There's a black boy dead and a migloo holding a gun : death, Aboriginality and history in Australian adolescent literature

This essay is concerned with the extent to which the attitudes and ideologies of colonial discourse continue to influence contemporary signifying practices in Australian adolescent historical fiction. Under scrutiny are three novels which take issue with the violent aspects of colonisation when so many members of the Indigenous population either died or were forcibly displaced: Melissa Lucashenko’s Killing Darcy, Gary Crew’s No Such Country and Mark Svendsen’s Poison Under Their Lips. Although these texts share a desire to interrogate monolithic versions of Australia’s history, it is argued that such motivations offer no guarantee that the implied audience is positioned to come to an understanding of perspectives belonging to ex-centric Others.

Microscopic / telescopic (universes unfold)

This exhibition was inspired by lens based observation; what is observed through the microscope – plankton and single cell organisms – finds its origin in what is observed through the telescope – stars and galaxies. The project explores two spatially divergent contexts. Artist, Melinda Capp explores the micro-scopic with porcelain objects, artist books and images derived microscopes and Daniel Armstrong references the macro-scopic with video, photography, lens based objects and installation of interactive sculpture / optical instruments to create an experiential connection between celestial phenomena/images and the viewer.

The telescopic eye: aqua optica

The Telescopic Eye: Aqua Optica was an installation work which explores concepts and philosophies related to instrumental, lens based observations of heavens as experienced when seeing through a telescope. In particular it considers how the eye of the observer and the lens of the telescope must act in unison to extend both the perception and conception of that which is remote and beyond direct naked eye sensing - an act of transcendence. A series of projected images (the video) of celestial objects are observed by the viewer through a large spherical aquatic lens which is mounted on a large wooden tripod. These images slowly dissolve and morph into each other. The sequence in which these images are presented is based on approximate chronological order in which these celestial objects were historically observed through the telescope – such as the local bodies of our the solar system starting with the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn (as first observed by Galileo in 1610) and eventually extending out to distant nebula, star clusters and galaxies. For the Transduction exhibition the Telescopic Eye: Aqua Optica was installed outside in a small quadrangle next to the Tech Bar and as the night drew darker it was able to also embody the lighting and other visual elements from the surrounding buildings and streets. The Aqua Optica system often encompasses such local lighting and images as a added layer to the video projection work. In this case (at night and outside at Federation Square) the extent of the layering was very successful and increased dramatically as the night became darker. This multi layering of images invokes (for the viewer) a connection between the immediate environment of the Federation square and cityscape with the vastly distant images of the cosmos. For me such a multilayered imaging represents how scientific instruments of observation can generate a complex and augmented visualisation of reality, one which has historically come to re-define our conception of the cosmos and our place in it both spatially and temporally.

Stop jumping the gun : a call for evidence-based invasive predator management

Invasive mammalian predators are major drivers of species extinctions globally. To protect native prey, lethal control is often used with the aim of reducing or exterminating invasive predator populations. The efficacy of this practice, however, is often not considered despite multiple practical and ecological factors that can limit success. Here, we summarize contemporary knowledge regarding the use and challenges of both lethal control and alternative approaches for reducing invasive predator impacts. As the prevailing management approach, we outline four key issues that can compromise the effectiveness of lethal control: release of herbivore and mesopredator populations, disruption of predator social systems, compensatory predator immigration, and ethical concerns. We then discuss the relative merits and limitations of four alternative approaches that may enhance conservation practitioner's ability to effectively manage invasive predators: top-predator conservation or reintroduction, maintaining habitat complexity, exclusion fencing, and behavioral and evolutionary ecology. Considerable uncertainty remains regarding the effectiveness of management approaches in different environmental contexts. We propose that the deficiencies and uncertainties outlined here can be addressed through a combination of adaptive management, expert elicitation, and cost-benefit analyses. Improved management of invasive predators requires greater consideration and assessment of the full range of management approaches available.

Mental illness and gun violence: lessons for the United States from Australia and Britain

In the United States, the nexus between mental illness and shootings has been the subject of heated argument. An extreme expression of one point of view is that “guns don't kill people, the mentally ill do.” This article seeks to demonstrate the falsehood of this argument, by examining the real-world experience of two comparable societies. Australia and Great Britain are both Anglophone nations with numerous points of commonality with the United States, including high rates of mental illness and significant exposure to popular culture that perpetuates the stigma of the mentally ill as a violent threat. However, in Australia, it is difficult to obtain firearms, and a mentally ill person behaving aggressively is unlikely to be able to harm others. On the contrary, police are almost the only people routinely armed in Australian communities and are often too ready to use firearms against the mentally ill. In Britain, guns are even more difficult to obtain, and operational police are not usually armed. The authors examine statistical data on mental illness, homicide, and civilian deaths caused by police in all three nations. They also consider media and popular opinion environments. They conclude that mental illness is prevalent in all three societies, as is the damaging stigma of “the dangerous madman.” However, the fewer people (including police officers) who have access to firearms, the safer that community is.

On the production of randomly-oriented recrystallization nuclei for selective growth experiments

The ideal starting condition for selective growth experiments is one having a layer of randomly-oriented nuclei adjacent to a matrix with negligible orientational variation but sufficient stored energy to promote growth. In practice, cutting or deformation processes are used in an attempt to approximate these ideal conditions, but the degree to which this is achieved has not been rigorously quantified. In this work, Fe-3wt%Si single crystals were cut or deformed using six different processes. The variation in texture with distance from the cut or deformed surface was measured using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in a field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM) in order to assess the ability of each process to create conditions suitable for selective growth experiments. While grooving with a machine tool produced the best spread of orientations at the cut surface, the suitability of this process is diminished by the presence of a differently-textured deformed layer between the cut surface and the single crystal matrix. Grinding produced a less ideal distribution of orientations at the cut surface, but the presence of these orientations in a very thin layer adjacent to the matrix makes this process preferable for preparing crystals for selective growth experiments, provided the results are corrected for the deviation in the distribution of nuclei orientations from a random distribution.

