THE MAGAZINE OF CURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY ISSUE 13 SUMMER 2008/09

Gen Y Shaping the future workplace?

Spatial revolution Science for the new generation Elite athletes Balancing their sporting and scholarly ambitions

summer 2008/09 cite 1 Cite (s∂ it)v. To put forward Editor in chief Contributors Val Raubenheimer thought-provoking arguments; David Black is a political commentator and Curtin’s to offer insightful discussion and Editor Emeritus Professor of History and Politics. A historical Margaret McNally new perspectives on topics of consultant to the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Editorial team Library and a Parliamentary Fellow (History) at the social, political, economic or Laraine McClelland, Ann Paterson Parliament of Western Australia, he taught history environmental relevance; to report Creative direction and politics at WAIT and Curtin from 1968 to 2001. on new thinking. Sight (s∂ it) n. Sonia Rheinlander Claire Bradshaw is a freelance writer and editor. A feature or object in a particular Design She has worked for many years in communications, place considered especially Manifesto Design including eight years in Curtin’s corporate communications area. worth seeing.v.To frame or Contributing writers scrutinise community, research David Black, Claire Bradshaw, Sue Emmett, Sue Emmett is a freelance writer and photo- journalist, with special interests in science, and business initiatives; to present Andrea Lewis, Tony Malkovic, Isobelle McKay, Max Noakes technology, WA business, education and the points of view on current issues. marine environment. Contributing photographers Site (s∂ it) n. The location of a Adrian Lambert, Sam Proctor, James Rogers Andrea Lewis is a freelance writer and editor. She was formerly publications manager in Curtin’s building or an organisation, esp. Cover photography corporate communications area. as to its environment. v.To place James Rogers Tony Malkovic is a freelance writer, with a special or position in a physical and Print interest in writing about science, technology and Scott Print social context. the environment. Editorial Enquiries Isobelle McKay is a freelance journalist, who has Margaret McNally written broadly for newspapers and magazines. Corporate Communications She is a Curtin graduate, with a degree in journalism Curtin University of Technology and professional writing. GPO Box U1987, Perth WA 6845 Max Noakes is a freelance arts and music journalist. Tel: +61 8 9266 2200 He graduated from Curtin with a Bachelor of Art in Email: [email protected] creative and professional writing. Cite is available in PDF at curtin.edu.au/news and in alternative formats on request. For more information, contact Margaret McNally on +61 8 9266 2200 or [email protected] curtin.edu.au J A M ES RO G ERS Vashti I nnes-Brown Vashti J A M ES RO G ERS

COVER STORY 17 Scene at the gallery 13 The rise of the 4 Gen Y: it pays to Cite goes behind the scenes at the graphic novel John Curtin Gallery to show just understand them Graphic novels are coming into what it takes to put together their own, earning a place on Generation Y is sometimes derided a major exhibition, like WA fashion shelves in mainstream book as the ‘spoilt’ generation. Yet this designer Ruth Tarvydas’ 40th shops, and sometimes even group of 18 to 30 year-olds is the anniversary retrospective of on the silver screen. youngest segment of our workforce. her work. New research sheds light on 16 Breathing easy Gen Yers and explains why it pays 24 Sport and study: A new drug treatment for to understand them. a winning combination respiratory diseases aims to help FEATURES Where to for elite athletes when sufferers better manage their their competition days are over? condition, thanks to the work 10 Mapping the future Collaboration between universities of researchers in Curtin’s School Spatial science plays an important and sporting institutes provides of Biomedical Sciences. role in our everyday lives, without assistance to athletes who wish many of us realising what it is and to achieve academic excellence REGULARS what it does. Western Australia while pursuing their sport. 2 VC’s View is leading the nation in spatial technology, and its applications SNAPSHOTS 3 News in Brief reach far and wide in this rapidly 8 A much-needed boost 7 Alumni emerging science. Medical microbiologist and Keith Rowe talks about how he became involved in finding 14 Driving the price of oil immunologist Dr Trilochan Mukkur, from Curtin’s School of Biomedical the HMAS Sydney II. Oil and petrol prices go up and Sciences, has developed a new down – mostly up. But does the 9 Campus Life vaccine to help eliminate a highly high cost of petrol at the pump contagious and potentially fatal 28 Perspective affect our driving habits? Professor disease – whooping cough. Emeritus Professor David Black of Energy Economics Tony Owen, is a name synonymous with from Curtin Business School, Australian history and politics – suggests it doesn’t. and he is vocal about Australia becoming a republic.

summer 2008/09 cite 1 VC’S VIEW

THE best measure of Curtin’s vision of being a leading university in education and research is its students. While the University continues to tailor courses and target research to improve the educational and research outcomes for students and the community, it is the students, by their commitment to scholarship, who embody the University’s vision. Curtin strives to prepare its students for a future beyond tertiary studies because it is these students who will one day shape the future in business, industry, government and the wider community. A significant portion of our student cohort lies in the 18 to 30 demographic – otherwise known as Generation Y – and I’m pleased to see that this group weaves a common thread through this vibrant issue of Cite. Learn more about the often-misunderstood Gen Y, particularly their workplace aspirations, in ‘Gen Y: it pays to understand them’. Gen Yers are highly educated and ambitious, with great expectations – characteristics they are sometimes derided for. But these are precisely the qualities Curtin encourages in its students. The spatial sciences are revolutionising the technology that maps place, space and location, with applications ranging from the everyday GPS navigation systems in our cars to geographic information systems which help us better understand global warming and climate change. Generation Y, having grown up with technology and the internet, is at the forefront of this rapidly emerging science which you can learn more about in ‘Mapping the Future’. From science to sport, Curtin’s Elite Athletes program supports the sporting and academic pursuits of athletes, in preparation for a life with and beyond sport. Curtin is proud of the more than 30 elite athletes – again, mainly Gen Yers – who study at the Bentley Campus, among them Olympians past and present, including several who attended the Beijing Games. ‘Sport and Study: a winning combination’ provides an insight into the flexible program that brings balance to the lives of these gifted students, and offers a glimpse of the commitment required by them to achieve their dual goals. Curtin’s scholarly offerings and cutting-edge research initiatives are made possible only by the dynamic academics and researchers who are at the vanguard of their discipline. Political commentator and historical consultant at the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library Emeritus Professor David Black engages in the Australian republic debate with an impassioned perspective on page 28. And I invite you to read about the important developments by health science researchers in the treatment of whooping cough and asthma. Finally, you will notice the pages in this issue of Cite have switched from gloss to satin stock. The reason is twofold: non-reflective paper aids readability because it reduces light reflecting off the page and, in turn, complies with the University’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP). Curtin’s DAIP outlines the strategies we will undertake to provide an accessible and inclusive environment for our students, staff and visitors with disabilities, including vision impairment, and non-reflective paper is recommended in the Disability Services Commission’s guidelines for accessible printed information. So happy reading. It’s been an exciting year at Curtin. As 2008 draws to a close, I wish you all a peaceful and prosperous holiday season, ahead of another year of opportunities and challenges in 2009. Professor Jeanette Hacket VICE-CHANCELLOR

SA M P RO C TOR CURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

2 summer 2008/09 cite NEWS IN BRIEF A L AN SEE

Artist’s impression of Curtin Singapore J A M ES RO G ERS RO B ERT F RITH

From Left: Moses Tadé; Michael Alpers; Zheng-Xiang Li; and James Semmens The John Curtin Gallery - BEAP 2002 Immersion exhibition

