1. Building/Glass Wintec is finding it hard to fill its construction trades classes while UCOL is not filling the glass school in Wanganui.
2. New Professors Auckland has named 11 new professors.
3. Aviation 25^th Massey’s School of Aviation is celebrating 25 years of operation.
4. New ECE Centre TWOA has started a new ECE centre in Gisborne.
5. Costs Award A sacked Waiariki nursing manager has been awarded $11,000 in costs – this is just the final stage of a case we covered earlier.
6. Hon Docs Owen Glenn (large donor) and Hugh Fletcher (former Chancellor) were given honorary doctorates by Auckland.
7. Extras: Lincoln’s Ann Brower on her lucky quake escape; former South Australian Premier Mike Rann is a visiting fellow at Auckland; NorthTec is getting out to the small centres; EIT Tairawhiti going smokefree and design school head changes; Massey’s Lydia Lobb giving up booze for Feb.

Research & Innovation

1. Cadmium Lincoln’s Brett Robinson is looking into locking up excess cadmium on farms with lignite.
2. Wine Auckland’s Velimir Gayevskiy and Matthew Goddard have found that unique regional wild yeasts play a role in wine.
3. Rock Lobster Victoria’s James Bell is doing DNA tests on rock lobster/crayfish.
4. Traffic Lights Otago Uni’s Rachael McLean supports traffic lights labels on food.
5. Extras: KiwiNet database (ODT); Otago Uni’s Prof Gary Wilson off to the Antarctic; Auckland’s Raina Elley on Pacific adults’ fitness; Auckland’s Steve Matthewman on SUV purchases and Campbell Jones on the Occupy movement; comments on virus research and terrorism.

Public Issues

1. Politics Victoria’s Maria Bargh on Maori Party-National Treaty discussions and again (and AUT’s Rawiri Taonui and Paul Moon too).
2. Whale Death Massey’s Stuart Hunter did a necropsy on a Bryde’s whale.
3. Extras: Harvard professor speaking at AUT; Massey’s Bob Hargreaves on house prices (and in Wellington); support for Victoria’s Winnie Laban over Pacific languages; Auckland’s Prof Des Gorman on sedentary lifestyles; Lincoln’s Prof Keith Woodford quoted over land sales; Auckland’s Peter O’Connor on charter schools; Massey’s Prof Paul Spoonley on Auckland’s growth and Massey’s Mike Joy on dairy; Massey still has 17 penguins.

Students

1. Olympics Two Waiariki paddlers off to Olympics.
2. The Naked and Famous…will play at Auckland’s Orientation.
3. Post VSM Student group EXMSS is promoting its benefits as is the association at Waiarki.
4. Extras: SIT basketballer; woman who poured petrol over herself and lit it is now off to Massey; students doing summer jobs;; Victoria Summer Shakespeare.

Stakeholders

1. Jewellery Mentors Whitireia’s Peter Deckers came up with a great idea to match grads with their jewellery role models, who then agreed to mentor them. Now the grads are having an exhibition. What a fantastic idea.
2. Extras: write Helen Lowe is in residence at Canterbury; Massey pop-up garden.

Teaching & Learning

1. Oral Health AUT is expanding its oral health provision.
2. Extras: Otago Uni summer school weaving.

1. A View on Everything This opinion piece covers almost every issue in current tertiary education in short bites. Since it is probably just written to provoke, I think I will refrain from comment.
2. WITT Rockets WITT’s enrolments are up by 50% on last year, down to PEI’s demise, WITT’s own marketing and the general environment. Congrats to them. WITT has also treated PEI staff as internal for the purpose of new WITT jobs, boosting their employment chances – nice touch.
3. WEA Trouble A WEA is in trouble in Lower Hutt.
4. TEC CFO I saw the TEC is advertising its CFO position shortly after winning an ERA case – many of you were interested in that case, so here’s the judgment (you can download the full PDF there).
5. Rod to Stay As I suggested yesterday, Rod Carr is staying at Canterbury and not applying for the Reserve Bank job.
6. Extras: NBR covers Jacqueline Rowarth’s move to Waikato; Otago Uni’s neurosurgery campaign.

