Queensland College of Art graduate Dylan Mooney is making waves in the art industry, with his work featured on Google, at the National Gallery of Victoria and gracing the cover of Rolling Stone Australia magazine.

The proud Yuwi, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander artist and illustrator created a special edition cover for a double-length issue of Rolling Stone, celebrating the 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time.

“I read Rolling Stone magazine growing up and this brought together my love for music and the chance to do work that celebrates Australia’s greatest artists,” he said.

“I also took this job in the hope that this opportunity for me opens the door for more Indigenous artists.”

Dylan’s work, Stuck on You, features in QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection exhibition, currently on show at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Stuck on You, 2020, Dylan Mooney

He was the youngest artist to be included in the exhibition and Dylan’s work has received critical acclaim — drawing inspiration from his queer culture, ancient Indigenous storytelling and comic book illustration.

“I always think of my past and history and am very conscious of the idea that our culture is surviving, thriving,” he said.

“We’ve always adapted to this ever-changing world: I’m Indigenous, queer and I am building my own path.”

Dylan was also commissioned by Google to create a Google Doodle celebrating First Nations activist Pearl Gibbs. ⁠

Pearl Mary (Gambanyi) Gibbs was a prominent female First Nations advocate for the rights of Indigenous Australians, women and children.

“It was important to me not only because of the work Aunty Pearl Gibbs has done for Aboriginal people, but also her work with women and children. She created change for our people to keep thriving,” he said.

“Being approached by a big company such as Google was a bit overwhelming. But I’m so proud to have worked with Google and Aunty Pearl Gibbs’ family to bring this work to life.”

Dylan said the series of high-profile commissions had allowed him to dream big.

“All of this is beyond what I thought I was going to achieve,” he admitted.

“My work is reaching new audiences and I’m excited about taking my career international.

“I hope it gives other First Nations artist a sense that we can accomplish anything and go places.

Dylan said his time at the Queensland College of Art allowed him to take his practice to the next level.

“I started in high school and really loved art and my mum put me into art lessons outside of school where I was taught portraiture.

“I then enrolled in the Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art at Griffith.

“From there I was able to take my art further and really think about themes/concepts that I want to focus on.

“It’s led to more opportunities in the art industry and working with other mob.”

Dylan is now represented by the N.Smith Gallery in Sydney.

“What brings me the most joy from my work is getting to tell these stories of my people, my culture and community,” he said.

Researchers have worked out how to successfully switch off a key pathway of nerve fibre breakdown in debilitating neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and glaucoma.

The study, led by Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics and Disarm® Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, reveals the structural processes behind activation and inhibition of SARM1, a key molecule in the destruction of nerve fibres.

Dr Thomas Ve, ARC Future Fellow & NHMRC InvestigatorInstitute for Glycomics

“As a trigger for nerve fibre degeneration, understanding how the enzyme SARM1 works may help us treat several neurodegenerative conditions,” said Dr Thomas Ve from the Institute for Glycomics.

“In this study we show the molecular interactions that can switch SARM1 on and off. This gives us a clear avenue for the design of new drug therapeutics.”

In neurodegenerative conditions like peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), traumatic brain injury and glaucoma, when the nerve fibres are damaged, SARM1 is activated.

“This sparks a cascade of molecular processes that leads to the self-destruction of the nerve cell’s axon, the cable that carries electric impulse away from the body of the nerve cell to the next,’’ Dr Ve said.

”Several times thinner than a human hair, but up to a metre in length for those that extend from the braindown the spinal cord, their destruction can lead to catastrophic dysfunction.”

Co-author Dr Yun Shi said the SARM1 protein acts like a sensor that responds to the environment.

“It switches on when the levels of a small activator molecule nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) increase. The activator binds to the larger SARM1 protein like a key in a lock, opening the door to the process that leads to the breakdown of the nerve fibres.”

Once unlocked, SARM1 is able to break down another key molecule called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a cellular fuel that nerve fibres need to function and stay alive.

