil will slow their relatively recent decline in efficacy due to increasing resistance. Her research will test the hypothesis that low levels of tea tree oil can slow the rate at which microorganisms become resistant to antibiotics, which are among the most prescribed drugs.

The usefulness of tea tree oil to treat ailments has probably been known in Australia since pre-history. The earliest reported use was by the Bundjalung Indigenous people of northern NSW who treated their coughs, colds and wounds with crushed leaves. Oral history also tells of healing lakes, which were lagoons in which tea tree leaves had fallen and decayed.

Legend has it that the oil was considered so important for its medicinal uses that it was supplied in the kits of Australian

by Sally-Ann Jones soldiers during World War II and that tea tree cutters were exempt from military service.

With her colleague Professor Tom Riley and the tea tree oil research group, Dr Hammer has already shown that tea tree oil is effective in combating common pathogens such as E.coli and golden staph bacteria, as well as yeasts, the fungi responsible for tinea, and anaerobic organisms – and her work will go further by testing the efficacy of the oil in reducing resistance acquisition, expanding the usefulness of antibiotics.

Dr Hammer explained that the oil destroys bacteria, fungi and anaerobic organisms by damaging their cell membranes beyond repair: “The oil molecules are small enough to insert into the lipid bilayer of the cells. This disruption of the physical barrier between the cell and its external environment may result in greater quantities of antibiotic entering the cell, meaning faster cell death and less opportunity for resistance to arise.

“Tea tree oil has more than 100 components, which may make it very difficult for organisms to evolve coping mechanisms.

“Because the oil is used in medicine only as an external application onto the skin, the top layer of which is made up of dead cells, the toxicity risk to patients is minimal.”

Her hope is that in the future some topically applied antibiotics will be administered as a combination therapy – a cream with a tea tree oil component. An example of a common combination therapy is the use of the non-antibiotic benzoyl peroxide combined with an antibiotic for the topical treatment of acne.

Better than a Bex and a good lie down?

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 5

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If a composer could say what he had to say in words he wouldn’t bother to say it in music. (Austrian composer and conductor, Gustav Mahler.)

The language of one particular woman’s music is the subject of an important new book by Associate Professor Victoria Rogers from the School of Music.

While others have penned biographies of the Australian composer Peggy Glanville-Hicks (1912-1990), A/Professor Rogers’ book offers a comprehensive study of Glanville-Hicks’ musical language from the early through to the late compositions. Entitled The Music of Peggy Glanville-Hicks (released by Ashgate in October), the book adds to the impressive body of research and scholarship produced by the School of Music.

A/Professor Rogers, who met Glanville-Hicks when she came to Perth in 1984 for the recording of two of her compositions, said the composer made quite an impression on her.

“She was 72 years old at the time, feisty and wonderfully opinionated. She also had very interesting ideas about music and composition,” said A/Professor Rogers. “I was a cellist with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, and I had the good fortune to take part in the

Attuned to the language of music

recordings of the two works. The driving rhythms in The Transposed Heads, the lyricism of the Concerto Romantico, and the memory of the physically frail composer were enduring impressions which led, 12 years later, to the beginning of work on my doctoral thesis. The book has been crafted from the thesis.”

Born in Melbourne, Glanville-Hicks followed the well-worn path of aspiring Australian artists in the early decades of the twentieth century and moved to London in 1932, where she studied with Vaughan Williams at the Royal College of Music. She also studied in Paris with the great french pedagogue, Nadia Boulanger. In 1942, with war raging in Europe, she emigrated to America where she became a fine composer and a highly influential figure in the vibrant musical life of New York in the 1940s and 50s. She worked as a music critic for the New York Herald Tribune, and as an arts administrator, promoting new music and the careers of young composers.

“Her writing is wonderful,” said A/Professor Rogers. “It is erudite and incisive – almost as good as her compositions.” It is her compositions, however, for which Glanville-Hicks is best known, and her 76 completed works include operas, ballets, instrumental works and concertos.

In the late 1950s Glanville-Hicks moved to Greece with the aim of writing ‘the big works.’ She completed two large-scale operas before her career ended prematurely in 1966, following surgery for a life-threatening brain tumour. With part of her skull replaced by plastic and a gloomy medical prognosis, she defied all expectations and went on to live for a further 24 years, returning to Australia in 1975.

“Glanville-Hicks’ full significance as a composer has only recently been appreciated,” said A/Professsor Rogers. “She wrote some hauntingly beautiful music, and she managed to do so despite the discrimination she faced as a female composer, and despite battling poverty and ill-health.”

Glanville-Hicks’ legacy goes beyond her compositions and includes her house in Paddington, Sydney, which she bequeathed to a trust which administers it for extended residencies for composers.

A/Professor Rogers’ next book, to be co-authored with Emeritus Professor David Tunley, is about another Australian female musician who defied the odds and succeeded on the international stage: the pianist Eileen Joyce.

To order The Music of Peggy Glanville-Hicks, visit www.ashgate.com

Associate Professor Victoria Rogers with her new book about Peggy Glanville-Hicks, pictured right

UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 The University of Western Australia6

Joan Cameron might be 55 years old – but her mum is still asking her when she’s going to settle down.

