What's On at UWA

Machine &/or mat based clinical Pilates classes focusing on efficient and effective movement patterns. Classes are designed to strengthen the body whilst enhancing mobility over the colder winter months! Classes may incorporate elements of myofascial and muscle release, contemporary Pilates and a variety of props.

'Group' (max 8 ppl) and 'Studio' (max 3 ppl) sessions available at various times throughout the day (incl. before or after work and lunch time sessions).

All sessions are conducted by an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and private health rebates may apply depending on your level of cover.

For a schedule and prices email [email protected] or call 6488 3333.

The Prospective Students Office invites future students and their families to join us on a guided tour of UWA's stunning Crawley campus.

You will have the opportunity to explore our beautiful grounds and heritage buildings while learning more about the University, our courses and admission requirements.

The tour runs for about an hour, and ends at the Admissions Centre and Prospective Students Office, where you will be able to collect course information booklets and other brochures.

This tour will be held the morning of the Western Australia Day public holiday in June.

Online registrations will open in early February via the website mentioned below.

Please note: tours are not intended for the general public.

Climate simulation models suggest that mean temperatures on the Loess Plateau of China will increase by 2.5 to 3.75°C by 2050, while those in the cropping region of south-west Australia will increase by 1.25 to 1.75°C. The rainfall in south-west Australia rainfall is predicted to decrease by 20 to 60 mm, rainfall on the Loess Plateau of China is not expected to change.

Farming systems in both regions differ markedly in scale, but both have adopted water conservation techniques that benefit crop yields. In south-west Australia zero tillage and adequate use of fertilizers have enabled farmers to increase their rainfall use efficiency and yields of cereals, canola and legumes, while on the Loess Plateau, mulching with plastic, gravel and residues, crop sequence, fertilizer/organic manure application and supplementary irrigation have improved precipitation use efficiency and yields of several crops and enabled the production of maize in areas of the Loess Plateau where temperatures limit its production.

The implications of climate change and adaptation strategies such as agronomic management and crop breeding in the two regions will be discussed in relation to future improvements in water productivity and food production.

Further reading:

Turner, N.C., Li, F.-M., Xiong, Y.-C., and Siddique, K.H.M. (2011). Climate change and agricultural ecosystem management in dry areas (Guest editorial). Crop and Pasture Science 62: i-ii. Gan, Y., Siddique, K.H.M., Turner, N.C., Li, X.G., Niu, J.Y., Yang, C., Liu, L., and Chai, Q. (2013). Ridge-Furrow Mulching Systems - An innovative technique for boosting crop productivity in semiarid rain-fed environments. Advances in Agronomy. 117: 429–476.

Chai, Q., Gan, Y., Turner, N.C., Zhang, R.Z., Yang, Y., Niu, Y. and Siddique, K.H.M. (2014). Water-saving innovations in Chinese agriculture. Advances in Agronomy 126: 149-201.

Liu, C.A., Zhou, L.M., Jia, J.J., Wang, L.J., Xi, L., Pan, C.C., Siddique, K.H.M. and Li, F.M. (2014). Maize yield and water balance is affected by nitrogen application in a film-mulching ridge-furrow system in a semiarid region of China. European Journal of Agronomy 52:103-111.

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

****All Welcome****

Come along to the UWA Business School's information evening for the Master of Business Administration (MBA), where you can learn about our new MBA Full Time as well as MBA Flexible. You will have the opportunity to meet professors and current students, have all your questions answered, and even apply on the night.

You will be able to meet professors and students from 5.30pm onwards, with the formal presentation beginning at 6.00pm.

The annual Australasian Development Economics Workshop, sponsored by DFAT, brings together development economists from Australia and internationally with particular emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region.

The next workshop is the tenth in the series and will be hosted by the Business School, The University of Western Australia, Perth.

Professor Lant Pritchett (Harvard University) will deliver the keynote address. We will also have a roundtable discussion on the “Middle Income Trap” with Professor James Riedel (Johns Hopkins University), Professor Xin Meng (Australian National University) and Dr. Sudarno Sumarto (SMERU).

Register here: www.business.uwa.edu.au/research/conferences/10th-australasian-development-economics-workshop

The Institute of Agriculture's annual Postgraduate Showcase brings together some of UWA’s best PhD students at an advanced stage of their research. This year, nine presentations covering a wide range of disciplines will highlight some of the research and progress underway at UWA in the area of agriculture, food science and natural resource management. The event also provides opportunities for students to interact with industry representatives and future employers.