Academics at the top Curtin Singapore Gallery on Show Several of Curtin’s researchers from Geoscientist Professor Zheng-Xiang Li Curtin has ratified a 20-year relationship In celebration of the John Curtin Gallery’s spatial sciences, engineering, health sits in the top one per cent of scientists in with Singapore by establishing a (JCG) 10th anniversary, Gallery Director and geoscience have received prestigious his field for receiving one of the highest comprehensive teaching facility which and Dean of Art Professor Ted Snell has recognition as leaders in their field. average citation rates of a published paper will receive its first intake of students in compiled Gallery – a tribute to the JCG Curtin has received its first Australian over a 10-year period to 2007. December 2008. and those connected with it since its Research Council (ARC) Federation His outstanding record in the geosciences Professor John Neilson has been establishment in February 1998. Fellowship, awarded to spatial scientist includes 66 published papers cited 1,231 appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor of Curtin “Not only does it showcase our major Professor Peter Teunissen. Teunissen’s times over that period. Li’s achievement Singapore to provide academic leadership exhibitions, the artists, and those application to examine the future potential was recognised with a Thomson Scientific and ensure the quality of the programs on exhibitions of our campus partners across of Global Navigation Satellite Systems Research Citation Award, naming him one offer. Education services company Navitas the University, but also gallery staff who (GNSS) in providing geospatial information of the 10 most pre-eminent researchers Singapore, with whom Curtin has a have been involved in the installations,” earned him one of 14 ARC Federation in Australia. His work focuses on long-standing relationship through its Snell says. Fellowships, which commenced in 2008. understanding the Earth’s evolution operations of Curtin Sydney and the “I am confident Gallery will demonstrate Dean of Engineering Professor Moses over the last 1,000 million years, and Curtin International College, will manage that our exhibitions are internationally Tadé has earned a place in the Top 100 the tectonic processes responsible for the facility. relevant and that the John Curtin Gallery Most Influential Engineers in 2008 for his this evolution. Currently, Curtin has between 750 is regarded as an international best outstanding leadership and advocacy for The Royal Australasian College of and 800 students enrolled through the practice gallery.” Curtin’s outreach scheme. The only Surgeons Medal has been awarded to Marketing Institute of Singapore, the Snell describes the book as a “bit like Western Australian academic awarded Professor James Semmens, Director of Singapore Human Resources Institute a corporate end-of-year report, with lots such a place by Engineers Australia the Safety and Quality of Surgical Care and the Singapore Institute of Materials of images of installations accompanied magazine, Tadé has secured a number Project. Semmens was recognised for his Management. by succinct text and comments from the of industry-sponsored scholarships for project’s peer-review processes, designed Curtin Business School courses will artists themselves”. engineering students and says he is to independently review deaths in surgical continue to be offered through Curtin “For instance, Tracey Moffat focused on attracting more high school patients in Western Australia (the Western Singapore, while programs from other commented that her work has never students to engineering. Australian Audit of Surgical Mortality) and faculties will be developed according looked better than when shown at the From Curtin’s Centre for International New South Wales (the Collaborating to student demand. JCG – and this is an artist who has shown Health, Professor Michael Alpers has been Hospitals Audit of Surgical Mortality). It is anticipated the new facility will at every major art gallery in the world and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, the increase the attractiveness of Curtin’s at every major Biennale,” he says. world’s oldest scientific academy which programs in Singapore and deliver Gallery includes stunning images from has been in continuous existence since long-term benefits for students. Curtin House of Tarvydas, the retrospective of 1660. The rare honour recognises Singapore will be the University’s second Western Australian fashion designer researchers who have made an teaching facility in Asia, following the Ruth Tarvydas’ work. The book will be outstanding contribution to science. establishment in Miri, Malaysia, of Curtin launched in early 2009. Only a handful of Australians have Sarawak, in 1999. received the award.

summer 2008/09 cite 3 COVER STORY

STORY Andrea Lewis PHOTOGRAPHY James Rogers

GeN It pays to understand them Known to many as the ‘spoilt’ generation, Gen Y is the youngest segment of our workforce. They’re highly educated, optimistic and vital to the labour market. But do we really understand them?

4 summer 2008/09 cite IF you’ve heard anything about Gen Y by way of exists in mapping their working-life expectations. McCabe points out that Gen Y is remarkably the mainstream media, it’s probably been largely She will do just that, using data from a 2003 survey relationship-focused and they want mutual negative. Characteristics such as disloyalty, of first-year students from all Western Australian and constructive communication. And it is on over-confidence and short attention spans are universities – public and private, metropolitan and relationships that they will build commitment well documented in standard portrayals of the regional – with a sample size of about 1,000. to teams, managers and networks – rather than 18 to 30 year-olds who make up this demographic. Her analysis will consider how this group sees to corporations. In sharp contrast to baby boomers, known themselves as graduates as well as how they “They want to have meaningful work and for their lifelong commitment to a place of see themselves in the workforce over the longer are very open to being mentored,” she says. employment, Gen Y is often seen to be fickle term. The study will also identify differences in “If conditions aren’t right, they’ll move on and flighty, moving from job to job in search expectations between young women and men, and because, particularly in periods of economic of instant gratification. differences between Gen Yers based on their areas prosperity, they can.” Well-known demographer Bernard Salt has of occupational interest. pointed to the immature and self-indulgent Results will help create a clearer picture of Gen Y, ORGANISATIONS have no choice but to deal with tendencies of Gen Y, who are blissfully ignorant in terms of their working-life expectations and the changes that Gen Y employees bring with of economic recession and happy to access the behaviours, which can then be used by employers. them. They’re obviously indispensable in a tight ‘boomer bank’ well into their 20s. “What we do know,” says McCabe, labour market, and have desirable traits that But is this a fair representation? And what are suggest huge leadership potential. “is that they are the most highly While McCabe’s work will help organisations the implications of not adequately understanding educated generation that Australia this group? to better understand Gen Y so they can change to The demographic is such a powerful presence has seen. They’re optimistic and integrate them effectively into their organisational in the workplace and so vital to the labour market they’re confident about their ability culture, the process may not be easy. that working with them rather than against them, and their future. “This can be confronting because companies researchers say, is the key to effective management “They have been parented differently from may have to adapt their management philosophies strategies, positive organisational development and previous generations and have high levels of and practices,” she says. a strong labour force. self-esteem.” “They will have to develop flexible systems Researchers with the Women in Social and However, much of their savvy is portrayed to accommodate the requirements of different Economic Research (WiSER) unit at Curtin’s in the media as disloyalty and disrespect. employees. I think companies can benefit Graduate School of Business (GSB) are helping “But you have to remember that they have significantly from recent graduates. facilitate this process through a number of research witnessed the impact on their families of “In a sense, Gen Y is forcing the issue of change projects aimed at building a more accurate profile destabilising trends, like severe corporate in corporate culture to an extent that Gen X of Gen Y, which may help organisations adapt to downsizing, which they’ve factored into their couldn’t. Gen X didn’t have the numbers, the change they are being compelled to face. workplace expectations,” McCabe says. economic circumstances and confidence that Postgraduate student Rebecca McCabe is “Trust for long-term security in an organisation we see with Gen Y.” helping to build this profile in what will be her just isn’t there like it was for the veteran generation Given the current skills shortage, most master’s thesis, entitled Career and Working Life and baby boomers. From what my research tells sectors cannot afford not to embrace this Expectations of Generation Y Graduates. me, they are loyal and they are very hardworking generation, especially because the future While much work has been done on marketing – many of them working while studying full-time – of many companies lies with its younger, to Gen Y, McCabe says that little scholarly research but they are dedicated in a different way.” well-groomed talent.

summer 2008/09 cite 5 WiSER researchers argue that with regard to economy most affected by skills shortage – Gen Y, a particularly under-utilised subset is young the resources sector. For obvious reasons, the sector professional women. A staggering 50 per cent of has a lot to gain by capturing segments of the working women are employed on a part-time basis, population not historically drawn to it. with these jobs tending to be in low-paid, less Funded by the Minerals Council of Australia and secure positions. the Australian Office for Women, the research It’s not that Gen Y women aren’t educated. resulted in the report Unearthing New Resources: They are – as much as or more than their male Attracting and Retaining Women in the Australian counterparts. But the issue of raising a family and Minerals Industry which shows clearly that young the limiting prospects of returning to stable, women represent a much-needed cohort in the professional work means that many shy away from Australian minerals sector. attempting to continue their professional careers. But the research also found that women in their Besides the deflation of personal career goals and 20s wanted meaningful work, the desire for an potential, in a tight labour market this is bad news. integrated work-life balance, the need for flexibility Nursing is one area that’s had a particularly to sustain relationships and a context free from difficult time getting young women to choose to stay sexism and harassment. in the profession. In 2005, the WA Department of “While prepared to consider careers in the Health funded research at Curtin’s GSB to resources sector, they were well aware of its understand the relationship between changing drawbacks,” Preston says. gender roles and women’s participation in the profession. “Gen Y women are, therefore, The research – led by Professors Margaret Nowak less likely to choose a career path and Alison Preston, also Director of WiSER – found if, once they’ve had a family, they that many young women avoid nursing because of are faced with returning to a system its low status and its economic devaluation; that doesn’t accommodate their perceptions that would not have existed even for personal aspirations.” Gen X. The WiSER research was followed by a series of Research fellow Dr Angela Barns, in related workshops, facilitated by Lord, with resources research, conducted a qualitative study of Year 12 companies, which focused on strategies by which TEE female students intending to pursue a they could adjust culture and develop tactics that professional career. A major finding was that while might entice Gen Y graduates to the sector. Gen Y women were experiencing unprecedented The general message underpinning the WiSER access to educational and career opportunities, they workshops and the GSB research in general is that were still caught in the bind of wanting both a in dealing with Gen Y, you’re dealing with a diverse family and a career. set of needs that require a reorientation of traditional “Aspiration is huge among this group,” says workplace culture. Barns. “But this is severely limited by the lack of Says McCabe: “It’s not about indulging a spoilt flexible working arrangements in many sectors. generation; it’s about listening to the needs of a new “For systemic change to happen, social policy generation who have a different set of experiences must confront the gendered nature of our and who simply think differently about the world. employment culture.” “And if we can capture and work with that, Gen Y WITH colleague Dr Linley Lord, Preston has also has an enormous contribution to make, both socially undertaken research for that part of the Australian and economically.”

