December 01 , 2005

Message from the Rector

Graduation Week - 5-9 December

I would like to remind staff that the following events will be taking place over Graduation Week.....

Tuesday 6 December
6.00 pm Academy Prizes and Awards Ceremony- Adams Hall

Wednesday 7 December
10.30 am Degree Conferring Ceremony – Business, Humanities and Social Sciences

2.30 pm Degree Conferring Ceremony – Engineering, Science and Technology

Thursday 8 December
Graduation Parade will be held from 9.30am to 11.30am. For entree tickets to the parade please contact SOCOORD on 6268 8606 or Tania Finn, Rector's Office on 6268 8701. Please see Staff Bulletin for information regarding access to ADFA and parking on the day.

Invitations for academic staff have been sent out for both degree conferring ceremonies and I hope that many of you will be able to attend one or both. It is important that the University community is well represented at graduation activities.

I draw attention also to the Prizes and Awards Night which is an opportunity to share more closely with the students in commemorating their achievements throughout the year, including academic achievements.

Congratulations - Professor Promotions

I am very pleased to report that Associate Professor Robin Prior and Associate Professor David Lovell have been promoted to Professor, effective 1/1/06.

Please join me in congratulating them on this outstanding achievement.

Please note that the Campus Newsletter will not be published next week due to Graduation activities.

B. Tech. Aviation Students gain Wings

Students from UNSW@ADFA's B Tech Aviation program have excelled at a recent graduation from the Royal Australian Air Force's No 2 Flying Training School in Pearce WA . Of the seventeen students receiving their wings, eight were from UNSW@ADFA. There were eight awards presented at the ceremony, seven of which were presented to the B Tech Aviation students from the Canberra campus.

This is the second cohort of the B Tech Aviation program from UNSW@ADFA to graduate from Pearce in WA. Having completed their air training, three of the students are heading off to fly fast jets, three more are gong to Navy for Helicopter training , one graduate is heading off to 36 Squadron at Richmond flying Hercules and the final graduate is heading to Forward Air Control.

ACME Racing Team On The Road

On a cold wet Monday afternoon, down near the tennis courts, there was a gathering of students, staff and team sponsors eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the new ACME Formula SAE racing car.

Soon after 2.30pm, the team's patron L ieutenant General David Hurley of Capability Development Group arrived to carry out the honours. After meeting the sponsors and talking to the ACME team, the patron formally unveiled the 2005 contender for the Formula SAE-Australasia Championships in Werribee Victoria .

Two of the student drivers then put the car through its paces for the sponsors and the media. Having warmed up the car LTGEN Hurley donned driving suit, shoes, gloves and hard hat for his turn at taking the new car around the track. Judging from his grin, it was quite evident that the team's patron was not too keen to hand the car back to the waiting team.

This year's car has been built from the ground up and has been undergoing serious workouts over the last few weeks. On Saturday afternoon whilst most of us were sheltering from the inclement weather, the ACME Racing Team were putting the car through its paces under severe weather conditions.

As this goes to press, the ACME team are arriving in Werribee Victoria for the 2005 championships. Travelling with the team are Coach Dr Warren Smith , Motor Sport Guru Neil Trama and Driver Training Manager Brian Weston (Air Vice-Marshal Retd).

Hopefully in the next issue, we can bring you more details on their successes and some images.

For more information, please contact:

Mike Palmer-Allen

Public Relations Manager

Mobile : 0404 475 539

What are the attributes of a Defence Engineer?

This was the question posed to approximately forty engineers from the ADF across the disciplines of aeronautical, aviation, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, last Thursday.

The one-day workshop hosted by the Schools of ACME and ITEE considered the attributes and essential skill sets that will be needed by the ADF in the foreseeable future. The participating engineers from Defence and UNSW@ADFA were able to put forward their needs, concerns and discuss common issues affecting engineering in the context of Defence.

