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Untold Stories Professor Barbara Brookes and Women’S History UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO MAGAZINE 33OCTOBER 2012 INSIDE: Untold stories Professor Barbara Brookes and women’s history PLUS:: What’s going on inside the Alpine Fault? Outstanding alumnus recognised School of Physiotherapy marks 100 years Otago’s sexy songsters CONTENTS ISSUE NUMBER 5 Vice-Chancellor’s comment 33 6 At fault Otago geologists are drilling to gain a better understanding of the processes at work inside New Zealand’s Alpine Fault 9 Foreign interests Otago’s Foreign Policy School has been canvassing issues of global significance for almost 50 years 12 Bonds of friendship Tan Sri Dato Dr Haji Ahmad Azizuddin who has been awarded the Otago Medal for Outstanding Alumni Service 14 A woman’s history Professor Barbara Brookes has dedicated her career to a side of history previously untold 17 Physio centenary Over the past 100 years the School of Physiotherapy has gone full circle 22 A writer in her residence Alumna and former Robert Burns Fellow Fiona Farrell 25 Student life UniVol volunteer Andrew Bird swaps student life for rural Vanuatu 26 Opinion Professor Peter Crampton stresses the importance of research for New Zealand’s future prosperity and well-being 34 Culture of scholarship Scholarships help create an environment of excellence and diversity 28 InBrief 41 Hocken legacy Research highlights 42 Alumni news 36 Books 49 Whatever happened to ... 38 UniNews … the Sextet? 3 University of Otago Magazine A magazine for alumni and friends of the University of Otago Issue 33 October 2012 ISSN - 1175-8147 Editor Karen Hogg Writers Simon Ancell Peter Crampton Karen Hogg Nicola Mutch Natalie Poland Amie Richardson Sam Stevenson Ainslie Talbot Rebecca Tansley Mark Wright Nigel Zega Photographers Ross Coombes Ken Downie Alan Dove Bill Nichol Michael Roberts Graham Warman Cover Professor Barbara Brookes Photo: Alan Dove Printing PMP Print Circulation Office of Development and Alumni Relations • To update or change delivery address • To read the Magazine and other alumni communications electronically • To receive just one “household” postal copy of the Magazine Please email [email protected] Telephone 64 3 479 4516 Editorial contact details University of Otago Magazine Marketing and Communications PO Box 56 Dunedin 9054 New Zealand Tel 64 3 479 8679 Email [email protected] Web www.otago.ac.nz/otagomagazine Copyright You are welcome to reproduce material from the magazine after gaining permission from the editor. All reproduced material must be appropriately acknowledged. The University of Otago Magazine is published by the Marketing and Communications Division of the University. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University. 4 VICE-CHANCELLOR’S COMMENT There has been considerable discussion around know something about the Treaty of Waitangi and the the world in regard to changes to government funding way in which partnership is both expected and valued in of university STEM subjects – science, technology, this country. If they plan to live outside New Zealand, as engineering and mathematics. In response to changing many of our graduates do, they will need to understand workforce needs, the UK made the controversial decision something about the wider political pressures that shape in 2010 to increase funding for STEM subjects while the world. In short, it is not sufficient for a university cutting funding to others. Earlier this year, the New graduate in any discipline, whether it involves a STEM Zealand government made a similar decision, increasing subject or not, to simply master their core area of funding for STEM. Fortunately, unlike in the UK, expertise. The world our graduates now enter requires funding to non-STEM subjects in New Zealand was interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary levels of expertise, not cut below 2012 levels, but in the absence of a CPI as well as the necessity to think critically, evaluate increase for non-STEM subjects, in 2013 there will be evidence and solve complex problems. In that world, a financial pressure on the humanities, commerce and narrowly-focused education in any single discipline will social sciences. limit, rather than enhance, employment and leadership Although Otago does not have a school of opportunities. engineering, we do have expertise in many engineering- As we move into this new funding environment and technology-related subjects (e.g., surveying, at Otago, we will use the additional funding that is bioengineering, software engineering); some of these made available to our STEM subjects to continue to areas may benefit from new funding. Our extremely grow our capability in these areas, enhancing our successful science programmes will also attract some ability to provide a world-class education in science additional funding under the STEM system. But the and technology. We will also continue to translate larger question is, does the government’s current our science and technology research into tangible, emphasis on STEM funding come at