Research & Innovation

1. Innovation Database KiwiNet has launched an innovation database (Unlimited, Idealog) to showcase technologies on offer for commercialisation etc.
2. Tracking Albatross Otago Uni research tracking albatross made TV3 news.
3. Volcanic Lakes Waikato composers David Griffiths and Michael Williams will be at a Volcanic Lakes Festival in Italy this month directing their compositions.
4. Siouxsie Wiles’ …research on bioluminescence at Auckland is the focus of this piece in The Listener.
5. Exercise and Brains Otago Uni researchers are looking into how exercise affects brain function.
6. Extras: Auckland’s Keith Petrie et all has been looking at patients’ thoughts about illness; molecular mechano is the focus of an academic visiting Otago Uni; Massey franchising research; Victoria’s Aidan Tabor looking at emigrant couples’ experiences.

Public Issues

1. ICT in Schools Waikato’s Noeline Wright was on TV to discuss the use of digital equipment in schools.
2. Extras: WITT’s John Hudson cooks with sprouts and peas; Auckland’s Elsie Ho on Asian immigration to Auckland; Waikato’s Prof Natalie Jackson on a rural lack of young women; AUT’s Rawiri Taonui on the SOE Treaty issue.

Students

1. Celebrating Grads Competenz is celebrating its grads by creating an honour roll publication listing grads and their employers, plus producing an alumni magazine – is this a first amongst ITOs?
2. Legal Win Open Poly students won 5/7 Legal Exec exam prizes.
3. Nurse Star Profile of Unitec ad star and nursing student.
4. Bad Start A new SIT student had her parents helping her get to town and their caravan flipped.
5. Extras: Auckland student may be off to Amazon; Victoria rugby player; Miss India NZ from Victoria; profile of new Unitec dance student; a Victoria student at Occupy Wellington.

Stakeholders

1. Charming Worms Lincoln is running an ecology nature picnic for the whole family.
2. Extras: UCOL grad in top restaurant; Unison-EIT partnership; Waikato supporting Fieldays innovation competition; fire eater at CPIT; training needs in caring for the elderly.

Teaching & Learning

1. Teach First Teach First continues to stir controversy with the NZ Herald running an op-ed by an opponent and Auckland Now running a story.
2. Extras: 30 years of nursing at WITT.

1. King’s Education About 100 Japanese people will fly to NZ next month to mark the year since the death of 12 Japanese King’s Education students in the CTV building.
2. Tauranga Campus The local paper thinks a new Tauranga campus will energise the city.
3. User Innovation Lincoln’s Prof John Fairweather writes about support for user innovation.
4. Neurosurgery Otago Uni neurosurgery fundraising is a third of the way to target, with bikers to help next month, but the search is already on for the right person.
5. Pasifika Success Canterbury has just opened a new centre in its college of education to help raise the achievement of Pasifika school students.
6. Extras: the Crafar farm purchasers must establish a training facility; Otago Uni’s Prof Jean Fleming recognised by Science Festival; TEU cited some OECD research (NewstalkZB); Christopher Theunissen is new MIT associate dean; Prof Sir Paul Callaghan’s childhood teacher; BOPP tutor paddler; Otago Uni mountain biker.

Research & Innovation

1. Social Alcohol Victoria and Massey researchers are looking into social networking and alcohol. As one of them says “There’s quite a furore around the dangers of young people binge drinking and doom and gloom about the impact of social networking but very few people have asked those at the centre of it what they think”, which is funny, because the researchers don’t let the young people talk in the media release either (after two years of study).
2. Extras: Otago Uni flesh-eating disease research cited, as was Lincoln food miles work and AUT work on tourism for the deaf; Massey’s kicking robot off on tour; Otago Uni literacy research; Waikato student looking at population declines in some areas (focus on Gore); Auckland helping with gout (release); Auckland’s Sue Crengle looking at ethnic discrimination; Otago Uni’s Janet Hoek on ethical consumption.

