SEPTEMBER 2014 melbourne university magazine Can a new generation of campus comics revive a flagging tradition? Laugh Lines PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE INSIDE THE GRATTAN THINK TANK Want more? Go online! Social media can connect you with many of the University’s 300,000-strong alumni community. Our alumni are represented on all the major networks. Go to alumni.unimelb.edu.au/my-network/social-media to find out more. Facebook With more University of Melbourne alumni on Pinterest Facebook than any other Find out what social network, it is the your fellow place to go for the latest alumni are up to alumni news, events by following the and benefits. Alumni in the news board on Pinterest. Twitter Go to Twitter to follow famous alumni like 3010 cover star @ronnychieng, LinkedIn or to enjoy live Keen to move tweets from up the career selected alumni ladder or help events. others who are? Go to LinkedIn to get — or give — career advice and find new opportunities. Weibo Get University updates and connect with Chinese-speaking alumni on Weibo, China’s popular Flickr microblogging Check out photos service. from alumni events around the world on Flickr — you might even spot yourself! 3 unimelb.edu.au/3010 unimelb.edu.au/3010 AGENDA SETTERS Deep in thought In less than a decade, the Grattan Institute has become an influential voice in policy debates. Gay Alcorn goes inside the think tank. 6 UNIVERSITY NEWS Teaching to the masses 4 OAR GLORY Getting ready for the boat race 13 ON YOUR MARKS We were heartened by Athletics club celebrates 125 years 19 the warm response to MARKETS & MINDS THE ESSAY the first issue of 3010, So what is neuroeconomics? 22 OUR URBAN DESTINY 14 the new-look Melbourne Professor Rob Adams argues that University Magazine, CARING FOR CULTURE cities hold the key to our economic, which was published Art conservation gets a boost 24 social and environmental challenges. in June. DECODING EPILEPSY Gene research cracks a mystery 26 3010 is the postcode for Parkville, and is unique DOOKIE’S EVOLUTION to the University of An old campus, a new faculty 28 Melbourne. ALUMNI PROFILES We welcome your Startup stars 31 feedback. WELCOME TO MELBOURNE Email your comments to: Alumni extend a hand 34 PROFILE PHILANTHROPY INC. 16 [email protected] ALUMNI NEWS Audette Exel uses her flair in global Write to us at: Plus milestones 35 finance to help the poor in the world’s The Advancement Office, remotest places. THE LAST WORD The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010 Australia Art takes to the streets 38 Call us on: +61 3 8344 1751. COVER STORY FUNNY BUSINESS 10 A University tradition of nurturing fresh comic talent EDITORIAL TEAM may be undergoing a MANAGING EDITOR welcome revival. Val McFarlane EDITOR OUR COVER: Ken Merrigan/Mediaxpress Still laughing: Ronny Chieng, DESIGN 3010 Libbi Gorr and Rod Quantock. Bill Farr/Mediaxpress PICTURE: JULES TAHAN 4 universitynews EDUCATION INNOVATION MOOC: teaching Researchers to to the masses give milk a shake Longer-lasting Australian dairy products with high nutritional value will soon be available to consumers in Australia and overseas thanks to a major industrial research initiative. The new ARC Dairy Innovation Hub will help Australian dairy manufacturers to develop new products to meet the increasing local and global demand for high-quality dairy products, particularly in Asia. New products could include butter and dairy blends with improved taste and spreadability, lactose-free and reduced fat, long-life milks that really do “taste like real milk”, yoghurt that will retain its texture for longer without “watering off” in the fridge, and a wider range of more consistent, natural cheese flavours and textures. GOING Hub Director, Associate PICTURE: MARCEL AUCAR GLOBAL Professor Sally Gras (BSc(Hons) 2002, BE(ChemEng)(Hons) 2002), “The more the merrier” is not a cent hold higher degrees, and a from the University of Melbourne’s phrase often associated with class further 38 per cent have completed 12,000 Department of Chemical and size, but the increasing popularity undergraduate degrees. Approximate Biomolecular Engineering, says the of online learning may change that. Like all MOOCs, Assessment and number of initiative brings together three of The University of Melbourne’s Teaching of 21st Century Skills is international Australia’s leading dairy research Graduate School of Education offered free and enrolment is open students studying groups in a five-year, $13 million (MGSE) has launched a Massive to anyone. While students get the at the University research program co-funded by the Open Online Course – or MOOC – chance to learn from world-leading of Melbourne, Australian Research Council, Dairy on how to give school children the researchers, the researchers are about 25 per cent Innovation Australia, the University skills to survive in a world of ever- enthusiastic about the opportunity