What's On at UWA

Abstract:

One of the principles enshrined in all international patent treaties is that equal treatment should be provided to inventors regardless of their nationality. However, little is known about whether this ‘national treatment’ principle is upheld in practice. In this paper, we analyze whether patent examination outcomes at the European and Japanese patent offices vary systematically by inventor nationality (which is proxied by inventor address) and technology area using a matched sample of 47,947 patent applications. Our main result is that in both patent offices, domestic inventors have a higher likelihood of obtaining a patent grant than foreign inventors, ceteris paribus. We also find evidence that the positive domestic inventor effect is stronger in areas of technological specialization in the domestic economy.

Abstract:

In 1961 G.E. Wall conjectured that the number of maximal subgroups of a finite group is less than the order of the group. The conjecture holds for all finite solvable groups (proved by Wall himself in his original paper) and holds for almost all finite simple groups, possibly all of them (proved by Liebeck, Pyber and Shalev in 2007). It is now known to be false in general, at least as originally stated, with infinitely many negative composite group examples found through a combination of computational and theoretical techniques. (I cite in particular computer calculations of Frank Luebeck, as partly inspired and later confirmed by calculations of my undergraduate student, Tim Sprowl, with theoretical input from myself and Bob Guralnick.) In this talk I will try to discuss the ingredients in this quite remarkable story, and I will mention as much of the legacy of positive consequences as time permits.

An investigation of science podcasting, using social media and the reach of online radio. What is podcasting, what can it contribute to the understanding of science and what are the pros and cons of using such a medium? Kylie Sturgess has been podcasting since 2005, and brings her experience and research into the medium of science podcasting under the microscope.

Kylie Sturgess is a Philosophy teacher, who has lectured on pseudoscientific and anomalistic beliefs worldwide. She is the host of the Token Skeptic podcast, a show that looks at the intersection of science, media and pop culture. Kylie writes for a number of publications, including CSICOP’s ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’ online column, and enjoys combining her love of art, science, and social media as a means of communicating science to the public.

Two illustrated lectures by Winthrop Professor David Kennedy and Rebecca Banks. 1:30pm Lecture 3: The Claudian invasion of AD43. 2:30pm Afternoon tea. 3:00pm Lecture 4: A new province and the rebellion of Boudicca. These lectures are the second set given as a prelude to our guest lecture by Guy de la Bédoyère, one of the best-known experts on Roman Britain, who will be speaking on Sunday 31 March 2013.

You are invited to join us mark the 100th anniversary of the first meeting of the University of Western Australia’s Convocation.

The First meeting was held on March 4th 1913 in St George’s Hall, Hay St near the corner of Irwin Street. The historic façade including the portico, steps and tall white columns were restored when the new Perth District Court was constructed behind it at 500 Hay Street. To celebrate the Centenary of this meeting, a photo-shoot of 100 'graduates' will take place on the steps of the façade at 10am on Monday March 4th 2013.

The UWA Historical Society would be delighted if you could join us.

If you have academic robes, please bring them. If not please come anyway, as having just a few robed members will provide the ‘flavour’. Balloons for a joint release will be provided.

Monday March 4th is a public Holiday (Labour Day). There should be nearby street parking available and there is a public parking station across the road at King’s Hotel.

The UWA Centum will be there

Please join us for a seminar and interactive session with international academic integrity expert Dr Tricia Bertram Gallant from the University of California, San Diego about the OLT strategic commissioned project on academic integrity: Embedding and extending exemplary academic integrity policy and support frameworks across the higher education sector

Dr Tracey Bretag, from the University of South Australia, in 2012 led an ALTC funded project Academic integrity standards: Aligning policy and practice in Australian universities. Dr Bretag and her team will be presenting a seminar on Tuesday 5th March, with international academic integrity expert and author, Dr Tricia Bertram Gallant (University of California San Diego). The project team identified the University of Western Australia as one of five universities with a commendable academic integrity policy. RSVP to [email protected]

The scheme supports innovative, reasonably short-term projects that promote the University's education strategic objective to improve the quality of the student learning experience. Staff interested in applying for the Teaching Fellowship Scheme should attend.

