SYDNEY ANNU XXX II A L 2011 THE UNIV THE E RSI T Y OF SYDN OF Y E Y Y R EP OR T T DRIVING NEW ON ACH I E DISCOVERIES V EME N YOUR GENEROSITY T & PH & T TRANSFORMS LIVES I LA N TH RO SYDNEY ANNUAL P Y THE 2011 REPORT ON ACHIEVEMENT & PHILANTHROPY III XX Your generous donations are helping our people to create new discoveries that will transform lives in Australia and overseas. We have created Sydney Annual as a token of our appreciation, and to demonstrate how your support is making a remarkable difference to our future. 02 WELCOME 23 Creating a culture of giving 34 GIFT REPORT CONTENTS 02 A message from the Chancellor The University’s initiative to attract 03 A message from the Vice-Chancellor student donors has been successful. 35 HONOUR ROLL 04 Fast facts about the University 25 Understanding ageing 35 Individuals A loved one’s painful struggle with 53 Organisations and foundations 07 DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS Alzheimer’s disease inspired one family 57 Bequests and estates 07 Plant power to support dementia research. 58 Challis Bequest Society Professor Daniel Tan is exploring a new 27 No-drill dentistry 60 Foundations role for the agave plant as a biofuel. A new approach to dental care may 11 Turning recycling into child’s play make the feared drill obsolete. 61 INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL Professor Anita Bundy and her team 29 Rethinking man and machine MANAGEMENT REPORT are using recycling to make school Meet Jason Christopher, one of our playgrounds healthier. most thought-provoking artists. 15 Closing in on a new cancer vaccine 31 Paying homage to healthy eating PhD student Lara Malins is pursuing a The Charles Perkins Centre has joined vaccine to prevent epithelial cancers. forces with Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Cover: A collage of images from stories 19 Flying smarter Food to promote healthier eating. included in Sydney Annual. You can find out more about the images on the Professor Salah Sukkarieh and his 33 Mozart’s modern protégée pages following. team are taking pilotless aircraft to Composer Sophie Spargo is proving If you would like to receive an electronic copy Left: Olivier Camu, International Director new heights. herself a worthy modern successor to of Sydney Annual in the future, please email of the Impressionist and Modern Art her hero, Mozart. [email protected] Department of Christie’s in London, examines the artwork Jeune fille endormie, painted by Pablo Picasso in 1935. This painting was donated to the University of Sydney in memory of Leonard P Ullmann. It fetched more than $19 million at a London auction in June 2011. Proceeds from the sale will support research into cardiovascular This publication is printed on ENVI Recycled 50/50 by Spicers Paper, which is NCOS certified. ENVI Recycled disease, obesity and diabetes within the 50/50 is Certified Carbon Neutral and Australian Paper is University’s Charles Perkins Centre. an ISO 14001 certified mill. 2 A MEssaGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR This is the sixth edition of Sydney Annual, faculty and staff, and demonstrates the and reflecting upon our achievements transformative power of your generosity. over that time, I am proud to say that the There can be no doubt that vital to the University of Sydney family is poised to continuing ascent of our nation – as we accomplish significant advances. seek to contribute to greater peace and While many countries of the world were prosperity in our region and beyond – is a facing financial crises in 2008 and 2009, robust and highly competent intelligentsia, remarkably the University’s family of drawn from graduates such as ours, whose donors grew by more than 20 percent. This expertise spans numerous spheres of unprecedented trend continued throughout excellence including science, business and 2010, and by the end of 2011 there were the humanities. almost 9000 donors. This is greater than any Your confidence in the University of Sydney other year in our history. This growth has and your belief in the importance of research enabled the University to reach an amazing and education are indeed commendable. total of over $79 million, for which we are It is with pride and deep appreciation indeed grateful. that I say thank you most sincerely for Examples of innovation and stories of your contributions. goodwill highlighted in this year’s Sydney Annual are a testament to the pride and vision of our donor community. This Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Chancellor edition captures the gratitude of students, 3 A MEssaGE FROM THE VICE-CHANCELLOR When I read this year’s Sydney Annual place. With the support of our donors, we I can’t help feeling both pride and gratitude: can do so much more. pride in our truly impressive teachers, The unprecedented surge of private support researchers and students, and gratitude in 2011 has enabled more students from towards the many donors who have shown disadvantaged backgrounds to receive such generosity by contributing more than scholarship assistance. Private funding $79 million in 2011. It was an extraordinary for cutting-edge research is allowing fundraising year by any measure, a world-renowned