One of the state’s most esteemed public health professionals, who is currently completing a PhD at Griffith University, has been appointed to the World Health Organisation (WHO) as Senior Consultant Epidemiologist to lead the contact tracing component of the global pandemic response.
Epidemiologist Noore Alam
Noore Alam will lead the WHO contact tracing team virtually for the next six months in a prestigious appointment. Like many, he is working from Brisbane instead of fulfilling the role in Geneva at the WHO headquarters.
Immediately before taking up his new role, Alam was working for Queensland Health in the Queensland Government’s COVID-19 Incident Management Team, where he was Epidemiologist Team Leader.
A combination of state and global COVID-19 responsibilities means Alam will feed a wealth of experience into his PhD at Griffith’s Centre for Environment and Population Health (CEPH).
“I have been appointed as Senior Consultant Epidemiologist with WHO but more specifically, I’m leading the epidemiologic component of contact tracing, which is a crucial component of the global pandemic response,” Alam said.
“I don’t want to reinvent the wheel as much work has already been done around the world but I’m more interested in identifying country specific needs and providing guidance to improve their response.
“The COVID situation is so rapidly evolving, particularly the variants of concern such as the Delta, for example, which is highly transmissible compared to other variants, so your response strategy needs to be adjusted accordingly.”
“The contact tracing guidelines should always be dynamic, so that we can change and adjust as the virus changes its genetic code (mutation) and becomes more transmissible, for example, the Delta variant, and also taking into consideration the vaccination uptake at the population level, so these are some of the key issues I’m working on.
“I’m looking at country capacities globally — which countries have what level of strength and how we can utilise some of those resources or experiences to help others, because contact tracing is an enormous task and most countries struggle to deal with contact tracing.
“As you can see, even in Australia, one single case in the community can trigger hundreds of contacts to be tracked in a very timely manner with accuracy and completeness.”
Alam’s PhD at CEPH directly relates to his WHO work and focuses on the One Health approach.
His PhD research investigates the enablers and barriers to implementing One Health as a novel approach to prevent the pandemic risk, like COVID-19.
“One Health is basically the collaboration of human health, animal health and environmental health,” he explained.
“About 75% of emerging diseases in humans originate in animals, and environment plays a key role in disease transmission. So, there is clearly a close link between the three sectors.”
CEPH Director Professor Cordia Chu AM said Alam’s appointment to the WHO as Epi Pillar Contact Tracing Lead in the WHO HQ COVID-19 Response Team, was significant.
“Alam was chosen because of his wealth of experience and his outstanding work as an Epidemiology Team Leader at the Queensland Government’s COVID-19 response team,” Professor Chu said.
“Queensland has garnered a reputation globally for mounting an exceptional public health response and Alam’s position at the WHO will have truly global implications.”
His appointment to the WHO runs until the end of 2021.
Dicky Budiman
Another epidemiologist also doing a PhD through CEPH is Dr Dicky Budiman, whose work focuses on global health security and pandemic. His research aims to improve international health regulations, leadership and risk communication.
In demand foroften dailymedia comment on COVID-19 matters, particularly across South East Asia, Dr Budiman alsoadvises the Indonesian government on its pandemic strategyand WHO Indonesia on health policy and planning.
“CEPH is proud to have contributed to nurturing many health emergency leaders who are playing critical roles in leading pandemic responses in countries like China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam,” said Professor Chu.
Three out of four Queensland green turtle populations risk harmful effects from cadmium found a Griffith University-led study using a new tool to determine chemical exposure limits for marine animals.
In collaboration with Utrecht University (Netherlands), Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany) and the University of Queensland, the researchers developed a virtual turtle model to simulate cadmium uptake and its effects over a turtles’ lifetime.ÂÂ The model was used to reveal at what concentration cadmium in their primary food source, seagrass, is potentially toxic.
Lead researcher & PhD candidate Gulsah Dogruer, Australian Rivers Institute.
“Marine animals are exposed to an array of toxic chemicals entering the oceans,” said lead researcher and PhD candidate Gulsah Dogruer from theAustralian Rivers Institute.
“Yet policy makers are basically in the dark about the limits these animals can endure before health effects threaten their survival.
“We developed a framework that sheds some light on this issue for policy makers. By defining the chemical exposure limit for a particular marine animal before there is harmful effects, we can help policy makers identify potentially toxic areas.”