6 summer 2008/09 cite ALUMNI

STORY Andrea Lewis Finding PHOTOGRAPHY James Rogers Sydney

A Curtin graduate played an instrumental role in locating the HMAS Sydney II in early 2008 and, in doing so, helped the nation understand its biggest naval disaster.

PHYSIOTHERAPY graduate Keith Rowe may have “My mother had given me a book current helped indicate more precisely where the started his career in a predictable way, but his about the HMAS Sydney ll and I ships might have finally settled. It was decided to ongoing interest in maritime history led him, remember being fascinated by the search the shallower half of the identified search box. unpredictably, to some very different discoveries. story,” he says. “And that’s where we found both vessels, Rowe was born in Margaret River and spent time “The German raider Kormoran and the Sydney 207 kilometres west of Steep Point, in 2,500 metres as a child in the Wheatbelt before attending Scotch had met off the coast between Geraldton and of water,” Rowe says. College in Perth as a teenager. After high school, he Carnarvon in November 1941. After an intense battle, Using remotely-operated-vehicle equipment, attended Curtin’s School of Physiotherapy, and in his both ships sank and the Sydney was lost, with all with cameras flown in from Norway, the FSF took final year of undergraduate study opted to participate 645 men on board. 60 hours of video footage and 1,400 photographs. in a six-week medical study tour of China. Intrigued “To think that this happened just off the coast A documentary on the search was aired on ABC TV, by the experience, he began to study Mandarin of Carnarvon was what struck me. I had fished off in June 2008. when he returned to Perth, while also working at that coastline so many times. I just wanted to know Royal Perth Hospital. FOR Rowe, one of the highlights of his journey to what happened.” Rowe returned to Curtin to complete postgraduate In 2000, a casual conversation with his neighbour, locate the Sydney was being invited on board HMAS studies in Manipulative Therapy, and then moved Ted Graham, provided the opportunity to find out. Anzac for three days to conduct commemorative to Kalgoorlie in search of new frontiers. He set up Graham, with a couple of friends, had a great interest ceremonies over each vessel. He was accompanied a successful physiotherapy practice which, after in locating the Sydney. by his four fellow volunteer directors, Ted Graham, 26 years, continues to be the biggest of its kind The small group of neighbourhood acquaintances Bob Trotter, Don Pridmore and Glenys MacDonald. between Perth and Adelaide. met at a local restaurant early in 2001 and began The Chief of Navy, Minister for Defence Services With his wife, Lesley – also a Curtin physiotherapy to formulate a business plan to spearhead a search and the German Ambassador also attended, as did graduate – he raised their three sons in Kalgoorlie, for the ship. The not-for-profit Finding Sydney five family representatives, including Rory Burnett, eventually returning to Perth to manage a practice Foundation (FSF) was established and weekly son of the Sydney’s captain. they had bought in East Fremantle. meetings began. “We could see how important this was to all the At this point in his life, Rowe returned to some In 2003, 2004 and 2005, the group got serious family members we met,” Rowe says. “The time with of his other long-held interests. He reacquainted about lobbying and fundraising to conduct the Rory Burnett was especially moving, as I could see himself with China, and now travels there three or search, but soon realised they couldn’t realise their his relief in finally having more answers about what four times a year as the director of a Chinese-based quest without the Federal Government’s financial happened to his father and the men on board. exploration company. support. And so began the task of convincing the “A great silence had existed during the war about But it was in 1998, when Rowe visited Steep government – in particular, the then Prime Minister what happened to the Sydney. The Official Secrets Point – Western Australia’s most western point John Howard, his key cabinet ministers and the Act continued after the war ended, and various – to look for Dutch shipwrecks that his life took a Royal Australian Navy – that they were competent conspiracy theories fuelled confusion.” different course. and were searching an area that had a good chance All of the FSF’s archives have gone to the Federal The group he travelled with was undertaking of success. Government and the WA Maritime Museum, with full aerial surveys along the Zuytdorp Cliffs and had By 2007, the FSF had raised $5.3 million from the picked up some ‘hot spots’. They had allowed Federal and State Governments and from private public access available. The Federal Government’s themselves a month to dive and investigate them. donors. The funding was sufficient to mount a 42-day Commission of Inquiry into the Loss of the Sydney “We didn’t find any Dutch wrecks,” says Rowe, search using side scan sonar equipment in depths is now investigating what happened. “but we did find a yacht missing since the ‘80s, from 2,500 to 5,000 metres, in an area totalling Rowe says he will leave the interpretation to a trawler with an unexplained history and a large 1,800 square nautical miles. Tenders were accepted the historians. cray pot. This gave me a real taste for maritime for a Singapore-based vessel and sonar equipment “Our job was to locate and to commemorate,” exploration.” from Seattle, in the US. he says. “We weren’t in it for the glory or for financial His first taste, however, was back in the Information from the Bureau of Meteorology and gain. It was just a good thing to do.” mid-1980s. the CSIRO on the eddying fields within the Leeuwin For more information: findingsydney.com

summer 2008/09 cite 7 SNAPSHOT A much-needed boost by some families with the recommended vaccination schedule. And without these vital boosters, opportunities emerge for the bacterial pathogen to cause whooping cough again not only in infants, but also in adults vaccinated during their childhood because of waning immunity against the disease. However, a biomedical breakthrough at Curtin will now help to eliminate the disease worldwide, with the development of an intranasal vaccine that is destined to offer longer-lasting immunity, fewer boosters and potentially fewer side effects.

DEVELOPED by medical microbiologist and immunologist Dr Trilochan Mukkur, from the School of Biomedical Sciences, the intranasal vaccine will be cheaper to produce than the existing vaccine, and provide significant benefits to developed as well as developing countries. “Whooping cough has persisted as a serious health threat to world populations because long-term immunity requires numerous booster injections over a person’s lifetime,” Mukkur says. “My intranasal vaccine produces a more effective stimulation of the immune system that will provide long-lasting immunity and fewer, Whooping cough is highly WHOOPING cough is high on the list of the if any, booster shots.” world’s most contagious diseases. The toxic The difference between Mukkur’s intranasal contagious and has potentially bacteria (Bordetella pertussis) has plagued global fatal consequences. But a new communities for centuries, and large numbers of vaccine and the existing one is significant. vaccine will help to eliminate humans – from infants to the elderly – have been The current vaccine given by injection only partially stimulates the immune response because the the disease worldwide, with infected with the debilitating respiratory illness. Children are more likely to develop serious injection confines immune responses to the blood. fewer boosters and potentially complications from the disease, with nearly Lung secretions may have some antibodies, but fewer side effects. 40 million infants worldwide catching whooping they are not necessarily of the most desired type. cough each year, and 300,000 dying from it. Also, the current vaccine does not stimulate the cell-mediated immunity necessary for long-term STORY Sue Emmett Anyone who has been with a child affected by PHOTOGRAPHY James Rogers whooping cough finds it hard to erase from their protection against whooping cough. memory the distress of a young patient who gasps Adults wanting to remain immune to the disease for breath and ‘whoops’ between violent and need up to six boosters over their lifetime. Most fail prolonged coughing fits. to follow up the boosters after primary school. In adolescents and adults the ‘whoop’ is less The Federal Government provides the vaccine free identifiable, but the continuous coughing that can to all Australian children from two months old to age lead to pneumonia and other complications is equally six. However, the high cost of vaccine production serious. Infected adults lose about 10 working excludes it from two-thirds of the world’s population, days a year, and those who recover from it are not who miss out on any protection at all. necessarily immune to a second attack. On top The method of dispensing the vaccine is also of it all, they are responsible for infecting about significant. Administered intranasally, either as 55 per cent of infants. a spray or nasal drop, Mukkur’s vaccine has been One vaccine called killed pertussis vaccine, found to stimulate immune response in the lung which contains whole killed cells, was introduced secretions and in the blood. The vaccine also arms 40 years ago to help build up immunity to the the cells of the immune system to perform better, bacteria that causes whooping cough. and it will be cheaper to make. The vaccine quite effectively stopped whooping The potential benefits of Mukkur’s vaccine have cough epidemics, but it had a few shortcomings. attracted interest worldwide, and the medical These included serious side effects such as high scientist recently received Curtin’s prestigious fever, persistent crying at a high pitch in children, 2008 New Inventor Award for his effort. febrile seizures and, occasionally, brain damage. Curtin is currently approaching pharmaceutical A subsequent vaccine consisting of select companies for investment in further development fractions of the disease-causing bacterium mixed and human trials of the vaccine. with an immune response-enhancing chemical In the meantime, Mukkur stresses the importance (adjuvant) was introduced in the developed world, of vaccination against the disease. including Australia. However, although it provides “This particular pathogen only affects humans and medium-term protection at best, adverse side it creates very damaging toxic symptoms that can be effects, including a large swelling at the injection deadly for children who are not vaccinated,” he says. site, can occur in a significant percentage of “Vaccination of young children with one of the vaccinated children who are allergic. currently marketed vaccines is very important.” Because of the side effects particularly following For more information: the third booster, there has been a lack of compliance healthsciences.curtin.edu.au