scientists like Professor record year for philanthropy in Australian Stephen Simpson to uncover the causes of higher education, and its impact is being obesity, and bright young researchers like experienced in nearly every corner of Daniel Tan to develop innovative ideas on the University. crop modelling with transformative benefits Few universities in the world can boast both for the environment. the breadth and depth of our research, and In short, the generosity of our donors – these pages give you just a snapshot of our last year as young as 17 and as old as 103 strengths, from the development of new – is creating a wave of new possibilities. robot technologies to improved practices in Our future as a university has never early childhood education and potential new been brighter. treatments for cancer. Our students are among the brightest: they come to us seeking inspiration and leave Dr Michael Spence Vice-Chancellor and Principal with a passion to make the world a better Headline acts for 2011: from left to right: players from Sydney University Cricket Club and Los Angeles-based Compton Cricket Club; Associate Professor Min Chen (standing); schoolchildren get hands on with archaeological finds in our museums; Daniel Smith; Ben Quilty. SYDNEY BY THE NUMBERS FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS BUSINESS FAST FACTS – 49,020 students in total AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT Buriata Tofinga, a Master of Commerce The faculty is partnering with leading – 4000 research students student, was awarded the 2011 Prime international organisations to expand the Minister’s Pacific-Australia Award in honour We’ve crunched – 10,643 international students from GlobalSoilMap.net project. Described as of her excellent academic achievement. the numbers to give 140 countries the ‘Google Earth’ of soil quality, this model Another Master of Commerce student, – 286 student exchange agreements in will be the first freely-available, fine-scale, Edward Fernon, qualified to compete you a snapshot of more than 30 countries 3D digital map of the world’s soils. in the modern pentathlon at the 2012 London Olympics. notable University – 700 scholarship schemes ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN of Sydney statistics, – $65 million in scholarships awarded AND PLANNING DENTISTRY and to showcase annually Students Marinel Dator and Katie Yeung won Australia’s first school of dentistry has – 7500 staff first prize in the Barcelona 2011 International been involved in the training of dental how our people have Architecture Competition. – 200+ student clubs and societies practitioners for more than 100 years. headlined our finest Students of the Bachelor of Oral Health – 270,000+ alumni worldwide ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 3 program spent several weeks travelling achievements during – 117 Olympians Senior lecturer Dr Richard Miles brought throughout NSW to boost awareness of the history to life as the host of the six-part importance of dental care. They united their 2011. Here are some – 106 Rhodes scholars BBC series Ancient Worlds. He journeyed expertise with Local Health Districts and of the highlights. – 5.2 million items in our libraries to some of the world’s earliest cities, from other agencies in health promotion projects – 85,600 visitors to our museums Mesopotamia in southern Iraq to key sites of – in nursing homes, with at-risk teenagers the Roman Empire. and with preschoolers and new mothers. 5 EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WORK LaW the faculty reaffirmed its collaboration with VISUAL ARTS Professor Peter Freebody was elected The faculty’s legal research is ranked fourth one of Australia’s leading women’s hospitals, Sydney College of the Arts graduate Ben a fellow of the Academy of the Social among the top international law schools the Royal Hospital for Women. Quilty won Australia’s most famous art prize, Sciences in Australia in recognition of his in the Social Sciences Research Network, the Archibald Award, for his portrait of the outstanding contributions to literacy and and is first among Australian law schools. PHARMACY artist and art patron, Margaret Olley. English education. Its moot team won the 2011 Philip C Jessup A Graduate Careers Australia report found International Law Moot Court Competition. that 97.7 percent of University of Sydney MORE HIGHLIGHTS ENGINEERING AND pharmacy graduates secure full-time work. MUSEUMS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES MEDICINE More than 9250 school students Thanks to its exceptional teaching, research The Sydney Medical School covers SCIENCE participated in the University of Sydney and publication record, the University of 19 disciplines, with more than 40 specialist Associate Professor Min Chen won the Museums’ Primary and Secondary School Sydney was placed 35 in the Times Higher research units and networks, and works Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of Education Program, visiting the museums Education world rankings in the category of with 50 hospitals and health care facilities the Year for her contribution to the study of and getting hands-on experience with Engineering and Technology.