Public Issues

1. Back to School Victoria’s Roseanna Bourke is interviewed about kids’ learning.
2. Babies’ Reading Auckland’s Nola Harvey comments on a US baby reading programme – the infomercials sure do the hard sell.
3. New Bible Laidlaw College’s Bob Robinson comments on a new edition of the Bible – interesting story.
4. Occupy Otago Uni’s Andrew Geddis on Occupy Dunedin’s possible eviction.
5. Obesity Deborah Coddington has a go at Otago Uni researchers over obesity causes (Kiwiblog, Keeping Stock).
6. Extras: Otago Uni’s Winsome Purnell on the size of sweet treats and other academics at a bioethics conference and Prof Richard Barker on cricket scoring; Massey’s Steve Stannard on cyclists’ nutrition; penguins at Massey but a dotterel died; Victoria’s Marc Wilson on a Timaru cat-killer and doomsday prophecies; AUT’s Andy Gibson on the future of the Internet; Otago Uni’s Hank Wolfe on cyberwarfare; Otago Uni lake expert on the best place to race a jet; academics on food prices; Auckland’s Ian Lambie on youth violence; Lincoln’s Prof Derrick Moot on lucerne; Auckland’s Rochelle Constantine on port expansion and marine mammals; Otago Uni’s Jim Faed on stem cell treatment.

Students

1. Sonny Bill…is dating an Auckland student.
2. Student Jobs Here’s some analysis of the student employment situation.
3. Quake Experience A Canterbury student reflects on his quake-riddled year.
4. Extras: Otago Uni student off to Britain to sing in a choir; Media Design School student wins Beck’s design comp; Massey student exhibiting in Kerikeri; Waiariki kayakers; Massey student’s gaming console; SIT cricketer and motor racer; Wintec student filming some home-wreckers; Massey student and family off to Parachute.

Stakeholders

1. MOU Hawkes Bay and Massey MOU.
2. Extras: support for Lincoln’s 1080 alternative research; Wintec sponsoring a Service Jam; exhibition at Auckland gallery; Lincoln young farmer competitor.

Teaching & Learning

1. Teach First The Business Roundtable says we should give Teach First a go, but the NZ Herald reckons grads might struggle for acceptance. Funnily enough, the NZ Herald storey talks about how they “revealed” Teach First’s approach last week – since it first hit the news last April, it wasn’t really a scoop.
2. Extras: Otago Uni music summer school; UCOL trades academy.

1. Enrolment Trends Aoraki is bursting its seams in Ashburton. Canterbury’s enrolment release was covered by RNZ and The Press.
2. Massey HB Visit VC Steve Maharey and other Massey honchos are off to Hawke’s Bay to meet the locals.
3. Extras: students have a new GP visit fee at Auckland (One News); Loons at CPIT Open Day; top UCOL jiu jitsu fighter Vaughan Antonio.

Research & Innovation

1. New Lab Surgeon Swee Tan to set up cancer/birthmark research lab at Victoria this year.
2. Antarctic Victoria’s Rob McKay is going to use a $200K PM’s science prize to fund students and some work in overseas labs.
3. Toi Moko Dating Waikato’s Nicky Cameron might be able to use possum’s tooth enamel to date toi moko – preserved heads (NZH).
4. Motorway Stormwater Auckland’s Elizabeth Fassman is involved in a test of stormwater management in Auckland – I though it was quite interesting.
5. Smoking and Booze Otago research on smoking by occupation generated stories on doctors smoking (NewstalkZB) and teachers. It led on to a story with Otago Uni’s Prof Nick Wilson making some partisan statements about smoking and booze (NZN).
6. Extras: Auckland academics comment on a new meningococcal vaccine; Massey franchising research.

Public Issues

1. Vitamin C Sir Paul Callaghan’s trial of Vitamin C to treat his cancer has not shown any positive effects.
2. Waka Auckland’s Dilys John checks out Southland waka.
3. Extras: Massey autopsy of painted hawk and checking of 50 dead birds around Rena; Auckland’s Bill Hodge on an immigration case; Massey’s David Tripe on interest rates and KiwiSaver; Otago Uni’s Prof Charlotte Paul on synthetic oestrogen; Canterbury’s Jim Tully on that poverty doco stoush.

