Australian Leadership Awards Scholarships

Applications for the 2009 ALA intake open on 01 April 2008 and close 30 June 2008. See Application Information below.

The Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) Scholarships are a component of a regional program that aims to develop leadership and build partnerships and linkages within the Asia-Pacific.

They are intended for those who are already leaders or have the potential to assume leadership roles that can influence social and economic policy reform and development outcomes, both in their own countries and in the Asia-Pacific region. The ALA program comprises of Scholarships and Fellowships.

ALA Scholarships are academically elite awards offered to high achievers from the Asia-Pacific region each year to undertake postgraduate study (Masters or Doctorate) and a Leadership Development Program in Australia.

Selection for ALA Scholarships is highly competitive, based on leadership qualities and on academic excellence.

ALA Scholarships are an investment in the future of the Asia-Pacific region. In this regard, ALA scholars are required to return to their home country or the region for two years after they have completed their studies.

In future years, ALA scholars will belong to a unique group - the Australian Scholarships Alumni Network (ASAN) - that will maintain strong and enduring links to Australia. Managed by AusAID as part of Australia's overseas aid program, ALA Scholarships are open only to citizens of countries in the Asia-Pacific region with which Australia has a significant aid program.

Objectives of ALA Scholarships

ALA Scholarships aim to:

• develop a cadre of leaders advancing regional reform, development and governance
• increase exchange of knowledge and information within the region
• build common purpose and understanding between Australia and the region
• build capacity to address priority regional issues
• build effective networks between Australia and the region
• demonstrate the benefits of Australian education through the provision of high quality education.

Leadership Development Program (LDP)

Through the enhancement of leadership skills, ALA Scholarships seek to empower awardees to participate in social and economic policy and development outcomes in their own countries and in the region. Current and future leaders in the Asia-Pacific region are provided a unique opportunity to explore and harness their leadership potential.

AusAID has invested A$10.128 million over a four year period to deliver a comprehensive Leadership Development Program (LDP) to all ALA scholars.

The LDP comprises a three day conference in Canberra, regional workshops and leadership coaching and practice opportunities. The LDP increases skills in leadership and enhances participants understanding of the challenges at national, regional and global levels. LDP aims to help scholars realise their full leadership potential and provides important networking and collaborative opportunities for ALA scholars.

The LDP component of the ALA Scholarship is a valuable opportunity that is not offered through any other scholarship program in the Asia-Pacific region.

Fields of study

Awards are open to all fields of study, however, study programs that relate to the priority themes of international trade, pandemics, security and climate change (including clean energy) are encouraged. Scholarships are not available for military training, or training in areas related to nuclear technology and flying aircraft.

Levels of study

An ALA Scholarship enables candidates to undertake studies leading to a Masters or Doctorate degree in Australia. It does not include Graduate Diplomas, with the exception of those Masters courses that require the completion of a Graduate Diploma as part of the Masters degree.

Who should apply
Outstanding applicants with:

1. a very high level of academic achievement at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level
2. a high level of English language proficiency
3. demonstrated leadership potential and good prospects to influence social and economic policy reform and development outcomes in their home country and in the Asia-Pacific region
4. a commitment to participate ASAN on their return home.

Applicants seeking to migrate to Australia should NOT apply.

Scholarship benefits

An ALA Masters Scholarship, taken over two years can be valued up to A$150,000.
An ALA Doctorate Scholarship, taken over four years can be valued up to A$300,000.

The amounts above include the following benefits and support:

1. A Leadership Development Program worth approximately $17,000
2. Introductory Academic Program (IAP): approximately $2,000
3. Tuition fees for your approved course of study
4. Return air travel to and from Australia
5. Costs associated with health checks and visa applications prior to departure for Australia
6. Establishment allowance on arrival: $5,000
7. Contribution to living expenses: $26,009 per year (commencing July 1, 2008)
8. Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of the award (for award holder only)

A study enrichment allowance (SEA) to contribute towards field research, academic support, conference participation or the award holder's reunion travel costs: $2,000 per year (accumulative)

Official links: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/ala.cfm

Presentation Preparation

The lights dim. A lone presenter walks up to the podium, shuffles his notes and hits the projector switch. Nothing happens. He tries again. The tension mounts. All eyes are focused on the presenter as he breaks out in a sweat and starts randomly hitting buttons.

