ADELAIDEANVol 8 No 2 N EWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE MARCH 8, 1999 Richard Pomfret on the The Vice-Chancellor on bows, Profile: In search of INSIDE 2 crisis in Afghanistan 3 visitors and scholarships 6 Good Vibrations Telstra contract offers cutting-edge challenge TELSTRA has awarded a major research practical, cutting-edge experience for contract to the University of Adelaide’s students,” Dr Taylor said. Teletraffic Research Centre (TRC) through “The Information Technology industry is Luminis Pty Ltd.. crying out for university graduates who The two-year, $500,000 contract—to carry have practical IT skills. The TRC, and other out ground-breaking research and develop- areas within the Faculty of Engineering, ment work—continues a 13-year partner- Computer & Mathematical Sciences, aim to ship between the TRC and Telstra, which do just that—provide students with has resulted in significant gains for knowledge that goes beyond the theoretical Australia’s telecommunications services. and which can be applied in the real world.” As part of this latest contract the TRC’s He said an important area of skills shortage, mathematical modelling will enable Telstra to Internet Protocol expertise, was already design more efficient and effective data being addressed at the TRC. services. Also attending the signing ceremony at the Data services are emerging as the most University of Adelaide was Dr Hugh important of all Telstra’s telecommunications Bradlow, Telstra’s Director of Technology services—even more so than standard Strategy & Research. He said the contract was a win for both the University and phonecalls. Because it is a rapidly expanding Telstra. field, there is a real need to research the systems involved to help maintain and even “Telstra is delighted to award this important improve quality of service. work to the University of Adelaide. The Teletraffic Research Centre has a world- At a signing ceremony to formalise the renowned reputation in the highly complex contract, the Co-Director of the Teletraffic area of mathematical modelling of Research Centre, Dr Peter Taylor, said the telecommunications systems. Their work contract would have direct and indirect has greatly assisted Telstra in engineering benefits for students. its networks and products for superior Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Luminis Board member, Professor Ross “This contract provides TRC staff with performance,” Dr Bradlow said. Milbourne and Dr Hugh Bradlow from Telstra, watched by the TRC’s Dr Peter Taylor. real challenges that in turn will lead to —David Ellis Photo: David Ellis. Radiocarbon dating to shed light on wine WINE may well bring out the truth but will be able to detect additives, it may soon be forced to yield a few including alcohol, not formed during secrets of its own, with Australian the initial grape fermentation. scientists planning to use the tools of “By having a technique to accurately archaeology to authenticate wines and determine the age of the various detect additives. components of a wine we have a The research, by scientists at the method for validating wine vintage University of Adelaide and the even if some components such as top- Australian Nuclear Science and up wine are added later,” says Dr Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Jones, an expert in wine chemistry. at Lucas Heights, Sydney, centres He says the work could facilitate on carbon-14, the naturally- the entry of Australian wines into occurring radioactive isotope best overseas markets by providing known for its use in the dating of objective proof of the production ancient organic material. methods used. Led by Dr Graham Jones, a Senior “We want to have the tools in place Lecturer in Oenology in the to prove that our wine is authentic Department of Horticulture, Viti- should this proof be required,” he culture & Oenology at the University says. of Adelaide, and Dr Claudio Tuniz, Director of ANSTO’s Physics Dr Tuniz, meanwhile, says the V-C welcomes scholarship winners Division, the work is expected to research could also find benefit Australian wine makers applications in forensic studies seeking entry into foreign markets. using radiocarbon levels to Some of the University’s new scholarships winners with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mary O’Kane determine the time of death of (centre front) in the Mitchell Building recently. Professor O’Kane hosted a morning tea reception to The team’s method is based on the people in the past 50 years. celebrate the achievements of the scholarship winners and welcome them to the University. Among increase in carbon-14 in the envir- “ANSTO and the University of those present were the winners of the Premier’s Scholarships, onment during the Cold War, and its decrease over the past 40 years. Sydney recently determined the atmospheric radiocarbon levels in The team will use ANSTO’s Antares the last 50 