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Associate Professor Peter Miller and Bryce Peters (1 December 2004)
Science
Wentworth Courier
Dire predictions by the NSW Health Department of an exponential increase in bed bug infestations have spawned a study by UTS health experts. The study investigated short stay accommodation lodges in the City of Sydney. More than 80 per cent of lodge owners reported bed bug activity in the last 12 months, according to UTS researchers Bryce Peters and Peter Miller. They said one way to treat infestations was to wrap beds and furniture in black plastic and place them in the sun.
James Arvanitakis (1 December 2004)
Humanities and Social Sciences
The Age
A discussion of why only certain green issues enter the public consciousness, like reusable bags in supermarkets. "People can see the impact of the problem, are given an alternative, they test it, and realise it doesn't disrupt their lives," says James Arvanitakis from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UTS. "They say 'I can do something myself.' It reflects the recycling process."
Professor Jill White (1 December 2004)
Nursing, Midwifery & Health
Nursing Review
The Australian Catholic University and UTS have officially announced the extra nursing places awarded to them through the closure of the Bachelor of Nursing program at the University of Sydney. "With such an extreme shortage of top nurses in NSW and Australia we are excited about the increase in places and the high demand among recent and non-recent school leavers," said UTS Dean of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Professor Jill White.
Dr Murray Pratt (2 December 2004)
Institute for International Studies
Business Review Weekly
Once acquired, cultural sensitivity is a portable skill, according to educational experts. Dr Murray Pratt, Deputy Director of the Institute of International Studies at UTS says, "living overseas with people who don't necessarily share your core beliefs and values is a transferable skill. Provided that employees have had some kind of education in cultural difference, they are more likely to think in advance of what the issues might be."
Associate Professor Wendy Bacon (2 December 2004)
Humanities and Social Sciences
The Australian
Journalism educators walk a fine line between scholarship and reality says Associate Professor Wendy Bacon of UTS. "Although we actively seek relationships with media companies, the main obligation of journalists in universities is to the public and to the profession. it is one thing to educate students in industry practices, it is another thing to replicate them unquestioningly."
Stephan Wellink (2 December 2004)
Executive and Admin
ABC Radio 702 Sydney
A new book on Australia's Nobel Laureates has been put together under the direction of Stefan Wellink, Director of Research at the University of Technology. In Nobel history Australia has been represented in every category except the peace prize.
Louise Remond (3 December 2004)
Science
North Shore Times
Self-mutilation by teenagers is becoming a disturbing issue for parents and health authorities. Clinical psychologist Louise Remond from the Health Psychology unit of UTS, based at Royal North Shore Hospital, runs programs for girls aged 15 to 18 in schools around Sydney. "For some of them self-mutilation can be a way of physically dealing with emotional pain, for others it can be a bit of a cry for help," she said.
Dr Sara Lal (4 December 2004)
Science
Courier Mail
Train drivers could soon be wearing headbands which monitor their fatigue levels and activate emergency breaking systems if necessary. UTS neuroscientist Sara Lal said improving safety vigilance systems was a major priority in Australia. Dr Lal said it was also hoped the system would be able to detect driver inactivity and motionlessness, such in the case of a collapse, and initiate emergency breaking.
Stephan Wellink (5 December 2004)
Executive and Admin
Sunday Age
Science may be a Nobel calling, but few remember its top 10. A new book titled 'Australia's Nobel Laureates' is aimed at recognising outstanding excellence in science and acknowledge the Nobel Prize winners in the field. Stephan Wellink, Director of Research and Commercialisation at UTS wrote the book's introduction. He hopes it will spark interest and perhaps lead to more celebration of scientific achievements in the popular media.
Professor Ashley Craig (6 December 2004)
Science
The Courier-Mail
More than a few companies are experimenting with games systems that don't require rigid digits hammering a joypad and instead rely on mind control using brainwave pattern sensors. The UTS-based Mind Switch group has developed technology which makes it possible for handsfree control of video games or other technologies.