Jiping Zhang (Peking University)

will speak on

Control of fusions in fusion systems and applications

at 1pm on Tuesday 5th of March, in MLR2

Abstract:

Fusion systems were introduced by L. Puig in early 1990's mainly for the purpose of block theory. Fusion systems are also of interest in homotopy theory. In this talk we will define a new control of fusion in fusion systems and apply it to the study of maximal Sylow intersections.

The Seminar: This presentation will introduce you to the resources and expertise iVEC can provide to support your research. iVEC is encouraging the use of supercomputing, large scale data storage and visualisation for WA researchers. This is achieved by making available facilities and expertise to the research, education and industrial communities. Application areas include nanotechnology, radioastronomy, high energy physics, medical and mining training, medical research, mining and petroleum, architecture and construction, multimedia, and urban planning.

The Speakers:

Valerie is the Education Program Leader for iVEC. Valerie is responsible for training in supercomputing and eResearch along with internships and school outreach. She enjoys the challenge of communicating complex concepts to diverse audiences – breaking through the jargon to create a shared understanding. Valerie holds a PhD in Computer Science (SoftwareEngineering) and an honours degree in Computer Science.

Chris is a HPC Application Analyst and Parallel Programmer. He joins iVEC from Paratools, Inc. located in Eugene, Oregon where he was the Principle Investigator in several small business innovative research projects focused on developing HPC tools to support HPC application development and research.

Chris has also worked at University HPC centres both in the United States and in the United Kingdom as a Parallel Programmer. His career in High Performance Computing started at the Army Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, Maryland as an Application Analyst. He has a Masters degree in Scientific Computing at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden; while his undergraduate degree is in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

The Australian Academy of Science, through its National Committee for Mathematics, has initiated the development of a Decadal Plan for the Mathematical Sciences, comprising an assessment of the current state of the mathematical sciences in Australia, a description and prioritisation of opportunities for the future (2015-2025) and an outline of strategies to achieve these priorities. A Steering Committee and seven subcommittees have identified themes and issues to guide contributions to the plan. Peter Stacey, the Project Officer for the plan, will outline the themes identified by the subcommittees. Cheryl Praeger will then initiate general discussion by suggesting some issues for inclusion in the plan. Some issues identified by subcommittees are available (please email [email protected] for a copy). Views from the audience on these or other matters will be welcomed, both at the session and via subsequent submissions.

A Lecture by Director and Playwright, David Milroy.

In being commissioned to contribute to this anthology I was intrigued by the theme that had been chosen. Given the recent traumatic events caused by bushfires in the South West and other parts of Australia, it is a topical theme. While it could have been easily misconstrued as an insensitive topic it is as I see it a theme that evokes all the senses which bind us to this country, and to this land. Whether it is the smell of burning grass trees in the South West or a spinifex fire in the Pilbara, or the raging inferno that consumed country Victoria, we are all touched in some way by the enigma that is fire.

In the first half of my talk, I will explore some of the dimensions of fire as it has shaped my experience of the land, as a Palyku and a Western Australian. In the second half, I will discuss some of the West Australian cultural, historical and geographical influences that have inspired my work and my contribution to the anthology, ‘Walardu and Karla’ the fire that had burned for more than twenty years.

Join us after the lecture when Winthrop Professor Carmen Lawrence will launch the anthology.

Cost: Free, but registration essential via http://www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/milroy

Echo360 Personal Capture is software that allows you to record your voice, your presentation and yourself to produce a short video recording. Staff use this software to record lectures specifically for an online audience, or summary or other small recordings for learning purposes. In this workshop, we will explore ideas for the use of desk-top recordings for teaching and learning, and then learn how to use Echo360 PCap software to create, edit and publish your recording. You will create a short recorded presentation.

The “21st century microscope” will not be a single instrument; rather it will be an orchestration of specialised imaging technologies, data storage facilities, and specialised data processing engines. This presentation will detail two complimentary national projects that are creating an integrated computer environment for researchers who work with imaging data.

This seminar, presented by Dr Wojtek Goscinski on Wed 6 March 2013 from 3-4pm at the ARRC Auditorium, will describe MASSIVE and the CVL, highlight research that is being conducted using these environments and the technology that underpins them, and will describe the key challenges of developing a supercomputer program for the characterization community.

