ANU Vice Chancellor Ian Young has stuck his head over the parapet to make the case again for what they’re trying to do at the School of Music.
A lot has been said and written about the proposed changes to the ANU School of Music over past weeks.
Much of the talk has revealed the passion our [...]

Orangedrummaboy has sent in pictures from today’s protest in defence of the School of Music and these words:
The usual quiet of the ANU campus was intruded upon by a large, loud though peaceful march, protesting the cuts proposed for the School of Music.
After meeting in Union Court for music and speeches of solidarity, the [...]

The ABC reports that Professor Adrian Walter, presiding over the stricken ANU School of Music, has gone on indefinite leave but ominously has the Vice-Chancellor’s “full support”.
Professor Young says the decision for Professor Walter to take indefinite leave was unexpected.
“Adrian Walter has been under enormous pressure,” he said.
“At a meeting not with me, but [...]

We’ve had these thoughts sent in by an informed reader who chooses to remain anonymous. The potential concern about the audit performance of the School of Music is certainly food for thought.
The announcement of job cuts and program changes at the ANU School of Music last week was viewed as a drastic turn of events [...]

If you’ve got a spare half hour you can enjoy the complete spin package surrounding sacking all the staff at the School of Music. ANU’s posted the press conference to YouTube with this note:
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington and Head of the ANU School of Music Professor Adrian Walter give this press conference on [...]

The Australian brings news that the privacy commissioner has been through the emails sent to ANU’s climate scientists and found they don’t actually contain a death threat.
Timothy Pilgrim was called in to adjudicate on a Freedom of Information application in relation to Fairfax and ABC reports last June alleging that Australian National University climate [...]

“All academic and general staff positions in the School of Music will be declared vacant”
This in from a source. It starts out sounding all flexible and modern and then BAM, you’re all sacked.

UPDATE 03/05/12 12:05: We now have the staff email:
[Staff.all] ANU School of Music
staff.all-bounces@anu.edu.au [staff.all-bounces@anu.edu.au] on behalf of VC [vc@anu.edu.au]
Sent: Thursday, [...]

The ABC reports that ANU is going to take a more gradual approach to trimming the fat.
In an email to staff this afternoon, Professor Young conceded the timeline for the savings had been ambitious.
He said any forced redundancies would now only come as a last resort.
“It is likely that this process will result in significant [...]

ANU’s published their thoughts on the finding of “habitable planets” in other solar systems:
“Determining whether these planets are habitable has become the new holy grail of astronomy,” said planetary scientist Dr Charley Lineweaver, lead author of the study.
“The new-found abundance of planets, combined with the much larger range of inhabited terrestrial environments suggests that habitable [...]

Geoff from Lushpup has taken photographic fiddling to new dizzy heights with this beautiful shot which he explains thusly:
This is what happens when you put your fisheye on the ground looking up and carefully balance a polarising filter (that’s too small for the lens) on top.
Taken in the ANU down near Sullivan’s Creek. [...]

ANU’s acting VC Lawrence Cram has announced that Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt and Professor Hugh O’Neill, Associate Director of the Research School of Earth Sciences have received the rare honour of election to the Royal Society:
Professor Cram said: “Election to the Royal Society is the gold standard in the sciences and a testament [...]

ANU has published to YouTube an hour and a half of Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Kraus in conversation here in Canberra with this lengthy note:
Critically-acclaimed author and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and world-renowned theoretical physicist and author Lawrence Krauss discuss biology, cosmology, religion, and a host of other topics at this event entitled ‘Something [...]

Woroni’s brave satirisation of Vice-Chancellor Ian Young has had another outing to explain the planned cuts saying in part:
As part of the draft discussion paper released to ANU staff today, it is proposed that the $40 million figure be reached by a combination of sub-prime loans, drug-dealing and jewel heists to be planned and executed [...]

The Australian National University has announced Dr Ken Henry (formerly of Treasury) is going to be the go-to guy for public policy at ANU:
In a major new boost to ANU’s longstanding role in national public policy research, teaching and outreach, Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young announced today that a renamed and expanded Crawford School of Public [...]

[ 2 May, 2012 12:00 pm to 16 May, 2012 12:00 pm. ] The Australian National University (ANU) is holding a photography exhibition at The Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre that will showcase images that represent what Canberra means to its students. All photographic submissions that are in line with the theme will be accepted, with all photographs being shown on the exhibition website and on a slideshow during [...]

