What's On at UWA

Dr Barrero is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Comparative Genomics at Murdoch University. Dr Barrero was awarded a MONBUSHO (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Government of Japan) Scholarship to conduct his Master (1996-1998) and Doctoral (1998-2002) studies at the Graduate School of Biological Sciences at the University of Tokyo, Japan. In 2002 he joined the “Japan Biological Information Research Center” in Tokyo as a postdoctoral fellow where he was involved in large collaborative international project aiming to functionally annotate all human genes. He coordinated the discoveries of alternative splicing isoforms and novel non-coding RNAs in the human transcriptome. In 2004 he was recruited to join the National Institute of Genetics, one of the oldest research institutes in Japan, as an Assistant Professor. There he contributed to another large international collaborative project aiming to characterize the rice transcriptome. In 2005 as part of a collaboration with Prof. Bellgard, he visited Perth and fell in love with the city. Late 2006 he joined the Centre for Comparative Genomics at Murdoch University where he has been involved in leading various bioinformatics projects within the NCRIS 5.1 (National Collaborative Research Infrastructure) initiative. Along with his NCRIS 5.1 duties Dr Barrero has been engaged in various research collaborations with local, national and international collaborators in the area of genomics and transcriptomics including microRNAs.

Labour Relations Officer role:

Provides information to private sector clients on State awards, agreements and industrial legislation through the Wageline call centre.

Contributes to the services provided by Wageline to promote compliance with State employment laws.

See also Labour Relations Officer job on CareerHub.

To apply, come to the interview session: Informal interviews are being held on Friday 22 June 2012 between 10.00am and 3.00pm at the Careers Centre, 1st Floor Reception, Student Services Building, University of Western Australia, Nedlands. Simply bring along your resume and fill in an application form on the day. Allow 10 minutes for the informal interview.

There will be a second assessment if successful.

Associate Professor Evan Ingley heads the Cell Signalling group at WAIMR, which has an interest in understanding the signalling networks or "information highways" of both normal and diseased cells. Many of the new generation anti-cancer drugs disrupt these signalling networks and bring about a "normalization" of protein interactions/pathways. One of the underlying control mechanisms of these processes is that of regulated protein-protein interactions through post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation. A/Prof Ingley's group focuses on an enzyme, Lyn, which modifies proteins via specific phosphorylation on tyrosine residues and through this process mediates specific protein interactions that can enhance or hinder particular cellular processes including cell growth, shape, movement, differentiation and death. Currently his research group is analysing the biological and signalling consequences of mice expressing mutants of Lyn that either inhibit its activity of enhance its activity; how the Lyn substrate Csk binding protein (Cbp) can be used to disrupt Lyn signals in cancer cells; delineating a novel Lyn signalling pathway mediated by AFAP1L1 that controls cancer cell invasion/metastasis; and the novel molecule Liar, which regulates nuclear/cytoplasmic shuttling.

Following the official opening of Jimmy Pike’s Artlines: You call it desert, we used to live there, the Berndt Museum will be hosting an exhibition focus day. This will provide members of the public the opportunity to witness spectacular music and dance performances as well as to hear from the family of Jimmy Pike and the curators of the exhibition to gain an in depth understanding of the artworks and their creator.

Afternoon tea will be served.

Please RSVP by Friday 29 June to Alexandra Tough on [email protected] or (08) 6488 3079

The Quest of Jimmy Pike demonstrates the extraordinary life of internationally renowned artist Jimmy Pike, a Walmajarri man who became an artist through the most unlikely of circumstances. The film depicts Jimmy Pike’s introduction to art and the story behind the man that became an Australian icon.

The Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery will be open in the evening from 5-6pm for a special viewing of the exhibition prior to the film.

Limited seating, please RSVP by Friday 29 June to Alexandra Tough on [email protected] or (08) 6488 3079

George Yeoh has a long standing interest in liver stem cells, specifically liver progenitor cells (LPCs) which are bipotential and able to generate hepatocytes and cholangiocytes in vitro and in vivo. His lab has gained valuable insight into the biology of LPCs by studying cell lines that are derived from liver using the “plate and wait” method he acquired while on sabbatical at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. In this seminar, an update on new findings on LPCs will be presented.

During the Austraian Open Tennis season, George applied the plate and wait method on cells isolated from the mammary gland by the Lisse-Labat/Visvader group at the WEHI and from the lung by the McQualter/Bertoncello group in Pharmacology at the University of Melbourne. These experiments and progress with establishing a mammary progenitor cell line and a lung progenitor cell line respectively will be discussed. Images and video from the Australian Open will also be presented.

