ON THE MOVE campusreview . com . au
STRICTLY SPEAKING | GLITCH
The social media app TikTok is responsible for countless trends that involve people doing , or saying , or showing things in short videos recorded on their phones . One of the more recent trends to have taken off is the dance move known as a glitch . Glitching involves the dancer making quick , staccato movements that makes them appear to be malfunctioning , like a machine . This idea of some kind of technical hitch is the most common use of the word , originally applied to fluctuations in electrical signals and popularised by accounts of the US space program in the 1960s . According to www . etymonline . com , glitch has older origins , perhaps deriving from Yiddish glitsh ( a slip ), and was a part of radio broadcast jargon . Linguist Ben Zimmer writes in his Wall Street Journal column ( 1.11.2013 ) that glitch was used in this context both by technicians and announcers , to refer to human as well as machine error . A word that blends the role of people and gadgets like this seems highly appropriate for an age when our existence is so bound up in our mobile devices . When we glitch on TikTok we become , in a way , the ghosts in our machines .
Written by Dr Adam Smith , convenor of the Editing and Electronic Publishing Program at Macquarie University
CDU HONOURS ELDER
Respected elder and scholar Dr Otto Bulmaniya Campion ( Gamarrang ) has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Charles Darwin University .
Bulmaniya is a traditional owner of Malnyangarnak with strong family connections across Arnhem Land .
He is also a respected community leader , directing the Arafura Swamp Ranger Aboriginal Corporation and is one of the founding members of the Aboriginal Research Practitioners Network – hosted by CDU ’ s Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods .
“ The recognition can help me move forward and work with more people in the community to find ways to get traditional owners connected with education , training and research ,” Bulmaniya said .
RMIT PEGS O ’ NEAL Peggy O ’ Neal AO will become RMIT ’ s new chancellor , replacing Dr Ziggy Switkowski AO .
O ’ Neal comes to the role after a long period as the president of AFL team Richmond , where she served since 2013 .
“ As a first in family university graduate , education has been life-changing for me and I look forward to contributing to RMIT in the years ahead as , like all of Australia , it moves to reinvigorate our communities in a post-pandemic environment ,” she said .
O ’ Neal will assume the role from 1 January 2022 . Janet Latchford , currently RMIT ’ s deputy chancellor , will act as chancellor until January .
USC APPOINTS PARSONS
Professor Stuart Parsons has been appointed dean of USC Australia ’ s School of Science ,
Technology and Engineering .
The leading zoologist , renowned globally for his research into bat acoustics , joins USC from QUT where he is currently Head of the School of Biology and Environment Science in Brisbane .
USC vice chancellor Professor Helen Bartlett said : “ The dean of USC ’ s School of Science , Technology and Engineering is a new position that will support our strategic goals to drive student growth , build community partnerships and support the
continued development of the university ’ s international reputation .”
RYAN JOINS ACU Professor Mary Ryan will take up the role of executive dean of education and arts at Australian Catholic University , starting
February 2022 .
Ryan , the chair of the Education Research Council for Australian Independent Schools NSW , joins ACU from Macquarie University where she held the role of dean of education .
“ I am looking forward to joining ACU ’ s new leadership team in shaping its exciting next phase . I am passionate about the role higher education plays in shaping a better future and this is particularly significant for disciplines across education and arts ,” she said .
CHEERIO TO CHICHARO
Professor Joe Chicharo OM has announced his retirement after nearly four decades at the University of
Wollongong . Chicharo joined UOW in 1985 after a decade in the Illawarra steel industry as a trainee and then engineer .
He started as a lecturer in the then School of Electrical , Computer and Telecommunications Engineering , before holding several roles throughout his tenure , ending with his appointment as senior deputy vice chancellor in 2019 .
“ I am sad to be leaving the institution that has always been at the epicentre of my professional life , however , at the same time , I am looking forward to retirement ,” Chicharo said .
FIVE MORE FOR ZELINSKY
Professor Alex Zelinsky AO has renewed his contract with the University of Newcastle , meaning he will remain vice chancellor until at least 2026 . Zelinsky , formerly Australia ’ s Chief Defence Scientist and leader of Defence Science and Technology within the Department of Defence , is Newcastle ’ s eighth VC , taking the role in 2018 .
“ I remain fully committed to delivering an outstanding experience for our students and to continue to serve a region blazing a trail in innovation , technological advancement and research commercialisation ,” he said .
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