There's nothing that strikes greater fear in the heart of a presenter than the thought of equipment failure. After all, the entire audience is relying on you. So it makes sense that a good presenter will have a number of tried and tested techniques for dealing with equipment meltdown. We asked readers to share those tips with us. In this article we've decided to defer to their expertise! Here's how they responded…

1. You're stranded in a technology-barren meeting room. Your presentation is recorded on your laptop and there's no projector in the room – how do you cope?

The overwhelming advice from readers was to keep your cool. As one reader explained, "I wrote the presentation so I know it by heart and I have an index card with my key points. I know my material…I can do it in my sleep!"

According to another reader, "You wing it. You should be thoroughly familiar with what you are going to present and be able to deliver it without your computer-based presentation."

In other words, a truly professional presenter knows their material – slides should be a garnish, not the entire presentation. If you're familiar with your material, but need something to prompt you, try as one reader suggests: "Use your laptop to trigger your memory, and deliver your presentation without props. Promise the audience that you will print out any relevant graphs or diagrams after the session."

Several innovative readers suggested that if you can't do without visual aids – create your own!
"Grab a flip chart, masking tape and markers. Translate the key points to the flip chart paper. Between your flipcharts and the handouts you've given them - things should go fine."

"Connect your laptop to a printer and generate handouts. Then create full-size overheads to use with an antiquated overhead projector. Then breathe a sigh of relief and wait for the most appreciative audience of all time!"

"Find a whiteboard or easel with large paper and write two words down for each agenda item. Use the whiteboard and/or large paper for illustrations."

"I act out my presentation – charades style – while using available props such as potted plants and speaker phones to create a theatrical set. I award points to audience members if they can 'guess the concept."

2. You've planned to visit several Web pages over the course of your presentation. When you arrive at the facility, you realize there isn't an Internet connection in the room – what do you do?

If you work in a technology-savvy organization it's easy to forget that the tools you take for granted in your office may not be available elsewhere. But remember: a true professional doesn't make any assumptions. As two seasoned respondents explain, "Stay away from relying on too much technology in your presentations. I find the old tried and true manual approaches work best sometimes."

"Don't assume you'll have an Internet connection...ask during your planning phase. Have a backup 'offline' copy of the Web pages you're referencing ready as a reference (a non-responsive server could also sidetrack you from time to time)."

Remember, if you have no idea what to expect from a particular facility, it pays to establish a relationship with the facility manager before you're in a crisis situation. It's part of your responsibility as a presenter to ensure that the equipment you need is present. As one reader suggests, "Establish a good contact with the facility and make sure they understand your needs before arriving…I carry extra cables and have a selection of adapters. Usually I check out the facility the day before the presentation."

Of course, the material from a particular Web page may be vital for your presentation. If this is the case, plan ahead. There are several short-cuts to visiting a Web site during a presentation. All it takes is a little advance preparation. Try one of the following tips:
"If you're planning to visit Web pages, you should cache them ahead of time on a zip disk. If you haven't cached them and have time (and a zip disk), find an Internet connection and cache what you need."

"Insert a hyperlink into your presentation. Or scan the page into your PowerPoint slides or cut and paste the information in."

If you didn't do any of these things and you're in the midst of your presentation, you could try and salvage your professionalism with one of these strategies:
"Summarize the points to be made using the Web sites, draw story boards on a whiteboard and give URLs."

"Put URLs in the handout notes, make references to them, and tell the audience they may browse at their leisure."

Don't forget, no matter what kind of equipment glitches you encounter, the most important thing is: "Let the show go on – never let them see you sweat."
3. Your planned presentation is an AV extravaganza with PowerPoint, video, Web links, and audio effects. Your meeting rooms however are in high demand, and AV technicians have just informed you that you can have just one of the following pieces of equipment:
Laptop Video
Projector Audio

Which do you choose and why?
It looks like the projector is the preferred prop for professional presenters. It was selected by 75% of the respondents! As one presenter put it, "I can always use overheads with some secret gimmicks to maintain interest. It's my knowledge and style that is the reason I am there. I will survive."

The projector's versatility won points with all of the respondents. Almost everyone who selected the projector suggested that you could create slides or overheads beforehand, and still keep the audience involved in your presentation. As one veteran presenter pointed out, you can avoid the worst disasters by planning ahead.

"You can re-create nearly anything with a projector while you're presenting. I'm assuming you'd have your own laptop (to use as a script). Who in the world would bring their presentation on a disk and hope the in-house laptop can support what's on it???"

Another respondent argued in favor of the laptop:

"I should be prepared enough to do without the video and, if time allows, copy the video to the laptop. The audio equipment is not necessary as the laptop should have a sound card, so I can connect the microphone to the laptop and use it if necessary. The projector would be missed, but I would have to rely on myself to convey the messages the projector would be showing."