A nurse from the Scottish Highlands, Joan has cycled one-third of the way round the world, having set off from India more than five years and only two punctures ago. She doesn’t have sponsorship for her big trip and cycles when and where she likes. She rides for a couple of weeks or a month then stops for a while and works. Sometimes, she swaps a night’s accommodation for an Indian head massage, foot reflexology or a bag of vegetables.

UWA News caught up with her when she popped into our Visitors’ Centre to find out what was happening on campus while she was in Perth.

“I always try to live near universities because I enjoy going to the free public lectures,” she said. “Australian Laureate fellow and Professor of Restoration Ecology Richard Hobbs’ lecture on the environment – entitled Questioning Hanrahan – was fabulous because he was so upbeat. I’m optimistic too. I believe our young people will find a way to care for the planet.”

Joan said if she had learned anything from her years away from home it was that the world was a much safer place than is portrayed in the media – and that people are “extraordinarily kind and welcoming”.

She doesn’t read newspapers or watch television but she does devour biographies, because she is fascinated by other people’s lives. She’s also learning the mandolin – one of the few instruments light enough to be carried on her back to accompany her “life in the slow lane”.

And when she’s finished her big ride, she plans to write a book of her own by mining the hundreds of notebooks she has filled with anecdotes about the people she has met.

Global cyclist finds a kind, safe planet

Forty years ago man walked on the moon, the Woodstock music festival celebrated love (not war) – and the Octagon Theatre was born.

Its anniversary was celebrated in style on Halloween night. Many of the partygoers were associated with it from 1969, including actors, musicians, dancers, writers, directors, producers, designers, technicians and arts critics.

Guests included Sydney-based lecturer, theatre and television director Aarne Neeme, inaugural resident director of the Octagon Theatre Company; former festival of Perth director David Blenkinsop; well-known theatre identities faith Richardson, Edgar Metcalf and Joan Pope; and Professor Ted Snell, Kevin Hamersley and John Doyle representing UWA theatre and the arts.

Princess Margaret, Sir Edmund Hillary, Mel Gibson, Sir Bob Geldof, Marianne faithfull, Spike Milligan, Sir David

Starry night at the Octagon

Princess Margaret was an early visitor to the Octagon in 1970

Attenborough, Timothy West and Prunella Scales are among those who visited or performed at the Octagon over the past four decades.

The 658-seat octagon theatre was designed by local architects Hill and Parkinson following consultation with renowned theatre architect, Sir Tyrone Guthrie. It cost about $350,000 to build, and was opened by the then Chancellor of the University and Chief Justice of

Western Australia, Sir Lawrence Jackson.

Its ‘thrust stage’ design was unique to Perth. Its first production, part of the festival of Perth, was the Melbourne Theatre Company’s Shakespearean drama Henry IV Part One. Since then it has been used for everything from academic forums to rock concerts, hosting about 170 events a year for more than 75,000 patrons and 25 academic lectures for 9,000 students a week. It is regularly in use for 15 hours a day, making it one, if not the most utilised theatres in the country.

Over the last 25 years there have been additions and extensions to the original building, the most recent being an artists’ green room, foyer, balcony and bar.

The party continued with the sell-out opening night of Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer, directed for the Graduate Dramatic Society by Stephen Lee.

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 7

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False promise of sex may save unique orchids

Pretty cheats and liars lure researchers

UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 The University of Western Australia8

Poets have written about unrequited love for centuries – and now chemists and biologists are getting in on the act.

An ARC Linkage Project between UWA, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, and the Australian National University is studying the disappointed love affairs of the male Zaspilothynnus wasp.

In fact, they will study the intimate ‘conversations’ that go on, not between wasp pairs, but between male wasps and, in a bizarre interaction, Drakaea orchids that have evolved to look and smell more like female insects than plants.

The survival of ten species of Drakaea orchids depends on the wasp that mistakes a flower for a potential mate.

by Sally-Ann Jones

Several of the orchids, which are unique to a corner of the south-west of WA, are endangered; one species has already become extinct.

More than 150 years ago Charles Darwin wrote his best-selling book The Various Contrivances by which Orchids are Fertilised by Insects, having observed insects visiting the orchids in his own garden in Kent.

Darwin and his son George, who helped, would have applauded this project, in which researchers hope to understand exactly what chemical compounds are involved in the orchids’ deception of the male wasps. It is apt that the research is being done in the 200th year since Darwin’s birth.

UWA botany graduate and ANU Professor Rod Peakall explained that the orchids have everything to gain from the wasps’ misguided attempts at love-making and the wasps nothing.

A male Zaspilothynnus wasp spends much of his time flying in search of a female. Detecting what he thinks is her smell, he follows the odour cue, alights on the female-like structure and attempts to fly off with it, only to discover that he’s landed on a flower instead.

Meanwhile, a mechanism near the orchid flower triggers him forwards towards the pollen anthers. Ingloriously covered in yellow pollen, he flies away in search of a more responsive female. Whether or not he lands on yet another fake lover, his job is done in ensuring the pollination of the orchid because in mounting the flower, he unwittingly transfers its pollen from anther to stigma.

The orchid is perfectly adapted to look almost exactly like the wingless female, complete with tiny hairs and ‘eyes’. The female typically climbs up from the ground for mating, so the male expects to see her on a stalk. Each of the orchid species, which are different sizes, has its own amorous wasp species. Each orchid also has its own particular chemical brew with which to attract the corresponding wasp pollinator. And the difference between specific sexual pheromones, which comprise compounds new to science, can be as little as two hydrogen atoms.

