ADELAIDEANVol 7 No 21 N EWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE NOVEMBER 23, 1998 Jonathan Pincus on Investing Cancer links to mobile Honours student joins crew of INSIDE 2 in Higher Education 5 phones examined 6 Ship for World Youth Queen’s adviser to develop University horse course FOR THOSE who enjoy horses as a Agricultural College, before finally hobby, they are a relaxing pastime. But moving back to South Australia. for those looking for a career in the horse “I have been involved with the industry, it requires more than a little industry in several different nous. capacities, both in Australia and That’s according to renowned overseas,” she said. veterinary clinician and animal science “This has enabled me to understand lecturer Dr Robyn Woodward. With the ins and outs of the horse world and skills sought after the world over, Dr how the education system can best Woodward believes many of the next produce quality graduates who will be generation of would-be stars entering in demand by the industry.” the horse world are inadequately Dr Woodward is currently working to prepared for the demands and change the focus of the horse pressures associated with the fast- husbandry and management course at moving industry—worth $15 billion to Roseworthy so that it has a greater Australia’s economy each year. business emphasis while still Recently appointed as course retaining and increasing its practical coordinator for the Diploma in Horse strengths. Husbandry & Management at the “I believe students should graduate University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy with good practical horse-handling Campus, Dr Woodward is turning her skills along with a deep understanding remarkable talents towards improving of the horse industry and expertise in the skills of the next generation of business management and strategic people entering the horse industry. marketing,” she said. Dr Woodward’s main interests are in “It is also very important to have an equine artificial breeding and exercise appreciation of environmental physiology, including the monitoring of management, pasture production and Dr Robyn Woodward—quality education in the horse industry. horse fitness. This has led to several management and nutrition. I also Photo courtesy of Roseworthy Campus years working at the Scone Veterinary hope to introduce components in horse Hospital during the southern physiotherapy and basic equine be the opportunity for them to become Roseworthy Campus, believes Dr hemisphere breeding season, and then massage.” involved in commercial enterprises Woodward’s appointment is an spending the northern hemisphere As well as improving elements of through the development of new integral part of the campus’s ideal to breeding season working with eminent teaching, Dr Woodward hopes to be services to the public at Roseworthy, attain excellence in both research and veterinarian Dr Peter Scott-Dunn in able to foster new relationships with such as the use of frozen semen and training. Berkshire, UK. key trainers and industry groups as embryo transfer. “We are very excited about Dr While overseas, Dr Woodward worked well as developing closer links with “We have a great team working to Woodward joining the horse section with everything from stud to some leading South Australian horse support the students, both team and want her appointment to performance horses, including Her enterprises, such as Lindsay Park, the academically and at competitions. continue our commitment to our Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s carriage, SA Harness Racing Association and Our plans for the future will be a students, industry and the general hunting and polo horses. In 1991 she the South Australian Jockey Club. wonderful plus for the course and will public, ensuring we offer relevant accepted a position as lecturer in While the students can already decide lead the way in quality education in research and well-trained graduates Animal Production and Veterinary to enter the National Coaching the horse industry,” Dr Woodward who can make positive contributions Clinician in the horse, cattle and Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) level 1 said. to industry,” he said. sheep enterprises at Orange during the course, another bonus will Dr Simon Maddocks, Director of —Elizabeth Butler Graduation Dinner Cutting edge work a winner a first for Uni THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE’S replacement and export income. “Commercialising intellectual FOR THE FIRST time ever, the University of role in establishing a thriving GroPep has commercialised a range property in emergent, high tech- biotechnology industry in South of products based on insulin-like nology industries has proven to be Adelaide will hold a formal Graduation Dinner for problematic in Australia,” he said. departing international students later this month. Australia has been recognised with a growth factors with a view to national award. producing therapeutic products for “The model provided by the Some 430 undergraduate and postgraduate humans. BresaGen produces formation of these companies has international students are expected to complete The