Inaugural corroboree brings division together

Jason Tozer

Eileen Robertson's research into altitude training for swimmers won best poster Photo: KImberly Douglas

12 December 2006: The Division of Health, Design and Science has trialled presenting students' postgraduate research in the form of posters in its inaugural Corroboree.

Chair of the division's research committee, Gordon Waddington, says the idea of the event is to be more readily accessible to those outside the division.

"With this you can come in at anytime of the day and get a good sense of what is going on in the division," Dr Waddington said.

"We wanted to be able to showcase the research students working a division in a way that has a good immediate visual impact."

The event is being trialled in place of two-day lecture program, with the lectures taking place during the semester instead, and awards for the best posters being given.

Water research student Michael Peat's poster "Barriers, Boulder and Benthic bedlam" won Best in Resource, Environmental and Heritage Sciences, Best Overall and the Popular Vote while Eileen Robertson's poster won best in Health Sciences.

Dr Waddington said this format of presenting research also prepares the students for employment in the future.

"This poster format is becoming very much more common as an industry form of presentation in the academic world," he said.

"Conferences are becoming busier with less time to have everybody's work presented at the podium so much more emphasis is being put on the poster format."

But why is the event called Corroboree?

"Corroboree is a meeting place and meeting process," Dr Waddington said.

"So the idea here is a coming together of the entire division to have an opportunity to look and discuss, in a communal atmosphere, the work that is going on."