David Schama (1 January 2003)
Design, Architecture and Building
Internet AU
David Schama of the UTS Visual Communication department offers expert advice on buying a digital camera.

Dr Jane Tarran (1 January 2003)
Science
Readers Digest
A research study at UTS has shown that potted plants are efficient at filtering volatile organic chemicals in modern homes and offices. "Indoor air may be seven times more polluted than outdoor air," says UTS environmental scientist Dr Jane Tarran.

Professor Kevin Broady (1 January 2003)
Science
Dog's Life!
More than 8000 dogs will lose their lives to ticks this year. But hope is on the way as scientists are developing the world's first tick vaccine. Professor Kevin Broady has dedicated more than 12 years of research to developing a lifesaving vaccine. "Preliminary experiments show what we have produced so far is high in antibodies, and that is encouraging. The problem is it's not protective, so further work needs to be done," he says.

Matthew McDonald (4 January 2003)
Business
Sydney Morning Herald
It is critical for people to take stock of their careers and to evaluate where they are heading. Matthew McDonald says that people are not changing their jobs often enough. He says that the golden rule is to stay in your job while you do your homework. "Once you've researched your options thoroughly, that's when you can think about making a move." He also tells people to look for opportunities within their organisations.

Dr Sarah Edelman (4 January 2003)
Science
Daily Telegraph
In a story about sports people who excel when their backs are against the wall Dr Sarah Edelman says "trait anxiety" often plays a big part in a person's ability to perform under pressure. "Some people that seem to be a little bit more anxious by nature when they are under pressure tend to perform badly and sport is a really good example of where that is manifested," she said. "On the other hand,if you are low on trait anxiety it means you tend to keep calm in the face of adversity."

Eva Cox (7 January 2003)
Humanities and Social Sciences
Australian Financial Review
Australia's fertility rate is diving towards a critical level, and if nothing is done now, the impact could be devastating. Eva Cox says that in decades past having children wasn't a big drama, but these days it is a very big decision. According to Cox, it is an even bigger decision for women from a high socio-economic background because "they have more to lose, and that is certainly reflected int he statistics."

Professor Larissa Behrendt, Director (8 January 2003)
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, Law
The Australian
Profile of Larissa Behrendt who was joint winner with Marcia Langton of the inaugural Neville Bonner Indigenous University Teacher of the Year Award. Her career is based upon working in academia and legal practice and she says that "what I bring to teaching is enriched by the fact that I can tell students about how the legal issues we talk about in the classroom relate to real life."

Leena Thomas (8 January 2003)
Design, Architecture and Building
Glebe and Inner Western Weekly
Final-year architectural students at UTS were asked to come up with some possibilities for the derelict tram sheds at Newtown. Leena Thomas said that "the students were basically given a free run in terms of what project they wanted to develop, but they were given a brief that had to deal with the adaptive reuse of the tram sheds."

Professor Derek Eamus (13 January 2003)
Science
Country News, Port Macquarie Express
Professor Derek Eamus said Australian governments need to reform agricultural practices to protect water resources and halt a decline in rural living standards. "Australia actually has a negative water balance, yet millions of litres are being used to irrigate water-needy crops like rice, cotton and cattle pasture," he said. Eamus said that "if we manage water and soils resources properly we will see an increase in wealth, an improvement in health, a decrease in health expenditure and the generation of tax revenue that could be used to fix environmental problems".

Professor Derek Eamus (14 January 2003)
Science
Sydney Morning Herald, Radio 4BC, Radio 2SM
Marrying later in life, rising numbers of single-parent families and increasing divorce rates are placing an unsustainable burden on natural resources, new research has shown. Derek Eamus concurs and says that these trends help explain why Australia has the fifth largest ecological footprint - the measure of resources used to maintain lifestyle. "The world average is 2.5 hectares of productive land per person, per year," he said. "In Australia we take about eight hectares."

Shirley Alexander, Director (15 January 2003)
Institute for Interactive Media and Learning
Sunday Telegraph, Radio JJJ, Channel 7, Sky (Sydney), The Australian
UTS academic staff have voted to buy a site licence that would allow them to use plagiarism detection software in a bid to stem the growing tide of students who cut and paste from the World Wide Web. Shirley Alexander said that turnitin.com would allow academics to submit suspect assignments for testing. She said that is was important to catch cheats: "It's not good for the student and it lowers standards. It's also disheartening for other students who know it's going on."

Professor Larissa Behrendt, Director (15 January 2003)
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, Law
ABC Radio National
Interview with Dr Larissa Behrendt who discusses her academic career and the theory behind the call for Aboriginal sovereignty. She says that it is not divisive, but translates into a desire by Indigenous people for self-determination of their own health, education, employment and other circumstances.

Rebecca Harris (18 January 2003)
Humanities and Social Sciences
ABC Radio 2BL
A discussion about the impact of advertising on our lives. Rebecca Harris does not believe that there is quantitatively more advertising, but the way it tries to get its message across is changing. She says that an area of of fuzziness is the differentiation between editorial content and advertising.

Peter Meyer, Director of International Off-Shore Programs (18 January 2003)
Business
The New Straits Times
Taylor's Business School (TBS) in Malaysia offers a double degree program in conjunction with UTS. Peter Meyer said graduates will be able to demonstrate the ability to specialise in software development life cycles, computer applications for business and other environments and software engineering principles, among other skills.

