UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

— AUGUST 2013

— POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY COURSING AHEAD – IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS TACKLING BIG PROBLEMS The brave new world – 2013 FESTIVAL OF IDEAS of online universities ASIA – FULLY ENGAGED 02 • Melbourne University Magazine Valley start-up Coursera, for example, has of Melbourne’s engagement with Silicon onlinecourses).open The University brave (massive new world ofMOOCs knowledge through eLearning andthe has pioneered thepublicavailability of Just thisyear, for example, the sector Universities are also hubsofinnovation. metaphors ofTSEliot’s disease, or to understand better the sinewy andwater shortages, withfood to cope Research can transform our capacity ofknowledge.extending theboundaries curating existing understanding, and in every field. Theirteachersare busy huge effortstomasterthelatestknowledge from theartstosciences, studentsinvest disciplines from architecture tozoology, contribute teachingandresearch. Across At themostfundamentallevel, universities the widercommunity. Increasingly, theirconcernsare shared in followers arguments. andadvocates ofpolicy universities are amongthemostpassionate economy. People whostudy andwork in ways, aslarge employers inthelocal places for conversation and, inpractical of thepublic–ascentres ofthinking, as deeply engagedbecome inthebusiness the life ofoursociety. Universities have growing significance ofuniversities in the This change insentimentreflects and future studentsputatrisk. forhappy present toseeopportunities reductions –buttheelectorate isnot thebudget majorpartiessupported both issue– aparliamentary did notbecome provoked backlash. acommunity Thecuts more visibility. Cuts touniversity funds This year, universities have soughtalittle agenda andrarely discussed. areresponsibilities leftoffthepublic ofgovernmentmatters. numbers Vast debate. manyover Yetpass also elections amongothers– policy all deserve sustained – health, schools, andeconomic disability The issuesthatwillcommandattention little airtimeintheelectoral contest. suggests that higher educationmust expect In 2013, anelectionyear, experience forFighting what you believe in OPINION • BY GLYN DAVIS AC, Four Quartets.

VICE-CHANCELLOR

Outstanding individualslike DrSamuel graduates contribute inmany ways. a difference. Students, academics and seekstomake University ofMelbourne Both publicandpublic-spirited, the evidence andanalysis. contributions andacommitmentto public discussionmarked by substantive onissues,commentary andsoencourage the University willcontributetoexpert election campaign, thatmany voices from on campus. We mighthope, amidan of government toteachingandevents bring theirextraordinary experience Petro Georgiou(BA(Hons)1970, PhD) for1974) andformer Kooyong Member as former Premier John Brumby (BCom students. Vice-Chancellor’s Fellows such graduate journalism by compiled and as Conversation web mediasuchas to popular Academics contribute theirexpertise advocates andgovernment staff. generation ofpublicservants, community readyschool toinspire andtrain thenext ofGovernment,School aprofessional This year, we launchedtheMelbourne debate andtheworkings ofdemocracy. Universities contributedirectly topublic students studying online. to anaudienceofmore than240,000new taken someofourmosttalentedteachers the Lorenzo andPamela GalliChairin also worked withMrsGallitoestablish amazing generosity, the University has of herlatehusband. Buildingonher Melanoma andSkinCancers, inmemory endowed theLorenzo Galli Chairin solution. Agenerous donor, she has Galli hasdecidedtocontribute tothe Australian healthproblems, MrsPamela melanoma andskincancer remain major the kindnessofphilanthropy. Thuswhile to thecostoftheireducation, andthrough funding, by thecontribution ofstudents byAll thiswork public is madepossible graduates can have. extraordinary impacttheUniversity’s Pisar, profiled onpage 18, highlight the The Citizen, and support ventures and support such a newspaper edited anewspaper The The

about makingavailableabout even better next generation ofstudentsandacademics, (Hons) 1970, LLD2012), the isabout by AllanMyers AO QC (BA 1969, LLB Melbourne. of Believe -theCampaign launched amajorphilanthropy initiative: goals over theyears, theUniversity has who have contributedtothisUniversity’s people Inspired byMelbourne thededicated children withdisabilitiesandtheirfamilies. a commitmenttoimproving thelives of Developmental Medicine, representing our publiclife. its role asavitalcontributorto University willcontinuetoplay Whoever leadstheGovernment, your tocontribute.opportunities The Campaign, chaired

for theUniversity

government 04 04 NEWS — University the of Melbourne. of for alumniandfriends produced is University Melbourne Magazine this edition Inside WELCOME •

Home for good Home for good Paperback tothefuture - Newschoolopens - MUPdigitalbacklist CONTENTS

31 28 28 27 06 ALUMNI NEWS 14 07 05

Clemens Habicht(pg2,11 & 13)/Luci Everett (pg28) ILLUSTRATIONS of Melbourne’s Coursera partnership Principles ofMacroeconomics for theUniversity Cover Image: Seesaw –seesawstudio.com.au DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY &COVER Val McFarlane MANAGING EDITOR Angela Martinkus EDITOR linkd.in/ze48YK [email protected] The University ofMelbourne, VIC3010 THE ALUMNI RELATIONS TEAM should beaddressed to: All relating correspondence totheeditorialcontent — Waste not, want not Start the new black are -ups Alumni election Alumni benefits Try somethingnew Alumni Voices A proud history romance that’sThe Kong - Bepartofit - Discountsfor alumni - Events, lectures, courses - Books, exhibitions - Campaignsthen&now - Dookiecampusresearch - Funding newideas - VCA graduates star facebook.com/melbourneunialumni

Professor presenting NilssOlekalns

08 FEATURES 21 20 18 PROFILES architecture website Parlour:the associated Women, work andleadership, andtheeditorof Diversity intheAustralian Architectural Profession: as researcher ontheARC-funded project and Equity the Faculty ofArchitecture, BuildingandPlanning, critic. Sheisanhonorary SeniorResearch Fellow in Justine Clark media outlets. and authorhasworked widely across multiple Leon Gettler Arts Editorof Robin Usher Advancement Office. officer intheUniversity ofMelbourne Chris Weaver and hasworked for Fairfax and ACP.journalist Jacinta Le Plastrier Cultural Studies2007)isafreelance artswriter. John Bailey and hasworked for News Limited andFairfax. Nicole Lindsay CONTRIBUTORS 30 26 24 22 16 14 12

Julie AnneQuay Jehan Ratnatunga Samuel Pisar - Fashion leader - Strategy star - Global activistfor peace (www.archiparlour.org). Coursing ahead(cover story) The last word -SimonGriffiths The new improved ‘Pavvy’ eyes forArt opens medical students Building for Indigenous communities Festival ofIdeas-tacklingourbigproblems In pursuitofhappiness Asia -fully engaged The ofMelbourneisembracing thetrendUniversity to free, start-upCoursera onlinelearningwiththeUS-based Using arttounlockempathyinmedicalanddentalstudents and communitiesinAustralia andtheAsia Pacific The Bower Studio isdeliveringamazing results for students Turning innovativeideasintoreality programs the leadonlocalpositivepsychology The Melbourne Graduate School ofEducationistaking Student andacademicconnectionswithAsia are deepening (not) Timeless Pavilion getsmakeover (BA(Hons)1999andMastersin is a freelance business journalist isafreelance businessjournalist (BA, LLB 2006)isacommunications isanarchitectural writer, editorand The Age. is afreelance writerandformer (BA(Hons) 1991) is a journalist (BA(Hons) 1991)isajournalist

Taking itsittingdown is awriter, publisherand

women, equity,

21 20 19 of itwisely. This publication isfullyrecyclable,pleasedispose madefromrenewableresources. inks based vegetable with produced and a chemicalrecirculationsystem using press printing onanecologicallyrated Sustainability VictoriaWastewiseGoldcertification, and with FSC(ChainofCustody)certification ISO9001 qualitymanagementsystemcertifiedprinter ISO14001 environmentalmanagementsystem& This publicationisprintedbyCompleteColour, an chlorine free whiteningprocesses. environmental management system, usingelemental millunderanISO14001an FSCcertifiedpaper at Council thatisproduced (FSC)Certified paper This publicationona isproduced Forest Stewardship — ISSN: 1442-1349 necessarily endorsedbytheUniversity. Views expressed bycontributorsare not —

Skye Fruean Jenny Jamieson Le Nam - Animal queen - Emergency worker - From lawtoliterature

03 • Melbourne University Magazine 04 • Melbourne University Magazine — To register gotowww.mup.com.au/page/alumni_offer www.mup.com.au. Alumni get a 25% discount at the online store. and otherMUPtitlesare availablepublisher’s atthe e-store, e-books areMUP’s pricedfrom $9.99to $29.99. e-books The iPads, (includingKindles andKobos) e-readers andsmartphones. be read onanycan electronic device -computers,e-books The to their forsuitability conversion,’’ shesays. illustrated designed Miegunyah andbeautifully titlesas lavishly to convert for digitalreaders, sowe’re consideringeachofour conversion. thatare highly“Books illustrated are more complex Adler onthe backlist are suitablefor says notallbooks by Claire Hookerand Still to comeare and thePacific 1974), MichaelCannon’s Clark (BA(Hons)1938, MA1944,Volumesby Manning DLitt 1-6 include The new e-books the iconic Australia andinternationally.’’ stable ofwriterscan now reach afar broader audienceacross challengingbutitisalsoexcitinggoing tobe –MUP’s wonderful inthenext expected 12months,can be shesays. “Thefuture is isintransition industry andmore mergersbook andclosures The general readers, publishinggeneral interest titles. under Adler, MUPhasbroadened itsreach toincludeserious turned intoapublisherofacademic works. More recently, Founded tostudents, in1922asabookseller MUPquickly orders asthey arrive inoure-store,’’ shesays. vary from onecopy and toinfinity we can printondemandto neednotgather dustinwarehouses.“Books Ourprintrunscan dominant factors. business withinventory management nolonger oneofthe are changingthevery structure ofthepublishingE-books and heaven isalibrary withoutborders,’’ Adler says. print’’ is now obsolete. “For thereader, are always books available MUP chiefexecutive Louise Adler AMsays thephrase “out of shelves ofMUP’s onlinestore. will joinnew releases onthevirtual fromthan 200. thebacklist e-books The readers andhassofar completedmore backlistintofiles for digital 350-book onits MUP isconverting 300books resurrected for purchasease-books. back catalogue are being (MUP) University Publishing’sMelbourne Hundreds ofbooks buried deep in TO THEFUTURE PAPERBACK News NEWS • BY NICOLELINDSAY y dad Duyker OAM FAHA Edward (PhD1981). by

Irresistible Forces:Irresistible Women inAustralian Science Letters of The LandBoomers Mary Gilmore. Mary

A History ofAustraliaA History and MUP titles Voyage toAustralia

of Government. governance centre andgood withitsnew School for policy become the isbiddingto The University ofMelbourne Pacific’s HOME FORGOODGOVERNMENT ,Professor Carolyn Evans. Front Row Melbourne Schoolof Government, Professor HelenSullivan Professor MarkConsidine;Governor of ,theHonAlex Chernov AC QC;Director, Former Secretary, Departmentof Premier &Cabinet, MsHelenSilver; Dean,Facultyof Arts, Back Row their communities.’’ stronger systems ofgovernance andimprove outcomes for aims toequip future leaderstomakedecisions, better build “Policymakers face great challenges andthenew school institutions,’’ Sullivan says. a crash courseinworking withgovernments andtheir “It’s whowork alsofor intheprivate people sectorandwant as well asexecutive education programs. willalsoprovidepolicy advice The new school tailored public on stream next year. and Management –withnew subjectsandprograms coming Master ofDevelopment StudiesandtheMasterofPublic Policy existing programs –theMasterofInternationalRelations, the ofGovernmentThe new School willinitially offerthethree from whichtodothatwork,” Sullivan says. there engaged. isalottolearnfrom being place Thisisa good the region, thenithastounderstandabigrole toplay and fromattracting thisregion. people IfAustralia inandof is tobe “The bigAmerican universities havebeen successfulinvery governance. andmaintaingood develop publicpolicy organisations. Itoffersprograms tohelpstudentslearnhow to students working ingovernment, andnot-for-profit corporates ofGovernmentThe new School isaimedatlocal and international you fitglobally,’’ shesays. understand your context local –you have tounderstandhow “Of coursewe are interested inAustralia butit’s notenoughto in itsregional andglobalcontext. the University ofBirmingham, iskeen toplacethenew school Professor Sullivan, early who came in2012from toMelbourne executive director. Public Policy Professor HelenSullivan theschool’s willbe first the Centre for Public Policy. subjects from law, sciencesandbusinessabsorbing social was launchedinmid-June, bringingtogether lecturers and school,The multi-disciplinary whichsitsinthe ofArts,Faculty Vice-Chancellor, TheUniversity of Melbourne, Professor GlynDavisAC; Dean,Facultyof Business&Economics, Professor Paul Kofman; Dean,

