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(2007)Conference PaperThis paper describes the development and implementation of two multi disciplinary design courses at UNSW, dubbed Project X and Project X2. The courses were originally proposed by the Organising Committee of the ConnectED 2007 Conference, as demonstration courses that might embody the spirit of the Conference. They have been coordinated by representatives from the three design-based faculties at UNSW: Faculty of the Built Environment (FBE), College of Fine Arts (COFA) and Faculty of Engineering (FOE). These faculties are also the host faculties for the Conference. Project X (the Scheme Design Course), ran as an intensive course for three weeks in February 2007. Students from the three Faculties worked together in teams to produce scheme designs against a brief set by the Conference Organising Committee as ‘client’ for the design. The scheme designs were evaluated first within the course and then by an external Project X Jury. The Jury selected the winning design which was then to be developed and constructed by multidisciplinary teams in Project X2 (the Fabrication and Construction Course). This course is currently running in a standard once-a-week mode in Session 1, 2007. Together, Project X and Project X2 celebrate both the design process and the design education process, and both in their multi-disciplinary dimension. The Project X cross-disciplinary mix, with Faculty of Engineering students working alongside students from the College of Fine Arts, and Faculty of the Built Environment students, is so rich it has been described as ‘cross-cultural’. Whether despite or because of this richness, evidence so far from surveys of students and staff indicates a successful outcome in terms of design education experience.
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(2007)Conference PaperWhile the education of civil engineers is presently considered to be at the expected level, the engineering profession consistently points to the lack of integration of technical content in problem solving activities, and the inadequate communication and team-working skills of many graduates. Very often we all come across the students who know the content but can’t seem to apply it and the question that comes to mind is how to re-energise the learning experience for both ourselves and our students? Literature consistently points out that any form of group activity will result in a better quality of student learning when compared to traditional delivery methods (Fink, 2003). Students often point to the obvious inconsequence of much of the course material learned in early years to real engineering problems. Once real design projects are encountered in later years, much of this knowledge has been lost; the application is not obvious or it is considered too theoretical for practical applications. The motivation of students to learn and integrate scientific and technological concepts from early on in their academic career is one of the key objectives for the creation of Civil Engineering Design Studios at a number of universities worldwide, as uncovered by the first author during her recent visit to several Universitas 21 (U21) member institutions as a U21 Fellow. This paper presents some of the findings concerning the Design Studios in Civil Engineering education, as revealed during the Fellowship.
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(2007)Conference PaperThis paper is about a studio design project for third year interior architecture students, which challenges notions of cultural identity through the milieu of politics. The studio project emerged from a recognition that traditions of interdisciplinarity, especially between the discipline of anthropology and architectural theory, have contributed to generally unreflective assumptions about the cultural identity of building designers and students. These assumptions make cross cultural design teaching problematic. Investigation led to the conclusion that through risky and new approaches to studio projects anesthetised interdisciplinary assumptions can be overcome. The paper focused mostly on the theoretical context for the studio rather than the processes or outcomes within the studio. In that sense, the paper is not so much educational as theoretical and so it sets the scene for the type of studio project described. The studio design project is based on the premise that the Communist Party of Australia, in order to remain financially viable, must adopt the same policy towards capitalism as other communist parties. In short, this means that the Communist Party of Australia will have to become involved in new open-ness, private property and, in short, a commercial venture. The premise is then that the Communist Party of Australia agrees that the only ethical possibility is a nightclub for the workers. This, of course is a western style club in which people go to enjoy each others’ company while listening to contemporary musical performances. To where would such a project lead? At first glance, it seems worrying that politics is being treated here as light-weight, careless and stylistic. But then the issues for design begin to emerge, as follow. The question of the role of political ideologies in everyday life emerges for each student as they move from one country to another. Countries vary considerably in their political social and economic balances. For example, the Australian Communist Party is little more than a private club for the alienated intellectual middle class. On the other hand, in countries such as China, Communism is a major and dominant feature of everyday life. The difference between countries is not only between nominal political systems, but is also between the significance of aesthetic expression in each country. The Communist Party of Australia’s aesthetics are alien to most Australians whereas in other countries, such as China, this is not so. Students in design, who have come from a range of cultural and political settings, have a vastly different view of what politics, especially the question of political ideology, is about. The project offers a way for those differences to become apparent without the trauma of direct ideological confrontation. This takes place within a special kind of harmonious discourse that might otherwise have been impossible. The design becomes a venue for discussion in a way that cannot be done in speech of writing. The source of ideas for each student’s design is their own experience. In this project, the question of each student’s background becomes significant. It is both enlivening for international students from communist countries to see that their experience is valuable for their design work in a western university, but it is also an interesting experience for local students to see that there are other forms of experience than their own, that are important sources of ideas for design. The success of this studio relies upon the establishment of a studio culture assembled from all students’ cultural backgrounds. As such the project is not only cross cultural but deals with the lived “reality” of those cultural differences, rather than seeing cultural difference through the “anthropological lens”, in which difference is treated as an “object of study before an omnipotent and omnipresent “subject”. Politics is a sensitive area precisely because it is important and lively. Providing a safe and enlivened way for this sensitive area to be discussed creates a truly cross cultural experience for design students. This is why politics or more precisely the culture of politics has been chosen as the milieu for this studio project. The paper is structured by briefly tracing the effect of anthropological lens in architecture and what to look for, followed by a short explanation of an example of the project from student work. The general method for the paper is “archeological” in the sense that philosopher Michel Foucault uses in The Order of Things.1 Argument is by association between ideas from which links and lineages are formed and new ideas exposed. At times this can seem irrational, especially where design is discussed. This is because, for the purposes of this paper and for design teaching, design is not a rational activity.