“Most plants pay for the service of pollination with food, but some don’t,” Professor Peakall said. “Instead, they use deception to attract pollinators. Deception costs the plant less. Orchids

are the best examples of the plant world’s cheats and liars. They’re pollinated by offering the false promise of sex.

“Drakaea flowers are inconspicuous and have no detectable scent. The key for their pollination is sex pheromones plus short-range visual and tactile cues.

“We need to find out what compounds are involved and we’re doing this with gas chromatographic analysis for separation of odour compounds. We pass the compounds over the antenna of a wasp and measure the electrical impulses to determine the biologically active compound.

“The aim is for chemists to make the compound and then try it in the field.”

In another project, Professor Peakall has had success in isolating the compound that attracts thynnine wasp pollinators to Chiloglottis orchids – and the newly discovered compound is named Chiloglottone.

“But the compound involved in the Drakaea’s trickery is not Chiloglottone,” he said. “Maybe it’s a completely new class of compounds.”

Chemist Dr Gavin flematti in the UWA team has already been successful in identifying karrikins, a family of compounds that stimulates seed germination in many plants. Its trivial name is derived from the Noongar word ‘karrik’, meaning ‘smoke’.

And Chemistry Professor Emilio Ghisalberti is excited about the collaboration with Professor Peakall. “It’s like detective work,” he said. “You don’t know what you’re going to end up with.”

“This chemical knowledge will help the conservation of endangered orchids,” Professor Peakall said.

Dr Gavin Flematti, Professor Rod Peakall and Professor Emilio Ghisalberti are collaborating to save endangered orchids

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 9

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A new vocational course at UWA has been applauded by the West Coast Eagles football club management.

Trevor Nisbett, the Eagles’ Chief Executive Officer, said UWA was filling an important gap in the market with its new Graduate Diploma in Sport and Recreation Management.

The one-year course, starting next year, will be run jointly by the School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health and the Business School.

“The course offers a wonderful opportunity for students to prepare for a business career in sport or recreation,” Mr Nisbett said. “It will significantly increase (graduates’) employment prospects.”

Kerry Smith, director of programs for Sport Science, said the past 20 years had been marked by an extraordinary growth in the sport and recreation industry and the diploma would offer a pathway into this fulfilling and expanding industry.

“Our students are already showing interest in it and we have several who have signed up for the course,” she said. “We hope to start first semester next year with 15 students.”

They will study sport and recreation marketing, management and leadership, and choose from electives including work site health promotion, organisational behaviour, exercise and health psychology, and workplace injury prevention.

The course is aimed at graduates in Sport and Exercise Science or graduates of any degree who have a minimum of two years relevant industry experience.

Could you manage the Eagles?

An Olympic-style torch and perpetual trophies for the Tug-of-War and the VC’s Dash produced a new winner at the second annual Staff Sports Fun Day.

Len Zuks, a member of the facilities Management workshop team and an internationally renowned sculptor, created the trophies and won the affection and admiration of all the 1,000 staff and postgraduate students who took part.

A day of laughter and team-building made up for the sunburn and sore muscles, with something for everybody, from fiercely competitive games and races to novelty events and even Wii sports.

The Tug-of-War was won by the faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics; the

VC’s Dash (women) by Clare Dickson (Student Administration); and the VC’s Dash (men) by Phil Schrader (Engineering, Computing and Mathematics).

The sports day raised more than $1,600 for beyond blue, the federal Government’s depression awareness initiative.

After two years of organising the event, the Business School, led by Keith Rappa, will hand over to the faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences for the 2010 sports day.

The activities and prizes were sponsored by the University, Unicredit, Tertiary Travel, The University Club, Neverfail Spring Water, UniPrint and UWA Sport and Recreation.

More photos are on the UWA Sport website, http://www.sport.uwa.edu.au/staff_sports

Playtime for staff

Trevor Nisbett (right) congratulates Eagles champion Quinten Lynch on playing 150 games … and UWA on its new sports management course

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UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 The University of Western Australia10

The brilliant range of films offered at the Somerville Auditorium every summer are the culmination of a year’s work by Sherry Hopkins.

The Perth International Arts festival Manager of film and Electronic Image has devoted the past 40 years to bringing new cinema to Perth audiences during the Lotterywest film festival.

This year, she was awarded the Independent Spirit Award from Australian independent film distributors.

“Her enthusiasm for film and unerring eye have helped shape the Lotterywest festival films into a WA cultural icon, beloved by Perth audiences,” said PIAf director Shelagh Magadza.

This season’s Lotterywest film festival is another testament to Sherry’s talents. It features an outstanding lineup of first release and exclusive award-winning films from all the major international film festivals.

Included are the ‘09 Oscar, Palme d’Or, Cezar and Grand Prix des Americas award winners and the season boasts no less than nine Australian premieres, and 17 Audience Awards all presented within the past twelve months.