some other, non- marketable products particularly in the areas where we financial cost to New Zealand and the rest of the world? have long-standing expertise. But, at the same time, we As they earn their degrees, Otago students clearly will jealously guard the other non-STEM subjects that acquire the skills they will need to succeed in their we offer at Otago. When this University was founded chosen profession, but they also learn other things that in 1869, there were only four professors – between will help them to achieve their full potential as leaders in them, they taught mathematics, chemistry, philosophy the local, national and international contexts in which and classics. From its inception, Otago recognised they will ultimately work and live. What will a leader the importance of academic breadth. During these in the 21st century need to know in order to adapt and strained financial times, we recognise the government’s respond to the major challenges that are currently facing need for a bit of additional workforce planning, but New Zealand and the rest of the world? that planning must also incorporate the broader value With respect to STEM subjects, in particular, it is of a university education. In the pages that follow, no longer sufficient for students to simply acquire deep you will have the opportunity to sample some of the knowledge about science and technology. They must also valuable contributions by researchers across all four of understand the moral, financial and ecological impacts our academic divisions. The impact of the breadth of of new developments in these areas. Furthermore, education that we continue to offer at Otago is further Otago graduates have a scope of influence that extends reflected in stories about the success of our current well beyond their professional boundaries. As such, students and distinguished alumni. they will need to know enough about history, ethics and philosophy that they can contribute effectively to on-going debates about important social issues ranging from same-sex marriage to euthanasia. If they plan to Professor Harlene Hayne live in New Zealand, our graduates will also need to Vice-Chancellor, University of Otago 5 FEATURE At fault Otago geologists are drilling into the Alpine Fault, The department is combining national and international co-operation looking at the physical processes at work and with new research tools to try to find out hoping to gain a better understanding of when an more. “As we learn more about the signals that earthquake might occur. tell us what state a fault is in, we might be able to make better assessments of how Recent earthquakes in New Zealand The current Deep Fault Drilling close to a state of rupture a fault is.” and Japan have tragically demonstrated Project is partly funded by the The Alpine Fault is geologically the immense devastation that can be International Continental Scientific unusual in two ways, making it both caused by the planet’s natural activity. Drilling Programme, a global easier to study and a prime candidate Geoscientists and engineers in New organisation trying to get a better for drilling. Firstly, the active zone of Zealand are at the forefront of assessing understanding of the earth’s crust. earthquake initiation and rupture is earthquake hazards and suggesting The outermost skin of Earth – the relatively shallow – roughly less than solutions to minimise the risks to people crust and the upper mantle – is made 10 kilometres deep – and secondly, and infrastructure. Yet, despite, more up of several rigid tectonic plates. historical movements have exhumed than a century of scientific investigation, The boundary of the Australian and rocks from all depths of the active zone the underlying physical processes that Pacific plates runs along the length of to the surface. control how earthquakes start, propagate New Zealand, with the east side of the “We’ve already collected examples of and stop, remain elusive. South Island (the Pacific plate) moving rocks that were active from the surface Now Department of Geology south-west relative to the west side (the to as deep as 20 kilometres down, depths researchers are drilling deep into Australian plate). we are never going to access by drilling. New Zealand’s Alpine Fault to gain a The Southern Alps are the result of But by going down as far as we can, we better fundamental understanding of the Pacific plate also riding up over the can compare the new material we find the processes involved and hopefully Australian plate. Part of the boundary with what we have inferred to be going improve future earthquake risk where the plates converge gives rise to on,” says Prior. management significantly. After the Alpine Fault, which stretches about “Drilling means we can make successful shallow drilling in the 300 kilometres along the spine of the measurements of environmental Southern Alps last year, plans are being Alps, and has produced several large conditions that we can’t interpret from a made to bore about 1.5 kilometres into earthquakes over the last 1,000 years.
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