University Advancement Office Alumni and Friends

University News - Achievements and Awards

Federation Fellows

Leading nanoscientist, Associate Professor Paul Mulvaney (BSc (Hons) 1988, PhD 1997) (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) and eminent historian expatriate Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick (BA (Hons) 1962) (University of Chicago) have been awarded Federation Fellowships at the University in 2005.

The Fellowships, which together carry around $3m in Australian Research Council (ARC) funding, are designed to develop, retain or attract top researchers.

Associate Professor Mulvaney will conduct research in the new field of molecular mechanics where scientists working on the nanoscale study the properties of particles of as few as 100 atoms.

Professor Fitzpatrick will join the History Department in 2005. She is considered one of the leading contemporary international authorities on Stalinist Russia and will investigate the social and cultural roots of the Soviet collapse of 1991.

World leader in insect genetics and evolution research, Professor Ary Hoffmann, was awarded a Federation Fellowship in 2004 to conduct research into strategies for species conservation, environmental monitoring and pest control.

Professor Hoffman is Director of the Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research (CESAR), an ARC–funded research centre with nodes at the University of Melbourne, Monash and La Trobe universities. He relocated to Melbourne from La Trobe University in 2005.

Bionic Ear Pioneer Awarded PM’s Science Prize

Professor Graeme Clark was awarded the prestigious Prime Minister’s Science Prize in September 2004. Founder and director of the Bionic Ear Institute, Professor Clark is one of the earliest inventors, investigators and implementers of cochlear implantation and the bionic ear. He has been a true pioneer of hearing technology for profoundly deaf people and a champion of deaf people, particularly children. Professor Clark remains a Laureate Professorial Fellow in the University.

Three researchers elected to the Australian Academy of Science (AAS)

Professor Samuel Berkovic (MBBS 1997, MD 1985), Director of the Epilepsy Research Centre in the University’s Department of Medicine at Austin Health, Heidelberg; Professor Franz Grieser (BSc (Hons) 1973, PhD 1977), School of Chemistry; and Professor Geoffrey McFadden (BSc (Hons) 1980, DSc 1985), School of Botany are the University’s three new AAS Fellows.

Election to the Academy recognises a career that has significantly advanced, and continues to advance, the world’s scientific knowledge.

Professor Berkovic’s election recognises his research in the field of epilepsy. His work has led to a change in basic research into epilepsy, resulting in radical changes in the clinical management of familial forms of epilepsy and new insights into their underlying biology.

Professor Grieser has been recognised for his research in free radical chemistry, spectroscopy, colloid and surface science, and sonochemistry. He has established creative links that cross conventional boundaries to solve key questions in surfactant science and sonochemistry, generating novel applications with commercial potential for industry.

Professor McFadden’s election recognises his research into the malaria parasite, showing that it contains a relic chloroplast, indicating that it evolved from a parasitic alga. His findings have enabled him to pioneer a novel approach to combating malaria.

Physicist lauded for world-class research

University alumnus and theoretical physicist Professor Helen Quinn is in an elite international group of women who have made original and important contributions to physics. Recently awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Melbourne, Professor Quinn is based at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre (SLAC) in San Francisco, USA.

Professor Quinn is noted for her work toward unifying the strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions into a single coherent model of particle physics. She is recognised as a driving force in developing education and outreach programs for the public and science teachers and played a key role in the development of The Particle Physics Adventure an interactive web-based explanation of particle physics.

Uni six fly high in Smart 100 Awards

Two University of Melbourne academics were named the smartest people in their fields and another four were finalists in the 2004 Bulletin Microsoft Smart 100 national awards.

The Awards recognise 100 finalists who have made outstanding contributions across 10 areas of Australian life including business, science, IT and communications, health and medicine, society, and arts and entertainment.

Professor Emeritus of Education, Hedley Beare (BEd 1959, MEd 1965), won in Education, and Dr Darren Russell (MBBS 1987), Senior Lecturer in the University’s Sexual Health Unit, School of Population Health, won in Health and Medicine.

Finalists in the Science category were geologist Professor Andrew Gleadow (BSc (Hons) 1971, PhD 1975) (Earth Sciences) and forest scientist Professor Peter Vinden (CRC for Wood Innovation). Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow Ms Lillian Holt and Professor Patrick McGorry (MD 2003) (Psychiatry) were finalists in the Society category.

Major Maths Award to Tony Guttman

Eminent University of Melbourne mathematics academic, Professor Tony Guttmann (BSc 1965, MSc 1967), was awarded the 2004 B H Neumann Award of the Australian Mathematics Trust. The Award is made each year to a member of the community who has made a considerable contribution to the enrichment of mathematics education in Australia and nearby regions. It recognises, among other activities, Professor Guttmann’s work during the past decade in organising the annual BHP Billiton – University of Melbourne School Mathematics Competition.

