Murdoch academics honoured for exceptional contributions

Congratulations!
Barbara Holland
2012 Senate Medal
for exceptional service to the University
Barbara Holland
Chair, Rockingham Education
Development Group
Please tell us when you first joined the Murdoch
community and how would you describe your role?
What contribution does your role make to the university
as a whole?
My first small involvement with the university was before the
Rockingham campus was created and it looked like it might
be located in Kwinana. My late husband Gary and I fought
hard to have the university located in Rockingham. Before
his death in 2008, Gary asked a packed function room to
fight to keep Murdoch at Rockingham to enable students to
further their tertiary education in their local community.
After meeting with Murdoch, a group of like minded people
came together and the Rockingham Education Development
Group was formed in 2010. Our aim was to lift the profile of
the campus and help to raise the aspirations of our students
by raising money to provide scholarships.

Congratulations!
Barbara Holland
2012 Senate Medal
Even great individuals usually have a team behind them. Is
there anyone from your team and the Murdoch community
you’d like to acknowledge for your success? What have
they done to help you?
Absolutely, without the support of the members of the
Rockingham Education Development Group and Andrew
Taggart and Jennifer Turner of Murdoch we could not have
achieved our goals and raised sufficient funds to be able to offer
scholarships to students this year. Andrew and Jennifer put the
processes in place and the REDG have worked tirelessly to
raise the funds.
What kind of achievements would you like to see from the
Murdoch community in the next 3 -5 years?
I‘d like to see the Rockingham campus grow and reach its
maximum potential in regard to student numbers, class sizes,
student activities and community engagement activities. I would
like to see it become a vibrant university campus.
You’ve won a 2012 Senate Medal. Please tell us what
inspires you to go beyond the call of duty in your role at
Murdoch?
Primarily it was to improve the aspirations of the Rockingham
community. Murdoch had already made a contribution by its
very presence and so it was important to support Murdoch in
any way I could.

Congratulations!
Karen Olkowski
2012 Senate Medal
Karen Olkowski
Academic Support Officer
School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
as a whole?
I joined the University in 1987, initially in the Admissions
Office. For the majority of my years at Murdoch my major
role has been to assist our HDR students and supervisors in
negotiating the administrative matters that go with
undertaking a higher degree.
I strive to ensure that our higher degree students, and their
supervisors, can spend their time concentrating on their
primary concern – their research project. I believe that
dedicated help with administrative matters gives students the
opportunity of more time to concentrate on the task at hand
resulting in quicker completion times.

Congratulations!
Karen Olkowski
2012 Senate Medal
Even great individuals usually have a team behind them.
Is there anyone from your team and the Murdoch
community you’d like to acknowledge for your success?
What have they done to help you?
There are two important people I would like to acknowledge.
Anne Randell, my supervisor for 10 years in the Graduate
Centre. The skills I have today are thanks to Anne‘s careful
and supportive mentoring during the many years we worked
together; and Carolyn Jones, whose kindness and
confidence in my abilities allowed me to continue working at
what I love doing most.
What kind of achievements would you like to see from
the Murdoch community in the next 3 -5 years?
I would like to see Murdoch continue as a University that
cares about people. A place where students and staff are
treated as individuals and not simply as numbers. Where top
level teaching and research is underpinned by helpfulness,
kindness and warmth.
You’ve won a 2012 Senate Medal. Please tell us what
inspires you to go beyond the call of duty in your role at
Murdoch?
I have a great emotional attachment to Murdoch and its people
and I am passionate about assisting our higher degree
students in achieving their goal. Many undertake higher
degrees at a time in their life where study is one of many
competing priorities. I thrive on the people interaction my role
brings, learning about the projects our researchers are
undertaking and being able to help solve problems when it is
needed most.

