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STRICTLY SPEAKING | GENERICIDE
The – cide suffix provides us with homicide , the most general word for killing another person , as well as specific types of killing that identify the person killed : fratricide ( one ’ s brother or sister ), patricide ( one ’ s father ), regicide ( the king ), suicide ( oneself ). Others indicate the object of systematic killing or eradication : genocide ( a nation or racial group ); and the extinction of a language / languages under social or institutional pressure ( linguicide ). Likewise insecticide identifies the target creatures of an extinction project which can unfortunately impact on any creature with six or eight legs . It incidentally becomes the name of the instrument of killing , bottled in a pressure can . Genericide is a relatively recent example of this instrumental type of - cide , as the killer of registered trade marks . The worst fate for a trade mark is to become generic and lose its unique value as a brand . In the process it becomes a common noun , part of the common English wordstock , and a candidate for a dictionary entry . For registered trade-mark owners , the last thing they want to see is their brand names listed in the dictionary . Many a legal battle has been waged with dictionary publishers and with rival start-up companies to stave off the genericide of a brand . For any like Band-aid or Velcro , it ’ s the downside of your product becoming a household word .
Written by Emeritus Professor Pam Peters , researcher with Macquarie University ’ s Linguistics Department .
VILLE HARVARD-BOUND
University of Wollongong Senior Professor Simon Ville will take up the Australian Studies Chair at Harvard University for the 2022 – 23 academic year .
Ville said he was thrilled to learn he would take up the Chair , which has previously been held by , among others , Tim Flannery , Paul Kelly , Mick Dodson and Alison Bashford .
“ I am delighted to be offered this very special career opportunity and equally pleased for what it means for the University of Wollongong ,” he said .
“ Spending a year at Harvard will enable me to understand more about our historic , as well as contemporary , relationship with America and to spread the message about how Australia fits into American perspectives .”
NEW VC AT RMIT Following a global recruitment process Professor Alec Cameron has been announced as the new vice-chancellor and president of RMIT from early 2022 .
He is currently vice-chancellor and chief executive at Aston University in the UK , a position he has held since 2016 .
RMIT Chancellor Ziggy Switkowski said Cameron was a “ perfect fit for RMIT ’ s needs and ambitions ”.
“ We expect he will work with the leadership team , staff and students at RMIT to deliver an enhanced education experience for our nearly 100,000 students in Australia and internationally ,” Switkowski said .
ECU APPOINTS NEW EXECS
Professor Karen Strickland has been appointed Executive Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at ECU .
She joins ECU from the University of Canberra where she is head of the School of Nursing Midwifery and Public Health .
Strickland is an experienced academic leader who has previously worked in the National Health Service ( NHS ), higher education and non-profit sectors in the UK and Australia .
Meanwhile , Professor Matthew Allen has been appointed Executive Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities .
Allen is currently an Adjunct Professor with the Institute for Social Change at the University of Tasmania and was previously head of the School of Communications and Creative Arts , and Professor of Internet Studies , at Deakin .
“ ECU has gained two academic leaders with a wealth of experience that will be invaluable as ECU charts the course beyond our current Strategic Plan 2017- 2021 ,” ECU vice chancellor Professor Steve Chapman said .
LEON NEW CSU VC Renée Leon has been appointed as the fifth vice chancellor at Charles Sturt University .
Leon said she is honoured to lead
Australia ’ s leading regional university . “ Regional universities contribute hugely to regional development and sustainability , and it is exciting to join Charles Sturt University at a time when regional Australia is growing and evolving .”
She has extensive experience in Commonwealth and State public administration , covering policy , program management and service delivery , and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from ANU and a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge .
REEF PIONEER RECOGNISED
SCU has honoured an internationally recognised leader in coral reproductive ecology and restoration with its highest academic honour . Peter Harrison will take on the title Distinguished Professor in recognition of his more than 40 years as a leading coral researcher on Australia ’ s Great Barrier Reef and other reef regions around the world .
“ I look forward to building on the successes so far for the University and the Great Barrier Reef to ensure the legacy is enduring ,” Harrison said .
“ There are a lot of new and exciting projects and important research by research students and staff in my team , and we are constantly evolving the restoration techniques to be more successful for future larger scale reef trials .”
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