2005 University Teaching Awards

Professor Warren Bebbington (BMus 1974 MMus 1967), Ormond Professor and Dean, Faculty of Music, was awarded the Barbara Falk Award. Professor Bebbington has a record of 30 years of outstanding teaching as attested by fellow staff, students and graduates.

Dr Marilys Guillemin (GradDipEd 1989, PhD Arts 1997) and Dr Lynn Gillam (BA (Hons) 1985) from the Centre for the Study of Health and Society, were awarded the David White Award for their team teaching.

Dr Philip Collier (BSurv (Hons) 1984, PhDEng 1988), Faculty of Engineering, Department of Geomatics, was awarded the Edward Brown Award. Dr Collier has approached the teaching of traditionally difficult subjects as a research project in its own right.

Some University Award winners were also nominated for the Australian Awards for University Teaching (AA UT) administered by the new Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

The Norman Curry Support and Service Award was this year awarded to the program, ‘Postgraduate Eessentials: Strategies for a Successful Start to your PhD’, a joint initiative of the School of Graduate Studies, the Language and Learning Skills Unit and the Information Division.

Members of the Postgraduate Essentials program team include Ms Teresa Tjia and Dr Jeanette Fyffe, Dr Wendy Larcombe and Dr Anthony McCosker, and Ms Sabina Robertson and Ms Claire Brooks.

Bethlehem Griffiths medal

Howard Florey Institute Director and University of Melbourne scientist, Professor Frederick Mendelsohn (MBBS 1965, MD 1973), was awarded the 2005 Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation Medal for medical research. The BGRF Medal, awarded annually, honours Victorian scientists and health-care professionals who make an outstanding contribution to research in the areas of palliative care or progressive neurological diseases.

Phil Batterham lauded for Genetics Congress

Associate Professor Philip Batterham (Genetics) was awarded a Celebrating Melbourne award for his key role in gaining and staging the XIXth International Congress of Genetics in Melbourne in 2004. The Congress attracted more than 2700 delegates from 72 nations, including six Nobel Prize winners, and contributed significantly to public debate on the complex issues of genetics. Professor Batterham leads a groundbreaking research project which aims to sequence the Australian blowfly genome in a bid to develop a new vaccine to protect sheep against flystrike.

James Birrell receives Australia’s top architecture award

Queensland-based architect, and University of Melbourne graduate, James Birrell (BArch 1952) was named the recipient of the nation’s highest architectural award, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal. He is best known for his work on landmark Brisbane buildings, including the Centenary Swimming Pool in Spring Hill, the Toowong Library and a range of university buildings.

Birrell’s success makes it a trifecta for University of Melbourne alumni being awarded the Gold Medal, with Peter Corrigan (BArch 1966) and Gregory Burgess (BArch 1970) taking the honours in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

Honorary Doctorate for Gregory Burgess

The Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne awarded its first ever Honorary Doctorate to celebrated alumnus Gregory Burgess in April 2005.

FAW Lifetime Achievement Award to Philip Salom

School of Creative Arts lecturer Philip Salom (MA 2003) has been awarded the Fellowship of Australian Writers Christopher Brennan lifetime achievement award. The award is made annually to honour an Australian who has written work of sustained quality and distinction.

Mr Salom’s highly acclaimed career includes nine books of poetry published and twice being winner of the Newcastle Poetry Prize for unpublished poems. He is also the only person to have won the Commonwealth Poetry Book Prize twice, earning him an audience with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

David Syme Research Prize 2004

Associate Professor David Jackson, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Associate Professor Trevor Lithgow, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, were jointly awarded the prestigious David Syme Research Prize for 2004. The Prize is awarded by the Faculty of Science for the best original research work in biology, chemistry, geology or physics,
produced in Australia during the preceding two years.

Fulbright Awards

Three University of Melbourne graduates were selected as 2005 Fulbright scholars. Dr Ruth Lim (MBBS (Hons) 1997) was awarded a Fulbright Professional Award to study cardiac disease in Type 2 diabetics using Magnetic Resonance Imaging at the Radiology Department of the New York University Medical Centre.

David McCann (LLB (Hons) 2004 BCom 2004) secured a Fulbright Postgraduate Award to undertake masters research in the field of judicial power and constitutional rights in the United States.

Dr Lincoln Turner (PhD 2005), currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University based in the University’s School of Physics, won a Fulbright Postdoctoral Award to research measurement of the Abraham Force, working at the National Institute of Standardsand Technology in Maryland. Understanding the effect, known as the Abraham Force, is crucial to advances in ultra-precision timekeeping technology which are important for synchronising communications via the Internet and other everyday devices such as navigation systems.