Dr Sara Lal (6 December 2004)
Science
ABC 702 Sydney, ABC 720 Perth, ABC 774 Melbourne
An Australian research team says it has created a new system which will use readings of a train driver's brain waves to trigger safety mechanisms. Sara Lal says a headband which can detect a driver's level of fatigue will be ready to test next year.
Professor Martin Nakata (7 December 2004)
Jumbunna
ABC Central West NSW
Professor Martin Nakata from the University of Technology speaks about a conference being held in Sydney for libraries to address Indigenous knowledge.
Stephan Wellink (7 December 2004)
Executive and Admin
ABC Radio National
A new book has been produced on Australia's Nobel Laureates. Australia has more Nobel Prize winners in science and medicine than any other nation, and the youngest ever Nobel Laureate. A contributor to the book and Director of Research and Commercialisation at UTS, Stephan Wellink, talks about some of the people profiled and Alfred Nobel himself.
Dr Sara Lal (8 December 2004)
Science
The Australian
A brain scientist has teamed up with electronics wizards to design a system for giving dozy train drivers a wake-up call. The idea is to monitor telltale brainwaves for signs of sleepiness and inattention and then alert a flagging driver. "The system could turn on the radio or spray water on the driver's face - who knows," joked Sara Lal, a neuroscientists at UTS. "We want to find out the best way to refresh and revive fatigued drivers and make their working environment more interesting," Lal said.
Professor Larissa Behrendt (8 December 2004)
Law, Jumbunna
Sydney Morning Herald
The Government's rhetoric on indigenous affairs masks a dictatorial policy says Professor Larissa Behrendt. "The notion of 'mutual obligation' that has become the latest catch phrase in Indigenous policy means that the Federal Government is attempting to reward those who meet standards of behaviour that the Government sets for them and punish those who do not."
Dr Sara Lal (8 December 2004)
Science
ABC Radio Statewide Mornings, ABC Newcastle
UTS neuroscientist Sara Lal discusses the development of a head band to monitor the brain activity of train drivers and trigger an alert at the onset of fatigue.
Professor Larissa Behrendt (8 December 2004)
Law
ABC 702
The Federal Government's hand-picked National Indigenous Advisory Council will meet for the first time today. Critics question whether the council is an adequate replacement for ATSIC.
Professor Larissa Behrendt (9 December 2004)
Law, Jumbunna
The Age
Aboriginal communities will have to meet certain standards in return for government money under "mutual obligation" agreements. Indigenous academic Larissa Behrendt said the agreement made a mockery of the term mutual obligation.
Dr Simon Beecham (9 December 2004)
Engineering
City Weekly
Dr Simon Beecham says now is the time to launch water management reform so that it will be possible for Sydney to maintain the security of it's water supply in the face of a growing population and put off the inevitability of a new dam for as long as possible.
Associate Professor Paula Hamilton (11 December 2004)
Humanities and Social Sciences
Weekend Australian
A new documentary employs breakthrough technology to graft Hitler's face on to that of an actor. Paula Hamilton, Co-director of the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS, argues that as technology improves, so does the public's ability to process the information. "I think people's media literacy keeps pace - not eveyone's of course, but the majority. My recent research suggests people do not particularly trust what's presented to them on TV anyway."
Dr Simon Darcy (13 December 2004)
Business
ABC Alice Springs
Discussion whether the Northern Territory is user-friendly for people with a disability. Dr Simon Darcy, Lecturer in the School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism at UTS says he was pleasantly surprised.
Dr Antony Kidman and Associate Professor Geoff Riordan (14 December 2004)
Education, Science
Daily Telegraph
The hurried HSC assessment system is under fire. Dr. Antony Kidman of the UTS Health Psychology Unit was recently reported as saying that 40 per cent of HSC students believe it would affect them for the rest of their lives and that there was anecdotal evidence among HSC students of burnout, anxiety, sleeplessness and suicidal tendencies. Associate Professor Geoff Riordan, Associate Dean of teaching at UTS, reports that schools and teachers need to think very carefully about what they assess, how much they assess students, and how much these assessment tasks may be detracting from learning.
