Research Education at UniSA A great leap forward

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Research Education at UniSA(A great leap forward)

• Professor Nanthi Bolan
• Dean of Graduate Studies

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Welcome Research is rewarding

• Why to undertake HDR
• HDR Profile - you are not alone
• Research education at UniSA
• Support and resources at UniSA
• Graduate qualities
• Your supervisor the brain behind

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Research focus
Our focus is on strategic, basic and applied
research in multidisciplinary teams and the
commercialisation of intellectual
property Professor Peter HøjVice Chancellor
and President
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Why to undertake HDR

• The number of PhDs in Australia remains low
  7.8/1000 workers, compared to 11 in US, and 20 in
  Germany.
• A projected shortfall of about 800 PhDs/yr
  required to replace the current workforce in
  Australia
• A PhD has many benefits outside the confines of a
  career, it is a personal journey that changes all
  who undertake

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HDR Profile You are not alone
Divisional distribution of HDR students

• Total load 23921 EFTSL largest in SA
• HDR Load 756 EFTSL
• Full time 55
• International 38
• Scholarships 60 (98 International students)
• Supervisors in the Research Register 707

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Research Education at UniSA

• A focus on strategic and applied research in
  multidisciplinary teams
• 8 Research Institutes
• 13 Research Centres
• 31 Research Groups
• Won over 200m in research funding since 2000

Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies
We endeavour to locate HDR students within these
research concentrations
http//www.unisa.edu.au/res/concen/institutes.asp
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Research Training Scheme

• Research Training Scheme (RTS) focus is on
• Timely completions
• Reduction of attrition
• UniSA provides an environment that nurtures
  excellence in scholarship, innovation and social
  responsibility
• Support and resources
• Quality assurance processes

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Support and resources

• Effective supervision
• Research Education Support Activities (RESA)
• Home pages and grad pad
• Research Degrees website
• Your email account
• The Edge Newsletter

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Effective Support Chain
STUDENT
SUPERVISOR
DVC-RI
GSO
RDC
RESA
DEAN-DIVISION
DEAN - GS
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Quality Assurance Processes (Planning, reviewing
and reporting progress)

• Statement of agreement
• Confirmation of candidature
• High quality Research proposals
• Formal progress reviews
• Research Degree Graduate Qualities (RDGQ)
• PORTIA on line candidacy management system

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Scholarships _at_ UniSA

• Australian Postgraduate Award (APA)
• UniSA Australian Postgraduate Award (USAPA)
• Special APAs Joyner, Pearce
• APA (Industry) and Other Industry funded Dyer,
  Knox
• IPRS and UPS
• Top-ups, completion scholarships, International
  travel grants
• Co-operative Research Centre
• Rhodes, Fulbright, Sir General John Monash
  Awards, Cambridge Australia Trust

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Graduate Qualities

• operates effectively with and upon a body of
  knowledge of sufficient depth to begin
  professional practice 
• is prepared for life-long learning in pursuit of
  personal development and excellence in
  professional practice 
• is an effective problem solver, capable of
  applying logical, critical, and creative thinking
  to a range of problems
• can work both autonomously and collaboratively as
  a professional 
• is committed to ethical action and social
  responsibility as a professional and citizen 
• communicates effectively in professional practice
  and as a member of the community 
• demonstrates international perspectives as a
  professional and as a citizen

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PREQ agreement rates for various elements (2004
to 2008)

• UniSA graduates are well satisfied in their
  research experience

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Good working relations with your supervisor

• Meet and discuss regularly
• Set goals together
• Communicate regularly by email
• Talk about supervision concerns
• Keep written records of all discussion
• If your supervision is not working, deal with it
  sooner
• When you are ready take the ownership of the
  project

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Research is tough but it can be made fun and
rewarding
PhD student collecting urine for her GHG emission
experiments
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(No Transcript)
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The laughing gas is not a laughing matter The
budding scientist, Ms Jagrati Singh aims to
develop innovative techniques to quantify nitrous
oxide emission Dominion Post
Fine wine from treated water Mr Seth Laurenson
aims to maximise the benefits form from recycled
water irrigation - Growers Voice
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No pressure, no diamonds - Mary Case
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Take home message

• Students Need to be very passionate about their
  research work
• Be proactive in promulgating their research
  achievements
• Supervisors Need to be compassionate towards
  their students
• Infuse research culture in the community

If you have the passion for your research we
have the compassion for your concerns
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Supervisor the brain behind
It's a fine sunny day in Mawson Lakes, and a
rabbit is sitting outside his burrow,
tippy-tapping on his laptop. Along comes a fox,
out for a walk. Fox "What are you working on?"
Rabbit "My thesis. Fox "Hmm. What is it
about? Rabbit "Oh, I'm writing about how
rabbits eat foxes. Fox "That's ridiculous! Any
fool knows that rabbits don't eat foxes! Rabbit
"Come with me and I'll show you! They both
disappear into the rabbit's burrow. After a few
minutes, gnawing on a fox bone, the rabbit
returns to hit his thesis and resumes typing.
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Soon a wolf comes along and stops to watch the
hardworking rabbit. Wolf " What's that you are
writing?" Rabbit " I'm doing a thesis on how
rabbits eat wolves. Wolf " You don't expect to
get such rubbish published, do you? Rabbit "
No problem. Do you want to see why? The rabbit
and the wolf go into the burrow, and again the
rabbit returns by himself after a few minutes,
and goes back to typing. Finally a bear comes
along and asks, "What are you doing? Rabbit "
I'm doing a thesis on how rabbits eat bears."
Bear "Well that's absurd! Rabbit "Come into
my home and I'll show you" As they enter the
burrow, the rabbit introduces the bear to his
supervisor - the lion.
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Super Supervisors_at_UniSA
IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW SILLY YOUR THESIS TOPIC IS.
WHAT MATTERS IS WHO YOU HAVE FOR A SUPERVISOR
We do have caring supervisors at UniSA
IT THANKS