University’s Department of Biochemistry and its spin-off animal growth hormones, human attracted a lot of interest because their courses in 1998, including the first large protein therapeutics, and trans- it safeguards the commercial and cohort from the Sepang Institute of Technology companies have won the Business/Higher Education Round genic animals including pigs with academic interests involved.” (S·I·T) twinning project in Malaysia. improved production characteristics Table’s inaugural award for and sources of organs for The Vice-Chancellor, Professor The Graduation Dinner will be held on Sunday, Outstanding Achievement in transplantation into humans. Mary O’Kane, said the award was 29 November at 6.30pm in the Banquet Room, Collaborative R&D. just recognition for the work of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Bresatec produces radio isotopes Three successful companies, and enzymes for research purposes. University of Adelaide’s world- This year the University of Adelaide experienced employing more than 200 people class biotechnologists and their its largest ever intake of international students— The University’s Professor of partners. directly and indirectly, have grown Biochemistry, Peter Rathjen, said more than 560 in total. Among them were almost out of the department’s early The university’s Business 200 students from S·I·T. the award recognised the recognition that the biotechnology commercial and scientific successes Initiatives from Graduates All staff who have been closely associated with offered enormous economic and growing out of his Department. program won an Honourable the teaching and support of international employment opportunities. Mention for Outstanding Achieve- students are urged to attend the dinner, which He said the work had attracted ment in Collaboration in Educa- The three companies—BresaGen national and international is expected to become an annual event. Ltd, GroPep Pty Ltd, and Bresatec tion/Training. The program helps investors, provided important graduates develop good ideas for Tickets for staff members and graduating Pty Ltd—are all at the cutting training for young researchers, and innovative products, processes or students will cost $10 each and are available edge of various aspects of had encouraged research services into businesses. from International Student Support Services, biotechnology and are producing collaboration between University Level 6, Wills Building, tel 8303 4828. big benefits in terms of import researchers, hospitals and industry. —David Washington Approved For Print Post 565001/00046 For Print Post Approved PAGE 2 NOVEMBER 23, 1998 ADELAIDEAN COMMENTARY INVESTING IN HIGHER EDUCATION In its leader of May 27, 1997, the by dollars less. This is the sense in which Peer Review - Australian Financial Review claimed Professor Jonathan Pincus university education, in three and a that “...investment in human capital Economics bit years, adds a quarter of a million Yes or No is the most important way advanced dollars to the person. economies can lift productivity”. Economists call these sorts of On 11 November the Higher Education I agree: the wealth of nations is knowledge, some of it calculation the estimation of “human capital”. The Section in The Australian carried a lead implicit in our social arrangements, but much of it average graduate’s human capital is $900,000, of article which summarises comments made by explicit and explicitly taught and learned: knowledge which university education is responsible for about a Professor Jan Reid in a speech delivered at of self, knowledge of others, knowledge of the quarter of a million. (The word capital comes from the University of South Australia. She impersonal world, knowledge of ideas, knowledge of the Latin caput or head, and your human capital is referred to a so-called draft green paper knowledge, of ways to know. The wealth of nations is what you carry around in your head.) prepared by the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, which proposes mostly carried around in the heads of the people In my conference paper, I report that the general that the role of the Australian Research (although the University Librarian will not want me picture remains the same on adjustments made on Council (ARC) be significantly altered and to forget his domain). the assumption that, even if they had not attended that new block funding mechanisms replace However, the AFR then went on to make claims about university, those who do in fact go on to university existing arrangements. The changes, if the appropriate funding of undergraduate education, study would have earned more than the average non- implemented, would see an end to the which I dispute. Grants to universities for graduate. existence of the main competitive funding undergraduate education, instead of being Who gets the quarter of a million? Roughly speaking, source supporting basic research, and to the commended as an investment that benefits the it is shared 50/50 between the graduate and the main national competitive funding economy, were deprecated as “middle class welfare”. Commonwealth Treasury. What I mean is that, after determined by international peer review.