There you have it! Hopefully these survivor tips will help you salvage you own presentation in the event that disaster strikes.

The first 90 second Mean so Much

It’s vital that the first moments of your presentation grab your audience’s attention. Not only does a great introduction provide an overview of what will be discussed, but it should also convince the audience that your presentation will be relevant. So how can you prepare an introduction that’s exciting and intriguing? Read on!

1. Ask a Question
Ask either a rhetorical question or one that seeks a response from the audience. If you want the audience to respond, make it easy for them to do so. Ask a question that can be answered with a yes or no, or call for a show of hands. For example, "How many of you are tired of unproductive and inefficient meetings?"

2. State a Fact
Begin with a fact or statistic that supports the topic of your presentation. For example, if your topic is the importance of meeting efficiency you could use a statistic such as, "Most professionals attend a total of 61.8 meetings per month and research indicates that over 50 percent of this meeting time is wasted."

3. Tell a Joke
However, be sure that the joke is appropriate! If you have any doubts, select another joke or a different method. Also be sure that the joke is relevant to your topic and the speaking situation.

4. Tell a Relevant Story
Everyone loves a well-told story, especially a personal story that relates an experience you had with some aspect of the topic being discussed. People are drawn to hearing about the experiences of others, and stories provide an opportunity for the audience to get to know you.

5. Use a Quotation
With the help of the Internet, it’s easy to find a quote for just about any topic.

6. Make an Emphatic Statement
A powerful statement captures the attention of your audience and sets a dynamic tone for your presentation. For example, "It’s time to take control of your unproductive meetings. Refuse to let them eat away at your bottom line any longer!"

No matter which type of introduction you select, make it enthusiastic! If you’re interested in what you’re saying, the audience will have a reason to be. And remember to practice your introduction several times before presentation day because, as they say, you won’t get a second chance to make a great first impression.

Keeping your Audience Interested

You've been delivering your presentation for the last 30 minutes. You're using PowerPoint for your notes and visuals. You look into the audience and notice that people are yawning, looking at their watches, and fidgeting in their seats. How do you rescue this presentation from the doldrums?

If your audience is snoozing in their seats, you need a tried and true way of waking them up! The vast majority of readers stated that involving the audience in your presentation is the only sure-fire way to keep them focused. As one respondent put it, "No audience participation = sleep."

If your presentation isn't specifically tailored to encourage audience participation, don’t panic. Try one of the following suggestions:

	"Change tracks! Stop the presentation, pull up a blank slide and ask the audience to brainstorm with you. It’ll make the presentation interactive and the audience will feel there's a point to being there!"
	"Ask questions, move around the room. Skip over the boring ‘filler’ slides and get to the good stuff. Get the audience to brainstorm in anticipation of your next point."
	"Step away from the presentation (figuratively and literally) and pose some direct questions to the audience to wake them up and get them more involved. Cracking a joke is useful but what happens if it falls flat? Ugh!"
The other strategy favored by respondents is to get participants up and moving. Never underestimate the rejuvenating effects of a short break and some fresh air. As two of our readers suggest:
	"Ask everyone to stand up, stretch and shake their hands. In brain-based research it's called change of state. It’s very revitalizing! It is very normal behavior...give the poor audience a break!"
	"Make participants change seats, have an impromptu coffee break or fast-forward to the interactive part of the presentation to get the audience moving and speaking."

So the bottom line is, if you find that your presentation is more of a sedative than a stimulant, get your audience involved. Ask questions, open the floor up to discussion, get them to brainstorm with you – anything that gets people thinking! Alternatively, schedule a quick break. Get the blood flowing with a quick stretch, walk around the room or a seat swap. And next time you’re planning a presentation, schedule a quick break every 50 minutes. It’ll work wonders for audience morale.

Talk to the Hand

It's 3 pm on a Tuesday afternoon and you're delivering an important presentation to one of your company's most prestigious clients.

Things get off to a good start, your audiovisual equipment is working and there's no need to refer to your notes; you know this speech inside and out. You're a little nervous but that's to be expected. Besides, you have your trusty podium to hide behind between PowerPoint slides. You know it's important to connect with the audience so as you go through your presentation you glance at the picture on the back wall every so often – a little trick you picked up – to look like you're making eye contact.

Ten minutes into your "awesome" presentation you ask a question and no one responds. You look up from your PowerPoint show and glance around the room only to see bobbing heads, glazed-over eyes and…hey, the president of the company has dozed off. Oh no, it looks like instead of "knocking 'em dead," you've knocked 'em out!