When applied to cadmium in green sea turtles, the researchers revealed a concerning 72% of the Great Barrier Reef’s green turtle populations were at risk from cadmium contamination.
“Our results show that a green turtle population foraging on seagrass with more than 0.1 milligram of cadmium for every kilogram of seagrass, is exposed to potential health risks,” said co-author and supervisor Dr Jason van de Merwe, a marine ecologist and eco-toxicologist at theAustralian Rivers Institute.
“As seagrass is green turtles’ primary source of food, this is a real concern, but knowing this threshold level of cadmium is crucial to identify potential exposure sites.”
To discover the cadmium threshold in green turtles, the researchers used a generic three-step framework that can be adapted to other marine species and other chemicals.
The framework involved firstly developing a green turtle and cadmium-specific model to predict how much cadmium the turtles are likely to accumulate over their lifetime under various environmental conditions.
The virtual turtle model consisting of seven body compartments connected by the circulating blood flow (red arrow). The liver and kidney represent the elimination and detoxification routes (green arrow). The blue arrow represents the exposure route.
“The model we developed used the physiology of the turtles and the chemical properties of cadmium to simulate its absorption, metabolism, excretion, and distribution in the turtles’ liver, kidney, muscle, fat, brain, scute, and ‘rest of the body’,” Ms Dogruer said.
“The second step was to link these contaminant concentrations in the turtles to toxic effects seen in laboratory-based studies and in free-ranging turtles.
The researchers ran the model in reverse, using the cadmium concentration that is toxic in turtles’ body, to determine the amount of cadmium in seagrass above which turtles are likely to have a toxic response (0.1 milligram of cadmium for every kilogram of seagrass).
The researchers lastly compared their results to real-world cadmium exposure conditions for green turtle populations globally.
“Three out of the four globally distinct green turtle populations assessed in Australia, Japan and Brazil are exposed to cadmium levels above the threshold seagrass limits we reported,” Dr van de Merwe said.
“Our framework for determining chemical exposure limits will help managers of conservation sites better understand and minimise the risk to marine animals and hopefully begin to turn the tide for green turtle populations worldwide,’’ Ms Dogruer said.
From sound installations to live performance and a host of workshops and presentations, Griffith University’s creative arts expertise is adding another dimension to the exhibition.
Rhoslyn Carney
Musicians from the Queensland Conservatorium perform daily two-hour concerts in the heart of the exhibition and honours student, flautist Rhoslyn Carney, is one of a dozen students being paid to perform during the four-month exhibition.
“People want to interact with the music as well as the art,” she said.
“It’s great to see different art forms enhancing each other, and I think it creates a really unique experience for people coming along to the exhibition.”
Rhoslyn said the opportunity to share music with a wider audience was a highlight of studying at the Queensland Conservatorium.
“For me, performing live and playing for an engaged audience is the end game – when you’re in the practice room, that is what you’re working towards,” she said.
“We are so lucky that we get that complete educational experience at the Con — we’re encouraged to take our music out into the community.”
“I’m always thrilled when I perform, whether it’s at the art gallery or in a concert hall, to see people responding to the music directly.”
“It’s been incredible, we’ve been given an opportunity to play this amazing music that was composed hundreds of years ago, in the same space where these historical artworks hanging on the walls that were also painted around the same time,” he said.
“It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime experience — a little slice of the Met right here in Brisbane.
“I was lucky enough to play on the opening day of the exhibition —we’re getting crowds of 50 to 60 people at a time coming in and listening to that music.
“We’re on stage in a big open studio space in the heart of the gallery, with amazing acoustics.
“The music rings out across the whole exhibition space, and I think it does set the atmosphere.
“You’re looking at these artworks accompanied by music that was composed in the same time period.
“One of the biggest perks is being able to stay on and explore the exhibition after our performances are finished.
“We’re so lucky to get these opportunities — I’ve just come back from a performance with Ensemble Q in regional Queensland, and these performances at GOMA have been a highlight.
“It’s a really good stepping-stone for us as we get closer to graduating and enter the professional music world.”
Professor Bernard Lanskey
Queensland Conservatorium Director Professor Bernard Lanskey said the partnership with GOMA had created exciting opportunities for students.
“The chance to share their music with hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the country is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said.
“These kind of performance and engagement opportunities are an integral part of the world-class music education we offer at the Queensland Conservatorium.”
