University’s strong commitment to Innovation Festival

Apr 30, 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.

Forthcoming events involving the University of Wollongong include:

• A Professorial Lecture by Professor Simon Ville on Wednesday 2 May on “The Big End of Town: The Origins and Role of Corporate Leadership in Australia”. [The lecture will start at 12.30pm in Lecture Room 2 of Building 20, the Communications Building]

Professor Ville is Professor and Head of School in the School of Economics, University of Wollongong. 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 this lecture, Professor Ville will describe the origins of our corporate leaders, who they were and are, and analyse their role in shaping modern Australia -- particularly its economic growth and corporate configuration.

'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.

• “Students Science and Sustainability” will 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.

Details of other events involving UOW to be held as part of the Australian Innovation Festival/Illawarra Innovation Showcase will be issued shortly.

For further information about the Professorial Lecture contact Professor Simon Ville on 4221 3098.

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128