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(2008)Conference PaperIssues in e-book developments are examined from three perspectives. First, the role and potential of e-books in the spectrum of scholarly content in electronic form is discussed. Librarians need to bring fresh thinking to e-books instead of treating them as surrogates of print versions. Second, issues facing e-book service development at the University of New South Wales Library are described in the context of use of electronic content in research and teaching. Finally, an account of consortial activities for licensing of e-books undertaken by the Council of Australian University Librarians Electronic Information Resources Committee (CEIRC) is given.
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(2001)Journal ArticleThree-dimensional numerical simulations of electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) near a vertical silicon grain boundary are demonstrated. They are compared with an analytical model which excludes the effect of carrier generation other than in the bulk base region of a solar cell structure. We demonstrate that in a wide range of solar cell structures recombination in the space charge region (SCR) significantly affects the EBIC results and hence needs to be included in the data evaluation. Apart from these findings, simulations of a realistic silicon solar cell structure (thick emitter, field-dependent mobility, etc.) are demonstrated.
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(1998)Journal ArticleThe first results obtained using a SOI device for microdosimetry applications are presented. Microbeam and broadbeam spectroscopy methods are used for determining minority carrier lifetime and radiation damage constants. A spectroscopy model is presented which includes the majority of effects that impact spectral resolution. Charge collection statistics were found to substantially affect spectral resolution. Lateral diffusion effects significantly complicate charge collection
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(1995)Conference PaperThis paper describes the use of three-dimensional (3D) device modelling for the optimisation of the rear contact geometry of high-efficiency silicon solar cells. We describe the techniques and models used as well as their limitations. Our approach is contrasted with previously published 3D studies of high-efficiency silicon solar cells. Results show that the optimum spacing is about 2/3 of that predicted by 2D simulations, and exhibits a much stronger dependence on contact spacing. The optimal value found is about 60% of that of the present UNSW PERL cells, however, the possible efficiency gain is only about 0.1% absolute.
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(2009)Book ChapterSocial justice, and its application as a key social work value, has a particular resonance in the institutions of the criminal justice system. Promoting equality of access and resources, doing case work, and advocating for the rights of those who are imprisoned, is a complex task. Australian prisons are filled overwhelmingly with the poor, the socially impoverished, the geographically disadvantaged, the alienated and the dispossessed. Whilst this population is characterised by the social and economic disadvantage that is familiar to many social work settings, there are two complicating factors for social workers in Corrective Services. The first is that this population has also committed crime or at least has been accused of committing crime. The second is that prisons are closed institutions, where the internal workings are largely invisible to the general public. The life circumstances of prisoners (both inside and outside of prisons), even if extremely difficult, tend not to elicit a great deal of sympathy. In popular discourse, the fact and impact of the crime committed understandably overshadows the fact of the offender’s personal disadvantage. Because prisoners are out of sight, a simplistic and frequently dehumanising image of the prisoner is able to flourish, but of course it is entirely possible for someone to be both a decent individual, for example helping people in need, volunteering in emergencies, being a good friend, and a criminal. As Sotiri observed: "When I worked at [agency name] (a post-release NGO) we used to joke about how often we, as workers would say about our clients ‘he’s such a nice guy’. Because of course at some point many of our clients were not ‘nice guys’. Many had committed horrible crimes, or had at least acted ruthlessly and selfishly in their quest to obtain money and drugs." Although the fact of the crime is relevant, especially for some targeted rehabilitative work, working with this population requires a critical and holistic approach. This ensures that a client’s criminal behaviour does not entirely define who that person is. This is particularly important when working with a person leaving prison. Depending upon their role, social workers may need to consider not only the crime, but also the reasons why someone has committed crime, as well as the whole range of needs the person might have.
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(2006)Journal ArticleUrban Aboriginal communities were asked about their experiences of human services. The misuse of Aboriginal liaison staff, the attitudes of staff and policy-makers, the invisibility of Aboriginal clients, poor communication, lack of access to services, client rights and lack of integration were raised. Respect for Aboriginal persons' social citizenship is discussed.
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(1998)ReportThe following report is a detailed description of the Indigenous Australian content of thirteen BSW courses offered at various Australian Universities. The content descriptions were collected and summarised by Joe Nipperess, a fourth year social work student, from information kindly sent by various staff members at those universities and was checked back with those staff members for accuracy. Most of the respondents returned the material with some changes which were incorporated; a small number did not reply. There may be some inaccuracies therefore in some segments. If so, please accept our apologies. Please inform us of any changes needed.