Lots of photos appearing on Flickr, showing students and buildings around the Parkville campus.
In an interview with The Australian, Vice-Chancellor Glyn Davies describes some of the feedback he’s received about Melbourne University’s new strategic plan. He describes “the issues surrounding the plan last year as an ‘agonising walk’ between access and equity on one side and quality and academic futures on the other.” Generally, the new strategic direction has garnered both internal and public support — even the odd bit of fan mail.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow research Jonathan Mills is off to Edinburgh, where he will become director of the Edinburgh International Festival.
Former Vice-Chancellor Alan Gilbert “has lost none of his enthusiasm for pursuing world domination,” reports the Guardian newspaper. In his current role as VC of Manchester University, he is proposing to offer online distance education programs outside the UK, in partnership with Open University.
In a discussion forum, Year 12 student Auschick says Melbourne University is among her top three Victorian universities: “thats the one i am hoping to get in to…thats like the Harvard of Victoria, really good school, not REALLY hard to get into but you will need a good mark and good recomendations.”
In the same discussion forum, Forrestgump2001 spent a semester at Melbourne and:
“found class sizes to be too large (I’m comparing with my engineering program here in toronto). The profs were good though. The campus was very very beautiful, much better than RMIT :P You will have to work hard to get in too. Don’t forget to apply for the scholarship program. I was lucky enough to get a full scholarship to melb. uni. I say lucky because the number of scholarships they have available is still very very limited as compared to universities here in North America.”
In Corporate Governance Blog, Martin Lawrence reports on a February 2006 conference at Melbourne University where three speakers addressed “the governance challenges [that] listed infrastructure funds posed to investors.”
At Incorporated Subversion, James Farmer praises the group blog of the Online Learning Unit in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.
“There’s always excitement in science (bounce, bounce)”, says M Addicoat, commenting on an article by Leigh Dayton of “The Australian”. The article summarises topics at the recent AGM of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, including commercialisation of research results, how to deal with scientific misconduct, responding to religious advocates and issues in science education.
Perth resident Bannie is studying Auslan at Melbourne University — she will fly to Melbourne for several five-day intensive courses, and do more study and practice at home. She knows some other students in the course but says “Melbourne have been VERY slack about sending us information and VERY uncontactable.”
Benjamin Cass continues his publicity campaign against the University for its “role in shutting down the [Student] Union”.
Prufrock visits Carlton Books, a second-hand bookshop near Melbourne University, and enjoys other moments around the city.
Chris M Dickson notes that the annual Melbourne University puzzle hunt starts on 27 March:
“…and it looks really cool. Teams are limited to ten players and the rules explicitly state that there’s no need for players to have a Melbourne University connection – though, naturally, I’m tapping my Melbourne University and Australian contacts for local knowledge, not least because it’s essential to have someone on the ground to claim the hidden treasure once we know where it is… Who’s interested in being part of an Internet-connected team? Who’s interested and is willing to commit the time? :-)”
Icemaiden went for a walk between classes:
“I’ve never been to a Univeristy with so much atmosphere, so much social activity and so much vibrance. Wandering through the University is pleasant, unlike the cold windtunnel that was the main core of Deakin… everybody seems to be participating in the outer class areas and actually enjoying the campus. There’s actually stuff to do on Campus, banks, post office, shops etc… Its pretty sweet.”
Delle is ambivalent about studying history, but she’s enjoying her art class:
for design communications 1A this semester at least. today was so funny! we were divided into large groups according to who our tutor is for this subject. and then to smaller groups of about 4 to 5 people. we were given our first task which was to sketch each others faces without looking at the paper. we couldn’t help ourselves from bursting out from laughter every 5 seconds from staring at each other intensely trying to sketch.
Pauline Tan is feeling poetic about her experience as a Melbourne University student:
wow~
i stepped into this place..
and it’s filled with university life.
i dunno how to describe that kind of feeling that i have, but it is a very different feeling from the day i stepped into NUS and NTU.
probably becoz in MU..
they have the really old type of buildings..
hence it’s like when you watch movies..
there are students running along the corridors..
sitting around the grass area having lunch outdoors..
pple lying anywhere under the sun..
students talking along the corridors..
and students muggin in the library..
it’s very uni-ish..
and this is probably why many pple wants to go overseas to study..
coz..
it simply feels different..
and in a way..
you become very differently..
Peter Suber notes an article by Melbourne’s Linda O’Brien about e-research — the role of university libraries in collecting and making available research papers and other scholarly resources in digital formats.