The biggest musicalin Melbourne, KingKong, is but you get intotherehearsal anditdoesn’t room work.” an Academy Award-winning intheir bedroom performance working withaswell. It’s notaformula. Anyonewith can come up you seeoutinthestreets.people Andit’sthe you’re thepeople and watching and inspiring you atthetime. Whateverreading you’re everything that’s around youuse andwhatever’s to You’vegot head. your in “You up can’tit create by aperformance making of formula.kind realised Ididn’tI soon know anything atall. I thoughtitwas,”hesays.“Ihadinmymindthatwassome “The bigthingIlearnedfromisn’t acting VCA isthat what since a stintin actorshasn’tperformed inamusical stage prolific most country’s ofthe one himaplaceinitsactingstream. why That’s offered VCA time music theatre atWAAPA.same the at but Hedidn’tin get classical singingatVCA andaftergraduating appliedtostudy Ryan didn’t anactor setoutto become in thecountry, includingSTC, MTCandMalthouseTheatre. program and has worked for most major theatre hiscareerHe began in the companies Bell Shakespeare Company’s schools the already.production, thoughhisduesare thoroughly acquitted Chris Ryan isanotherVCA graduate tostep into a principal role in and gratefulness.” queue. that There’sjumping alevel ofguiltmixed inwith awe do some understudy work. That’s whatI found daunting, “Usually you pay your dues. You comeup through the ranks, the suddennessofhis but appointment. cowed, It wasn’tLyon thescaleleft oftheshow itselfwhich ever producedanywhere. some reportsplacingKongasthesecondbiggestmusical with Australia, in created ever the largest,mostexpensivemusical of Music (Performance)degreein2011seeshimaleadrole graduating fromVCA’sBachelor since production professional he says.ThecircumstancesinthiscasearethatLyon’s first “Which I think wasunderstandableunderthe circumstances,” from thetheatre.the 31-year-old bolted performer Lyon asked ifthemanwas richfor ahug. too Aftertheembrace, company news, GlobalCreatures whotoldhimthegood and production It was theExecutive Producer ofMelbourne-based one ofthehandfulprincipalcharacters whocarry theshow. It partly explains hisreaction whenhewas offered the role of who stepsintoanotheractor’s shouldany mishapoccur. shoes he was aimingfor anoffstage cover role –akindofunderstudy Throughout theauditions for King Kong, Adam Lyon thought that’s Kong romance The NEWS a dream come truefor agroup of VCA graduates. •BY JOHNBAILEY Les Miserables atAltonaCivicTheatre in 2001.

per se –hefirststudied

to have afriendly face inauditions, too!” teaching uswhowe now get towork with. Andit’s always nice The networking was justincredible, toobserve professionals Imet,through thepeople with. Iendedupperforming people alongside. best thingthatthecourseprepared“The me for came connections withcolleagues shewould later endupworking Lim says thatthemostusefulthing herstudiesprovided was theensembleas describes “a bigfamily”. year oftheMusicTheatre courseand inaugural the in was VCA Music Theatre graduates ofany musical ever. Leah Lim Robson and Jacob Williams of –andhasthelargest number Hannaford, SamHooper, Leah Lim, ChrisOstrenski, Joshua Kong’s cast includesahostofotherVCA alumni–Ross You have tostepitup.” performance. going towant back.’ theape Butthatactually feeds your ‘Sheesh. People are going tohateustalkingafterthat. They’re just “it was soimpressive thatwe justlooked ateachotherandwent: “When we saw Kong’s firstentrance during rehearsals,” says Ryan, anintimidatingone. attention backfrom suchaspectacle the of amereprospect humanattemptingtowinanaudience’s to animatethesix-metre atthe beast show’s centre, whichmakes working on the show in total edges into triple figures. Ittakes 11 Kong’s more castthan40andtheroster numbers ofcreatives Photo From left up through the ranks, do understudy some Ponch Hawkes “Usually you pay your dues. You come VCA graduates JoshuaRobson, SamHooper, Adam Lyon andChrisRyan work. That’s what Ifound daunting, jumping that queue.” ADAM LYON

05 • Melbourne University Magazine 06 • Melbourne University Magazine the yearsfollowed. that CentreSports and theBaillieuLibrary were allconstructed in to replace theonelost inthefire of1952, theBeaurepaire to thetransformation oftheCampus. The ‘new’ Wilson Hall, After seven months,been nearlyraised, £520,000had leading it.” upon research hasanequalbearing overwork placeson research –thoughshortage ofmoney from disadvantage resulting from thisfactor isthesevere handicap this added strain on analready smallteachingstaff. too Onegreat often duplicated tohandlethenumbers, withtheconsequential “In fact issoovertaxed existing accommodation thatlectures are the present studentnumbers, let aloneany greater number. completely toprovide even theminimumessentialfacilities for “The General Library andantiquatedfails iscramped at theendofwar. from disposals hutsbought temporary others are stillhousedintotally inadequateandunsuitable such aspsychology, architecture, of ofanumber andportions A brochure from thetimestated: departments “The important 7,000.nearly of body with thegrowing student struggling tocope funds toimprove theUniversity’s infrastructure, whichwas in providing advanced research. Prominent alsowas thecall for It stressed theUniversity’s£1,000,000. key role intheeconomy and two years afterWilson Hallburneddown) withatarget of (the University’s deferred celebrations centenary hadbeen by The most recent appeal, the Appeal,Centenary launchedin1955 far greater contributionfrom businessesthanin1904. for new buildings. Appeal The1920-21 raised £53,488, includinga University, straining teachingresources andhighlightingtheneed The endof World War Ibrought aninfluxofstudentstothe £13,300 inseven months. £12,000 withpublicdonations. raised more Theappeal than £8,000 to£20,000–butonly ifthe University couldmatchthe The Government agreed toincreasefrom itsannualallocation that theUniversity’s annualfundingwas generally inadequate. The 1904Appeal was launchedaftera Royal Commission found have madefor publicsupport. been of University culture, andover theyears several concertedappeals generosity ofover 12,000donors. Philanthropy part haslongbeen raised more thanhalfofthe$500milliontarget through the University, was chosentomarkthisappeal, whichhasalready It was fittingthatthisiconicstructure, theheartoforiginal future a bright history,proud A NEWS • for the . of University the for to celebrate thelaunchof In May,thewalls of OldQuadwere litupinblue BY VAL M C FARLANE Believe – the Campaign the – Believe

— Find outmore atcampaign.unimelb.edu.au Wehave todowhat wea duty can tomake ithappen.” to change thelives of future generations, insomany ways. that message stillhasgreat resonance: “We have anopportunity For MrClifford andhiscolleaguesleadingthecurrent Campaign, back.”plough andnotlook stand still, we mustnotretreat, letusallsetourhandstothe In 1955, brochure issuedthiscall toaction: theAppeal “We cannot and contributingtocommunities, locallyandfurther afield.” research thatwilltacklethegreatest challenges facing humanity, the brightest, studentstoachieve, mostdeserving funding can reach itsfullpotential, in every way. Thatmeanssupporting Campaign isreallyensuringtheUniversity ofMelbourne about “And whilewe dostillface financialchallenges, thecurrent many different countries. in scale, from around theworld withastudentbody andpartners in 1955. Then, itserved onaglobalVictoria; today we operate than oftheUniversity issomuchwidertoday “But thefocus best facilities inwhichto and staffneedthe excel,” hesays. “Undoubtedly infrastructure isstill very important. Our students changed. have materials provide afascinating insightintohow things Chairmanoftoday’sDeputy Campaign, says the1955publicity Leigh Clifford AO (BE1968, MEngSc1971, InternationalHouse), Top OldQuadlitupfor theMay

Campaign launch Below Pages from the1955brochure

— five years and studiedsubjectsinMSEor FBE can also apply. MSE orFBE. past University alumniwho have graduated inthe isfrom Research eligible iftheirsupervisor studentscouldalsobe Economics (FBE), orhave taken asubjectinthosedepartments. ofEngineering (MSE)ortheFacultySchool ofBusinessand or current studentoftheMelbourne astaffmember must be To ofthestart-up eligiblefor MAPfundsatleastone member be investors 2013. potential on9October started work in July andwillhostanexclusive DemoDay for MAP applications closedinlateApril. Thewinningteams money tokeep theprogram going. formally viatheadvisory board, whichiscommittedtoraising withtheteams’ nights, activitiesviasocial up-to-date andmore MAP’s mentorsactinformally, providing advice andkeeping it big,’’ hesays. provide highreturns, fail andonly butmostpeople afew make “The start-up game islike any –it otherhigh-risk activity can entrepreneurs andbusinesses. younghas played akeyand role nursing mentor MAP a is Entrepreneur Leni Mayo (BSc(Hons)1985,JanetClarkeHall) “We’ve hadafantastic year,” Workman says. appliedfor sixplaces people 126 and teams 53 year this Last year 32teamsappliedfor and four spots “who wanted toseewhatMAPis all about.” of budding entrepreneurs in the early stages oftheirprojects, formal application attracted hundreds opened process the before heldInterest inMAPisbuilding.workshops Aseriesoffour and passingonadvice.” knowledge sharing through eachother’s are supporting start-ups he says. “Mostimportantly, though, inthecommunity people investors,”active accelerators are doingwell andthere are many spaces,months.There ofco-working are anumber 18 past the in ecosystem hasgrown“Melbourne tremendously asastart-up managing theformalfundingprogram. entrepreneurship oncampus’’bybuildingnetworksand ownstart-up his of manager, RohanWorkman (BCom,MAP 2007), whodirector is entrepreneurs, venture capitalists andangel investors. kick-start fundingandaccesstoanetwork of in space, $20,000 Nowoffice initssecondyear,applicants MAPgives winning and businessstudentsdevelop theirown start-up businessventures. AcceleratorMelbourne Program (MAP), whichhelpsengineering the funding is Melbourne not justadegrees factory,the University of isemergingasahubfor creativeMelbourne start-ups. Proving it is black new the Start-ups are NEWS • For more information go tohttp://map.eng.unimelb.edu.au BY NICOLELINDSAY RosterCloud , says the program is about “nursing saystheprogramisabout“nursing

(see opposite for winners). for (see opposite

MAP START-UPS 2013 Ledochowitsch. and Peter Gambini of Rikky Muller, Simone teamconsists conditions. The treatment ofneurological devices for thediagnosisand designs implantablemedical • Hok ShunPoon. working onthe project with Year (2012)MaritaChengis gics. Young Australian ofthe mounted armsfor quadriple is developing wheelchair- • paint brandsandcolours. a surfacetohugerangeof device thatmatchespainton ture aportableplasticelectronic • phone calls. mobile traffic intocustomer a businessthathelpsconvert James Merritt are working on • Lim andAdam Neumann. Ebla is Joseph Valente, Jason platform.The teambehind • comparative information. provide consumerswith to online shoppingportals Geek. search enginecalled Dean Magee are working ona • From left

The Cortera Neurotechnologies SwatchMate MobLeads’ Ebla Scott Li, Lauren Tan and It scans datafrom various 2MarRobotics SwatchMate team Rocky Liang,Paul Peng andDjordje Dikic is an online publishing isanonlinepublishing Oliver Costa and willmanufac The Price

team

- -

SWATCHMATE says Djordje. manufacturing process,” if they can helpfinance the consumers tosee to potential a Kickstarter togo directly “We are planningtolaunch venture capital funders. contacts withmentorsand anddevelopingproduct money commercialising their will usetheirMAPtimeand charts –theSwatchMate team colour tothepaintcompany cameras can’t matchwall asmobilephone updated application tokeep thedevice – they willuseasmartphone With theirtechnologysorted this year. they putin a lot ofwork out onlastyear’s MAPfunding, months. Having justmissed working onitforbeen 18 engineering degree andhave final year oftheirelectrical They startedtheproject inthe paints onanexisting surface. electronic device thatmatches to manufacture a portable Dikic are planning Djordje Rocky Liang,and Peng Paul The SwatchMate team of