Jennifer Burn (14 December 2004)
Law
ABC Radio National
Australian citizenship law is complex. Fijian women Sereana Naikelekele has run out of legal options to avoid deportation. She has five Australian-born children, all of whom are currently in detention with her, despite the fact that Naikelekele's two oldest children are both Australian citizens Naikelekele may be deported. Senior lecturer and director of the UTS Community Law Centre, Jennifer Burn, says that if this had happened prior to 1986 then all the children would have had the status of Australian citizens through birth right. Now the only citizenship option for children of unlawful non-citizens is if they live in Australia for 10 years from the date of their birth as 'innocent illegals'. Many children and their parents are detected as unlawful by Immigration and are liable for deportation from Australia in this time. This case highlights the needs for some reappraisal of the Act.
Professor Mary Chiarella and Professor Jill White, Dean (15 December 2004)
Nursing, Midwifery & Health
The Australian Higher Education
Mary Chiarella, Professor of Clinical Practice Development and Policy Research at UTS and Jill White, Dean of the UTS Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, write to defend university-based nursing training in response to a recent critique of the value of nursing research. "Since the decision to transfer the preparation of registered nurses into higher education, there have been two reviews of nursing education, amongst others, and not one of these suggested that nurse education be transferred out of the sector, and the two key ones have reaffirmed that this is the right place for it."
Pru Black (15 December 2004)
Design, Architecture and Building
ABC Radio 702 Sydney
Pru Black, lecturer in design at UTS, discusses the themes used in design today. She discusses a new shop called 'Mad' in which all the stock is made from recycled or reused materials. Black is excited about the return of the suburban strip in competition to the shopping centre.
Professor Ashley Craig (15 December 2004)
Science
Radio Adelaide
Professor Ashley Craig discusses the "Mind Switch", a device that makes it possible to control technology using brainwaves. He explains that Mind Switch monitors brainwaves on the scalp and says the technology is quite sound and reliable.
Professor Andrew Mowbray (17 December 2004)
Law
Sydney Morning Herald
A rogue programmer who launched a pre-emptive strike on the HSC results, giving access to them them three days early, could face serious charges. Andrew Mowbray, Professor of Law and IT at UTS said the people who could be in trouble were "those who produced the page and published it online - that's fraud."
Associate Professor Peter Miller, Associate Professor Graham Nicholson (18 December 2004)
Science
Sydney Morning Herald
Nature may hold the clues to making an impact on the summer cockroach problem. Associate Professor Peter Miller of UTS is not surprised current insecticides may be losing their punch. "It's certainly what would be expected," he said. "Cockroaches able to stomach toxins survive, genetically passing on this ability." Associate Professor Graham Nicholson from UTS is looking at the potential of insecticides that have evolved naturally over millions of years in spider venom.
Professor David Lowe (21 December 2004)
Engineering
Australian Financial Review
UTS has defied a national downturn in engineering applications, using a marketing campaign emphasising the practical nature of it's courses. Associate Dean of Engineering David Lowe said applications to study in his faculty had grown by 16 per cent this year, with the greatest growth among the "traditional" fields of civil and mechanical engineering.
Professor Stuart White, Director (21 December 2004)
Institute for Sustainable Futures
Inner Western Suburbs Courier
Inner city residents are the best placed to make Sydney a more sustainable city according to Professor Stuart White from UTS. "They are best placed for active transport like walking and cycling," he said. "We need to encourage walking and cycling and also look at a range of different land uses."
Tony Griffin (21 December 2004)
Business
Sydney Morning Herald
Solitude on a Sydney beach is rare in summer. Tony Griffin, Lecturer in Tourism and Management at UTS, suggests developing some of the city's quieter beaches could ease the crush in suburbs such as Manly and Bondi.
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