Towards richer descriptions of our collection of genomes andmetagenomes

In this commentary, we advocate building a richer set of descriptions about our invaluable and exponentially growing collection of genomes and metagenomic datasets through the construction of consensus-driven data capture and exchange mechanisms. Standardization activities must proceed within the auspices of open-access and international working bodies, and to tackle the issues surrounding the development of better descriptions of genomic investigations we have formed the Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC). Here, we introduce the 'Minimum Information about a Genome Sequence' specification in the hopes of gaining wider participation in its development and discuss the resources that will be required to support it (standardization of annotations through the use of ontologies and mechanisms of metadata capture, exchange). As part of its wider goals, the GSC also strongly supports improving the 'transparency' of the information contained in existing genomic databases that contain calculated analyses and genomic annotations

Threads of tension

Teaching and learning in the discipline of fashion design centres around a complex system of tensions in which the head, the heart, the hands, the eyes, the body and the mind all play a role. This is a system where the demands of high quality tertiary education compete with the intangibles of creativity and the rapid pace of change within the fashion industry. Students enter the fashion program with individual expectations, aspirations and fears and possess different levels and combinations of skills and comprehension. It is critical then that we, as tachers, harness each student’s motivation and demonstrate to them early that they can grow and flourish within this tertiary environment. It can be tricky, but for us the challenges and tensions are inspiring, and as we learn more about our students approaches to learning, we get closer to creating the ‘perfect’ environments and activities which enable our students to succeed both as learners and as creatives within the fashion industry. This chapter looks at some of the obstacles encountered by first year QUT fashion students and at some of the innovative teaching methodologies being employed by the QUT fashion team, with particular focus on an introductory first year project titled ‘sox’

Sox and the city : introducing first year students to studio based learning, teaching and assessment

Studio based learning, with all its inherent components (the project, the extended hours of contact, the ‘final crit’) has become accepted as the traditional (best) way for design students to develop their ability to think and act in a ‘designerly’ fashion; however, despite the increased research into studio based pedagogies, there are a number of conceptions that seem largely impervious to change and it is two of these ‘untouchables’ that this paper, and the first year orientation project described in it, seeks to challenge. One - the conception of the critique or ‘crit’ as a ‘rite of passage’ - an essentially negative experience with an emphasis on criticism, confrontation, even humiliation; two - the idea that first year study should be based on simple, basic or ‘abstracted’ theories and skills which students should, at a later date, be able to put together to assemble a more complex and concrete ‘whole’

Echo

"Echo" was a large scale, multi-disciplinary research project focussed around a number of original items of dress dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries, which became catalysts for exploring the language and significance of fashion across the ages. Echo evolved through a collaborative research process, which brought together fashion designers, academics, artists, filmmakers and creative practitioners and culminated in three major outcomes; a short film, a live interdisciplinary performance and exhibition in Brisbane (July 2003), and a major exhibition in London (December 2004). The entire project was developed, directed and curated by Suzi Vaughan in collaboration with over forty participants from across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The historic items of dress that formed the basis of Echo had been separated from their original contexts and many of them had suffered a number of alterations and amateur repairs rendering them difficult to precisely date. The process involved assigning each of these ‘lost’ and degraded pieces to a different designer/practitioner who entered into a dialogue with them, as a means for examining their perceptions and beliefs about fashion and its place within society. Each collaborator then created a new piece that drew its inspiration from the original, either through its ‘re-engineering’ or through the translation of it’s perceived values and meanings. The project successfully brought together the academy, artists and the fashion industry to work together towards an actively hybrid outcome. The field was the investigation of new approaches to fashion research that best fostered convergences between practice-led, visual and text based research methododologies. The key question was how ‘lost’ and degraded pieces of historical clothing could actively contribute to contemporary understandings of fashion and new practice-led fashion research, contextualised by the critical imperative to counter enduring separations between the fashion object, the practice of fashion and, in many cases, the fashion image itself from the more received text. Once separated from their contexts, or degraded, items of historical clothing often become non-viable propositions for museums and galleries, and by disappearing from public view we lose the invaluable opportunity that they offer us to increase our understanding of fashion within society. Echo offered an innovative strategy to break this cycle through the fostering of a new research paradigm. The Brisbane performance and exhibition season of Echo (July 2003) were presented at Old Government House as part of ‘Making an Appearance’- the first international fashion conference held in Australia. The London exhibition (Nov-Dec 2004) was held in conjunction with the Fashion and Archive Study Day at the London College of Fashion. ‘Echo – The Prelude’ short film was subsequently shown at a public lecture at RMIT in July 2003 (Melbourne) and at ‘The Space Between’ Conference in Perth in April 2004. The project has also been a major catalyst for ongoing practice led research for many of the collaborators, with subsequent works presented widely in Australia, New Zealand and the UK