Congratulations!
Michael Calver
2012 Vice Chancellor’s Award for
Excellence in Teaching
(General Teaching Excellence)
Michael Calver
Associate Professor
as a whole?
With the exception of some time off to play research scientist
and schoolteacher in the 1980s, I have been at Murdoch as
a student or staff member since 1975. In my current position
I run the biology building Happy Hour, serve as a research
assistant for Honours and graduate students and give
undergraduates critical commentary on the quality of their
explanations for skipping class. Or, in more conventional
language, I see myself as an all-round academic,
contributing to university administration, research and
teaching at all levels of the curriculum.

Congratulations!
Michael Calver
My academic colleagues are the most inspirational bunch of
talented, patient, good-humoured eccentrics ever collected in
one place in Australia since 1788. Without them, I would
surely quit. I must also thank the dedicated technicians,
especially Claudia Mueller, Scott Munro and Michael Taylor,
whose planning and attention to detail underpin every
successful laboratory class and field trip.
We have lost our sense of priority and attempt to do
everything at once and too quickly, to the detriment of each
individual endeavour. Shakespeare put it neatly:
Although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contract tonight.
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say ―It lightens.‖
I'd like to see us set priorities and devote our energies to
achieve them one by one, instead of chasing after everything
at once and risking achieving nothing. Which, to return to
teaching, is drawing boundaries around open-ended tasks so
that they do not swallow everything and then ask for more.
You’ve won an award for Excellence in Teaching. Please
tell us what you enjoy most about helping people to
learn?
The pleasure of teaching comes from meeting challenges.
The two biggest challenges are (i) presenting material that I've
taught before with the freshness and vibrancy that
characterised the first presentation (after all, it is the first time
for the students - well, most of them) and (ii) surviving -
teaching is open-ended, so I must draw a line in what I give or
the demands of teaching will engulf my whole working life.

Congratulations!
Robert Mead
2012 Vice Chancellor’s Award
for Excellence in Teaching
Robert Mead
Associate Professor
School of Veterinary and Life Science
as a whole?
I first joined Murdoch University 32 years ago, in 1981. I am
Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Head of the
Molecular and Biomedical Sciences AOU in the School of
Veterinary and Life Sciences. I am currently the Academic
Chair for the Forensic Biology and Toxicology and Molecular
Biology majors and have been an Academic Chair for over
20 years.
In 2004 I initiated the Forensic Biology and Toxicology
course and have enjoyed developing its professional
experience components and its core units, particularly
Forensic Toxicology and Bodies of Evidence which give the
students a real life, hands-on CSI experience. I have, over
the past 30 years, also developed a Clinical Honours
program involving the major hospitals and medical research
centres in Perth, which has assisted more than 100 of our
graduates to develop careers in medical research or as
medical practitioners.

Congratulations!
Robert Mead
2012 Vice Chancellor’s Award
for Excellence in Teaching
I have been fortunate to have been awarded 3 Vice
Chancellor‘s Teaching Excellence Awards, a Vice
Chancellor‘s Citation for Excellence in Enhancing Learning,
a National Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contributions to
Student Learning and to have been presented with an ALTC
National Teaching Excellence Award by Julia Gillard in 2009.
Receiving the National Award was a particularly humbling
experience. I contribute much of this recognition to my
colleague, Emeritus Professor Max Cake, with whom I have
worked for some 40 years. He has been a role model for me
and his professionalism and meticulous attention to detail
has taught me a great deal. The climate of student and staff
support, which characterized the School of Biological
Sciences and Biotechnology, has also been a major factor.
I would like to see the Murdoch Community fully embrace the
new opportunities that the School re-alignments, the
revisions to our degree structures and the presence of the
new Fiona Stanley Hospital offer us. In a parochial sense, I
would like to see our already substantial involvement in
medical research blossom further and for us to maintain and
continue to develop our strong links with WA Police, the
State Forensic Pathologists, PathWest and the DPP so that
we continue to be recognized as the major provider of
forensic education in Western Australia.
You’ve won an award for Excellence in Teaching. Please tell
us what you enjoy most about helping people to learn.
I particularly enjoy contextual teaching and illustrating
biochemical and toxicological principles with case histories so
that students identify with the concepts and become inspired by
their direct relevance to medicine or forensics. I enjoy drawing
upon my 10 years of experience in the health system and using
that as a scaffold upon which to assemble practical examples. I
then like to apply my experience in radio and television to
articulate each scenario with humour and dramatic flair to
enable me to develop the complexities in an engaging way, from
the ―ground up.‖ I particularly enjoy one-on-one teaching in my
office to assist and support students who are struggling with
difficult areas, but my ultimate pleasure is derived from seeing
our graduates build exciting careers as medical specialists,
medical researchers and as forensic investigators.

