So, it’s week two and after a weekend exploring Freo (Freemantle), Scarborough Beach (where the sea feels just as cold as Aberdeen Beach) and Perth city it was time to get back to the itinerary.
First up was a visit to Hive, advertised as the future of virtual and augmented reality, and the set-up is impressive, it consists of a Tiled Display, Cylinder, Wedge, Dome and a Hologram Table as well as a wide range of VR and AR headsets. All of this is in dedicated space with dedicated staff and some impressive uses in research. (www.curtin.edu.au/hive)
Tuesday and following a brief twitter exchange just before I left Aberdeen I was able to meet up with the group behind COKI the Curtin Open Knowledge Initiative and it was great to see what they have been able to do, and I really look forward to following how they go with their project. Then it was off to meet Dr Liz Dallimore, Director of WA Data Science Innovation Hub and find out how she and her team are working with Industry, lots of similarities with Aberdeen.
Wednesday and the chance to meet with Suzanne Robinson Head of Health Systems and Health Economics, after a brief chat about where we both used to live (it's a small world but good to find someone who knows Tamworth and not just because of the Pigs)
Thursday saw me heading across to the Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Perkins Institute to meet with Professor Christobel who is working on some very exciting projects. A quick lunch time meeting with Kim Betts and it was then time for me to give my talk on the Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science.
Friday and my final day in Curtin (and Perth) the morning was spent going back to the Department of Health and meeting Rob Jordan's team. Then it was back to Curtin to meet Pro Vice Chancellor Health Science Professor Archie Clements - it was Professors Clements visit to Aberdeen around a year ago that sparked my interest in attending Curtin and he was a key player in getting the CDL to host me, I was grateful of the time to meet and thank him for helping kickstart this journey.
And that brings my two weeks to an end at Curtin, I am very grateful for the University Alliance Award that made this trip possible and the Centre for Data Linkage Team for hosting me. Also, to Digital & Information Services that supported me in attending and to Gwen Smith who invited me to meet with Archie when he visited Aberdeen.
But my blog take over does not end here…don't worry I'm not going to bore you with my holiday snaps, instead I have one more week of work in Melbourne. So, a 3 and half hour flight and a 3-hour time difference awaits and a slightly cooler climate.