The researchersused NMR spectroscopy to demonstrate how SARM1 consumes NAD+ and, more importantly, reveal the molecular details involved in blocking this process.

“We introduced a chemical developed by our industry partner Disarm Therapeutics and demonstrated that it reacts with the NAD+ molecule and binds tightly to SARM1 to prevent further breakdown of NAD+.

“As a result, this chemical blocks the destructive pathway in nerve cells and may be used to improve some neurodegenerative conditions,” Dr Shi said.

The study also used structural biology tools (cryo-electron microscopy and x-ray crystallography) to determine for the first time a structure of SARM1 in complex with an inhibitor and to reveal the structural changes involved in opening the lock that activates SARM1.

“Moving forward, the goal is to build on these results, to make improved molecules to turn off this pathway which are more specific towards SARM1. If this can be achieved, it can ultimately lead to new treatments for patients suffering a variety of neurological conditions”.

Professor Mark von Itzstein AO,Director of the Institute for Glycomics, welcomed this important breakthrough, discovered through the Institute’s engagement with industry.

“New strategies towards solving neurodegenerative diseases have become increasingly important due to the enormous impact on the quality of life of those that suffer with these conditions.”

The study has been published in the journal Molecular Cell. The Griffith team worked in collaboration with the group of Professor Bostjan Kobe at University of Queensland, and the groups of Professors Aaron DiAntonio and Jeffrey Milbrandt at Washington University, St Louis, USA.

Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics’ malaria vaccine researchers are one step closer to conducting human clinical trials for a malaria vaccine that can be freeze-dried for easy transportation to malaria endemic countries.

Announced on the five-year anniversary (March 23) of the Malaria Vaccine Project, the Phase 1 clinical trial will test the vaccine, PlasProtecT, in human volunteers in Australia to confirm its safety and efficacy.

The Malaria Vaccine Project, a joint fundraising partnership between Rotary District 9640 and Griffith University, has raised $1.34M from Australian Rotary Clubs, the Medical Research Future Fund, and generous community donors over the past five years.

Lead researcher Dr Danielle Stanisic said this whole parasite malaria vaccine was the first of its kind because it could be freeze-dried into a powder or frozen without losing its effectiveness.

“This means it can be easily deployed into malaria-endemic countries where there were an estimated 627,000 deaths due to the disease in 2020.”

Co-research lead and Laboratory Head, Professor Michael Good AO, said the approach taken with this vaccine should protect against the multitude of parasite strains circulating in the field.

He said without the support and hard work of Rotary and the members of the Malaria Vaccine Committee, chaired by Emeritus Professor Graham Jones AM, the clinical trial would not be possible.

“Further funding is still needed to test the vaccine for its effectiveness in preventing malaria infection.”

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. It is endemic in 87 countries with more than 200 million cases each year, resulting in over 600,000 deaths, mostly children under the age of five.

Existing control strategies for the mosquito and malaria parasite are becoming increasingly less effective due to the resistance against insecticides and anti-malarial drugs.

“A highly effective malaria vaccine is urgently needed to reduce malaria disease and death and move towards the ultimate goal of eradication,’’ Professor Good said.

The researchers hope to hold the trial in late 2022.

Griffith undergraduate Campbell Jones contributed to two focal projects for the Reserve Bank of Fiji as part of an Asia-focused internship program offered by Griffith Asia Institute.

As a 2021 Griffith Asia Business Internship (GABI) participant, Campbell was given the opportunity to work within the bank’s Economics and Financial Services departments, where he put into practice learning from his Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Commerce double degree.

He worked on a study of Australian tourism and also made key contributions to the bank’s 2022-2026 Financial Literacy Plan for Women, Children and People with a Disability in Fiji.

“I’m quite surprised that the financial literacy part I was writing will actually be in the financial literacy plan for the next four years,” says Campbell.

“This is a great contribution and was definitely a highlight of my internship.”

No ordinary internship program, GABI was developed by the Griffith Asia Institute to facilitate personal and professional development and improve “Asia literacy” for students.

