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Staff Bulletin
| January 27, 2005Message From the RectorI hope that you have had a pleasant and refreshing break. I know that a number of you have been working on ADF tender documents in recent weeks and I would like to thank you for your efforts. Tendering for the delivery of educational services to the ADF is likely to become even more important in coming years as we seek to strengthen our position as the major provider of educational services to Defence. We have an exciting year coming up with the introduction of Advanced Programs, the Australian University Quality Audit team visit to UNSW (and possibly ADFA), and our involvement in the recruiting processes for the Academy among other things. Best wishes and good luck for 2005. Professor John Baird Rector -------------------------------------------- STAFF NEWSVisiting Fellows in the School of Physical , Environmental and Mathematical SciencesDr Simon Watt and Dr Paul Gubbens are visiting the School of PEMS from the 12th and 17th of January respectively. Dr Watt has an established association with the applied mathematicians in the School and will work with Drs Geoff Aldis, Steve Barry, Harvi Sidhu and Rod Weber on a number of projects including disease modelling, industrial modelling, combustion and bushfire research. Dr Watt will be at ADFA until 30 June and can be found in Room G12, PEMS South, x 8734. Dr Gubbens is a leading researcher at the Interfacultair Reactor Instituut, Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. He will collaborate with Associate Professor Glen Stewart in the research field of rare earth materials. Dr Gubbens will be with at ADFA until 15 March and can also be found in Room G34, PEMS South, x 8673. -------------------------------------------- RESEARCH OFFICE REPORTStaff in the Research Office are fully aware that while there is no rest for the weary, the same holds true for researchers at UNSW@ADFA!! Since the last ‘Greensheet' was published, there have been a number of successes and functions worthy of particular note. Professor Joseph Lai, Associate Dean (Research) would like to congratulate the following researchers and research students on their recent outstanding achievements. Congratulations Chris Roberts on his Visiting Fellowship at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) at Nanyang University Singapore . Chris Roberts, PhD candidate in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (H&SS) has just been awarded a prestigious Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Award. This award is jointly funded by the Australian Federal Government and Cheung Kong Enterprises in Hong Kong and provides $25,000 towards Chris' research over a six-month period. The award provides a monthly stipend as well as a travel and establishment allowance. In order to get the award, and in addition to demonstrating his academic ability, Chris had to present a proposal for research that related to the social and economic development of Asia . He also had to provide evidence of an affiliation with no fewer than three higher education institutions within Asia . The institute Chris settled on was the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at Nanyang University Singapore . A further objective of the award is to facilitate the development of closer relations between institutions such as ADFA and IDSS. Chris will depart for his visiting fellowship on 19 February and will be using the grant to conduct research in all ten of the Southeast Asian nations. Japan Policy Research Roundtable convened by A/Professor Aurelia George Mulgan On 14 th December, the inaugural meeting of the Japan Policy Research Roundtable was held in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (H&SS). The occasion was a presentation by a young Australian researcher from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on ‘Why Japan Won't Go Nuclear, Yet' . Associate Professor Aurelia George Mulgan convened the roundtable which was attended by staff and PhD students of the School, the Visiting Fellow from the Japan Defence Agency at the UNSW Defence Studies Forum, and representatives of the Canberra policy community (Office of National Assessments (ONA) and Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO)) as well as academics from the Australian National University (Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australia-Japan Research Centre and Asian Studies Faculty). Future meetings are planned for 2005. The focus will be topical policy issues in Japan on which members of the School are researching. Associate Professor Ravi Sood from the School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences (PEMS). The School of PEMS has lots of stars (and a fair number of star-gazers). Another recent highlight for PEMS is the success of Associate Professor Ravi Sood's application titled Phase-Resolved Spectral Study Of The 2s 0114+650 Super-Orbit . Ravi has been awarded 220 ks time on NASA's RXTE satellite. While there is no monetary value attached to this time, the equivalent value in dollars would run to several hundred thousand dollars. Quite a success story. So what is an RXTE satellite? Research office looked it up and found that the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) was launched on December 30, 1995 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center . The mission is managed and controlled by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt , Maryland . RXTE features unprecedented time resolution in combination with moderate spectral resolution to explore the variability of X-ray sources. Time scales from microseconds to months are covered in an instantaneous spectral range from 2 to 250 keV. Originally designed for a required lifetime of two years with a goal of five, RXTE has passed that goal and is still performing well. (However, we're still none the wiser!!) Congratulations to the following students for their successful applications for a Business Services Office Postgraduate Research Student Overseas Travel Grant. In December 2004, the Business Services Office at UNSW@ADFA donated $20,000 towards travel grants for postgraduate research students.These competitive grants were established to assist full-time postgraduate research students to