FREE Publication December 2006 Volume 15 | Number 10 inside this issue Joint forces 4 winning the Bright light on the cancer horizon skills war 11 Endangered wallaby comes home 16 Aboriginal language book launched 21 with enrolments now open to the not least of which is having our staff Engineering general public for 2007. equipped with the skills, knowledge and experience required to keep Already the degree has generated the submarines at their maximum enormous interest from engineers capability,” Mr Tunny said. In an Australian fi rst, a new defence working in Australia’s defence industry, Andy returns for Masters degree will give South as well as others hoping to gain the “The Masters degree will greatly graduation role Australian engineers an edge over their additional skills required to enter the accelerate up-skilling and, in time, interstate counterparts. defence market. strengthen Australia’s indigenous naval engineering capability.” Co-developed by industry partner ASC Speaking at the Masters launch, Pty Ltd and the University of Adelaide, ASC Managing Director Greg Tunny Professor James McWha, Vice- the Master of Marine Engineering fi lls an said the complexity of engineering Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, important void in engineering education projects undertaken on the Collins said the new degree addressed skills for specialist application on ships and Class submarines and the air warfare shortages in the defence industry submarines. destroyers reinforces the importance of and would provide additional career the Masters degree. opportunities for engineers. Eleven ASC personnel from diverse engineering disciplines are the fi rst “Our submarine and destroyer programs students to participate in the program, present us with unique challenges, continued on page 12 Adelaidean Adelaidean has a readership of more than 30,000 per month – 12,000 in print and 18,000 online www.adelaide.edu.au/adelaidean Editor: David Ellis Phone: +61 8 8303 5414 Fax: +61 8 8303 4829 Email: [email protected] Mail: The University of Adelaide Marketing and Strategic Communications Offi ce Level 1, 115 Grenfell Street From the Vice-Chancellor Adelaide SA 5000 Design: It’s the festive season, so it’s appropriate that I devote Another excellent example of this can be found in the Chris Tonkin a bit of space in this last issue of the year to the idea story about the City of West Torrens Max and Bette Writers: of giving. Mendelson Foundation Scholarships. Established from a bequest, the scholarships provide educational Candy Gibson There are a number of stories in this month’s Adelaidean Robyn Mills opportunities and support for talented young students that demonstrate the power of giving and its ability to from each of South Australia’s universities. What began Contributors: make a real impact on individuals, institutions and the as a selfl ess act is now making a huge impact on many Renee Conley community. Bill Elliott students each year. Lana Guineay Nowhere is this more evident than in the gift that Nicholas Jose It’s not just individuals who can make a difference – SA began the University of Adelaide more than 130 years John Randles Water has shown its commitment to higher education George Rogers ago. In 1872, Sir Walter Watson Hughes gave £20,000 by establishing nine scholarships at the University Margaret Secombe – a staggering amount at that time – which led to the of Adelaide, starting next year. The scholarships will Advertising: foundation of the University of Adelaide in 1874, giving support students from across many disciplines. Max Hicks, Radio Adelaide South Australia the nation’s third university. This set in Phone: +61 8 8303 5000 motion a great legacy: our University has had 100,000 This year the South Australian Government also made Fax: +61 8 8303 4374 Email: [email protected] graduates to date, 100 Rhodes Scholars and fi ve Nobel a donation of $1 million to the University’s Heritage Laureates, three of them our own graduates. Foundation, the largest individual contribution to the Printed by: Foundation since its inception in 2005. Lane Print Group Hughes showed great vision in helping to create the Phone: +61 8 8179 9900 University, but I don’t think even he could have known All of these donations to the University recognise the Fax: +61 8 8376 1044 Email: [email protected] the absolute breadth and depth of the achievements this importance of having a quality educational institution in Web: www.laneprint.com.au university has seen over the years. this State. Those who donate understand the difference they can make – whether big or small, it is all welcome. Distribution: Giving is not just something that has occurred in the Lane Print Group University’s past. We are grateful to have individuals Thank you to everyone who has supported the University Passing Out Distribution Co. who, like Hughes, have a vision and an understanding of Adelaide this year. I wish you all the best for the Material may be reproduced without of how education can change people and society. festive season. permission but acknowledgement must Such