Students

1. Vampires A Victoria student has written a vampire book with her mother.
2. Shapeshifter…to play at Unitec’s Orientation.
3. Extras: SIT cricket scholarship winner; top scholars recognised at Waikato; the body of drowned Otago Uni student has been found; Korean equine students in Christchurch’s National Trade Academy; jargon-free Auckland debating release.

Stakeholders

1. Android Phones Google gave Victoria 50 Android-based phones and they’re been used extensively by students for developing Android apps.

Policy, Management & People

1. PEI to Close Practical Education Institute in New Plymouth is going to close, with the loss of 110 jobs (initial story). PEI lost most of its TEC funding this year, after continuing low course completion rates (49% in 2009, 52% in 2010, compared to a TEC threshold of 55%). Those with a long memory will remember PEI, then named PETC, made headlines for even worse completion rates in 2000 or so (under 10% from memory), which sparked the use of completion rates as a measurement in tertiary education (and restrictions on giving away computers to entice students to enrol…). I can imagine a few people involved back then may not be that sad at this demise. For me, I’m just happy to see TEC following through on its performance messages. I only wish TEC had put out a release setting out how the money had been reallocated to more useful courses at better performing PTEs, which would provide a more balanced picture.
2. New Prof Otago Poly has made Khyla Russell a professor (ODT).
3. Zero Fees There’s a good story on SIT’s Zero fees scheme today – well worth a read.
4. Extras: interview with Labour’s Grant Robertson; AUT’s marae featured in Tamati Coffey’s wedding (I know it’s not really about tertiary education); The Manawatu Standard gets grumpy about VSM; BOPP jazz teacher; Victoria trans-Tasman rower plans to get back to work; Unitec ads; profile of TWOA’s early learning manager; CPIT lecturer standing for Council; man accused of impersonating Massey staffer to go to court today;

Research & Innovation

1. Search Engines Victoria’s Daniel Crabtree has new ideas for search engines.
2. Extras: Massey property research; Waikato and Massey scientists using fungi to reduce dioxins.

Public Issues

1. Wilding Pines Otago Uni’s Mick Strack has an interesting piece on wilding pines in Central Otago.
2. Extras: Otago Uni scientists warn about Dunedin quake risk; blogger has a go at Auckland’s Chris de Freitas over climate change denial; Auckland’s Warren Brookbanks misses the point (or was partially quoted) about a petition; Canterbury’s Ian Lochhead on heritage buildings; EIT’s Derek Lardelli is part of a group repatriating toi moko.

Students

1. Fines Down Otago Uni’s fining of students went down by $2K to about $11K. Does any other provider fine students?
2. Top Covers The cover designer of OUSA paper Critic has won international recognition. Here are some of the covers, which are pretty good.
3. Extras: student tracking albatrosses; top school student off to Auckland; Canterbury PhD grad’s award; school science students at Otago Uni; no sign of Otago Uni student missing off Porirua; Auckland Summer Shakespeare.; Massey Black Stick.

Teaching & Learning

1. Adjunct Faculty Waiariki is putting together an adjunct faculty group to give students in its Maori school better links to industry/community expertise.

Those coming to the site today will notice a design change. We’re still tweaking it so I’ll give a full description in January, but you should still be able to find everything J

Policy & Management

1. ERA Award St George Institute of Learning principal Kevin Moncur came in for strong criticism over an employment dispute where a staff member was awarded $10,500.
2. UCOL Building UCOL has an ambitious summer building programme, adding to its trades facility and upgrading weak buildings.
3. New Professors Otago Uni has promoted 14 staff to professor level.
4. SIT Praised The Southland Times has written an editorial praising SIT’s development over the last decade or so.
5. Extras: Bay of Plenty Poly farewelled its retiring kaumatua Tamati Tata; NZQA report on Otago Poly.

Research & Innovation

1. Medical Grants Auckland academics have picked up $1.8m from the Auckland Medical Research Foundation.
2. Childhood Memories Otago Uni’s Fiona Jack et al have done some research into young children’s memories (NZ Herald, NZN, Fairfax).