Participants are challenged to build skills, establish international industry connections and develop their cultural capacity, a process kickstarted by the internship’s Asia Ready Program, where students prepare for placement with cultural lessons, language classes, and industry partner engagement.

Destination countries–where the Griffith Business School and the Griffith Asia Institute have relationships with various industry partners–include China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Malaysia.

Campbell, one of 39,2021 GABI placements, had to quickly adapt to the Fijian business environment.

“In Fijian work culture there are certain ways of addressing different people with their title and then their name, this is different to Australia.

“This took a little while to get used to but was quite interesting to learn.”

Campbell also says his GABI supervisor with the Reserve Bank of Fiji was an expert in her field of study, allowing him to cement classroom theory with real experience and guidance.

“Being able to bounce off things that I have always wondered about in economics and learned about in textbooks, but never actually seen them used in real life, and asking someone in the field about its applicability was great,” he says.

GABI placements are conducted in Trimester 3 each year, with applications for both in-county and remote internships open from Trimester 1.

Discover more about GABI at griffith.edu.au/asia-institute/global-wil-internships.

After bushfires ravaged parts of Australia in 2019-2020, a variety of native wildlife species faced a multitude of risks to their populations with the destruction of natural habitats and food sources.

Associate Professor Guy Castley on the lookout.

Among those were the South-Eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoos, which are found along the East of Australia from South-East Queensland to Eastern Victoria.

On Saturday, March 26, volunteer citizen scientists will join ecologists for the Great Glossy Count, a national survey being coordinated by BirdLife Australia and the Glossy Black Conservancy to collect data that supports vital bushfire recovery and conservation work for the South-Eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo.

Associate Professor Guy Castley from Griffith University’s School of Environment and Science and Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security is a partner of the Glossy Black Conservancy. He said the event would collect important data about where the cockatoo are and how they may have responded to the recent bushfires.

“Glossy Black-Cockatoos were severely impacted by prolonged droughts and subsequent severe bushfires which raged across Australia in 2019-20, destroying feed trees and essential habitat,” Associate Professor Castley said.

“The species faces a number of threats, but the primary driver is habitat loss across much of its range. More recently, the remaining habitat has been severely affected by the bushfires, but also extended drought. These compound effects reduce the availability of foraging and nesting habitat.

Glossy Black Cockatoos only feed on sheoak trees. Credit: Guy Castley

“In coastal areas, ongoing urban development can also threaten the species as more habitat is cleared and what remains becomes more fragmented.”

The South-Eastern Glossy Black Cockatoo’s national conservation status is currently under review, however it could soon be listed as ‘Vulnerable’ at a national level (it has been previously listed separately by each state).

Associate Professor Castley said citizen scientists were therefore crucial to learning more about the species and threats to their habitat.

“This species is in decline due to the threats above but the rates may vary from one region to the next,” he said.

“The overall population is estimated at less than 10,000 mature birds in the latest Action Plan for Australian Birds but is declining in many areas.

“We need to collect data to improve our understanding of how a specialised species such as the South-Eastern Glossy Black Cockatoo is able to recovery from such events and which areas might serve as important refugia.”

The Great Glossy Count is presented by BirdLife Australia and the Glossy Black Conservancy. It is funded by Birdlife Australia supporters and a grant awarded under the Australian Government’s Regional Bushfire Recovery for Multiregional Species and Strategic Projects Program.

Pandemic travel restrictions and global uncertainty didn’t stop Griffith’s Chaerin Lim from excelling in Griffith University’s Asia-centric business internship, where she worked for Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) in Seoul, South Korea.

The Griffith Asia Business Internship (GABI) program places outstanding business undergraduates within Griffith industry partners in China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Malaysia. When coronavirus hit, Chaerin returned home to South Korea to complete her Bachelor of International Tourism and Hotel Management online, then flipped the remote learning to intern in-person with the TEQ office in Seoul.

Chaerin was guided by her supervisor and colleagues and was responsible for liaising with travel agencies on behalf of TEQ, managing blog posts and translating the TEQ homepage.