07 • Melbourne University Magazine 08 • Melbourne University Magazine I The University of Melbournehasembraced the most prestigious intheworld. education from thetop ‘Ivy League’ universities, amongstthe spruikedfor sometimebutthisnew model aphilosophy offree around andonlinelearninghasbeen The principleofopen the internet, viaasecure site, toanyone, anywhere, for free. model, offered seven theUniversity ofMelbourne courses over As thefirst Australian source university toembrace thisnew open onitshead. model operating delivers turnthetraditional courses andpotentially university tobuildtheUniversity’sof MOOCs profile, change the way it you didn’t have arocket scientist toappreciate tobe thepower courseshadevenany started, oftheUniversity ofMelbourne With more than100,000enrolments registered inJanuary, before than 26,000. the videosandparticipatingincourseswelled tomore Over thenext few days ofstudents downloading thenumber Peter says. the US, India, Lithuania, Paris, andeven theCaribbean,” to form connectionswithoneanotherinBrazil, China, across andwerecomments onthediscussionboards already starting hadstartedthecourse, sixhourspeople first were writing next morningthere were already 12,000studentsonline. Inthe “It was like a tsunami,” he says. “I went to at1amandthe bed of itsprestigious coursesisacomputer andacuriousmind. year, launchedintoaworld where allthat’s neededtoaccessone With asinglekeystroke theUniversity ofMelbourne, inits160th for thecourse. a Facebook page and aTwitter created handlewhichhadbeen online practice quiz, onlineresources, discussionforums, Professor Nilss Olekalns. Itconsistedofsixvideolectures, an of At midnighthe logged into thesecure siteanduploaded week one Coursing ahead COVER STORY • platform intheworld, Coursera. with the US-based start-upwith theUS-based Coursera. Angela open onlinecourse)tothelargest freeopen onlineuniversity trend tofree, onlinelearningwitha partnership volunteered touploadtheUniversity’s (massive firstMOOC has moved sofast. Martinkus reports onhowandwhytheUniversity Peter Mellow, was upunusually lateworking. Hehad year andtheUniversity ofMelbourne’s designer, e-learning t was lateonSaturday nightonthe31stofMarchthis Principles ofMacroeconomics THE UNIVERSITY’SFIRST MOOC , delivered by economics respected

was settolaunch. Around thesame timecomputerscientists Daphne Koller andAndrew Ng, hadraised US$22 millionand Coursera, founded by Stanford computerscienceprofessors totakeabout thetraditional university sectorby storm. A quietrevolution was underway inNorth America thatwas Very afterherarrival soon thewheels ofchange startedtospin. anditissodevolved,”it hassomuchhistory sherecalls. itissobig,could move because theUniversity ofMelbourne “One oftheunderlying concernsfor mewas how quickly you professor atthe “very agile” University ofWollongong for 17years. which university academics get research funding, and before that a Australian Research Council, asmallorganisation thatdetermines and delivery ofacademic strategy, Margaret was theCEOof When Glyn Davis hired toleaddevelopment by Vice-Chancellor she couldmake muchdifference to Australia’s topuniversity. She didn’t Coursera know about andshedidn’t know whether inMarch2012shedidn’tof Melbourne know two things. When Provost Professor Margaret SheilstartedattheUniversity MELBOURNE JOINEDTHEONLINEREVOLUTION my radar.”my (in thesecond round they really ofonboarding) came on 17 July 2012, whenCoursera signedupEdinburgh University “They knew what we neededtodo,” Margaret recalls. “Soon waslearning sotheCoursera perfect,” opportunity Pip says. wasone aspect toengage inmore forms experimental ofonline strategy and “Gregor ayear developing hadspent ane-learning four years ago. According toPip: “We are leadingtheway now butwe weren’t working onan online strategy for theUniversity throughout 2011. Professor Gregor Kennedy (BA(Hons)1993, PhD1998), hadbeen PhD 1980, OrmondCollege) andDirector ofeLearning, Associate for Academic Programs, Professor Pip Pattison (BSc(Hons)1973, Meanwhile theUniversity ofMelbourne’s Vice-Chancellor Deputy onboard. students andanother12universities jumped Within three monthsCoursera hadenrolled more than1.5million where studentsdoingthesamecourseget together face-to-face. forums, onlinequizzes, assessmentsandlocal peer ‘meetups’ and thelearningisaidedby onlinestudy resources, discussion every week, attheirown pace. Lectures are delivered viavideo logon andwork through theircoursedelivered totheirinbox Pennsylvania –offering38courses. Studentssignupusingasecure Stanford, theUniversity ofMichigan andtheUniversity of withfour universitiesconsisted ofanonlineportal –Princeton, On 19April2012, Coursera itsvirtual doors, opened which at MITandHarvard were establishingtherival model, edX. would position us would position inpartnership the with best universities inthe world? There was “Invest time inanactivity some from which we learn agreat deal which and no downside asno far as we could tell.” PROVOST PROFESSOR MARGARET SHEIL MARGARET PROVOSTPROFESSOR

Professor Nilss Olekalns presenting Principles of Macroeconomics

“Pip and I talked and decided to contact (co-founder) Daphne “It has been a wild ride,” says e-learning designer Peter Mellow. to see if she was interested in us being involved. So I sent her an Coursera project manager Deborah Jones agrees. email and she came back saying of course she was interested in “We kept the project team really tight. To start with it was just the University of Melbourne. Gregor and I sitting at his computer working out how to use the “I arranged a Skype conversation with Daphne on the following platform to set up the first few course pages,” Deborah says. Saturday afternoon – I had Pip on her mobile phone, Daphne It was a challenge to get seven new courses developed in around on my desktop and the Vice-Chancellor came into my office four months but with the support of Margaret and Pip, when and joined the conversation as well. roadblocks cropped up, the team collaborated, developed “We couldn’t see a downside – invest some time in an activity a solution and moved on, fast. from which we will learn a great deal and which would position Coursera provides the super-stable platform which hosts the us in partnership with the best universities in the world? There content and users, and all of the partner universities work was no downside as far as we could tell.” with a co-ordinator on a production pipeline to develop Within a week Pip and Gregor had pulled together a list of their coursework. top academics who were great teachers or early adopters of Academics adapt their ‘normal’ subject for the online environment technology and started the process of developing seven courses and work with the University’s in-house media and production that could be added to the Coursera curriculum. group, which has a studio setup to film the lectures and create On 19 September 2012 the University of Melbourne announced annotated PowerPoint slides and other ‘infographics’ to visually it had signed up, making it the first Australian university to join convey concepts. Coursera. Ten months later on 31 July 2013 Coursera announced Video production manager Eileen Wall works with all of the that the University of and the University of lecturers producing Coursera courses, giving them advice and had also signed up. helping them feel relaxed in front of the camera, rather than a “The Coursera example demonstrates two things,” says Margaret. lecture hall. “One is you can move Melbourne very quickly when it is the clever, smart, leading edge thing to do. The second is the standing and the prestige of Melbourne meant that people wanted us to do it.” Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

09 • SECTION • SUB HEADER Feature Heading

[ Image: Photoshoot scheduled for Wednesday 3rd July ]

Members of the inaugural Coursera team: Deborah Jones, Peter Mellow, Margaret Sheil, Pip Pattison (at front) Daphne Koller (on laptop), Nilss Olekalns and Eileen Wall

Some academics are quite taken with the new approach. Nilss THE VALUE PROPOSITION Olekalns led Principles of Macroeconomics and is now relaxed in The cost of the Coursera partnership has been minimal, with front of the camera after recalibrating the course he has taught $35,000 allocated per subject to develop the online material, for more than 20 years into a format suitable for viewing online. with a total cost of $245,000. But when it comes to making While Pascal Van Hentenryck, who leads Discrete Optimisation, money Margaret says there was never any expectation that it the University’s third Coursera course, took on the Indiana Jones was about revenue. persona when he filmed his lectures in the iconic University of “Revenue wasn’t the reason we went into it – we did it because Melbourne quadrangle. it positioned us with the finest universities in the world, we were A team of about 30 people from around the University attend a on the inside of a rapidly changing dynamic in education and, monthly ‘Courserian’ meeting to share ideas and discuss progress – by the sheer fact that hundreds of thousands of people visited including the copyright office team, the lecturers, their assistants, our website, looked at what Melbourne has to offer and decided the production crew, librarians and the e-learning team. to enrol in a course, it provides some marketing gains,” According to Coursera founder Daphne Koller, the University of Margaret says. Melbourne team’s course production pipeline is one of the best However in the US, revenue is generated by offering students developed and organised. “It is clear that Melbourne believes in a verified completion certificate for about $50, which has the model of open education and has come on board with some generated about $80,000 per session in revenue for a couple outstanding classes,” Daphne says. of the universities in the first quarter, covering the costs of With many recognised players in the open university space – the creating the courses. two big ones being the Stanford backed Coursera and the MIT

The certificate uses ID verification technology developed by the and Harvard backed edX, which has signed up the University of Coursera computer engineers and the University of Melbourne Queensland – Margaret is sure the University of Melbourne has is going down the same route. backed the right horse. In a recent move toward further recognition for MOOCs the “It feels like an academic collaboration, it doesn’t feel like you American Council on Education has agreed to credit five are part of a commercial transaction,” Margaret says. Coursera courses – subject to payment of about $100 to verify “We were quite happy to be the first Australian university on IDs and conduct exams via webcam. These can be credited board but when you join a venture like this the most important towards degrees at hundreds of colleges and universities. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University factor is that the venture succeeds.” 10 • The exception is however that the credits don’t count at the “Universities are based on the process of selectionSUB HEADER which • SECTION is partner universities themselves. driven by reputation. Students will choose the most prestigious Clearly, if via ‘accredited’ MOOCs universities can share top university because it will provide access to a future based on its quality courses, then there are potential cost savings to be found exclusive reputation,”Feature he says. Heading in the traditional education delivery model. Discussions are “Therefore, this issue of exclusivity of a degree gained from an underway in California to legislate to make this happen. institution like the University of Melbourne is not going to be In Australia this type of ‘accreditation’ is not likely to occur in diluted by the existence of online models like Coursera, edX the near future, with the Tertiary Education Quality Standards or others.” Agency flagging that it will not directly oversee MOOCs. The change is in the way it delivers learning. Says Simon: “TEQSA strongly encourages initiatives within the sector to “Coursera is a game changer for the university sector and improve the quality of the student’s learning experience of higher heralds a new economic model that will have an impact for education, whether these are through more diverse content or the all universities.” creation of more effective and accessible modes of delivery,” says — To find out more go to: www.coursera.org TEQSA Chief Commissioner, Dr Carol Nicoll. TEQSA is co-hosting an e-learning forum in October 2013, Who uses MOOCs? which will allow a range of providers to showcase their online delivery and for TEQSA to share perspectives on implications for regulation. Professionals with a degree who are extending their knowledge, Margaret notes, however, that any programs involving the mature age students and people who haven’t completed University of Melbourne are subject to the same internal a university degree because of financial or geographic processes and scrutiny as the traditional modes of delivery. barriers to entry. In Australia, with the rapid emergence of MOOCs in 2013, Principles of Macroeconomics – where students came from it may be a case of policy and governments playing catch-up 88 countries in total, visited 17 pages per visit. in the months and years ahead. 3.2% Russia WHAT THE NEW MODEL MEANS 3.3% Serbia On 3 May 2012 New York Times columnist David Brooks 3.4% Portugal wrote that the Coursera experiment was set to revolutionise the global education sector. “What happened to the newspaper and 3.5% Germany magazine business is about to happen to higher education: 3.9% UK a rescrambling around the Web,” he wrote. 4.4% Spain Margaret doesn’t necessarily agree: “Education is social. Coursera 6.4% Australia will change the mechanism for delivering content but it won’t change fundamentally how we educate students.” 9.2% India Pip agrees and says the Coursera partnership has prompted 20.4% USA robust discussion around the evolving role of the University. 42.3% Other “I have been asked why the University is giving away for free something that students normally pay for and what they are paying for is the on-campus experience and the credentialing that goes with that,” she says. KEY FACTS ABOUT PRINCIPLES “Despite attendance levels in lectures dropping and students OF MACROECONOMICS ON COURSERA reporting external pressures like the need to work more than ever to support their studies, campus life is booming. Students who enrolled – 61,852 “The opportunity to be in a rich scholarly environment where Students who started – 26,158 you can interact with like-minded people and talk with experts Students who completed – 5,129 (19.6%) from many disciplines means that the University becomes an Average time online – 22 minutes environment that encourages both personal and disciplinary Facebook members – 1,764 creativity. That’s really the value the University community adds.” Tweets – 934 used Twitter to communicate According to the University of Melbourne’s own higher Video lectures downloaded – 356,327 education expert, Professor Simon Marginson (BA(Hons) Online video quizzes completed – 284,919 1974, PhD 1996), Coursera is “disruptive no doubt about it, but at a different level”. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