ANU has some very exciting news about the generation of random numbers. Which does effect your life in everything from credit card transaction security to how we pick the winners of competitions and which local artists we put in the rugby podcast:
Professor Lam said vacuum was once thought to be completely empty, dark, and [...]

c_c has sent in this shot of the coffee van gracing the ANU Law School.
Got an image of Canberra you want to share with with world? Email it to images@the-riotact.com .

They that go down to the sea in ships have never doubted the existence of rogue waves.
But scientists are often resistant to observations which don’t conform to their existing models.
Fortunately the ANU is letting us know they’ve figured out how it happens with the help of a fish tank and a lego pirate.
Using [...]

ANU’s Vice-Chancellor Ian Young has announced he’s planning to trim his budget by $40 million (or 5% of revenue):
We are not alone in having global and national financial circumstances cut into our bottom line.
Investment returns have declined in recent years. The 2012 budget indicates investment returns will be $30 million less than in 2011. This [...]

I have a meeting at University House for about an hour at 1pm next Thursday.  I won’t have much time to look for a car park and parking’s always been difficult on the few occasions I’ve been to ANU before.  I know there is parking at University House, but what are the chances there’ll be a space available [...]

Woroni bringsa new wrinkle to the storied saga of the ANU Student Association presidency as Fleur Hawes has had to resign following losing her appeal against academic exclusion, a proceeding she’d neglected to mention to her colleagues.
As per the ANUSA constitution, Vice-President Alice McAvoy is currently acting President whilst Education Officer Tom Barrington-Smith is [...]

Chief Minister Gallagher has announced the official opening of the vast 550 domicile Lena Karmel Lodge at ANU:
“Just last week I was pleased to open Weeden Lodge – which is already home to up to 220 University of Canberra students in the refurbished Cameron Offices in Belconnen. It is great to follow that this week [...]

A great number of readers are sending in the all staff email going around ANU in reaction to yesterdays’ rafting excitement
From: staff.all-bounces@anu.edu.au [mailto:staff.all-bounces@anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of VC
Sent: Friday, 2 March 2012 3:17 PM
To: ‘staff.all@anu.edu.au’
Subject: [Staff.all] Sullivans Creek
Good afternoon
Yesterday ANU Security attended Sullivans Creek to ask a number of people to immediately stop ‘rafting’ down the [...]

It’s an ill wind that blows no good.
While the rains have been a huge inconvenience to many, and crushed the dreams of others, a surprising number of ANU students were able to grab rubber rafts and make merry on Sullivans Creek.
Thanks to Gus929 for the tip.

It used to be you had to look pretty hard to find evidence you’d entered the ANU campus.
It’s nice to think the signage could be discrete because the achievements of those within spoke so loudly for themselves.
But times change, and the new Exchange building on Barry Drive sports a sign no one will ever [...]

[ 15 March, 2012; 12:00 pm; ] Undaunted by an Octoberfest linked to a fatality the ANU Bar is pushing for an early St Patricks day party at which they’ll be giving away a real working motor scooter:

Come celebrate St Patrick’s Day with us at ANU Bar on March 15th. The event kicks off at 12 noon and runs well into the [...]

A friend posted this on facebook but I thought you lot could have some fun with it:
i need your help everyone! what is the laziest course offered within the ANU with no pre-req’s?
I’m sure some of you have some ideas.
While we’re at it what fits the bill at UC?

Students and parents would do well to note a new post on the new blog of the new ANU Vice Chancellor Ian Young talking about how the end to Government mandated university places will change admissions:
I believe the demand driven system will, however, ultimately change the way many students enter university. At present, the vast [...]

What better way for the nerds of Canberra to celebrate the Centenary than gathering at ANU for linux.conf.au!
Canberra turns 100 next year. That’s pretty old, but we’re pretty sure that she still knows how to party. All of Canberra will have their party shoes on during 2013, including the geeks. And what better way [...]

ANU are claiming to have the answers to transforming the Public Service!
The ANU Crawford School, the University of Canberra and the University of New South Wales have joined forces with the Australian Public Service Commission in a new project which will strengthen staff performance.
Together they will develop a strategy to build a high performance culture, [...]

The ANU is announcing they’ve isolated a complex sugar, heparan sulphate, needed to sustain the pancreas’ beta cells which die off in Type-1 diabetes:
Dr Simeonovic said that their research has shown that beta cells found in the pancreas need heparan sulphate for their survival and without it they die.
“We’ve discovered that replacement of heparan [...]

ACT Fire & Rescue on scene at a structure fire in a building at the Australian National University on Science Road, Acton.
Crews investigating the building to find the source of the smoke.
Building has heavy smoke logging.
People have been evacuated from the building as a precaution.
1:29pm Monday 19 December 2011
—
Building is the Birch Building on [...]