“They gave me a lot of opportunities to work on various tasks so I could accumulate my work experience with the organisation,” she says.

“I learned professional skills related to the tourism areas, for example how to promote destinations to tourists and translation styles to attract more tourists to Australia.”

“Maybe the most important skill that I learned was adapting to a new situation by being open to new ideas.”

Chaerin Lim meets remotely.

Highlighting the value and flexibility of the GABI program, following the completion of her internship, Chaerin is already progressing towards her career goal.

Her GABI work with Tourism and Events Queensland has already led to Chaerin securing a second internship, this time with the prestigious Korean Culture Diplomatic Mission.

“The GABI internship program is very beneficial for my future because, specifically in South Korea, almost every organisation is looking for employees with prior work experience,” she says.

GABI was developed by the Griffith Asia Institute to facilitate personal and professional development among Griffith students and improve their “Asia literacy”.

Participants are challenged to build skills, establish international industry connections and develop their cultural capacity, a process kickstarted by the internship’s Asia Ready Program, where students prepare for placement with cultural lessons and language classes.

Chaerin, one of 39 GABI placements in 2021, says the internship added tangible value to her CV, helping her overcome the “experience required” condition many graduates struggle to clear.

GABI placements are conducted in Trimester 3 each year, with applications for both in-county and remote internships open from Trimester 1.

For more information about the program, visit griffith.edu.au/asia-institute/global-wil-internships.

Driving farming production and disease prevention through artificial intelligence technologies is the key aim of an Australian Research Council Research Hub, which has been officially unveiled at the hub’s host site at Griffith University.

Griffith University Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans greets Senator Amanda Stoker and acting ARC Chief Executive Officer Judi Zielke.

Senator the Honourable Amanda Stoker, Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General, Assistant Minister for Women, Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations, and acting ARC Chief Executive Officer Judi Zielke PSM joined Griffith University Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans, Pro Vice Chancellor (Sciences) Professor Andrew Smith and Hub Director Professor Yongsheng Gao to officially launch the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Driving Farming Productivity and Disease Prevention.

The hub received Australian Government funding of $5 million through the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Research Program in 2018.

Professor Gao said the Hub combined world-leading capabilities in image processing, machine learning, robotics, and software, with additional input from experts in agronomy, biology, water use, and farming technology.

“We want to help growers grow better produce and lower their costs using the wealth of technologies that we have at our disposal,” Professor Gao said

Bay lobsters are monitored by the research team at Australian Bay Lobster Producers.

“The Hub is now performing on a larger scale to help transform the agriculture and aquaculture industries into highly efficient productions.”

As a direct result of the research carried out within the Hub, new technology has been introduced into both testing and production environments at Australian Bay Lobster Producers Limited, Sunray Strawberries, and Davco Agriculture, improving efficiency and revolutionising the way business is carried out.

Australian Bay Lobster Producers Limited

Sunray Strawberries

Hub Director Professor Yongsheng Gao.

Davco Agriculture

While the Hub is hosted by Griffith University, it unites world-class, multi-disciplinary teams from partner organisations including the University of Sydney, the University of Adelaide, the University of Western Australia, Monash University and Deakin University, the CSIRO, and industry partners comprising Davco Agriculture, Sunray Strawberries, Next VPU, Australian Bay Lobster Producers Limited and Aquarius Technologies.

Some therapies successful in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may help us better understand how to tackle debilitating mosquito-borne viral diseases, new Griffith University research has found.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Ross River virus (RRV) are transmitted by mosquitoes, and infection causes severe arthritis, muscle pain and fever, and there are currently no specific drugs or therapies to prevent this.

“The disease caused by these viral infections bears several similarities with a form of auto-immune arthritis known as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA),’’ said lead author Dr Ali Zaid from Menzies Health Institute Queensland.

“In severe RA, patients express high levels of an immune molecule called Interleukin-17 (or IL-17), which is a target of new anti-arthritis drugs.”