Instructional designer Matt Riddle worked at Melbourne University for about 13 years. He’s now moved to Cambridge, where he’s a research associate at the Centre for Applied Research in Educational Technologies (CARET). Matt plans to blog about his experiences in England.
See which pages Del.icio.us users are tagging with “melbourne university”.
Via Slashdot, Virtually Shocking found an article about Melbourne Uni research shows “how images of the retina can be used to screen for common diseases, including heart disease and hypertension.”
Not Too Much notes that a Melbourne postdoctoral fellow is co-founding a new network for gay and lesbian Christians.
Jim Downing asks: in the digital era, when does one’s personal history become history? He cites the example of an employer using web search engines to find out about a prospective employee — and turning up a link on a UniMelb web site that reveals the candidate was involved in a company that went bankrupt several years ago.
Freegeek provides notes of an interview with Gregory David Roberts, aka Shantaram, an escaped convict and former Melbourne student who wrote a novel based on his own life.
Another Operative visited a web site called Neurocam and his curiosity was piqued: was it a real secret organisation, some sort of high-art concept, a hoax or perhaps a game? Who was behind it all? What did they mean by it? Another Operative investigated, and posted the results on his blog. Staff at the Victorian College of the Arts provided a vital clue.
Ericblog summarises the violent career of Edward Leonski (1918-42), a serial killer who murdered Gladys Hosking near Melbourne Uni’s Parkville campus.
Mark Brandon describes efforts to solve the problems of cadmium poisoning, an international effort including scientists from Melbourne University.
Uranium238 reviews his time as a resident in Arrow on Swanston, a serviced apartment complex for students. U238 has finished his course at Trinity College and will be studying at Melbourne this year.
David Tribe, a lecturer in Melbourne’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, blogs under the pen-name GMO Pundit.
Butterfly Wishes posted on 1 February about her troubles with the Student Information System. The blog’s design doesn’t allow linking directly to individual posts, so here’s a quote:
I’m getting annoyed with Melbourne University. Just received my enrolment record and my invoice. I only have seven subjects? What? How many times have I tried to add my eighth subject? Stupid Student Information System (SIS)!
I can only add the eighth subject on the 13th of Feb. But, I have to pay the fees by the 10th! Whaaaat! The fees depend on the amount of subjects you take. More subjects, higher fees. The amount that I have to pay now is only for the seven subjects I’m currently enrolled in. But I wanna take 8 subjects!!! So, how much am I supposed to pay? Things are getting mre complicated now that my dad wants to make half-yearly payments! Urgh~
I called the person at the Student Administration. From her voice, she didn’t sound very happy! What? Maybe it’s because she has to work while everyone else is still on leave! (So quit and get another job! Don’t take it out on us) Seh told me to e-mail someone but she was mumbling so I couldn’t hear what she said. Annoyed, I hung up!
I’ll call the uni again in an hour or so. Hopefully, someone else would pick up. If not, I’ll try to change my voice!
After two years of teaching in a high school, Anna the Banana is back at university for a year.
Queensland student Engels is surprised that Melbourne Lord Mayor John So (a Melbourne University alumnus) has a Hong Kong accent.
New York translator Julio Angel Juncal notes an article by JM Coetzee about translation, published in the current issue of the literary magazine Meanjin and republished in The Australian.
Ifran in Indonesia describes the world’s fourth digital computer, CSIRAC, which was “operational for both academic and commercial purpose until mid 1960′s in Melbourne University.” Ifran provides some good photos of the computer.
Malaysian student SoNaR offers advice to school students who are considering a career in medicine:
For those keen on medicine and is scouting for university. Here’s a guide on choosing a good university (in order of importance).
1) The entry requirement. If a mere C is all that is needed, then it’s dodgy no matter what.
2) The reputation of the university. Medicine in Melbourne University is sure better than Meowburn University…
In a separate post, SoNaR describes some differences between Australian and Malaysian students.
Raine considered ANU and Melbourne before applying to study at the University of Queensland, and offers some criteria for this choice:
- one of the group of eight (www.g08.edu.au)
- offers degree in international hotel and tourism management
- offers degree in accounting
- graduate and complete both degrees in 3 years
- vibrant school life
- solid international student clubs
- on-campus hostel
- cost of living is lower compared to the rest of Aussie
- competitive SAILING club!!
- near to gold coast? i can learn surfing at the surfer’s paradise
- GET AWAY FROM HOME!!
Benjamin Myers enjoyed a “very readable” book from by Melbourne University Publishing, Paul Collins’ God’s New Man: The Election of Benedict XVI and the Legacy of John Paul II.
Nice of you to mention me. Every link helps.
GMO Pundit