Latest news with #UWA
West Australian
a day ago
- Business
- West Australian
Raymond Da Silva Rosa: Universities win support of the public by pursuing shared goals
Australian universities are often accused of being run like for-profit corporations — a charge that is only half-accurate. US economist Gordon Winston aptly described universities as part-car-dealer and part-Church, devoted partly to commerce and partly to ideals that lend it support from stakeholders. An effective combination of commerce and ideal principles is what enables universities to survive for centuries. The pure pursuit of for-profit commerce is too risky in the long run. During lean periods, it is the support of stakeholders who share the university's vision that allows it to survive. Two examples: the once great for-profit Hudson's Bay Company, founded in 1670, filed for bankruptcy in March 2025; in contrast, Harvard University, founded a few decades earlier in 1636, is still going strong, fortified by a US$53 billion ($81.6 billion) endowment made possible via generous donations from stakeholders who support its ideals. UWA's founding in 1911 shows the importance of shared vision. It wasn't the opportunity to make a profit that prompted the establishment of WA's first university. Rather, it was that the great and the good of Western Australia, including Sir John Winthrop Hackett, then-editor and owner of The West Australian, who wanted a university that reflected the State's ambitions. These ambitions are what prompted Thomas Walker, the-then WA minister for education, to urge his fellow inaugural UWA Senate members in 1912 to '… do things on a scale worthy of our great destiny!' Hackett provided essential funding that seeded UWA's endowment. Given their hybrid nature, an ongoing challenge for universities is knowing when to act like a charity and when to behave like a for-profit entity, with considerations such as efficiency in operations taking precedence over ideals. It's easy to get the balance wrong, particularly when the impact of misjudgment doesn't show up in the near-term. Research is one area where universities are at risk of imitating for-profit entities too closely. Managing research activity by using a measure such as the number of publications produced over a set period may appear reasonable to establish accountability and spur performance, but is misguided when pursuing high-impact research. To be clear, the principle 'publish or perish' has long applied to academics in universities. Historian Steven Turner says that as far back as 1737, a report that the professors at the university in Frankfurt-an-der-Oder were unknown because they published nothing resulted in a command from Berlin to the academics to begin writing. The issue is evaluating quality. University ranking systems, based mostly on research published in prestigious 'hard-to-get-into' academic journals, have made it easy for university managers to use these publications as a measure of productivity and quality. The problem is that prestigious journals favour conventional wisdom when accepting papers. Mostly, it's OK because conventional wisdom is mostly right. The drawback is that radical ideas, which happen to be correct, risk getting rejected. Famously, UWA's Barry Marshall and Robin Warren took years to convince a sceptical medical establishment that gastritis and peptic ulcers were due to stomach infection caused by the bacterium helicobacter pylori. Fortunately, they persisted and weren't sacked for research underperformance in the interim. It's straightforward to improve a chronically unproductive research team by managing them via the numbers. It's much harder to develop a high-performance culture that identifies talented people and promotes risk-taking and persistence. In such an environment, breakthroughs won't appear on schedule. There will be many failures and an occasional large triumph. Fine judgment, not numbers, is the key to high performance research management. Universities win the support of the public not by wholesale adoption of the methods of industry but by pursuing shared goals. Universities can't be held to account too closely and will often disappoint, but in the long run it is vital they win the trust and affection of the community that supports them. It's tricky work. Winthrop Professor Raymond Da Silva Rosa is an expert in finance from The University of Western Australia's Business School
ABC News
2 days ago
- Science
- ABC News
Lab Notes: The tiny beetle ravaging Perth's trees
Belinda Smith: Dramatic scenes have been unfolding in Perth's majestic parks. News Grab: Trees in Perth's iconic Kings Park ground into dust. A bare scar on the hill where Moreton Bay fig trees once stood. Belinda Smith: And just last month, a couple of kilometres away at Hyde Park, dozens of trees were chopped and chipped. News Grab: Seeing the trees on the islands go, it's so, so sad. Belinda Smith: And it's all because of a beetle about the size of a sesame seed called the Polyphagus shot-hole borer. So how has this tiny pest caused such massive problems? Hi, I'm Belinda Smith and you're listening to Lab Notes, the show that dissects the science behind new discoveries and current events. To explain how the beetle spreads and what can be done about it is Theodore Evans, an entomologist at the University of Western Australia. Now, more than 50 huge old Moreton Bay fig trees in Kings Park have been chopped down. What impact has this had on the area? Theodore Evans: It looks like a war zone, as people have used those words. And they're horrified. And people would go for walks through that part of Kings Park and now they aren't because there's no shade on a 40 degree day. It's deeply unpleasant. Belinda Smith: Yeah, I imagine, you know, in a hot and dry city like Perth, losing all that tree canopy must be pretty extreme. Theodore Evans: Perth already has the lowest tree canopy of any capital city in Australia. So it's a not good situation