Uniken

Creator
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit
Call Number
Nf 378.944 UNI
Created/Published
Kensington, N.S.W. : University of New South Wales, [1975]-2015
Issue
1988, no. 18 (11 Nov., 1988)
Images
8
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Contents

UNIKEN THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES 1
Search for new heart drug advances 1
ARC RESULTS Record funding for School of Mathematics 1 , 2
Debate on amalgamations 1 , 2
UNSW tops in research funding 1 , 2
ARC: What's really happening? 2
INSTITUTIONAL COMPARISON ARC FUNDS 1989 2
Pro-V-C praises grants achievement 2
IBM terminal laboratories 2
Helpful hindsights from Simfam 3
Aboriginal dance politics 3
UNIKEN and FOCUS contacts 3
Audio Visual Unit wins major award 3
Open meeting rejects mega-university proposals 4
International House summer accommodation 4
Staff Assoc elections 4
Conference on children's rights 4
Architect helps develop energy-efficient housing 4
Ada Cambridgeunspoken thoughts revealed 5
Professional Development Centre follows merger 5
Re-enrolling 1989 5
Graduating? 5
Diary covering 12—27 November 6
Briefs 6
John Fitzgerald – retirement 6
Review of UNSW parking, traffic control, roadway network and public transport services 6
Monomeeth Christmas dinner 6
Final ’88 activities for Wives’ Group 6
Centre for Liberal and General Studies 6
Info sought on newcomers groups 6
Advertising 6
Design student turns theory into profits 7
Most full-time postgrads exempt from tuition tax – a Students' Union view 7
Society for Cognitive Science to be formed 7
Seismic profiling of coal seams 7
Funding a keynote of Health Minister's address 7
Students’ Union- President’s Report 7
Sport Robson opens season with two centuries 8
Sports Briefs 8
Advertising 8
1989 enrolment for University of Western Sydney 8
Improved lift service on the way 8
Send in the clowns! 8

Text

UNIKEN  

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES  

No. 258 (No. 18 of 1988)  

Published fortnightly by the News Publications Section  

Registered by Australia Post Publication No. NBF 4388  

11 November 1988  

Search for new  

heart drug advances  

Recent research by UNSW team has improved the pros-  

pect that Anthopleurin-A, protein isolated from Pacific sea  

anemone, may be viable alternative to digoxin, the estab-  

lished stimulant doctors use to treat heart conditions.  

Once Anthopleurin-A can be made small enough for the  

body not to reject it as an antigen (foreign molecule), it can  

become the basis of drug that will be safer, more potent and  

work under wider range of conditions than digoxin, says  

leader of the ‘design’ team. Dr Ray Norton, Senior Lecturer in  

UNSW’s School of Biochemistry.  

For the last few years the UNSW scientists have been  

working to determine the structure of the ‘parent’ molecule,  

prerequisite to working out which bits of it need to be repro-  

duced in its smaller ‘offspring’.  

On new molecular graphics workstation financed mainly  

by the ARCS and the Ramaciotti Foundation, the researchers  

are able to display and analyse the molecular architecture of  

Anthopleurin-A.  

The complex three-dimensional structure rotating on the  

screen is very much product of high-technology, Dr Norton  

explains.  

Coming up with the molecule’s shape required using nuclear  

magnetic resonance spectroscopy combined with extensive  

‘number-crunching’ on the University’s recently acquired  

IBM computer, while reproduction of the molecule on the  

screen marvellous aid to analysing it represents the  

top-end (and top dollar) of Silicon Valley invention.  

It would have taken much longer to get this far, using con-  

ventional methods of structure determination, Dr Norton says  

but it’s going to take few years more to reduce Antho-  

pleurin-A to size.  

ARC RESULTS  

Record funding  

for School of  

Mathematics  

Overall strength in wide  

range of mathematical disciplines  

is the reason behind the record  

$815,590 UNSWs School of  

Mathematics will receive in  

Australian Research Council  

(ARC) grants for 1989, accord-  

ing to the Head of School,  

Professor lan Sloan.  

