ON THE MOVE
campusreview.com.au
FORGING ON
The senate chair and
chancellorship has
been filled at Murdoch
University by respected
community leader
Gary Smith.
Smith earned a reputation as co-chair of
Reconciliation WA, and is a current director
of the WA Aboriginal Leadership Institute.
“Mr Smith is a known supporter and
believer in the transformative power of
education and the importance of providing
environments for learning which inspire
success,” said outgoing chair David
Flanagan.
“This is part of Murdoch’s DNA, it is what
we have always done, and we are certain
Mr Smith will help us stay focused on
continually leading the sector for inclusive
and high-quality education.”
STARS IN HIS EYES
Seen in large letters on café signs at Dubai
airport, alongside burgers etc… The mind
boggles as to what jaw-breaking kind
of food this might be – maybe one of
Heston Blumenthal’s latest inventions!
Neither the Oxford Dictionary online nor
Merriam‑Webster could help, and the Urban
Dictionary had no convergent answers. In
fact it refers to a frozen custard dessert,
different from regular ice-cream in that egg
is a key ingredient. This makes for the special
texture of the edible concrete: “You can
stick a spoon in it and turn it upside down
and the spoon stays stuck in the custard”,
according to one of the Urban Dictionary
contributors. The gastronomic use of the
word concrete(s) may have originated in
early 20th century American English in the
Midwest, where ice-harvesting and the
availability of fresh cream supported both
ice-cream and frozen custard making. This
would explain why it featured at the Chicago
World’s Fair in 1933. Calling it concrete then
might not have seemed at odds with its use
for the standard city building material. And
in the post-modern era there’s probably no
risk of mistaking the concrete you eat from
the one that is the proverbial reference for
hardness (hard as…) – as long as it’s plural
(concretes) and coupled with burgers as a
quick, unhealthy meal.
Written by Emeritus Professor Pam
Peters, researcher with Macquarie
University’s Linguistics Department.
28
Professor Iver Cairns,
director of the ARC
Training Centre CUAVA
at the University of
Sydney, is ready for lift
off. He’s been selected
by NASA to join two satellite missions
studying the Sun and its effects on space
weather, and the Earth’s magnetic fields,
putting him at the frontier of a couple more
leaps for mankind.
Cairns will perform advanced computer
simulations to understand coronal mass
ejections – large eruptions of solar
material that can drive large space weather
events near Earth. He will also study the
generation of radio emissions and the fall-
off of the plasma’s density between the Sun
and Earth. The missions’ launch date is less
than two years away.
WAGGA WIN
Charles Sturt has
appointed Professor
Janelle Wheat as
pro-vice-chancellor
(learning and teaching).
She’ll be based at the
Wagga Wagga campus.
With research interests spanning nuclear
medicine to the impact of terminal
illness on patient mental health, the
interdisciplinary academic brings a wealth
of experience to the role. This also includes
heading up the implementation of an
external review of the Division of Learning
and Teaching.
Wheat returns to Charles Sturt from the
University of New South Wales, where she
held the role of deputy dean (education) in
the Faculty of Science.
FOR THE KIDS
The former pro-vice-
chancellor (health)
and current research
professor at Griffith’s
School of Medicine
has been appointed
chair of the Children’s Health Research
Alliance. Professor Allan Cripps has been
well recognised for his contributions to
science and research, working as both an
academic and clinical scientist. He is also
the founding editor of Pneumonia, the
only journal focusing exclusively on the
respiratory infection that remains a leading
cause of death worldwide for children.
Cripps said he looked forward to helping
continue to “grow and advocate research
programs that can be translated into
improved health outcomes for children
both within Australia and worldwide”.
HUXLEY HEAD
OF HEALTH
After a global search,
Deakin University has
landed on La Trobe
candidate Professor
Rachel Huxley as
their new executive dean of the Faculty
of Health.
“Professor Huxley brings a very strong
understanding of how universities and their
education and research can improve the
delivery and outcomes of healthcare in
Australia,” said vice-chancellor Professor
Iain Martin.
Huxley has previously held roles at
Oxford, the University of Minnesota, Curtin
and UQ. Her research interests are in
women’s health, obesity and diabetes.
She succeeds Professor Brendan Crotty,
who retired in April.
WOOD FOR
SUNSHINE COAST
The University of the
Sunshine Coast has
chosen award-winning
academic Professor
Denise Wood as its
new pro-vice-chancellor (students).
Drawing on a history of teaching roles
at the University of South Australia, and
an adjunct professorship at South Africa’s
University of the Western Cape, Wood will
focus on enriching and supporting the
student experience, from pre-enrolment
to graduation.
USC vice-chancellor Professor Greg
Hill said he was delighted to recruit such a
high-profile academic to this key role.
Wood is due to start at USC at the end
of September.