Public Issues

1. Comet Lovejoy Canterbury’s Alan Gilmore on Comet Lovejoy, in our skies this week.
2. Quakes Victoria and Canterbury academics on NZ’s quakes.
3. Rena Massey only has 15 penguins and one dotterel left in care and they’ll be taken to Palmie for Xmas (NZN).
4. Extras: Massey’s one-liners of the year; a large Pacific PTE wants to be a charter school; Victoria’s Robert Ayson on the SAS; Auckland’s Pauline Tapp on a man who may have two wives; AUT’s Simon Milne on tourism (specifically the impact of that horrible attack on the 5 year old girl); student volunteers getting to work in Nelson.

Students

1. Grad Teachers…at Otago Uni might have a tough time finding a job.
2. Proposal A Victoria student had a big proposal and accepted.
3. Extras: 1980s sociology reunion at Massey; NZ’s top makeup student from Aoraki; EIT’s student art exhibition sold $13k of art.

Stakeholders

1. Extras: Massey and Police connection; SIT sponsoring motor racing again.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: EIT’s new music teachers.

1. WITT $$ The Taranaki Daily News has some good news for WITT’s turnaround, based on a TEC report released yesterday.
2. Motel SIT SIT has bought the Aachen Motel in Invercargill to house international students.
3. Extras: flood protection work at Massey.

Research & Innovation

1. Birdflu Auckland’s Siouxsie Wiles comments on the research that may be censored to avoid knowledge about birdflu mutation to get into the wrong hands. The original story is from the US and is quite interesting.
2. Playgrounds Otago Uni’s Robin Quigg has done some research on playgrounds that probably won’t surprise you (NZN).
3. Extras: liver, gout and other research to be funded at Otago Uni; AUT’s Julian Priest on a recent exhibition.

Public Issues & Tertiary People

1. Best One Liner Massey’s Heather Kavan has named the best quote of the year, but the judging process isn’t all that transparent.
2. The Band Wintec tutor Rik Bernards is getting the old band together – a group called Knightshade.
3. Extras: Waikato’s Prof Roger Moltzen on gifted kids; Otago Poly’s Daniel Pfyl making tiramisu; NMIT tutor’s flooding woes; Victoria’s Trish Keeper on takeover authorisation.

Students

1. Puppets Unitec tutors turned a woman off children’s TV (a long time ago) so she became a puppeteer.
2. Extras: profile of AUT fashion grad; a Victoria student comments on an Occupy Wellington split; Aoraki art student.

Stakeholders

1. New House Whitireia’s helping to build a house with Habitat for Humanity.
2. Massey & Police Massey has signed a deal with the Police over research, teaching and PD.
   
3. Dog Attack An Australian academic who had her guide dog attacked while in New Zealand for a Waikato conference will probably not return to NZ.
4. Extras: Canterbury is supporting an Akaroa summer festival; Massey has some new business adviser appointments;

Teaching & Learning

1. Cambridge Centre CPIT is the new Christchurch centre for Cambridge English exams – the previous provider closed after the Feb quake. Congrats to Beth and the team.

1. Joyce’s Roles The NZ Herald reckons that Steven Joyce can “expect to leap to a front-bench position and the economic development and science and innovation portfolios as well as hanging on to tertiary education”. That’s been my pick for some time too.
2. Ad Complaint Unitec had a complaint made to the Advertising Standards Authority about one of their ads. The complaint wasn’t upheld, but it claimed that “”Trade skills are in demand. Join the supply. Get a headstart with apprentice training.” was misleading as the building industry was very tight. Unitec welcomed the decision. It’s probably good to test tertiary education marketing claims from time to time though. Here’s the actual decision.
3. BEST Year The Best Leadership Academy is celebrating a year of operation.
4. Weatherston Work Otago Uni has deleted some work by former tutor and convicted murderer Clayton Weatherston from an online archive. The father of his victim is happy but I don’t think that it was a good idea to delete the work.
5. Trademarks Issues Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, soon to start in Wellington, has had a trademark application turned down.
6. Extras: Victoria Chancellor/Pro-Chancellor re-elected; student services fee story; Sean Plunket on Whitireia’s journalism school building closure; new Nelson pilot training school is very confidential…; building leased by Victoria for academics is strengthened.