Researchers in the School of  

Mathematics will receive almost  

one-eighth of the $6,548,599 in  

ARC funding allocated to the  

University which has the distinc-  

tion of being awarded both the  

highest number of grants and the  

highest amount of funds of any  

Australian university (see separ-  

ate story on this page).  

‘lt is an outstanding result for  

us’, Professor Sloan said. ‘While  

people might wonder, “how can  

this happen in mathematics?”,  

it emphasises the tremendously  

wide range of modem mathe-  

matics itself and the broad  

strengths of the School.  

‘lt also reflects the fact that  

the School has high standard  

over wide range of areas.  

‘Last year the School brought  

in nearly $500,000 in peer  

reviewed research grants and  

this year it is over $BOO,OOO.  

I’m mighty proud. It is reflec-  

tion of the standing of the  

School of Mathematics and the  

University that we did so well.’  

Professor Sloan said that half  

of the 24 projects to receive  

funding are initial grants and  

half on-going grants.  

‘l’m hoping some of the  

initial grants will be guaranteed  

with three-year commitment  

to permit more sensible planning.  

‘Half of our grants came from  

the mathematical, physical and  

chemical sciences and half from  

the engineering committee of  

the ARC, he said, indicating  

the diversity of work being  

undertaken.  

The biggest initial grant for  

1989 will be $58,278, awarded  

to Professor Gavin Brown, Dr  

lan Raeburn and Dr Colin  

Sutherland for fundamental pure  

mathematics research into  

Dynamical systems and induc-  

tive structures which deals with  

the mathematical systems under-  

lying turbulence in liquids and  

chaos in biological systems.  

‘Their research is interdis-  

ciplinary’, Professor Sloan said.  

‘lt involves pure mathematics  

on the one hand, and affects  

quantum physics and the turbu-  

lence in liquids on the other.  

‘These and other pure mathe-  

maticians in the School will also  

receive large continuing grants in  

modern analysis, reflecting the  

School’s great strength in this  

area of pure mathematics.’  

Professor Sloan’s own on-  

going grant remains one of the  

largest individual grants to be  

received. He is part of team  

being funded over six-year  

Continued on page  

Debate on amalgamations  

special meeting of the  

Academic Board on November  

to consider the question of  

amalgamations between higher  

education institutions in NSW  

resulted in lengthy debate about  

how best Council should be  

advised.  

draft response prepared by  

the Board’s Policy Advisory  

Committee (PAC) was endorsed  

in principle but the PAC was  

asked to amend it taking into  

account the discussion at the  

meeting.  

As UNIKEN was going to  

press, the PAC was meeting  

again to re-draft its document.  

Some Board members ex-  

pressed concern that the PAC’s  

overall summary to go to Coun-  

cil was too meek in its message  

to the State Government. There  

was general consensus at the  

meeting that the Government’s  

proposed model for the amalga-  

mation of higher education  

institutions was unacceptable in  

its present form.  

There was strong stand of  

support for the Chancellor,  

Justice Gordon Samuels, in his  

recent attack on the proposed  

system of governance for an  

amalgamated, multi-campus  

UNSW.  

Some Board members argued  

that re-drafted response should  

clearly indicate exactly how  

UNSW would benefit from  

amalgamation with any nomi-  

nated institutions.  

Speaking after the meeting,  

Board President, Professor Derek  

Anderson, said the PAC would  

incorporate in the re-drafted  

response the principal amend-  

ments suggested by the Board.  

Although some members of  

the University had argued  

vigorously that UNSW should  

remain untouched in any re-  

organisation of higher education  

within NSW, he believed it was  

important for the University to  

remain constructively flexible  

in its response to the Education  

Minister, Dr Metherell.  

The PAC believed there were  

number of other, more con-  

structive models of affiliation  

which should be canvassed in  

the advice offered by the Board  

to Council.  