In two new studies published in PLoS Pathogens and mBio, the authors asked whether IL-17 was also seen in CHIKV and RRV infections, and whether it could be similarly targeted to reduce arthritic disease.

In collaboration with Professor Roque Almeida from the University Hospital, Federal University of Sergipe in Brazil, the research team analysed serum samples from CHIKV-infected patients collected during the 2019 outbreak in northern Brazil and found while some patients with acute disease showed elevated IL-17 levels, chronic CHIKV patients showed a significantly higher increase in levels compared to healthy controls.

“When we looked at serum samples from Ross River virus patients from the Dubbo Infection Outcomes Study (DIOS) in collaboration with Professor Andrew Lloyd from the University of New South Wales, levels of IL-17 were also elevated, which prompted us to ask whether this molecule was driving disease,’’ said Helen Mostafavi, whose PhD project investigated the role of IL-17 in RRV infection.

“Using an experimental mouse model of viral arthritis, we found that targeting IL-17 in virus-infected mice ameliorated disease and reduced inflammation, thus demonstrating that some therapies that have been successful in treating RA could be of potential benefit to treat people with alphavirus disease.”

However, the authors found that a complete lack of IL-17 was not necessarily ideal: genetically modified mice that lack IL-17 showed an increase in viral RNA in the post-acute phase of disease – despite showing reduced inflammation.

Co-author Dr Xiang Liu said the findings had implications for viral persistence and targeting IL-17 in alphavirus disease should be approached with caution.

In a separate study published in mBio, the authors investigated the role of a protein called TRIF, which cells use to ‘sense’ viral RNA and start a strong antiviral response, which alerts neighbouring cells.

Using genetically modified mice that lack the TRIF protein, the authors found that TRIF was needed to help generate neutralising antibodies against RRV.

“This was surprising because we knew that TRIF was very important in early antiviral responses (i.e., soon after infection), but we found this molecule was also important in supporting antibody responses that provide long-term immunity and reduce persistent viral infections,’’ Dr Liu said.

“These findings give new insights into how different arms of the immune response cooperate to ensure long-lasting defence against viruses like CHIKV and RRV and will pave the way into the development of new immunotherapies to treat these diseases.”

Australian Red Cross has temporarily established its Emergency Operations Command Centre at Griffith University’s Nathan campus due to the floods.

The core operational team will be working 24/7 from Griffith’s Disaster and Resilience Management Facility (DRMF) housed in Griffith’s new Engineering, Technology and Aviation building which is purpose-built for just such a scenario.

“The DMRF has been designed to enable improved disaster management and decision support,’’ said Professor Cheryl Desha from the School of Engineering and Built Environment.

“It’s used for research and scenario planning, as well as activation training for disaster response and recovery. We are on a hill, with good access and great spaces.

“We are delighted to be able to offer the Red Cross a home to enable their continued disaster response efforts. It is an important facet of our partnership MoU.”

Red Cross State Emergency Services Manager and acting Queensland Director Collin Sivalingum said the organisation’s Milton facility was unavailable due to flooding.

“We are excited to move to the Griffith facility, where we have somewhere safe for our staff and volunteers and can continue to help those most in need,’’ he said.

“With further rain forecast it’s an anxious wait for affected communities and our teams will be working tirelessly during this time.”

Professor Desha said Griffith had been working with government and industry partners over the past two year to plan ahead for activating the facility in situations like this.

“It feels good to be using our university buildings to serve communities in crisis. The MOU between Red Cross and Griffith University defines an important partnership on a range of opportunities ranging from student placements through to research and capacity building.”

Time for Australian feminist climate diplomacy

This International Women’s Day we recognise the contribution of women and girls around the world, who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response, to build a more sustainable future for all. 

This is the critical decade for climate action and all foreign policy interventions will be judged against this global challenge. To meet this challenge, it is time for Australia to adopt the focus and techniques of feminist foreign policy.  It is well established that Australia’s reticence to act on climate change is undermining our diplomatic relationships, particular with our near neighbours in the Pacific. As a collective action problem, climate change requires nations to look beyond their own narrowly defined interests and seek collective global solutions.  