The Real Challenge...
Unfortunately many people think that once they've organized all the information they need for a presentation, their work is over. In reality preparing is only half the work. The real work is holding people's interest long enough to get your point across. You can write the greatest speech in history but if you can't keep your audience's attention, how will they ever know?

To ensure your message is received loud and clear, try paying attention to body language – both your own and that of your audience.

Beat Boredom
You can greatly improve your presentations by simply paying attention to the messages you send your audience with your body language. Are you standing in the same spot for the entire presentation? Is your voice flat and uninteresting? Or maybe you aren't using any hand gestures to get your point across. All of these things can make a presentation a little boring.

Celeste Sulliman, Assistant Professor, Communication at UCCB, says one of the keys to keeping your audience interested is making eye contact with your entire audience, not just one or two people. "This draws the audience into your presentation and allows you to make an interpersonal connection with them."

Remember to move around! You don't have to do cartwheels, but do shift from one area of the room to another periodically. You might also try moving forward so you're closer to your audience instead of hiding out behind your podium.

Don't speak in a monotone voice as if you're reciting your speech word for word. Sulliman suggests that you be enthusiastic and animated. Speak to your audience in a conversational manner just as you would to someone in a business meeting.

Decoding the Silent Signals
You can also improve your presentation by noticing the messages your audience sends back to you through their own body language. Check out their reactions to what you're saying. Are people nodding their heads in agreement or are they just nodding off? If they look puzzled, stop and allow them to ask questions.

Watch for signals of boredom or misinterpretation. Are they leaning toward you to listen or are they sitting back with their arms folded? When members of your audience are slouched back in their seats letting their eyes wander it usually means they're uninterested in what you're saying. But if they're sitting back with their arms folded across their chest, staring at you, they may have been offended by something you've said. If you're paying close attention, you can catch this and clarify your statement without any negative feelings.

The best speakers make you feel as if they're having a normal conversation – not spewing out a memorized speech. So relax and remember these tips – they may just help you avoid turning your presentation into nap time.

To learn more about body language, visit:
www.top7business.com/archives/success/092298.html
www.usatoday.com/careers/news/usa024.htm

REFERENCE:
Celeste Sulliman, PhD. Assistant Professor, Communication, University College of Cape Breton. Personal communication. December 7, 2000.

Source: Merriam-Webster Collegiate Webster Dictionary

How to tell a better story

Think of the most impressive presentation you’ve ever seen. What made it so incredible? It’s likely the presenter told stories and shared anecdotes from his own life experiences. Effective storytelling is one of the most powerful tools a presenter has. Here are some ideas for improving your storytelling ability.

	Be 100% authentic. It’s best if you use experiences from your own life. You’ll tell these stories with more emotion and involvement than a second-hand story.
	Identify with the story. If you aren’t using your own, be sure it’s an event or emotion to which you can relate. If the story you’re using doesn’t remind you of an experience you’ve had, it may come across as hollow and fake to the audience.
	Relate your story to the content of your presentation. Telling a related story will reinforce your presentation’s central message. Without stories, presentations can become unmemorable information dumps. Give the audience something to take with them once the presentation is finished.
	Get involved emotionally and physically. Let your body, face, emotions and voice help you tell the story. This technique can effectively bring any audience member to the edge of his seat.
	Paint a vivid picture. Select simple but descriptive words. Address all senses in your storytelling – what were the sights, sounds and emotions associated with the particular scenes?
	Find opportunities to practice your story. The delivery should be smooth and easy – often this takes practice.
	Test your story, anecdote or joke. If you don’t get the response you’re looking for when telling it to a group of colleagues or friends, don’t use it in your presentation!
	Maintain a record of good stories you’ve heard or experiences you’d like to share with a future audience. Write them in a book or save them to a computer file. Source: Dale Carnegie, US teacher and writter

Creating Dynamic Presentations

Unless you've been caught in a time warp the last few years, you'll have realized that presentation tools are an integral part of delivering an effective presentation. Your presentation may have informative content and professional delivery, but if you really want to connect with your audience, you'll want to consider the use of interactive tools.

Dynamic Delivery
Short attention spans are the bane of every presenter's existence. If you feel that your audience is using your presentation as an opportunity to grab a quick nap, it might be time to start thinking about a more dynamic delivery style. A great way to add some pizzazz to your presentation is to use a variety of multimedia tools to get your point across. For example, present your message using a PowerPoint presentation and then back it up with a video. Or present a competitive analysis and refer to Web pages intermittently. That way, you're reinforcing your point (which helps combat those short attention spans) and your presentation is more persuasive because several types of information are supporting your initial claim.