travel overseas to conduct activities relevant to the completion of their research. Professor Joseph Lai, Associate Dean (Research) congratulates the following students and wishes them every success with their research overseas. Luke Auton from HaSS - $3000 to attend and give presentations at the British Society for the History of Science Conference at Cambridge . Luke will also conduct follow up research at the Liddell Hart Centre for military archives. Derrill de Heer from HaSS - $1500 to interview ex members of enemy units in Phuoc Tuy Province to ascertain their impressions of psychological voice missions used by Australia in 1968-1972. He will also talk to Officials in Hanoi and research documents held in Fort Bragg , North Carolina . Benoit Freyens from Business - $1500 for the study of French data on hiring and firing costs at the French statistical office (INSEE), Paris . Takeshi Kawakami from PEMS - $2000 to present papers at the European Society for Evolutionary Biology Congress & to discuss his research plan with co-supervisor Prof Butlin of Sheffield , UK . Chris Kevork from HaSS - $3500 to interview politicians, officials and officers and to gather Japanese language source material. Chris' research topic is the politics of Japan 's Defence policy 1991-2004. Jeff McGuire from ACME - $2500 for attendance and presentation of his results to date at the 13th International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference in Capua, Italy. Rachael Nanson from PEMS - $2000 to present a paper at the 'Fluvial System' conference in Germany . Meet with Prof Colin Thorne (Uni of Nottingham) & Prof David Knighton (Uni of Sheffield ). Ang Yang from ITEE - $2500 to attend the conference of Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC) 2005 and undertake collaborative research with Centre of Excellence for Research in Computational Intelligence and Applications (CERCIA) at the Uni of Birmingham. Jae B Park from HaSS - $1500 for field research. The travel will enable him to explore and obtain locally specific data aimed at identification of catalysts for ethnic harmony in Yogyakarta , Indonesia . HUMAN FRONTIER SCIENCE PROGRAM ORGANIZATION Young Investigators Grant 2006: Call for Letters of intent . The sponsor supports basic research with emphasis placed on novel, innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to basic research which involves scientific exchanges across national boundaries. These awards are for teams of scientists who are all within 5 years of establishing an independent laboratory and within 10 years of obtaining their PhDs. Up to $250,000 per year is available, for the whole team. DEADLINE NOTE Applicants for research grants must first submit a letter of intent online. You will need to register for a password by March 21st 2005. The deadline for submission will be March 31st, 2005. Additional details on this program may be found at http://www.hfsp.org/how/appl_forms_RG.php Danica Robinson Manager, Research Office -------------------------------------- UNSW@ADFA NEWS AND EVENTSCompiled by: Julie Fletcher, Public Relations Manager Ext: 8760 NSW Premier To Launch Book About Controversial Former NSW PremierNew South Wales Premier Bob Carr will launch a book written about one of Australia 's most “dodgy political characters” on February 14. Wrongly accused by historians, former NSW Premier Jack Lang and his government was sacked by the NSW British Governor Sir Philip Game in 1932. The then innovative actions of Mr Lang have been explored by leading historian and University of New South Wales lecturer Frank Cain. Dr Cain argues Mr Lang's leadership style was simply considered too controversial for the times. “Up until now Lang has been judged by historians as ‘a dodgy character'. He introduced political changes that were unacceptable back then – he was a pioneer who offered solutions that were then considered too radical,” he said. “In the following years his actions were considered to be an acceptable means for solving the states' financial problems, but during the Great Depression he was considered too controversial.” Dr Cain said Lang insisted banks temporarily suspend interest payments to themselves to help meet sustenance payments when unemployment rates hit 30 percent and semi-starvation existed throughout Australia . Lang was also responsible for reducing the working week from 48 to 44 hours; introducing pensions for widows; amalgamating the NSW transport system and introducing the Plan for the Greater Sydney. “No one seemed disturbed at his dismissal by a former British Air Vice-Marshal, whereas these days it would cause national uproar because such a move would be considered undemocratic.” Dr Cain's book, entitled Jack Lang and the Great Depression will be launched by the Premier on February 14 at 45 Glebe Point Road from 5pm. Julie Fletcher Public Relations Manager Ext: 8760 --------------------------------------- STUDENT ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES NEWS2005 ADFA HandbooksThe 2005 ADFA Handbook is now available from Student Administrative Services and online at www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/student/handbook/ Undergraduate Enrolment ProgramThis year, all new undergraduate students will participate in a two-day Enrolment Program on Monday 31 January and Tuesday 1 February. The first day of the program includes a welcome by the Rector, degree-specific information sessions and a Course Selection Afternoon in Adams Hall. During the second day of the program students will complete their online enrolment and attend a session called "The Academic Environment". Please contact Student Administrative Services for further information. Postgraduate Orientation ProgramAll new postgraduate coursework students have been invited to attend the Postgraduate Orientation Program from 4-6pm on Wednesday 9 February. The Orientation Program will be held in the foyer of LT North and will provide students with an opportunity to discuss course selection with academic staff and obtain assistance to complete their online enrolment. Please contact Student Administrative Services for further information. COURSE AUTHORITIESAt this time of year, it is common for academic staff to be presented with Enrolment Variation forms from students eager to enrol in classes. Please