Navigating Uncharted Waters the Tales That Treasures Can Tell 8
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Issue 2, 2014 Navigating uncharted waters The tales that treasures can tell 8 The tales that treasures can tell 10 Make music, not war 2 Soaking it up 9 Different perspectives on 22 Who’s in my room? Victoria research indicates that sea Soprano Isabella Moore meets the World War I sponges are flourishing in parts of the New, and sometimes deeply personal, current resident of the room she once world where coral is dying. perspectives of the Great War in a occupied at Stafford House. recently published collection of essays. 4 Navigating uncharted waters 26 Reunion in the capital Introducing Dr Teresia Teaiwa, the first A group of Malaysian students who 10 Make music, not war Pasifika woman to receive an Ako Aotearoa Professor John Psathas is honouring the studied at Victoria in the 70s have their Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award. sacrifice of World War I soldiers through first New Zealand reunion at the end of music. the year. 6 Collaborating for conservation 12 Plans for expansion 27 Writing doctors Showcasing the long-term partnership New building plans at Victoria will PhDs in Creative Writing are on the rise between Wellington’s Zealandia wildlife enhance the student experience. at Victoria, with students undertaking sanctuary and Victoria University. cross-disciplinary research that enriches 14 Detecting harmful molecules their writing. 7 Revolutionary A sensor that can detect environmental contaminants has been developed by 28 Writing through pain cancer treatment Creative Writing PhD graduate Stephanie A new form of chemotherapy that Victoria researchers. de Montalk’s new memoir documents a exclusively targets cancer cells could decade of chronic pain. lead to fewer side effects for patients. 16 Career kickstart Victoria’s Museum and Heritage Studies programme creates industry-ready 8 The tales that treasures can tell 29 Investigating Kim Dotcom’s A fascinating picture of World War I is graduates. personal effects revealed in a book about some of the Artist Simon Denny recreates the objects left behind. 18 Shifting creativity up a gear personal property that was confiscated Students redesign BMW Group’s from Kim Dotcom’s New Zealand Auckland-based head office. mansion, at the Adam Art Gallery. Clarification: The article ‘From ideas to action’ in the previous issue incorrectly stated three projects were inventions by students enrolled in the MATE course when only one originated from MATE students’ research. A corrected version of the article is available at www.victoria.ac.nz/news/victorious From the Victorious is published by Victoria University of Vice-Chancellor Wellington, Te Whare Wānanga o te Ūpoko o te Ika a Māui, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand. have spent the past six months talking to many alumni and friends about Victoria’s future www.victoria.ac.nz Idirection to help decide the areas and actions that will define us both locally and globally. Editor: Tania Guenter Your contributions to the development of our strategic plan have been vital and I very Editorial team: Claire Peacock, Elizabeth Beattie, much appreciate the affinity you feel for your alma mater and the perspective you bring as Elizabeth Bush-King, Haley Small, Katherine potential employers, partners and supporters. Edmond, Kristina Keogh and Stephen Garrett. Thanks to your feedback and the contributions we have received from our Council To contact Victorious or to submit a story idea, staff, students, and communities, Victoria has developed an ambitious strategic agenda email [email protected] for the future. This will be the subject of future issues of Victorious but, by way of Photographs (unless otherwise credited): Image Services, Victoria University of Wellington. introduction, I have set out below some of the central features. Cover image: Dr Teresia Teaiwa, photographed Our vision is for Victoria University to be a world-leading capital city university and by Robert Cross, Image Services one of the great global-civic universities. ISSN 1172-0387 ©Victoria University 2014 Importantly, there are a number of concepts that underpin this vision. One is the Disclaimer: The views expressed in Victorious concept of a capital city university—a notion that for Victoria flows naturally from our are not necessarily those of Victoria University engagement with Wellington. We will be a capital city university that lives and breathes of Wellington. its capital city location. Change of address A second and closely related concept is the idea of a civic university—a university To notify us of a change of address, email that values close involvement with the cultural and economic life of its city and region. [email protected] or call +64-4-463 9665. This is the mandate upon which the University was founded 117 years ago and it remains Contacts as important today as at our inception. Alumni However, in the 21st