AV Overload
Anyone who's presented with a variety of multimedia equipment will be aware of the technical frustrations involved in trying to seamlessly integrate computers, videos, and audio effects (to name a few). A handy solution is a mobile multimedia cabinet. A good cabinet will come pre-configured with all of the necessary cables and wires, so that your equipment can be set up by a professional before your presentation begins. You just wheel the cabinet into the meeting room, plug it in, and you're ready to go. No more wrestling with cables and connections in the middle of your presentation. Instead, you can focus on your message rather than your equipment.

Creative Collaborations
A great way to shift your presentation from mundane to mesmerizing is to include a brainstorming session. Involving the audience will make your presentation more interesting for everyone. Plus, people are more likely to pay attention if there is a chance they might be called on to participate. Interactive whiteboards are an ideal way to incorporate a brainstorming session into a presentation. An interactive whiteboard provides all the advantages of a computer, combined with a traditional whiteboard. Using an interactive whiteboard allows you to switch back and forth between computer-based information and a whiteboard surface. Plus, you can save all of your notes to a computer file once your presentation is over.

Use Your Intuition
If the thought of delivering a presentation makes you break out in a cold sweat, intuitive tools should be your best friend! Presenters often avoid integrating technology into their presentations because they don't want to deal with the extra headache of learning how to operate new tools. One way to minimize those fears is to use intuitive tools. Touch-sensitive computer screens, for example, are a great way to make your delivery more natural when you're delivering a computer-based presentation. Using a remote mouse feels unnatural and can break your train of thought. Turning around to fiddle with a computer will break your connection with the audience. A touch-sensitive screen lets you use your finger as a mouse, so you don't even need to think about using unfamiliar technology during your presentation. Interactive whiteboards are an excellent way to utilize this technology as they provide touch sensitivity in conjunction with annotation capabilities and have a screen that's large enough for presentations. Check out interactive whiteboard.

Presentations have evolved to the point where a flipchart and pointer are no longer enough to engage your audience's attention. Busy schedules and increasingly creative multimedia tools mean that you need to engage your audience's senses as well as attention. So next time you're planning a presentation, make sure you look at integrating interactivity into your delivery. Play a video, add sound effects, or create some great visual aids – your audience will thank you!

Education for All:Including Children with Disabilities

A part of article from education, the world bank.
An estimated 40 million of the 115 million children out of school have disabilities. The vast majority of these children have moderate impairments that are often not visible or easily diagnosed. Disabled children include those with learning difficulties, speech difficulties, physical, cognitive, sensory and emotional difficulties. Children with disabilities are likely to have never attended school. A 1991 report by the UN Rapporteur on Human Rights and Disabilities found that at least one in ten persons in the majority of countries has a physical, cognitive, or sensory (deaf/blind) impairment. Fewer than 5 % are believed to reach the EFA goal of primary school completion.
This number may be growing due to global conditions of increasing poverty, armed conflict, child labor practices, violence and abuse, and HIV/AIDS. Because these children are part of a family unit, it is estimated that at least 25% of the world population is directly affected by the presence of disability.
Disability may be the single most important factor excluding children from schooling; this means that the goal of EFA cannot be achieved simply by doing more of what we are already doing. Closing in on EFA will require new strategies to reach these children. Inclusive Education is one such strategy. It is based on the principle that all children should have the opportunity to learn, and that children learn best when they learn together. Inclusive Education programs equip
ordinary schools to recognize and respond to the needs of diverse students, including those who have traditionally been excluded—both from access to school and from equal participation in school. Inclusive Education focuses on the individual strengths that children bring to school rather than their perceived deficits, looking at whether children have the opportunity to take part in the normal life of the community or school, or whether there are physical and social barriers in the environment. Deaf and blind children will need teachers who can communicate in sign language and materials in Braille…for the vast majority of children with disability, it is the lack of schooling and not their disability that limits their opportunities.

Inclusive Education means that schools and teachers accommodate and respond to individual learners; this inclusiveness itself benefits the school, the teachers, and all students. It recognizes schools as communities of learners, education as a life-long pursuit, and the ultimate goal of healthy, productive citizens who contribute fully to the economic, social, and cultural life of countries, communities, and families.

