Soumitri's Major Project Resources

Can you please show me your project proposals? Some of you have them ready and some of you may be working on them. Either way I need to see something as part of my stock taking responsibility.

I will also try and get the individual supervisors to give me an update on how you are going.

This is how things stand. Would be good if you all got more active on the blog.

I am posting here a list of possible ways for unpacking a project area:
1. Actor Network Theory: This is an approach that helps one to side step the often narrowly focussed research attempts which may be teachnology focussed. People become important, but also time and reigning ideas. Se John Law and the Lancaster uni resources here.
2. Stakeholder Amplification: Every area we work in already has people populating it. And they are in it for the long haul - often deisgners are in there for purely monetary reasons. The area of Diabetes for example has people in it (see below). It is safe and prudent in this case to NOT behave like an expert, but to behave like a blank piece of paper onto which these people can write. Their words, ideas, opinions need to be amplified. And Robert Chambers with his PRA is a good example of an approach re making a difference without imposing oneself.
a. Diabetics
b. Families of Diabetics
c. Doctors
d. Pharmacists/ Drug Companies
e. Equipment Manufacturers
f. Health Care system, Government agencies (Policies)
g. Non Governmental groups, Diabetes Australia
h. Care workers, Nurses
3. Life Cycle Mapping: Phenomena can often be treated as really being what we see them to be. However we are creatures of our time and would be wiser if we looked at the phenomenon through the eyes of history. Also in Diabetes time plays a crucial role - as a lifelong illness it is with the afflicted for the long haul. And so the view of life and life processes changes. It means different things through the day and through the years. Life cycle thinking is crucial way of looking at things in the sustainability perspective too.
a. Day
b. Age
c. Life
4. People’s narratives and experiences: People are incredible problem solvers. This is often at variance with the approach taken by designers - for often designers work to put money into the pockets of companies and are not really intterested in solving problems. Listening to people can have profound implications on the way the projects turn out. Especially when the designer begins to feel a genuine desire to improve the status quo.
5. Methods, and Mechanisms: The 'way' you do things is important. I have put a list of things to do. Each of these activities informs the problem area and is useful.
a. Focus Group
b. Interviews
c. Literature Survey
d. Textual Analysis
e. Brainstorming
f. Writing
6. Calendar: Its good to have a claendar for the semester, for the project.
7. Solution Seeking: Solutions pre-exist your arrival on the scene. You just amplify particular ones.

So how are you going about your projects? Can you talk about it here?

hello everybody - firstly i would like to share my anger with you all - i spilt yakult on my laptop and now it doesnt work anymore.....grrrrrrrrrr

and secondly (and less randomly)...i was just wondering if anybody has come accross any good online sites for thesis / research projects where there are downloadable /free documents because im coming up against a lot of brick walls trying to find some solid info online because the sites im finding all seem to require $$$ to view the documents.

:) :) :) Maria

This is week 2. Here is a list of things you should be on to:
1. You have endnote.
2. Your proposal version 1 is ready for discussion with your supervisor. This has to be typed up and shown this week to your supervisor.
3. You have a meeting with your supervisor scheduled. This is your responsibility: you have to seek and set up the meeting - so I would like each of you to post info on date and time when you are meeting this week. This way you can make your inaugural post on the blog this week.

Also Blog matters:
1. The blog is ready to receive questions from you. So post questions and comments that I or the others can answer.
2. I am off for a week starting thu. In that time you can ask liam to send invites to you if your blog invite has expired or you have mucked up the registration of the invite.

Hello peoples, i found the link for the software downloads on the RMIT site so i thought id chuck it up on the blog:

http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=44454surp19b1;STATUS=A?QRY=Endnote%20download&STYPE=ENTIRE

Happy Downloading.
Maria Kinas :)

Please Contact - Denis Smitka for help with the next step:
1. You have to comprehend the culture of the Premajor.
2. You have to choose/ define your area of work.
3. You have to choose your supervisor.

1. Georgia Fugler
2. Beau Munari

Frank can you send me the email addresses of Claire and Lexis so that I can invite them to the blog.

I will be travelling from the 9th till the 20th. But will check the blog every so often. So feel free to post quesries and points for discussion.

I hope to see you all well into your topics/ projects by the time I am back.

Get your Project proposals in early. I am travelling from the 9th to the 18th and will not be available for consultation. So one option is for you to start working early on this if you want quick feedback. Or the second option is for you to send/ email your proposal to your supervisor by wednesday, and then meet them.

The first draft has to have been discussed next week.

You asked about information on the project so I put these links here.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Australia -
Diabetes Care-
American Diabetes Association Home Page -
Medscape Diabetes Care -
Abbott Diabetes Care -
LifeScan Diabetes Care -
Diabetes Care and Education - A Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association -
Warwick University: Diabetes Care -
WHO | Welcome to the Diabetes Programme -

These links will give you the background to the area. The sepcific project details will be divulged to you after you enter into the project.

Scholarship: The project offers a scholarship to the student who takes up this project. There will be a interview with the interested students to select the student/s who will receive the award.

Live PROJECT: The client is an enterpreneur who is developing a new venture and has a personal interest in the topic/ area of work.

The first session was yesterday. At the close of day everyone present had chosen their topic/supervisor. The Supervisors present for discussion were:
1. Scott Mayson
2. Denis Smitka
3. Liam Fennessy
4. Malte Wagenfeld
5. Soumitri Varadarajan

It is now my task to get all your emails into this blog to invite you.

Your next session is with your supervisor.