Research & Innovation

1. Internet AUT’s Prof Allan Bell has led the NZ part of the World Internet Project survey of Internet use (ComputerWorld, NZ Herald, Dom Post).
2. Repatriation A Neurological Foundation grant is leading to the repatriation of a NZ researcher to Auckland.
3. Whale Head Otago Uni’s Prof Ewan Fordyce dissected a whale’s head.
4. Extras: more criticism of ant research at Victoria; Auckland’s electric vehicle deal; Victoria PhD’s cancer research (Dom Post); Massey’s Antonia Lyons looking at youth drinking and social networking (RNZ); Otago Uni’s Pauline Gulliver on child maltreatment (NZ Herald, release); Otago Uni’s Prof Richard Cannon gets award for oral disease research.

Public Issues

1. Windy Wellington Victoria’s Michael Donn on building for windy Wellington.
2. Politics Canterbury’s John Mitchell on the Maori Party‘s coalition goals (and Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards and AUT’s Rawiri Taonui). After the deal with National was agreed AUT’s Ian Hassall liked the poverty committee and Bryce Edwards said not very much.
3. Alcohol Two Anti-alcohol lobbyists from Otago Uni concerned about a survey not being released (TV3).
4. Extras: Canterbury’s emeritus Prof John Cookson on Christchurch heritage; Auckland’s Katie Fitzpatrick and AUT’s Grant Schofield on kids’ exercise; Victoria’s David Stewart on Kirkcaldies; Massey’s David Tripe on covered bonds; Auckland financial market regulation conference; review of Waikato River book by ex-Waikato Prof John McCraw; Massey’s Malcolm Wright on fuel discounts; Canterbury’s Ken Daniels on fertility ethics; AUT’s Paul White on a fizzy drink’s marketing; Canterbury mobile phone app; Otago Uni’s Prof Julian Crane takes aim at kids allergy advice; Otago Uni’s Stephanie Moor on kids’ post-quake anxiety.

Students

1. Chasing a Job Some top Media Design School grads climbed scaffolding outside an ad agency to show off their work – nice initiative.
2. Remaking Denniston A Victoria grad designed a new vision for mining ghost town Denniston.
3. Vet Calendar The Massey students’ vet calendar has raised lots of money for charity (Dom Post).
4. Moose Film Two Otago Uni students have made a doco about Fiordland moose.
5. Virginia Tech A NZ student was at Virginia Tech when the shooting occurred.
6. Extras: SIT student finishing nursing degree just after having a baby; Massey design student’s idea for trucks; 14 year old off to Otago Uni; Otago Uni golfer, runner, rower and Otago Poly snowsports grad; Waikato students get police commendations; two WITT students with a great back-story; the role of TV dramas in medical careers; school science student’s project overseen by Auckland academics.

Stakeholders

1. Adventure Ed NMIT has gained industry accreditation for its adventure tourism course.
2. Painted Pianos – nice photos from the Canterbury student initiative.
3. Extras: Massey cycling venue unlikely; graduations helping Dunedin retailers; Canterbury’s Prof Michael Endres raising money for Christchurch; Waiariki’s Narissa Bayler helped a 9 year old raise money for Christchurch; Isla McRae, who helped Wintec and Massey, died; Otago Uni might host court cases if Dunedin’s courthouse is closed.

Teaching & Learning

1. 3D Degree Media Design School has gained approval for a visual effects and 3D degree.
2. Extras: a debate on whether chiropractic education is worth it or a have.

1. Christchurch Rebuild The wave of new students/trainees in construction don’t yet have a job to go to, with rebuilding in Christchurch not yet starting – comments by BCITO’s Ruma Karaitiana and CPIT’s Phil Agnew.
2. Wings Trimmed Southern Wings Aviation College, which is shifting away from being an SIT subcontractor, has had an EFTS cut as TEC introduces a new aviation training cap.
3. Marae Gateway Victoria has a new marae gateway and it looks pretty good. Much better than the simple alleyway that they used to have.
4. Loans Students are borrowing more (interest.co.nz).
5. Canterbury Changes The TEU’s Sandra Grey (ED Blog’s Best Lobbyist Singer of the Year) muses on whether Canterbury will cut whole departments. Meanwhile, Canterbury is to spend $1.6m on an emergency communication system.
6. Extras: release on Tai Poutini’s EER; Otago Poly’s Matt Carter and his management success; HSI and Waiariki board member gets new job; new Chancellor at Canterbury (RNZ); Deborah Hill Cone’s underdeveloped views on university marketing, participation and organisation; TWOA’s Tai Wananga has good demand; car parking changes in Dunedin; Auckland hostel to be extended.