that is going to get even worse. Belinda Smith: The reason Perth is chopping and chipping hundreds of trees is because of a wood-boring beetle. And their favourite food, you guessed it, is... Theodore Evans: Wood. And wood is made up of cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose. And cellulose in particular is the most abundant biological molecule on the planet. And it's one of the hardest things to digest. So it's a huge resource if you can crack the secret to digest it. Belinda Smith: And the polyphagous shot hole borer has figured it out. Theodore Evans: So polyphagous comes from the Greek, which means many eating, because they eat a very wide variety of plants. And Belinda Smith: this varied vego menu is pretty rare for insects. Theodore Evans: Think about a caterpillar, for example. They only eat one species of plant or a very small number of close relatives. And we call those monophagous, meaning one eating. It's much harder to be polyphagous because you have to be able to digest plant matter from all these different plant families that aren't related. And they probably have a whole range of defensive chemicals. And you have to be able to overcome that much wider range of defensive chemicals. Belinda Smith: Why did this polyphagousness evolve in this particular beetle species? Theodore Evans: This beast evolved in South and Southeast Asia, along with a whole bunch of its relatives. And that's probably got something to do with its polyphagous nature, because those diverse rainforests, they have huge numbers of diverse plant species. It's kind of hard to specialise on one species when you've got such diversity around you. Belinda Smith: What do the beetles look like? Theodore Evans: Their head is kind of pushed underneath their thorax. If you remember, insects have three body parts, head, thorax and abdomen. And so they kind of look from above, they almost look like they have no head. And the whole body is almost like a short cylinder. And they sort of chew and they chew and they turn as they chew. Like a drill, almost. Exactly, just like a drill. Not surprising, given what they're living in. Belinda Smith: And these holes are usually the first sign of the pest's presence. But it's not the holes or even the beetles themselves that kill the tree. So Theodore Evans: part of their trick of being polyphagous is to have a symbiotic friend. In this case, it's a fungus. As I said, it's very hard to digest cellulose and those other compounds in wood. And no animal has evolved the capacity to do this on its own. They always do it with a microbial friend. So with termites, for example, they have a range of bacteria and protozoa. With the case of these wood-boring beetles, they use a fungus. They're normally not an organism that can invade the tree on their own. They usually piggyback on somebody else. Belinda Smith: So when a polyphagous shot hole borer drills into a tree, it's the piggybacking fungus that digests the wood. Theodore Evans: And then these beetles just eat the fungus. Belinda Smith: But the real problems arise when the fungus gets thirsty and starts growing into the water vessels inside the tree. Theodore Evans: And eventually they clog up those vessels and they basically starve the tree of water and nutrients. And that's how the tree ends up dying. Belinda Smith: Right. Okay. So it's actually the fungus that causes that clogged circulation, which then spills the end of the tree. Eventually. That's correct. Right. Okay. So when was the shot hole borer first discovered in WA? It Theodore Evans: was first found by the West Australian State Government Department of Primary Industries on the 6th of August in 2021. And it was found in two box elder maple trees in East Fremantle. These were trees planted by the owner of the property and they were her pride and joy. She's a very keen gardener and these trees were looking very unhealthy. The leaves were dying, turning yellow, falling off. And she looked carefully at the bark and realised that there were these shot holes. And within a short time, the experts had identified it as polyphagus shot hole borer, Eulacia fornicatus. And that has been spreading in different parts of the world over the last roughly 20 years. And so it's well known as an invasive species. Yeah, Belinda Smith: it's been found in California, Israel and South Africa before. And while the East Fremantle infestation was the first confirmed report of polyphagus shot hole borer in Western Australia and Australia more broadly. Theodore Evans: This can't be the original site of the very first infestation for a couple of reasons. But one is those trees were dying. So the beetle must have been in those trees for a minimum of two years and possibly three or four because it takes that long for the beetle to breed up, for the fungus to spread through the tree and clog its vascular system. Belinda Smith: How did they get to Western Australia? Theodore Evans: So what we think has happened is the beetle came in on green wood, so wood that hasn't been properly dried, used as dunnage. And dunnage is essentially the bracing, the filler for large heavy items. And so it's likely that something got brought into Perth. It had green wood dunnage to hold it in place and it hadn't been heat treated to dry it out and kill any organisms, which they're supposed to do. But obviously that takes time and money to do and it's often skipped. Belinda Smith: How well has the shot hole borer been contained since its discovery a few years ago? Theodore Evans: I would say the average person in Perth who follows the shot hole borer news would say not very well because every six months or so we hear a new report of an infestation that was outside the previously defined quarantine zone. The Belinda Smith: shot hole borer may be awesome at drilling into wood, Theodore Evans: but... This beetle is a terrible flyer, like all very small beetles. Oh really? Terrible flyer. When you're only