Cheered on by the Prime Minister The Hon Malcolm Turnbull and Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton, more than 1000 students from around the Asia Pacific recently put their skills to the test at Australia’s largest student robotics competition.

Supported by industry leaders, educators, families and fans, and united by a mutual love of science, technology, and engineering, nearly 50 high school student teams from the United States, Singapore, Taiwan, China, India, and Australia converged at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre on 17-19 March to launch robots they’d designed, built and programmed themselves over a six week period.

The 2016 ‘Stronghold’ challenge had a medieval theme that required the robots to overcome obstacles and weaken their opponents’ defences by catapulting ‘boulders’  to conquer their castle tower.

Much more than just a game for robots, the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), is part of a much larger FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) program aimed at inspiring and educating students in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths), and encouraging them to consider further study or career options in these fields.

Joined on the sidelines by Foreign Minister The Hon Julie Bishop, and the Member for Reid The Hon Craig Laundy MP, Prime Minister Turnbull said they were excited to visit the event and to be so inspired by such brilliant young minds.

“They’re right here at the cutting edge of technology; the technology that delivers jobs, the opportunities of the 21^st century for our children and our grandchildren.”

The winning team alliance will compete at the world championships in St Louis in April; an honour which was collaboratively achieved by Team 3132 Macquarie University, Team 4613 Barker College and Team 6035 Ulladulla.

Team 6035 was supported by Robots in the Outback – a program which Macquarie University proudly partners in. Volunteer mentors drove donated cars to 12 high schools in rural and regional New South Wales to support teams with expertise and guidance in order to help them compete.

Take a look at some of the social media highlights from the event below.

As the next step, a team drawn from Governance Services, Human Resources and Student Advocacy and Support has been working on a series of resources, so staff managing complaints have the right sort of training and support to navigate their way through the sometimes complex field of complaint management.

The resources include a short online training video, which features an introduction by the Vice-Chancellor developed in conjunction with Nina Harding. Nina is a professional mediator, facilitator and law lecturer at several universities. Using practical examples, the video demonstrates key steps for responding to complaints. Accompanying the video is a discussion guide for teams to use, and a checklist to remind staff of the steps to consider when dealing with a complaint.

“Effectively managing complaints from our students and community is critical to Macquarie achieving its purpose of being a University of service and engagement,” said Deidre. “These training resources will provide teams and individuals who deal in front line management with the skills to respond to complaints in a timely and professional manner.”

Staff are encouraged to watch the video and use the resources, to learn about how to manage complaints, or to brush up on their existing skills.

Watch the video now.

Anh Nguyen is on his way to being a human movement specialist – in more ways than one.

The Vietnamese figure skating champion is one of 56 students who commenced bachelor degree study this session after successful completion of foundation programs at the Macquarie University International College.

As well as completing the Intensive Foundation Program, Anh somehow also found time to maintain a demanding training program that sees him skating  up to 24 hours per week.

With his eye firmly on admission to the Bachelor of Medical Sciences – and ultimately a career as a physiotherapist – Anh says the stress of balancing training and study was certainly worth it, and was eased by the support he found at the College.

“I would rather spend two months studying extra hard than not feeling fully prepared for university study. Macquarie University International College has definitely helped me to perform my best in both my academic and athletic life.”

College Director Jake Garman says that after all the work that has gone into establishing the College, it’s immensely satisfying to see students like Anh graduating and going on to achieve their goal of university admission.

“We’ve been greatly pleased with the successful launch of the College and the number and quality of students in this initial cohort. In particular, they have responded well to the intensive nature of the teaching terms, with our teachers commenting on how focused and motivated they’ve been.”

“Having worked so closely with academic and professional teams across the University to make their transition to degree study as smooth as possible, we’re confident these graduates will thrive.”

The College is now teaching its foundation and diploma programs out of its own space in E3A and E3B. Diploma students are scheduled to begin entering the second year of a range of undergraduate degrees from Session 2 this year.

That’s what makes Food Truck Thursdays so exciting!

Every Thursday during Session 1 there will be a different Food Truck in the Central Courtyard serving up delicious specialties.

Last Thursday the Night Hawk Truck arrived on campus to the delight of students and staff, and the rest of the month’s line up is as follows:

• Thursday 10 March: Eat Art
• Thursday 17 March: Caminito
• Thursday 24 March: Monster Rolls 
• Thursday 31 March: Agape Organic  

So roll on in to the Central Courtyard between 11am and 1pm each Thursday during Session 1 for some weekly lunch inspiration.

On World Hearing Day last Thursday, Professor David McAlpine, Director of Hearing Research at Macquarie University’s Australian Hearing Hub, called on the Federal Government to develop a campaign in order to combat hearing impairment in Australia.

Despite the fact that one in six Australians have a hearing impairment, hearing health has been largely overlooked by the government in comparison with other health issues that have been addressed with prominent campaigns, for example to help people to quit smoking.

“Most Australians are completely unaware of the hearing damage they may be experiencing in everyday life, let alone the importance of getting their hearing checked regularly,” said David.

David argues a campaign is needed  to combat the idea our hearing is a second-class sense, particularly as hearing impairment results in a wide range of adverse health, social, and financial impacts. He says Australians need to be made aware of the causes of hearing-loss, how to prevent it, and the importance of getting regular hearing checkups. GPs, on the other hand, need to encourage their patients to get hearing tests regularly.

David says the message is more important now than ever in order to stop more Australians from damaging their hearing.

“Hearing loss has a profound impact on the lives, employment, and finances of many Australians. When you add in the costs to relationships, performance at work, and impacts to health, there is an urgent need for more Australians to know about the risks, and have their hearing checked more often.”

Don’t miss an interview with David on Sky News tomorrow night, Tuesday 8 March from around 8.20pm.

