Staff Bulletin
Scroll down to find out the latest news and events from around Swinburne.
Monday 31 October 2011
- Nature's laws may vary across the Universe
- Share Your IEL experience
- Minister for Defence Materiel visits Swinburne
- 400 Swinburne Sarawak students graduate
- Swinburne end of year celebration
- Participate in a research survey
Nature's laws may vary across the Universe
One of the most cherished principles in science - the constancy of physics - may not be true, according to research carried out at the University of New South Wales, Swinburne and the University of Cambridge.
The study found that one of the four known fundamental forces, electromagnetism - measured by the so-called fine-structure constant and denoted by the symbol ‘alpha' - seem to vary across the Universe.
The first hints that alpha might not be constant came a decade ago when Professor John Webb, Professor Victor Flambaum and colleagues analysed observations from the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Those observations were restricted to one broad area in the sky.
Now the researchers - including Swinburne’s Dr Michael Murphy - have made significant progress in the area.
Share Your IEL experience
This month, Industry Engaged Learning (IEL) will run two competitions to promote feedback from staff and industry partners involved in the program.
Whether you have organised, facilitated, supervised or evaluated an IEL program at Swinburne - such as Capstones, study tours or Industry Based Learning (IBL) placements - share your experience to be in the running to win an iPad2.
IEL is also running a competition for Swinburne industry partners who may have hosted an IBL student at their organisation, or otherwise participated in IEL through internships, Capstones, or other programs.
All competition details, terms and conditions are available on the
IEL website.
Minister for Defence Materiel visits Swinburne
Federal Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare (pictured far right), visited the Hawthorn campus on Friday to view the the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre facilities - a joint initiative between the Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences and The Boeing Company.
Joined by Professor Andrew Flitman and president of Boeing Australia and South Pacific Ian Thomas, Minister Clare was given a demonstration of the capabilities of the ABB Robot.
The Minister's visit marked the conclusion of a series of training programs to industry on using the ABB Robot for automated finishing, automated inspection and reverse engineering, and automated measurement.
400 Swinburne Sarawak students graduate
A total of 400 students from the Swinburne Sarawak Campus graduated at the university’s graduation ceremony last week.
Chief Minister of Sarawak Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud - who is also the Pro Chancellor of the university - presented the certificates in the presence of Ben Cohen, a Swinburne University council member, at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching.
Guests included state and foreign dignitaries, heads of Sarawak government departments, senior members of the university from the Sarawak and Melbourne campuses, and invited guests and families of graduating students.
This is Swinburne Sarawak’s eighth graduation ceremony since the campus was established in Kuching in 2000. Since 2004, about 350 to 400 students graduate annually in a range of disciplines including engineering, business, science, ICT and design.
Swinburne end of year celebration
Vice-Chancellor Professor Linda Kristjanson invites all staff to attend the end of year Swinburne get‑together.
There will be food and beverages, entertainment, music and a sensational door prize.
Staff must RSVP by Friday 2 December and bring along their staff ID to the event, to obtain entry and to be in the running to win the lucky door prize.
When: Friday 16 December, 5.00pm - 8.00pm
Where: Advanced Technologies Centre, 427 - 451 Burwood Road,
Hawthorn
Participate in a research survey
Staff are invited to participate in an online survey to assist with a study on family and personal names.
The survey – part of a Swinburne and Monash University joint research project - will help answer the following questions about contemporary family life.
How do women decide whether to keep or change their surname when they get married?
How do couples decide on their children's first names and surnames?
What issues of belonging or identity do these decisions raise for parents?
The survey will take 15 minutes to complete and all responses are confidential.