8 summer 2008/09 cite Gone are the queues at Curtin Library’s Information Desk – replaced instead by a band of ever-helpful, ever-smiling student Rovers, who are at the beck and call of students, staff and the broader community. Easy to find in their colourful t-shirts, they can be called on for help with finding material in the catalogue or a book on the shelves. They are especially adept at handling IT queries, including where best to access the wireless network and how to use OASIS – the student and staff portal to information about Curtin. Armed with walkie-talkies, the Rovers also answer calls received through Help phones on every floor of the library. It’s all in a day’s work for these trained and motivated young students, who go a long way to help meet the needs of Curtin Library’s 1.5 million visitors a year. J A M ES RO G ERS summer 2008/09 cite 9 FEATURE mapping the future

THE core of spatial sciences is the mapping of an ever-increasing range of information, from Spatial sciences play information and development of programs that allow population movement to crop pasture growth, an important role in our us to understand and use the information it presents. bushfire outbreaks, endangered species habitats Spatial refers to a place, space or location, and and incidence of pests and diseases within lives, so it is surprising since everything is somewhere on the surface of the the community. that most of us use Earth, spatial information and technology has a very On a global scale, the science is also being used to broad range of uses. better understand ocean salinity, sea level variations, technologies from this Google has given the community a taste of the melting of the polar ice caps, global warming and exploring the world virtually with Google Earth, climate change. rapidly emerging science Google Maps and even Google Street View. Some of “Everyone is exposed in some way to GIS and in one form or another us have extended our spatial curiosity a step further spatial technology, particularly young people, but by installing a GPS navigation system in our car. they don’t realise it. That is the irony,” says Curtin’s each day, without But this user-friendly software is really just a teaser Head of Spatial Sciences Associate Professor recognising it by name. to the dynamic spatial revolution that has been Bert Veenendaal. quietly building up over the last two decades. “As a relatively new technology it offers a huge Spatial technology came into its own right with variety of well–paid, interesting jobs for qualified the merger of land and hydrographic surveying, young people. Yet we have difficulty convincing STORY Sue Emmett IMAGES Supplied geographic information systems (GIS), cartography many high school graduates to consider the spatial and mapping, engineering and mining surveying, sciences as a career. remote sensing and photogrammetry. “Curtin has the only tertiary degrees in the spatial Twenty-five years ago, these four complementary sciences in WA, and when we visit schools and say disciplines were separate entities. Advancing GIS, we get a puzzled look. When we say Google computer technology, the development of GIS and Earth everyone has a complete understanding of the emerging spatial industry brought them together what we are talking about. to better understand our world and help solve issues “It’s puzzling to us that students don’t link the affecting us on local and global scales. two when they are so exposed to spatial information Spatial technology is now assisting Western and data. They can actually read, understand and Australian scientists and researchers, and those navigate their way through spatial information working in government departments, business in a way that older generations find impossible and the resources and agriculture sectors to map to understand.”

10 summer 2008/09 cite right on track

A group of spatial sciences enthusiasts have The team arrived safely at Wiluna on 18 July, retraced the steps of Alfred Canning, who after travelling more than 1,500 kilometres from surveyed the Canning Stock Route by camel Newman over some of the most rugged and almost 100 years ago. punishing 4WD driving tracks in Australia. The team comprising four surveying students, The expedition was an outstanding success for one cartography student, two Curtin lecturers, all participants and the geodetic upgrade work four surveying professionals and two documentary carried out through the region. For two weeks, makers made the 3,596-kilometre journey by the team’s GPS navigation system traversed 600 4WD between 3 and 17July 2008, accompanied kilometres, and accurately located and adjusted by two local Martu people and one member of the more than 70 markers from various surveys Birriliburu tribe. completed over the last century, including a Spatial Sciences Senior Lecturer Tony Snow The Canning Stock Route runs from Wiluna number of original Canning survey marks. agrees. He is equally perplexed because he sees in Western Australia to Halls Creek in the “Some of the survey pegs were hard to find the science developing rapidly to meet a huge Northern Territory. and those we did come across were repaired and variety of needs. The group focused on finding and upgrading replaced for surveyors who would need them in “As people in the front line of the technology, the survey pegs along the southern section of the future,” Snow says. we feel we are really riding a wave that is advancing the track from Georgia Bore south to Wiluna, “We were very well equipped with satellite at an extraordinary rate,” he says. a distance of more than 600 kilometres. phones, a GPS tracker and an emergency “The driving force of this revolution is that the Mining companies often use the original beacon. The journey brought home the necessity technology, hardware and data come together at survey markers to put in mining leases, and the of good planning and emergency procedures the right time. You can just press a button and Aboriginals have native title on either side of the for carrying out surveys in these types of download it. It’s a real breakthrough for government departments, commerce and industry, where good track route. isolated areas.” planning is crucial.” Spatial Sciences Senior Lecturer Tony Snow, Students on the trip used the experience as who was part of the team, says in addition to their a final-year project component that involved Snow believes Gen Y students are high-tech surveying equipment, they used copies comparing the accuracy of GPS systems. born for spatial technology because of old survey maps drawn by Canning, to see how they are the first generation to do accurately the markers had been placed. most of their social networking in cyberspace.

WITH these new-generation students in mind, Curtin recently launched a state-of-the-art Spatial Sciences Studio. The facility is a focal point for geographic information science, surveying and cartography in WA, and serves as an industry resource to support education and research initiatives. Landgate has committed $430,000 over the next five years to develop the studio which combines high-tech computer systems with the latest teaching resources, specifically targeted at today’s generation of technology-savvy students. Veenendaal says GIS and the spatial sciences are tailored to government and industry needs, and the department has a range of bursaries, sponsorships and cadetships available that are industry-supported. “Industry and government are struggling to get good people now, so the future for young people and jobs in the spatial sciences is only going to get better,” he says.