11 • SECTIONFEATURE •• BYSUB LEON HEADER GETTLER According to Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), Professor Simon Evans, with nearly 300 academics and over 100 PhD students working in Asia-related fields, the University of Melbourne has considerable breadth and depth underpinning AsiaFeature Heading its engagement with the region at this critical time. “The University is home to Asialink, Australia’s leading centre — fully engaged for the public understanding of Asia for more than 20 years, and the Australia India Institute, a leading centre for the study of India,” Evans says. “It was the first Australian university to teach Indonesian language and its many international students have The University of Melbourne’s engagement with gone on to play critical roles in Asian countries.” Asia is deepening. Professor Simon Evans shares The University has recently established a new Centre for his strategic approach. Contemporary Chinese Studies, appointed key academics with regional expertise (see opposite) and is sending more students and academics into the region. n June 2013 the founding director of the Center for Chinese Scratch the surface of any faculty and you will find deep IEconomic Research at Peking University, Dr Justin Lin, collaborative research engagement – projects delivering real delivered the annual Faculty of Business and Economics outcomes for people living across the region. These include David Finch lecture on the topic of “Demystifying the research into tropical diseases in Vietnam led by the Nossal Chinese Economy”. Institute for Global Health; mental health research in Indonesia carried out by the Melbourne School of Population and Global Demand for the event well and truly exceeded supply and Health; development of the RV3 Rotavirus vaccine to prevent the 300-seat lecture theatre was booked out weeks beforehand. gastroenteritis in babies carried out by the University in To pick up the overflow video screens were wheeled into collaboration with the Royal Children’s Hospital and the adjoining rooms, which were also packed to capacity. A further Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; the new Australia-China 700 watched the lecture via a live webcast. The Faculty of Joint Research Centre for River Basin Management focusing on Business and Economics had never seen anything like it. water efficiency, food security and environmental sustainability; a global collaboration with a key Chinese partner that unlocked Interest in the world’s second-largest economy was extraordinary. the genetic blueprint of a parasitic roundworm, Ascaris Suum, During the lecture Dr Lin spoke about China’s transformation, that causes a debilitating and often fatal disease; to name but explaining that since 1978 its economy had grown 24 times – an a few examples. annual growth rate of 9.8 per cent continuously for 33 years. With research spending of more than $844 million last year, the Impressive statistics, but the economic growth story for the region University is one of the largest and most productive research does not rest with China alone. According to OECD forecasts the organisations in Australia. key South East Asian nations – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Increasing numbers of University of Melbourne students are the Philippines and Thailand – will experience growth of 5.5 per now travelling to Asia as part of their degree. In 2011 more than a cent in the years ahead. third of the 2,500 University of Melbourne students who studied Indonesia is now a strong regional and global player, an active abroad studied in Asia. G20 member and on a trajectory to becoming one of the world’s This year it’s set to be higher. Teams of business and economics 10 largest economies by 2020 and in the top six by 2030. students will travel to China, Singapore and Malaysia to work Professorial Fellow in Economics at the University of Melbourne, with other students on real business problems. Professor Ross Garnaut AO, says Australia’s position within Asia Education students will work in village schools in Thailand and is critical and shapes the mission of Australian universities. international schools in China. Medical students will do clinical “The majority of the human species lives on what we call the placements in Hong Kong. Forestry students will work on Asian continent and a majority of the history of humanity is on projects in Indonesia. that continent,” he says. “You can’t profess to be first rate in any The Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning runs field of knowledge unless you have deep understanding of what’s “travelling studios” where students work on real life design or going on in your field in Asia.” urban regeneration projects in partnership with another university. Many countries in Asia, and in particular China, are making “There is layer upon layer of engagement, underpinned by staggering investments in higher education. long-term relationships,” Evans says. Chair of the University’s Centre for the Study of Higher “We offer our students programs that help them see first- Education, Professor Simon Marginson, has observed that hand the transformation that is occurring in Asia. These between 2005 and 2012 the number of top 500 ranked universities experiences, backed by our academics’ research and scholarship, in mainland China jumped from eight to 23 and between 1995 give students new understanding and new ways of thinking and 2009 Asia’s annual output of science papers grew from – and the skills and networks they need in an Asian century.” 77,000 to almost 190,000. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

12 • status in the not too distantfuture.”status inthenot too on India. We it willwinbackthat believe intellectual hubofteachingand research was“Melbourne onceAustralia’s education programs for corporates. We willalsooffercustomised executive will eventually offeraMasters Program. subjectsonIndiaandpostgraduate “We already offer undergraduate and via Coursera,” D’Costa says. offered Indiatobe on Contemporary Amartya Sen, todevelop anonlinecourse University, mentored by Nobel Laureate “We are working withIndia’s Nalanda The new programbe cuttingedge. will growth inVictoria andAustralia generally. expanding jobs economy willalsosupport an academic pursuit. Connecting toIndia’s base ofIndiascholarshipasmore than just from May 2013, seesbuildingastronger provided initialfundingfor thenew Chair The Victorian state government, whichhas of theCopenhagenBusinessSchool. and globalcontexts,” says D’Costa, formerly in whichIndiaisstudieditswiderAsian class program India, oncontemporary one “We intendtobuildandsustainaworld of arenaissance inthefield Australia. says theUniversity isattheforefront Studies, Professor Anthony D’Costa, IndianChair ofContemporary ANTHONY D’COSTA

connections with universities inAsia.” university, so we needtostrengthen our companies.with specific And we are a in Asia. There are connections alsoindustry level. We can withgovernments collaborate connection withAsiaattheinstitutional “I amalsothinkingofstrengthening our to reflect theAsia-Pacific context,” Lu says. the area. We can alsorevise thecurriculum in withconnectionsandexpertise members with Asia, we needto think offaculty “If we want tostrengthen ourconnection teaching. The samephilosophy would apply to more relevance.” has that the AsiaPacific region and research based exchange tofacilitate research for Lu says.“We can have more regular faculty consolidateouractivity,”potentially “In research, we can expand and across theentire Faculty. connections thatembed opportunities level toaninstitutionallevel andcreate to leverage connectionsfrom anindividual of Singapore, sheisexcited by hercapacity Recruited from theNational University create greater engagement withAsia. strategic view onhow theFaculty should Economics, Professor Jane Lu hasa chair intheFaculty ofBusinessand Recently totheJames appointed Riady JANE LU

Studies attheUniversity ofMelbourne. It willalsoraise theprofile ofChinese in China, Australia andelsewhere inAsia.” engaging withscholarsandpolicymakers make theCCCSanattractive platform for will “This research andknowledge-creation inMelbourne.” aroundon expertise theUniversity and upgrading. “This effortwillinitially draw migration, innovation andtechnological policies,including fiscal protection, social interestson currentinChina policy research world-class at the CCCS focusing Her goal istodevelop aprogram of University ofWashington. ofInternationalStudiesatthe School Professorship MJackson attheHenry Oxford MJackson andheldtheHenry Public Finance attheUniversity of Wong was previously Professor ofChinese totherole.and experience reform, Wong bringsunrivalled knowledge China’s publicfinanceandsector onA leadinginternationalauthority orcultural,”social Wong says. with Australia, itpolitical, be economic, day relationship anditsmodern country China. “We atvarious willlook facets ofthe interest inissuesfacing contemporary Professor ChristineWong willtake akeen Chinese Studies(CCCS),Contemporary toleadtheCentre forAppointed CHRISTINE WONG

13 • Melbourne University Magazine NEWS • BY NICOLE LINDSAY News

PhD candidate Hoi-Fei Mok with the experimental maize crop WASTE NOT, WANT NOT Fresh research from the University’s Dookie campus in northern Victoria proves wastewater is as good as regular irrigated water for growing crops. The important field experiment, conducted nearby in Shepparton, could lead the way for recycled water to irrigate some crops in Australia and around the world. Associate Professor Lea Waters. Photo: Head Shots / Melbourne A research project which took place last summer on the world’s biggest crop, maize, and okra, a popular African CORE PRINCIPLES OF WELLBEING vegetable, indicates that crops grown with wastewater had similar growth levels as crops watered with conventional irrigation water. At the core of Dr Marty Seligman’s Positive Psychology More maize is grown worldwide than even rice and wheat. is PERMA, an acronym for five criteria he lists as part of Statistics from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture a system for promoting wellbeing, whether applied to Organisation show that more than 833.46 million tonnes individuals or organisations. of maize was grown worldwide in 2011, both for human consumption and as silage, for feeding animals. P: Positive Emotions – that can be up-levelled via various Dr Andrew Hamilton, senior research fellow and Science techniques; for example, writing down each day at bedtime Director at Dookie, set up the project in Shepparton over the three events that have gone well summer, working with Goulburn Valley Water to compare E: Engagement – achieved by using one’s highest strengths the growth rates of maize and okra. in daily life and achieving a state of flow “The crops grow just as well with wastewater but not R: Relationships – placing value on one’s relationships, necessarily better,” Hamilton says. “It’s not a ho-hum result. supporting others and cultivating successful relationships We could have found that crops aren’t growing as well.” through gratitude, empathy and kindness While wastewater comes with fertilizing nutrients, it also M: Meaning – enhanced by belonging to and serving carries potential problems from contaminants and salt. something bigger than the individual self “This is very challenging wastewater. It’s highly saline.” A: Accomplishment – where people use qualities such Shepparton proved to be a great place for a field experiment as determination, self-regulation and ‘grit’ to achieve because the Shepparton Wastewater Management Facility had meaningful goals. both irrigation and recycled water channels close to each other. According to MGSE’s Associate Professor Lea Waters, While existing recycled water schemes are mostly located “when these five elements are present in our life we are likely on the fringes of large cities (Melbourne and Adelaide, in to enjoy high levels of wellbeing”. particular), the results from the research project should give Research has found that positive psychology programs regional areas the confidence to go ahead with new schemes. can boost hope, gratitude, serenity and resilience in young “That quality water is permitted for use on crops like maize,” people. “The importance of a positive psychology approach Hamilton says. “It could be particularly useful for growing in schools cannot be over-estimated, every student needs silage for dairy cattle. With further treatment it could be used to learn the skills for wellbeing which are as critical as for vegetable production and even some household uses.” numeracy and literacy,” Waters says. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

14 • FEATURE • BY JACINTA LE PLASTRIER In pursuit of happiness

Positive psychology emerged from the United States “I think that people want to learn more about their ‘higher’ qualities 15 years ago and is now applied widely across and how to use these to help others.” education, sports, public health and corporate In addition to the Chair, a new Centre for Positive Psychology has also been created and MGSE now offers three undergraduate education. The Melbourne Graduate School of subjects in positive psychology and a Master in Applied Positive Education is taking the lead on local programs Psychology (MAPP). Both are Australian firsts. and research in this hugely popular area. The creation of the Chair has been made possible with the support of John Higgins, a member of the Believe – the Campaign for the University of Melbourne board, and is named in honour of his hen Associate Professor Lea Waters of the Graduate father, Gerry Higgins, now in his eighties. WSchool of Education at the University of Melbourne An international search is underway for the inaugural Gerry Higgins (MGSE) first came across ‘positive psychology’ 11 years ago, Professor of Positive Psychology and the University will also be it was on a personal impulse. hosting the 4th Australian Positive Psychology and Wellbeing Already practising as a psychologist, Lea was pregnant and “wanted Conference, from 7 - 9 February 2014, where Seligman will be to raise optimistic children”. So she picked up Authentic Happiness, the keynote speaker. The conference runs every two years, the pioneering book by the University of Pennsylvania’s Professor hosted by a different university, and the 2014 conference will also Marty Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology, focus on Australian-led positive psychology research. which advocates the focus on a person’s character strengths and resilience for them to live the most fulfilling life possible. “People want to learn more about their ‘higher’ “To me it was a very different approach – to think that I could practise as a psychologist by helping people ‘up-level’ their strengths qualities and how to use these to help others.” and potential, rather than only helping them by fixing what was ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR LEA WATERS wrong in their lives”. Lea Waters (BA(Hons) 1992) says she had “no idea it was going to radically alter my career – what I teach, how I teach, what I research According to Dr Dianne Vella-Brodrick, Director of the MAPP, and the processes I use in my role as an organisational psychologist”. the new course is a two-year part-time or one-year full-time program with four subjects: Principles of Positive Psychology; Fast forward 10 years and the University of Melbourne has become Applications of Positive Psychology; Positive Leadership and well-known globally for its innovative positive psychology Organisations; and a Positive Psychology Research Project. research and MGSE has recently announced the creation of the It incorporates face-to-face and online components. Gerry Higgins Chair of Positive Psychology, a first in Australia. Vella-Brodrick said there has been a high demand for the Marshalled into prominence by pioneers such as Seligman, course, which started in 2nd Semester this year and provides formal Professor Chris Peterson and Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, training at an advanced level. The MAPP caters for working positive psychology has grown as a discipline more than any other professionals and those who are geographically distant, offering field of psychology over the past two decades. online and in-house intensive classes (around three sessions per The work of these pioneers has focused on the study of what makes subject). The MAPP aims to attract students from a wide range of life worth living and its impact lies in the fact that researchers disciplines, including education, business, economics, counselling, have been able to scientifically link the attributes of positive policy and allied health. psychology – such as optimism, joy, courage, resilience and For Waters, the principles of positive psychology are not just dignity – to wellbeing, such as health, academic and career something she talks about. She practises the core tenets on a daily success, and well-functioning social groups. basis – mindfulness, utilising her character strengths, practising The appetite for knowledge about positive psychology is gratitude, consciously expanding positive emotions through a astonishing. Alongside her teaching role at MGSE Waters travels process called ‘savouring’, and journalling just before sleep about globally, speaking at more than 20 events in the past year and three experiences of the day that went well for her and why knocking back many others due to time constraints: “We are at (see PERMA break-out box) – and she brings these insights a point in the evolution of our society where people want to have to both her professional role and her role as a mother. a message of hope and to see that some of our global problems To read more about why positive psychology is a priority may be solvable if we come from a strength-based perspective for John Higgins go to the Campaign website at: rather than a fear-based perspective. — http://campaign.unimelb.edu.au/stories/john-higgins Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