The PAC re-drafted docu-  

ment will not have time to be  

submitted again to the Board as  

joint discussion, between  

members of the PAC and the  

Advisory Committee set up by  

Council to assist the Vice-  

Chancellor in his negotiations  

with the National Board of  

Employment, Education and  

Training (NBEET), had to be  

held by Friday November.  

What emerges from these  

joint discussions will go to  

special meeting of Council which  

meets on Friday 18 November.  

UNSW would be re-consti-  

tuted as multi-campus univer-  

sity with five other existing  

institutions under State  

Government proposal to intro-  

duce seven ‘network universities’  

across NSW.  

56-page report by the  

Office of Higher Education,  

The Future of Higher Education  

in New South Wales, was tabled  

in State Parliament on 11  

October by the Education  

Minister, Dr Metherell.  

The position paper was pre-  

pared by the Director of the  

Office of Higher Education  

(OHE), Mr Ron Parry. It estab-  

lishes framework for restruc-  

turing higher education in NSW  

in the light of the Common-  

wealth Government’s White  

Paper.  

Under the Parry model,  

UNSW would be re-constituted  

as network of member institu-  

tions including number of  

Continued on page  

UNSW tops in research funding  

The University of NSW has  

received the highest amount of  

research funding in the country  

in the Australian Research  

Council (ARC) grants awarded  

for 1989, (The ARC has replaced  

the former ARGC and Marine  

Sciences and Technologies  

Grants Schemes.  

This is the first time that  

UNSW has received both the  

highest number of grants and the  

highest amount of funds.  

The University received 239  

grants and total funds of  

$6,548,599 (see table page for  

comparison figures with other  

universities).  

The largest single allocation  

of research grants in Australia’s  

history has been made with the  

Commonwealth Government an-  

nouncing on 31 October that  

researchers will next year receive  

more than $59 million through  

the ARC.  

The Minister for Employment,  

Education and Training, Mr  

John Dawkins, said that 1,785  

research projects proposed by  

researchers will receive funding  

next year, representing 13 per  

cent increase in the number of  

projects funded am 20 per  

cent increase in the value of the  

average grant.  

The 1989 allots lon by the  

ARC is almost *td per cent  

higher than comparable grants  

for 1988 which amounted to  

about $42.1 million, he said.  

‘More than $52 million will  

be made available to the research  

community through direct  

research grants’, Mr Dawkins  

said, ‘and about $6.5 million  

will be allocated through 50  

research fellowships and 15  

prestigious Queen Elizabeth 11  

fellowships.  

The Minister said that the  

grants and fellowships awarded  

for next year are in line with  

the Government’s research ob-  

jectives outlined in the higher  

education White Paper, released  

in July.  

The White Paper's main re-  

search objectives were aimed  

at encouraging fundamental  

inquiry for the advancement of  

knowledge, developing skills in  

Continued on page  

Dr Ray Norton (left), and PhD students Mr Rasmus Fogh and Ms  

Alison Gould, examine display on screen of the molecular architec-  

ture of Anthopleurin-A.  

Professor lan Sloan ... delighted  

with research funding for the School  

of Mathematics.  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252538984

APA citation

University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. (1975). Uniken Retrieved May 25, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252538984

MLA citation

University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit and University of New South Wales, issuing body. Uniken Kensington, N.S.W: University of New South Wales, 1975. Web. 25 May 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252538984>

Harvard/Australian citation

University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. 1975, Uniken University of New South Wales, Kensington, N.S.W viewed 25 May 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252538984

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  | author1=University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit.
  | author2=University of New South Wales, issuing body.
  | title=Uniken.
  | year=1975
  | section=volumes : illustrations ; 30-43 cm.
  | issn=0312-7877
  | issue=1988, no. 18 (11 Nov., 1988)
  | location=Kensington, N.S.W
  | publisher=University of New South Wales
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252538984
  | id=nla.obj-252538984
  | access-date=25 May 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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