one and a half millimetres long and you spend most of your life living inside a tree... And your Belinda Smith: head's tucked away underneath your thorax. Theodore Evans: Exactly. You know, you're not going to be an acrobat. And so in field experiments done in the United States, the distances that they flew were around 30 to 35 metres and they all stopped flying at high wind speeds. Belinda Smith: So if they're barely flying and they're not being blown around, how do they spread between suburbs? Theodore Evans: That's all humans. Belinda Smith: Yeah, we are shuttling the shot hole borer around, particularly when trees get pruned. The Theodore Evans: arborist takes those cut branches away and they might transport them dozens of kilometres. This beetle can survive in these cut wood for up to seven months. Belinda Smith: So shot hole borer love wood, but there are particular trees that they really enjoy. Theodore Evans: So number one on the list is Acer negundo, the box elder maple. Number two on the list are Erythrina x sykesii, which are coral trees. And Erythrinas are found in Africa through to India. So these trees get attacked very heavily and so they succumb rapidly. Belinda Smith: Others are robinia, hibiscus, plane trees and figs, like the giant morton bay figs recently chopped down in Perth. And people are worried about trees outside of the metro area too. We Theodore Evans: know that the borer does attack WA native forest trees, including a range of paperbark Melaleuca, including Corymbia eucalyptus species such as the Marri. And they also attack Callitris. So these are important trees in not just WA's bush, but there are close relatives throughout the bush across Australia. Belinda Smith: Agriculture could be affected too, because in other parts of the world, avocado trees, for instance, are highly susceptible to the pest. Theodore Evans: They also affect pears and apples. They attack and can kill macadamias and mangoes and mulberries. Belinda Smith: How concerning is the threats that the borer poses beyond WA's borders? Theodore Evans: That's a very hard question to answer. There's been some modelling to look at where it might thrive in Australia and essentially wherever there are trees, it will do well. Not so well in Tasmania, because it's a bit cold, but it should absolutely thrive on the east coast and particularly sort of north of Sydney from Brisbane up into the tropics, because that most closely matches the temperatures of its native range. How badly the plants are going to suffer is a harder question to answer. Belinda Smith: Right now, the only approved way to stop the beetle spread is cutting down trees and putting them through a wood chipper. Some insecticide sprays have been tested on the borer, but they didn't work. Theodore Evans: And the reason they didn't work is because if you're spraying an insecticide through the air and it lands on the bark of the tree, it doesn't get to the beetle. The beetle is inside the tunnels and nobody has yet tried to test some of the chemicals that can get into the wood of the tree, or they haven't done very much of it. And so there is hope in trying to look at these other approaches. Belinda Smith: And Theodore is among the researchers who have been testing these other approaches. My Theodore Evans: very first tree that I started experimenting on with my most favoured chemical, because this particular chemical is both fungicidal and insecticidal, so it kills the borer and the fusarium fungus. And we have managed to protect one tree, which is a stone throw from Hyde Park. So it's constantly being attacked by Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer. And we've managed to protect that tree now for a year. Belinda Smith: Oh, congratulations. Thank you. I feel like that is well, that is worthy of a celebration. Theodore Evans: We'll never get rid of chop and chip. I think there are going to be some trees that are just too far gone and chop and chip is the only option. But for trees that have only, that are early in the infestation, I think some of these methods are going to work and they're going to save the tree. Belinda Smith: That was Theodore Evans, an entomologist at the University of Western Australia. Thanks for listening to Lab Notes on ABC Radio National, where every week we dissect the science behind new discoveries and current events. I'm Belinda Smith. This episode was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people. Fiona Pepper's the producer and it was mixed by Riley Mellis. We'll catch you next week.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
University of Western Australia to launch its first global campuses, with academic hubs planned in Chennai and Mumbai
The University Grants Commission has granted approval for five foreign universities to establish campuses in the country. The UGC handed over letters of intent to these institutions from the UK, US, Australia and Italy on Saturday, marking a crucial step in the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and its vision of global academic integration. Among them is the University of Western Australia (UWA), ranked among the world's top 100 and a proud member of Australia's Group of Eight. UWA has announced plans to open two campuses in India–in Chennai and Mumbai, its first international branch campuses. Speaking to on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai, Professor Peter Grace, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) at UWA, explains why the university chose India, what students can expect, and how the institution aims to contribute to India's educational and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Why has UWA decided to open campuses in India? The University of Western Australia's decision to establish campuses in India stems from a combination of strategic, academic, and diplomatic motivations. The Indian government has actively encouraged reputed foreign universities to enter