Eduardo Chavez (18 January 2003)
Information Technology
CanWest Interactive, Vancouver Sun
Article on smiling. Mentions Eduardo Chavez, who is researching smiling at University of Technology in Sydney. Chavez explains, says the article, that in a spontaneous smile both the eyes and the mouth are activated and there is subtle interplay between the two. In a fake smile only the mouth becomes activated and not the eyes.

Professor David Boud (19 January 2003)
Education
Sun Herald
The decision whether to give a child a private or public education is becoming an increasingly important decision. Professor David Boud says that there exists a perception that private schools are better, but that is not necessarily the case. "If you pay for something, you value it more," he said. He feels many parents spend money on education because they believe it equates to being "good" parents.

Dr Jim Lemon (19 January 2003)
Science
Sunday Telegraph
Young women are emulating men - drinking excessively and aggressively flirting, experts say. Thirty years ago drinking heavily was not seen as a feminine thing to do says Dr Jim Lemon of UTS's Health Psychology Unit. "Women who drank to excess were frowned upon, but now everyone gets drunk now and then," he said.

Dr Stuart White, Director (20 January 2003)
Institute for Sustainable Futures
Sydney Morning Herald
Waterless urinals are one way to save water. Dr Stuart White said 80 percent of the nutrients in human waste are found in urine, which is reused as fertiliser by a number of European countries, including Sweden. "The cost is a barrier, as it is with all things that save water, but hopefully we will see these things take hold," he said.

Dr Linnette Lock (21 January 2003)
Nursing, Midwifery & Health
Central Coast Herald
Contrary to popular belief hospital isn't always the best place for new mothers to rest after giving birth. Dr Linnette Lock is an expert in the early hospital discharge of women after birth. She has found that hospital can be a restless place for women after birth and that it isn't beneficial to building a relationship with their baby. "On the whole, women do much better in their home environment," Dr Lock said.

Chris Hepperlin, Director, Student Services Unit (23 January 2003)
Executive and Admin
Sydney Morning Herald
The differences students find when making the transition from high school to university are huge. Chris Hepperlin says that in the first few university weeks, students need to morph into being an "autonomous adult learner". He also says that as an independent learner university students will have to work out when to go to lectures, when assessments are due and often learn to write essays in a style which is new and different.

Dr Paul Ashton (24 January 2003)
Humanities and Social Sciences
Radio 2SM
Speaking about a recent survey conducted by UTS into the attitudes to the past and meaning of Australia Day, Dr Ashton says research indicates that 91 to 92 per cent of the population feels discomfort towards Australia Day. Compere disagrees and challenges Dr Ashton's comments.

Professor Larissa Behrendt, Director (27 January 2003)
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, Law
ABC Radio National
Discussion about Australia Day and its status in Australia. Is it a day of celebration or mourning? There is also discussion about the social issues facing Indigenous Australians and on moving forward with reconciliation, and whether there is a cause for hope.

Professor Geoff Smith (28 January 2003)
Science
Bulletin with Newsweek
Windows that keep your house cool and windscreens that transmit visible light while blocking out heat are just two of the innovations coming out of the nanotech research program at UTS. Team leader Professor Geoff Smith says that he is frustrated with Australian companies that don't want to contribute venture capital to back the University's intellectual property.

Dr Satich Thosar (29 January 2003)
Business
Sydney Morning Herald
A growing number of older homeowners want to use the equity in their homes. However advice is recommended for anyone contemplating tapping into equity in this way. Satish Thosar says on the supply side institutions have been wary of entering the market. "Institutions are concerned about the risks attached to such lending because of the potential to end up carrying losses if the sale value of a house does not cover the outstanding loan."

Professor Robin Braun (29 January 2003)
Engineering
The Bulletin with Newsweek Online, The Bulletin with Newsweek
The single telecommunications protocol, IP, demands more research and development if we are to keep up with the telco revolution. Programs such as UTS's Institute for Information and Communication Technologies are built on industry partnerships with private sector giants such as Alactel. Deputy Director Robin Braun, says that "the grand problem is that the networks get so big and there are so many services that it's hard to manage. We'll never get to future networks if we don't figure out how to manage them today."

Professor Larissa Behrendt, Director (29 January 2003)
Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, Law
Campus Review Weekly
Profile of Larissa Behrendt. Myton writes that she is a "powerful rising force in Aboriginal affairs, a formidable intellect and an award-winning academic." The rise and power of conservative politicians and right-wing commentary is a source of concern for Behrendt. She says that "there's a pervasive anti-Aboriginal ideology operating in many sectors of Australian society now. And that's quite overwhelmingly hard."

Professor Mary Chiarella (29 January 2003)
Nursing, Midwifery & Health
Campus Review Weekly
Professor Mary Chiarella, Professor of Corrections Health at UTS, has been appointed Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of NSW. Chiarella described her whole career as being a "search for the marriage of theory and practice in nursing" with her own research concerned with the legal and professional status of nursing. "I now have the opportunity to put that work into practice," she said.

Shane West (31 January 2003)
Design, Architecture and Building
ABC Radio 2BL
Shane West discusses the discovery of asbestos in some Sydney schools. He highlights ways that people can avoid inhaling asbestos fibres if they come in contact with it. West says that once it is encapsulated or sealed it's not a problem, but people can turn to Workcover for testing if there is a concern.