WESTERN Australia is leading the nation in spatial technology. For many years the State has been a centre of spatial innovation excellence. Our State’s spatial technology has much to offer developing nations in the Asia-Pacific region, from mapping rising sea levels to tsunami and earthquake modelling, disaster recovery and satellite monitoring for illegal forest burn-offs in Indonesia’s remnant jungle. On the Indonesian island of Banda Aceh, for example, NGIS, a WA consulting firm which employs Curtin spatial sciences graduates, has been working for the past few years to help the community to map the recovery of their town. Landgate recently pushed the WA spatial technology platform a whole lot further, with the official launch of its Shared Land Information Platform (SLIP). K IR BY G A MBL E

summer 2008/09 cite 11 In Western Australia, more than 1,900 people information. The difficulties they had to access the a month now log on to SLIP to access more than required information were enormous. 20 gigabytes of spatial information maintained by “Landgate looked for a new way to share this many government departments. The result is that information and came up with a concept that users have access to the most up-to-date information was probably not technically feasible at the time,” from the authoritative source by going to a single Bradford says. point of access. Nineteen government agencies and “Landgate is also looking into the future for more two private organisations are currently connected innovative applications serving information out to to the SLIP network, bringing together and making mobile devices. Crowd sourcing, which gives people available some 200 vector spatial datasets and more in the community the ability to submit information than 1,000 imagery datasets that in the past resided to the site, is also under consideration.” in isolated systems. So what does the future hold for the spatial SLIP’s objective is to simplify access to land sciences and technology? and geographic data for the general community One of the major areas of spatial growth in the and business. Four lead agencies – Fire and US is location-specific advertising, and there is a big Emergency Services, the Department of Agriculture demand for people who are working in advertising and Food, the Department for Planning and and marketing with some spatial expertise to apply Infrastructure, and Landgate – share responsibility it to their industry. for SLIP’s implementation. Each of the government Spatially enabled mobile phone technology departments is responsible for updating its own is already the next move forward, according to data each night. Veenendaal. Built-in GPS systems and links to “Spatial technology allows people sites like Google’s Maps, Streets and Search and to share information in a way that Facebook will enable businesses to tailor individual has not been possible before,” says marketing strategies for consumers. So don’t be surprised when the local café owner Landgate Acting Chief Executive ‘sees’ you approaching and targets you virtually Mike Bradford. through your phone, suggesting it’s time for a “At the end of the day, everything happens at coffee break. a place, so location is so important, whether it is around health information, demographics or incidence of disease. “To be able to view and analyse information spatially can provide really powerful answers that can lead to better decision-making and infrastructure planning.” Bradford says Landgate took the lead in SLIP when in 2003 it identified there were 5,000 State Government employees from about 26 different government agencies making use of land

12 summer 2008/09 cite I said, are you loOking for a job?

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waldo.indd 34 3/3/08 8:03:37 AM

B EN TE MPL ES M ITH The rise of the graphic B EN TE MPL ES M ITH novel

STORY Max Noakes ILLUSTRATIONS Justin Randall and Chris Bones Ben Templesmith

IF we’ve learnt anything from prehistoric cave “There is very little external control to the books paintings or ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, it’s that compared to most other mediums. It’s the one graphics are just as legitimate a narrative device as industry you can really do anything crazy and daring, prose. In a society propelled by images, theatre, the and still put it out in the marketplace to see what internet, film and television make up a substantial people think. That’s the freedom the big movie part of our cultural diet. studios don’t have, and why they’re hovering like Many think of graphic novels as fast food. vultures over the industry right now.” Yet, despite the publishing industry’s fastidious “Graphic novels have been the only standards, they’ve made their way into the real growth area in the book market for IRONICALLY, 30 Days of Night, arguably mainstream market. Whereas traditional comic books years now, and seem to have gained Templesmith’s most popular work, joined a list of comprise graphic strips which narrate short stories some popularity or at least awareness. graphic novels such as History of Violence, The Crow and Sin City to have been translated onto the big over a series of books, graphic novels employ a “Graphic novel and comic book publishers have screen. During 30 Days of Night‘s opening credits, narrative structure similar to that of a traditional gradually been able to convince book stores to carry special mention is made about the film being based novel but with the emphasis on images rather than more and more graphic novels. My publisher, IDW on a graphic novel rather than a comic book. words. For this reason they’re at home on Publishing, now makes more than 50 per cent of its Justin Randall, commercial illustrator, graphic bookshelves alongside their wordier counterparts, sales outside of traditional comic stores.” with their own sections in public libraries and A graduate of Curtin’s Bachelor of Design degree, novelist and digital illustration lecturer at Curtin, commercial book stores. And they are, of course, Templesmith now lives in San Diego, in the US. He is says it’s “actually a big step in attempting to regular tenants of the faithful comic book shop. best known for his work in the American comic book separate some ‘comics’ as more than just fodder For some people, graphic novels are a regression to industry and has received multiple nominations for for 13-year-old boys”. the childish nature of the picture book – the culprit the industry’s top prize, The Eisner Award. “It’s only a slight change in the wording but just being their association with spandex-clad The award is named after Will Eisner, creator of the the very word ‘comic’ in Western culture brings forth superheroes. After all, there’s not much more first graphic novel A Contract with God and Other images of antisocial, freckle-faced nerds, and I think between those pages than muscle-bound men in Tenement Stories (1978) which explored working- some people are just tired of that generalisation.” tights – or is there? class Jewish life in New York during the Great The success of a graphic novel is not dependent For graphic novel artist and writer Ben Templesmith Depression. The novel found comic book writers on its transition to the big screen, nor does the this question would be deserving of a slow, sarcastic reassessing the potential of their art form, as Eisner’s transition spell instant success. And, Randall handclap. Like many graphic novelists, he walks a readership suddenly expanded to a new adult says, both graphic novelist and filmmaker need gauntlet of cultural ignorance, rooted for the most audience. It also paved the way for Art Spiegelman’s to adhere to guidelines similar to those deployed part in the idea that the graphic novel is a literary Maus: A Survivor’s Tale which won a Pulitzer Prize in blockbusters to avoid a flop. He has taken his own genre, when it is, he argues, an individual medium, Special Award in 1992. The work was based on the advice, having worked on the critically acclaimed with a vast array of its own genres. survival of the author’s father, a Polish Jew during Silent Hill, Waldo’s Hawaiian Holiday and new “I remember in my early days looking for gigs,” the Holocaust. additions to the 30 Days of Night series. says Templesmith, “asking someone who worked for While Templesmith’s work doesn’t deal with such “Like any film you need a great concept, narrative HarperCollins if they’d be interested in doing some serious, historical subject matter, it steers noticeably and dialogue,” he says. graphic novels – for example, historical-based novels, clear of superhero territory, instead operating in “Making it pretty helps, too. But the greatest rather than the superhero subgenre. I could virtually horror, humour and sci-fi realms. illustrator in the world can’t keep a story afloat see the sneer at the words ‘graphic novel’ and “Graphic novels are the last bastion if the language of a graphic novel is not treated ‘comic’ down the phone line. What a pity. of creativity,” he says. with respect.”

summer 2008/09 cite 13 FEATURE

Pumping petrol into our cars is a costly exercise these days, but evidently not high enough to dent our desire to drive. Driving the price of oil