to of the student of Melbourne and the University of changing technology. share and collaborate with thousands population. Queensland. More than 15,000 people have of people. “Dairy manufacturing is currently enrolled in the course, titled “In such a new field, harnessing worth more than two billion dollars Assessment and Teaching of 21st the insights of such a large group 6884 to the Australian economy and will Century Skills. They are among is very exciting,” Griffin says. Number of continue to increase as the demand 500,000 who have enrolled in the “MOOCs challenge everyone international for food required in Asia doubles in University’s MOOCs since it joined involved – participants and staff – students coming years,” she says. international platform Coursera in to use and improve their skills in commencing a Dairy Innovation Australia CEO 2012. digital learning, which is in itself a new course of Dr Lesley MacLeod says the new Course co-ordinator Professor 21st-century skill.” study in 2013. centre will focus on translating Patrick Griffin (BSc 1968, MEd 1976) Organisers say they have learnt a research excellence into industry says the scale is unimaginable for lot from running this MOOC and are value. “This approach will use face-to-face teaching. The course has investigating the prospects of delivery 123 innovation to help our manufacturers attracted students from 160 different in different languages. Number of both grow and add value in domestic countries, about 50 of which are in nationalities and export markets,” she says. Asia. The cohort is highly educated: MOOCs at Melbourne: represented on Over the five years, researchers 9 per cent have doctorates, 38 per le.unimelb.edu.au/moocs campus. China is will also evaluate new processes to the leading source improve dairy manufacturing in CORRECTIONS An article on page 12 of the June issue of 3010, of international Australia. “These insights will help Mourning a lost generation, incorrectly attributed the poem Their Peace students, followed manufacturers make new products to Nellie Palmer. It should have said Nettie Palmer. by Malaysia, and design processes that can reduce The book More Memories of Melbourne University, mentioned in an article Indonesia and waste and lead to water and energy on page 24 on the history of Farrago, was published by Hutchinson, not MUP. the United States. savings,” Gras says. 5 CLIMATE CHANGE SPORT CAMPAIGN The great polar Footy flourished Believe passes ice shrink as work week cut key milestone AFL probably wouldn’t be More than $300 million has now been Melbourne’s dominant sporting raised by Believe – the Campaign for code today had city workers not won the University of Melbourne. Saturday afternoons off in the 1860s. Thanks to the generosity of A new study by the University, more than 16,000 donors across six published in the journal Sporting continents, the Campaign total passed Traditions, questions the origins of the $300 million mark in June. The Aussie rules. aim is to raise $500 million by 2017. A new study of satellite sea ice The study found that the 1856 “Support for the Campaign measurements shows that dramatic campaign for the eight-hour workday has been tremendous,” says Vice- changes in the world’s sea ice cover was the most important step in Principal (Advancement) Sue have occurred over the past 35 years. the game becoming Melbourne’s Cunningham. “Reaching this Lead investigator Professor Ian dominant code. important milestone is yet another Simmonds, from the University’s “For a sport to become the opportunity to thank our donors for School of Earth Sciences, says: “The dominant code, more than anything their generosity, and emphasise the late-summer Arctic sea ice coverage it needs to attract large numbers transformative impact their gifts have has shrunk by three million square of paying spectators,” says study had on the lives of others.” kilometres since 1979. DRAWING author Dr Tony Ward, an honorary The Campaign has three major “There were significant decreases A CROWD: South research fellow in the School of priorities: educating tomorrow’s for every month of the year, with the Melbourne great Historical and Philosophical Studies. leaders, finding answers to the world’s greatest rate of decrease in September. Roy Cazaly takes In the 1850s, the city’s population grand challenges through research Some are now suggesting that one of his iconic boomed with the gold rushes, but and enriching communities, in September sea ice could disappear one-handed people worked long, six-day weeks. Australia and beyond. from the Arctic in as little as 25 years. marks. Then, in 1856, stonemasons working Recent gifts include $10 million “In contrast, Antarctic sea ice at the University won the right to an from leading philanthropist Greg has been expanding, and 2013 was a eight-hour working day. Other trades Poche AO to create the University record-breaking year.