years by reading records tandem accelerator—a giant mass of the isotope in trees,” he says. spectrometer—to measure the levels of carbon isotopes in red wine. “Wine also is a reservoir of environ- THE UNIVERSITY Celebrating Antares, which is capable of mental data which will complement OF ADELAIDE detecting concentrations as low as the results from trees.” one atom in a thousand million The scientists plan to extract that 1874-1999 million, will reveal the age of data from vintage wine series years individual wine components with a supplied by some of Australia’s 125 precision of less than a year. Antares leading producers. Approved For Print Post 565001/00046 For Print Post Approved PAGE 2 MARCH 8, 1999 ADELAIDEAN COMMENTARY AFGHANISTAN: ECONOMICS MAY HOLD KEY TO CRISIS After the Soviet troops withdrew from in this complex jigsaw. by A popular image of the How can a wider conflict be avoided? Afghanistan in 1989, the bloody The economic stakes Professor Richard Pomfret actions of foreign The key players are the USA and Iran. situation in that war-torn country have been raised by Head, School of Economics powers in Central Asia If they could normalise relations, a disappeared from the headlines in the attempts to realise the is to see it as a revival diplomatic solution would be feasible. world’s press. The ‘civil war’ is energy export of the Great Game Even without full normalisation, considered unimportant to distant potential of Central played out in the agreeing to cooperate under United countries. The fanatical Taliban can be Asia. Turkmenistan has rich oil and region by Britain and Russia in the last Nations aegis could be sufficient. looked down on as intolerant funda- gas reserves and Kazakstan major oil century. However, the original Game Iranian leaders are well aware of the mentalists, who close girls’ schools and projects, but both are frustrated by the (the term coined by Kipling in Kim) dangers of becoming involved in Afghan kill their religious opponents. A rich difficulties of exporting via the Russian never turned into open war between wars and the US too, although current- Arab can be demonised as master- pipeline network. Russia and Britain, in part because ly conducting joint military exercises in minding world terrorism from his US oil giant, Chevron, for example, Britain created an Afghan buffer state Uzbekistan, has no wish to become Afghan lair. initiated what is still the largest foreign between its Indian empire and Russia’s militarily involved in Central Asia. empire. The images are dramatic, but reflect investment project in the former Soviet In early 1999 the race is between how little serious analysis of Afghan or Union in the early 1990s with a $6 In 1999 Central Asia is on the verge of long it takes for common sense to Central Asian issues. billion venture to develop the Tengiz a major war. triumph over past grievances in US- oilfield in western Kazakstan, but so far Iranian relations and how soon an In truth, since the USSR left and the has reaped poor returns. Taliban’s victories in northern USA lost interest, Afghanistan has Afghanistan, culminating in the fall of irreversible escalation of outside continued to be a battleground for The least expensive route to the Indian Mazar-i-Sharif last year, brought the intervention in Afghanistan occurs. outside powers fighting by proxy. The Ocean lies through Iran, but Chevron’s last major areas of resistance under its Quarantining the Afghan conflict so efforts to direct Tengiz oil through Iran Taliban’s origins lie in the refugee control. Taliban’s opponents feel a need that it does not spread into a regional or are resisted by the US government. camps of north-west Pakistan, and the for vigorous response, or the game will wider war is desirable, but as ever the American companies such as Unocal movement is sustained diplomatically be lost. The killing of Iranian losers will be the Afghan people ruled have turned instead to negotiating with by Pakistan and is funded by drug ‘diplomats’ in Mazar-i-Sharif provides a by a fanatical government with no con- the Taliban for a pipeline route across classical excuse for war, and Iranian money with Pakistani links. The Afghanistan to Pakistani ports. cern for individual rights or tolerance opposition in the west has the support military manoeuvres on its border with for its opponents. Whether that govern- of its co-religionists in Iran. The The situation has created strange Afghanistan at the end of September ment gains or loses support among the opposition in the north is backed by bedfellows among outside participants were intended to raise the tension local population and in the neighbour- Uzbekistan, and in the north-west the in the Afghan ‘civil war’. Iran and level. ing countries will depend in large part struggle is closely linked to the civil war Russia—centuries-old enemies in On the surface, Iran’s large and battle- on economic progress in the region.