the domestic higher education space, and UWA sees this as an opportunity to expand access to quality global education. UWA already has long-standing academic, research, and consultancy collaborations in India. Geographically located on the Indian Ocean Rim, the university has long focused on engaging with countries in the region. Establishing a physical presence in India is therefore a logical and timely extension of UWA's vision. Is this UWA's first overseas campus? Yes, this will be the first overseas campus for the University of Western Australia. While several Australian universities operate international branch campuses, UWA has until now remained focused on strengthening partnerships without establishing a physical base abroad. With India's regulatory environment becoming increasingly conducive, the university felt this was the right time to initiate operations on Indian soil. Why choose Mumbai and Chennai for the campuses? UWA has identified Mumbai and Chennai as strategic locations due to their economic potential, talent pool, and synergies with Perth, the university's home city. Both cities are recognised hubs for education, entrepreneurship, and industry. They offer access to vibrant student communities and align well with UWA's focus on innovation and skills development. Does this move respond to tighter immigration norms abroad? While changes in immigration policies in countries like Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US may influence student choices, UWA's initiative is primarily about offering high-quality education locally. The Indian campuses provide an alternative for students who want a world-class education without relocating abroad. Students may also choose to complete part of their education in Australia through future mobility options. When will the campuses begin operations? According to UGC guidelines, foreign universities are given an 18-month window to commence academic operations after receiving approval. UWA is currently working within this timeline and intends to begin functioning within this period, although specific dates are yet to be finalised. What academic programmes will be offered initially? In the initial phase, UWA's India campuses will focus on business and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. The choice reflects both local demand and the university's academic strengths. Programmes will be available at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and UWA is also exploring ways to integrate its research expertise into the academic offerings in India. Will the Indian campuses offer the same degrees as in Perth? Yes. The degrees offered in India will be identical in content and academic standards to those taught at the Perth campus. While minor adaptations may be made to reflect cultural or regional contexts, the core curriculum and quality benchmarks will remain consistent. Will the curriculum be tailored for the Indian context? While the core degree programmes will mirror those offered in Australia, UWA is considering opportunities to develop localised short-term courses in collaboration with Indian industry and academia. These will initially focus on business and STEM areas and be designed to meet specific local and regional demands. How will faculty recruitment be handled? UWA plans to implement a blended faculty model. Teaching will be delivered by a mix of faculty from the home campus in Perth and qualified academics recruited locally in India. The aim is to bring together the best of both worlds, global academic perspectives and local expertise, thereby enriching the learning experience for students. What is the WACE curriculum and how does it relate to UWA's presence in India? The West Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) is a senior secondary qualification that provides direct university entry pathways. It has recently gained recognition in parts of India, creating an end-to-end academic route for Indian students aspiring to study at UWA. Additionally, students following the WACE curriculum may be eligible for specific scholarships when they plan to pursue a degree at UWA. Will there be student exchange and mobility programmes? Yes. UWA intends to facilitate both short-term study tours and long-term exchange programmes between its Indian campuses and its main campus in Perth. The goal is to enhance student mobility, allowing Indian students to experience international education in both domestic and global contexts. Will the course fees in India be the same as those in Australia? UWA is currently assessing its fee structures. While the courses in India will match the quality and curriculum of those in Perth, the fees are expected to be more affordable for Indian students. The university aims to strike a balance between quality and accessibility. With multiple foreign universities establishing campuses in India, how does UWA's offering stand out? UWA brings over a century of academic excellence as part of Australia's Group of Eight. It is consistently ranked among the world's top 100 universities. While other approved institutions offer a variety of disciplines and formats, UWA aims to stand out through its research intensity, international reputation, and strong academic-industry linkages. What is UWA's long-term vision for its India campuses? In the next decade, UWA envisions becoming deeply embedded in India's educational and innovation ecosystem. Beyond academics, the university aims to support local industries, foster entrepreneurship, and serve as a platform for collaboration between Indian and Australian institutions. What kind of placement and entrepreneurship support will be offered? UWA has established a partnership with HCL to create innovation hubs across India. These hubs will serve as incubators for entrepreneurial thinking and industry engagement. The initiative aims to enrich the curriculum with real-world relevance and prepare students for dynamic, future-ready careers.
