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Wednesday, 21 November 2007

Spring is here and with it new, exciting developments within the Faculty. We have just had approval for three new Masters Courses, one in Infectious Diseases, another called a Masters of Science and Technology and one in Analytical Chemistry. We also have two new undergraduate BSc programmes, one in Computational Science and also the inclusion of Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian in the BSc (International). Later this year we expand our offshore program in Singapore to include programs in Psychology and Human Performance, and Sport Science. These developments show the dynamic nature of our Faculty.

Spring also saw the last remnants of the old Chemistry building disappear under the bulldozers. Hopefully we will see a new life sciences building rise like the phoenix…. Already the new Molecular and Chemical Sciences building is bursting at the seams and we have the problem of finding accommodation for several new centres and research groups. This reflects the continuing success of our staff. Federation Fellow,Professor Steve Smith has recently been funded by the State Government to set up a Centre of Excellence in Metabolomics. The Federal Government has also agreed to fund a Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases in recognition of the outstanding achievements of Nobel Laureate, Professor Barry Marshall. Professor Peter Hartman's research was recognised by the award of the Macy-Gyorgy award for research in human milk and lactation, the first time that a scientist outside the USA has won this prestigious prize. Another international prize winner was Dr Birger Dittrich, who took the German Crystallographic Association's Max-von-Laue award, given to young investigators who make outstanding contributions in the field of crystallography.

Several of our students are proving to be excellent young researchers. Biological scientist, Dr Ryan Lister was one of only four Australians and the only West Australia to be awarded the 2006 Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Fellowship. Congratulations also to Mohamed Makha from the School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, who was a prize-winner at the International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Another nanotechnologist prize-winner was Nigel Smith, who took the best student oral presentation at the Australian Network for Advanced Materials 2006 Workshop.

Ann Cullity and Tony Gibbs were recipients of the UWA Chancellor's Medal at the recent March Graduations. Ann is a BSc graduate who has been a driving force behind the UWA Centenary Trust for Women. Tony was, until very recently, School Manager in the School of Psychology; he gave outstanding service to the School and Faculty and nursed many of the school Heads through turbulent times.

The quality and achievements of staff in the Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences made an important contribution to raising the ranking of UWA in the recent Shanghai Jiao Tong University's ranking of world universities. We are now in the top 101-150.

Photo: Paul Ricketts, DUIT Mulitmedia

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