Congratulations!
Wendy Cumming-Potvin
Senior Lecturer
School of Education
as a whole?
I joined Murdoch University in 2001. As a Senior Lecturer in
the School of Education, I have taught in a wide range of
undergraduate and postgraduate units, especially in the
areas of literacies and research methods. Dual aspects of
my role involve supporting pre-service teachers to become
effective graduate teachers and assisting postgraduate
students to become rigorous and creative researchers.

Congratulations!
I would like to acknowledge the inspiration and positive role
modeling from four senior academics in the School of
Education at Murdoch University - Professors Barry Down,
Jan Herrington and Simone Volet, and Adjunct Professor
Wayne Martino. Ms. Tania Corbett, Academic Support
Officer/Administrative Assistant in the School of Education,
has also provided valuable support. On a personal note, I
would like to thank my husband, Yves Potvin, for his on-
going support of my teaching and research activities over
many years.
I would like to see the development of cross-disciplinary
research centers in the areas of social justice, education,
health and applied science. It would be wonderful to have
Murdoch University‘s strengths in equity, teaching and
research increasingly acknowledged on the local, state,
national and international fields.
tell us what you enjoy most about helping people to
learn?
I enjoy scaffolding students to understand complex ideas,
which can be related to everyday life. Taking a step back from
traditional teaching, I enjoy being guided by students as they
manage their own learning and critique a variety of texts. I
love the buzz of exploring books, magazines, films, articles,
the Web, etc. to try out new ideas with my students. Most
importantly, helping people to learn allows me to develop as
an individual and contribute productively to the community.

Congratulations!
Living and Learning with
Technology Team
(Team Teaching)
Jan Herrington, Daniel Boase-Jelinek
Helen Kosniowska, Jenni Parker
Valerie Patton
School of Education
Please tell us when each of you first joined the Murdoch
community and what contribution your team makes to
the university as a whole?
Our team is relatively new to the University, apart from Helen
who has been at the University since 1996 when she
enrolled as a higher degree student. Jan commenced a
Professorial appointment in March 2009, then Jenni and
Daniel came in 2010, and Val joined the community in 2011.
Our team‘s contribution extends out from the learning
environment we have created for our students, to our
colleagues, to the university and beyond—through our
scholarly contributions based on our research on our
teaching practice. We enjoy sharing our teaching methods
with others!

Congratulations!
Living and Learning with
Technology Team
(Team Teaching)
Is there anyone outside of your team in the Murdoch
Our team members have complementary skills that help us
support each other incredibly well. But we could only function
with the support of the School Dean, Judy MacCallum and
the IT support provided in the School by Annette Jessett.
tell us what your team enjoys most about helping people
to learn?
Without doubt the aspect teaching Living and Learning with
Technology that gives us the most joy is seeing the students
grow in confidence in their use of technology in personal,
research and teaching contexts. Their learning in this unit
impacts on their daily lives, and it is so gratifying to
experience their learning journey, often moving from fear and
trepidation to confidence and achievement. It is a journey of
questioning, problem solving, collaboration, sharing,
mentoring and creating, not only with technology and tools but
the ways students approach a problem and the strategies they
develop to solve it. We learn as much as they do in our
collaborative efforts.
Many of our students study with us externally. We go out
of way to ensure that the external study experience is
every bit as challenging and fulfilling as the on-campus
experience. Our team would like to see the Murdoch
community celebrated for its excellence in distance
learning across all the disciplines, offering external
students the same quality learning experiences as internal
students, and being recognised nationally and internally
for this effort.

