UOW's key support for Innovation Festival

May 03, 2007

The University of Wollongong is hosting seven events in support of the Australian Innovation Festival and the Illawarra Innovation Showcase.The Australian Innovation Festival is being conducted between 26 April to 27 May while the Illawarra Innovation Showcase is being held from 7 May to 13 May.

More than 42 organisations are taking part with the official opening to be held at the Port Kembla Port Corporation on Monday 7 May. The Minister for Police and Minister for the Illawarra, Mr David Campbell, is officially opening the Showcase.

UOW's support has included the presentation of a Professorial Lecture by Professor Simon Ville yesterday (2May)on the topic, “The Big End of Town: The Origins and Role of Corporate Leadership in Australia".

Professor Ville is Professor and Head of School in the School of Economics. He is President of the Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

In the lecture, Professor Ville described the origins of our corporate leaders, who they were and are, and analysed their role in shaping modern Australia -- particularly its economic growth and corporate configuration.

He told the audience that the 'Big End of Town' is a distinctively Australian term to describe big business, which reflects its important and often controversial role in our modern economy and society. Views differ on the extent to which it has served as a wealth creator or inhibitor.

The predominance of large scale firms has had an impact on the competitive structure of industry but, equally, they have been the source of much innovation. The fact that many of our largest enterprises have been foreign-owned has added an additional source of controversy to this discussion, he said.

Other Innovation Festival events include:

· Innovation Idol. Hot on the heels of Australian Idol comes Innovation Idol. Innovation Idol will showcase UOW research students’ capacity to develop an innovative solution to a hypothetical problem in Australia – and their ability to ‘pitch’ their innovative idea.The free event will provide an interactive, entertaining and fun avenue for presenting serious aspects of the innovation process, by following the formula established in shows such as “Australian Idol”. All are welcome but bookings should be made by phoning Leisa Ridges, Commercial Research Officer (Research and Innovation Division) on 4221 4817 or email leisa@uow.edu.au Ideas will be critiqued by a panel of expert judges with audience participation selecting finalists and the ultimate winner. [Date, time and venue: 6pm, Friday 11 May in the UniCentre Function Centre, Room 1 and Foyer].

· Innovation on Foot. People are being urged to join this walking tour of UOW’s main campus highlighting what’s new and innovative at the University. The tour will include a visit to the new Graduate School of Medicine and various research institutes, including the pioneering Intelligent Polymer Research Institute and the Smart Foods Centre. The free tour takes about two hours and bookings should be made with Jan Sullivan or Leanne Crouch by phoning 4221 3110 or email: community@uow.edu.au It is being held between 3.30pm to 5.30pm on Wednesday 9 May.

· Public Forum on Energy Options for 2020. This thought-provoking and informative free forum will be moderated by ABC Radio’s Simone Whetton and presented by some of the country’s leading experts in their fields. Dr John Carras (Science Director with the CSIRO Division of Energy Technology) will present on fossil fuels; Professor David Officer (University of Wollongong’s ARC Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science) will talk about solar technology; and Associate Professor Martin Sevior (University of Melbourne) will focus on nuclear energy. Bookings can be made with Kim or Lara by phoning 4286 5000. It is being held at 7pm at UOW's Science Centre and Planetarium on Tuesday 8 May.

· Social Innovation in Organisations. The Social Innovation Network formed across faculties at the University of Wollongong will host this novel interactive forum to discuss approaches for improving quality of life and how to address this in the workplace. All are welcome to this free event. Bookings should be made by phoning 4221 3757. It is being held at 6pm on Thursday 10 May in the Social Club, Level 1, UniCentre.

· “Students Science and Sustainability” to be held on Monday 7 May at the Illawarra Environmental Education Centre at Killalea State Park from 11am to 2.30pm. The University of Wollongong’s education multimedia lab will guide students and teachers through the world’s first website that allows students to monitor and assess the state of the environment. Volunteer students (Years 5 to 8) from 12 local schools will participate in overnight science research expeditions towards conservation of Killalea State Park’s ecosystems. For further information contact 4237 6100.

The next University in the Brewery series will feature a debate on the topic, "The Rise of Homo Electricus by Dr Katina Michael and Dr Michael Michael from the Faculty of Informatics. Human chip implants -- what are the issues? The debate will begin by raising issues of ownership, accessibility, property, safety, accuracy, trust, and privacy and will consider the future possibilities. What lies beyond chip implants? A mandatory universal lifetime identifier for every person? Or the rise of homo electricus and the continued speciation of humans? The event will be held at the Five Islands Brewery at 5.30pm on Wednesday 16 May. For further information contact Vicy Wallace on 4221 4126.

Please note: UOW's Careers Service has been involved in staging the Illawarra Graduate Careers Fair for the past five years and this year's event will be held during the Innovation Festival activities. The Careers Fair will be staged in a market styled atmosphere in the University Hall on Thursday May 10 from 10.30am to 1.30pm. Further details about the Careers Fair will be released early next week.