For catering purposes, please RSVP by 26 May to [email protected]

Economic growth and development depend on institutions such as administrative capability of the state and the capability of governments to affect the course of events through policies and programs.

Harvard University’s Professor Lant Pritchett will discuss how some countries manage to consistently fail to acquire capability and how growth dynamics depend on institutional dynamics. He will also discuss how to sabotage the techniques of economic development failure: such as the shallow mimicry of institutions, and unrealistic expectations about the pace of institutional change.

Lant Pritchett is Professor of the Practice of International Development at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and works as a consultant to Google.org

This event is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and is being held as part of the 10th Australasian Development Economics Workshop.

On Thursday June 5 at 6.30 p.m. in the Austin Lecture Theatre at The University of Western Australia, the Ambassador of Greece, Mr Haris Dafaranos, will give a public lecture on ‘Philhellenism’.

The lecture (open to the general public) will be preceded by a brief introduction offered by Emeritus Professor John Melville-Jones, who will speak about philhellenism in the ancient world.

The Ambassador’s lecture will be concerned with philhellenism in later times, and its relationship to the exercise of ‘soft power’, a term recently developed to describe the way in which nations may be able to attract support without using force or bribery.

Deciding what subjects to study in Year 11 and 12 can be a daunting process, particularly if you are not yet sure if university is the right pathway for your future goals.

Our information sessions will provide advice on UWA's courses, entry requirements and other helpful subject selection tips that will allow you to keep your future study options open.

You will also find out about the various events and activities we offer on campus for Year 10 and 11 students throughout the year.

UWA staff from the Prospective Students Office will be available to answer any queries you may have after the session.

Deciding what subjects to study in Year 11 and 12 can be a daunting process, particularly if you are not yet sure if university is the right pathway for your future goals.

Our information sessions will provide advice on UWA's courses, entry requirements and other helpful subject selection tips that will allow you to keep your future study options open.

You will also find out about the various events and activities we offer on campus for Year 10 and 11 students throughout the year.

UWA staff from the Prospective Students Office will be available to answer any queries you may have after the session.

Presentation Synopsis

Although quite common in past centuries, currently in the Western world even the thought of marriage with a biological relative usually evokes widespread suspicion and distaste. Yet some 1,100 million people live in countries where 20% to over 50% of marriages are between first cousins or other close kin. The reasons for these very different approaches to partner choice and their supposed influence on health and wellbeing will be presented and discussed, based on ongoing studies across four continents.

About the Speaker

Professor Alan Bittles was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and educated in Trinity College, University of Dublin (MA, 1972, ScD, 2004) and Queen’s University, Belfast (PhD, 1973). He currently is Adjunct Professor and Research Leader in the Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, and Adjunct Professor of Community Genetics in the School of Medical Sciences, Edith Cowan University, where he was Foundation Professor of Human Biology and Director of the Centre for Human Genetics from 1993-2005. His present research centres on rare diseases, intellectual and developmental disability, and the impact of consanguinity and genetic sub-structure on disease gene expression, with projects in Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Iran, Pakistan and the UK.

A few years ago we stumbled upon an interesting peptide biosynthesis in sunflower seeds. A small peptide was buried inside another protein and the peptide emerged from its hiding place by hijacking the protein processing machinery of the 'host' protein. This system has become a lead-in to studying the evolution of proteins.

It recently allowed us to trace the biochemical steps that we think led to the 'birth' or de novo evolution of a protein. With it for example, we can also ask how easily new proteins might be created and how they manage to mimic other proteins. We recently found the processing machinery that was hijacked has evolved a dual functionality. I will discuss the biosynthesis and what it's teaching us, but I promise not to get too detailed!

Bio

Assoc. Prof. Mylne (PhD, Botany) worked at the John Innes Centre in the UK (2001-2005), using molecular genetics to study proteins that accelerate flowering in response to prolonged cold (vernalization). In 2006 he moved to the Division of Chemistry & Structural Biology at The Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB, UQ) where he held a QEII Fellowship (2008-2012) and was the inaugural John S. Mattick Fellow (2010-2012).