14 summer 2008/09 cite STORY Tony Malkovic PHOTOGRAPHY James Rogers

“It’s difficult to prove and there’s no data around, and speculators don’t tell us what they’re doing,” he says. For Owen, the fluctuation in oil prices is due to demand and supply and the market being manipulated by the OPEC countries that control the supply. Supply is tight because demand has increased over the years – in China, especially – while the reserve capacity to pump oil has gone down. So prices are high because there’s no excess production capacity. As demands goes up, prices go up. YOU’D think that with soaring petrol prices, you’d That part is simple demand and supply economics. see people using their cars less. But there are some other, less obvious mechanisms But think again. For many people, the convenience at play. of cars is enough to keep them paying for petrol, “It’s not generally well known that most coast, in which the State lost access to a third of whatever the price. developing countries in the region – China, Malaysia, its natural gas supplies, led to renewed calls for a According to economist Tony Owen, many people Indonesia, Thailand – have been heavily subsidising Statewide energy policy to be developed. are likely to choose to cut back on other expenses their fuel, so their oil prices are considerably lower Owen says such a move makes sense and first, such as dining at a restaurant. than the market would dictate,” Owen says. WA could easily tap into available local expertise Owen is Professor of Energy Economics at Curtin “With significant increases in oil prices, this to set up a centre for energy economics to help Business School, the first position of its kind in has had a major impact on their central budgets do the sums. Australia. He is also co-director of Oil and Gas because the subsidies have just exploded their “An energy economics centre in WA could use Management, an area of research excellence for budget figures. the expertise of the two major universities in Perth the school. “So they’ve been taking the subsidies away and – Curtin and The University of Western Australia – In effect, he’s an expert at crunching the numbers this has had a negative impact on their industry, to assist the State Government in policy decisions when it comes to assessing our energy options and there have been social impacts. There have for WA,” he says. involving fuels such as oil, gas and coal, and their been riots in a few countries because of this.” “WA is heavily dependent on its mineral wealth, effects on electricity prices. With rising petrol prices, The attendant geopolitical, technical and so it doesn’t really make sense to have a hand-to- he says it’s a matter of choice and simply working environmental concerns are likely to dominate mouth energy policy. And that was quite clear with out what we’d prefer not to do without. our region’s political and economic landscape the Apache Energy explosion on Varanus Island “With something like increased interest rates, for decades, Owen says. – there wasn’t a Plan B.” for instance, you can’t avoid paying more on your Back to the bowser, and with all this talk of Energy economics may seem a bit dry for some mortgage,” he says. finite reserves and peak oil, will we eventually run people, but the Varanus explosion shows that getting “With petrol, if you want to keep driving, you out of oil? the figures right on our present and future energy can look at other areas to cut back on. And most “Well, no,” Owen says. requirements is crucial. people have enough discretionary income to allow “There’s an enormous amount of oil in the world. And that applies whether we’re trying to draw up them this choice. The cost of not driving can be And there’ll be plenty of oil in the world long after a State or national energy policy – or simply choosing high, in terms of your lifestyle. people have stopped using it.” between a night out at a fancy restaurant and a tank “The car is so convenient. So people will give Owen argues there’s no shortage of oil reserves – of pricey petrol at the local service station. up other luxuries before they give up their car. there are huge deposits in the Middle East, central For example, meals out are more likely to be given Asia, Canada and under the Arctic Ocean. However, up first.” they’re not always in the right place. What’s more, With cars, the two big economic three-quarters of reserves are not accessible to drivers for most people are private companies but are controlled by state convenience and time. companies that may not have profit maximisation as an immediate objective and prefer to store reserves “I think the fundamental message is that if you for future generations. buy a car, it offers so many lifestyle benefits you Global petroleum giant BP also depicts a world will be reluctant to do without it,” Owen says. awash with oil. “Driving a car saves time, and time is very According to its recently released 2008 BP valuable to most people. For many people, that’s Statistical Review of World Energy, the world’s levels quite a big issue; why spend two hours on the bus of fossil fuels “remains sufficient to support growing – an hour each way to and from work – when you levels of production”. It adds that the key to high can do it in 15 or 20 minutes?” and volatile energy prices lies elsewhere – namely, He says if oil and petrol prices stay high in the political factors, barriers to entry, and high taxes. long term, people are likely to get a smaller or more Or as BP’s chief executive Tony Hayward pointed fuel-efficient vehicle the next time they buy a car. out in launching the review: “In other words, when To understand why oil and petrol prices fluctuate, it comes to producing more oil, the problems are we need to look at the bigger picture of energy above ground, not below it. They are not geological, economics for an explanation. but political.” Owen says speculation on the futures market is BP’s annual global review underscores the an easy explanation for increasing oil prices and importance of energy economics at the international their sudden sharp rises and falls, but there’s no hard scale. At the local level, the recent explosion on evidence to back up the assertion. Varanus Island, off Western Australia’s north-west

summer 2008/09 cite 15 SNAPSHOT

STORY Claire Bradshaw PHOTOGRAPHY James Rogers

breathing easy Curtin researchers are hoping to encourage Australia’s many asthma sufferers to better manage their condition with a new drug treatment.

THE sight of someone inhaling on a ‘puffer’ to get This is not surprising, given that drug treatment ALONGSIDE colleague Dr Warren Kett, Coombe relief from their asthma symptoms is a common one is still the cornerstone of asthma management. has been developing new carbohydrate-based in Australia, where more than one in 10 people suffer What may surprise some people, however, is that drugs to treat asthma and allergic rhinitis from the condition. despite this significant pharmaceutical outlay, health (hay fever), a common and often related allergic Despite its incidence reaching a plateau in professionals believe not enough drugs are being condition frequently treated with corticosteroid Australia in recent years, this country still has one taken by asthma sufferers to manage their condition. nasal sprays. of the highest rates of asthma in the world. And While a few quick bursts of short-acting “We’re using natural products as our inspiration, while it may not cause as many fatalities as some beta-agonists, or ‘reliever’ drugs, may help to relieve mimicking essential carbohydrate structures in other chronic conditions, asthma certainly causes symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest the body known as glycosaminoglycans, or GAGs,” considerable distress and disruption to individuals tightness and shortness of breath, people with Coombe says. of all ages. persistent asthma should be more regularly inhaling “These are a class of carbohydrate that binds Particularly distressing is its high incidence corticosteroid ‘preventer’ drugs to reduce the risk to and interferes with key proteins that stimulate among children, many of whom are too young to of severe attacks and help prevent long-term the growth of eosinophils, white blood cells that be able to manage the condition for themselves; lung damage. cause the tissue damage associated with an asthma affects one in six children under the age of This suspected drug under-use was verified by the allergic reaction. 15 and remains one of the leading causes of hospital AIHW’s 2007 report Patterns of Asthma Medication “Because they are based on carbohydrate admission in children under 12. Use in Australia which found that most asthma structures that occur naturally within the body, Combine this with the fact that asthma sufferers who used inhaled corticosteroids were they have fewer side effects than the steroid-based sufferers are more likely to experience long-term going against national and international health drugs, so we anticipate people will be more willing health problems than non-sufferers – especially guidelines by using them only intermittently. to use them to control their asthma and hay fever.” inflammatory and allergic diseases such as hay fever, It’s an issue that researchers from Curtin’s School The new drugs will also be able to be inhaled chronic sinusitis, bronchitis and emphysema, but of Biomedical Sciences have been concerned with in a solution form. also depression and anxiety-related disorders – and it for some time. According to Associate Professor In the past, carbohydrate-based drugs have is not surprising that the Federal Government named Deirdre Coombe, head of the school’s Molecular been too difficult to synthesise and manufacture asthma a National Health Priority Area in 1999. Immunology Group, the corticosteroids have In terms of costs to the health care system, the gained a bad reputation because of their perceived in bulk, but Kett has developed a novel chemistry Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) side effects. platform that will enable the drugs to be produced in a cost-effective way. report Health Care Expenditure and the Burden of “The risks associated with taking Disease due to Asthma in Australia 2000-01 showed Says Coombe: “Ultimately, our goal is to offer that an estimated $693 million was spent on treating these drugs, such as increased chance people an alternative drug that they feel more asthma during that year, with more than half of of glaucoma and thinning skin, are comfortable with taking so that they are better able this spent on pharmaceuticals – proportionally often more perceived than real, but to manage their condition.” much higher than the 16 per cent of total health it stops people from taking the drugs “And we want to offer it at a price that is expenditure attributed to pharmaceuticals. they need,” she says. comparable to current therapies.”

16 summer 2008/09 cite PHOTO ESSAY

PHOTOGRAPHY James Rogers scene at the gallery

The John Curtin Gallery, at Curtin’s Bentley Campus, has staged more than 120 exhibitions since it opened in 1998. Exhibitions involve many months of planning, as was the case recently for House of Tarvydas and Looking Out. A survey celebrating 40 years of Western Australian fashion designer Ruth Tarvydas’ eponymous creations, complemented by the work of other key WA fashion designers in Looking Out, the exhibitions took two years to plan. The results were dazzling – as was the action behind the scenes. A D RIAN L MB ERT summer 2008/09 cite 17 TAKING SHAPE

Props appear minimal, but purpose-built partitions reconfigure the entire gallery space, just as life-like mannequins are positioned to accentuate the garments, and lights hung to create ambience.

18 summer 2008/09 cite summer 2008/09 cite 19 PHOTOGRAPHY Adrian Lambert

GETTING SET

A virtual fashion catwalk’ featuring models filmed on a makeshift runway forms a backdrop to the haute couture in the multimedia component of the exhibitions.

20 summer 2008/09 cite GETTING SET J A M ES RO G ERS summer 2008/09 cite 21 RO B ERT F RITH

House of Tarvydas and Looking Out were opened at an exclusive launch by Perth Fashion Festival ambassador Annmarie Carpenter. The exhibitions were the first thorough examination of WA fashion at a major gallery.