The partnership also includes a unique sensory experience, with Queensland Conservatorium Head of Composition Dr Gerardo Dirie leading a team of students who composed and recorded period music that responds to sensors ‘tripped’ by gallery patrons.
The music syncs with a series of animated replicas of iconic paintings featuring musicians, making it appear as if they are performing together.
QCA lecturer Dr Bill Platz delivering a workshop at QAGOMA.
In addition, the Queensland Conservatorium has loaned a selection of period instruments to the exhibition, with a flute, viol and viol da gamba showcased in a bespoke display, with text provided by Emeritus Professor Peter Roennfeldt.
Griffith University is excited to announce the names of the students, alumni and coaching staff who will represent Australia at the upcoming Paralympics.
One of the three student athletes preparing to compete in Tokyo will be representing Australia for the first time and two of the six alumni will also make their debut.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans said Griffith was thrilled to play a part in helping so many Paralympic and Olympic athletes achieve personal bests and global accolades.
“We congratulate these elite athletes and coaching staff who have been selected to perform at the highest level for their country,” Professor Evans said.
“It takes both talent and dedication to reach this sporting milestone and represents years of hard work, sacrifice and commitment, particularly given the challenges of a pandemic.”
“Representing Australia on the world stage is a rare honour and we stand behind them as they give their all.”
Griffith Sports College Manager Naomi McCarthy OAM said their selection for Tokyo was the result of many years of training and dedication.
Griffith Sports College member and High Performance Rowing Coach Lincoln Handley
“Griffith student and alumni para athletes will represent Australia in Tokyo in the sports of canoe-sprint, athletics, swimming, taekwondo, wheelchair basketball and triathlon,” McCarthy said.
Wheelchair basketball athlete and Bachelor of Industrial Design alumnus Matthew McShane
“They’re also joined by Griffith Sports College member and High Performance Rowing Coach Lincoln Handley, selected to coach the Australian PR2 Mixed Double Sculls.
“Many of these elite athletes have been part of the Griffith community for years, including Bachelor of Business student Madison De Rozario and Bachelor of Industrial Design alumnus Matt McShane.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have the chance to watch them pursue opportunities at the highest level and incredibly proud of the role Griffith Sports College has held in assisting these elite athletes to continue their training and competition commitments alongside study opportunities.
“The determination of these elite athletes to push themselves to the limits of human endeavour holds them in great stead for their careers after representative sport.”
Selected student athletes:
Madison
De Rozario
Athletics (Para)
B Business
Curtis
McGrath
Canoe – Sprint (Para)
B Aviation
Tom
Gallagher
Swimming (Para) – Debut
B Business
Selected alumni:
Janine
Watson
Taekwondo (Para) – Debut
B Exercise Science/B Education
Ella
Sabljak
Wheelchair Basketball – Debut
B Education
Katie
Kelly
Para-Triathlon
B Leisure Management
Tom
O’Neill-Thorne
Wheelchair Basketball
B Int Business/ B Government & International Relations
Matthew
McShane
Wheelchair Basketball
B Industrial Design
Rowan
Crothers
Swimming (Para)
B Public Relations and Communications
Selected coaching staff:
Lincoln
Handley
Rowing Coach
Griffith Sports College Staff member / High Performance Rowing Coach
The Paralympics start on 24 August and finish on 5 September.
They follow an incredibly successful Australian Olympic campaign which featured 34 Griffith student athletes and 9 alumni athletes, along with High Performance Swimming Squad coach Michael Bohl. Read more about their efforts online.
Griffith University has received more than $2.6 million in funding for six Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRA) announced by the Federal Minister for Education and Youth Alan Tudge this week.
“Those awarded DECRAs represent the future of Australian research. Their diverse projects will produce high-impact research for the betterment of Australia and the world,’’ Professor Evans said.
Dr Michael Sievers (Australian Rivers Institute, Sciences) awarded $423,582; for the project Redefining success in marine ecosystem restoration. Using automated monitoring via artificial intelligence, this project aims to improve evaluations of marine ecosystem restoration and how animal data can improve future restoration projects.
Dr Jillian Huntley (Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL) awarded $468,027 for the project Colour change: Artistic/ritual responses to climate flux in Australasia. Characterising ancient ochre records across Sunda, Wallacea and Sahul, this project aims to understand peoples’ use of art and ritual in the most climatically dynamic region on Earth.
