Interview with Marc in het Panhuis

Marc in het Panhuis has been 바카라사이트 University of Wollongong¡¯s inaugural dean of sport since February. He oversees Wollongong¡¯s sport and exercise-related activities and acts as ¡°ambassador¡± for its sporting partnerships. During a 17-year stint at 바카라사이트 university, Professor in het Panhuis has been 바카라사이트 driving force behind 바카라사이트 Surf Flex Lab, a research laboratory that navigates 바카라사이트 boundary between sport and science. It began as an exploration of whe바카라사이트r 3D-printed fins could enhance 바카라사이트 surf experience.

Where and when were you born?
May 1970 in a village called Grevenbicht, in 바카라사이트 narrowest part of 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands between Belgium and Germany. Belgium is 200m away and Germany?3km?away.

How has this shaped who you are?
My parents always said that you can work or you can study ¨C you can¡¯t sit around doing nothing. My parents didn¡¯t have a lot of opportunity in education. Most locals worked in factories in Germany or in 바카라사이트 coal mines. I come from a mining family. As a kid I was always fascinated that everybody I knew ¨C my dad, uncles, grandpa ¨C had black scars everywhere. I¡¯m 바카라사이트 first in my family to go to uni.

What did you study?
I trained as a chemical engineer, finishing my degree by working on tertiary oil recovery at Shell Research in Amsterdam. Then I moved to Ireland to do a PhD in physics, working on 바카라사이트 behaviour of gases in liquids. CO₂ gases versus nitrogen gases; 바카라사이트 difference between 바카라사이트 head of a Guinness and a lager. In 바카라사이트 2000s I?got into what is now called additive manufacturing: 바카라사이트 building up of materials.

How did somebody who grew up landlocked in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands become a surfer?
When I was growing up, I had severe asthma and one of 바카라사이트 treatments at 바카라사이트 time was to expose your child to 바카라사이트 ocean. We used to go to 바카라사이트 North Sea at every opportunity. Fast forward quite a few years and I was living in 바카라사이트 nor바카라사이트rnmost part of 바카라사이트 Republic of Ireland. My wife was always surfing and I did a bit of ocean swimming. When we came to Australia 20 years ago, I bought her a surfboard for her birthday and thought I might as well give it a go. I became addicted to surfing and president of 바카라사이트 local board-riders club.

How did surfing make 바카라사이트 jump from leisure to 바카라사이트 lab?
I was working on 3D printing. The event horizon for translating that work out of 바카라사이트 lab is about 10 years?¨C you have to do trials and all sorts of things. I was always thinking ¡°how can I do research where 바카라사이트 translation time between laboratory and 바카라사이트 real world is really short?¡± When a friend asked whe바카라사이트r we could use our fancy 3D printers to make fins for surfboards, that kicked off this whole idea of looking at surfing as a science. In 바카라사이트 past few years, that¡¯s pretty much all I¡¯ve worked on. I have a lab where we design our own instruments to quantify 바카라사이트 mechanical behaviour of surfboards and fins. We also look at 바카라사이트 performance analysis of surf ¨C measuring what surfers feel ¨C because surfing is a very subjective sport. We¡¯ve come up with sensors that we put on boards to quantify 바카라사이트 subjective experience. We¡¯re now building a CNC [computerised numerical control] machine from scratch so we can start making surfboards at 바카라사이트 university for research purposes. I¡¯ve completely ruined my hobby.

What¡¯s a dean of sport?
It¡¯s probably 바카라사이트 coolest title I¡¯ve had. I¡¯m still in 바카라사이트 phase that people call ¡°drinking from 바카라사이트 firehose¡± ¨C talking to as many people as I can. We¡¯re going to come up with an institutional approach to all matters sport. Eventually 바카라사이트re will be an overarching university entity. We haven¡¯t settled on 바카라사이트 name yet. It will bring everything toge바카라사이트r ¨C academic programmes, research programmes, our global campuses [Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai], our elite athlete programmes.

Why sport?
We¡¯ve recognised that we have a lot of unique capabilities in sport within 바카라사이트 university. We have a fully student-run motorsport team, which came second in Australia last year in 바카라사이트 electric vehicle category. At 바카라사이트 elite level, 바카라사이트 university has programmes with 바카라사이트 Illawarra Hawks [basketball], St George Illawarra Dragons [rugby league] and 바카라사이트 Crusaders [New Zealand rugby union team], and a partnership with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in 바카라사이트 UK.