a person is Maureen Ritchie, who has donated a be given to the Adelaidean. substantial amount of money to our Centre for Aboriginal Registered by Australia Post No 565001/00046 Studies in Music to help establish an outreach program with rural and remote communities. Adelaidean is produced on paper made from renewable resources and printed Maureen’s contribution, like that of Hughes, is the with vegetable-based inks. subject of a story in this publication. We’re extremely Next issue: grateful to Maureen for her interest and her commitment JAMES A. McWHA March 2007 to helping the University to achieve great things. Vice-Chancellor and President Pony up to cut Bob’s tail There’s a bounty on Professor Bob Hill’s head! In fact, it’s really his ponytail that could fetch a high price. The Executive Dean of the Faculty of Sciences has had a ponytail almost all of the time since his undergraduate days. He has now agreed to have it cut off to raise funds for the Brain Foundation (SA), supporting research into brain disorders, diseases and injury. “I always knew it [the ponytail] would go one day – this seems like a good excuse to do it,” Professor Hill said. You can help the University of Adelaide raise funds for this worthy cause by pledging a donation. There will be prizes for the Largest Individual Donation and Largest Group Donation. The offi cial haircut will take place on 16 March. For more information, visit: www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/ponytail Adelaidean Volume 15, Number 10 December 2006 2 Above: A possible design of the new Plant Accelerator at the University’s Waite Campus Image courtesy of Capital $25 million for Architecture Pty Ltd Right: Professor Mark Tester world-class Photo by Chris Tonkin “Particularly exciting is the potential conditions and in the fi eld. Recent for making key discoveries relating advances in robotics, imaging and biotech facility to salinity and drought tolerance, computing will be used in applying factors which signifi cantly limit crop these technologies. production worldwide.” “Phenomics has the potential Federal Government funding for The Plant Accelerator, which will be to revolutionise the way that Science the national facility was announced located at the University of Adelaide’s researchers tackle key issues in recently by the Minister for Waite Campus, will use robotic plant and agricultural biology,” said Two major grants – $15 million from Education, Science and Training, the techniques to take 3D images of Dr Jeremy Burdon, Chief of CSIRO the Federal Government and $10 Hon. Julie Bishop MP. The State plants, recording their size, colour Plant Industry. million from the South Australian Government funding, announced and temperature, providing an insight “Research at the facility will aid Government – have been awarded by the Minister for Science and into overall plant health. The Plant the development of new crops for to help create a new plant research Information Economy, the Hon. Accelerator will consist of a series of improved human health or for novel facility aimed at boosting agricultural Karlene Maywald MP, will go towards hi-tech greenhouses and laboratories uses such as pharmaceuticals, and research and the plant biotech the establishment of the Plant that can accommodate 160,000 also improve sustainable agriculture industry. Accelerator in Adelaide. plants a year. and biodiversity conservation.” The National Plant Phenomics “This national facility will be “This high-throughput facility will The combined $25 million in Facility, which consists of the Plant world class in every respect and be available for all Australian plant government funding will go towards Accelerator to be established in will provide a competitive edge scientists and will greatly assist our the total of almost $50 million Adelaide and the High Resolution for Australia’s $27 billion annual researchers in ‘phenotyping’ plants needed to establish the national Plant Phenomics Centre in Canberra, agriculture export industry,” – that is, identifying the role of each facility, with the remainder of the will be the fi rst of its kind in the said Professor Tester, Federation plant gene in the function of the funding expected to come from public sector anywhere in the world. Fellow with the University of whole plant,” said Professor Geoff partner institutions, industry and Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Fincher, Director of the University of The collaborative national facility other government sources. Food and Wine. Adelaide’s Waite Campus. will be led by Professor Mark Tester The University of Adelaide’s Vice- at the University of Adelaide and “The facility will allow researchers The High Resolution Phenomics Chancellor, Professor James involves research partners at CSIRO to respond more quickly to market Technology Centre will be located McWha, said the University’s world- Plant Industry and the Australian needs; it will increase the quality in Canberra at CSIRO Plant Industry famous Waite Campus continued National University (ANU), as well of plant science research and and ANU.