Dr Navid Kashaninejad (QLD Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Sciences) awarded $433,000 for the project Engineering micropatterned surfaces for cell mechanics and mechanobiology. This project aims to engineer a highly versatile micropatterned surface that can be used to culture and study cells.
Dr Kaya Barry (Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL) awarded $444,548 for the project Momentarily immobile: the futures of backpacking and seasonal farm workers. This project will examine the experiences of backpackers and seasonal migrants who live in communal hostel accommodation while doing farm work in regional Queensland.
Dr Munkhbayar Batmunkh (Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy) awarded $415,000 for the project titled Engineering semitransparent perovskite solar cells for smart solar windows. This project aims to develop highly efficient and stable semitransparent perovskite solar cells for innovative smart solar windows.
Dr David Saxby (MHIQ Disability and Rehabilitation, Health) awarded $468,582 for the project titled Fusing wearables and advanced computational models for real world analysis. This project expects to, for the first time globally, integrate wearable sensors with neuromusculoskeletal computational models and artificial intelligence, and validate this technology.
Charleville’s new interactive and educational WWII Secret Base is the culmination of years of work guided by Griffith University experts.
When Griffith Institute for TourismAssociate Professor Brent Moyle arrived in the outback town, located in the Shire of Murweh with a population of less than 3500 people, he was tasked with consulting on a new tour of WWII relics from a Top-Secret US Airbase at the edge of town.
“The Murweh Shire Council (MSC) developed a tour to showcase the military heritage. However, many of the relics were crumbling away and at risk of being lost forever to other potential competing development priorities,” he said.
Relics including an aircraft hangar, revetments, a building to house the Top-Secret Norden bombsight, living quarters for soldiers and nurses, kitchens and ablution blocks were built in secret during WWII.
Commonly known as the ‘Brisbane Line’, the airbase was part of General Douglas MacArthur’s controversial strategy of defence to concede northern parts of Australia in the event the Japanese invaded.
“During WWII there were over 3000 US soldiers living there alongside B-17 bombers and P-40 fighters at what was primarily a maintenance base during the Battle of the Coral Sea. The US soldiers weren’t allowed to tell anybody they were stationed there,’’ Dr Moyle said.
“How many other towns have a secret US airbase active during WWII?”
“It’s got bunkers, buried bombers and all sorts of secrets. It was a major opportunity to preserve this unique heritage for future generations to experience.”
Revitalising signature dark sky tourism experiences
The virtual space shuttle built for the refurbishment of the Charleville Cosmos Centre. Photo: Brent Moyle.
But before Dr Moyle could work on the WWII Secret Base project, Murweh Shire Council asked him to consult on the revitalisation of the town’s signature Dark Sky tourism attraction, the Cosmos Centre and Observatory.
Co-creating new experiences for the Cosmos Centre by involving community stakeholders, visitors and Griffith experts would become his signature collaborative process that led to the creation of a masterplan for a Top-Secret Tourism Precinct.
“Visitors told us they wanted a bit of humour and storytelling to exist alongside the focus on science. They wanted to know the first swear word in space and the most unique item brought into space. We found a Scottish astronaut who brought up his bagpipes, which we layered into the experience.”
“We’ve still got the science of living and going to space, but we’ve included stories about the people and secrets of humans going to space.”
Introducing an Indigenous Night Sky Experience, housing the largest telescope for non-research purposes and developing a cosmic time warp experience were also part of the process.
Dr Moyle said after diversifying the tourism experience, which included the blending of interactive digital technology to construct a virtual rocket simulating an astronaut’s journey into space, visitation soared.
“We also wrote a report recommending the construction of a Planetarium to minimise the impact of cloudy nights on the Dark Sky tourism experience which helped secure a Building Our Regions and Growing Tourism Infrastructure Grant from the Queensland Government.”
(L-R) Cr Shaun Radnedge (Murweh Shire Council), Ms Miyuki Suzuki (Griffith University), Mr Sebastian Smith (Griffith University), Professor Karine Dupre (Griffith University), Associate Professor Brent Moyle (Griffith University), Dr Tinting Liu (Griffith University), Ms Ting Ren (Griffith University), Professor David Weaver (Griffith University), CEO Murweh Shire Council Mr Neil Polglase. Photo: Brent Moyle.
Preserving WWII history with augmented and virtual reality
Impressed with the Cosmos Centre and Planetarium, MSC greenlit a three-year research and development project of the town’s WWII heritage by investing a quarter of a million dollars through an Advanced Queensland Fellowship (AQF).