15 • SECTIONFEATURE •• BYSUB JACINTA HEADER LE PLASTRIER FestivalFeature Headingof Ideas - tackling our big problems

Professor Fiona Stanley AC has spent a lifetime “Obesity is the classic one where there just isn’t any (reliably turning innovative ideas into reality. This makes successful medical) treatment. Most of the interventions for kids, young people and adults fail. The message from that is, obesity is her the perfect Director of this year’s Festival of not a health problem. It is a complex societal problem where we Ideas which is devoted to generating concrete are either going to have 50 per cent of the population overweight, improvements in ‘Health, Science and Society’. or we have to desperately change the society so it is not obesogenic.” The issue of climate change is similarly societally complex, rofessor Fiona Stanley is discussing seminal influences in she says. Pa Sydney upbringing which seems to have been almost Both issues will be discussed at this year’s third, biennial University preternaturally suited to a child who was to become one of of Melbourne Festival of Ideas, over which Stanley presides Australia’s most inspirational, accomplished and innovative as Director. The Festival runs from 1 October to 6 October and doctors, researchers and educators. coincides with the University’s 160th anniversary year. This year’s Festival has a target to uncover and address society’s Her father Neville Stanley, a researcher on polio in the 1940s and “wicked problems”, and their impact on health and wellbeing – 1950s, introduced her as a child to two polio vaccine developers, both of an individual kind, and an overall cultural and social Dr Jonas Salk and Dr Albert Sabin. order. The Festival has been designed to attract younger attendees She incessantly read, or was “read to”, from books about modern as well, many who are genuinely “anguished” about contemporary scientists, including Marie Curie. Recalling a library book on social problems, Stanley says. pioneering African-American botanist, scientist and inventor, The dazzling but depth-charged program, spurred by themes George Washington Carver, she was secretly pleased when related to ‘The Art and Science of Wellbeing’, is organised across the “family dog ate the cover so I could keep it”. One of Carver’s five days which are each devoted to an interconnected but discrete foundational experiences could also provide what might serve spoke in the wheel of what Stanley would call “the conflicts as her own motto, when he was told, “You must learn all you between civil and uncivil society”. can, then go back out into the world and give your learning The program is designed around the key theme of what back to people”. constitutes a ‘Healthy Society’, and each day’s stream, devoted to A lifetime as an epidemiologist, working mostly in public health an independent issue such as ‘Food + Nutrition’ or ‘Environment’, and producing breakthrough research into the causes of major has been curated by an Academic Producer or pair of Producers. childhood illnesses such as birth defects, has seen Stanley honoured (See program highlights right.) as Australian of the Year (2003) and a National Trust “National Speakers (there are about 60) include UK-based, Australian Living Treasure” (2004). She has published over 300 papers, is the author Kathy Lette and Professor Sir David King (see right), UNICEF Australia Ambassador for Early Childhood Development, along with the ABC’s The Health Report host, Dr Norman a member of the ABC board, and a former member of the Prime Swan, Associate Professor Simran Sethi, Stephanie Alexander Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council. She OAM (BA 1966, University College), Emeritus Professor Dorothy is also Chair of the newly-formed Alcohol Advertising Review Scott OAM, (GDip(Social Studies) 1973, BA(Hons) 1976, MSW Board and a patron of Believe – the Campaign for the University 1987, PhD 1995, University College), Dr Richard Horton (Editor- of Melbourne. in-Chief of The Lancet and Hon Professor) and political scientist In the first years of her work as a doctor, at a paediatrics clinic, Professor Robert Manne (BA(Hons) 1970). Stanley was struck by the paradox of the expensive ‘miracles’ The format is modelled after the popular internet-basedTed Talks, performed to heal children flown in from Western Australian says Stanley. “We didn’t want to have keynote addresses, bringing communities, and then being returned to the environments in all the usual suspects – where everyone agrees with the speakers responsible for their health issues. and then everyone goes away (and nothing else happens). Instead, each session is a set of talks that are 10-15 minutes each, with lots The experience prompted her specialisation in epidemiology and defined her approach: prevention is better than cure, so discover of audience engagement, both within the venues and online, the causes of illness or lack of wellbeing – whether of medical, including tweets.” There are also evening entertainments. cultural, political or social aspect or origin – and then innovate and Another essential component is incorporating ideas about implement the ideas that could resolve them. Aboriginal culture, and its positive values, she says. As part of this, Says Stanley: “All the major problems that are now facing a giant ‘Bunjil (Eagle) Nest’ will be created for the Opening us in society would be well served by a very good set of ‘Welcome to Country’ Ceremony, on the University grounds, in preventative strategies. which people are invited to place their ‘wishes’ during the Festival. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

16 • SUB HEADER • SECTION Feature Heading

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Opening Ceremony (1 Oct) Day One (2 Oct) – Environments for a Healthy Society (Academic Producer (AP): Professor Rob Moodie) Day Two (3 Oct) – Food + Nutrition for a Healthy Society (AP: Professor Mohan Singh) Day Three (4 Oct) – Families for a Healthy Society (APs: Professors Fiona Stanley and Liz Waters) Day Four (5 Oct) – Brains + Mind for a Healthy Society (APs: Professors Trevor Kilpatrick and Fred Mendelsohn) Day Five (6 Oct) – Democracy for a Healthy Society (APs: Professor Helen Sullivan and Mr Nick Reece)

Above: Professor Fiona Stanley

Stanley emphasises that the Festival’s aim is not only to debate KATHY LETTE ideas but also to determine definitive actions that can be taken by individuals or organisations. A good example will be the final After achievingsuccès de scandale as a teenage co-author of the day, she adds, where the sessions will question whether democracy novel Puberty Blues (with Gabrielle Carey), Australian-born, can deliver for the complex issues facing society and where there London-based author Kathy Lette has continued to contest the will be debate on alternatives. ground around important social issues. In 2012 she published “While my research is on causal pathways around health in The Boy Who Fell to Earth (Bantam Press), a novel inspired by her children and young people, providing environments that are experiences with son Julius Robertson, now in his early 20s, who conducive to positive pathways into health and wellbeing are was diagnosed with autism at three years old, and then later, with also important for what is happening in our ‘environment’ as a Asperger syndrome (part of the autism disorder spectrum). nation,” says Stanley. “This affects how you manage the natural She is an ambassador for Britain’s National Autistic Society and environment, our earth, our populations, and how you look at a highly-sought public speaker on the subject. At the Festival, (social) things, like, for example, preventing kids doing crime she will be speaking on autism at the Melbourne Convention rather than locking them up after it.” and Exhibition Centre – Families for a Healthy Society, Friday 4 October 2013. Alongside writing multiple international best-sellers, Also critical to the Festival orientation is discussing how scientific working as a writer on American sitcoms and being a prominent and medical data and knowledge need to be transparently newspaper columnist, Lette is also an ambassador for Women and accessible, so that “the data we have can be used much Children First, Plan International and the White Ribbon Alliance. more effectively”.

Cross-disciplinary data collection has been a long-term call by PROFESSOR SIR DAVID KING Stanley. “Data is very powerful but it isn’t powerful if politicians or political structures do not respond appropriately to deliver Professor Sir David King, as the Founding Director (2008 to what a society needs,” she says. 2012) of the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise

and Environment, was devoted to forging links between the — For more information on the 2013 Festival of Ideas & program: academy, business and politics globally to assist in decisions being made which secure a sustainable, low carbon future. W WWW.IDEAS.UNIMELB.EDU.AU The UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Government Office of Science (2000 to 2007), he also co-authored

F FACEBOOK.COM/UOM.IDEAS The Hot Topic (Bloomsbury, 2008). He presents at the Festival on Day 1, in the session, ‘The Liveable City’; and on Day 2, T TWITTER.COM/UOM_IDEAS ‘Feeding 10 Billion People and Sustaining the Planet’. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

17 • PROFILE • BY CHRIS WEAVER Samuel Pisar

Two men share a war-torn past. One came to Australia as a young man, the other as a babe in arms. Both talk about how the refugee experience defined them.

r Samuel Pisar AO has travelled from the depths to the Dsummits of the human condition. Born into a Jewish family in Poland, Samuel survived the Nazi death camps of Majdanek, Auschwitz and Dachau.

Dr Samuel Pisar (LLB(Hons) 1954, LLD 2008) He was 10 years old when the Second World War began. By its conclusion, it had claimed the lives of his entire family and all the Samuel’s determination and intelligence enabled him to children of his school. matriculate with high marks. However before he could progress Samuel’s nightmares continued, living as a forlorn youngster further, there was another setback – tuberculosis, a sequel to his in the American occupation zone of Germany, until a Parisian time in the camps. aunt found him in the ruins and sent him off to live with Recovery consisted of isolation and reading, ultimately leading relatives in Australia. to what Samuel calls a “storm in the mind and the soul”. After a “They had to deal with a character who had emerged from the long convalescence, he enrolled in Arts and Law at the University greatest furnaces of Europe,” Samuel recalls. “I had lost my loved of Melbourne and lived at Queen’s College in 1953. ones and six years of my education.” “I decided that no matter what happened to me, I would return to Returning to a peaceful and welcoming society was a huge relief a normal existence,” he recounts. “Then I had the immense luck and an enormous challenge, as Samuel had spent his adolescence to encounter , who inspired and dynamised me dealing with the constant spectre of death. to become a scholar and more.” “I was a wreck – but it wasn’t visible,” he says. “I was well Professor Cowen later became Sir Zelman Cowen, the Governor- mannered and well brought-up, but hadn’t had a book in my General of Australia. In 1949, he was a young lecturer who had hands throughout this time.” just returned from Oxford. His attention quickly fell upon the young immigrant in his charge. Samuel arrived in Melbourne aged 17, to live with his uncles, Lazar and Norman Wolski. They arranged with much difficulty “Zelman must have at first thought of me as a basket-case who for their non-English speaking nephew to attend George Taylor needed compassion, then as an academic talent,” Samuel says. and Staff (now Taylors College) – at the time, a school for Professor Cowen guided Samuel towards postgraduate studies young people with learning problems. and got him admitted to Harvard. It was there that his prize- The school provided Samuel with a rudimentary education not winning doctoral thesis, Coexistence and Commerce, greatly restricted to rote learning alone. “At first my integration was impressed a young Massachusetts Senator called John F Kennedy. very problematic,” Samuel recollects. “At lunch one day, we were Coexistence and Commerce became a major influence upon the having our sandwiches and I put my hand into my pocket and soon-to-be President as well as other heads of state. It became found a banana peel. a harbinger of the Nixon-Kissinger policy of diplomatic détente “I saw in that an act of aggression, and so stood up and gave the with China, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. boy who did it a punch.” As an international lawyer at the American, British and French The perpetrator’s bemusement resulted in Samuel feeling deep bars, his clients ranged from large corporations to movie stars. remorse. He decided to apologise by buying the prankster a bag As permanent counsel to the International Olympic Committee, of bananas, which was accepted without resentment. he reputedly helped Sydney land the 2000 Summer Olympics. “It was a vital lesson for life,” he says. “In Australia, I grasped the “I owe a tremendous debt to the University of Melbourne, Taylors meaning of friendship and fair play – it was such a contrast with College and all my relatives and friends in that blessed country.” what I had known, that I decided life was meant to be like this. – Samuel Pisar, currently ambassador and special envoy to “I swallowed my classmates’ admirable code of ethics lock, UNESCO, is a patron of Believe – the Campaign for the stock and barrel.” University of Melbourne. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