The Somerville opens with Emmanuel Mouret’s delightful Please Please Me (inset) which, like his previous festival hits, Change of Address and Shall We Kiss, focuses on love and fidelity among a group of sex-crazed Parisians.

from the first of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy (which has sold more than12 million copies), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a superbly acted and technically brilliant nail-biting thriller.

from Germany comes The North Face, a heart-in-mouth thriller based on the true story of two men who, in 1936, accepted the challenge to climb Germany’s most treacherous Alpine peak,

Deck chair delights

the Eiger. from German-Turkish director fatih Akin (Head On/The Edge of Heaven) comes Soul Kitchen, a hectic comedy about two Greek brothers who operate a warehouse restaurant where good food, funky music, friendship and sex are on the menu. The film was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Venice film festival ’09.

france, as always, is strongly represented. Winner of seven french Oscars, Seraphine brings to life the true story of an amazing and little known naïve painter, Seraphine de Senlis (1864-1948). And popular English actress Kristen Scott Thomas once again features in a french film, Leaving.

Other films include the Japanese Oscar-winning Departures (pictured above), about a funeral professional in charge of preparing the deceased for burial; Bronson (Sydney film festival’s Best film in 2009), a very different crime movie about one of Britain’s most notorious and dangerous prisoners; the romantic drama Bride Flight (a Dutch/New Zealand co-production); and Five Minutes of Heaven which stars Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt. This is a compelling drama which dissects the lives of two men in the aftermath of wartime and sectarian conflict in a small North Ireland town in 1975. It deservedly won the Audience Award at the 2009 Sydney film festival.

This summer, the Lotterywest festival also includes a short season of free European films, in the Dolphin Theatre.

The Somerville season opens on November 30 and runs until April 18 next year. free programs are available from the festival office on 6488 5555 or at perthfestival.com.au/lotterywest_festival_films

Tickets are usually available on the night but it is advisable to buy vouchers at the BOCS office at the Octagon Theatre. UWA staff can also salary package their festival tickets.

The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 11

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Thursday is safety day at Building Services.

Part of the regular weekly staff meeting every Thursday morning is devoted to discussions about safety. The tradition is one of the reasons that the staff of Building Services won the 2009 UWA Group Safety Award.

The two workshops, which come under the banner of facilities Management, employ 49 people. There are monthly safety inspections of all workshop areas, comprehensive safety inductions, education and training.

The group won the same award in 2003 and, in 2005, a Group Rehabilitation Award.

Mike Rafferty, Manager Safety and Health, said Virgil Matoe was a champion of the safety culture in Building Services.

“He has persistently maintained a strong, determined approach to workplace safety and health and has done so while maintaining a solid, respectful relationship with his co-workers and team mates,” he said.

The winner of the 2009 UWA Individual Safety Award is Lina Brunini from the School of Dentistry and the Oral Health Centre of WA.

Lina started at OHCWA as a dental clinic assistant in 2001 and progressed to a supervisory role in 2006.

“She works proactively in reviewing occupational safety and health in the work environment, particularly in tracking and analysing hazards and incidents,” Mr Rafferty said.

“Her work in repetitive tasks performed by dental clinic assistants has been outstanding.”

Ms Brunini is on maternity leave, with her first child due next month, and was unable to attend the award ceremony, which is always part of Safe Work Week at UWA.

Professor Tim Sercombe from the School of Mechanical Engineering won the Safety Leadership Award, for his contribution to safety, including chairing the School safety committee and working effectively with senior management to develop and implement system change.

The Business School was awarded the Safety Recognition Award. Its new building presents many safety

UWA is in safe hands

ABOVE: Accepting their award from Gaye McMath are (L–R) Michael Koteka, Neil Mason, Susan Harbers, Virgil Matoe, Murray Ferguson, Hugh McCaffrey and David Collings. RIGHT: Lina Brunini on her last day at work before maternity leave. BELOW: Professor Tim Sercombe.

Michael Neville, a popular member of the UWA staff, died suddenly last month, after more than 22 years at the University.

Mr Neville was most recently Associate Director of client services in Information Technology Services (ITS).

Maureen McCarthy, from ITS, said Mr Neville was always cheerful and cared for his staff.

“He was laughing and joking with everybody as he left on the Thursday night,” she said. “Then he died in his sleep that night from a heart attack.”

Mr Neville leaves a wife, Christine, and two children, Amy (10) and James (8). He would have celebrated his 46th birthday the day after he died.

A big contingent of UWA staff attended his funeral on November 2.

Vale Michael Neville

challenges, with its extensive use of glass and a high student and staff occupation for more than 12 hours a day.

Certificates were presented to the School of Surgery and to individuals Michael Smirk and Bill Wilson in the School of Earth and Environment.

Also during Safe Work Week, Rob Greenhalgh, the voluntary safety officer in the School of Mechanical Engineering for the past 15 years, won the State award for the Best Individual Contribution to Safety and Health, one of only two individual awards. He will represent WA in the National Safe Work Australia Awards in Canberra next April.

UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 The University of Western Australia12

UWA NEWS classified

PROMOTION BRIEFS

Provided by Elizabeth Hutchinson, Executive Officer, Academics Promotion Committee, Human Resources

WINTHROP PROFESSORWinthrop Research Professor Lin Fritschi (Centre for Medical Research)Professor fritschi joined UWA in 2000. Her field of research is cancer epidemiology with an established and productive research program focusing on the occupational causes of cancer and on patterns of cancer in the community. She has made significant contributions to the disciplines of epidemiology and public health over many years, has been involved with national and international conference organisation and has presented her work widely. She has chaired and been a member of the NHMRC and other funding committees and is a member of the NHMRC Research Committee and an NHMRC fellow.