In 2013 he joined the faculty at The University of Western Australia and took up an ARC Future Fellowship in the School of Chemistry & Biochemistry and The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. His research interests are protein evolution and the molecular mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis of bioactive peptides.

www.uwa.edu.au/people/joshua.mylne

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

****All Welcome****

If you have a passion for great food and wine then you will not want to miss the 2014 Wine Show by the Bay. Sample a carefully selected range of local, national and international wines in a tasting fair where over 50 estates will showcase their wines. There will also be a series of wine and food masterclasses that guests can also subscribe to. General Entry Tickets are $20 per person and include a monogrammed tasting glass and entry to the wine fair. Additional masterclasses are $25 each. To Book please call 6488 8770. This event is open to the General Public.

A hilarious and brand-new musical for 3 to 9 year-olds based on a story from the creators of Diary of A Wombat.

Most shearers have a sheep-dog to help them, but not Shaun – he has Pete, a sheep-sheep!

Four performers play shearers, dogs and even sheep as they explore the challenges and rewards of being an individual and not just one of the flock.

Monkey Baa Theatre Company’s national reputation for quality theatre for children has been recognised by multiple Helpmann awards for Best Children’s Presentation.

Tickets available from ticketsWA.com

16s and under: $20, Adults $25

Groups of 4 or more, Adults go for $20.

SCHOOL BOOKINGS: Call the Enquiry Line 08 6488 2440 (noon-4pm, weekdays) or email [email protected] to get significant ticket savings for children and free teacher tickets for every 10 children.

A hilarious and brand-new musical for 3 to 9 year-olds based on a story from the creators of Diary of A Wombat.

Most shearers have a sheep-dog to help them, but not Shaun – he has Pete, a sheep-sheep!

Four performers play shearers, dogs and even sheep as they explore the challenges and rewards of being an individual and not just one of the flock.

Monkey Baa Theatre Company’s national reputation for quality theatre for children has been recognised by multiple Helpmann awards for Best Children’s Presentation.

Tickets available from ticketsWA.com

16s and under: $20, Adults $25

Groups of 4 or more, Adults go for $20.

SCHOOL BOOKINGS: Call the Enquiry Line 08 6488 2440 (noon-4pm, weekdays) or email [email protected] to get significant ticket savings for children and free teacher tickets for every 10 children.

A hilarious and brand-new musical for 3 to 9 year-olds based on a story from the creators of Diary of A Wombat.

Most shearers have a sheep-dog to help them, but not Shaun – he has Pete, a sheep-sheep!

Four performers play shearers, dogs and even sheep as they explore the challenges and rewards of being an individual and not just one of the flock.

Monkey Baa Theatre Company’s national reputation for quality theatre for children has been recognised by multiple Helpmann awards for Best Children’s Presentation.

Tickets available from ticketsWA.com

16s and under: $20, Adults $25

Groups of 4 or more, Adults go for $20.

SCHOOL BOOKINGS: Call the Enquiry Line 08 6488 2440 (noon-4pm, weekdays) or email [email protected] to get significant ticket savings for children and free teacher tickets for every 10 children.

The development of maritime archaeology in Sri Lanka began in the early 1960s when a 17th century shipwreck carrying a cargo of silver coins was discovered. At that time, investigations were undertaken by interested parties in the ex-pat community and it was not until 1992 when a formal maritime archaeological programme was established. The Western Australian Museum was tasked with teaching Sri Lankan archaeologists to dive and excavate underwater.

A long collaborative research and capacity building programme ensued and continues today. Sri Lanka is strategically located between Arabia and East Asia, at a natural crossroads of navigational routes, and has been a centre of trade and cultural exchange since ancient times. The shipwreck resource is diverse and of global significance. This lecture is an outline of the Museum's work in Sri Lanka as well as a potted history of Sri Lanka's maritime role in a broader Indian Ocean network.



Bio

Corioli Souter is Curator at the Department of Maritime Archaeology at the Western Australian Museum. During her employment with the Museum she has taken part in over 35 archaeological research projects. She has been invited to assist with a number of overseas survey projects including the survey of a 3rd century Roman Bridge in Maastrict, with the Netherlands Institute of Ship Archaeology (NISA), the excavation and survey of the 6th century BC wreck site Pabuc Burnu by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology, Turkey and the survey of the British sloop HMS Swift with Programa de Arqueologia Subacuatica, (PROAS) at the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia, Argentina. She has also participated in a number of field seasons in Sri Lanka examining wrecks dating from the 16th century through to the modern period.