Basic education and gender equality

Education is a basic human right, vital to personal and societal development and well being. All children deserve a quality education founded on a rights-based approach and rooted in the concept of gender equality. A rights-based approach to education will address inequalities in our societies that are deep-rooted and often gender-based. Such inequalities exclude millions of children, particularly girls, from school or condemn them to educational experiences of very poor quality.

Education enhances lives. It ends generational cycles of poverty and disease and provides the means for sustainable development. A quality basic education will better equip girls and boys with knowledge and skills needed to adopt healthy lifestyles, to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and to take an active role in social, economic and political decision-making as they transition to adolescence and adulthood. As educated adults, they are more likely to have fewer children, to be informed about appropriate child-rearing practices, and to ensure their children start school on time and are ready to learn.

UNICEF advocates quality basic education for all children — girls and boys — with an emphasis on gender equality and eliminating disparities of all kinds. In promoting equity, UNICEF focuses on the most disadvantaged children through a range of innovative programmes and initiatives in education. We work with a range of local, national and international partners to realize the education and gender equality goals established in the Millennium Development Goals and the Education for All Declaration and to bring about essential structural changes needed to achieve social justice and equity for all.

Scholarship: SEARCA Invites Applications for Graduate Scholarship in Agriculture

SEARCA invites applications for its graduate scholarship (MS and PhD) in agriculture and related fields (including biological sciences, social sciences, economics and statistics, forestry and fisheries, environmental sciences, agro-industrial technology and engineering, and biochemistry) for School Year 2009-2010. The scholarship is open to Southeast Asian nationals, including Indonesians, who are regular employees of academic or research institutions or government agencies and not older than 35 years old.

Applicants may submit their applications to the Head, Bureau for International Cooperation, Ministry of National Education (MONE) in Jakarta. The MONE then submits the list of applicants accompanied by the complete set of requirements to SEARCA not later than 30 July 2008. All applicants are required to check with their Ministries of Education for the deadline of applicants' submission set by the Ministry.

Any one of the following universities may serve as study posts of SEARCA scholars: Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia; Kasetsart University and Thammasat University, Thailand; Institut Pertanian Bogor, Universitas Gadjah Mada and University of Indonesia, all in Indonesia; University of the Philippines (UP) Los Banos, UP Diliman, and UP Visayas, Philippines; and National University of Singapore, Singapore. SEARCA reserves the right to make the final decision on the choice of the scholars' study post. Therefore, applicants are required to submit to SEARCA applications for admission to the Graduate Schools of at least three universities in the list.

The list of requirements for application as well as all the required forms for scholarship application and admission to the graduate study programs of universities where SEARCA scholars may study may be downloaded from the SEARCA website at http://www.searca.org.

The topic of the research that the applicants plan to conduct for their thesis must be in line with the thrusts of SEARCA (i.e., promotion of agricultural competitiveness, sustainable land use and water management, and biodiversity conservation by addressing economic and institutional constraints, expanding access to productive resources and technology, and strengthening local governance capability to deliver agricultural services).

SEARCA shall not evaluate applications with incomplete documents.

Applicants who are denied admission by the Graduate School concerned will not be considered for scholarship.

Interested parties may also contact the Graduate Scholarship Department of SEARCA via email at gsd@agri.searca.org or ecc@agri.searca.org.

S E A M E O

Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture
SEARCA, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines
Tel.: (63-49) 536-7164 • Fax: (63-49) 536 7097
Email: gsd@.agri.searca.org or ecc@.agri.searca.org

Scholarship: SEARCA SEED FUND FOR RESEARCH AND TRAINING

SOUTHEAST ASIA REGIONAL CENTER FOR GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH IN AGRICULTURE (SEARCA)

SEARCA SEED FUND FOR RESEARCH AND TRAINING

The Southeast Asian region has a number of promising researchers and scientists those desire to contribute to the region’s development through research and knowledge dissemination initiatives is hindered by lack of funds. This situation serves as a barrier to translating promising research and training into scientific outputs that could be applied to promote development.

To address this concern and in line with the Center’s thrusts of promoting, undertaking and coordinating research programs relevant to the agriculture and rural development needs of the region, SEARCA had allocated funds for the SEARCA Seed Fund for Research and Training (SFRT).

The SFRT is envisaged to provide chosen research and training project proposals with limited start-up funds intended to enhance chances of securing long-term support from donor agencies. The SFRT will provide a maximum of $15,000.

All project proposals should be received by SEARCA on or before 01 August 2008.

Please find the attached guidelines for the SFRT application.