PROFESSORProfessor Martin Saunders (Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis)Professor Saunders was appointed to UWA in 2001. He is recognised internationally as an eminent researcher in the performance and application of transmission electron microscopy and through his work has attracted national and international collaborations to Western Australia.He is involved in the CMCA’s user-training activities, which include training and on-going support in instrument operation, advanced techniques for structural and elemental analysis, and the ultimate application of these techniques to a broad range of problems in the physical and biological sciences.Professor Linda Slack-Smith (School of Dentistry)Professor Slack-Smith joined the University in 1999. She is an epidemiologist who uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to focus on oral health and child health

with significant contribution in Indigenous health. Much of her research has been focused on dental needs in disadvantaged groups such as children with an intellectual disability, those in rural and remote areas, Indigenous children, people in aged care and the aged in the community. She has extensive skills in epidemiology and biostatistics and has updated her skills by successfully completing relevant courses including a Biostatistics course at Harvard University.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORAssociate Professor Nicholas Bannan (School of Music)A/Professor Bannan joined UWA in January 2006. He is an international figure in choral music, with his principal areas of research being the theoretical interdisciplinary study of the role of musical behaviour in the evolution of human communication and applied research in that field, and new approaches to pedagogy: the potential of group choral improvisation.These interests have introduced a significant new area into the School of Music. He has played a central role in the design, recruitment and delivery of the new MMusPS program and has set up two choirs for UWA students: The Winthrop Singers, an auditioned group in residence at St George’s College Chapel and the UWA Chorale, an all-comers’ choir that acts as the laboratory group for Choral Pedagogy students. Associate Professor Jeannette Taylor (School of Social and Cultural Studies)A/Professor Taylor joined UWA in 2007. Her principal area of research is the field of comparative public administration and policy with a particular focus on evaluating the impact of recent public sector administrative reforms.Her recent work has involved interviews with public servants regarding work practices and the way in which they use various bodies of information which are linked closely with current issues of policy innovation and policy effectiveness.

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of Earth and Environment and Plant Biology and she has successfully developed a significant research program across both Schools. Her research is focused on developing land management strategies that minimise undesirable losses of nitrogen into the environment. Her knowledge has enabled her to

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The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 13

UWA NEWS classified

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develop and publish strategies for minimising nutrient leaching from turf grass systems, as well as from waste-water irrigated soils.Her field-based data has been used in the development and testing of new models for calculating greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector by the Australian government, and for verifying simulation models by the wider international research community.

Research Associate Professor Tom Briffa (School of Population Health)R/Ass/ Briffa joined UWA in 2007. His principal area of research is the pursuit of excellence in monitoring and delivering cost-effective health services and improving outcomes in atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease. His program objectives are to conduct descriptive epidemiology, clinical trials, outcome research and reviews to achieve this. He has served as an excellent role model in cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention, through his work combining research, education and practice with policy. His contribution was recognised with a fellowship of the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association.

RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

ARC DISCOVERY PROJECTSWinthrop Professor David Badcock, School of Psychology: ‘Human Visual Determination of Shape’ – $338,408 (2010-12)Professor Susan Berners-Price, Prof Nicholas Farrell, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University: ‘Probing Polynuclear Platinum Biomolecule Interactions’ – $270,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Susan Broomhall, Dr Jacqueline Van Gent, Assistant Professor Susanne Protschky, Professor Dr Michaela Hohkamp, School of Humanities, free University of Berlin: ‘Gender Power and Identity in the Early Modern Nassau family’ – $459,000 (2010-13)Associate Professor David Butler, UWA Business School: ‘Investigating Imprecision in Preferences and its Possible Consequences for Economics and Economic Choices’ – $92,317 (2010-12)Professor David Day, UWA Business School: ‘Longitudinal, Multilevel, and Multi-study Tests of an Integrative Theory of Leader Development’ – $215,000 (2010-12)

Winthrop Professor John Dell, Associate Professor Adrian Keating, Research Professor Mariusz Martyniuk, Mr John Bowers, School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara: ‘New Multiplexed Optical Read-out Technologies for Micromachined Cantilever Sensor Array’ – $180,000 (2010-12)Dr Klaus Regenauer-Lieb, Dr Roberto Weinberg, Dr Gideon Rosenbaum, Prof Gianreto Manatschal, School of Earth and Environment, Université de Strasbourg, Monash University, University of Queensland: ‘The dynamic strength of continents and how they break apart’ – $300,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor David Sampson, Winthrop Professor Mark Bush, Professor Stephen Boppart, School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: ‘Optical coherence elastography - High-resolution medical imaging of tissues mechanical properties’ – $390,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Grady Venville, Emeritus Professor Philip Adey, Graduate School of Education, University of London: ‘Thinking Australia: A cognitive acceleration program to raise high school students’ achievement in science’ – $334,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Kenneth Clements, Prof Rodney Tyers, UWA Business School, Australian National University: ‘Commodity Booms and Busts - Implications for the Australian Economy – $270,000 (2010-12)Associate Professor Anya Waite, Dr Moninya Roughan, Winthrop Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi, Dr Jonne Kotta, Dr Helen Orav-Kotta, Environmental Systems Engineering (School of), University of New South Wales, University of Tartu: ‘Ocean-reef interactions as drivers of continental shelf productivity in a changing climate’ – $503,000 (2010-12)Research Professor John Hartnett, Winthrop Professor Michael Tobar, Dr Eugene Ivanov, Dr Karim Benmessai, Prof Christophe Salomon, Dr Joerg Jaeckel, Prof John Lipa, Professor Achim Peters, Dr Peter Fisk, Dr Richard Warrington, Dr Giorgio Santarelli, School of Physics, Stanford University, Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS), National Measurement Institute, fEMTO-ST, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, Observatoire de Paris, University of Durham: ‘Precision Time and frequency in the Lab and in Space to Test fundamental Physics’ – $750,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Lorenzo Faraone, Research Professor Jaroslaw Antoszewski, Associate Professor Sanjay Krishna, School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico: ‘Investigation of Vertical Magneto-transport in Infrared Detector Structures Based on InAs/GaSb Type-11 Superlattices’ – $485,000 (2010-12)Dr Renee Firman, Professor Leigh Simmons, School of Animal Biology: ‘Sperm Competition, Sexual Conflict,

