8 minute read
From the Archives
SOME RESEARCH HIGHER DEGREE UNINEWS GRABS FROM YESTERYEAR
2001 RAIL CRC COMMENCED HOSTED AT CQU
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The Centre for Railway Engineering, as it is now known, has been one of the mainstays of research activity at CQUniversity. Many of our research alums have served their candidature with Professor Colin Cole and his team, enjoying the diversity in a peer network drawn from around the work, and the chance to be part of a group that strives for research quality and excellence.
2005 Research Masters Graduate Vanessa Seekee is recognised with an OAM
Vanessa Seekee’s work is a living example of research that matters. Through her thesis on the history of the World War II airbase at Horn Island, Torres Strait, Vanessa persuaded the Commonwealth government to award Torres Strait veterans the Star Medal, thus giving them access to full veterans’ medical benefits. 2012 PhD student Peter Kay gains publishing deal
For Peter Kay, pursuing a PhD led to magic of the real kind – Peter’s novel Blood was signed for a publishing deal, after he tried out the ‘magical realist’ writing style in his doctoral thesis.
Research graduates receive their testamurs at ceremonies across the Australian footprint, including Dr Maneerat Rumsamrong pictured here at Gladstone in 2020.
Dr Melinda Mann, graduating on her own Darumbal Country (in Rockhampton). The Research Higher Degree Great Debate was introduced in 2015 and has become a permanent fixture on the School of Graduate Research calendar.
Annual research communication competitions help researchers hone their skills and tell their stories, including the Three Minute Thesis and Visualise Your Thesis events.
Technology has become an essential part of research activities, including work in simulation, machine learning, drones, handheld devices and more).
RECOLLECTIONS FROM RESEARCH SUPERVISORS
Featuring Emeritus Professor David Midmore
How many CQU research graduates have you supervised?
After a bit of a recount, it’s 14 PhD as primary and 10 as secondary supervisor, plus 12 Masters as a primary and two as a secondary supervisor at CQUni. One of the key features that has underpinned all these is to give students a free hand in what they do ‑‑ motivation and ‘feel good’ are key to keeping students on track and excited about completing their higher degree. Guidance is of course essential, especially to ensure reasonable goals are set at the initiation of the study.
What is the most enjoyable part of being a research supervisor?
Achieving both personal and student satisfaction – the achievement by the student of a higher degree, as well as having an additional pair of hands and a mind to help me achieve much more that I could alone. There are many enjoyable parts of being a supervisor, including the pleasure of seeing the student develop their research skills, their ability to pose questions and secure the answers, and of course to see them graduate.
What has changed about the way that research is done, from your earliest days as a supervisor compared with now?
Nowadays there is a greater degree of administrative regulation involved in the supervision of post‑graduate students. At times, data collection can be physically demanding in the agricultural sciences and historically, no risk assessments were undertaken. I recall coming upon a RHD candidate collecting important data on photosynthesis alone in a farmer’s field in forty degree heat on black cracking clay, just as he keeled over. More recently, in‑person conferences beat zoom virtual gatherings hands down. Conferences are much more than the oral presentations; escaping on a quick trip in the local region for wine tasting makes an enticing alternative and leads to wider ranging discussions that the lecture theatre does! Aside from this, my expectations as a supervisor have not changed, in terms of the student’s achievement levels. I expect that the thesis represents at least 80%, preferably 90% and ideally but most unusually 100% of a student’s input. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to supervision, but the thesis must contain publishable data; and the closer to publication quality the chapters are at thesis submission time, the easier it is post‑submission to achieve publication.
What is your best tip for the next generation of RHD graduates?
For enhanced employability, read widely and skill‑up in as many disciplines as possible.
CQU RESEARCH – EXCELLENCE AND IMPACT
EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH FOR AUSTRALIA
In 2018, CQUniversity achieved its best‑ever ratings in the Commonwealth Government’s periodic assessment of Australian research, with the university’s research endeavours being ranked at, above, or well above world standard across fourteen categories. CQUniversity’s dramatic leap in research performance has been underpinned by record investment in research facilities and personnel, innovative and engaged research strategy, and tremendous success in securing highly competitive national research grants.
ENGAGEMENT AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The University is also building success in undertaking research that truly changes lives. The Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Engagement and Impact assessment aims to understand how well universities are translating their research into economic, social and other benefits and to encourage greater collaboration between universities, industries and other end‑users of research. This results in one of three rankings ‑ either low, medium or high. CQUniversity is outperforming many other Australian universities by receiving a medium or high rating for 11 out of the 13 case studies submitted.
TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION (THE) IMPACT RANKINGS.
CQUniversity has cemented its place as a world‑leading university for environmental and social impact, ranking 83rd in the world for overall contributions to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings. For the first time since the Impact Rankings were launched, CQU has entered the top 100 in the overall ranking out of 1406 institutions in the world. In particular, the University ranked 10th in the world for protecting and restoring life below water, 35th for protecting and restoring life on land and in partnerships for the goals. This is great news for all our research alums, because, as mentioned by Vice‑Chancellor and President, Professor Nick Klomp, ‘It’s a great honour to be among the most impactful universities in the world.’
‘IN THEIR WORDS’…
‘Write, write, write, write − even if it’s 50 words − write, write, write’.
Lorna Moxham
PHD (2003)
‘It’s not the smartest person that succeeds, it’s the person that can get up when knocked down and continue forward’.
Adam Rose
PHD (2019):
‘Don’t be afraid to apply for roles in a different industry or different crops, your skills are cross‑compatible’.
Karina Griffin
PHD (2019)
Professor Susan Kinnear (PhD, 2006)
It’s a joy to see this book come together in celebration of 1000 research higher degree graduates at our university. In marking this milestone, we proudly acknowledge not only the achievements of each graduate, but also the research supervisors, technical staff, administrative officers and industry partners – not to mention the cheerleading family and friends – who are so important to the success of every research thesis. I want to say thank you to everyone who has walked alongside our research trainees, as research really is a ‘team sport’. As a CQU research alumni myself, and as the current Dean for the School of Graduate Research, it is amazing to see the legacy already created by our graduate research training since it began before the 1990s – and to know that this legacy continues to grow, candidate by candidate and thesis by thesis. CQUniversity is younger than many other Australian institutions, but every one of our 1000+ RHD graduates are already part of an important history in research – especially in undertaking research that matters to regional communities and that makes positive change in the world. In the present‑day, I regularly conduct information sessions with prospective students considering their enrolment in masters or doctoral degree. As I tell them, a research degree is prestigious, globally recognised and the highest qualification that can be earned in the university setting ‑‑ however, that does not mean that you must be a ‘genius’ to successfully complete a thesis. What’s far more important is to have courage, determination and passion for your topic area – this is clearly something shown by all the people appearing in this book. Research higher degrees are transformational – they change the lives of every research candidate who graduates, and many more lives are touched through the discoveries that reside on the pages of each thesis. As we look forward to growing even further together – to the next 1000 graduates and beyond – our goal is to create a strong generation of research leaders who can take us forward, and to ensure those discoveries leap off the page and into the communities and industries who can best use them. Happy researching!