Congratulations!
Yingchi Chu
2013 Vice Chancellor’s Citations for
Excellence in Enhancing Learning
Yingchi Chu
Senior Lecturer
School of Management and Governance
as a whole?
I started at Murdoch University as a lecturer in 2002 and
have taught Media and Chinese Studies since then in the
School of Arts and in the School of Management &
Governance. I have contributed to curriculum development
and taught many units across disciplines of media studies,
film studies and Asian studies from the perspective of
research-informed teaching.
I have always aimed to create a pleasant and productive
learning environment for my students. I see myself as a
knowledge creator and transmitter, a cultural broker who
bridges cross-cultural divides and encourages intercultural
understanding.

Congratulations!
Yingchi Chu
There are too many to fit into this box. I single out all my
guest lecturers for FDN110 Australia in Asia, in particular,
Professor Richard Higgott, Dr Jane Hutchison, Associate
Professor Jan Gothard, and Professor David Hill, who have
shown me what counts as a brilliant standard for research
informed lectures. I also like to acknowledge Professor
Garry Rodan and Associate Professor Carol Warren as
inspirational researchers, Murray Brennan as a most
supportive colleague, and Associate Professor Andrew
Webster as a most admirable leader of staff. I thank my
students for spurring me on.
The evolution of a fully collegiate environment, optimizing the
nurturing of students, and the encouragement of scholarly
activities. I would like to see that the University form more
and closer links with Asian societies and foster the
enhancement of ‗Asia Literacy‘. I would be particularly
pleased if some of our Media students were able to go to
China to write and make films about China.
You’ve won an award for Excellence in Enhancing
Learning. Please tell us what you enjoy most about
helping people to learn?
The most rewarding feeling in teaching is witnessing my
students growing into well-skilled critical individuals who
are capable and willing to challenge their teachers at their
own game. It is particularly pleasant when during their
learning trajectory students have encouraged what I am
doing, especially by helping me discover more effective
teaching techniques. I have found that a friendly and yet
disciplined teaching and learning environment is a very
special treat in my professional life.

Congratulations!
Wayne Greene
Wayne Greene
Associate Professor
as a whole?
I joined Murdoch in late 1998 and currently contribute to the
University in three major ways. As Academic Chair of the
Biomedical Science major, I play a multi-faceted role that
includes providing day-to-day help and advice to students. I
also teach molecular genetics and aspects of development
and cancer biology to Biomedical and Veterinary Science
students.
Last, but not least, I conduct biomedical research into
lymphoid cancers, specifically human leukaemia and canine
lymphoma. I also have a strong theoretical interest in the
molecular basis of evolution, which has recently yielded
several publications in both peer-reviewed and popular
science journals.

Congratulations!
Wayne Greene
The innovative unit ―Advances in Medical Science‖ that I
coordinate would not be possible without the tremendous
teaching contributions provided by academic colleagues
within the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, as well as
from scientists from various medical research institutes
around Perth. In addition, the laboratory and workshop
sessions in all my teaching units receive excellent technical
support within the School.
I would like to see continued emphasis on high quality
teaching and research, because if we get those things right,
everything else will look after itself. Being in the Biomedical
field, I would also like to see a strong nexus develop
between Murdoch and the Fiona Stanley hospital, both from
the perspective of teaching and research. Eventually, I would
like to see the establishment of a Murdoch Medical School,
which I believe would provide manifold benefits and
opportunities to the University.
I‘m a firm believer in the adage that ―Education is not filling
a bucket, but lighting a fire‖. Thus, the thing I most enjoy
about teaching is wowing students with amazing and
relevant examples that illustrate the scientific concepts
being covered in class. It brings great satisfaction to
observe how initially reluctant students can become
intensely interested in the subject matter once they
appreciate its inherent beauty and applicability.

