He is part of an Academy award-winning team that has entertained millions around the globe with feature films including Beowulf, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Alice in Wonderland, Tangled and Big Hero Six.

We had the chance to pick his brain on Disney’s next feature animation Moana, due for release in the US this Thanksgiving (Nov 24), and find out about his role as an engineer in production.

“Driven by the directors’ vision, my team was responsible for the artistic creation and the background crowd elements in the film. In Moana, these include the crowds of villagers, the flocks of fish and birds, fleets of voyaging boats, and the Kakamora (hundreds of characters that look like cute anthropomorphized coconuts).

“As supervisor, I managed the team, directed the research and development, determined which shots in the film required crowd elements, allocated shots to the artists, worked with directors to creatively approve shots, and insured on time delivery.”

Yasser (front centre) and his team on a boat prop. On the far left are directors Ron Clements and John Musker (Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Moana).

Yasser had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii, where the film is set, for research and development. He experienced first-hand the sun, surf and sand featured in the film, then had to use his engineering skills to replicate these natural flows on screen.

“One of the interesting elements of research was using a physics based system to artificially simulate secondary motion of characters on boats based off of the underlying boat animation. This allowed us to create a realistic feel of characters swaying with the motion of the boat without having to hand animate each character individually. Fleets of boats and characters were thus animated more efficiently.

“Another was to develop a flocking system to realistically simulate the motion of fish and birds when they behave as a group. This was inspired by actual research in flocking behaviours of fish and birds.”

A technical degree like engineering can really take you anywhere, even to the silver screen.

Find out more about our engineering degrees.

Moana is out in Australian cinemas on Boxing Day – make sure you go to check out Yasser’s handy work and keep an eye out for his name on the pre-roll credits!

Yasser (right), with his mother, Faiza Darwesh (left), and Auli’i Cravalho (centre, voice of Moana) attending the Moana Wrap party.

Yasser (centre), with his mother, Faiza Darwesh (centre-right) and directors Ron Clements and John Musker at the Moana Wrap Party.

The discussion centred on one pertinent question: Increasing the number of Indigenous medical professionals in Australia: how far have we come and what barriers remain?

Watch the video here.

Led by UON Laureate Professor Robert Sanson-Fisher, the panel members opened up about their experiences of studying medicine as Indigenous students and how individuals, universities and governments can help eliminate racism and identify opportunities for Indigenous people to enter tertiary education.

Professor Sanson-Fisher was joined on the panel by Associate Professor Peter O’Mara, Head of Discipline – Indigenous Health at UON; Professor Ngiare Brown, UON graduate and passionate researcher in Indigenous health and social justice; Dr Sarah McEwan, UON graduate, Medical Officer and recipient of a Fellowship of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine; and Mr Joel Wenitong, fifth year medicine student, respected leader and mentor in Aboriginal communities across Australia and recipient of the Indigenous Collaborations Excellence Award from UON’s Faculty of Health and Medicine.

Professor David Maddison was the Foundation Dean of Medicine at the University of Newcastle, and a passionate supporter of quality teaching and equal access to education. To honour his memory, the 2015 lecture assisted in raising funds for UON’s Shaping Future Scholarships, to help all Australians access education regardless of their background or circumstances. If you would like to help, please donate now.

Margaret Henry, who died on Wednesday evening 9 September, worked for many years as a tutor and lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Newcastle before moving to Community Programmes, later Open Foundation. I first met Margaret when I joined the Department in 1975. She was one of two academic women in History (the other was the local historian Sheilah Gray). The department then was a conservative academic establishment of mostly male colleagues, whose sense of the proper hierarchies that should underpin university life and teaching was offset by their commitment to free speech and to exposing students to as wide a range of historical interpretations as there were staff.

Margaret Henry used that regime and its freedoms to help subvert some of the more old-fashioned teaching techniques with one-on-one tutoring care. Margaret took me under her wing, without my asking, to help the transition to a heavy load of teaching across several history subjects. She, along with Sheilah Gray (they were a formidable team), tutored me in the latest thinking around Australian history that included new emphases on debates about Australian national ‘character’, feminist revisions of the lamentably under-researched history of women’s roles in Australian history and the absorption of the newest research emerging on positive Aboriginal contributions to colonial and national history.

Margaret was always generous helping new colleagues and her students get up to speed. Her tutoring style was a revelation in an age where the lecturer mostly dominated small group discussions. Margaret taught two generations of staff how to allow student voices to be heard and to coax them into independent thinking, even if it came out uninformed. Teaching a mixture of young and mature students how to think, especially after she transferred to Community Programmes, and how to make the transition to university skepticism were Margaret’s specialty. The university today rightly boasts about its equity and transition programmes – Margaret Henry was one of its flagship operators decades ago, in the 1970s and 1980s and wove her influence in to the lives of countless men and women wanting to learn the arts of university thinking.

