Educating tourists about what they can do to help improve sustainability when on holidays is a key aspect of a new Australian Research Council Discovery Project awarded to Griffith’s Institute for Tourism as well as the Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management.

Professor Susanne Becken, Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) and Associate Professor Alexandra Coghlan (TSHM) have been awarded $457, 871 for the study: Persuading Tourists to use Fewer Natural Resources When on Holidays.

Professor Becken said tourists are faced with limited choices and information about how they can improve their carbon footprint while on holidays due to tourism products becoming standardised.

Director of GIF, Professor Susanne Becken

Director of Griffith Institute for Tourism, Professor Susanne Becken

“The air conditioning is usually set at 18 degrees and tourists don’t really know how to alter the setting or even turn it off while many rooms don’t even have windows to open,” she said.

“Visitors are not really able to make environmentally-friendly decisions.”

The expert in sustainable tourism believes if you equip people with the right information that makes it easier for them to be more sustainable, then they’ll happily come on board.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) announced the outcomes of the Discovery Projects 2020 and Linkage Projects 2019 (applications submitted between 9 May 2019 and 25 June 2019). Griffith University has been awarded a total $3,376,073 across the two schemes.

Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Andrea Bishop said the funding would strengthen a range of important research projects andaffirmsthe University’s standing as a leading research institutionthat delivers research outcomes of real consequence.

“This funding supports both ongoing and new projects in the University across a wide range of health disciplines,’’ she said.

ARC Discovery Project 2020:

Dr Timothy Gould (Queensland Micro & Nanotechnology Centre), Professor Leeor Kronik, (Weizmann Institute of Science), awarded $450,000 for the project Preparing Quantum Chemistry for the Second Quantum Revolution

Professor Xiangdong Yao and Dr Xuecheng Yan (Queensland Micro & Nanotechnology Centre) awarded $450,000 for the project Controllable Synthesis of Defects in Catalysts for Electrocatalysis

Professor Michele Foster (Menzies Health Institute Queensland), A/Prof Kylie Burns and A/Prof Susan Harris-Rimmer (Griffith Law School), awarded $276,968 for the project Adjudicating Rights for a Sustainable National Disability Insurance Scheme

Professor Bernd Rehm (Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery), Prof Neil Foster (Curtin University) and Prof Linda Lua (University of Queensland), awarded $510,000 for the project Enhancing Biopharmaceuticals: A Disruptive Bioseparation Resin Technology

Professor Huijun Zhao, Dr Yuhai Dou (Environmental Futures Research Institute), and Prof Chun-Ting He (Jiangxi Normal University), awarded $515,000 for the project Atomically Thin 3d Transition Metal Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting

Professor Susanne Becken (Griffith Institute for Tourism), A/Prof Alexandra Coghlan (Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management), and Prof Xavier Font (University of Surrey), awarded $457,871 for the project Persuading Tourists to use Fewer Natural Resources When on Holidays

Professor Michael Jennings (Institute for Glycomics) awarded $480,234 for the project Genetic Basis of Variable Expression of Glycan Xeno-Autoantigens by Cattle

ARC Linkage Project 2019:

Professor Maxime Aubert and Dr Jillian Huntley (Centre for Social and Cultural Research) are members of a University of Notre Dame Australia awarded Linkage Project titled Aboriginal rock art and cultural heritage management in Cape York Peninsula/

In addition, the following researchers are involved in ARC Discovery Projects administered through other organisations:

Professor Rod Connolly(Australian Rivers Institute) is a Chief Investigator on a Deakin University awarded Discovery Project titledFormation and stabilisation of coastal blue carbon.

Professor Fiona Paisley (Griffith Centre for Social & Cultural Research) and colleagues from the University of Melbourne were awarded $369,000 for the project Progressive education and race: A transnational Australian history 1920-50s.

Associate Professor Tara McGee (Griffith Criminology Institute) and colleagues from the University of Queensland awarded $560,468 for the project Child & Adolescent Victimisation: Prevalence & Predictors in Australia.

Associate Professor Danielle Reynald (Griffith Criminology Institute_ and colleagues from Monash University awarded $365,706 for the project Everyday guardianship: A space time approach to crime prevention.

Associate Professor Sara Davies (Griffith Business School) and colleagues from Monash University awarded $354,415.00 for the project The Impact of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence on the Dynamics of Conflict.

Professor Evan Gray (School of Environment and Science) and colleagues from Curtin University awarded $390,000.00 for the project A thermal battery for dish-Stirling concentrated solar power systems.

Professor John Headrick (School of Medical Science) and colleagues from The University of Queensland awarded $440,000 for the project Understanding how an old heart gets stiff.

Associate Professor Qin Li (Queensland Micro & Nanotechnology Centre) and colleagues from Flinders University awarded $485,000 for the project Controlling nano-carbon complexity and function.