18 • PROFILE • BY ANGELA MARTINKUS Back home he duly completed his articles: “I was doing the best I could, while really knowing it wasn’t for me.” Nam applied for and was accepted into the prestigious Iowa creative writing program. He was awarded a Truman Capote Nam Le fellowship and a lifetime of academic success afforded him the luxury “to just write”. Two years at Iowa, a New York agent, a book deal and uietly spoken and looking younger than his 34 years, various ‘writer-in-residence’ grants saw him enjoy years of QNam Le, the Australian writer whose first book of short writing and teaching at universities across North America, stories, The Boat, won an array of local and international the UK and Europe. awards when it was published in 2008, talks about his It’s the sort of career trajectory usually reserved for Hollywood childhood with a reserved intellectual detachment. stars or rap artists. “I have had a lot of luck,” he admits. But it is not just luck. “Part of it is desire.” Nam’s parents arrived in Melbourne in 1979, when his brother “When I went to Iowa I understood how huge the opportunity was three and Nam was a baby. The Le family travelled on was. To have the time and space to write was a gift. So I valued a boat from South Vietnam for eight days and landed on a it and wanted to account for it.” He also had the in-built Malaysian island, where they stayed in a camp for about seven resilience to endure. months before being accepted into Australia. Upon arrival the family stayed in immigrant hostels and public housing in North “Coming from the Law into the Iowa workshop environment you Melbourne before settling amongst the brick veneers of learned to deal with criticism, remonstration, disappointment and suburban Doncaster. failure – in a sense that’s what writing is all about,” he says. At primary school Nam was often the lone Asian kid in class. “There are people who go to that workshop and never write “When you are a kid, you pick on anything that is different and again. It is full on. You have to put out something that is as being Asian was just one locus of difference,” he says. intimate and meaningful as you possibly can and it is torn to shreds. It’s not easy. His parents schooled him long and hard, and with the help of text books handed down from brother Truong, young Nam received “The way I was brought up left me with no scope to wallow a scholarship to Melbourne Grammar. in failure and life is a never-ending series of failures, so you just have to pick yourself up and keep on going.” “It was quite common for immigrant parents to prepare their children for those examinations, so they just made me study all Nam’s been back home in Melbourne for two years. “I’m still the time,” Nam recalls. working on the second novel, it’s kicking my arse, but I love it.” He supports himself “with great difficulty” but has no regrets. “My parents had high academic expectations with education Asked about the second book and how it is progressing Nam regarded as the way to social mobility and opportunity.” can’t be specific. It was 1991 and there were quite a few Asian kids at Melbourne Grammar. “I really dug school. I had a good time there,” he says. “I’m not sure what it is about. I have culled so much of it. There are so many ways to cut corners and short change the material and I It was an environment that valued academic achievement, so don’t want to do that. I want to find a way that comes as close to the privilege, “which is quite self-protective and insidious in what the material demands.” Many in the literary world look certain ways,” nurtured the young Nam, who excelled. forward to the result. One suspects it is Nam’s biggest challenge yet. In 1997 Nam achieved the elusive high VCE score and won a scholarship to the University of Melbourne. He resisted his parents’ Nam Le (BA(Hons) 2003, LLB (Hons) 2003). Photo: Dave Tacon / Polaris urgings to study Medicine and studied Arts/Law. “It was where I wanted to be,” he recalls. Nam’s passion was the classics but he stuck with the Law degree. “It was an important tool of empowerment – to understand the modes and mechanisms of power and the essence of the social contract,” he says. “But the arts was what I wanted to swim in.” Nam had no intention of doing articles and the pressure to secure legal cadetships was ignored in favour of poetry, theatre and a stint editing Farrago.

“With the application dates for articles rolling around I held my nerve and didn’t apply.” At the last minute, however, he “totally panicked” and with two firms left on the list Nam applied and got articles at big city law firm Baker & McKenzie. He took the job offer letter to the bank, got a loan and spent the next nine months travelling. It was on this trip that Nam started to write. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

19 • SECTION • SUB HEADER Feature Heading

Strategy star Emergency worker JEHAN RATNATUNGA (BE(MECH & MANUFENG) 2005, BCS 2005) JENNY JAMIESON (MB BS 2008)

Who would have thought Jehan Ratnatunga’s hobby, making Melbourne emergency registrar Jenny Jamieson spent much of funny videos about growing up Sri Lankan, would land him 2012 in the northern Afghanistan city of Kunduz, where she a job at the Google-owned YouTube? worked with international aid agency Médecin Sans Frontières. It was a catalogue of videos on his ‘Jehan YouTube Channel’ that Jenny worked in an emergency department and small intensive care gave this 30-year-old Mechatronics and Computer Science graduate unit, in a city afflicted by war and the vicissitudes of everyday life. the edge when he applied for a strategy role at YouTube in “The trauma hospital in Kunduz was initially set up to provide Los Angeles (LA). trauma care and assistance to war-wounded patients, those affected “A friend and I had a radio show during university days so I had by violence and the consequences of the conflict,” Jenny says. uploaded a lot of comedy and music parody videos,” says Jehan. “But it also provides standard trauma care to patients who have After an internship with GM Holden, a stint consulting and been injured in road traffic accidents, domestic violence and falls.” a 12-month “career break” writing and pitching film scripts, Jenny was not a stranger to working in low-resource settings, having Jehan settled into a strategy role with pay TV provider Foxtel. spent time in Nigeria in 2004, South African townships in 2008 “When I saw the job at YouTube I thought, ‘why not?’ I had my and Shenzhen in 2009. Yet the hospital’s demands were physically covering letter and resume and was about to hit send but I and emotionally exhausting. thought it was lame to send a cover letter to YouTube,” he says. “One of the hardest things for me was seeing the mass casualties. “So I filmed a video on my phone – it was like ‘hey guys, I’m Whilst I was there, we had two suicide attacks in the town of Jehan, I’ve worked for BCG and Foxtel, check out my YouTube Kunduz, with up to 50 casualties turning up to the Médecin Sans videos, check out my resume’…” The ‘lame’ video seemed to work! Frontières hospital all at one time.” “It was a strategy role and you have to understand the business Afghanistan provided a hands-on experience that combined well and what makes YouTube work – so all those years of making with Jenny’s existing work for Global Health Gateway – an online dumb videos was coming into use,” recalls Jehan. resource she helped found soon after leaving university. “The first couple of months I learned the business and it was like The Gateway allows members – largely health workers – to share wow, whatever chart, whatever metric it was straight up.” Jehan’s work and education opportunities, and discuss current health role in Partnerships Strategy looks at how YouTube can work with issues, ideas and events. content creators to grow viewership on YouTube. The group replaces active fieldwork for junior doctors, whose “How do we help them grow their business? What sort of content work demands leave little room for involvement in volunteer is working? Who makes that content and where is that watched? health initiatives. How do they make money? It is pretty cutting edge – there is no formula yet – we are learning from them as much as they are “Those previously engaged in global health activities started to learning from us,” Jehan says. “YouTube is at an inflection point drop off the radar after university, consumed by the medical now and I want to be a part of that.” intern’s busy lifestyle,” Jenny says. So while the job was great, the hard bit was missing friends and “So within a couple of months, my colleagues and I had started family. “I had a lot of free time so I just focused on my hobby, talking about founding the Gateway.” making YouTube videos, and that’s a great way to meet people.” While her own focus is currently on continuing her specialty While he’s been in LA, Channel Jehan has continued to grow training in emergency medicine at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital, and now he’s a hit in Sri Lanka. “The stuff I make is in English, Jenny doesn’t rule out future work overseas. so it’s geared to the younger crowd who live in the cities, or have “Naturally I look forward to going back to the field with MSF,” moved abroad. That’s what YouTube does – it fills niche gaps.” she says.“Where that will be? I’m not sure…watch this space!” — www.youtube.com/user/jehanr/ Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

20 • Fashion leader Animal queen JULIE ANNE QUAY (BA 1986) SKYE FRUEAN (BVSC(HONS) 2004)

It’s not surprising that Julie Anne Quay looks at life through Growing up on a sheep and cattle farm and avidly devouring the lens of fashion. At 21 she was the advertising and marketing episodes of All Creatures Great and Small, Skye Fruean nurtured coordinator of Esprit Australia, then took up similar positions romantic dreams of a future traipsing around the countryside at Country Road and later Australian Vogue. By the 1990s she “fixing up sick animals and delivering calves”. Her first stop after had moved to New York, working alongside such luminaries as graduating with a BVSc was in mixed dairy practice, but she soon Steven Meisel and Richard Avedon. Now, she says, “I really believe discovered that the James Herriot-style focus on the individual that every decision in life can in some way be referred to as a animal she had imagined was giving way to an emphasis on herd fashion decision – fashion being the manner [in which] you live health. After battling through three Warrnambool winters she your life, not just what you wear.” found herself heading into very different pastures. Julie Anne started at Esprit when the company opened its first By chance she stumbled on an advertisement by the Animal store in Lygon Street, Carlton. She was living at Queen’s College Protection Society of Samoa seeking volunteer vets. She didn’t studying Arts, majoring in English and Music. “I had always been exactly know where Samoa was but a few weeks later she was interested in pop culture, shopping, marketing and advertising working in a small clinic on the outskirts of Apia. “I had a fantastic and thought my career would be in an advertising field, but my time, getting exposure to more small animal work than I’d had family convinced me to go to Melbourne Uni instead.” in the years in mixed practice,” she says. Her daily work stretched Today Julie Anne’s current enterprises include VFILES, a shop and from the typical – nutrition advice, parasite control – to things online platform that combines originally produced fashion she’d never faced in Australia, like machete wounds and Paraquat content, archived materials from fashion publishing’s past, and poisoning. The lack of resources called for plenty of improvisation, user-generated, social media-style applications. The concept and a nappy change table in someone’s home might quickly be emerged from Julie Anne’s experiences behind the scenes of the repurposed as a surgery table, with a breadfruit tree her shade. fashion world – most recently as executive editor of V magazine A six week stint ended up as a three year career that included – and “all the fashion conversations I’ve had where we use pictures advocating to improve animal welfare and stray animal to describe what we mean rather than words. I hope that VFILES management. She met with ministers to discuss legislative becomes a global fashion community, the voice of the next reform, penned editorials for newspapers and did the hands-on generation of fashion and pop culture enthusiasts”. work herself, manning stands at local fundraisers. Quay says success in one of the fashion capitals of the world has “So I got exposure to staff management and training, budgeting, resulted from taking risks at the right moments and learning from advocacy work, media, public speaking, grant writing,” she says. those around her. What she has learnt that has proven most “And of course, working overseas I have also been rewarded with indispensable, however, is that “if you put your head down and some fantastic lifelong friends, as well as a great network of like- work hard good things come. Sometimes we work so hard that minded individuals who work in similar fields in the region.” when the good things come we get surprised”. Now she works in Canberra with the Australian Department Another of Quay’s projects in development is a film adaptation of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), focusing on of Lee Tulloch’s book, Fabulous Nobodies, a story that in many ways biosecurity. “From a DAFF perspective, biosecurity involves mirrors her own. Tulloch was an editor at Harper’s Bazaar Australia trying to prevent the entry of diseases/pests into Australia,” says who moved to New York, and Fabulous Nobodies chronicles the Skye. Her team collaborates with government agencies, such heady fashion world of the Big Apple in the 1980s. The film, to be as in PNG, Timor-Leste and Indonesia, to improve their own directed by The September Issue’s R J Cutler, “champions all of us biosecurity systems. “This is where we get to go out into the more in the fashion world, the little people, who make it go around,” remote districts and meet people eking out a living off the land. Julie Anne says. It can be quite an eye-opener but is such a refreshing change from — www.vfiles.com office work. It’s nice to get your hands dirty every now and then!” Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