and Gamete Evolution in Mice’ – $390,000 (2010-12)Dr John Fitzpatrick, School of Animal Biology: ‘Inbreeding: What are the Reproductive Costs and how are they Avoided?’ – $350,000 (2010-12)Professor Richard Hobbs, Dr Margaret Mayfield, Prof Robert Holt, School of Plant Biology, University of Queensland: ‘Role of Light on Phytoplankton Dynamics in an Urban Estuary’ – $460,000 (2010-12)Professor Yuxia Hu, Winthrop Professor Mark Cassidy, Professor David White, School of Civil and Resource Engineering, Centre for Offshore foundations Systems: ‘Design of Offshore foundations with Large Penetration into Multilayered Soils’ – $410,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Andries Fourie, Professor Yee-Kwong Leong, Winthrop Professor Martin Fahey, School of Mechanical Engineering, School of Civil and Resource Engineering: ‘The Evolution of Effective Stress in Sedimenting Clayey Slurries’ – $365,000 (2010-12)Associate Professor Defeng Huang, Dr Qinghua Guo, School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering: ‘Designing Bandwidth Efficient High Speed Underwater Acoustic Communication Systems with Block by Block Turbo Processing’ – $255,000 (2010-12)Associate Professor Daniel Franklin, Emeritus Professor Charles Oxnard, Winthrop Professor Roger Watling, Prof Paul O’Higgins, Dr Andrea Cardini, A/Prof Jurian Hoogewerff, Mr Haydn Green, Prof Murray Marks, Centre for forensic Science, School of Anatomy and Human Biology, Western Australian Police Service, University of York, University of East Anglia, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia: ‘Novel Approaches to the forensic Identification of Human Remains: Integration of Studies of Bone form and Chemistry’ – $410,000 (2010-12)Professor Jorg Imberger, Centre for Water Research: ‘Assessment of the Mass flux in a Benthic Boundary Layer of a Stratified Lake’ – $205,893 (2010-11)Winthrop Professor Daniel Green, Dr Louise Naylor, Sport Science, School of Exercise and Health: ‘Impact of Shear Stress on Vascular Adaptation in Humans’ – $225,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Gregory Ivey, Assistant Professor Nicole Jones, Assistant Professor Ryan Lowe, Assistant Professor Marco Ghisalberti, Assistant Professor Michael Meuleners, Mr R Brinkman, Prof Jeffery Koseff, School of Environmental Systems Engineering, School of Earth and Environment, Stanford University, Australian Institute of Marine Science (Townsville): ‘Extreme Tidal forcing of a Topographically Complex Coastal Region - the Kimberley Western Australia’ – $430,000 (2010-12)Research Associate Professor Vincent Wallace, Dr Peter Siegel, Electrical, School of Electronic and Computer Engineering, California Institute of Technology: ‘Terahertz and optical coherence tomography for improved cancer imaging’ – $185,000 (2010-12)

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UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 The University of Western Australia

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RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