Research & Innovation

1. Women in Newspapers Massey’s Catherine Strong has released some strong findings on newspaper careers for women. I’ll be interested to see how it is covered.
2. Too Much Salt Otago Uni’s Rachael McLean has found that Kiwis eat too much salt (RNZ, The Press, NZN).
3. Old Shoppers Waikato’s Margaret Richardson is trying to make life easier for older shoppers.
4. Baby Deaths Auckland’s Shirley Tonkin and colleagues have found that tongue growth and jaw looseness can contribute to sudden infant deaths. Unlike much of the research in this area, it actually seems science-based and clear – read it now before its gets washed through the Ministry of Health!
5. Solar Car TV3 did a piece on the Waikato solar car, the German uni’s team’s car and a local car. I feel sorry for them given they have no windows and no A/C!
6. Extras: Victoria’s Melanie Johnston-Hollitt working on astronomy software; Massey’s Sitaleki Finau on Pasifika spirituality; Massey’s Kerry Taylor on a museum’s history; research by Otago Uni’s Bernard Venn cited (on potatoes); art making by MIT’s Bill Riley; Otago Uni’s Tony Reeder on sun safety; Victoria’s Elisabeth McDonald on changes to sex-attack justice; nice profile of Massey’s Evelyn Sattlegger; art conference at Vic this week.

Public Issues

1. Breastfeeding on P? Auckland’s Trecia Wouldes notes that there’s not much evidence on the effect of breastfeeding while taking P.
2. Home for Xmas Massey bird saviours hope to be home for Xmas after releasing the last of the oiled birds – also Canterbury’s Prof David Schiel on the cleanup an d Waikato’s Prof Chris Battershill on the environmental recovery.
3. Immigration Alleged comments by AUT’s Prof Charles Crothers are being used by a local Grey Power group to support an inquiry into Auckland’s ethnic makeup (I think they don’t want non-white people).
4. Gift-Giving Waikato’s Carolyn Costley on the psychology of gift-giving – which makes me wonder whether academics can find as many angles on Xmas as they did for the RWC. I spoke too soon – BOPP’s Esta Chappell is commenting on the greenness of real vs fake Xmas trees.
5. Bank Downgrades…attracted comments from Massey’s David Tripe (and again and again).
6. Extras: Victoria’s Maria Bargh on Labour and Maori and Robert Ayson on Iran-Britain relations; Otago Uni seminar on food production; Canterbury’s John Cookson on post-quake Christchurch; Otago Uni’s Dr Blackman on chemistry hero Ernest Solvay; Massey’s Clare Robinson on David Shearer; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on voter turnout and Labour’s list; Massey’s David Deakins on business real estate; AUT’s Elaine Rush on drinking water; Otago Uni’s Andrea Insch on a marketing campaign and Prof Stephen Wing responds to some odd marine theories; more from OIA request of Auckland’s Alex McMillan; Auckland’s Barry Gustafson on coalition deals.

Students

1. NZer of the Year Canterbury’s Sam Johnson (Student Volunteer Army) has been nominated by the NZ Herald as a NZer of the Year finalist.
2. Art Over Panel Beating Here’s a story of a student who chose art at Massey over a panel beating apprenticeship.
3. Listening to Kiwis Bay of Plenty Poly students have put in kiwi listening stations on the Kepler Track near Te Anau (release).
4. Cunliffe Support Auckland’s Young Nats have come out for David Cunliffe, claiming he joined up via a BBQ draw (Homepaddock).
5. Morals An AUT student has a NZ Herald op-ed on media morals.
6. Extras: BOPP grad top regional motor apprentice; Massey eventing rider; Auckland architecture student’s win; Stephen Franks on a Canterbury alumni event; Wintec hospital history; Otago Uni students’ moot win and fair trade coffee research; odd media release about OUSA prez and SJS; Unitec students’ house-building; kea blood tests by an Otago Uni student; Otago Uni runner wins race; Canterbury’s girls software challenge; Otago Poly chef grad profile.