The research team set about developing three immersive prototypes which included the use of innovative 3D scanning to bring the stories of the people who lived on the Top-Secret US Airbase during WWII to life in augmented and virtual reality.
“We try to take visitors back to that point in time when the base was active, so we enlist them into the US military and simulate the journey on the ship from New York to Sydney, around the coast of Brazil and the train ride from Sydney to Charleville.”
“Then there’s a whole raft of different experiences in the WWII centre recently constructed as part of an Outback Tourism Infrastructure (OTI) grant, an outcome of the AQF,” said Dr Moyle.
Highly detailed 3D scan of one of the few remaining structures from WWII. A concrete shed built in 1942 as a security store for the Norden bombsight used by the US Army Air Force. Media: Griffith University.
Visitors to the WWII Secret Base centre can use iPads to scan an augmented reality table to show highly detailed scans orienting them to the layout of the base.
“By connecting with a team at Griffith Engineering, we were able to do 3D laser scanning to within two millimetres of accuracy of all the heritage sites, now preserved in a digital format that won’t degrade over time. There’s an opportunity to take what we’ve done into classrooms and share it through online digital libraries.”
But the final prototype developed is arguably the WWII Secret Base’s show-stopping experience and is based on archival research that the base was used for training pilots. It is an interactive replica of the back of a B-17 bomber, complete with a Norden bombsight used by the US Army Air Forces during WWII.
“With our industry partner Xzibit, who specialise in the fit out of interpretative centres, we built the back of a bomber where you can go in and sit,” said Dr Moyle.
“We also created a training exercise for visitors where a US pilot is talking to you in the language of the time, and then you have to use the replica Norden bombsight to line it up and drop a bomb on a target.
“You feel like you’re being transported back in time and it’s an effective way to engage visitors in the history and experience of what it might have been like on the base.”
Developing the centre exhibits has inspired the surrounding Charleville community to get involved, with the local Aviation Club currently building a replica 1:6 size B-17 bomber, which Dr Moyle anticipated within the long-term planning of the WWII Secret Base.
“Quite often these outback visitor centres are built and not integrated into council management plans becoming a liability over time. Our AQF and subsequent OTI grants has an area out the back for Griffith staff and students to go and work with the community to co-create different exhibits that can be put back into the visitor centre.”
Sustainable co-creation: Building for the long term
Replica of the back of a B-17 bomber with a simulation of the once top-secret Norden bombsight. Photo: Sam Cunningham, Murweh Shire Council.
Dr Moyle said the Tourism Experiential Lab is a space designed to keep Griffith University and other key stakeholders engaged with these community groups, helping to upskill locals on what tourism is and to tell the stories visitors want to hear about.
“We’ve created a lot of meaningful career opportunities for people in the tourism industry for not only people who live in the Murweh Shire Council, but for our students who worked on the project.”
The WWII Secret Base, recently opened to the public, is just one part of an ambitious 20-year roadmap developed in partnership between Griffith University and MSC known as the Top-Secret Tourism Precinct Master Plan.
Led by Dr Moyle and delivered by a team of Griffith University architects under the guidance of Professor Karine Dupre from the School of Engineering and Built Environment, the team has been involved in the urban planning and design of a new Planetarium, National Outback Museum and revitalisation of the Charleville Airfield Museum.
Funding acknowledgement
Charleville’s WWII Secret Base was proudly funded by the Queensland Government’s Outback Tourism Infrastructure Fund and Murweh Shire Council.
With competitive surfing making its Olympic debut at this year’s Tokyo Games, Griffith University researchers are on the hunt to discover what surfers should be focussing on in their training to produce podium-worthy performances.
PhD candidate Ricky Dann, supervised by Dr Steven Duhig from the School of Health Sciences and Social Work — Exercise Science, is calling for surf athletes and coaches to participate in the new study that will explore what surfers should incorporate into their training, to improve manoeuvres like aerials, cutbacks, snaps and more.
The findings will then be used to inform more specialised training modalities that can be used by surfers and coaches of all levels, from amateurs to sponsored professionals.
“This study is a great opportunity for the surfing community to voice their opinions and contribute their ideas,” Dann said.
“We ultimately want to understand what surfing coaches, athletes and recreational surfers think the best ways are to train for surfing.
“Studies like this help bridge the gap between winning and losing, between plateauing performances to vast improvements.
