unISSUE 16 ik AUGUSTen 2004 The sky’s the limit: UNSW goes to Athens The CEO connection Who will inherit the house? All creatures great and small newsbriefs Indigenous health Regional public health features UNSW’s Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Associate Professor Jan Ritchie of the Law is one of the organisers of a forum School of Public Health and Community 5 The CEO connection titled Indigenous Health and the Treaty Medicine has been appointed Regional Debate: Rights, Governance and 6 Cover: The sky’s Director, South Western Pacifi c Region, Responsibility next month. The purpose of the International Union for Health the limit of the forum is to encourage debate Promotion and Education (IUHPE) for a 9 All creatures great about treaty approaches in health and three-year term. Professor Ritchie, who and small other aspects of daily life in Indigenous is immediate past President of the communities. Speakers include Patrick Australian Health Promotion Association, 10 Who will inherit Dodson, Professor Ian Anderson and was appointed at the recent Regional Senator Aden Ridgeway. For further the house? Assembly, held in conjunction with the information call 9385 2257 or email World Conference on Health Promotion [email protected]. and Education. Playing The Blind regulars Women on top A play about fear, belief and community BYO lunch to the next presentation in Arts is the next major production from the 11 School of Theatre, Film and Dance. the Gender Equity speaker series on 11 August, 12.30pm in the Arcade Room. 12 Community The Blind by Nobel laureate Maurice Maeterlink will be performed by students Dr Colleen Chesterman will present her 14 First person of the school from 3 to 7 August in the Io research on the impact of women in senior Myers Studio. Bookings on 9385 5684 or management in 19 Australian organisations 15 Council & s.goldfi [email protected]. including the public sector, universities and Academic Board fi nancial institutions. International gong for 16 Last word petroleum student UNSW goes green First-year petroleum engineering student UNSW has signed a Memorandum Uniken is produced by the UNSW media offi ce Michael Connolly has won this year’s of Understanding with the United Nations T 02 9385 3644 Gus Archie Memorial Scholarship. The Environment Programme (UNEP) to F 02 9385 2837 Society of Petroleum Engineers gives the expand sustainability programs in the E [email protected] annual award to the two most outstanding Asia-Pacifi c region. UNEP hopes to www.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/uniken.html fi rst-year students worldwide enrolled in draw on the expertise of Professor Deo Editor an undergraduate degree in petroleum Prasad and his team in the Centre for a Louisa Wright engineering. The Archie Fund endows each Sustainable Built Environment to boost Editorial team scholarship recipient with $5000 per year. youth engagement on sustainability issues, Judy Brookman, Alex Clark, Susi Hamilton, design programs for school curricula and Denise Knight, Mary O’Malley, Sarah Wilson Bipolar disorder: national survey steer the region towards the development Design and production of sustainable cities. Mahlab Media The fi rst Australian national survey of the Cover Image prevalence of bipolar disorder has revealed Britta Campion a signifi cant level of disability and suicide Brains for Breakfast attempts, and low rates of treatment. More Printed by Year 7 students will conduct delicate PLT Print Solutions than 10,000 people participated in the neurosurgery on jelly brains under 15 Epping Drive Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 study led by Professor Philip Mitchell of the expert guidance during National Science ISSN 0312–7877 School of Psychiatry. Australia Post print approved Week, 14 to 22 August. The Museum of PP224709/00021 Human Disease in the School of Medical Printed on 50 percent recycled paper 2000 words or less Sciences will be hosting various activities on Deadline for September Uniken: 13 August. Academic staff and postgraduate students 18 August with a grant from the Department UNSW, Sydney NSW 2052 are invited to enter the Dialogica Awards, of Education, Science and Training and CRICOS Provider No 00098G which promote clear, coherent and concise the Department of Industry, Tourism and language with a $10,000 fi rst prize. Entries Resources. Other activities include the should be 2000 words on any issue of launch of the museum’s new exhibition interest to the writer and to the broader Getting on My Nerves and an expert panel community and close on 6 September. discussion entitled Pick my Brains. Further Details at www.campusreview.com.au. information on 9385 1522. 