Vaughan, Suzi and Armstrong, Wendy (2009) Threads of tension. In: Vaughan, Suzi and Schmidt, Christine Margaret, (eds.) Five Fashion Musings. Post Pressed, Brisbane, Qld, pp. 9-15.

five:fashion musings is an upcoming 2009 publicaton to celebrate the fashion discipline's five-year milestone at the Queensland Unviesity of Technology. it represents a body of work by fashion practitioners, aceademic and educators commissioned to explore their research in fashion theory, practice and pedogogy through five key themes

The course team as the focus for contextualized professional learning

This article examines a course team, who have a joint responsibility in the design of the student learning experience, as they reflect on their professional learning. The focus of the study is, therefore, on the value added to professional development as a course team when so often, staff development is aimed at the individual teacher. What is highlighted in this case is a strategy for linking development activities to course teams to create an integrated approach, informed by current research. Examples are given of how the development focus has shifted from the individual to a whole course team in an attempt to have more impact on the student learning experience and innovative models of course design. As a result, the team has adopted a common student-focused approach, and has been able to accommodate the individual variation in approach to teaching and still produce an outcome that is likely to benefit student learning. This is consistent with studies that suggest developments aimed at improving student learning need to be focused at the individual staff level and at the course and department levels, and to have internal consistency

Tensions, transitions and triumphs : examining the transitional experience of fashion students between school and university

Joining any new community involves transition and adaptation. Just as we learn to adapt to different cultures when we choose to live abroad, so students learn the language and culture of an academic community in order to succeed within that environment. At the same time however, students bring with them individual learning styles and expectations, influenced by their prior experiences of learning and of life more generally. Some have excelled at school; others have come to fashion seeking something in which to excel for the first time. Commencing a degree in fashion design brings students into contact with peers and lecturers who share their passion, providing them with a community of practice which can be both supportive and at the same time intimidating.----- In Queensland where university level study in fashion is such a new phenomenon, few applicants have any depth of training in design when they apply to study fashion. Unlike disciplines such as Dance or Visual Art, where lecturers can expect a good level of skill upon entry to a degree program, we have to look for the potential evidenced in an applicant’s portfolio, much of which is untutored work that they have generated themselves in preparation for application. This means that many first year fashion students at QUT whilst very passionate about the idea of fashion design are often very naïve about the practice of fashion design, with limited knowledge of the history or cultural context of fashion and few of the technical skills needed to translate their ideas into three dimensional products.----- For teachers engaging with first year students in the design studios, it is critical to be cognizant of this mix of different experiences, expectations and emotions in order to design curricula and assessment that stretch and engage students without unduly increasing their sense of frustration and anxiety. This paper examines a first year project designed to provide an introduction to design process and to learning within a creative discipline. The lessons learnt provide a valuable and transferable resource for lecturers in a variety of art and design disciplines

Design and ethics in digital mental health promotion

This chapter presents a case study of Participatory Design as a design framework for developing interactive digital tools for promoting children’s resilience. The author argues for a participatory methodology as an ethical approach that involves children as co-designers in the process from which they are traditionally excluded, namely the creative design process and the process of mental health promotion