SFRT Secretariat

Download the guidelines here: http://brawijaya.ac.id/main/news/id/beasiswa/download/sfrt_guidelines.zip

10 TIPS FOR PUBLIC SPEAKING

May be this tips can use for teaching
F eeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and healthy. It shows you care about doing well. But too much nervousness can be detrimental. Here’s how you can control your nervousness and make effective, memorable presentations:

1. Know the room.
Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
2. Know the audience.
Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
3. Know your material.
If you’re not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.
4. Relax.
Ease tension by doing exercises.
5. Visualize yourself giving your speech.
Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.
6. Realize that people want you to succeed.
Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They don’t want you to fail.
7. D o n ’t apologize.
If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience’s attention to something they hadn’t noticed. Keep silent.
8. Concentrate on the message – not the medium.
Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and outwardly toward your message and your audience. Your nervousness will dissipate.
9. Turn nervousness into positive energy .
Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.
10. Gain experience.
Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters Club
can provide the experience you need.

Positive Affirmations: Use Your Self-Talk To Create What You Want

Affirmations are simply statements that we make to ourselves; it's our self-talk. You use affirmations all the time, whether you're doing so intentionally or unintentionally. If you make a mistake and you think to yourself, "I'm always making mistakes, I never do anything right", you've just made a negative affirmation. If instead you make a mistake and you think to yourself, "That's OK, I have the ability to correct this", you've just made a positive affirmation.

Your self-talk has an enormous impact on your conscious and subconscious minds. By repeating positive affirmations you can reprogram your thought patterns. Creating new thought patterns will allow you to begin to change your underlying beliefs and the way that you think and feel about yourself, others, and your place in the world. In this way, you can improve your life dramatically through the use of daily positive affirmations.

Choosing Your Affirmations

Shakti Gawain, author of Creative Visualization, offers the following advice for choosing your affirmations:

1. Always phrase your affirmations in the present tense, as if it already exists. Say "I enjoy being at my ideal weight" instead of saying "I will reach my ideal weight."
2. Affirm what you want, not what you don't want. Instead of saying "I am no longer a procrastinator", say "I always get things done on time."
3. Don't simply go through your affirmations by rote; add positive feelings and emotions to your affirmations.
4. Choose affirmations that feel right for you. If you come across an affirmation that you like but you would feel more comfortable changing a couple of words, go right ahead.

You Have To Be Able to Believe Your Affirmations

Whenever you choose to change anything in your life, you’re choosing to move out of your present comfort zone. We should always strive to grow and expand our definition of ourselves and of what we are capable of. However, you have to make sure that your affirmations are not so far off from where you are at the moment that there’s no way you can get yourself to believe what you’re affirming.

If you don't believe the affirmations you're saying to yourself, then you need to start with a less ambitious affirmation and gradually make your affirmations bigger and bigger. For example, if you currently make $3,000.00 a month, it may be difficult for you to believe "I am now making $50,000.00 a month". However, you can probably believe the following affirmation: "I am now making $4,500.00, or more, a month". As you move forward and begin to see results you can progressively increase this number until you do feel comfortable affirming that you make over half a million dollars a year.

Repeat Your Affirmations Often

There is much power in repetition. Positive affirmations are not something that you do once in a while, instead, you should expose your mind to the affirmations that you choose for yourself as often as possible. In the words of Robert Collier: “Constant repetition carries conviction.”

Write down your affirmations and place them where you can refer to them often (you can even carry them around in your wallet). You can say them out loud to yourself every morning when you wake up and at night before going to bed, or you can set aside a few minutes each day to scribble them on a sheet of paper several times to help reinforce the message in your mind.

Taping the affirmations in your own voice and listening to the tape while you're relaxing—or, even better, meditating-- has had extraordinary effects for countless people. Louise Hay, author of the International bestseller “You Can Heal Your Life”, recommends that you sing or chant your affirmations. Some people leave a CD with positive affirmations playing softly in the background while they sleep at night.

In addition, there are several programs that allow affirmations to flash on and off on your computer screen unobtrusively, helping to program these affirmations into your subconscious.

Release Any Negative Feelings that Arise

Negative feelings can act as self-imposed stop signs to getting what you want in life. If you feel any discomfort, self-doubt, fear, anger, and so on when saying your affirmations, you need to let go or release these negative feelings. One way to do this is by using the Sedona Method. As stated before, you have to add positive feelings and emotions to your affirmations, and if negative feelings are getting in the way, you need to be able to let go of them.

Your self-talk can either prevent you from getting what you want in life, or it can be a powerful catalyst for creating the life you’ve always wanted. Create a daily practice of using positive affirmations to help motivate, support, and inspire you to go after your dreams.