2 August 2004 UNIKEN newsandresearch Professor John Ingleson Professor Robert King For the record Affordable housing is crucial. Without it, people are impoverished, families and communities eroded, jobs lost and the economy weakened. Professor Julian Disney, Social Justice Project – Sydney Morning Herald What Latham needs to do now is to be brave where it really matters, and to bring in policies that will challenge the creeping conservatism around women’s status in this country. Dr Sarah Maddison, School of Politics and International Relations – Courier Mail Being single has never been the preferred option in our society – or in any for that matter. Being involved in a heterosexual couple makes you economically stronger, you get better tax breaks and it’s a more socially acceptable state (in which) to live. NewSouth Global Professorships Dr Margaret Craig-Lees, School of Marketing – Sydney Morning Herald national and international search is The new Professorships have been made In bipolar 2, the ‘highs’ are less obvious… so underway for UNSW’s fi rst ‘cross- possible by a $4 million donation to the the average person in Australia with bipolar 2, faculty’ Professors. University from NewSouth Global (NSG), A if they get detected at all, waits 20 years between UNSW’s commercial education arm. Some The Professorships are designed to attract onset and diagnosis. outstanding researchers with the capacity to $2 million of the donation will be used to Professor Gordon Parker, School of Psychiatry transcend traditional boundaries between fund the Professorships, with the remainder – Australian Journal of Pharmacy disciplines. The aim is to attract new and funding 50 postgraduate scholarships and 12 postdoctoral fellows. The money has dynamic research talent to UNSW, and The great majority of the coast is underdeveloped come from NSG’s 2003 operational surplus. build on the University’s research capacity but Narrabeen–Collaroy is developed and it’s by promoting new and emerging areas of Professor John Ingleson, Deputy Vice- close to the beach. The next big storm means that research. Chancellor (International) and CEO of houses falling into the ocean is a real possibility. Applications are being sought in the NewSouth Global, said he was delighted Dr Ian Turner, Water Research Laboratory following collaborative research areas: to see NSG’s surplus used to further the – Sydney Morning Herald brain sciences, criminology, economic and University’s research agenda. organisational implications of demographic “NSG has grown from a small organisation If kids were to come out of our schools illiterate change and ageing, health and human in 1999 with an operational surplus of and innumerate, the community would be rights, health and the built environment, $600,000 to an international education, appalled. But they come out of our schools integrity and equity in the tax and welfare training and consultancy company with an insocratic and no-one notices. systems, multidisciplinary design, new annual turnover of $65 million,” he said. Associate Professor Philip Cam, School of Philosophy – The Australian media narrative and theory, and sustainable “NSG and its staff have always seen habitats. Up to fi ve Professorships will providing high quality non-degree initially be funded under the scheme. education for UNSW as their goal. It has To suggest that music, theatre, dance, cinema, opera have no place in our daily lives, our Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) now committed a total of $12 million in donations to the University since 1999.” consciousness, our culture, seems plainly wrong. Professor Robert King said the research Dr John Golder, School of Theatre, Film and areas had been identifi ed by the Deans, The NewSouth Global Professors will be Dance – Australian Financial Review in a collaborative process, as offering appointed on a fi ve-year fi xed term contract. opportunities to harness innovative The successful applicants will be teaching Research shows that an unstructured interview is multidisciplinary research within the and research Professors, but the criteria about as reliable as tossing a coin as a method for UNSW environment. “These are emerging will place greater emphasis than usual on selecting the right employees. areas of ‘new research’, with the potential outstanding research performance and future Dr Jim Bright, School of Psychology to deliver substantial benefi ts not only research potential. Further information on the – Sydney Morning Herald to UNSW but to the wider community,” NewSouth Global Professorships is available Professor King said. at http://www.hr.unsw.edu.au/nsg.htm ■ UNIKEN August 2004 3 newsandresearch By Geoffrey Brahm Levey Rights and responsibilities in a diverse society their recent attention on Indigenous rights. The scholarly literature on Australian multi- culturalism has tended to come from cultural studies and the empirical social sciences. To redress this lacuna, a workshop, Australian Marco Del Grande Multiculturalism and Political Theory: Balancing Rights and Responsibilities in a Diverse Society, was held at UNSW in July. It brought together some of Australia’s leading political theorists and other scholars to examine Australian multicultural policy from the perspective of the concerns and arguments developed in multicultural political theory. The workshop was sponsored by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, and the faculties of Law and Arts and Social Sciences.