Congratulations!
Philip Evans and
Lorraine Finlay
Philip Evans and Lorraine Finlay
School of Law
as a whole?
Lorraine Finlay joined Murdoch University in 2010 from the
Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (WA), where she
worked as a State Prosecutor. She has also previously
worked at the High Court of Australia, initially as the Legal
Research Officer and then as an Associate to The Hon.
Justice J D Heydon. Phil Evans joined the University in 2010
from the University of Notre Dame where he was Head of the
Graduate School of Law.
Lorraine has made a significant contribution to the
development of our Criminal Law program, as well as
coordinating the Law School Moot Program. Phil Evans has
made a significant contribution to the development of
Graduate Programs through the authorship, and coordination
of the Post Graduate Certificate in Construction Law and well
as the mooting programs.

Congratulations!
Philip Evans and
Lorraine Finlay
Without the encouragement and support of the former Dean
of the School of Law, Professor Gabriel Moens, we would not
have been able to individually participate in the mooting
programs. Immediately upon joining the University in 2004,
Professor Moens established the Moot Court Bench and
initiated participation in a wide range of mooting programs.
These programs have not only assisted in creating
invaluable research and advocacy training for our students
but also has established an international reputation for the
Murdoch School of Law which aspires to be a truly global law
school. We would also like to acknowledge the dedication
and commitment of our moot students who continually
inspire us to maintain our personal involvement in mooting.
We would like to see the maintenance of the current level of
mooting in the Law School. Our mooting activities and
successes currently distinguish us from all other law schools
in Western Australia. Mooting provides an opportunity for
our students to develop both research and advocacy skills.
As we aspire to be a research university this is an important
aspect of our future. We would also like to see the
establishment of a strong research culture in the Law School
whilst still maintaining a commitment to excellence in
teaching.
Learning. Please tell us what you enjoy most about helping
people to learn?
We both hold the philosophy that there is no greater calling
than to assist students, be they school leavers or lifelong
learners, to enjoy the learning experience. It is not entirely
altruistic as the pleasure we receive in watching our students
graduate or participate in an international mooting competition
is so personally rewarding. We both have had experience in
legal practice but the satisfaction that we have gained by
assisting in some small way in making the law both a
pleasurable and rewarding experience cannot be measured in
monetary terms.

Congratulations!
Danny Toohey
Danny Toohey
Lecturer
School of Engineering and Information Technology
as a whole?
I joined Murdoch as an Information Technology Academic in
2000, and have lectured in Databases and Business
Intelligence. I have had several other roles in that time
including Academic Chair of Information Systems. I have
also been a member of several committees and working
parties including the Learning and Teaching Committee and
was Chair of the Committee on University Entrance from
2010 – 2012. The IT Discipline has a significant transnational
cohort in Singapore and Dubai, and I am the first point of
contact for students studying at those campuses.
I really enjoy the opportunities for interaction with students
from many different backgrounds and life experiences that
my lecturing role provides; similarly, I have had the
opportunity to develop long term relationships with several
colleagues in Singapore who have brought a different
perspective to the units in which we teach. I believe that a
sound grounding in databases is essential for any IT
graduate; I enjoy hearing from many of our graduates once
they are in the workplace, that this belief is true!

Congratulations!
Danny Toohey
I have been very lucky to work with so many wonderful
people from the Academic and Professional staff of all parts
of the University during my time at Murdoch. So many of
these colleagues are extremely committed to the University
and the students, and work hard to achieve the best
outcomes possible; I find this degree of commitment to be
inspiring and it is this that motivates me in my work.
In three years time, we will have just about completed the
first complete iteration of the new MUCC courses. It will be
great if are able to achieve what we have set out to as a
result of the MUCC. Similarly, we are about to enter a period
of radical change to the way we do transnational education
(TNE). I hope, that as a result of these changes, we will be
able to be regarded as an exemplar of quality TNE and grow
in this regard because of a reputation for high quality course
offerings in TNE.

