LA TROBE UNIVERSITY Bulletin JANUARY/FEBRUARYBulletin 2003 WILDLIFE finds sanctuary on campus Backing Australian excellence LA TROBE UNIVERSITY NEWS Bulletin IN THIS ISSUE Key role in national ‘Centre of Excellence’ 3 Partnership for better Aboriginal health 3 La Trobe boosts education in Mildura 4 Completing the communication link 5 Making a wireless computer connection 6 Research in Action Laugh, & not all the world laughs with you 7 Fire-fighters take over La Trobe University’s Beechworth campus during the recent bush fires. Research with a delicious outcome 8 Strong muscles mean better health 9 Vice-Chancellor praises Smarter web – and cheaper computers 10 Separation: new way to protect children 11 staff in fire crisis Appeal to save Melbourne’s wildlife 12 La Trobe University’s regional campuses He said: ‘Major sections of the campus were in the thick of the recent bushfire were taken over for command, operations, Melbourne Water sponsors Sanctuary 13 crisis – with the Beechworth campus logistics, resources and ancillary services Older, wiser, and safer on the road 14 serving as key operational centre for the – such as first aid, counselling and Multi-Agency Response Team fighting respite-therapy – and as a staging, Better life for children with cerebral palsy 14 the fires in north east Victoria. accommodation and catering centre.’ The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Maintenance Operations Manager from Books: Keeping tabs on Tongans 15 Osborne, praised the superb efforts of Bundoora, Robin Young, was seconded to Threat to educational diversity 16 La Trobe staff at Beechworth who the Beechworth campus to support local provided round-the clock support for some staff. ‘I was very impressed with the effort 600 fire-fighters and 80 co-ordinators. everyone put in. People worked long He also paid tribute to many members of hours and did things they would not Cover: Pied Cormorants the University from other campuses, who normally do – like gardeners serving tea and other birds rare to to firefighters!’ urban Melbourne are joined local brigades and worked in other re-appearing on the ways to help battle one of the most severe Albury-Wodonga information technology wetlands of La Trobe bushfires in Victoria’s history. staff helped with communication links at University’s Melbourne Wildlife Sanctuary. An Professor Osborne said the University’s Beechworth while other campus members appeal for funds for the recent upgrading of information served as volunteer fire-fighters in Victoria Sanctuary is being and NSW. launched during technology infrastructure, increasing February, see page 12. telephone and data capacity to regional At least seven academic and administrative This photo of a Little campuses, enabled rapid communication staff from the Bendigo campus, all Pied Cormorant drying of critical mapping, infra-red imaging and members of the CFA's Region 2 Strike his wings after diving for food was taken by David Fire-Web information from Beechworth. Teams, helped fight the fires at Bright. Burren. University accommodation and the Jeff Pethybridge, from the campus’ La Trobe International Hotel School at Desktop Systems Support Group, said The La Trobe Bulletin is published by the Public Affairs Beechworth also helped house and feed each of the three Strike Teams comprised Office, La Trobe University. volunteer and professional fire fighters six trucks, each with five people. The Articles may be reproduced with acknowledgement. mobilised to tackle the Eldorado and teams worked Photographs can be supplied. Stanley fires. The campus’ popular for 12 hours a Enquiries and submissions to the editor, Ernest Raetz, summer ‘Opera in the Alps’ was day on tours of La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086 Australia postponed because of the fires. duty that lasted Tel (03) 9479 2315, Fax (03) 9479 1387 three days. Ⅲ Email: [email protected] Beechworth campus Director, Ian Burke, Design: Campus Graphics (47453) said the Stanley fire started at Buckland La Trobe University. Gap near the University, and came to Printed by Vaughan Printing Pty Ltd. within a kilometre of the southern Website: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/bulletin boundary of the campus. 