noticeboard strictly speaking
noticeboard strictly speaking
SCUMBLE & SCUMBALL
Visitors to the JMW Turner exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia may come across scumble, a curious word from the C19 art world. It refers to the technique of applying a thin coating over lighter paint colours, so they shine through as if through mist or clouds. The verb scumble is a C18 derivative of scum, with the frequentative suffix-le( also found in crumble, sparkle etc.) plus an intrusive b. As an artistic term, scumble escapes the generally pejorative sense of scum( as in scum of the earth), and may be used figuratively by writers of poetic prose, witness“ frequent clouds now scumbled the sky”( 1905), and“ a golden scumble of October haze”( 1884), cited in the Oxford English Dictionary online. The similar-sounding scumball also makes affirmative use of scum, to refer to an annual charity car rally begun in 2006 under the name“ Scumball 3000”. The participants drive vehicles that cost no more than £ 500($ 850) to mystery destinations in Europe. The name was, however, challenged by the organisers of Gumball 3000, another British motoring event used to promote expensive sports cars. The Scumball rally has since been rebadged the Scumrun, and trademarked with its own logo. But scumball lives on as a generic term for the alternative car rally, putting positive vibes back into the word. Written by emeritus professor Pam Peters, researcher with Macquarie University’ s Centre for Language Sciences and author of the Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage.
Norham Castle, Sunrise Artist: William Turner
Chief information officer
The University of Newcastle has appointed Mark Pigot its new chief information officer. Pigot, who began on June 25, was the director of ICT infrastructure and operations at the University of Sydney, which he joined in 2008 as the director of service management. His career began in financial services, where he worked with some of Australia’ s largest providers, including the Commonwealth Bank and EDS. He has since spent more than two decades in the IT sector. Chief operating officer Nat McGregor said Pigot would bring his experiences across all aspects of IT to the role.“ His professional experience extends to multinational organisations, including Reckitt and Colman,” McGregor said.
Executive director IT
Brendan McHugh has joined Charles Sturt University as the executive director information technology. McHugh will head a division that manages $ 28 million in funds annually and oversees 7500 email accounts, 4800 phones, 1200 computer laboratory and public access computers, while juggling 3000 bookings for video-conferencing rooms each month. Prior to his appointment, McHugh was general manager IT with the Liquor Marketing Group in Sydney. He has also been Rebel Group’ s chief information officer. He has also worked in Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Notably, he is a member of the British Computer Society and a Chartered Information Technology Professional.
Principal, strategist
After more than five years in service as the eighth vice-chancellor of Monash University, professor Ed Byrne has accepted an appointment as principal and president of King’ s College, London. Byrne will make his return to London at the end of next year. Monash University chancellor Dr Alan Finkel said Byrne’ s achievements included the strengthening of the academy, the refinement of campus structure and strategic expansion of the Monash international footprint through core partnerships with the University of Warwick in the UK, and in China. He also helped develop the Campus Master Plans for Monash’ s major Australian campuses at Clayton and Caulfield. A national and international search for Byrne’ s successor will commence soon.
Dean of law
Professor Sarah Derrington has taken the position of dean of law at the University of Queensland. Derrington said she would seek to consolidate the law school’ s position among the best in the Asia-Pacific region. The UQ alumna is a practicing barrister; she was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law in 2009. As a teacher at the UQ Law School between 1994 and 2011, Derrington was director of the Centre for Maritime Law and the Marine and Shipping Law Unit. She serves on the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the Admiralty Rules Committee( Commonwealth) and the Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, of which she was president.
International ecology expert
An internationally recognised expert in river ecology has been appointed pro vice-chancellor Research at the University of Western Australia. Professor Peter
Davies has been acting in the position since September last year. Davies has won several major project grants at UWA, including a large ARC Linkage Grant in 2012. He is a UWA graduate( bachelor of science with first class honours in zoology, and a PhD) who worked as a research officer before completing his doctorate in 1993. For 10 years, he served as UWA professor and foundation director of the Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, based in Albany, before taking on the pro vice-chancellor role.
Swiss Army mechanic
A former Swiss Army mechanic is one of the three lecturers who joined the Charles Darwin University teaching team in Alice Springs for the start of semester two. Alex Eberli, who has joined the School of Trades, completed a motor mechanic’ s apprenticeship as a civilian with the Swiss Army in the 1980s. He has worked for a motor vehicle dealership in Armidale and also taught at the New England Institute of TAFE. The two other lecturers, Jodie Carr and Lauren Wapling, have joined the School of Health, Community and Children’ s Services. Wapling will initially be involved in the VET in Schools program. Carr will deliver certificates II, III and IV.
www. campusreview. com. au Issue 8 2013 | 39