Congratulations!
Jonathan Whale
Jonathan Whale
Senior Lecturer
Dr Jonathan Whale is a successful recipient of a 2013 Vice
Chancellor‘s Citation for Excellence in Enhancing Learning
for innovative design of curriculum and resources in Energy
Studies and Engineering, conveyed to students by
successful involvement in scholarly communities with
academia and industry.

Congratulations!
Lisa Young
Lisa Young
Associate Professor
School of Law
as a whole?
I joined Murdoch law school in 1993, having previously
practised as a lawyer and taught at UWA. I am an 'all round'
academic. I teach across all years of the degree in both
compulsory and elective subjects, with family law being my
specialty; I write extensively in that area.
I have held many administrative positions, including Chairing
University committees (eg. Student Appeals, Promotions
Appeals), Academic Chair and until recently the School
Teaching and Learning co-Dean.
In relation to teaching, my practice background, coupled
with my commitment to quality teaching, has meant I have
played a significant role in skills development within the law
school; at the University level, particularly as Chair of
Student Appeals, I have had significant input into the
development of teaching related policies and provided
assistance to other schools in dealing with assessment
related difficulties.

Congratulations!
Lisa Young
I would like to thank Professor Ralph Simmonds, our first
Dean, who gave me a chance at Murdoch, and allowed me
to take the time at the start of my career to put time into
developing both my teaching and research. I have also had
incredible support from a number of colleagues who always
have time to talk about my teaching, and give invaluable
feedback and also inspire me with their own dedication to
teaching; in that regard I would particularly like to mention
Sonia Walker, Jo Goodie and Neil McLeod. I am also
grateful to Bev Thiele and Dave Holloway, who as part of the
Senior Executive of this University have always shown
appreciation for my efforts and entrusted me with
considerable responsibility as a result.
Murdoch has a wealth of wonderful staff, willing to work
incredibly hard to advance the reputation of the University. I
hope that over the next few years we can find more internal
cohesion, and foster respect for what we all bring to this
endeavour, so that we can focus our energies on what really
matters: delivering stimulating and inspiring courses and
advancing knowledge in our different areas.
I don‘t think there is anything more important than
education, but it has to be about engaging students to
think deeply about issues. I don‘t actually like having to
rank students, so for me I enjoy trying to find ways to
make all parts of the course interesting, including
assessments. I love it when I can help students discover
that even subjects considered to be boring – and I have
taught many of those – have their interesting aspects;
you just have to find a way to engage them. I love that in
teaching I can open students‘ eyes to looking at issues
from a different perspective; challenge their intuitive
response to issues by helping them to see the
complexity of life and introduce them to a range of ways
of understanding an issue.

Congratulations!
Mark P McHenry
Excellence in Research
(Early Career Development and Achievement)
Mark P McHenry
Research Fellow
School of Engineering & Information Technology
as a whole?
I joined Murdoch as a ‗mature age‘ undergrad student in
2003 studying physics (energy studies) and sustainable
development. My subsequent postgrad research focused on
energy systems, and how climate change mitigation and
adaptation may occur in parallel in rural WA.
My studies honed my skills in ‗late nighters‘ and nurtured a
productive caffeine habit, fitting in seamlessly within Murdoch
culture. My roles revolve around being pulled in at the last
minute to ‗get things done yesterday‘. My various part-time
positions and remote work habits (I‘m also on the farm)
enabled a productive approach of cross-pollinating disparate
research areas.