Organisational accidents are typically rare, catastrophic events that can occur within complex modern systems such as nuclear power plants, commercial aviation, petrochemical plants, aerospace, marine, rail transport and complex technological organisations such as banks and mines. It is generally appreciated that single causes of system failures are extremely rare and that they usually result from a series of (relatively minor) events that become chained together to enable a disastrous outcome or failure to occur. Organisational accidents therefore, usually have multiple causes involving many systems and people operating at different levels of their respective companies and can have devastating effects on stakeholders, assets and the environment.

Today there are very few mining organisations that can survive the financial, legal and environmental repercussions from a major failure. This talk will illustrate how systemic (epidemiological) accident model theory, that has been very successfully applied in the aerospace and petrochemical industries in particular, can and has been applied to prevent failures in all aspects of mining organisations. The presentation will illustrate how the design and construction of successive layers of protection and defences contribute to ensuring a complex well‐defended mining operational system that not only addresses risks from physical mining activities and processing, but the stability of all types of landforms on the mine as well as surface and ground water contamination and management.

A critical issue in managing mining organisational risk is adapting to constant change that includes transfer of ownership and temporary cessation of mining activities (i.e. periods of care and maintenance). During these periods, organisation risk from the stability of landforms and water contamination does not reduce and may actually increase. The final aspect of the presentation details how layers of protection and defences need to be adapted accordingly to meet different types of change management requirements.

PS* This seminar is free and open to the public & no RSVP required.

****All Welcome****

Microstratigraphic analysis of archaeological sites as a new clue to understanding the effect of the last glaciation on human behaviours in the Kimberley area, WA, Australia

Abstract

In Australian archaeology there has been much debate about people’s ability to adapt to climate change during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The common view is that during the coolest times of the LGM people retreated to refuges in coastal areas or well-watered gorges. This view is based on the large number of archaeological sites in the Australian arid zone that have disruptions in their sedimentary sequences throughout the LGM.

Several sites containing such discontinuities will be investigated in the Kimberley area using a micro-scale geoarchaeological approach and a range of various techniques: micromorphology, grain-size analysis, geochemical and mineralogy analysis. This study will contribute to our understanding of the possible effects of climate change on human behaviours during the LGM through a complete investigation of archaeological sedimentary sequences. It will help to understand site formation processes, differentiate anthropogenic from natural sedimentation processes, identify reasons for stratigraphical discontinuities and changes in deposition rates and contribute to a Pleistocene and Holocene palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate reconstruction of the studied area.

UWA's learning management system provides a variety of tools, features and interactions in an online environment for supporting teaching and learning experiences at UWA. Different roles have different access and capabilities for using the system, and there are two tutor roles - a grading role and a non-grading role. This 2.5 hour 'hands-on' workshop is aimed at UWA Staff who have or will have one of the tutor roles in an LMS unit.

This workshop will provide an overview of what a rubric is and how to develop one. The practical hands-on workshop will allow staff to consider their current/future assessment tasks and effective ways of assessing these using rubrics.

Name: Jon Xu (University of Melbourne/University of Western Australia)

will speak on

Generalised n-gons and the Feit-Higman theorem

at 3pm on Friday 8th of March.

Abstract:

Jacques Tits' theory of buildings played a vital role in the proof of the classification theorem on finite simple groups. The class of rank 2 buildings are also known as generalised n-gons.

In my talk, generalised n-gons will be defined as a certain class of bipartite graphs, so as to skip the (rather abstruse) building-theoretic definition. I will also state and outline a proof of the Feit-Higman theorem, which states that the majority of generalised n-gons can only exist for certain n. The proof, due to Kilmoyer and Solomon (1973), weaves together representation theory and graph theory.

To finish off, I will talk a little about what I've been doing here at UWA.

Large classes mean the lecture class is maintained, yet effective teaching requires reconsidering how learners are engaged in the lecture time. This workshop will introduce you to the theory behind Active Learning, model a range of Active Learning strategies, and give you some practical tips and techniques to help you develop appropriate Active Learning activities for your lectures. The workshop will also touch on the use of technologies as Active Learning tools.