What's On at UWA

Short course topics • Geomechanics data collection • Intact rock • Discontinuities • Rock mass classification • Stress measurements • Rock fracture criteria • Underground geomechanics design • Numerical modelling • Monitoring The course could be of particular benefit to geomechanics personnel with limited practical experience and is applicable to both open pit and underground mining personnel.

The presentation is concerned with alternative ways to achieve equality policy objectives - drawing upon unrelated areas such as dietary health or workplace health and safety. It is based on current inter-disciplinary work with the UK Government to generate practical insights to inform policy and institutional design. It begins by assessing how well - and why - interventions work to mitigate public harm or detriment in other unrelated spheres (such as public health, food safety, professional standards and financial regulation). Citing the public interest, government and regulatory agencies are able to utilise such knowledge to deliver safer homes, more punctual pupils, healthier diets, cleaner streets, and so on. It then looks at how far attitudinal change and behavioural change are interconnected, and specifically the degree to which attitudinal change serves as a pre-requisite to behavioural change. For instance, securing a legal framework that creates minimum standards of fire safety in workplaces or homes may be influenced by public attitudes but is certainly not dependent on such settled public attitudes to start with. Indeed, legislation, and what this requires of employers and households in practice, can have a demonstration effect, normalising behavioural change in the process. And attitudinal change alone is unlikely to drive behavioural change and may be unwanted or unnecessary in any case, particularly where the potential citizen detriment is hard to spot by individuals themselves. Finally, it considers the implications for policymaking in three regards: first, optimally blending incentives and sanctions to sustain behavioural change relevant to equalities outcomes; second, mapping relationships between background factors that indirectly shape decision-making and choices and foreground factors that can be influenced through policy; and third, targeting policy instruments at hard-to-move individuals, groups and interests.

Meet the recruiters and get tips for your resume, interviews and job etiquette. Recruiters from Rio Tinto, Water Corporation, John Davidson Associates and Alliance Power Data.

‘On the couch with the recruiter session’ is targeted at international students, although all students are welcome.

Discover what you need to know about being competitive in the Australian market place. Be prepared to ask questions about resumes, pre interview, interview and post interview tips/general etiquette in job searching and acceptance.

The Seminar: We have previously reported that treatment with magnesium following global and focal cerebral ischaemia does not reduce brain damage in normothermic rats (1, 2). However we have shown that mild hypothermia (35°C) combined with magnesium is more effective than either treatment used alone following global and focal ischaemia (3). Treatment is effective when commenced 2 hours post global ischaemia and when commenced 2 or 4, but not 6 hours post-permanent focal ischaemia (4). We are currently further defining therapeutic windows following global ischaemia and transient focal ischaemia.

The Speaker: Bruno Meloni obtained his Bachelor of Science degree at Curtin University in 1985 and his PhD degree at Murdoch University in 1993. In 1996, he started a second Postdoctoral position with the newly formed Stroke Research Group, situated at the ANRI and headed by Clinical Professor Neville Knuckey. A/Prof Meloni was responsible for setting up the molecular biology, in vitro cultivation and animal surgery laboratories and has played a major role in overseeing its direction over the last 15 years. A/Prof Meloni's research has focussed on identifying neuroprotective proteins for the development of potential treatments for ischaemic brain injury and assessing the effectiveness of mild hypothermia and magnesium as a neuroprotective therapy following cerebral ischaemia. To this end, his talk will focus on experimental work performed by the Stroke Research Group over the last several years characterising the efficacy of mild hypothermia and magnesium in stroke and global cerebral ischaemia rat models.

The next Soil&Water Seminar speaker will be Assistant Prof. Natasha Pauli from SEE(UWA), at 12pm on Weds Aug 22. All welcome!

TITLE: “Local knowledge and use of soil biota in agriculture”

ABSTRACT: Efforts to increase above- and below-ground biodiversity in farming systems require greater understanding of how farmers develop and use their knowledge of biodiversity, ecological processes and soil quality. While much has been written about local knowledge of soil type and soil quality, there has been relatively little research on farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of soil biota, particularly with respect to their influence on soil health and agricultural management practices.

This presentation will outline a meta-analysis of existing research on local knowledge of soil biota, describing geographic trends and key findings. The presentation will also discuss a case study example, using the results of semi-structured interviews on local knowledge of soils, vegetation and soil fauna with 20 smallholder farmers from rural Honduras. The combination of the farmers’ shared experiences and information imparted from external sources has led to the development of a substantial body of local ecological knowledge regarding the attributes and management of biological resources within the agricultural system. For the farmers interviewed, knowledge of the relationships between soil quality and biological processes was more detailed for above-ground biodiversity than for below-ground biodiversity. The findings of the research have implications for the development of policies and/or programmes aimed at promoting the benefits of greater below-ground biodiversity in farming systems.

Anne Bauer and Samantha Bonner will present on Navitas's Graduate Internship Programs with an aim at international students.

Our Professional Year Program and Professional Internship Program provides an opportunity to gain practical work experience within the Australian workforce in order to kick start your career.