By Marelisa Fabrega

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Positive_Affirmations_Use_Your_Self-Talk_To_Create_What_You_Want.html

China – AUN Scholarship 2008

The ASEAN University Network (AUN) Secretariat in collaboration with the China Scholarship Council had launch China – AUN Scholarship 2008 Program. The program offers 20 full scholarships for students from AUN Member Universities.

The scholarship covers registration fee, tuition fee, fee for laboratory experiment, fee for internship, fee for basic learning materials and intramural accommodation, living allowance, a one-off settlement subsidy, fee for outpatient medical services, comprehensive medical insurance and benefit plans for international students in China, and fee for a one-off inter-city travel.

Categories of Applicants and Duration of Scholarship:
1. This scheme sponsors postgraduate studies with the duration of two to six academic years.
2. The courses will be taught in English or in Chinese. Candidates whose courses are taught in Chinese are required to take 1-2 years remedial Chinese language prior to the major study if their Chinese language level does not meet the requirement.

Eligibility:
1. Applicants must be citizens of the member states of ASEAN and in good health.
2. Applicants for master degree studies must have bachelor’s degree and be under the age of 35
3. Applicants for doctoral degree studies must have master’s degree and be under the age of 40.

Please check the Directory of the Chinese Institutions Admitting International Students under Chinese Government Scholarship Program at the website of CSC (http://www.csc.edu.cn) for details. Enclosed also please find the following documents:
1. Application Procedures for China – AUN Scholarship

2. Application form for Chinese Government Scholarship and Foreigner Physical Examination form.

Using Your Senses for Fast Learning

The learning experts call them modalities. You probably call them senses. They are the five common senses with which we experience our world. The ways in which the senses are related to our short and long term memories constitute our natural learning modalities. This article will clarify how modalities are the pathways for learning; then it will help you identify your preferred modalities and finally it will give you concrete ways to learn faster by using your modalities consciously.

Modality generally refers to our hard wiring: how our nervous system brings information in, links that information to what we already know and allows us to bring the knowledge out and use it.

The visual modality refers to what we see and images we remember. Auditory refers to what we hear: how things sound. Kinesthetic refers to knowing through touch or by doing. Olfactory indicates smell (our most acute and least used sense). Gustatory refers to taste.

As infants, we are all pretty much kinesthetic/gustatory; we learn by putting things in our mouth. This being violently discouraged by adults we quickly learn to learn through our eyes and ears. We put less faith in our feelings or the tastes left in our mouths as ways of learning or judging.

You'll know you're visual if you need pictures to understand ideas and concepts. Visual people think in pictures. They are likely to accompany their speech with visuals. They may talk fast and use words like “picture”, “see”, “glimpse”, “shape”, “looks” etc.

If you're a visual, you'll do well to look for and create pictures, charts, maps, diagrams. Color chapters in your texts. Take notes in different colors. Use collages, painting and drawing to study. To review, close your eyes and see what you remember.

The auditory folks tune into rhythm, pace, tone and pitch. They remember how things sound and may translate learning into rap or poetry. They are often musical and speak in more modulated tones. Auditories do well with tape recorders, lectures and discussion. Playing specific types of music in the background while learning can make it go fast and be fun. Making rhyming or cutesy sounding lists will help the auditory remember well.

The kinesthetic people speak the slowest. They are feeling their way through life and often cannot learn unless they are doing something. They say, “I get it.” when they understand, and “That doesn't fit.” when they don't.

Kinesthetics need to move! If you're one, take BIG notes and always imagine yourself doing something with the material you are learning. If possible, skip the books and lectures and go directly to the action required to use what you're learning.

We are all olfactory as smell is the sense that connects with long-term memory. You smell fresh baked bread and are IN grandma's kitchen. Take advantage of this by using different spices in various chapters of your text or carry a fragrant teabag to your next lecture. Peppermint is always good.

Since learning is, in part, bringing something into ourselves, eating can support rapid acquisition of information as well as calories. The key here, as with smell, is to create a solid and discreet association between a taste and something we want to integrate cognitively, experientially, emotionally or imaginatively. Use mints while learning a new program, butterscotch when learning to budget, chocolate when studying new regulations.

All the above methods work as “jumping-off places” to creative and rapid learning. Just by focusing on “How DO I learn?” you'll get faster and have more fun. The sweet smell of success will be in the air wafting in the breeze, which blows the rustling leaves warmly against your skin.

written by: Chance Massaro and Steve Wallis

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Wallis1.html