She was the perfect example of the university citizen who would not rest just doing a ground-floor teaching role. She kept the university under constant scrutiny. Others can recount her interventions through the staff union on behalf of equity and work justice. I personally treasure her energy and organising influence in ensuring the university took the younger members of the History Department seriously when they demanded a say in the appointment process for a new Professor in the early 1980s. Margaret helped draft a well thought out memo on who should be consulted and what a new Professor should bring to the Chair after the retirement of the Department’s inaugural Professor of History.

Margaret was an active citizen of both the university and the wider community. I still have an image of Margaret standing atop a pile of rubble after the 1989 earthquake, rallying her troops to stop and think what Newcastle might lose of its heritage if panic led the city’s leaders to knock down everything that wobbled. In middle age she had the energy and dedication to prosecute her mission for the city as a Councillor on Newcastle City Council, and she remained an articulate correspondent in the daily press, broadening her active life as citizen of university and city in a manner that stands out among her contemporaries. She was a model of what the University of Newcastle should expect in its alumni.

A funeral service for Margaret will be held at Christchurch Cathedral, Newcastle, 2pm Friday 18 September.

Sarah Dennis is an alumnus of UON who has been involved in the LUCY mentoring program since its inception. Having studied a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Marketing, Sarah has mentored students through her career in different businesses such as MasterFoods and then Bluetongue Brewery.

With an almost unbroken seven-year-involvement in the LUCY mentoring program, it’s easy to see that the program offers value not only for the mentee, but for the mentor.

Now director of her own company, Fresh Marketing, Sarah (pictured at left with current mentee Danni Burrell) finds that she often learns from the students she’s mentoring. “I really like to see what’s happening with the university and what students are studying. It’s interesting to see how different models and ways of thinking can be applied,” Sarah said.

“One of the students I’ve mentored, Amy Shadbolt, really enjoyed being in the workplace, learning about what happens in a boardroom, the types of things to expect in the workplace. She has a real passion for research and she’s ended up working in a research company.

“I didn’t have a formal mentor, I was a self-starter, but I think it’s really important to have the guidance and to bounce ideas and thoughts with those people. When you’ve come through an educational environment, defining who you want to be and where you want to end up is invaluable.” Sarah said.

The tips you pick up via a mentor are invaluable, Sarah’s advice goes beyond her mentoring role with Lucy “I also like to help them with their resumes, I’ve recruited 100s of people, there might be new techniques, but I can show them what I look for in a resume. I also take the students to networking groups and events. I impress upon them the importance of growing your profile on LinkedIn and in certain groups. I always take my students to any events that come up and link them up with influential people.”

The LUCY mentoring program is available for women studying in the University of Newcastle’s Faculty of Business and Law at a second level or above. This program pairs undergraduates with a woman who’s working in industry and is prepared to share her knowledge with other women. In this valuable program, the mentor and mentee work together in a Work Based Activity in the mentor’s workplace, for a total of 35 hours.

Among the recipients is UON Central Coast nursing student Michelle Reilly who will be awarded the Edith and Joseph McBride Scholarship in Nursing; and Hunter TAFE Early Childhood and Care student Ryan Mason who was selected to receive the Kindergarten Union Scholarship for excellence in childcare.

The Awards’ event highlights the strong links UON Central Coast and Hunter TAFE have established with the community, business and industry across the region to enhance higher education opportunities.

UON Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Andrew Parfitt, said the scholarships offer valuable support to the recipients and the generosity of donors is highly appreciated. The scholarships showcase how UON is working with the Central Coast community to meet the growing need for professionals in the region.

“UON Central Coast will continue to work with business, industry and the community to ensure the wide range of programs offered at the UON Central Coast Campus meet our students’ needs, and create work-ready graduates to support the regional economy,” Professor Parfitt said.

“Our students have high ambitions to put something back into the Central Coast community. Many of the graduates of our nursing program enjoy great careers with the Central Coast Local Health District as skilled healthcare practitioners.”

Hunter TAFE CEO, Christine Warrington, said the event recognised students’ achievements and the impact strong community and business partnerships can have to enable greater pathways to education for all people no matter their background.

“Education is a wonderful tool that has the power to transform lives,” said Ms Warrington.

“This event is a fantastic way for Hunter TAFE to acknowledge, celebrate and reward the success of our extraordinary students studying here on the Central Coast,” she said.

“The support provided by a scholarship can help make a positive difference to the growth, development and the future employment outcomes of our students at Hunter TAFE. The donations from individuals, businesses and community organisations that support these scholarships are invaluable.”

The awards night is a celebration of education excellence on the Central Coast and receives strong support from the local community and businesses. Delta Electricity has been a major sponsor since 2001 and funds more than 60 scholarships for local students.

CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTS

UON student profile: Michelle Reilly is the recipient of the Edith and Joseph McBride Scholarship in Nursing. Michelle is currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing at UON Central Coast.

Michelle is the first in her family to undertake university studies and has returned to the Central Coast to study nursing after travelling the world. Shaped by her travel experiences, which included both developed and developing countries, Michelle has a long-term vision of working as in healthcare for an international aid organisation.

Hunter TAFE student profile: Ryan Mason is the recipient of theKindergarten Union Scholarship in Childcare. Ryan is currently enrolled in the Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care at Hunter TAFE’s Ourimbah campus.