Assistant Professor Adam Wittek, Winthrop Professor Karol Miller, Professor King Yang, School of Mechanical Engineering, Wayne State University: ‘Towards consistent meshless computational framework for soft tissue damage modelling for traumatic injury prevention and surgery simulation’ – $260,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Hong Hao, School of Civil and Resource Engineering: ‘Experimental and Numerical Study of Dynamic Properties of Concrete and fibre Reinforced Concrete Materials’ – $340,000 (2010-12)Professor Yanrui Wu, Professor Dora Marinova, UWA Business School, Curtin University of Technology: ‘Energy efficiency, economic growth and the environment in China’ – $357,000 (2010-12)Research Associate Professor Mikhail Kostylev, Professor Gennadii Melkov, School of Physics: ‘Composite Magnetic Conducting Nanomaterials for Microwave Applications’ – $325,000 (2010-12)Professor Andre Luiten, Associate Professor Eric May, Dr Michael Moldover, Dr Christophe Daussy, School of Mechanical Engineering, School of Physics, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Université Paris-Nord 13: ‘Redefining Temperature’ – $570,000 (2010-12)Professor Sergei Kuzenko, Prof Ulf Lindstrom, Professor Arkady Tseytlin, School of Physics, Imperial College London, Uppsala University: ‘Quantum and Geometric Aspects of Gauge Theories Supergravity and String Theory’ – $775,000 (2010-14)Professor Philippa Maddern, Dr Stephanie Tarbin, Dr Claudia Jarzebowski, School of Humanities, free University of Berlin: ‘Living as a Child: Children’s Experiences in England c. 1400-1750’ – $388,000 (2010-13)Winthrop Professor Colin Raston, A/Prof Federico Rosei, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences: ‘Integrated Approach to functional Carbon Based Materials’ – $1,320,000 (2010-14)Dr Philip Mead, Professor Gordon McMullan, School of Social and Cultural Studies, University of Tasmania, Kings College London: ‘Monumental Shakespear: a Transcultural Investigation of Commemoration in 20th-Century Australia and England’ – $214,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Peter Morgan, School of Humanities, ‘Kadare post Communism: Albania, the Balkans and Europe in the Work of Ismail Kadare, 1990-2008’ – $200,000 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Colin Raston, Research Professor Sarah Dunlop, Winthrop Professor Alan Harvey, Dr Giles Plant, Dr Keith Stubbs, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, School of Anatomy and Human Biology, School of Animal Biology: ‘Targeted Enzymatic Treatment of the Injured Central Nervous System Using Innovative Nanotechnology’ – $495,000 (2010-12)

Professor Robyn Owens, Dr Ajmal Mian, School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Vice-Chancellery: ‘Person Identification from Multiple Non-Invasive Iris and face Biometrics in Video’ – $390,000 (2010-12)Prof Akos Seress, Professor Cai-Heng Li, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Ohio State University: ‘Efficient Computation in finite Groups with Applications in Algebra and Graph Theory’ – $825,728 (2010-14)Dr Michael Shane, School of Plant Biology: ‘Multi Tasking Root Systems Critical for Water and Nutrient Acquisition in Australian Monocotyledons’ – $527,264 (2010-14)Dr Steven Smith, Dr Kingsley Dixon, Associate Professor Emilio Ghisalberti, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, ARC Centre for Plant Energy Biology School of, Plant Biology: ‘Discovery of the Molecular Mode of Action of Karrikins in Plants’ – $300,000 (2010-12)Dr Roberto Togneri, Prof Sven Nordholm, Prof Martin Cooke, School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Curtin University of Technology, Universidad del Pais Vasco: ‘Robust Speech Recognition in Realistic Hostile Environments’ – $230,000 (2010-12)Dr Julie Trotter, Dr Ian Williams, Emeritus Professor Christopher Barnes, Professor David Beerling, Dr Charles Wellman, School of Earth and Environment, Australian National University, University of Sheffield, University of Victoria: ‘Global Climate Change CO2 and the Evolution of Life in the Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic’ – $355,000 (2010-12)

ARC LINKAGE PROJECTSWinthrop Professor Mark Barley, Dr Nicolas Thebaud, Professor Thompson McCuaig, Associate Professor Klaus Gessner, Research Professor John Miller, Assistant Professor Eric Tohver, Dr Michael Doublier, Dr Sandra Romano, Mr Stephen Wyche, School of Earth and Environment, Geological Survey of Western Australia: ‘Tectonic Evolution and Lode Gold Mineralisation in the Southern Cross District Yilgarn Craton Western Australia - A Study of the Meso to Neoarchean Missing Link’ – $160,000 (2010-11)Associate Professor Michael Rosenberg, Ms Kathryn Smith, Dr Rebecca Braham, Dr James Dimmock, Winthrop Professor Timothy Ackland, Sport Science, School of Exercise and Health, UWA Centre for Medical Research, WA Department of Health, BHP Billiton Group, Newcrest Mining: ‘Improving Health and Lifestyle of Indigenous Australians in the Western Desert’ – $580,000 (2010-13)Dr Boris Baer, Winthrop Professor Andrew Millar, Professor Leigh Simmons, ARC Centre for Plant Energy Biology, School of Animal Biology, Better Bees of Western Australia: ‘Better Bees for Tomorrow - A Proteomic and Physiological Characterisation of Male fertility in Managed Versus feral Honeybees in Western Australia’ – $640,000 (2010-13)Associate Professor Peter Arthur, Dr Richard Lipscombe, Professor

Miranda Grounds, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, School of Anatomy and Human Biology, Proteomics International: ‘Proteomic Techniques to Assess Oxidative Stress in Muscle Wasting Diseases’ – $80,007 (2010-12)Winthrop Professor Colin Raston, Professor Charles Bond, Research Professor Sarah Dunlop, Dr Killugudi Swaminatha Iyer, Winthrop Professor Fiona Wood, School of Surgery, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, School of Animal Biology, Pearl Technology Pty Ltd: ‘Processing Pearl Nacre for Bio Nanotechnology’ – $479,000 (2010-12)Professor Richard Hobbs, Dr Kingsley Dixon, Dr Siegfried Krauss, School of Plant Biology, Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Rocla Quarry Products: ‘Managing Evolutionary Processes in Restoring Banksia Woodland Under Global Environmental Changes’ – $461,000 (2010-13)Winthrop Professor David Blair, Winthrop Professor Grady Venville, Associate Professor Nancy Longnecker, A/Professor Marjan Zadnik, Research Associate Professor David Coward, faculty of Life and Physical Sciences, School of Physics, Graduate School of Education, Curtin University of Technology, Gravity Discovery Centre foundation, Graham (Polly) farmer foundation: ‘Measuring the Effectiveness of Specialist Science Enrichment Programs’ – $740,000 (2010-12)Professor Thomas Braunl, Winthrop Professor John Taplin, Professor David Harries, Mr Karl Mischewski, Mr Terrence Mader, Mr Luke O’Donoghue, School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, UWA Business School, Murdoch University, Gull Petroleum WA Pty Ltd, WA Department for Planning and Infrastructure, CO2Smart, Australian Electric Vehicle Association Incorporated: ‘Analysis and Modeling of Driving Patterns for Limited-range Electric Vehicles’ – $229,000 (2010-12)