Trained as an historical archaeologist and gaining her excavation experience in the desert in the Northern Territory, she later pursued postgraduate qualifications in maritime archaeology. Her main research interests are in developing and utilising remote sensing survey techniques for the discovery and mapping of shipwreck sites; Western Australian shipwrecks; Indigenous/European terrestrial contact archaeology and most recently Museum exhibition projects. Corioli also has interests in the teaching of maritime archaeology at both a public, practitioner and academic level. She was the course co-ordinator for a Masters programme in Applied Maritime Archaeology taught at UWA in conjunction with WAM and also for the MA programmes in Maritime Archaeology at Flinders University of SA and James Cook University of QLD .

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

****All Welcome****

Professor David Thomas is Head of the Kinghorn Cancer Centre and Head of the Cancer Division of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney. His research interests include quantitative evolutionary genetics in cancer cell populations, mapping a cancer neochromosome at single nucleotide resolution, and understanding the role of the immune system in development of osteosarcoma. Professor Thomas has played a key role in establishing several large-scale cancer cohorts, including the International Sarcoma Kindred Study and Cancer 2015, a 10,000 strong Framingham-style cohort of newly diagnosed cancer patients in Victoria. In addition to leading several pivotal clinical studies, he was the founding chair of the Australasian Sarcoma Study Group and Director of the state-wide adolescent and young adult cancer service, ONTrac at Peter Mac (2005-10).

The flow of ice sheets, and their susceptibility to change, is significantly influenced by a series of non-linear interactions between the ice and the materials beneath - water and rocks. Water, in various ways, exerts an accelerative influence on ice sheet flow. Freshwater lubricates the ice sheet bed, relatively warm seawater can melt the base of floating ice, and can intrude under the ice sheet, causing dramatic collapse.

Rocks provide many influences: hard crystalline bedrock rock provides a dry, cold, rough surface that often inhibits fast flow; sedimentary rocks are softer, and provide more favourable hydrology for large-scale flow. Either can involve high-heat flux which promotes basal melting. Large-scale tectonics provides the topographic template on which all of these influences act. East Antarctica contains Earth’s largest ice sheet, and recent research suggests greater vulnerability to change than previously thought. Understanding the EAIS and its controlling processes, is critical to estimating long term change. And yet it remains one of the largest regions on Earth where we have lacked a basic knowledge of geology.

New magnetic, gravity and subglacial topography data from the 2008-2013 ICECAP program allow a comprehensive geological interpretation of the Wilkes Land region. This interpretation leads to key insights into the configuration of Gondwana, Rodinia and Columbia. Furthermore, we image subglacial sedimentary basins, including the Wilkes, Aurora and Knox Subglacial Basins, and define the previously unknown Sabrina Subglacial Basin. These tectonic features are a primary control on topographic and basal boundary conditions, including the hydrology network, that have strongly influenced the structure and evolution of the EAIS, both in its inception and early dynamic stages, and also during its existence as a “stable” continent-scale ice sheet.

Biography:

Alan Aitken completed his undergraduate studies in Geophysical Sciences at Lancaster University (UK) and an MSc in Geophysics at the University of Otago (NZ). In 2005 Alan came to Australia to embark upon a PhD at Monash University.

Since completing his PhD in 2009 Alan has been employed as a lecturer at Monash University (2009 – 2010) and subsequently at The University of Western Australia (2011 – present) where he took up the Goodeve Lectureship in July 2011.

Alan's research is in the application of magnetic and gravity methods to understanding tectonic systems.

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

****All Welcome****

A public lecture by Craig Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of York.

This lecture will explore the two great trials of the celebrated French heroine, firstly at Rouen in 1431 while in the hands of her enemies and then between 1455 and 1456, when a posthumous investigation nullified the verdict of the original trial. Modern scholars have offered increasingly sophisticated analyses of the records of Joan’s public and private interrogations at Rouen in 1431; under such careful scrutiny, these sources raise fascinating questions regarding the ‘truthfulness’ of medieval records and of Joan’s story, as well as different kinds of insights into wider questions of religion and gender in late medieval society. Yet the records of the second trial have not received as careful attention, in large part because they remain pivotal to undermining the credibility of the original heresy trial. In this lecture, Dr Taylor will turn the spotlight onto the second trial, suggesting new ways in which scholars might approach these familiar records.

Cost: Free, but RSVP essential via the IAS website http://www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/taylor