Stakeholders

1. Dental Clinic Otago Uni is opening a new kids’ dental clinic – good idea and good story.
2. Extras: SIT drops racing car sponsorship; Otago Poly staff supporting a Foodbank; cycling race at Canterbury.

Teaching & Learning

1. Facebook German Canterbury’s Vera Leier has got her students working on a class Facebook page, but they must change their settings to German – the language which she is teaching them. It’s a good idea to make language learning seem more everyday.
2. Teacher Awards Students have recognised their top teachers at Massey – congrats to Mike Joy, Sean Phelan, Prof Barrie Macdonald and Gina Salapata.
3. Extras: sustainable skills summer school.

1. Labour Leadership David Shearer’s speech to the NZ Tertiary Education Summit has been talked up as a Labour leadership speech – I was there and it was a good speech and I have a lot of time for him. Auckland’s Joe Atkinson comments briefly on the race.
2. Extras: recognition for CPIT TV ads; SIT’s good financial rating; Auckland’s Darren Levy becomes a chartered marketer.

Research & Innovation

1. NZARE The NZ Assn for Research in Education conference is this week, and a satellite event on Māori education has been run already.
2. Aged Care Auckland’s Prof Martin Connolly and Michal Boyd have checked out changes in uptake for residential aged care and changes in residents’ characteristics – interesting.
3. Extras: Massey’s Prof Sally Casswell (and others) may extend an alcohol study to Asia; Nigel Calder’s maths book (Waikato); disability research conference at Otago Uni; WelTec helps GNS scientist; academics talking about gastroenterology; new Waikato research centre; Waikato emeritus prof Jon McCraw’s Waikato River book.

Public Issues

1. Rock Climbing There’s a rock climbing congress at Canterbury this week.
2. Occupy Otago Uni’s Andrew Geddis on an Occupy trespass notice.
3. Gender Pay Gap Massey’s Deborah Russell on the gender pay gap.
4. Rena A journalist spent time with Massey’s Oiled Wildlife Response Unit and has written a great story – that unit won’t need a marketing budget for a couple of years after its Rena exposure!
5. Extras: Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on the impact of minor parties on tight electorate races; Auckland’s Scott Optican and Bill Hodge on an AB’s name suppression; Otago Uni’s emeritus prof Helen Leach with a Xmas cake book; Canterbury’s Prof Greg Newbold on a sexual connection case; AUT’s Geoff Dickson stirs up migrants who love rugby.

Students

1. Orchids Waikato PhD thesis on native orchids.
2. Extras: Waikato geochemistry and earth and ocean science student awards; Auckland student’s music; student tried to enter Tai Poutini’s MAINZ after tough time; Coroner looks at Otago Uni student’s car crash death; Otago Uni medical interns in Nelson; NMIT youth enterprise award winner;

Stakeholders

1. Microsoft Links Canterbury and Microsoft have renewed a partnership and internships with Microsoft will increase.
2. SPCA Links WelTec has signed a good work experience agreement with the SPCA – nice work!
3. Incubators There’s been 10 years of business incubators in NZ, with some now at Auckland, AUT and Wintec.
4. Freemasons a 30 year relationship with the Freemasons and Auckland has been marked with some extra financial support to the Uni.
5. Extras: Sealord sets up scholarship to celebrate 50 years; Ako Aotearoa’s Ngahiwi Apanui profiled for his music-making; Otago Poly’s Joy Gasson on a schools’ computer competition; Jacob Tapiata on Massey Māori book awards; Otago Uni Pasifika research protocol (release).

Teaching & Learning

1. Top Teachers AUT’s students have awarded their top teachers – congrats to Sue Raleigh, overall winner.
2. Extras: Dylan Horrocks’ summer comics course at Whitireia; Ag ITO quad bike training.