“These findings will inform surfers and their coaches on how to create effective training sessions for the development of surfing manoeuvres.
“And with surf competitions continuing around the world and surfing making its Olympic debut this year, we could see some new faces on podiums with research like this into training modalities.”
Surfing is a big business thanks to global touring competitions presented by the World Surfing League, attracting big name sponsors such as Red Bull and Billabong that support high profile athletes, such as Mick Fanning, Gabriel Medina and Carissa Moore.
However, there is little research into what training modalities work best to push surfers up through the ranks.
Surfers also experience a high injury rate due to high impact manoeuvres such as aerials, snaps and cutbacks.
“We want to hear from surfers, especially competitive surfers, and coaches so that we can help improve the coaching methods used to enhance their performance and avoid injury,” Dann said.
“This knowledge is powerful for not only the surfers themselves but also for their sponsors, who likely to support and back those that are always on the front foot of enhancing performances and injury preventions.”
For more information or to take part in the study, email [email protected].
Griffith Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Carolyn Evans
The 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) has ranked Griffith University in the 201-300 band for the first time, a significant shift upwards for the South East Queensland based institution, after eight years in the top 400 band.
President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Carolyn Evans, said the improved ranking result sees Griffith now placed in the Top 300 for every major global university ranking.
“This is a significant result for the University as we seek to enhance our reputation both nationally and abroad, to strengthen our international partnerships and our attractiveness to future staff, Higher Degree Research students and high-quality international students,” Professor Evans said.
“These results require a team effort right across the University and illustrate that our continued efforts towards creating a better future for all are making an impact.”
Griffith’s ranking within the 201-300 band puts it on par with institutions like the University of Auckland, KAIST (Korea), Maastricht University, National Taiwan University, Newcastle University (UK), Shanghai University, TU Berlin, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the University of Cape Town, Tsukuba University, and the University of Ottawa.
The ARWU ranking, published by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, is non-commercial and has been in existence since 2003, consistently using same metrics to rank global universities.
The ranking uses six objective indicators to rank more than 1800 universities each year, including the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, number of highly cited researchers selected by Clarivate Analytics, number of articles published in journals of Nature and Science, number of articles indexed in Science Citation Index – Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index, and the per capita performance of a university.
Griffith Mates are celebrating completing more than 800 hours of volunteer work for student events so far this year.
More than 100 students from 27 different countries are involved with Griffith Mates, a Griffith International program that helps international students adjust to life in Australia, practise English, make new friends and participate in exciting events.
Griffith Mates at O-Week.
This National Student Volunteer Week (August 9-15), Griffith Mates are taking a moment to reflect on the enormous amount of volunteer work they have taken part in.
“Griffith Mates ensure that all Griffith students, domestic and international, have an opportunity to build their social networks and participate in a range of activities, including volunteering in the communities in which our campuses are based,” Professor Todd said.
“Since the advent of the current pandemic, students have taken the Griffith Mates program to students studying with us from around the world, and ensured students can stay socially connected, while physically distant.
“I am incredibly proud of the Griffith Mates program and continually surprised and delighted by the calibre of the senior students who volunteer every year to be part of the Mates team.”
Multicultural Night.
Griffith Mates holds a wide range of events, from things like City Tours of both the Gold Coast and Brisbane, and Multicultural Night, to Beach Care and Bush Care days, where volunteers help restore the environment by weeding and picking up rubbish.
South African biomedical student Prianca Govender said Griffith Mates provides a sense of connection while studying overseas.
“I joined the Griffith Mates program because I was raised on a principle of “service to others”, and I think the program really embodies this,” Prianca said.
“My favourite time of the year has to be Orientation Week because I love working together with the other Mates and helping new students find their classes, host campus tours and meet new people.
“Being part of Griffith Mates has allowed me to expand my network and make friends from all over the world, it really is like a second family to me.”
Contributed by Estelle McCabe.
Australia’s golden girl in the pool and recent Griffith graduate Emma McKeon says she’s now enjoying a bit of a break from exercise and competition following her incredible seven medal haul in Tokyo.
From quarantine in Howard Springs, she told Griffith News the journey to date, culminating in a swag of medals and international acclaim, has been pretty surreal.
“Its still taken a lot to sink in, even though we’ve had the time, (with) a week now in quarantine, and time to reflect and kind of slow down a bit,” she said.
