Gail Sorronda - New York, Paris, London, Sydney

QUT Fine Arts Fashion Design graduate Gail Reid is making a name for herself nationally and internationally. As one of the first QUT graduates to establish and sustain her own label, it begs the question how, why and what's next for her career aspirations.

"Her lively Looks a sprightly Mind disclose, Quick as her Eyes, and as unfix'd as those." - looking, fashion media, and risk culture

This chapter investigates the phenomenon of fashion from the perspective of ‘the look.’ This is achieved by the wearer (as opposed to the designer) and also forms the basis of fashion media, where it represents the ‘decisive moment’ of photography. The chapter argues that the evolving ‘look’ of fashion can be analysed to identify tensions between novelty and emulation, the unique and the universal, in contemporary consumer culture and status-based social-network markets. It explores the work of fashion photographer Corinne Day and artist Olga Tobreluts to identify the theme of ‘risk culture.’

Factors associated with the wish to hasten death : a study of patients with terminal illness

Background. There is considerable debate regarding the clinical issues surrounding the wish to hasten death (WTHD) in the terminally ill. The clinical factors contributing to the WTHD need further investigation among the terminally ill in order to enhance understanding of the clinical assessment and treatment needs that underlie this problem. A more detailed understanding may assist with the development of appropriate therapeutic interventions. Method. A sample of terminally ill cancer patients (N=256) recruited from an in-patient hospice unit, home palliative care service and a general hospital palliative care consulting service from Brisbane Australia between 1998–2001 completed a questionnaire assessing psychological (depression and anxiety), social (family relationship, social support, level of burden on others) and the impact of physical symptoms. The association between these factors and the WTHD was investigated. Results. A high WTHD was reported by 14% of patients. A discriminant function analysis revealed that the following variables were associated with a high WTHD (P<0·001): higher levels of depressive symptoms, being admitted to an in-patient hospice setting, a greater perception of being a burden on others, lower family cohesion, lower levels of social support, higher levels of anxiety and greater impact of physical symptoms. Conclusions. Psychological and social factors are related to a WTHD among terminally ill cancer patients. Greater attention needs to be paid to the assessment of psychological and social issues in order to provide appropriate therapeutic interventions for terminally ill patients.

A new educational technology for media and communication studies : mapping media in Australia and Sweden

This chapter reports on Australian and Swedish experiences in the iterative design, development, and ongoing use of interactive educational systems we call ‘Media Maps.’ Like maps in general, Media Maps are usefully understood as complex cultural technologies; that is, they are not only physical objects, tools and artefacts, but also information creation and distribution technologies, the use and development of which are embedded in systems of knowledge and social meaning. Drawing upon Australian and Swedish experiences with one Media Map technology, this paper illustrates this three-layered approach to the development of media mapping. It shows how media mapping is being used to create authentic learning experiences for students preparing for work in the rapidly evolving media and communication industries. We also contextualise media mapping as a response to various challenges for curriculum and learning design in Media and Communication Studies that arise from shifts in tertiary education policy in a global knowledge economy.

Geek goddesses go to school : A study of female pre-service teachers in information technology courses

Various reasons have been proffered for female under-representation in tertiary information technology (IT) courses and the IT industry with most relating to cultural moirés. The 2006 Geek Goddess calendar was designed to alter IT’s “geeky image” and the term is used here to represent young women enrolled in pre-service IT teaching courses. Their special mix of IT and teaching draws on conflicting stereotypes and represents a micro-climate which is typically lost in studies of IT occupations because of the aggregation of all IT roles. This paper will report on a small-scale investigation of female students (N=25) at a university in Queensland (Australia) studying to become teachers of secondary IT subjects. They are entering the IT industry, gendered as a “male” occupation, through the safe space of teaching a discipline allied to feminine qualities of nurturing. They are “geek goddesses” who – perhaps to balance the masculine and feminine of these occupations - have decided to go to school rather than into corporations or government.

Terminally ill cancer patients’ wish to hasten death

This exploratory study investigated factors associated with the wish to hasten death among a sample of terminally ill cancer patients. Semi-structured interviews conducted on a total of 72 hospice and home palliative care patients were subjected to qualitative analysis using QSRNUDIST. The main themes to emerge suggested that patients with a high wish to hasten death had greater concerns with physical symptoms and psychologica l suffering, perceived themselves to be more of a burden to others, and experienced higher levels of demoralization, while also reporting less confidence in symptom control, fewer social supports, less satisfaction with life experiences and fewer religious beliefs when compared with patients who had a moderate or no wish to hasten death. The implications of these findings will be discussed.

Changing the metaphor : the potential of online communities in teacher professional development

Belonging to an online community offers teachers the opportunity to exchange ideas, make connections with a wider peer group and form collaborative networks. The increasing popularity of teacher professional communities means that we need to understand how they work and determine the role they may play in teacher professional development. This chapter will map data from a doctoral study to a recentlydeveloped model of professional development to offer a new perspective of how online communities can add to a teacher’s personal and professional growth and, in so doing, add to the small number of studies in this field. This chapter will conclude with a call for a revision of the way we approach professional development in the 21st century and suggest that old models and metaphors are hindering the adoption of more effective means of professional development for teachers.

Effect of height of bridge above water on salt deposition levels

Maintenance of bridge structures is a major issue for the Queensland Department of Main Roads. In the previous phase of this CRC project an initial approach was made towards the development of a program for lifetime prediction of metallic bridge components. This involved the analysis of five representative bridge structures with respect to salt deposition (a major contributor to metallic corrosion) to determine common elements to be used as “cases” - those defined for buildings are not applicable. The five bridges analysed included the Gladstone Port Access Road Overpass, Stewart Road Overpass, South Johnstone River Bridge, Johnson Creek Bridge and the Ward River Bridge.

Report : effect of natural cleaning on salt deposition on Queensland bridges

Maintenance of bridge structures is a major issue for the Queensland Department of Main Roads. In the previous phase of this CRC project an initial approach was made towards the development of a program for lifetime prediction of metallic bridge components. This involved the analysis of five representative bridge structures with respect to salt deposition (a major contributor to metallic corrosion) to determine common elements to be used as “cases” - those defined for buildings are not applicable. The five bridges analysed included the Gladstone Port Access Road Overpass, Stewart Road Overpass, South Johnstone River Bridge, Johnson Creek Bridge and the Ward River Bridge.

Best value second interim report

This first interim report on ‘best value’ reviewed the academic literature relating to ‘best value’ and illustrated the varying interpretations that the concept of ‘best value’ has attracted. It also examined current state of the literature on best value in construction project procurement. ‘Best value’ was explored from the perspective of both the business enterprise and public sector. It was concluded that ‘best value’ in the public sector is considerably more complex. This second interim report explores how ‘best value’ has been implemented in the UK. Focus is directed towards the UK, particularly Scotland’s approach to examine the complexity of implementation of ‘best value’ in the public sector context. Scotland has been recognised as a leader in the field of ‘best value’ in the public sector (Curry, 1999; Wisniewski and Stewart, 2001, 2004; Jaconelli and Sheffield, 2000)