AUSTRALIA - INDIA COUNCILAssociate Professor Dennis Rumley, School of Social and Cultural Studies: ‘The New Geopolitics of Energy Security and the Indian Ocean Region - Implications for India Australia Relations’—$3,000 (2010-10)Professor Terri-Ann White, Vice-Chancellery: ‘IASA Conference Travel Grant Goa January 2010’ – $3,000 (2010-10)

AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF ENDODONTOLOGYWinthrop Professor Paul Abbott, School of Dentistry, Oral Health Centre: ‘Comparison of Smear Layer Removal and Debris Removal Between a Negative Pressure Irrigation System - Endovac - and Two Types of Needle Irrigation’ – $2,420 (2009)

CLIVE AND VERA RAMACIOTTI FOUNDATIONDr Matthew Kemp, School of Women’s and Infants’ Health: ‘Neutralising Antibody Therapy as a Preventative Treatment for Preterm Birth’ – $50,000 (2010-10)

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The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 15

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UWA NEWS

Winthrop Professor Lyle PalmerFoundation Chair in Genetic EpidemiologyAn edited version of his speech at the opening of the Centre for Genetic Epidemiology

This is an extraordinary – even transcendent – time in the history of bioscience.

We are in the midst of a major paradigm shift in our ability to understand the causes of common disease, powered by a genomics revolution. The Human Genome Project took 10 years and cost $3 billion. The same amount of sequencing can now be done in 10 hours. This revolution is transforming the fields of epidemiology, clinical medicine, and drug development beyond all recognition. How have we enabled this new science in WA?

Over the past six years, the genetic epidemiology group has been awarded more than $25 million of funding to create a series of key national enabling resources specifically designed to underpin large-scale gene discovery and translational clinical projects across the entire WA research sector. These resources include core facilities in medical informatics, genotyping and DNA banking and the national training facility in medical bioinformatics.

These core facilities, together with WA’s unique population-based resources and linked health data, have come to comprise one of the pre-eminent resources for human genetics in Australasia and are now underpinning many key Australian National Priority Area projects.

We are proud that this Centre has been able to work closely with our clinical collaborators to enable many existing exceptional UWA cohort resources for genetics research. Notably, these include the Busselton Health Study, the Health-in-Men Study, and the Raine Pregnancy Cohort Study.

The Centre has also been pro-active in developing and leading new, world-class resources in National Priority and other disease areas. These include cardiovascular disease, sleep health, stroke, intensive care research, macular degeneration, melanoma and the WA Twin Register.

We are enormously proud to be leading the next Busselton Health Survey – to be known as the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study – and to be continuing the vision of Dr Kevin Cullen and his family. Nationally, we have been active in leading the development of new research networks, including the Australasian Sleep Trials Network, the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, the Australian Brain Cancer Network, the Australasian network investigating sudden death in the young, and the national prostate cancer trials network.

We are tightly integrated with multiple research groups across Australia, and in North America and Europe. We have successfully enabled UWA medical researchers to take part in large international gene discovery consortia for diseases as diverse as diabetes, obesity, asthma, sleep apnoea, melanoma, lung function, birth weight, premature birth, and mental health – and, as members of these consortia (some of which we lead), we have found many new genes.

The day-to-day business of genetics research is as mundane as any other activity, and I certainly don’t intend to bore you with the details. Daily, our people deal with very complex and specific technical issues related to the collection and use of human medical research data. However, today is not a day when we speak of the mundane, but rather a day when we lift up our vision and speak to what is high and good in our society, in ourselves, and in our University.

We ultimately seek to discover the causes of common diseases, in some cases to revolutionise the way human genetic research is done, and to provide the basis for Australian leadership in this area. We seek to establish clinic- and community-based resources aimed at understanding and reducing the burden of disease in our children and in our aging population.

Our challenge is to translate the extraordinary advances in human genomics we are currently experiencing into meaningful changes in clinical and public health practice, and into new hope for all people.

This Centre chooses to meet these challenges head on, and all that goes with them – not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because we believe that these goals will serve to energize and measure the best of our talents and skills, and because these challenges are ones that we are willing to accept and that we intend to win.

Bright future for genetics

Last issue coming upThe next issue of UWAnews will be the final one for 2009.

The deadline for editorial and advertising copy is Wednesday November 18, but don’t wait until the last day – the space may already be filled.

The first issue of UWAnews next year will be published on Monday March 8. The deadline for that issue is Wednesday february 24.

UWA NEWS 16 November 2009 The University of Western Australia16