Knowledge Transfer award winners announced
September, 2007
Projects benefiting groups as diverse as youth at risk, ailing children, indigenous communities and irrigators have been awarded the top honours in the University of Melbourne’s inaugural Knowledge Transfer Awards.
The Awards were instituted to recognise the role of knowledge transfer within the University’s strategic vision, and to reward initiatives that achieve the goal of a two-way relationship and uptake of ideas between the University and the broader community.
Excellence awards worth $5000 each (plus a trophy) were announced in three categories and the outstanding nature of the entries was reflected by the fact that the judges named joint winners in one category and identified seven applications that were worthy of formal commendations.
The winners of the excellence awards were:
- Professor Angela O’Brien (Culture and Communication) and Dr Kate Donelan (Education) who headed the development of 10 arts programs across Victoria which were used as an intervention for at-risk youth. Around 150 participants were involved in the programs which ran in association with government entities, arts groups and community networks.
- Associate Professor Trevor Duke and Dr Julian Kelly (Department of Paediatrics, Royal Children’s Hospital) whose CD-ROM program to improve the quality of child healthcare in developing countries is being utilised and promoted by more than 200 health professionals from 20 nations.
(joint winners with:)
- Odette Mazel and Professor Marcia Langton (School of Population Health), Associate Professor Lee Godden (Office for Environmental Programs), Dr Lisa Palmer (School of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies) and Associate Professor Maureen Tehan (Centre for Resources, Energy and Environmental Law) for the Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements project which links industry partners, government and indigenous groups. The ATNS database is recognised as a crucial information resource in managing agreements and receives more than five million hits per year.
- Professor Iven Mareels (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) who is the leader of a team which, over the past decade, has worked with an industry partner to produce substantial water savings and greater water efficiency through the automation of irrigation systems.
In addition to the excellence awards, eight new initiatives were awarded project grants of up to $10,000, and five proposals to host international experts to further the scholarship and understanding of knowledge transfer also received grants of up to $10,000.
The University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Innovation and Development) Professor Vijoleta Braach-Maksvytis, who chaired the judging panel, congratulated the 82 entrants on the breadth and scope of their projects which spanned all University faculties and some central administrative groups.
Professor Braach-Maksvytis also said that the judges found it difficult to compare entries from vastly different subject areas, and added that this issue would be examined closely ahead of next year’s awards.
"These awards recognise the fantastic array of knowledge transfer that is underway throughout the University," Professor Braach-Maksvytis said.
"The impressive number and quality of the entries has emphasised the leading role that the University of Melbourne is playing in this area, and strengthens its links with a wide range of partners."
The awards will be presented at the Vice-Chancellor's Knowledge Transfer Awards Ceremony which is scheduled for November 21.
The full list of awards winners (PDF 92 KB) is available.
University of Melbourne Voice News Article on Knowledge Transfer Awards