Ryan’s initial interest in childcare started when his younger sister was born with a rare chromosome disorder, ‘1q44r deletion’. 12 years her senior, Ryan had a large involvement in her childhood. He started his journey through the Hunter TAFE Taste of Children’s Services outreach program, and since has progressed through the Certificate III to the Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care. Ryan was selected to receive the scholarship for his commitment and dedication to his studies and upon completion will progress into the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and Care (Birth – 5) at Hunter TAFE.

University of Newcastle Central Coast campus graduates 2015

Over 550 students graduate at the Ourimbah campus of the University of Newcastle this week and will join a network of over 130,000 alumni.

It’s an incredibly significant and exciting day for our students and their families, and for the University as we recognise an important milestone in the University’s 50th year.

This year we also celebrate over 25 years for the University of Newcastle on the Central Coast and we look forward to continuing to build our presence and continue to deliver high quality educational programs to students on the Central Coast in the future.

University of Newcastle Central Coast

The University of Newcastle is celebrating the achievements of 460 UON students and 48 TAFE students at our Central Coast campus with our 26^th Central Coast graduation ceremony.  Additionally, around 50 students will receive Certificates of Attainment from the English Language and Foundation Studies Centre (ELFS).

Students at our Central Coast campus will graduate over the next two days, 2 and 3 July, joining a network of over 125,000 global UON Alumni.

With over 18 degrees represented, the two days of graduations celebrate the broad range of excellence in education, research and innovation at the University of Newcastle Central Coast Campus.

The graduation ceremonies will be attended by the University of Newcastle Chancellor – Mr Paul Jeans, and the Vice-Chancellor and President – Professor Caroline McMillen.

Additional addresses will be delivered by UON Alumni including:

• PhD candidate, Jason McGrath – Principal of Wadalba Community School near Wyong.

• Kyle Bennett who has completed a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science (Honours) and is awarded the University Medal. Kyle is now continuing his PhD studies at UON Central Coast.

• Well-known ABC Local Radio broadcaster Scott Levi, who undertook studies in speech and drama at UON Central Coast.

Hunter TAFE CEO Christine Warrington said the relationship between Hunter TAFE and the University of Newcastle had created plenty of educational pathways for new and continuing students.

“This relationship had widened choices for students, making it easier for them to get all the qualifications they need in this first-class education and training hub on the Central Coast.”

THURSDAY 2 JULY, 2015

10am – Faculty of Education and Arts

2pm – Faculty of Education and Arts, Faculty of Science and Information Technology

6pm – English Language and Foundation Studies

FRIDAY 3 JULY, 2015

10am – Faculty of Health and Medicine

6pm – Faculty of Business and Law, Faculty of Health and Medicine, TAFE.

For some, hearing the television show’s opening theme song may trigger memories of races to nab the best seat in the lounge.

Now two Australian graphic artists have received a turn on the couch when their “fan art” version of the The Simpsons introduction sequence screened as the opening of episode 14, season 26, My Fare Lady.

Ivan Dixon, a University of Newcastle digital design graduate, and his Melbourne room-mate, Paul Robertson, recreated the entire introduction in pixel art.

Pixel art is a form of digital art where images are edited to replicate the old school graphics style of computer and console games.

The Simpsons’ new pixelated style was paired with an arcade-like remake of Danny Elfman’s theme song by visual artist Jeremy Dower. The retro style video was uploaded to YouTube and in less than two days had received more than 1 million views. Twelve hours after the video was uploaded, Dixon received an email from the show’s creators, asking him to call them straightaway.

The video has now surpassed 2 million views and is nearing 3 million after its American premiere in February. It airs tonight (May 13) on Channel 10′s Eleven at 8.30pm, and will be available on catch-up site, tenplay.com.au. Simpsons Pixels can also be viewed on YouTube.

Read the FULL SMH ARTICLE on the duo’s success.

When Barbie’s now-husband transferred to Williamtown, she had no plans to move immediately to be with him, until she started looking at a Fine Arts degree at UON.

“I had a look at what the Fine Art program had to offer and it was crazy, it was exactly what I wanted. So I called him and said, ‘I’m moving to Newcastle with you’.”

At her under-graduate ceremony Barbie watched people being awarded the University Medal and thought, “I want that.” Enrolling in her honours year was an opportunity to focus entirely on the one project, to really refine and craft it.

Barbie’s honours year concept dealt with the psychology of memory. The project focused on a period of her life between the ages of three and five – when her family moved from England to settle in Australia. The most commonly overheard comment at Barbie’s exhibition at Watt Space was “I had one of those when I was little!”

When Barbie received notification of being awarded the Faculty Medal she was completely over the moon. So imagine her surprise when a short period of time afterwards she found out she was being awarded the University Medal.

“I couldn’t believe that I’d been awarded both. I feel so honoured.”

What’s next for Barbie? Hopefully a PhD at the University of Newcastle exploring how contemporary artists use memory, storytelling and emotion to create a narrative.