21 • FEATURE • BY JUSTINE CLARK Building for Indigenous communities

The work of the Bower Studio brings architecture “They also get to know each other, which is critical when they students and Indigenous communities together are working together on-site, in a remote location. Building a strong team is invaluable.” to deliver amazing results. The team then goes out on-site. This is an intensive period. It is about building, but it is also about getting to know the community. Time spent kicking a football with the kids is as important as that spent with the impact driver. ducation, research and impact in the world come E together in the Bower Studio, a subject offered as part Students then return to the University and develop their of the Masters of Architecture, which Dr David O’Brien own design proposals, one of which may be used by the and colleagues at the Melbourne School of Design have subsequent studio. run since 2008 with considerable success. This iterative process means that the studio design and approach is continually refined and is also flexible enough to accommodate The Bower Studio expands the conventional studio model of changes that result from different briefs, locations, client groups teaching, a cornerstone of architectural design education, in and funding systems. inventive ways. Students learn about design and construction, Bower works with communities that many University of but ‘Bower’ also gets them working with complex client groups Melbourne students have little knowledge of or access to. These and in the process they make a material contribution communities, in turn, ordinarily have no access to architectural to disadvantaged communities. expertise. The immediate gain is obvious – communities get a Bower undertakes one or two projects a year, in Australia and much-needed facility and students complete another section of overseas. To date these have included a simple health clinic in their degree while having experiences that are far outside their Thailand; shelters and toilet facilities in Papua New Guinea; daily lives. But long-term benefits are just as important. shelters, housing and a ‘media box’ in the Northern Territory; and an early childhood learning centre and a community centre in the Pilbara. “It is most important that they work The serial nature of the studio means that students learn to alongside the partner community on their build and get to know the community and client group before they design. home turf. Everyone needs to get their hands “You can’t have students designing without having undertaken dirty and sweat it out together.” a rigorous and targeted research process. Books and research DR DAVID O’BRIEN papers can only offer so much,” says O’Brien (BPD 1988, BArch(Hons) 1991, PhD 2006). “Students need to understand the construction materials, the tools and the procurement process. It is most important that they work alongside the partner community on its home turf. “Everyone needs to get their hands dirty and sweat it out together.” This build/consult/design/build process is vital. Timeframes for building are limited and the social, cultural and environmental contexts are usually far outside the students’ previous experiences – they rarely have the knowledge to leap straight in. So, in each studio the team of about 15 students begin with

a design done by others – often a design prepared during the previous year’s studio with some refinement by O’Brien and colleagues. “Students start by building prototypes on the University’s regional Creswick campus, where they become familiar with tools, technologies and building processes,” O’Brien says. Left to right: Bower project student Fabian Prideaux with Otto Phillips and Dominique Bishop on-site at the Knuckeys Lagoon project. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

22 • Above Students and community members at the Bellary Springs centre project in 2012

“We build ongoing relationships between communities and the As well as assisting communities and exposing students to other studio – and by extension with the Faculty and University. We are forms of learning, Bower fosters interdisciplinary collaboration not so interested in ‘one-off’ projects. We want to do the follow- within the University, and with other tertiary institutions. For up, refine our contributions and follow up with the academic example, when the Gumala Aboriginal Corporation, which research,” O’Brien says. represents three communities in the Pilbara, approached Bower Bower facilitates long-tem engagement in a range of ways. about developing an Early Learning Centre, the studio formed It might be a matter of returning to a community another a collaboration with the Graduate School of Education. year with another project. For example, Bower has now done Dr Collette Tayler led the educational component, which trains three projects with the Gudorrka community in the Northern teachers in the Abecedarian program – a suite of teaching and Territory and two with the Gumala Aboriginal Corporation. learning strategies that underpin early childhood education Or it could be about giving the students the tools to continue programs. As Tayler points out, “the project builds cultural working with communities. For example, in 2008 three students competence – of both the students and the wider university.” gained funding from the University’s Student Knowledge Relationships have also been developed with other tertiary Transfer Awards, which allowed them to work as student mentors institutions. Bower worked closely with the University of on the Gudorrka housing. Bower hopes that another group of Technology Lae in Papua New Guinea on the sanitation students will obtain similar funding to do further work with the project for the Sipaia community, Thammasat University was Sipaia community in Papua New Guinea on the toilet facilities co-contributor in Thailand and staff from Holmesglen TAFE built last year. were involved on the Bellary Springs Community Centre. These Bower also sets students on a different kind of career path than relationships reflect the collaborative relationships that architects they might otherwise have followed. Some who show a partiular work in day-to-day, but which can be difficult to replicate within affinity for the studio and the process are brought back as ‘student the university teaching context. mentors’, while others have gone on to careers in related areas – Bower Studio draws directly on O’Brien’s research interests in one alumnus is now working with Noel Pearson at the Cape York developing sustainable housing for disadvantaged communities. Institute, another is now at the Gumala Aboriginal Corporation It underlines the social and community basis to architecture and others are in Broome and Africa. Other influences may not and connects teaching and scholarship to action in the world. be quite so direct, but students’ architectural careers are shaped In doing so it opens up new opportunities for students, the over time in unexpected ways by the broadening of horizons that University of Melbourne and disadvantaged communities. the Bower Studio offers. — For more information go to www.bowerstudio.com.au Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

23 • FEATURE • BY ROBIN USHER Art opens eyes for medical students

A program using art to unlock empathy in medical and dental students is delivering world-class results.

ental students became international pioneers when they Dvisited the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne to examine some of the works on display. “They were puzzled by a painting of a woman’s naked back, with her hair pulled forward covering her face,’’ says Associate Professor in Special Needs Dentistry Mina Borromeo.

Dr Heather Gaunt hosts medical and dental students at the Ian Potter Museum of Art “But the longer they looked at it the more they saw – she could be sad or abused and depressed, they concluded. By the end they were loving the experience, despite their obvious doubts in for the past 11 years, asking students to express what medicine the beginning.” means to them. Borromeo wants to start a similar show, although she concedes it might take time to find enough contributors. Last year’s gallery excursions by the special needs dental students “It took two years to get going in Canada,” she says, adding she were part of a program using art as a tool to build empathy would like to include practising dentists in the Potter program in medical and dental students. They were so successful that to “get them out of their comfort zones”. Borromeo (BDSc 1991) has now made them compulsory in her second-year course to enhance empathy during the The program, which has been operating for two years, is the only students’ studies. one of its kind in Australia. Gaunt, who is the Potter’s Curator of Academic Programs (Research), says it marks a striking change “We are the first dentistry students in the world to take part in by emphasising the gallery’s role as a university museum. such a humanities program,” she says. “It is a landmark for the study of special needs and replaces some lecture-based teaching.” “What we are doing is much needed because medical training has become more scientific as it has moved away from its traditional The program’s aim is to enable the students to become more involvement with the humanities,” she says. engaged with patients and she says it works brilliantly. “Studying art increases visual observation skills that can then be “It is well-recognised that medical and dental students can lose applied to clinical scenarios. It demands close observation so their ability to empathise by the end of their course, as they cope students do not leap to conclusions.” with its many academic and professional demands. This program is about providing them with the ability to deal with problems About 4,000 students took part in the program last year from that arise in treating patients with challenging needs.” such disciplines as commerce, computing, and management and marketing, as well as about 100 from medicine and dentistry. Borromeo was inspired by a visit to Quebec City earlier this year with the organiser of the Potter program, Dr Heather Gaunt “I want to continue connecting students with the Potter because (BMus 1990, BA(Hons) 1991, PGDipArts 1992), where they took it means there are swarms of people moving through the gallery,” part in a medical humanities conference far more advanced Gaunt says. “It is a fantastically rich research environment.” than anything in Melbourne. She acknowledges a secondary benefit of the program is that

“What we are doing is embryonic compared to what is it increases the number of people interested in the humanities. happening in the US and Canada – we are not in the same “I want to get students from as many disciplines as possible universe. But it was reassuring to see we are heading in the through the door and expose them to the arts.” right direction,” she adds. Gaunt selects different paintings to meet the needs of the Conference speakers included a professor of English literature various disciplines but she says the program’s application to and poetry, a poet in residence and an actor. Medical students medicine is backed by more than 15 years’ research in the US, and doctors have mounted their own art exhibition in Quebec where such programs began in Yale and Harvard and have now spread to more than 30 other academies. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

24 • Emeritus Professor of Dermatology, Dr Irwin M Braverman, The art program is obligatory in the first year of medical studies who helped develop the use of art in medical courses at Yale, at Yale, while it is an elective at Harvard. “I hope it can become has written that observational skills using vision, hearing, touch, an elective at Melbourne,” she says. smell and taste were well developed in most doctors for much Evaluations of the Potter program have shown its value for of the 20th century. But they declined as scientific scans and tests students. “At the beginning there is a certain amount of cynicism developed from the late 1970s. because they are not certain about why they are in the gallery,” “Clinical medical decision-making became unduly influenced she says. “But by the end of the program about 80 per cent are by the tyranny of the tests, even though for many medical really excited and the rest acknowledge its impact.” conditions…the use of the eye and ear was sufficient to make A senior palliative care consultant at the Peter MacCallum the correct diagnosis or arrive at a limited group of diagnoses Cancer Centre, Dr Natasha Michael, introduced her students more rapidly and at much less cost,” he writes. to the program because she was concerned that the ‘soft skills’ of bedside techniques were diminishing in the high-pressure hospital environment. “It is easier just to order a scan or blood “Studying art increases visual observation test,’’ she says. skills that can then be applied to clinical “But many students have a strong history in the humanities scenarios. It demands close observation and just need to learn ways of applying the skills this brings. Using art, literature and poetry in teaching is useful in getting so students do not leap to conclusions.” them to think outside the box.” DR HEATHER GAUNT She says visiting the Potter is reinvigorating for the students because it is such a different, calming space compared to the hospital. “Studying an art work can lead to improved clinical Gaunt’s US visit earlier this year on a Bronwyn Jane Adams observation skills because both rely on noticing small details. Memorial Award travel grant enabled her to meet academics We try to teach empathy by using our eyes, ears and hands.” from Yale and Harvard where the programs originated. “I took She says the students find that spending time in front of a painting part in the Yale course and was able to see first hand how art institutions have become thoroughly involved in teaching to determine what it is about is the same as being at the bedside medical courses,” she says. of a patient, listening and observing. “That is important in building the patient’s trust,” Michael says. “The Potter program “The Yale University Art Gallery reopened after renovations is so useful because it restores medicine’s long-standing interest last December and has become much more focused on tertiary in the humanities. It is brilliant.” teaching and research connections. It is a striking change.” Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

25 • FEATURE • BY CHRIS WEAVER The new improved ‘Pavvy’

Left The Pavvy replaced a rudimentary shed in 1906. Photo: Melbourne University Magazine Right The new Pavvy will provide state-of-the-art sporting facilities. Image: Cox Architecture.

here are few parts of the University’s Parkville campus Cox Architecture’s Andrew Hayes is the development’s principal Tthat have provided as many happy memories as the consultant. He explains the Pavvy’s important practical and Main Oval Pavilion. sentimental role. “The redevelopment represents the ideal of the best Known to many as ‘The Pavvy’, the Pavilion has been environment for scholars – a place of sport and recreation, the headquarters to Melbourne University Cricket Club and of learning and engagement,” he says. and University Blues and Blacks football teams since its establishment in 1906 and – more recently – Melbourne “The project recognises the critical role sport plays in the University Women’s football team. development of healthy and connected communities.” A fire in 1950 damaged much of the structure, necessitating emergency rebuilding the following year. Thankfully, three “The redevelopment represents the ideal unique features – the ‘candle snuffer’ turret, social room and the wide veranda – were saved from the blaze. of the best environment for scholars Today, the Pavvy is in need of refurbishment. Its facilities reek – a place of sport and recreation, and of history and tradition, but also of mould and mud. A century of learning and engagement.” of sporting battles has taken its toll on the changing rooms, while many post-mortems have occurred at the bar. ANDREW HAYES A new renovation is underway, with the 1950s portions having been demolished. The Pavvy’s heritage overlay features will, The projected changes will integrate with the existing historic however, be retained. features of the Pavvy. Cox worked with heritage architects Lovell The Oval Pavilion Development provides much-needed modern Chen to ensure the building’s fabric was respected. conveniences for the evocative Pavvy. “The continuity of the Pavilion’s use for over 100 years reinforces