Congratulations!
Mark P McHenry
Firstly, big thanks to Katrina O‘Mara, Philip Jennings, David
Doepel, August Schlapfer, Jonathan Whale, Navid
Moheimani, Karne de Boer, Parisa Bahri, Trevor Pryor,
among many others. Also, having so many part-time
positions and associated forms over the years, thanks to the
Murdoch administrative staff who help wade through it all.
The ability of our staff and committees to ‗bend rules without
breaking them‘ is one of our most productive attributes,
giving us a competitive advantage in so many areas. Thanks
for supporting an army of us academics with various levels of
people skills, day after day ;)
You’ve won an award for Excellence in Research. Please
tell us what you enjoy most about research?
I like to research a variety of topics that I find intrinsically
interesting, yet practical, and (presently) enjoy the challenge
of working out how to make a living doing it. My rural
background and Murdoch training enabled me to jump in the
deep end by using fundamentals and first principles. I have
my teeth into some really varied and fun stuff, including new
energy technologies, renewable energy, bioenergy, social
wellbeing, genetics, Indigenous subsistence, forestry,
economic development, mathematical frameworks, electric
vehicles, distributed power, desalination, human rights, water
and sanitation, microalgae and macroalgae culture,
agricultural productivity, etc.
I‘d like to see the Murdoch community make more from the
cream of the work that our students produce, from PhD,
Masters, Honours, to special projects. Much has many
elements of raw world-class thinking and professional-level
research. By selectively leveraging and refining productive
individuals and their work into our conventional research can
open doors at many levels. Many of these individuals will
become good mates, excellent Murdoch ambassadors, and
genuinely great people. Becoming embedded within a wider
network of collaborative relationships within various sectors
make tackling some great challenges more interesting,
useful, productive, and fun.

Congratulations!
Chun-Yang Yin
Chun-Yang Yin
Lecturer
as a whole?
I have been a Lecturer with Murdoch University since 2010. I
have been involved in undergraduate teaching (extractive
metallurgy and chemistry), tutoring, unit coordination and
postgraduate supervision.
Teaching at Murdoch University is a very fulfilling endeavor
due to the close-knit nature of student-lecturer relationships
and the steadfast support provided by a cohesive Murdoch
community. I am currently representing Chemistry and
Analytical Sciences as a Research Committee member for
the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences.

Congratulations!
Chun-Yang Yin
I would like to sincerely acknowledge my close collaborator,
Dr Zhong-Tao Jiang from the School of Engineering and
Information Technology. This award would not have been
possible without his support and collaboration. I am also
indebted to the technical and administration staff from
chemistry and minerals science, namely, Linda Morton (now
at School of Education), Andrew Foreman, Ken Seymour,
Sue Farr, Martelle Chamberlain, Stewart Kelly, Tina Oteri,
Peter Fallon (Vet School), Kris Parker, David Zeelenberg
and Dr Marc Hampton for their unwavering and unconditional
support. Finally, I would like to thank Dr David Ralph as well
as Professors Peter May and Glenn Hefter for their
mentorship.
I would like the Murdoch community to continue to develop
its strengths of research excellence while at the same time,
maintaining high quality teaching.
There are many aspects that I enjoy about my research.
Since my research is highly-interdisciplinary encompassing
applied chemistry, minerals/materials engineering and
environmental science, it affords me the opportunity to
collaborate with other well-regarded scientists. Since 2010, I
have co-authored research publications with 10 Murdoch
academics with expertise in chemistry, minerals engineering
and physics. In addition, I have established close research
linkages and published journal articles with active
researchers from the United States, Australia, France, Saudi
Arabia, Malaysia and Indonesia.
I also like the fact that research elements can be readily
incorporated into lectures and students mentoring. This
aspect is quite rewarding, not just to the lecturers concerned,
but it also provides students with invaluable and critical
research experience that complements traditional classroom
knowledge that they acquire during lectures.

Congratulations!
Bonnie Barber
(Outstanding Research Development)
Bonnie Barber
Associate Dean Research/Chair In Psychology
School of Psychology and Exercise Sciences
as a whole?
I arrived at Murdoch in 2004, when I was hired to enhance
the research culture in the School of Psychology. Mentoring
is one of my priorities – working with colleagues and
students to build research capacity and increase research
productivity in the School. I see my role as including both
leading by example and supporting colleagues in their
research efforts. In more recent years, after serving on the
ARC College of Experts, I have broadened my focus to
helping increase our ability to win national competitive grant
funding across the university, through grant writing
workshops and feedback on proposals.
I am excited about the emerging strategic focus on quality
translational research. In particular, training our research
students about the interface between their empirical studies,
the need for public dissemination of results, and the focus on
policy implications is important. As we work to increase the
impact of our research, and the engagement of stakeholders,
I would like to see more focus on winning competitive grant
funding to facilitate those endeavors.