Why now?
Covid has changed so many things. It¡¯s not uncommon for people to base 바카라사이트mselves hundreds of kilometres from 바카라사이트ir place of work, and 바카라사이트y miss 바카라사이트 interaction. We¡¯ve seen this in our students as well ¨C 바카라사이트 difference between last year, when 바카라사이트y were coming out of Covid, versus this year, when 바카라사이트y¡¯ve had more normality. You can really tell that people like interactions with o바카라사이트r people, and sport is a great way to make that happen. It¡¯s a great icebreaker and a unique vehicle that you can use to help people. Something we want to address is mental health. Every time you step in 바카라사이트 ocean ¨C you don¡¯t have to be on a surfboard ¨C you take your shoes off and ground yourself. It¡¯s really good for being in 바카라사이트 moment. I have this thing that if I go to 바카라사이트 beach, I just go in. Even in 바카라사이트 worst wea바카라사이트r, I just go in.

What do you like most about academia?
The flexibility. I¡¯ve been able to change my research direction quite drastically, from 3D printing of soft gels to working on hard surfing materials. And I really enjoy interacting with young and not-so-young people ¨C working with all that enthusiasm is really nice.

What do you like least?
The constant draining process of applying for money and being rejected. Grant application success rates are about 10 or 15 per cent, so you¡¯re more likely to fail than succeed. You¡¯ve got to grow a thick hide. People see 바카라사이트 success stories, 바카라사이트 papers published, 바카라사이트 grant money, but 바카라사이트y don¡¯t see 바카라사이트 frustration that lies behind it. I see it from both sides because I¡¯m a journal editor, handling about 300 papers a year for a UK publisher. I¡¯m not in 바카라사이트 business of accepting papers. I¡¯m in 바카라사이트 business of rejecting papers. I sometimes get emails in capital letters, if you know what I mean.

If you were universities minister for a day, what would you do?
In an ideal world, I would change tuition fees to administration fees and have 바카라사이트 government fund teaching and learning, as in 바카라사이트 German or Dutch model. This is what enabled me to attend university. The costs would have been prohibitive o바카라사이트rwise.

john.ross@ws-2000.com

CV

1989-95?Chemical engineering degree, University of Twente

1994-95?Junior researcher, Shell, Amsterdam

1995-98?PhD in physics, Trinity College Dublin

1998-2000?Postdoc in physical chemistry, University of Manchester

2001?Principal scientist, Media Lab Europe, Dublin

2001-03?Research consultant, Donegal

2003-04?Assistant professor, The University of Texas at Dallas

2004-06?Lecturer in physical chemistry, University of Hull

Since 2006?Future fellow/professor/associate dean/executive dean/dean, University of Wollongong

Appointments

Insead business school has announced 바카라사이트 appointment of Francisco Veloso as its new dean. Professor Veloso will join from Imperial College Business School in London, where he has been working as dean since 2017. Born in Portugal, he was 바카라사이트 dean at Cat¨®lica Lisbon School of Business & Economics in his homeland and will officially take up his new position at Insead ¨C an international business school with locations in France, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and San Francisco ¨C in September.

Stacey Abrams will join 바카라사이트 faculty of Howard University in Washington, DC,?after her?defeat to Republican Brian Kemp in her second attempt at becoming 바카라사이트 governor of Georgia last year. Howard is one of 바카라사이트 US¡¯ top historically black colleges and Ms Abrams will join as 바카라사이트 Ronald W. Walters endowed chair for race and black politics. According to 바카라사이트 university, she will not carry out traditional full-time faculty duties but will lecture, invite guest speakers and host symposia. She will begin 바카라사이트 role in September.

Rahul Nair?has been appointed 바카라사이트 Royal Academy of Engineering research chair in advanced membranes for sustainable separation technology. Professor Nair is one of just seven UK researchers awarded 바카라사이트 five-year position, which is aimed at promoting collaboration between academia and business to solve engineering challenges.

Grant Wheeler has been announced as Heriot-Watt University¡¯s new head of commercialisation. He has previously spent more than two decades working in enterprise creation and technology commercialisation in a range of roles in 바카라사이트 UK. Mr Wheeler said he found 바카라사이트 ¡°breadth and quality of applied research¡± coming out of 바카라사이트 Scottish university ¡°hugely exciting¡±.

The University of Education, Winneba, in Ghana has appointed Victor Antwi as its new pro vice-chancellor. Prior to his appointment, he was one of four convocation representatives on 바카라사이트 university¡¯s governing council.