From the Vice-Chancellor

Last month in this column, we talked about the University of Melbourne as one of the world’s finest study destinations and as a community where people study, work and enjoy a wide range of entertainment and cultural activities.

However, the University does not engage only with those coming to us. Every day, we reach out to the community and the world, seeking to contribute in many different ways.

Our vision is to advance society through all our activities – through research and by teaching the next generations of scientists, researchers and practitioners in the field.

And we make practical differences to the communities within which we reside, and in the wider world, by applying that research to solve major societal, economic, medical and environmental issues. Sometimes we do this alone, but often with partners in science, business, government and community organisations.

Last month, we welcomed the IBM Blue Gene supercomputer to the University. It will be used by researchers at the University-led Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative (VLSCI) on a wide range of research in life sciences, including a project to help hundreds of thousands of Australians suffering from glaucoma by providing access to more accurate information about their deteriorating sight and improving vision testing.

Our scientists will investigate new tools that could accurately predict breast cancer risk after receiving funding through the Victorian Government’s 2010 Victorian Cancer Agency grants. The project is one of three from the University receiving funding to research cancer prevention, treatment and care.

When it’s completed in 2015, the Parkville Comprehensive Cancer Centre will be used by clinical and research staff from the University and five medical partners to drive leadership and innovation in cancer treatment research and will host the largest concentration of cancer clinicians and researchers in the southern hemisphere, putting it in the top 10 cancer centres in the world.

Meanwhile, others at the University have recently identified the behaviour of a mutant protein that leads to the genetic and fatal Huntington’s disease, providing potential ways to treat it. The cause of the disease has long baffled scientists.

The University’s Melbourne Energy Institute is working with Beyond Zero Emissions, a non-profit, independent climate change research and advocacy group, on the Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan, which aims to initiate serious and urgent efforts to reduce the risks posed by global warming, and to describe what’s required to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions to zero in 10 years.

Along similar, environmental lines, our Engineering Faculty, in partnership with Better Place Australia and Senergy Econnect, are embarking on a project studying the impact on the national electricity grid if society widely adopts electric vehicles. The project aims to improve management of the electricity distribution system by developing a smart grid and principles for the placement of charging stations.

And, in less high-profile but no less worthy areas, the University’s researchers, in consultation with a wide group of community organisations and care-leaver support groups have created Pathways – the first online resource to consolidate vital information for Forgotten Australians, Stolen Generations, and care-leavers from Victoria searching for information about their past. Pathways will enable access to information such as: where personal records may be kept, what to expect when and if they do find them and historical information.

All these projects are part of the University’s Growing Esteem strategy of fostering significant partnerships in the community and all provide practical benefits for the wider community and maximise the global impact of our research.

Universities sometimes talk about research activity as an abstract, as if it’s an end in itself, and that ultimate success is manifested in the form of grants by government or industry. However, the `real world’ application of what we discover is the real measurement of our success.

Glyn Davis
Vice-Chancellor