Please visit the below websites for further program information.

www.professional-internships.com

http://www.professional-year.com/Professional-Year-Program.html

We look forward to seeing you there!

Wednesday 22 August 2012, 1-2pm.

Need IELTS to get employment? Want some tips about the exam? Come along to our information session.

The IELTS (Hints & Tips) session will be presented by Anne-marie Puleo from UWA Centre for English Language Teaching. Anne-marie is an expert in IELTS examining and examiner training as well as teaching for the exam.

Visible spectrum radiometry (or ocean colour remote sensing) is currently the only means of observing surface ocean biology at synoptic scales with high spatio-temporal resolution and it has long been a goal of the ocean colour community to identify phytoplankton taxa, species or size class. Better understanding of phytoplankton community abundance, structure, distribution and physiological rates is important for improving estimates of ecosystem function, the flux of atmospheric carbon dioxide to the oceans and ocean biogeochemical feedbacks on climate. For example, small cells may absorb nutrients and CO2 with higher efficiency under nutrient-limited conditions, whereas large cells can sink more rapidly and are thought to contribute more to export production. These size classes can be further subdivided into functional types with important roles in a range of elemental cycles (e.g. sulphur, silica). I will give an introductory ‘users guide’ to the approaches we have used to identify phytoplankton groups in the ocean and will present results from several recent studies that have significantly advanced this field through the development and application of satellite algorithms for estimating dominance and fractional contributions of PSC, PFT and size-specific photosynthetic rates.

'The mis-use of religion in the justification of political violence: a comparative analysis'

This year's St Thomas More College Chair of Jesuit Studies is Professor Oliver Rafferty SJ, Lecturer in Irish and Ecclesiastical History at Heythrop College, University of London. A Past President of the Irish Historical Society, Professor Rafferty will address the subject of religion as a justification for political violence, from the Crusades down to the present day.

This public lecture is presented in association with the Institute of Advanced Studies, UWA.

Time of this event has changed from 1pm to 12 noon.

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This is your opportunity to find out the latest information about visas and PR requirements. Representatives from DIAC will provide information and answer questions.

This is your opportunity to find out the latest information about visas and PR requirements. Representatives from DIAC will provide information and answer questions.

"Nicholas Wiseman, Ecclesiastical Politics and Anglo-Irish Relations in the Mid 19th Century"

Professor Oliver Rafferty SJ, the 2012 St Thomas More College Chair of Jesuit Studies, will present the third in a series of six lectures on nineteenth century Irish history.

The Chair of Jesuit Studies is jointly recognised by the the University of Western Australia and the University of Notre Dame Australia, and aims to bring a leading academic from the worldwide Jesuit community to Perth each year.

Professor Rafferty is visiting from Heythrop College, University of London, where he specialises in Irish and Ecclesiastical history. He will present the remaining five seminars in the same locations, and at the same time, on Fridays 7th, 14th, and 21st September.

Meet the recruiters and get tips for your resume, interviews and job etiquette. Recruiters from Accenture, Public Service Commission and John Davidson Associates.

‘On the couch with the recruiter session’ is targeted at postgraduate students, although all students are welcome.

Discover what you need to know about being competitive in the market place - academia, government and industry. Be prepared to ask questions about resumes, pre interview, interview and post interview tips/general etiquette in job searching and acceptance.

Thank you to Accenture - sponsor of this event and UWA Postgraduate Careers Week.

There will be time following the session to ask individual questions.

BOOKINGS REQUIRED on CAREERHUB - http://uwa.careerhub.com.au

The Seminar: The cellular and molecular biology of airway smooth muscle (ASM) is typically studied with single-cell cultures grown on solid, thus extremely stiff, 2D substrates. However cells in vivo exist as part of complex 3D structures and experience a much softer mechanical environment. It is well established in other cell types that altering substrate stiffness or growing cells in 3D exerts potent effects on phenotype and function. These factors may be especially relevant to the study of ASM function in asthma, a disease characterized by structural remodeling of the airway wall and a stiffer microenvironment experienced by ASM.

In this seminar, two key research projects will be presented to demonstrate the importance of the mechanical environment on in vitro ASM function: 1) use of a polyacrylamide hydrogel model used to alter substrate stiffness, and 2) the development and characterisation of a physiologically relevant 3D ‘microtissue’ culture model that allows for in vitro contractile force measurement, and shows great promise to simulate the biomechanical changes associated with asthma.

The Speaker: Adrian West’s scientific career was born and raised at the University of Western Australia. He undertook his BSc, Honours and PhD in the Department of Physiology where he studied the molecular mechanisms of intestinal haem iron absorption under Dr Phillip Oates. A lucky opportunity allowed Adrian to switch fields for his first postdoc to work in Prof Howard Mitchell’s respiratory physiology laboratory. During this time, he studied the effects of dynamic mechanical strain on acute regulation of airway smooth muscle (ASM) force and developed an interest in bridging the gap between whole-organ and cell-level mechanical properties.

