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The Federal Government has earmarked more than $60 million for five new cooperative research centres that will include the collaboration of Monash researchers.
The funding includes $14 million over the next seven years for the CRC for Functional Communication Surfaces, which will be based at Clayton.
Australian Pulp and Paper Institute director Professor Bob Johnston said the new CRC would conduct research into developing new products and processes for the paper, packaging and print industries.
He said one project was to develop low-cost papers for printing digital photographs on home printers.
"At the moment, people are paying an enormous amount for special paper to print their photographs from a digital camera. We want to produce a paper that costs a little extra than normal copy paper rather than 20 times more," he said.
Another concept related to 'smart packaging' such as producing printing inks and processes that change under certain temperatures and could be used in the packaging of frozen goods.
"At the moment, there is no way of knowing whether a frozen product has been illegally thawed and refrozen while being sent overseas or interstate," he said.
"But this type of ink could be applied to a frozen package and would remain unchanged unless it was thawed."
Other research partners in the CRC are the Australian National University and the CSIRO. Various paper, printing and packaging companies have also pledged $10 million in industry support.
Funding for the next seven years for the other new CRCs includes:
The existing CRC for Water Quality and Treatment has been re-funded with $16.75 million over the next seven years.
Deputy vice-chancellor Professor Peter Darvall said the latest CRC approvals brought the total number of Monash-associated CRCs up to 17.
"I doubt any other university is involved in more CRCs than Monash. It demonstrates our very strong links with the relevant industry and government sectors across a wide range of fields and exemplifies the university's theme of engagement," he said.
Associate Professor Ian Parker, Professor Tam Sridhar and Professor Bob Johnston, from the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Rural clinical school approvedRural clinical training at Monash is set for a boost after Federal Health Minister Dr Michael Wooldridge announced plans for the Bairnsdale Clinical School last week. The development at Bairnsdale will link in with other activities in the region of Gippsland and with events further afield in Bendigo and Mildura. Together these centres will form the new Monash School of Rural Health. The rural clinical school aims to provide clinical or practical experience for medical students during their degrees. Faculty of Medicine dean Professor Nick Saunders welcomed the announcement, although he said many details about funding and timeframes still had to be resolved. "We are happy the Commonwealth has accepted our plan and look forward to developing our proposal further in partnership with each health service partner," he said. "This new development will allow our new curriculum to give students a greater choice of opportunities for clinical training and a greater selection of locations in which to have their education fulfilled." |
Information Technology Services (ITS) has launched a two-year graduate recruitment program in a bid to address the shortage of highly skilled IT specialist staff.
The initiative, which received more than 200 applications for the first intake, is driven by Monash's need for a pool of talented, well-rounded graduates who can adapt to the dynamic environment of the IT services organisation of the future.
Under the program, each IT graduate will undertake four six-month placements in different sections of the ITS Division and receive professional and technical training as well as personal and career mentoring.
ITS executive director Mr Alan McMeekin with, from left, graduate recruits Ms Fiona Andrewartha, Ms Lilian Yeoh, and Ms Teng-Li Yong.
Postgraduate artwork on show
The display features the work of seven postgraduate students from the Faculty of Art and Design in which the modern technological world and the more traditional paint brush contribute equally to the artists' creativity. PhD research student Greer Honeywill has contributed 'Embrace', a piece constructed from 102 kitchen graters to symbolise the 1950s domestic environment when the kitchen was the centre of the universe. Masters student Tyra Hutchens explores the use of the circle as a symbol of the rotational cycle in 'Album', which depicts memory, experience and time lived with a series of circular structures hung on the wall. Other students to display work are Cresside Collette, David Fitzsimmons, Irene Grishin-Selzer, Zai Biao Kuang and Louise Rippert. The exhibition runs until 24 February. For further information, contact extn 32882. |
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| Physics
and astronomy lecturer Ms Susan Feteris and Year 12 student Rob Trotter with a holographic diffraction grating. |
Almost 150 Year 10 students participated in the three-day Siemens Science Experience at the Clayton campus.
Monash pioneered the event, which is now run nationally and sponsored by Siemens.
The program aims to show Year 10 students the possibilities of a career in science or engineering and encourage students to study science subjects in secondary school.
This year's event featured lectures, student participation in experiments, and supervised visits to research laboratories and manufacturing plants. It also included hands-on activities such as tissue culture and constructing electric motors.
Popular lectures with the students were 'Roleplaying mechanical dinosaurs on Mars - my adventures in science' and 'Bioinvasions in the era of globalisation'.
Students also had the chance to meet Year 12 student Rob Trotter, winner of a State Government Student Science Fellowship, who assisted in the planning and running of the program.
Rob, who was spending time on campus as part of his prize, helped staff prepare a talk on black holes and co-authored a new practical assignment for astronomy students, which is likely to be used by some of his Year 12 physics classmates this semester.
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An
exhibition of masters and PhD student artwork, Powder: The Controlled
Space, is now showing at the Faculty Gallery, Caulfield campus.