Meanwhile the University is hosting two Fulbright scholars from the United States in 2005. Heather Henry from the University of Cincinnati is working with Professor Alan Baker from Botany on the environmental effects of using phytotechnology in metalmining impacted sites.

Christen Fornadel from Haverford College is researching hydatid disease in relation to vaccine development in collaboration with Dr Marshall Lightowlers from Veterinary Science.

General Sir John Monash Awards 2005

Three University of Melbourne graduates are among the eight young Australians who won General Sir John Monash Awards for 2005. The Awards are a national endeavour seeking to develop future leaders and are recognised as Australia’s own prestigious scholarships like the British Rhodes Scholarships and the American Fulbright program.

Sarah Milne (BE (Hons)/BSc2000) plans to contribute to sustainable development through land management and custodianship of our environment and the Asia-Pacific region. She will complete a PhD at the University of Sussex, UK.

Andrew Hudson (BA (Hons)/LLB (Hons) 2003) hopes to work as a human rights lawyer in the Australian community or with an international organisation. He has been accepted into the Master of Laws (Public Service Law) at New York University, USA, one of only 11 students worldwide accepted into this flagship human rights degree.

Miranda Sissons (BA (Hons) 1993), President of the Student Union in 1993, completed a Master of Arts at Yale University, USA. She currently works as a consultant with the Middle East and North Africa Division of Human Rights Watch and plans to complete a PhD at Princeton University.

The General Sir John Monash Awards are worth up to $150,000 over three years and are open to outstanding Australian Citizens from all fields to study at overseas institutions. For more information visit www.monashawards.org

Sir Robert Menzies Awards

Anina Rich (PhD, MBBs) from the School of Behavioural Science won the 2004 National Health and Medical Research Council/RG Menzies Fellowship, for postgraduate medical study at an overseas institution. She is undertaking her Fellowship in 2005 at the Harvard Medical School.

Joel Fetter (BA/LLB (Hons) 2003) won the 2004 Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Law and will take up his one year scholarship at the London School of Economics where he will study for the LLM starting in October 2005.

Nossal Institute of Global Health

The University is to establish the Nossal Institute for Global Health, a new research institute named in honour of one of the University’s most eminent researchers, Professor Sir Gustav Nossal. The Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences has committed $7.5 million over five years to establish the Institute, which will build on the existing world-class expertise of the University and its affiliates in child health, mental health, women’s health, and vaccines to drive improvements in global health, particularly in the Asia Region.

Centre for Business and Public Policy at MBS

Current issues and potential opportunities faced by Australia’s business leaders and public policy-makers will be the focus of a new high-level centre at the Melbourne Business School. Reserve Bank Governor Mr Ian Macfarlane launched the Centre for Business and Public Policy in May 2005. Centre Director Professor Ian Harper said priority areas identified for investigation included infrastructure, tax reform and regulation, innovation and productivity and the implications of Australia’s ageing workforce. For more information visit www.mbs.edu

Crown Princess of Sweden visits

In March 2005, HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden visited the University, spending time in the Department of Swedish Studies and the Law Faculty. Professor Tim McCormack, of the Australian Pacific Centre for Military Law (ACPC ML),hosted the visit to the Law School after the Princess had expressed interest in having discussions on defence, strategic policy, and military law, during her visit to Melbourne.

The Centre facilitates cooperation among military forces of the Asia-Pacific Region in the research, training and implementation of the laws governing military operations.

The Crown Princess proved to be well informed on Asia-Pacific regional aspects of the Centre’s work, including the Centre’s involvement in the Swedish-led International Challenges of Peacekeeping project.

The Crown Princess also visited the Department of Swedish Studies, which runs the only full Swedish program in the Southern Hemisphere. HRH wished to acknowledge the Australian students’ interest in her language and culture.

Music Faculty endowment to support students

The Faculty of Music plans to have 25 per cent of its undergraduate students on a full scholarship. A Faculty endowment campaign has been set up to help tackle the issue of rising education costs for a large core of music students. The Faculty is seeking gifts to fully endow one-quarter of all places in the Faculty, so that its scholarship students do not pay fees,and graduate with out HECS or other debts. For more information visit www.music.unimelb.edu.au

Land and Food Resources to refocus on higher education

Recognising that the University is not the best-placed provider of vocational education and training in agriculture, the Council decided in June 2005 to work with the Faculty of Land and Food Resources to refocus the delivery of higher education programs, research and research training.

The process will involve considerable consultation with alternative VET providers who are better-placed to provide these programs as well as communities, government and industry.

Centenary of Agriculture

During 2005 and in 2006, the Faculty of Land and Food Resources will celebrate the centenary of the establishment of agricultural education at the University and the admittance of its first students. Keep in touch with centenary events by visiting the Faculty’s web site at www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au

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