The key attributes of a graduate engineer as determined by the peak authority, Engineers Australia, were discussed. Issues such as recruitment and attracting quality students were also put on the table for discussion.

It was evident that across all three services, graduates needed to be able to solve problems that required using multiple engineering disciplines. Ultimately, communication and being able to work as a team and as an individual are vital to the success of an engineer. Motivating students and keeping “the hunger to learn” active in engineering students was raised. The concept of life-long learning and the fact that freshly graduated engineers were considered as “generalists” was also brought up for discussion. Another common thread related to how do educationalists encourage or teach students to “learn to think”?

The material gathered over the day's discussions will be synthesised and sent out to participants. Additionally, the workshop with the immediate employer of our graduates allowed the UNSW@ADFA engineering staff to focus attention on possible shortfalls, identifying strengths and opportunities in preparation for accreditation of the engineering programs by Engineers Australia.

Professor John Baird
Rector

Staff Bulletins

If you have something you would like to contribute, please download and complete the submission form and email the information to newsletter@adfa.edu.au.

ADFA Indoor Sports Centre (ISC) Users

Unfortunately on Mon, 05 Dec 05, the ADFA ISC male and female change rooms will be closed until approximately 25 Jan 06, due to maintenance and resurfacing of the floors.

As a result, all lockers and change rooms will be out of bounds for the entire time, until told otherwise.

Any personnel with lockers, will be required to remove equipment and clear them out, by NLT COB Mon, 05 Dec 05.

The ADFA ISC P&RT Staff apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

If you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to ring me on the below number or direct them to the OC P&RT, LEUT A. Vonsenden, on 6268 8585.

POC: LEUT Vonsenden, OC P&RT, Ext: 88585

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ACADEMY GRADUATION PARADE - THURSDAY 8 DECEMBER

Invitation to ADFA Staff

ADFA Military, UNSW@ADFA staff and Defence Public Servants are invited to attend the Graduation Parade on Thursday, 8 December 2005. The Parade commences at 9.30am and ends at 11.30am.Staff are requested to be seated by 9.20am. Each member of staff may invite up to three guests .

Staff wishing to be seated at the Parade are asked to obtain a blue entrée card for themselves and each guest from SOCOORD, Cheryl Rainsbury (2 nd Floor, Military Building ) on 62688606 or Tania Finn, Rector's Office on 62688701. Each blue entrée card will allow access to a light luncheon in the lower level dining room in the Academy Cadets' Mess after the Parade.

Vehicle Access and Car Parking arrangements on Parade Day 8 December

On 8 December all UNSW@ADFA staff and civilians are requested to park in Carpark No 90 (behind buildings 20 and 21) by 0800 h.

Staff who arrive later than 0800h should have their identity cards available for Chubb Security traffic control. Staff will then be directed where to park their vehicle.

On Parade Day, Gallipoli Road will be closed to traffic from 0830h. There will be no access to staff Carpark 95 (behind the Military Building ) after this time.

Carpark 96 (Indoor Sport Centre carpark) will be cleared at the following times:

Mon 05 Dec – 0730 - 1030 h

Tues 6 Dec – 0730 – 1300h

Wed 7 Dec – 0700 – 0800h

Thu 8 Dec – 0700 – 1200h

Wet Weather Program

Cancellation of the Parade will result in a ceremony being conducted in Adams Hall. The Ceremony will consist of an address by the Commandant and Governor-General, followed by the presentation of awards. Attendance will be limited to those guests with PURPLE , RED and YELLOW entrée cards stamped to indicate a wet weather invitation.

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Welcome - Tatiana Romanovsky

Student Administrative Services would like to welcome Tatiana Romanovsky who has taken on the role of International and Research Students Officer. Tatiana has come to UNSW@ADFA from IDP and brings with her considerable experience in project management, particularly involving International Students. She can be contacted on 02 6268 8717 or at t.romanovsky@adfa.edu.au