Feminist foreign policy provides a lens through which we can see climate action as a shared priority, a human security and human rights issue, and one which is central to Australia’s relationships with the region. Additionally, as a framework which emphasises the need for policy coherence between domestic and international issues, feminist foreign policy highlights the need for Australia to take domestic action on climate change in order to fulfil our international role. 

Critically, the impacts of climate change are gendered, and so the solutions must be informed by rigorous gender analysis. Feminist foreign policy, with its focus on understanding and transforming the systemic drivers of inequality and marginalization, can further our understanding of the historical contributions of nations to climate change and rebalance of the scales towards the most marginalized who face the greatest impacts

Climate Diplomacy for the Critical Decade

The latest IPPC Sixth Assessment Report on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation (2022) has recognized this need for feminist climate diplomacy, stating that not only are the impacts of climate change heavily gendered, intersectional solutions that promote just and equitable mitigation and adaptation actions to support sustainable development can lessen climate risk: 

Structural vulnerabilities to climate change can be reduced through carefully designed and implemented legal, policy, and process interventions from the local to global that address inequities based on gender, ethnicity, disability, age, location and income (very high confidence). 

This includes rights-based approaches that focus on capacity-building, meaningful participation of the most vulnerable groups, and their access to key resources, including financing, to reduce risk and adapt (high confidence). 

Evidence shows that climate resilient development processes link scientific, Indigenous, local, practitioner and other forms of knowledge, and are more effective and sustainable because they are locally appropriate and lead to more legitimate, relevant and effective actions (high confidence). 

To date, Australian diplomacy has not fulfilled this brief. Instead, Australian foreign policy as expressed through the 2017 White Paper has relegated climate issues as just another risk to the region, low on the list. Our national plan takes a technology-driven, neoliberal market solutions approach in which gender is not mentioned once, not to mention other kinds of knowledge and approaches to climate change such as First Nations perspectives. 

This IWD we provide practical recommendations for short- and long-term goals for Australia’s climate action – including immediate priorities for COP27.

“Evidence shows that climate resilient development processes link scientific, Indigenous, local, practitioner and other forms of knowledge, and are more effective and sustainable because they are locally appropriate and lead to more legitimate, relevant and effective actions”

Storm and flooding in Fiji

Short and long-term priorities for feminist climate diplomacy

Australia’s short-term goal must be to take to a much more ambitious national climate action plan (NDC) and Long-Term Strategies to COP27 in November. The long-term goal must be to reorganise DFAT to enable it to tackle the centrality of climate change as a human security risk, acknowledging that current diplomatic methods might also need to adjust. Australia should prioritise working with our Pacific neighbours on climate diplomacy (see further IWDA recommendations here). 

To this end: 

COP27 gender recommendations (in line with the Women’s Environmental and Development Organisation (WEDO) recommendations for #FeministClimateJustice at the UN Commission on the Status of Women 66 in New York). 

Australia has a real opportunity to lead the world in feminist climate justice. There has never been a more critical moment to start.

Professor Susan Harris Rimmer, Climate Justice Lead, Griffith Climate Action Beacon.  Susan is part of the Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition and is collaborating with Esther Onyago, Rowena Maguire and Bridget Lewis from QUT and Maria Tanyag from ANU on feminist climate research and this piece represents a collective position.

Author

Professor Susan Harris Rimmer

Professor Susan Harris Rimmer is the Director of the Griffith University Policy Innovation Hub. She was previously the Deputy Head of School (Research) in the Griffith Law School and prior to joining Griffith was the Director of Studies at the ANU Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy.

With Professor Sara Davies, Susan is co-convenor of the Griffith Gender Equality Research Network. Sue also leads the Climate Justice theme of the new Griffith Climate Action Beacon.

Susan is the 2021 winner of the Fulbright Scholarship in Australian-United States Alliance Studies and will be hosted by Georgetown University in Washington DC.

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