22 summer 2008/09 cite opening night

summer 2008/09 cite 23 FEATURE

a winning combination

Collaboration between universities and sporting institutes brings balance to the busy lives of elite athletes, and fosters their ambitions to perform well in both the sports and academic arenas. SPORT & STUDY

Olympian Kiel Brown

24 summer 2008/09 cite STORY Isobelle McKay PHOTOGRAPHY Sam Proctor Ad rian Bro ug hton

As a signatory to the national Elite Athlete Friendly University (EAFU) Network since 2004, Curtin has given a firm commitment to providing assistance to elite athletes who also want to achieve academic excellence, and to help them build a life after sport. The network was set up because of growing recognition that elite athletes required a great deal of flexibility from universities to create a supportive environment that fostered both their sporting and scholarly aims. Curtin’s Associate Director of Community Life, Associate Professor Werner Soontiens, provides direct support to students from sporting institutes who have elected to study at Curtin. He says many athletes realise very early on that they need something to fall back on once they stop competing at the elite level or to complement their Olympian Gemma Beadsworth sporting achievements. “As part of the program, we “We see them as students and we allow them to “From an education point of view it becomes try to assist students to find that act completely as students, with an extra layer of about knowing what pathways will help them to balance between being athletes and support provided if need be, while making available move into the career they’re hoping to enter, either performing well, and being able to to them a system that accommodates those peaks while they’re in sport or afterwards. If we can help proceed in the academic sphere and and troughs in their career. them to build that student identity, then we’ve get that qualification,” he says. “At the assessment policy level, the extent of already helped them to prepare for that transition To be a part of the program, a university our support is such that any absence from campus to life outside sport, and they then tend to take must give special consideration to student- related to a nationally recognised sporting activity their commitment, dedication and enthusiasm athletes in many different ways, as their needs attracts a concession similar to a medical certificate into that area.” are unique. Students elect to take part through or absence due to work commitments.” McGregor-Bayne says the potential for burnout their sporting institutions, which provide a list Curtin has more than 30 student-athletes; some to occur is carefully monitored, but she’s constantly of participants to universities to filter through are enrolled either in a full-time or part-time capacity, amazed by what most of the athletes are able to to their staff. while others have deferred to focus on their sport. achieve outside of sport. “We flag those lists to the academic area at a Retired elite athletes to have graduated from “Research tells us that if athletes have more to senior management level, so the head of school Curtin include professional international cricketer identify with than just the role of being an athlete, would know that he or she has three or four athletes Brad Hogg. they’re more likely to be balanced, happier and able in the program,” Soontiens says. A cohort of Olympians who study at Curtin to perform in sport,” she says. “There is a lot of goodwill and understanding attended the Beijing Games. They include men “(Physiotherapy student) Lisa Oldenhof is a available from individual academics if students come and women’s hockey teams members Kiel Brown prime example; she won our career and education and provide them with sufficient evidence of their (Psychology), Liam De Young, Eddie Ockenden, excellence award because she was medalling involvement with sport.” David Guest (Business Law), Ashleigh Nelson at world championship level in kayaking, while To accommodate the student-athlete, assignment (Occupational Therapy) and Shelly Liddelow studying for her graduate diploma, working locums deadlines may be renegotiated, based on sporting- (Biomedical Sciences). Gemma Beadsworth and renovating properties. related travel commitments; exams may be sat under (Curtin Business School) and Katie Finucane “She has never burnt out because she needs that exam conditions in hotels (sometimes in exotic (Health Sciences) were picked for the water polo multitude and variety of things happening in her life locations); and requirements to attend every lecture squad, while Natalie Bale (Nursing) was part and she thrives on that.” or tutorial may be waived. Also, study loads can be of the rowing team, and Lisa Oldenhof competed McGregor-Bayne says the EAFU Network allows tailored to accommodate erratic sporting schedules; in kayaking. WAIS to directly negotiate the flexibility athletes require in order to be able to engage with study, the time to complete a course may be extended; MUCH of the success of the EAFU Network rests with and several leave-of-absence periods may be which is essential to the success of the program. the commitment of the student-athlete’s sporting “Before the agreement, there would certainly have granted. Swapping on-campus study with distance institution to work with universities to help them education is also an option. been a number of cases where athletes would have achieve their academic goals. been forced to withdraw from university rather than “If you look, for instance, at Super 14 rugby Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) players, they’ve got 15 or 16 weeks which are keep going,” she says. athlete career and education coordinator Heather “The sailors, for example, are away for up to completely mad, and then five months with a very McGregor-Bayne says she works closely with Curtin predictable practice pattern; obviously that impacts nine or 10 months a year. It would be impossible to assist athletes to achieve excellence on and off for them to be studying. Yet at the same time on their presence on campus and their capability to the field. do the assignments,” Soontiens says. they can become anxious about losing their place She says just five per cent of athletes at the at university. He stresses the concessions do not extend to institute are full-time and the rest have to juggle students not being required to meet the academic “Were the agreement not in place, and we were work or study with their sporting commitments, not able to have a university hold an athlete’s standards of their course. which they were encouraged to do. “Although we assist them in terms of the timing place until they were in a position to return from and intensity of their study, there is no concession “Part of the role is absolutely about competition and study, we as an institute might lose in terms of academic rigour or of different life after sport and planning for that them because an athlete might decide that study assessments,” he says. transition, but it’s also about assisting is more important than sport.” athletes to manage life alongside For more information: community.curtin. sport,” she says. edu.au/external/elite_athletes.cfm “That can be anything from working with an athlete to help them develop skills in time management, goal setting or study skills, through to managing relationships with employers.

summer 2008/09 cite 25 SNAPSHOTS M3 D ESI G N New research on oSteoporosis

i STO CKP HOTO Changing worlds, changing lives

A unique international service delivery program at Curtin offers allied health students the opportunity to gain interdisciplinary skills as well as cross- cultural competency in a clinical environment, culturally different from their own. The Director of International Relations at the School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work, Trevor Goddard, is enthusiastic about the Go Global program because it highlights the role of service in preparing graduates for global citizenship, reconnects universities with communities and helps Creating them to be a driver of social change. “What makes this program unique is that the professions we send to the host country digital history are driven by the needs of the placement,” he says. A new technique to measure the variation The program was initiated in China, in in bone density within spinal bones could 2001, and has extended to India, South be the key to identifying patients at risk of Africa and, in 2008, to the Ukraine, with spine fracture – one of the most common The recording of history is a thread that links the past to the present. students delivering about 9,000 hours fracture types in osteoporosis. And it could In today’s digital era, this thread to the ‘future past’ is engendering of service internationally a year. be available in clinical practice within 10 years. considerable global interest and research. “In South Africa, we’re exploring the need Dr Andrew Briggs, an Australian National Dr Paul Arthur is based in the School of Media, Culture and for health promotion students; in India we Health and Medical Research Council Creative Arts at Curtin, where he has been researching how may take mental health nurses because of Postdoctoral Research Fellow, from Curtin’s new technologies are transforming the way history is recorded the large population who have spent all their School of Physiotherapy, is developing the and studied. lives in orphanages,” Goddard says. technique along with colleagues from the “Some of the most useful, creative and enduring projects are For the first time, pharmacy students Department of Medicine at the University of large-scale digital database works by historians and involving have travelled to India to work alongside Melbourne and the Institute for Medical and IT experts, multimedia producers and information designers to other allied health students, to assist Veterinary Sciences in South Australia. provide access to information about the past in completely new them in understanding the impact of the “The technique involves modifying the ways,” he says. pharmaceuticals their clients are using. analysis of routine bone density (DXA) scans At the start of 2009 he will take up a six-month research fellowship “One of the strengths of this arrangement for bone thinning, or osteoporosis, to provide at the Center for Cultural Analysis, Rutgers University, New Jersey. is that the students are learning as much an assessment of bone density distribution Arthur’s project – History in Motion: Digital Approaches to the Past from each other as they are from the clients in the back,” Briggs says. – will examine the impact of digital technologies on historical studies. – and in real life situations,” Goddard says. The testing phase so far has shown the From September 2009 he will spend a year as a research fellow “Global citizenship transcends technique to be reliable, and Briggs says once at HUMlab, a leading digital humanities lab in Sweden, working nationalism, and the health science it is completed, a large clinical study will be on a book about the digital future of biography which, he says, professions are underpinned by social conducted to verify initial findings. “is thriving online and reaching new audiences”. justice and a sense of service to the “If all goes well the new technique could be “A trend has developed where people are increasingly exposing community. This program engages in a in clinical practice within 10 years,” he says. their history or life in the public domain,” Arthur says. shared humanity and services communities “Measuring bone mineral density only At the same time he acknowledges there are concerns about the world over.” provides us with an estimate of bone strength. abuse as well as quality, relevance, status and authority of And, according to Goddard, a vital We cannot use it to predict with confidence digital information. component is the opportunity to have a who is at risk of sustaining a broken back “In response, major research and collecting institutions are sustainable influence with cultural relevance. or a fracture cascade.” engaging with the digital history field by starting their own projects An initial spinal fracture can lead to a four and interlinking their resources,” he says. to seven-fold risk increase for further back In between the US and Sweden posts, Arthur will be presenting fractures, known as a fracture cascade, papers at four international conferences, and visiting a number of which is devastating for the patient. digital humanities centres in the US. It is estimated that if the current trend continues, the number of osteoporosis sufferers in Australia by 2021 will be three million. Spinal fractures account for almost half of all osteoporosis-related breaks.