More information

• Read more about the World Hearing Day campaign.
• Explore the latest research from the Australian Hearing Hub.
• Learn more about Professor David McAlpine.  Below, listen to more about the important role hearing plays in our communication and social interaction, how we can better protect our ears from harm with ‘noise diets’, and how a young Protestant boy from Belfast discovered his love for all things academic.

With the majority of the noisy E7A demolition work due to end this month, the construction of the new home for four departments within the Faculty of Science and Engineering is now well and truly under way.

While the demolition of external pavements, the internal courtyard façade, and the lift core is still in action, these ground works are due to come to a wrap in the next few weeks. The University scheduled these noisier works to be carried out between December and March to minimise the impact to staff and students on campus.

Since the project’s main contractor, Buildcorp Interiors, commenced on site in late November of last year, they have been working on demolishing old structures, laying foundation piers, and reinforcing existing columns and ceilings. In the future they will install a tower crane to help with the work on the structural plans for the building, including lifting the core, and working on the atrium.

With the project set to be completed in early 2017, there is still a way to go. However, these works are being completed as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to the University community.

Visit the Property website for more information or contact e7a.project@mq.edu.au.

The free screening of the movie Whiplash, starting at around 8pm following the sunset, will be held on the iconic Macquarie lakeside lawns. Guests are encouraged to invite friends, bring a low-lying deck chair or blanket, enjoy the food stalls, and sit back and relax.

The film, Whiplash, follows the intensely inspiring experience of an ambitious first-year jazz student, Andrew Neiman, as he attends the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory in New York. When a famed conductor, Terence Fletcher, discovers Andrew practicing the drums one night, he invites him into his studio band. What follows is an exploration of the power struggle between the abusive master musician and his aspiring pupil, as Andrew learns the true price of musical excellence. The film has wowed critics with its alluring representation of jazz music and depiction of how musical excellence can come at a great cost.

The screening is open to all, and will be wheelchair accessible and contain closed captions for the hearing impaired. This is a smoke free event, and an adult must accompany children under the age of 15.

Learn more about the event.

The launch included the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the occasion, and Mr Howard spoke about the tough decisions made during his tenure as Prime Minister and how the international security landscape has changed since his time in power.

“There is no greater weapon against terrorism than timely intelligence,” said Mr Howard. “We need the resources of objective, academic study for the future of intelligence agencies.”

Mr Howard also answered questions from the audience, which included Faculty of Arts staff members, the business community, and current and future students of the new department.

Formerly the Centre of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism (PICT), the new name of the Department of Security Studies and Criminology will reflect the department’s expansion in research and teaching offerings in applied security studies, most notably in cyber security and criminology.

The Department will look at the big questions facing us, such as: how should Australia position itself in the Asia-Pacific; how do we effectively counter violent extremism in Australia; and, how we can tackle the challenges posed by the ‘darknet’ and transnational organised crime.

“Over the years, the Department’s role and scope has changed significantly. We transitioned from an independent centre providing specialist training to the law enforcement community to a fully-fledged academic department within the Faculty of Arts,” said Professor Schreer.

John Howard has a strong connection to Macquarie University, with the campus falling within the former Prime Minister’s electorate area of Bennelong; a seat he held for 33 years. Mr Howard also holds an Honorary Doctorate from Macquarie University, awarded in 2012.

Jennifer Gili is a Project Officer in Walanga Muru – the Office of Indigenous Strategy. Here she reflects on a remarkable event and its significance to Indigenous Australians.

“For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and their families left behind, we say sorry”.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, National Apology to the Stolen Generations, 13 February 2008

Saturday marked eight years since Kevin Rudd delivered the powerful and long-awaited apology to the Indigenous Australian Stolen Generations. This landmark apology was part of an international movement that saw a number of governments apologise to people who were the victims of forced removals, enslavement and genocide.

The effects of these policies are still felt by all Indigenous Australians including staff and students of our University. Many of our staff and students are related to members of the stolen generation and the apology has a significant place in their past and future. Walanga Muru would like to highlight the significance of the apology to Indigenous Australians

In 2016, we are inviting staff to contribute stories – in their own voice – for publishing in This Week. These stories will celebrate the diversity, passion and collaborative spirit of Macquarie staff.

Dear colleagues,

I hope that your holiday break was enjoyable, and that you have returned to work refreshed and ready to begin the new year. As the world of higher education continues to evolve quickly, this year promises to be full of opportunity and challenge. Increasingly, we find that universities need to be clear about their aspirations and what they plan to deliver to their stakeholders and society at large. Society urges us to do our very best to earn their trust as we prepare well-educated citizens for an unpredictable world and tackle the real problems of today and tomorrow.

Our purpose to serve and engage is increasingly emboldened as we launch into a new academic year. Already we have seen changes in the University’s Executive and senior leadership. Though the departures announced are losses to our community, they are also opportunities to grow and redouble our commitment to excellence. With the array of talent and commitment to these ideals pervading the Macquarie community, I look forward to our work together as 2016 rolls out.

On my webpage, I have outlined my very detailed thoughts and intentions for each area of the strategic priorities, and I encourage you to take some time to read through the work we will undertake together over the coming months. I also encourage you, at the start of the year, to revisit Our University: A Framing of Futures and consider how you can build its objectives into your projects and activities throughout 2016.

As we launch into a new year, I welcome you back and thank you in advance for your dedication to this remarkable institution. The ascent of Macquarie University to greater recognition and eminence is real and on track. The commitment to our ideals of service and engagement, combined with dedication to excellence in all we do – not to settle for what is doable but only what is best – will sustain our continued progress.

Let us continue the work we have begun.

Professor S Bruce Dowton
Vice-Chancellor