Congratulations!
Bonnie Barber
My success in research is attributable to my team. My PhD
students have been central to all of the research I have
conducted here at Murdoch, and I am very grateful to Bree
Abbott and Corey Blomfield, who together helped me to
launch the 9-year ARC-funded Youth Activity Participation
Study. Karina Annear, Cathy Drane, Gaynor Edwards, Lyn
Vernon, and Stuart Watson have also been vital to its
success, along with my colleagues Helen Davis and Kathy
Modecki.
I could not imagine a more supportive school context in
which to conduct research, and my colleagues Suzanne
Dziurawiec, Laurence Hartley, and Ngaire Donaghue were
essential supports during my transition to Murdoch and often
since, encouraging me to aim high, helping to solve
problems, and offering invaluable peer coaching. Finally, I
am grateful to Eric von Dietze and the Human Research
Ethics team, whose facilitative philosophy has helped us to
overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the
complex dance that is research with young people.
You’ve won an award for Excellence in Research.
Please tell us what you enjoy most about research?
Our research is focused on the health and wellbeing of
young people. Being able to learn from teenagers what
makes them feel happy, included, and motivated is
fascinating. I enjoy bringing the voices of young people into
discussions about policies designed to improve their lives,
and through the work in our Healthy Adolescent Pathways
lab here at Murdoch, we have had a number of
opportunities to do just that.
I also enjoy being a member of the broader research
community – networking with those studying similar
questions about youth around the world. Research gives
me the opportunity to maintain collaborations with
outstanding international mentors, including Jacquelynne
Eccles, my long time collaborator.

Congratulations!
Rudolf Appels
Rudolf Appels
Professor
as a whole?
I joined Murdoch University staff in September 2001, after 27
years in CSIRO-Plant Industry in Canberra, to establish the
agriculture biotechnology laboratory for molecular markers to
be used in wheat and barley breeding.
This role combined classical genetic analyses with cutting
edge genome sequencing and analysis, and in establishing
this expertise at Murdoch it was utilized in animal systems. In
particular, a collaboration with Jackie Phillips and John
McCooke led to the identification of the gene underpinning a
new polycystic kidney disease mutation in rats (an
experimental model for understanding the disease in
humans).

Congratulations!
Rudolf Appels
Murdoch has a strong community of researchers in the
agriculture and bioinformatics space, particularly in the high
end technology for translating research findings to industry.
The top ratings in Crop Science, Agriculture Biotechnology
and Animal Science as well as Australia-China Centre for
Wheat Improvement (a joint research centre funded
federally) recently awarded to Murdoch University reflects
the depth of commitment and support an individual such as
myself gains.
My focus is wheat from both the molecular and industry sides
and as the analysis of the entire complement of genes in
wheat matures, I would like to see the post-genomic period
of wheat deliver fundamental discoveries underpinning the
unique features of wheat as well as new and novel
diagnostics and breeding lines to the industry.
Research is an activity that is both creative and demanding,
and provides a personal challenge which can sometimes
lead to significant contributions to society. In the University
system great emphasis is placed on publications and I view
these as works of art as well as careful science, and thus
provide an enormous amount of enjoyment and satisfaction
to produce.

Murdoch academics honoured for exceptional contributions

Murdoch academics honoured for exceptional contributions

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (7)

Ähnlich wie Murdoch academics honoured for exceptional contributions

Ähnlich wie Murdoch academics honoured for exceptional contributions (20)

Mehr von Murdoch University

Mehr von Murdoch University (15)

Murdoch academics honoured for exceptional contributions