Go Global: India program

26 summer 2008/09 cite up History’s coming nobodies events Janet Car d i ff

John Curtin Gallery J A M ES RO G ERS of art & music 13 February – 3 April 2009 ANS A part of the 2009 UWA Perth

N Y E V International Arts Festival, of art & music A king on brings together a select group of artists from around the world and celebrates the influences that visual art and music outstretched can have on each other. These influences are manifest in different ways, from wings collaboration – as in the compelling video installation Paris Requiem by artist Adam Geczy and composer Peter Sculthorpe; to inspiration – in the form of Janet Cardiff’s magnificent sound installation The Forty Part Motet, recreating the sculptural sound of Thomas Tallis’ Graham Seal renaissance polyphony. The exhibition explores the diversity of this confluence William Sykes died at 63, “the owner of a dog, of the visual and the audible from the a gun, some clothes and a kangaroo-skin monumental to the sublime. pouch of letters”. Those letters inspired Curtin’s Professor Graham Seal AM to research Sykes’ Tel: +61 8 9266 4155 life, which revealed a powerful and moving story. johncurtingallery.curtin.edu.au History’s nobodies – as Seal calls them – became the backbone of These Few Lines: Hayman Theatre A Convict Story - The Lost Lives of Myra and Romeo and Juliet William Sykes for which he shared the State 24 – 28 February 2009 Library of New South Wales Biography Award of 3 – 7 March 2009 $20,000. Simon Cherriman He is the first WA-based author to win Artist-in-residence Aole T Miller, from the US, will direct this famous the prize. Curtin graduate and 2008 WA Youth Environment Award winner Simon Shakespearean tragedy about two Seal says the award recognises the Cherriman may be another David Attenborough in the making. young lovers. importance of research and writing that “I really enjoy sharing what I have learnt with others, and for reveals the lives of those who are usually conservation purposes I feel that nature documentaries are the most Hayman Theatre Upstairs, at 8pm history’s nobodies. effective way to do this to a wide audience,” Cherriman says. Tel: +61 8 9266 2383 William Sykes and five other poachers He grew up watching wildlife programs and dreamt of making his haymantheatre.curtin.edu.au assaulted a gamekeeper who later died from own nature documentaries, taking the first step towards his dream his injuries. Sykes was then transported to when he produced A King on Outstretched Wings. The documentary Dracula WA for manslaughter, leaving behind his wife, is a compilation of his filmed observations of the wedge-tailed eagle in Myra, in England. the Perth region since 2005. 21 – 25 April 2009 He arrived in Fremantle in 1867 and, after An environmental biology honours graduate from Curtin’s Muresk 1 – 3 May 2009 working in Bunbury for seven years, was sent Institute, Cherriman says he has been interested in birds since a child An unknown and inexplicable horror has to Newcastle (now Toodyay). He was given his and “spent many weekends climbing trees, building hides, finding nests come to England. In a race against time, ticket of leave in 1877 and spent the last few and learning all I could about birds”. Van Helsing must battle his own personal years of his life working on the railway from “At 15 I found my first wedge-tailed eagle nest in John Forrest demons to save the life and soul of Clackline to Newcastle. He died in 1891, and National Park, and then the ‘wedgie’ fascination began,” he says. his letters were found in a crevice during the Jonathan Harker’s beloved Mina. The Over the years the eagle observations added to a growing record of Hayman Theatre Company’s production demolition of old police buildings in Toodyay. nest sites, which Simon used as the basis for his honours project. “I found Myra’s letters particularly poignant,” of Dracula returns to the terror and “I monitored five eagle pairs over three breeding seasons and tragedy of Bram Stoker’s original story. Seal says. “She was a loyal woman, it emerges compiled a report on the number and type of mammal, bird and reptile in the letters, and she remained committed to species that the eagles preyed upon during this time period,” he says. Hayman Theatre Upstairs, at 8pm him, even though he was sentenced for life. For his efforts he was awarded the Muresk Department of Tel: + 61 8 9484 1133 or “Myra married again after Williams’ death and Environmental Biology’s most esteemed prizes, the Serventy Memorial bocsticketing.com.au I like to think enjoyed a few happy years before Prize for the best natural history-based project in 2007 and the she, too, passed away.” TMA Corporation prize for the top honours mark in 2007. Seal is Director of the Centre for Advanced Presenting some of the findings of his honours research at the Studies in Australia, Asia and the Pacific in the Australasian Raptor Association conference in NSW recently has Faculty of Humanities. His other books have won inspired Cherriman to continue his ‘wedgie’ fascination as a doctoral awards in the UK and US as well as in Australia. student at Muresk.

summer 2008/09 cite 27 PERSPECTIVE

STORY David Black PHOTOGRAPHY James Rogers

A historical consultant at the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library, Emeritus Professor David Black has a distinguished academic reputation for his contribution to Australian history and politics. To his great surprise, he was recently voted “Republican of the Year” for Western Australia by the Australian Republican Party. He explains why it’s not a matter of if Australia should become a republic, but when.

The

I’LL say it right now – I believe Australia should be voted between four possible anthems. Advance I would propose giving the people the right to choose a republic. It’s completely out of date now for us Australia Fair won clearly in every state. Now, God between a set number of candidates – ideally two or not to be a republic; the idea that the Queen should Save the Queen is played only when the monarchy three – nominated by two-thirds of the Parliament. have any substantive or even symbolic role in our is present. This would deal with one of the main reasons why constitution is completely and totally anachronistic. Against this background, it can be asserted that the 1999 referendum failed, namely that the model Our Constitution dates from a very different era. the move to become a republic is the attempt to proposed did not allow for popular election. However, Indeed, the Australian Constitution which came take the next step, a bigger step but a logical step, perhaps equally important was the fact that John into operation on 1 January 1901 was created as an in this gradual emancipation from Britain. The most Howard, the prime minister who introduced the act of the British Parliament, but even then it only hardened opponents to this are those who feel referendum, showed a distinct lack of enthusiasm became law after it had been ratified by referendum our connection to the monarchy is part of our for the idea. in each of the six original states. According to the British heritage. For this reason, my political judgement is that so Constitution, while the Queen is the head of state Arguably, there’s no practical reason long as it is Kevin Rudd or any other Labor politician the powers within Australia are exercised by the why we need to become a republic who sponsors the referendum, it will not pass. Governor General. Until 1930 it was the British – we can function independently By contrast, if Peter Costello or Malcolm Turnbull monarchy and government who determined who initiated the question the prospects would be much would be our Governor General, but since 1930 without making that change – but I better. Both men, while strong republicans, are also it has been accepted that the Queen will simply consider quite simply that the system seen by the population as conservative politicians appoint whomever is nominated by the Australian should reflect who we are. who would not sponsor rash change. The republican Government – and since 1965 we have only had AS it is, the public debate has focused on two referendum, I believe, would pass if people were not Australian-born Governors General. separate issues. First, should we remove the suspicious of the motives of the sponsors. It was during the 1930s, too, when Western references to the Queen altogether? And second, At a time of increasing economic difficulties, the Australia tried to secede from the Commonwealth, how should we then choose the Governor General republican issue is seen by many as a distraction. that the British affirmed they would not attempt or President? In my view, we need to deal with these But time is on the side of the republicans: as each to alter our Constitution Act without the express questions separately. decade goes by, the involvement of the monarchy request of the Australian Government. In any I would contend that the Government should first in the political system of our multicultural society case, in 1942 the Australian Parliament ratified the hold a plebiscite – a question that people vote on seems increasingly absurd, and in any case we can Statute of Westminster. Coupled with the Australia but which is not legally binding. The question could still maintain the link by recognising the Queen as Acts in 1986, this confirms beyond doubt our be quite simply: “Do you agree that the Australian the head of the British Commonwealth. legal independence as a separate, self-governing Constitution should be altered to remove the None of this may happen in my lifetime; it could dominion within the British Commonwealth. references to the monarchy as the head of state?” take another 20 or 30 years, and I certainly don’t Another strong British component of our system Assuming this question passes, and I firmly think we’ll get there by 2010. Becoming a republic was the national anthem. Until the 1970s this was believe it would, the next step would be to work out would be the final stage, the crowning glory, so to God Save the Queen. But in the 1970s, Malcolm how the head of state should be appointed. I believe speak, of our emancipation from the mother country Fraser held a national song poll and Australians the model must involve election by the people, and and acceptance on the world stage.

28 summer 2008/09 cite About Cite About Curtin

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