2 LA TROBE UNIVERSITY BULLETIN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2003 NEWS BACKING AUSTRALIA La Trobe in $11.5m national ‘Centre of Excellence’ Research at La Trobe University to help build highly sophisticated computer models and software will play a key role in one of eight new Centres of Excellence designed to boost Australia’s international competitiveness. process of modelling scientific systems. ‘This research is therefore critical, among The Australian Research Council (ARC) Once a consistent model is attained, the other things, to the development, analysis, Centres will carry out leading-edge research crucial second role of scientific and implementation of the next generation in national priority areas. They share almost computation is the prediction upon which of computer models and software,’ he $90 million over the next five years under actions or recommendations are based. concludes. Ⅲ the Federal Government $3 billion ‘Backing Australia’s Ability’ innovation package. La Trobe is part of the recently announced $11.5 million ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Modelling Research partnership for of Complex Systems, a collaborative research effort involving the University of BETTER ABORIGINAL HEALTH Melbourne, the Australian National University, the University of New South La Trobe is one of five universities and a focusing on areas which Aboriginal Wales, and the University of Queensland. group of other organisations to bid communities and industry partners Head of the La Trobe research team, Dr successfully for research funds to improve identify as critical to improving health Reinout Quispel, says complex systems are the health of indigenous Australians. outcomes for Aboriginal people. critical to most aspects of modern life and The funds will be used to form the They are Professor Vivian Lin (Head, industry – from the internet, robotics and new Cooperative Research Centre for School of Public Health); Associate defence, to finance, biology and medicine. Aboriginal Health (CRCAH). It replaces Professor Judith Dwyer (Leader, Health An Associate Professor in the School of the former Cooperative Research Centre Service Management, School of Public Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, for Aboriginal and Tropical Health, and Health); Associate Professor David Legge he says La Trobe will contribute its has a budget of $145 million over seven (Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health); expertise in the areas of dynamical systems, years. and Dr Jon Willis (Research Fellow, La Trobe’s Australian Research Centre in Sex, in which it has long been a leading player, The Federal Government has contributed Health and Society). and scientific computation. nearly $23 million and La Trobe will Dynamical systems, he explains, exhibit a contribute $100,000 per annum in cash A new approach by the Centre wide range of behaviour: from the very plus the participation of its researchers. acknowledges shared recognition between service providers and research org- predictable, such as the motion of the La Trobe joins Flinders, Northern anisations of crucial gaps in understanding planets, to very unpredictable, like the Territory, Melbourne and Queensland determinants of Aboriginal health and weather. ‘Research at La Trobe is helping universities and 14 other organisations, well-being. improve our abilities to predict the selected to further transdisciplinary behaviour of such complex systems. research, into Aboriginal health. The approach recognises that research on determinants generally requires a longer ‘In scientific computation it is important to Four La Trobe health academics will validate approximations made in the contribute to the Centre’s research, Continued page 6 LA TROBE UNIVERSITY BULLETIN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2003 3 NEWS Teaching, research to EXPAND IN MILDURA La Trobe University, with help from a $1.9 million Commonwealth government grant, is boosting its information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure as part of a major development of its Mildura campus this year. The move will provide regional staff and students with reliable, high-speed communications services, giving them access to state-of-the-art educational and research materials including video streaming of lectures from across the La Trobe University campus network. The announcement of the new microwave link to Mildura coincided with the official ‘turning of the sod’ ceremony recently on the site of the University’s new Academic Research Building at Mildura. ‘I have a special interest in the building we are that the lower Murray needed research The ceremony was performed by La Trobe launching here today,’ La Trobe University attention. I am delighted that this building University Chancellor, Emeritus Professor Chancellor, Emeritus Professor Nancy Millis, is to give the Centre a permanent, purpose- Nancy Millis. right, told a gathering of about 150 people at built home. Not only that, but it will be a The building is scheduled to be completed Mildura. laboratory to serve the needs of La Trobe biological sciences students. by August. In addition to funds committed Turning the first sod for the new building at a by La Trobe University, the Victorian ceremony attended by about 150 people, ‘Another potential benefit of La Trobe’s government has provided $2.5 million for including well-known Mildura identity and expanded role