Realising that engineers get to play with the coolest toys, Adrian moved to Dalhousie University in Canada for his second postdoc to work with an upcoming biomedical engineer, Dr Geoffrey Maksym. In this current position he is using novel cell culture and tissue engineering techniques to study how chronic changes in the biomechanical environment regulate ASM dysfunction, and how this may contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma.

SIFE is a global network of university teams competing in over 40 countries, creating change in the lives of others through the positive power of business.

Being the 2012 National Australian Champions, SIFE UWA will be travelling to Washington D.C in September to represent Australia at the SIFE World Cup. SIFE UWA has projects in areas including financial literacy, environmental sustainability and economic development whilst simultaneously impacting communities across Australia and beyond.

Want to help make a difference and gain invaluable business experience?? SIFE UWA is looking for talented, switched-on students from a range of disciplines to help us make a difference.

If you are interested in getting involved, we would like to invite you to the SIFE UWA Information Session WHEN: 1pm, Tuesday 28th of August, 2012 WHERE: Law Lecture Room 1, G.31

For more information – please contact [email protected]

Dr Martelotto is a cell and molecular biologist involved in full time basic research for the last 12 years. After completing his bachelor (biotechnology) degree and PhD in Biological Sciences and Molecular Biology in Argentina, Dr Martelotto was recruited by the Victorian AgriBiosciences Centre of the Department of Primary Industries (La Trobe University) to work as a plant molecular biologist. During this time Dr Martelotto designed and developed a series of cutting-edge molecular biology strategies that led to a major patent inventorship in plant biotechnology (WO/2010/028456). This experience enhanced his training in advanced molecular biology techniques of direct relevance to all forms of biologic and medical research. His work has also been recognised by several prestigious awards, including the Rosario Society of Biology Award, the Argentinean Society of Genetics Award and the UNR PhD Academic Merit Award (Argentina). In 2008, Dr Martelotto joined the Watkins’ laboratory at the Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR) as a Postdoctoral Fellow. In 3 years, he developed a mastery of cancer biology, and expertise in the techniques and concepts of mammalian Hedgehog (Hh) signalling associated with extraordinary productivity and dedication. Dr Martelotto played a central role in the identification of Hedgehog (Hh) signalling as one of the most important pathways driving tumour initiation, progression and regeneration after chemotherapy in SCLC. As part of this work, he extensively characterized a series of unique primary xenograft models of SCLC generated from chemo-naïve patients for their capacity to respond to platinum-based chemotherapy. This discovery brought important clues for designing new treatment approaches to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and therefore reduce the risk of relapse. These achievements have been recognised by the MIMR Flagship Research Award in 2010, and a co-first authorship on a recent publication in Nature Medicine (2011) describing the mechanistic basis for Hh signalling in SCLC self-renewal that will be presented at the WAIMR seminar series. In May 2012 Dr Martelotto joined Dr Archa Fox’s lab (WAIMR) to investigate the mechanism of nuclear retention of RNA.

Bioeroding sponges are the most important internal bioeroders on many coral reefs, but are often overlooked because of their cryptic habit. In comparison with extensive research into reef calcification, bioerosion in general is critically understudied, and the mechanisms of reef degradation by sponges are still not fully understood. While calcifying organisms are routinely surveyed in monitoring programs, the distribution and abundance of bioeroding sponges is rarely assessed. We do not have comprehensive data on the rate of bioerosion by sponges through time or on sponge bioerosion rates before and after disturbance events. However, it does appear that environmental changes will critically shift the natural balance between reef accretion and bioerosion. This presentation will summarise what is known about the biology of bioeroding sponges and address questions regarding their likely impacts on coral reef health. It will examine the effects they are currently having on reefs and whether these effects are expected to change through time. A special focus will be provided on recent results on effects of ocean acidification. The talk will also discuss how we can control and monitor sponge bioerosion and what research is needed to help us protect our reefs. It will further address important knowledge gaps, create greater awareness, provide useful tools for future studies and encourage research into this ecologically significant group.

Percussion Purity! presents the first ever Marimba Orchestra assembled in Perth. WA’s most outstanding percussionists will perform a program of premieres by Nigel Westlake, Christopher Deane and Emmanuel Sejourne, followed by a massed Marimba Orchestra of 40 players. An exciting and unique event not to be missed!

Tickets available from BOCS: http://www.bocsticketing.com.au / 08 9484 1133

Preparing a good resume is the key to opening the door to an interview. It needs to give information in such a way that it attracts employers' attention. Guest presenter from Accenture will be presenting at this workshop.

Bookings essential on CareerHub as places are limited - http://uwa.careerhub.com.au

This workshop is a “hands-on” computing exercise and is scheduled to be conducted in the Pharmacology Computing Laboratory (room G17, M block QEII). Class size is strictly limited to 40 participants. Until 5 pm Monday 27th August, priority will be given to those with a current CMCA registration after which participation will be open to all on a “first in” basis. The workshop is free to attend but registration is essential. Please contact CMCA admin ([email protected]) to register. Also note, if you register and then fail to attend the workshop, a $50 non-attendance fee may be levied.