Upgraded change rooms and match-day facilities will benefit the sense of belonging to an established sporting tradition and the Main Oval’s resident football and cricket clubs, alongside playing in the footsteps of many previous generations,” revamped spaces for visiting sporting teams. Hayes says. The Pavvy will also cater for meetings, conferences and larger “The approach has been to honour the old, and renew the club functions, with the heritage ‘social room’ retained and pavilion for future generations.” a ground level function room constructed. The Pavvy will soon witness a new century of sporting triumphs and tragedies. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

26 • LISTINGS • COMPILED BY CHRIS WEAVER BOOKS SUB HEADER • SECTION

Eminent psychiatrist Dr Sidney Bloch (GDipPsychMed 1970, PhD 1972) received high praise for his book, Understanding Troubled Minds. Bloch’s latest work was named Alumni Voices the 2012 SANE Book of the Year and hasFeature been endorsed by the RoyalHeading College of General Practitioners. Understanding Troubled Minds will be distributed to all of the College’s 23,000 fellows. Published by Melbourne University Press (June 2011). — Artistic outpourings from the University of Melbourne An Australian émigré in Prague called René is the protagonist in Libor Mikeska’s debut novel, Allegro Agitato or Neurotically Yours. The novel is the latest artistic venture for Mikeska (BA(Hons) 1991), who has spent two decades in Germany as a musician, teacher and freelance photographer. Published by Silverwood Books (June 2012). —

The steep learning curve of first-time fatherhood inspired Melbourne GP Dr Nick Carr (MMed 1992) to write a guide for new dads. What Happens Now? The essential book for first-time fathers answers many of the queries asked by men in the lead-up to – and early days of – parenthood. Published by ACER Press (June 2012). — Katherine Taylor - ‘Bost/five’, 6x6x5”, bronze (2012) - ktcreature.com Asperger syndrome is explored in Gail Watts’ (BEd(Prim) 2010) Kevin Thinks, a children’s picture book named as a Notable Book by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Kevin Thinks provides an accessible mainstream resource for teachers and parents wishing to explain the disorder to children. Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers (2012). —

Melbourne Conservatorium of Music alumna Ruth Nye’s music career has taken her to London and New York. Her ascent is celebrated in A Life in Music: Ruth Nye and the

Minna Gilligan (BFineArt(Hons) 2012) Arrau Heritage. Roma Randles’ (GDipMus 1970, BMus 1973) biography concentrates on Ms Nye’s close professional and personal relationship with Claudio Arrau, with whom EXHIBITIONS she collaborated for 30 years. Published by Grosvenor House Publishing Limited (September 2012). Sculptor and painter Katherine Taylor — (MFineArt 2005) recently created two separate exhibitions in New York City. Two voices – living in exile and in different eras – converge in Anna Funder’s Taylor’s sculptures at the Skoto Gallery All That I Am, the 2012 Miles Franklin Award winner. In the book Funder (BA(Hons) were inspired by Basque culture, while 1998, LLB(Hons) 1991, MA(CrWrtg) 2002) vividly portrays life in Czechoslovakia during Egyptian-themed chess sets featured in Nazi occupation. Published by Penguin (March 2012). her National Arts Club exhibition. —

— Landscape comparisons inspired Reg Egan’s Of Rivers, Baguettes and Billabongs. Illustrator and artist Tai Snaith’s latest Egan’s (LLB 1958) book details the history and lives of those living next to two great rivers exhibition – Sweet Obsolete – featured – the Darling (Australia) and Dordogne (France). His book questions the effect landscape at Melbourne’s Helen Gory Galerie in has on a nation’s culture. Published by Pan Macmillan (November 2012). early 2013. Snaith’s (BFineArt(Hons) — 2002) illustrations consisted of works on paper and small sculptures that Tom Trumble’s (BA(Hons) 2004) second book, Rescue at 2100 Hours, recounts his documented obsolete everyday objects. grandfather’s daring rescue of 29 Australian airmen stranded on Japanese-occupied — Timor in 1942. It follows hard on the heels of Unholy Pilgrims – Trumble’s journey on the Christian pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Published by Melbourne gallery Daine Singer hosted Penguin (May 2013). Minna Gilligan’s latest collection of — large-scale paintings in June 2013. Michelle de Kretser (BA(Hons) 1979) won the 2013 Miles Franklin Literary Award Gilligan’s work consisted of salvaged for her novel Questions of Travel. Two narratives intertwine in de Kretser’s story, bed-sheets and fabric, designed to which explores questions of home, travel, tourism and migration. It is her fourth resonate with the emotions of lust novel. Published by Allen & Unwin (October 2012). and longing present in the Beach Boys song, Feel Flows. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

27 • ALUMNI NEWS • BENEFITS Try something new

Seven HELP WITH CHEER ON DISCOVER EMERGING novel ways RESEARCH THE BOATS ARTS TALENT

to get more Participate in groundbreaking The University of Melbourne Visit the VCA School of Art research studies that could find and the Graduate Exhibition from 26 from your new ways to slow down, prevent will be renewing their fierce November to 1 December at University or find a cure for brain disorders (but friendly) sporting rivalry the Margaret Lawrence Gallery, like dementia, Parkinson’s on the Yarra River again in the 40 Dodds St, Southbank, where disease and motor neurone Australian Boat Race on Sunday graduating students from the disease. Volunteers prepared to 27 October. Racing is planned VCA School of Art present the give up a little of their time for to start around 9.30am in highlights from their year a painless PET scan play a vital Hawthorn with presentations of study. This annual show role in helping to track disease around 11am and there will is a feast of drawing, prints, development, with the aim of be many great vantage points photography, sculpture, painting, developing early interventions to slow or stop disease. along the Yarra on the day. screen-based and digital media Spectators can expect to see and is a fantastic opportunity Register your interest at many of the sport’s top athletes to access the School’s amazing http://brainpet.org or contact in action. creative energy and talent. Rob Williams, Centre for www.vca.unimelb.edu.au/gallery Neuroscience Research on For details visit: +61 3 9035 8217. www.australianboatrace.com

Our experience at the Mesopotamia exhibition was wonderful. What an Did you know? excellent opportunity you negotiated. My family really appreciated the opportunity and would not have been There are a number of exclusive

able to go if not for your generosity. benefits for University of Getting married? The University will Thank you.

Melbourne Alumni. waive the fee BELINDA PEARSON (BSC 1964, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE) for alumni having — wedding photography taken on campus.

For more fantastic alumni events, visit > http://alumni.online.unimelb.edu.au/allevents For all benefits visit > http://alumni.unimelb.edu.au/benefits-services/alumni-benefits Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

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V29 • Melbourne University Magazine SECTIONTHE LAST WORD • SUB HEADER • BY SIMON GRIFFITHS (BE(ELECENG)(HONS)/BCOM 2007) Feature(not) Taking Heading it sitting down

An uplifting account of beer, After about four years of planning We now sell thousands of rolls of toilet wine, toilet paper and trying to Shebeen opened in February, and it’s paper each week, and have just launched going amazingly well – it is, after all, the world’s first toilet paper subscription make the world a better place. the only place where you can grab a service (so you’ll never run out again!). drink and still feel good the next day. You can buy some of our life-changing It was Shebeen that took me closer to toilet paper from www.whogivesacrap.org. In September last year I boarded a becoming “the toilet guy”. A couple of Despite working in two very different San Francisco-bound plane in Sydney. years ago Shebeen shifted in my mind industries, I really do love what I do. As I was about to get into my seat, the from being a harebrained scheme to I’m probably the only joint toilet paper stranger in front of me quite excitedly something that was actually going to and bar mogul in the world. Now, when blurted out “Simon! I recognise you happen. I started thinking about how to people say “you’re the toilet guy”, I simply from the toilet!” The oddity of this improve on Shebeen’s business model reply “and the non-profit barman too… comment in such a public place and realised that the problem is that not bottoms up!” ensured everyone in the surrounding everyone drinks, and you simply can’t fit seats turned and looked at us. The that many into a single bar! I became stranger and I both burst out laughing fascinated with mass-market products that had the potential to reach every single at the awkwardness of his faux pas. Australian. One day I walked into the bathroom and it hit me – toilet paper… That was the first time this happened to I realised I could sell an environmentally me, but since then I’ve had to get used to friendly toilet paper product, use 50 per meeting someone for the first time and cent of the profits to build toilets in the them having the realisation that I’m “the developing world, and call it Who Gives toilet guy”. After sitting on a toilet on a A Crap. live web feed and eventually ending up on television, newspapers and blogs around Unfortunately starting a toilet paper the world, I guess I was asking for it. company is not as easy as it sounds. Setting up a toilet paper factory costs For most people who studied electrical millions of dollars, and outsourcing engineering and economics, becoming production requires a minimum order “the toilet guy” is not the typical career of around 50,000 rolls. So before getting path. Looking back, I realise that my too invested in the idea I had to find degrees taught me to solve problems. It was enough people who would want to buy just that solving traditional engineering Who Gives A Crap. Pre-selling packs of and business problems didn’t appeal to Who Gives A Crap using a crowdfunding me that much. I wanted to solve problems platform – where an all-or-nothing in the developing world, but by selling pre-sales target figure is set and we put a products in Australia to achieve call out to friends, family and the universe this goal. to pre-order online – became the most It was for this reason that I co-founded logical market entry strategy. So on July 10 a non-profit bar here in Melbourne, last year, my co-founders and I launched called Shebeen. The basic idea is that a crowdfunding campaign to pre-sell Shebeen sells exotic beers and wines $50,000 of product. To help things along, from the developing world. The profit I agreed to sit on a toilet on a live web

from each sale goes back to a development feed until the $50,000 target was reached. project in that drink’s country of origin. Fifty sleepless hours and one sore bum So buying an Ethiopian beer helps to later, after Who Gives A Crap had spread provide agricultural equipment to farmers virally across Australia, the USA, Brazil in Ethiopia, and drinking a glass of and half of Western Europe, $50,000 was South African wine helps to provide in the bank and I got off the loo. local language books to school kids in KwaZulu-Natal province. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

30 • ALUMNI NEWS • ELECTION 2013 SUB HEADER • SECTION Choose to be part Feature Heading of something bigger

There’s more than one important election in Australia this year! Voting is now open in the University of Melbourne Alumni Council election for three positions that will become vacant from the end of 2013.

The Council plays an important role in furthering connections Meet Dr Misty Jenkins between alumni and the University. It works to find ways in which alumni can help the University to further its goals and (BSc(Hons) 2001, PhD 2007) remain one of the world's best higher education institutions, Alumni Council Member since 2007 and also ensures alumni are represented in University matters. Council President Dr Roz Otzen, who was the Principal of WHAT DOES THE ALUMNI COUNCIL DO? Korowa Anglican Girls’ School and is also on the board of We’re here to strengthen the links between alumni and the Melbourne City Mission, says that the Alumni Council enables University. We work on many different initiatives – for example, the voices of alumni to be heard. this year we have been focused on expanding opportunities for “Wherever you may be, in Australia and around the world,” students to participate in mentoring programs. We also represent says Roz (BA(Hons) 1967, GDipEd 1969, PhD 1987). the alumni community in discussions on University issues. “Our University is moving into a period of unparalleled success WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST PART OF BEING INVOLVED IN in the world and has the vision to be an even greater presence in Australian policy-making and direction. You can contribute to THE ALUMNI COMMUNITY AND THE ALUMNI COUNCIL? the University and its ongoing success by joining in the Council It’s great to still feel like part of the University community after election process.” finishing study. As an alumnus you will always be a part of the University’s global network. It’s been a great opportunity to give — back to the University, which helped shaped my career and build long lasting friendships. It’s also been a great opportunity to meet VOTING CLOSES ON 27 SEPTEMBER. some very clever and passionate people. — TO CAST YOUR VOTE, VISIT: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OTHERS WHO WANT TO HTTP://ALUMNI.UNIMELB.EDU.AU/GET-INVOLVED/ALUMNI-COUNCIL BECOME MORE INVOLVED WITH THE UNIVERSITY? Just get involved! Make sure when you finish study you keep your details up-to-date with the University. There are many opportunities for alumni to come back and give career advice or get involved in mentoring programs. There are also many different activities including seminars, exclusive alumni events and networking opportunities – either in person or via LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

The InTouch website (http://alumni.unimelb.edu.au/) is a great place to find out what’s new. There are alumni associations and groups to join, Facebook pages and LinkedIn groups to follow, and the ‘Welcome to Melbourne’ program where alumni can be paired with an international student and invite them over for a home-cooked meal. And vote in the Alumni Council elections. It’s a great opportunity to have your say. Melbourne University MagazineMelbourne University

31 • Join us at campaign.unimelb.edu.au