In collaboration with The University Club of Western Australia, The School of Music proudly presents Brass Royalty and World Artists Robert and David Childs. Joined on stage by Perth’s own Royal Agricultural Society Brass Band of WA, these world-renowned Euphonium players are both in high demand across the world.

Robert Childs is a leading figure in the world of brass music. For over thirty years he has performed at the highest level giving solo performances in many of the world’s most prestigious venues. He is now the Musical Director of The Cory Band.

David Childs has emerged as one of the finest brass soloists in the world today. Since winning the brass final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2000, he has not ceased to wow audiences with his astonishing technique, extrovert musicality and engaging stage presence.

Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to see father and son together in performance.

For bookings please contact the University Club of Western Australia: Telephone 6488 8770 (Monday - Friday 9.00am - 8.00pm)

Price (includes canapé reception) Standard $65 Friends of UWA School of Music $60 The University Club of Western Australia Member $60

Dr Lloyd D’Orsogna is a Clinical Immunologist and fellow of both the Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP) and Royal College of Pathologists of Australiasia (RCPA). He is a new investigator recently returned from overseas after completing his PhD studies with honours (Cum Laude) in the field of transplantation biology and immunogenetics, at the Leiden University Medical Centre, the Netherlands. His research focuses on crossreactivity of virus specific memory T-cells against allogeneic HLA molecules and has led to novel understanding of the nature of T-cell alloreactivity. He has published many papers including a key paper on the high frequency and nature of allo-HLA crossreactivity by viral specific memory T-cells published in the journal Blood (Blood 2010; 115: 3146-3157). His research has been awarded multiple prizes including the prestigious Julia Bodmer Award 2011 (Young investigator award) by the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI).

Thinking of excelling in the New HSK test? Then enrolling in these training courses will enhance your chances!

The New HSK test is China’s officially recognised language proficiency test. All HSK results are internationally recognised as proof of Chinese language proficiency, and it is popular for non-native Chinese speakers to take the test sometime during their language study. The New HSK test is offered at several different levels, namely Level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 so a student may take the test as a beginner or as a proficient speaker.

These training courses have been developed by the Chinese language staff at the Confucius Institute to familiarise students with the New HSK content, practice test taking skills and offer study guidance.

The 3MT competition challenges research students to give a dynamic and engaging presentation about their research and its significance in a way that can be understood by everybody. The audience will select the "People's Choice" winner.

I received my Ph.D. from The University of Melbourne in 2009, where I studied the developmental origins of cardiac hypertrophy under the supervision of Prof. Lea Delbridge and Prof. Walter Thomas. Following my Ph.D., I undertook postdoctoral training at UT Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, USA) in the laboratory of Dr. Eric Olson, where I was supported by a co-funded overseas postdoctoral fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council and National Heart Foundation of Australia. During the course of my postdoctoral research at UT Southwestern, I discovered that the neonatal mammalian heart has an intrinsic capacity for regeneration following injury and I subsequently received the UT Southwestern Postdoctoral Achievement Award in recognition of this work. Supported by fellowships from the NHMRC/NHF and UQ, I relocated to the University of Queensland in 2012 to head the Cardiac Regeneration Group in the School of Biomedical Sciences. My lab at UQ aims to unravel the molecular mechanisms that regulate cardiac regenerative capacity in mammals.

The inability of the adult mammalian heart to regenerate following injury represents a substantial barrier in cardiovascular medicine. Using a surgical amputation model, we recently discovered that the neonatal mammalian heart has significant regenerative potential for a short period after birth. A major unresolved question is whether the neonatal heart can also regenerate following myocardial ischaemia, the most common antecedent of heart failure in humans. Here, I will outline recent studies examining the regenerative capacity of the neonatal mouse heart following myocardial infarction and I will highlight advances in our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing heart regeneration in mammals.

The Oxford University Society of Western Australia Inc. invites you to an information evening on applying to Oxford University and the Rhodes Scholarship.

Join Rachel Paterson (2011 WA Rhodes Scholar), Justin Audcent (Oxford University graduate and partner at Ernst & Young) and Caitlin Sharp (Oxford University BCL graduate and Senior Associate at Clayton Utz) for an overview of the application process and first hand knowledge of the Oxford University experience. Places are limited so make sure you RSVP soon!

Date: Wednesday, 25th July 2012

Time: 5:00pm – followed by drinks and canapes

Place: Clayton Utz Boardroom, Level 27 QV1 Building, St Georges Terrace, Perth.