Understanding the deformed microstructure of cold-rolled IF and LC steel

This paper presents an overview of a series of investigations of the microstructure and texture of cold-rolled IF and LC steel. The investigations made extensive use of orientation mapping using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) in a field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM). The effect of grain boundaries on the deformed microstructure was examined by comparing the textures of regions near grain boundaries and in the interiors of grains.  A general weakening of the texture, but a strengthening of the {OOI}<110> component, occurs in the vicinity of grain boundaries. Misorientation angle and axis distributions were used to characterise the fragmentation of grains belonging to different orientation classes. The influence of carbon on the deformed microstructure and nucleation during recrystallization was clarified by examining the microstructures of LC and IF steels during rolling and annealing. The
results of the investigations emphasize the important role of shear banding in determining the fragmentation behaviour of ND-fibre grains and the orientations of viable recrystallization nuclei within the deformed microstructure.

Avoiding Stereotyping and enhancing intercultural understanding

Anecdotally, language learners often struggle to acquire in­tercultural understanding. Teaching intercultural understanding presents significant challenges for language teachers. This article offers some in-sights into language learners' intercultural understanding and strategies to help enhance intercultural understanding that seek to promote analyti­cal and critical thinking. The aim is to build on the principles of the emerging pedagogy of Intercultural Language Learning (1cLL). IcLL suggests there is a 'third place', where cultures overlap. IcLL acknowl­edges the importance of identifying with the 'other', whilst not denying the 'self'. Intercultural competence requires sensitivity to difference, an ability to identify with others and to critically reflect on one's own cul­tural background.

Bang SFX X2

A sound designed from a vocal sample, which emulates a bang like a gunshot.

Artworks : Water Table and Rain Table : presented as part of the Periscope Exhibition, Castlemaine State Festival

Rain Table and Water Table: Delicate splashes and droplets of water act like primitive lenses bringing transparency to the diffused images of celestial bodies. These two installation pieces are inspired by the beauty of the night sky and invite the viewer to consider the cosmos in relation to ones self and to contemplate the discoveries which have changed our understanding of the universe. Water Table and Rain Table are the two works being presented as part of Periscope. Through the form of the science bench or museum cabinet, luminous and projected images play against glass and water invoking the sublime sense of wonder that we have when we look to the starry night sky. Water Table - In 1912 the astronomer, Vesto Slipher made the discovery that “Nebula” were moving at incredible velocities due to the expansion of space itself. This discovery revealed these “Nebula” to be vastly remote and independent galaxies. Water Table speculates on the understanding that when we look into deep space, we also look into deep time. Rain Table is a new work produced for the festival and makes reference to the first telescopic observations of the Moon made by the mathematician, philosopher and astronomer, Galileo Galilei in 1610. The implication of Galileo’s observations gave rise to a radical new understanding of the heavens and our place in it and the final acceptance that the Earth was not the centre of the Universe.

Castlemaine State Festival 2013: Periscope Exhibition: Artwork No 1: "Water Table"

Rian Table and Water Table: Delicate splashes and droplets of water act like primitive lenses bringing transparency to the diffused images of celestial bodies. These two installation pieces are inspired by the beauty of the night sky and invite the viewer to consider the cosmos in relation to ones self and to contemplate the discoveries which have changed our understanding of the universe. Water Table and Rain Table are the two works being presented as part of Periscope. Through the form of the science bench or museum cabinet, luminous and projected images play against glass and water invoking the sublime sense of wonder that we have when we look to the starry night sky. Water Table In 1912 the astronomer, Vesto Slipher made the discovery that “Nebula” were moving at incredible velocities due to the expansion of space itself. This discovery revealed these “Nebula” to be vastly remote and independent galaxies. Water Table speculates on the understanding that when we look into deep space, we also look into deep time. Rain-Table is a new work produced for the festival and makes reference to the first telescopic observations of the Moon made by the mathematician, philosopher and astronomer, Galileo Galilei in 1610. The implication of Galileo’s observations gave rise to a radical new understanding of the heavens and our place in it and the final acceptance that the Earth was not the center of the Universe.

Castlemaine State Festival 2013: Periscope Exhibition: Artwork No 2: "Rain Table"

Rian Table and Water Table: Delicate splashes and droplets of water act like primitive lenses bringing transparency to the diffused images of celestial bodies. These two installation pieces are inspired by the beauty of the night sky and invite the viewer to consider the cosmos in relation to ones self and to contemplate the discoveries which have changed our understanding of the universe. Water Table and Rain Table are the two works being presented as part of Periscope. Through the form of the science bench or museum cabinet, luminous and projected images play against glass and water invoking the sublime sense of wonder that we have when we look to the starry night sky. Water Table In 1912 the astronomer, Vesto Slipher made the discovery that “Nebula” were moving at incredible velocities due to the expansion of space itself. This discovery revealed these “Nebula” to be vastly remote and independent galaxies. Water Table speculates on the understanding that when we look into deep space, we also look into deep time. Rain-Table is a new work produced for the festival and makes reference to the first telescopic observations of the Moon made by the mathematician, philosopher and astronomer, Galileo Galilei in 1610. The implication of Galileo’s observations gave rise to a radical new understanding of the heavens and our place in it and the final acceptance that the Earth was not the center of the Universe.