India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
York, UWA, IIT Chicago among 5 foreign institutes coming to India
As a major leap towards redesigning the higher education ecosystem in India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has officially given out Letters of Intent (LoIs) to five foreign universities, authorising them to open campuses in India. This is a key milestone as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which invites global institutions to impart international educational opportunities to students in LoI handover ceremony took place in Mumbai in the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, acting UGC Chairperson Vineet Joshi, and officials from participating UNIVERSITIES WHICH WERE HANDED OVER THE LOLS ARE:University of York (UK) University of Western Australia (UWA)University of Aberdeen (UK)Illinois Institute of Technology (USA)IED Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy)Such institutions are to establish their campuses mainly in Navi Mumbai as part of a master-planned International Education City close to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport. CIDCO-led and supported by the Maharashtra government, the project will create a 5-kilometre educational corridor where foreign universities will open undergraduate and postgraduate UWA is also constructing a second campus in Chennai to extend its academic presence in University of Aberdeen, which is one of Scotland's oldest universities, is the first Scottish university to be given such permission in India. Its bid will now be presented before the university's governing council next month for institutions will take 18 months to set up their campuses and are expected to start enroling students by late FOREIGN UNIVERISTIES IN INDIABesides these five universities, other foreign universities have already begun making plans to set up campuses in University of Southampton will start its inaugural admission cycle in Gurgaon this fall, and the University of Liverpool is ready to open its Bengaluru campus by September increased interest from international institutions highlights India's role as an international education hub. With the world's best universities opening up shop on Indian ground, students will no longer need to travel abroad for global-standard education -- making it all accessible from Watch
West Australian
10-06-2025
- Health
- West Australian
WA-led study offers alternative treatment for bladder cancer patients amid immunotherapy shortage
When Jack Taylor was diagnosed with high-risk bladder cancer at only 20 years old, being told there was a shortage of the potentially life-saving drug he needed was an extra blow. Bladder cancer immune therapy drug Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), has been subject to shortages across the world since 2013 due to manufacturing issues, meaning patients are missing out on what doctors consider the gold standard treatment for the disease. However, a West Australian-led trial could solve the issue, with the results revealing using the chemotherapy drug mitomycin on top of BCG — meaning not as much of the drug was needed — was a safe and effective alternative treatment. The groundbreaking findings mean doctors from across the country will be able to treat patients with this cancer therapy from now on. The trial, called ANZUP 1301, recruited 501 patients across 17 sites in Australia, including at Perth's Fiona Stanley Hospital, and the UK between 2013 and 2023. The addition of the drug mitomycin meant patients required 40 per cent fewer doses of BCG. Patients also completed their treatment more frequently, suggesting a combination treatment was better tolerated then just the BCG. Bladder cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the country with the survival rate five years after diagnosis only being 57 per cent. Mr Taylor had no signs he was unwell until he noticed blood in his urine — a month later he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. 'It's the last thing you expect as a 20-year-old really. I was a bit in shock and quite uncertain about the future,' he said. 'When I got diagnosed, you're already stressed enough and then when you get told there's this potentially life-saving, disease altering treatment but you might not be able to get it — it's pretty soul crushing.' Mr Taylor was referred to FSH for the trial after undergoing surgery. He still has three months left of BCG treatment to try and beat his cancer but he said being a part of the trial meant he experienced less side effects and was feeling well. 'I think having local access to high quality research is so important, because if this trial wasn't being run here, I wouldn't have been able to participate in it,' he said. 'It's really great to hear that the trials had such fantastic results and will hopefully go on to help so many other people. I think I'm just grateful that I was able to participate. 'For patients, it's always great to have more choice in terms of the treatments.' FSH head of urology and UWA urological research and education professor Dickon Hayne said in a time of global BCG shortages, adopting this treatment could dramatically expand access to life-saving bladder cancer treatment. 'We did look at a subgroup of patients who had the nastiest sort of cancer in that group, and those patients did seem to do better in terms of the cancer being treated when we added the mitomycin,' he said. 'We're still experiencing a serious BCG shortage and that's affecting Western Australia as much as it's affecting the whole globe. 'This treatment will mean that we can treat more patients with a safe and effective treatment than we could before.' The trial was developed through Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group in collaboration with the National Health and Medical Research Council clinical trials centre.