remember that in accordance with Academic Board Executive Committee resolution EX04/05, that the Course Authority (or nominee) needs to authorise such variations and that the course convener's role is to provide advice to the Course Authority. The Course Authority is the Head of School for the School listed as the 'course owner' in NSS (and listed in the Handbook) or their nominee. It is not possible for a Head to approve enrolment in a course that is not 'owned' by their School. The list of Course Authorities and their nominees is available online at www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/governance/delegations Further information is available from Usha Narayan, Team Leader Client Service in Student Administrative Services. THE PROCEDURE FOR CANCELLING A COURSE WITH LOW COURSE ENROLMENTS A course that is listed for offer in a given session can only be cancelled due to low enrolments (6 or less). If less than 6 students are present for the first week of classes, the lecturer should advise students that the course is likely to be cancelled and provide some guidance to students on other available courses. If there is an international student enrolled special care should be taken to counsel the student and to ensure that appropriate alternatives are provided. A formal request to cancel the course should be directed to the Manager, Student Administrative Services (SAS), be the end of week 1 of session from the Head of School. The Manager, SAS will then seek approval from the Rector for cancellation of the course and will then advise the Head of School of the outcome. It is the School's responsibility to provide written advice of the cancellation to all enrolled students and copies of the written notification should be sent to SAS to place on the student file. ----------------------------------- HR OFFICE AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT UNIT NEWSNO. 01/05 - 10 JANUARY 2005Happy New Year and welcome back after the festive season holidays from the HR and Staff Development Team. We hope that 2005 is both a prosperous and rewarding year for all staff members. 1. Payslips From the first payday in 2005 (i.e. 13 January 2005) there will be NO paper payslips issued. Pay information will be available on MyUNSW and can be accessed via the HR employee self service web address below: http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/admin/hr/emp_selfserv/index.html Staff members will be required to enter their staff ID number prefixed with a lower case “s” (e.g. s1234567) and also their Unipass identification to gain access to MyUNSW. If you do not have a Unipass identification please contact the ICTS helpdesk. Access to the MyUNSW - STAFF site will provide staff members links to useful information including leave balances, superannuation contributions, personal details and payslips. Should staff members have any queries please contact your HR Officer (Mavis on ext 8726 or Tracey on ext 8714). 2. FUTURE ALERTS 2.1 Superannuation Seminars 2005 ? 17 March - Welcome to UniSuper at 14:00 in LT7 ? 14 April - Savings and Investments (including Managed Funds) at 14:00 in LT7 ? 18 May – Solving the Tax Riddles at 12:00 in LT6 Further information will be provided closer to the dates listed above. 2.2 Academic Promotion Dates for 2005 Senior Lecturer closing date for applications 14 February 2005 Associate Professor closing date for applications 8 April 2005 Professor closing date for applications 4 July 2005 Lecturer closing date for applications 22 July 2005 2.3 Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Teaching Excellence closing date for applications 25 July 2005 3. STAFF DEVELOPMENT Staff Development activities are in the process of being planned for 2005. Please let Anne (ext 6189) or Rosemaree (ext 8706) know what activities you would like to see included in this program. Rosemaree Laurie Manager, Human Resources and Staff Development --------------------------------------- EQUITY OFFICE NEWS Message to ADFA Women Staff and Post-Graduate Students On 11 January 2005 a mailing list for ADFA women was launched. The women@adfa mailing list is a place for women to get to know their colleagues, to share information about work, family and the balance between the two, a place to raise and discuss concerns, to find information and support, a place to swap ideas and to brag about achievements, whether it's a PhD or a new baby (or both!). The women@adfa mailing list is a place to stay in touch with other women on campus – whether you want to share an inspirational story or rally the sisterhood to your cause – this is your mailing list. To subscribe to the women@adfa mailing list - send an email to majordomo@adfa.edu.au and in the body of the message (not the subject) type in the following TWO lines: subscribe adfa-women end You'll get email back asking you to confirm the subscription (to stop people faking subscriptions as other users). Follow the instructions in that email and you'll be subscribed. Poppy Maclean Equity Officers, UNSW@ADFA ------------------------------------- MESSAGE FROM DFPPUNSW@ADFA TELEPHONE ACCOUNTSIn accordance with the Agreement between the Commonwealth and the University of New South Wales all telephone calls made by University staff are now the responsibility of the University. The Director of Finance, Personnel and Planning receives the telephone accounts for all Schools and Units. The University allows a reasonable number of personal calls but staff are reminded that excessive use of local, mobile or STD calls is not allowed. For all international calls, staff must contact the Rector's Office for approval on ext: 8701. In future, any accounts which appear excessive may be investigated. L. Olive Director Finance, Personnel & Planning UNSW@ADFA ----------------------------------------- PURCHASE OF STATIONERYStationery purchasing will continue with the same arrangements for the immediate future. The only change for the moment is that the costs of stationery are now being charged to schools. Financial Services is looking to get training in the eProcurement system to allow for more efficient purchasing and this will also be the time for additional staff to be given access. Mr Anthony Yager Manager, Financial Services |
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