RSVP to: Rebecca Brown, 9426 8520 or [email protected]

The Annual Lecture is the highlight of the year for the UWA Historical Society and Convocation and we are delighted to welcome Winthrop Professor Cheryl Praeger to the podium to reflect upon her years on Campus and subsequent experiences and achievements.

Mathematician Cheryl Praeger has served the University of Western Australia as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Professor since 1976. She leads a flourishing research group in pure mathematics and is in the top one per cent of highly cited mathematicians in the world.

Attendance is free.

Nine German Arias - Hymns to Nature by George Frideric Handel

Sung by Sara Macliver, Soprano

Accompanied by Paul Wright, violin; Noeleen Wright, cello; Andrew Tait, violone; Stewart Smith, harpsichord and chamber organ. Wednesday 25 July 7.30pm Government House Ballroom Tickets: $60/$50 conc/$20 student To Book: UWA extension / 08 6488 2433 / http://tiny.cc/NineGermanArias

Professor Paul Oslington will present dimensions of the renewed engagement between economics and theology. He will trace the theological influences and origins of economics, discuss religious economics as well as religion and development. The seminar will cover Adam Smith’s invisible hand, Islamic economics and the World Bank’s engagement with world faiths as well as the future of the dialogue at the boundaries between theology and economics.

The Introduction to University Teaching programme is part of a comprehensive set of professional development programmes offered by the Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL). The programme is specifically designed for postgraduate students who are teaching at UWA, particularly in seminars, tutorials or laboratories.

Dates: Fri 27 AND Mon 30 July, 9am-4pm

If you have been offered a place in the Postgraduate Teaching Internship Scheme for 2012 or are intending to apply for a Postgraduate Teaching Internship in 2013, please do not apply for this programme.

Abstract: Microeconomic data often have within-cluster dependence. This dependence affects standard error estimation and inference in regression models, including the instrumental variables model. Standard corrections assume that the number of clusters is large, but when this is not the case, Wald tests can either over-reject or under-reject and weak instrument robust tests can over-reject. We examine the use of bootstrap methods to construct appropriate critical values for these tests when the number of clusters is small. We find that a variant of the wild bootstrap performs well and reduces absolute size bias significantly, even with a small number of clusters. We also provide guidance in the choice among possible weak instrument robust tests when data have cluster dependence. These results should extend to fixed effect panel data models.

All are welcome to attend the seminar No RSVP required. Contact :Gopalan Nair (08) 6488 3377; [email protected]

American soprano Julianne Baird returns to The University of Western Australia as IAS Professor-at-Large to perform in this special event. Baird is renowned as an early music specialist and possesses a magnificent voice. She will be joined in recital by Paul Wright (violin) and other outstanding performers in an evening of chamber bliss.

The Seminar: Fetal glucocorticoid exposure is a key mechanism proposed to underlie prenatal "programming" of adult cardiometabolic and neuropsychiatric disorders. Regulation of fetal glucocorticoid exposure is achieved by the placental and fetal glucocorticoid "barrier," which involves glucocorticoid inactivation by 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (11beta-HSD2). Mice null for 11beta-HSD2 exhibit altered placental development and function, decreased birth weight, delayed neurodevelopment and increased anxiety and depressive-like behaviour as adults. This raises the question as to whether it is placental or fetal brain 11b-HSD2 that underpins programmed outcomes? Preliminary data suggest that fetal brain 11beta-HSD2 impacts specifically on depressive-like behaviours, but that broader anxiety-related and neurodevelopmental effects are likely to relate to indirect effects of 11-HSD2 in the placenta.

The Speaker: Caitlin completed her PhD at UWA under the supervision of Prof Brendan Waddell and Dr Peter Mark, where she focused on developmental programming and the significance of omega-3 intake in attenuating adverse health outcomes. Caitlin moved to Edinburgh in 2006 to take up a postdoctoral position at The Queen's Medical Research Institute. Here she continued her research interest in developmental programming in the lab of Prof Jonathan Seckl and Prof Megan Holmes. Caitlin then returned to Perth in late 2011 to commence an Assistant Professor position at The School of Anatomy , Phsiology and Human Biology at UWA.

In conjunction with the UWA Business School, the UWA Careers Centre is organising an expo to promote vacation and work opportunities.

Employers attending include: McGrath Nicol, BHP Billiton, Chevron, EY, KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, Grant Thornton, Crowe Howarth, Department of Health, IBM, National Australia Bank, Shell, Momentum Partners, John Davidson & Associates and the UWA Careers Centre.

All students welcome!