Senior Iranian delegation visits UOW

A high level delegation from the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, Islamic Republic of Iran, visited the University of Wollongong on 27 October.

UOW has had 154 Iranian students undertaking higher degrees from 1989. Most of these students were sponsored by the Ministry. Nine students are still to complete their degrees.

An ongoing relationship with Iran will centre on:

• Continuing full scholarship students studying in Wollongong
  
• External PhDs in which the student would study for a period in Wollongong but spend most of the time in his or her own university in Iran
  
• Academic co-operation including staff exchange and joint participation in conferences
  
• Periods of research activity in Wollongong by students undertaking their PhDs from universities in Iran

UOW staff with the Iranian delegation (from left) are: the Manager of International Programs, Ms Miranda Baker; Associate Director, Institute for Telecommunications Research, Professor Joe Chicharo; the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Brendon Parker; the Director of International Programs, Professor Rob Castle; Scientific and Student Affairs, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Rasoul Malekfar; the Deputy Director, Scholarships Department, Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, Dr Mohammad Reza Razfar; the Deputy Minister, Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, Dr Mohammad Ali Sobhanollahi; Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Bill Lovegrove; Director, External Relations, Mr Eric Meadows; and Director, International Business Development, Ms Kaye Cox.

Bert Halpern Lecture attracts former students

Bert Halpern Lecturer, Professor Don Napper, with Mrs Peg Halpern.

Former students of the former Head of the Department of Chemistry at UOW, Professor Bert Halpern, were among the audience who attended the public lecture in his honour held on 21 October.

The annual lecture is presented at the University by a distinguished visiting scientist on a subject in chemistry or biochemistry.

This year the Bert Halpern Lecturer was Professor Don Napper, Pro Vice- Chancellor, College of Sciences and Technology, University of Sydney. He spoke on the topic 'Towards Synthetic Polymers that Mimic Biopolymers.

The lecture outlined some of the progress which has been made in understanding the principles that govern dramatic changes in the shapes and conformations of water soluble polymers.

These represent very early steps towards understanding how synthetic polymers that mimic the conformational behaviour of biopolymers may be designed.

The lecture honours the memory of Bert Halpern, the Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wollongong from 1970-1980. Professor Halpern's pioneering studies in amino acid, peptide and protein chemistry had an impact across the fields of medicine, biochemistry, chemistry and geochemistry.

Among his notable achievements was the development of novel techniques for the diagnosis and study of metabolic disorders and genetic defects. In recognition of his contributions to science, he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1978.

Professor Napper is a University of Sydney graduate who went on to obtain his PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1963. He held appointments in industry and the University of Bristol, before returning to the University of Sydney in 1968 as a Queen Elizabeth II Fellow in the Department of Physical Chemistry. He was then appointed a lecturer in 1970 and eventually was appointed as Professor of Physical Chemistry in 1985. He has been Head of the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney on two occasions and in 1997 was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sciences and Technology) at that University.

Professor Napper has a highly distinguished career in the physical chemistry of polymers, including the stabilisation of colloidal dispersions. Among various awards, he has been honoured with the Edgeworth David Medal of the Royal Society of NSW (1973), the Polymer Medal of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute of NSW (1987), and the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering Gold Medal for Excellence in Research (1994) (shared).

He is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

Mrs Peg Halpern unveiled a commemorative tree plaque in honour of her husband, Professor Bert Halpern. She is pictured with the Head of the Department of Chemistry, Professor John Bremner.