century, we now must view civic engagement in a global context. To sign up to the email newsletter Vic Connect, To thrive, local communities must have access to internationally competitive academic keep in touch with university friends, meet excellence from their universities. In our case, Victoria is privileged to draw upon the new people and continue to participate in the national thinking and global mindedness of our capital city. As a result, we are in an stimulating intellectual and cultural life of ideal position to revitalise and redefine the civic university tradition as the ‘global-civic Victoria, contact the Alumni Relations Office. university’. In so doing, the University highlights its commitment to civil society and [email protected] global citizenship, declares its determination to contribute to the resolution of global as +64-4-463 5246 well as local challenges, and affirms its intent to graduate critically informed, globally www.victoria.ac.nz/alumni confident, civic-minded students. Events This international perspective reinforces rather than diminishes Victoria’s Take a look at the University’s online database commitment to its locality—Wellington, New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region. of varied and exciting events available to This is the area of the world that sustains the University and its staff and students, and members of the university community. that increasingly defines its institutional identity and future. www.victoria.ac.nz/events Having settled on a vision of Victoria as a world-leading capital city university and Gifting one of the great global-civic universities there is now the ‘small matter’ of achieving If you are interested in supporting students this vision. Clearly, it will take more than just aspiration to get there. We will need well- and staff with a donation of funds, resources thought-out strategies and shared ownership of this vision with our communities of or time, we’d like to hear from you. Please interest. That means deepening our engagement with alumni and friends, employers contact the Executive Director, Development and partners, the public sector and the diplomatic and business communities—to and the Foundation, Shelagh Murray. name just a few. [email protected] No matter where you are within this community, I encourage you to keep in contact +64-4-463 5991 with us. We value your advice, support, advocacy and perspectives. Research and innovation To find out more, visit www.victoria.ac.nz/strategic-plan Victoria’s academic staff are leaders in their fields of research expertise. If you have a project that requires the skills and knowledge of our staff, contact Professor Charles Daugherty. [email protected] Professor Grant Guilford +64-4-463 5572 Vice-Chancellor Stay connected @VicUniWgtn victoriauniversityofwellington Victorious—1 What sea sponges may which are 1.8 metres wide and weigh 80 being carried out by Victoria researchers Soakingkilograms, are flourishing init parts of the upat the reefs surrounding the islands of lack in charisma they world where coral is dying. Hoga and Kaladupa in the Wakatobi make up for in resilience. “Climate change and human impact Marine National Park in Sulawesi, are having a devastating effect on some Indonesia. A long-term research programme at marine species but, globally, there is a “It’s an ideal location for this work,” Victoria indicates that these realisation that sponges are likely says PhD candidate Andy Biggerstaff, diverse organisms, which to be here and doing well in “because you have a comparatively range in size from less a hundred years’ time,” healthy coral reef alongside one that than a centimetre to says Dr James Bell, an appears to be undergoing transition from giant sponges “Globally, there associate professor in coral to sponge domination.” Marine Biology, who At the latter reef, coral cover has is a realisation that leads the group. dropped from 30 to less than 10 percent sponges are likely to be Some of the over a seven-year period, with sponge evidence to support density increasing by 50 percent in the here and doing well in a that view comes same period. from studies In addition to tracking the spread of hundred years’ time.” the dominant sponge species on the reef, Andy is also looking at the impact human activities are having. 2—Victorious Joe Marlow observes a large organ sponge on a coral reef during a dive survey at Wakatobi Marine National Park. Credit: Tracey Bates Communicating Climateclimate change is one change of the major issues of our time, but presenting the science behind it and what we can do about it is proving to be a challenge. “Being close to a village of 2,000 people sponges,” says Tracey. As far as important scientific issues and recent clearing of mangroves has put Early findings from her work confirm go, climate change is a big one. So a lot of sediment in the water, affecting the what other research by the group is also what are the difficulties with presenting amount of light.