Policy, Management & People

1. Engineering Students Auckland has received a record 2,283 applications to its Bachelor of Engineering programme, up 9% from last year.
2. Campus Improvements WITT has refurbished its crèche and is completing other work on its campus before the 2013 academic year kicks off, while CPIT has installed an earthquake commemoration artwork.
3. Sustainability Waikato has an industrial-sized worm farm as part of its campus sustainability programme.
4. Bookstore Closure Wintec’s Bennetts Bookstore has closed and will be replaced by an admin area for staff.
5. Extras: more on the MBIE’s Occupation Outlook and Moving On Up reports; shattered window at Otago Uni not caused by glass impurities; Russel Norman praises Massey’s new Institute of Agriculture and Environment; Otago Uni’s John Pickering reflects on the Christchurch quakes; Waikato’s campus sustainability programme; op-ed on making Palmerston North an attractive city for students; Victoria staffer Arana Parai Kenny charged with stealing a student’s phone; Massey’s new nursing school.

Research & Innovation

1. Voice Problems Auckland’s Sylvia Leao and Prof Suzanne Purdy say more than 1/3 of teachers have suffered voice problems at some point.
2. Art Prize An Otago Uni doctoral student has won a national art prize for his image which features a human cell’s primary cilia magnified more than 30,000 times.
3. Childbirth System Otago Uni’s Dawn Miller says midwife burnout is common in the current system.
4. Single-Sex Schools Canterbury’s Therese Boustead says people want Christchurch’s single-sex state schools to remain.
5. Caitlins Godwits Massey’s Phil Battley studying the godwits’ annual 18,000km journey.
6. Extras: Victoria student to study Taranaki lahar; Massey’s Prof Don Matheson on DHB decision-making.

Public Issues

1. Solid Energy Victoria’s Geoff Bertram says Solid Energy may not be the last state owned company to end up in financial strife (Radio NZ), and Auckland’s Prof Basil Sharp says the rise of shale gas and oil extraction will have worsened the economics of its lignite developments.
2. Junk Mail Canterbury’s Ekant Veer on Christchurch junk mail.
3. Population Massey’s Prof Paul Spoonley expects the census to show a big change in NZ’s diversity and says regional centres will struggle in the next 20 years.
4. Gentleman Classes Otago Uni’s Steven Sexton on a new King’s High School course that teaches how to be a good man.
5. Driveway Design Auckland’s Patricia Austin on why  NZ is the worst country in the world for toddler driveway deaths.
6. Teaching Maths Auckland’s Peter Hughes on NZ children’s poor basic maths skills.
7. ACT Party’s… reputation is tarnished, says Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards.
8. Court Order Breach Canterbury’s Prof Ursula Cheer on breaches of suppression orders.
9. LVR Cap Massey’s Claire Matthews on a loan-to-value ratio cap.
10. DCD Lincoln’s Prof Keith Cameron on the usefulness of DCD  as a nitrification inhibitor.
11. Christchurch… has become the engine room of NZ, says Canterbury’s Tom Wilson.
12. Extras: Massey’s Ruth Tarrant on leadership through tragedy; Massey’s Prof Bob Hargreaves on property interest rates; Auckland’s Prof Jane Kelsey on NZ’s free trade agreement with China; Otago Uni’s Prof Jennie Connor on low-calorie wines; Otago Uni’s Phil Handcock on physical activity in NZ; MIT’s Stuart Middleton on charter schools; Auckland student on social networks; Unitec’s Beth Soutter on achieving goals.

Students

1. Car Crash A UCOL student is in critical condition after a car crash near Masterton.
2. Wellington Flats… are becoming too expensive for students, says VUWSA president Rory McCourt.
3. O-Week SIT’s O-Week closed with a hangi lunch on Friday and Dunedin authorities have praised the behaviour of students. Noise complaints from Forsyth Barr Stadium dropped to 6 from 58 last year

Stakeholders

1. Science Communicators Steven Joyce and Canterbury’s Mark Quigley spoke at the joint PCST/Science Communicators Association of NZ conference.
2. Emissions Trading Scheme Canterbury’s Bruce Manley and Euan Mason to speak at ETS workshops.
3. Samoan Master Carver… Tuailevaoola Pio’Timu showcasing traditional Samoan wood carving at Unitec.
4. Nick Smith… spoke at the Top of the South Trades Academy powhiri on Friday.
5. Debating Otago Uni’s Debating Society is helping revive secondary school debates.
6. National Geographic… linking to Canterbury’s archaeological reports (Fairfax).
7. Harvard Professor… Paul Healy to speak at Victoria tonight on the implications of decreasing public trust in business.
8. Extras: McFetridge family win Massey Discovery Award at Balance Farm Environment Awards; Michael Houstoun to play first of Waikato’s lunchtime concerts; John Key spoke at Canterbury on Friday; Auckland sponsoring its first public cycling event; Waiariki’s Kerama Taepa’s design used for toilet shrouds; Massey’s Riddet Institute has signed an MOU with the Marlborough Research Centre.

Teaching & Learning

1. Clinical Experience Otago Uni dental students on placement in New Plymouth.
2. Aoraki… media comms students visited Press House and met TVNZ personalities.
3. Waikato’s… Summer Research Scholarships came to an end last week.
4. Graduates AUT has graduated the first batch of 8 students from its new Masters in Service-Oriented Computing programme.