“It is just all a bit of a whirlwind, really, because we’ve had the last five years of training, then we had the delay of the Games, and then all of a sudden, the trials and then Olympics, and then the next day, get on the plane, come home, get into quarantine. It’s been really, really busy and just a lot to process.”
Returning to Australia with 4 Gold medals and 3 Bronze, which makes her the most decorated Australian athlete ever at a single Olympics, McKeon says she’s not planning on getting in the pool anytime soon.
“I’m going to have a bit of a break, and these two weeks (in quarantine), I haven’t done any exercise at all, which has been nice.
“I won’t be rushing back into swimming training, but I will be swimming a little bit because I’m going to go over and do the international swim league in Italy, but that’s pretty much it for the rest of the year, from about September.”
Griffith High Performance Swim Squad Coach Michael Bohl
Having trained under Griffith High Performance Swim Squad Coach Michael Bohl for several years now, she says he was instrumental in ensuring she didn’t lose too much focus last year, when the pandemic started impacting training and competition opportunities, delaying the Olympics.
“Bohly was a big impact on that and when the Olympics was cancelled, I was pretty upset about it,” she admitted.
“It took a bit to adjust, because I’d gone from being totally focused and totally motivated to not really having much direction. I went back home to Wollongong and spent probably three months back down there and Bohly would call me every week and just check in on me.
“He was pretty sensible …and really good in helping me maintain my motivation (but) gave me time to just reset and then we kind of built back into it.”
McKeon doesn’t do things by halves. She combined training and competition at an elite level with studying for a Bachelor of Public Health at Griffith.
“It has been hard at times but I’ve done it part-time over quite a few years, and I really wouldn’t have finished my degree without Griffith Sports College because they helped me stay flexible and be able to get things in when I couldn’t otherwise fit the study around my sport.
“I definitely wouldn’t have a degree if I didn’t have their support and help.
“I think doing it part time over that many years definitely helped my swimming as well, because I had something else that I was working towards outside of the pool.
“I finished the degree, and my last assignment went in right before Olympic trials so that was like a huge relief.
“Even in the lead up to that I (thought) maybe I’ll just stop and defer but I’m glad that I kept going and the sports college definitely helped me to finish that last little bit off as well.”
It has been said that McKeon is not motivated by medals. She admits that’s not entirely true and that there’s still more to achieve… after a rest.
“You need to have the medals in the back of your mind, I think, and I definitely did, because I wanted to win, but at the forefront were the things I know I need to work on to get there.
“The medals were not my focus, but it was definitely in the back of my mind, because that’s what we were working towards, and what we what we wanted to go and achieve in Tokyo.
“I don’t think I’ve gotten to the pinnacle of what I can do, because I feel like I’m still improving.”
“All my events in Tokyo were Personal Bests, and I achieved all the goals that I was working towards in the last five years, so I think that’s a really nice way to finish off that Olympic cycle.
“I just want to pause for a bit and be proud of that before I kind of look towards the future and what comes next.”
Dr Michael Sievers (Australian Rivers Institute, Sciences) awarded $423,582; for the project Redefining success in marine ecosystem restoration. Using automated monitoring via artificial intelligence, this project aims to improve evaluations of marine ecosystem restoration and how animal data can improve future restoration projects.
Dr Jillian Huntley (Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL) awarded $468,027 for the project Colour change: Artistic/ritual responses to climate flux in Australasia. Characterising ancient ochre records across Sunda, Wallacea and Sahul, this project aims to understand peoples’ use of art and ritual in the most climatically dynamic region on Earth.
Dr Kaya Barry (Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL) awarded $444,548 for the project Momentarily immobile: the futures of backpacking and seasonal farm workers. This project will examine the experiences of backpackers and seasonal migrants who live in communal hostel accommodation while doing farm work in regional Queensland.
Dr Munkhbayar Batmunkh (Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy) awarded $415,000 for the project titled Engineering semitransparent perovskite solar cells for smart solar windows. This project aims to develop highly efficient and stable semitransparent perovskite solar cells for innovative smart solar windows.
Dr David Saxby (MHIQ Disability and Rehabilitation, Health) awarded $468,582 for the project titled Fusing wearables and advanced computational models for real world analysis. This project expects to, for the first time globally, integrate wearable sensors with neuromusculoskeletal computational models and artificial intelligence, and validate this technology.
“I think doing it part time over that many years definitely helped my swimming as well, because I had something else that I was working towards outside of the pool.