A pair of Griffith University law alumni have won postgraduate scholarships to Oxford and Cambridge, where they will study alongside the best legal minds in the world.
“My hands were shaking when I received the scholarship offer — it still hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said.
“I will have the chance to study international humanitarian law, international human rights law and the law of armed conflict, use of force and peacekeeping, which have always been interests of mine.
“I hope my time at Cambridge will give me the knowledge, experience and connections to one day represent Australia on the international stage and help make a difference.”
After dropping out of high school, Matthew had a second chance to pursue an education after serving several tours of duty with the Australian Army in East Timor and Afghanistan.
He was able to enter university thanks to the Queensland Tertiary Admission Centre’s unique entry pathway for veterans — an opportunity he credits with changing the course of his life.
Matthew Sharp (left) during his time in the ADF
“I had been a combat soldier, so uni was a bit of an adjustment,” he said.
“My first year was daunting, but Griffith offered so much support, from workshops to academic mentors and the PASS scheme.”
He will study the masters level Bachelor of Civil Law at Oxford’s famed Magdalen College, which boasts former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, former Australian Attorney-General George Brandis and several Australian High Court justices among its alumni.
“I was ecstatic. Any of these types of scholarships, especially to a top university like Oxford, are always incredibly competitive, so to win this was hugely rewarding,” he said.
Shaun said he had dreamed of attending Oxford since his teens.
“Oxford University has some of the best legal academics and practitioners teaching the brightest young legal minds from around the world.”
“Half of the postgraduate students at Oxford are international, so to be surrounded by people from diverse cultural backgrounds will provide a truly global educational experience.”
Winning a New Colombo Plan Scholarship while he was at Griffith University sparked Shaun’s interest in human rights law and international dispute resolution.
“Traveling throughout Asia as part of the New Colombo Plan Scholarship made me passionate about using my education to give back and create positive change,” he said.
“My role with Herbert Smith Freehills will allow me to advise some of Australia’s largest businesses on how to protect and enhance human rights in domestic and overseas operations.”
Shaun said his time at Griffith had allowed him to tap into a network of like-minded students who were passionate about social justice.
“It showed me how I could use my law degree to help those who are marginalised in society — something I’ve been able to explore as an editor of the Griffith Journal of Law & Human Dignity.
“It showed me what was possible and helped me reach my potential.”
Following on from their success in an international quantum computing research collaboration, Griffith University scientists have secured a further $2M from the Department of Defence’s Next Generation Technologies Fund (NGTF).
‘Quantum Control Based on Real-Time Environment Analysis by Spectator Qubits’, led in Australia by Dr Gerardo Paz Silva, from Griffith’s Centre for Quantum Dynamics aims to create knowledge that may one day enable error-tolerant quantum computers.
In conjunction with the University of Technology Sydney and the University of New South Wales, the research is part of the Defense Australia-US Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (AUSMURI). This initiative partners leading universities in Australia with a team of top universities in the US, in this case led from Duke University.
Co-chief investigator Dr Paz Silva says quantum-enabled technologies promise to revolutionise the way we process and store information.
“This project is taking the next crucial step towards a viable application of these technologies,’’ he said.
“It will assess and experimentally implement a novel paradigm using spectator quantum systems for better control of qubits (basic unit of quantum information) for quantum computing.
“Basically, we want to build noise cancelling headphones for our qubits.”
“As well as our theory team at Griffith, this funding will support our Australian collaborators” said co-chief investigator and Director of the Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Professor Howard Wiseman.
“The experiments are being conducted at the University of New South Wales, with input from experts in machine learning at University of Technology, Sydney.”
“In the first phase of the AUSMURI project we demonstrated that the spectator qubit paradigm is viable in principle. In this new phase we aim to put the theory into practice.”
Dr David Kershaw from the Department of Defence said the project had provided ground-breaking advances in quantum sensing and control.
A new partnership between Griffith University and the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) will examine the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders injured in road accidents and their interactions with the Compulsory Third Party (CTP) scheme.
The Hopkins Centre’s Dr Leda Barnett, assisted by Griffith University PhD candidate Andrew Gall, will lead the three year study, funded by a $460,000 MAIC grant and supported by partnerships with Griffith’s Indigenous Research Unit (IRU), Synapse and the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health.
L to R: Andrew Gall, Associate Professor Kylie Burns, Dr. Leda Barnett, Professor Bianca Beetson, Professor Elizabeth Kendall, Donisha Duff and Aunty Lauraine Barlow (seated).
The research will examine the factors that influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to engage with the CTP scheme following a motor vehicle accident, the nature of their experience and ways in which the scheme could better align with their requirements.
“Indigenous Australians living in Queensland are up to six times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident than a non-Indigenous citizen, but also 1.4 times more likely to be seriously injured, and 2.9 times more likely to die in an accident,” Dr Barnett said.
“Injury is universally devastating, but the impact may be more detrimental and recovery more complicated for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families.
“Recovery following injury is complicated by the fact that First Peoples are often reluctant to use organised health care services.”
“There is an urgent need for systems and services to take controlled steps towards redesigning and reorienting schemes to align more successfully with the needs and wishes of First Peoples,” Mr Gall said.
“It is our hope that through this research, we can uncover and develop best practice methods to enable better cohesion with First Peoples and the CTP scheme.”
The project consists of three phases. In 2021 researchers will consult with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across South East Queensland, followed by those in Northern, Central and Western Queensland in 2022.
In the project’s third year, the team will work with communities to develop practical solutions and recommendations, along with implementation plans.
Neil Singleton.
Insurance Commissioner Neil Singleton said MAIC had been working with First Nations organisations for some time to improve the way the CTP scheme engaged with people and that MAIC was particularly keen to support solutions designed with and by those most affected by the scheme.
“These are the solutions that will work in the long-term and that is what we want to see at MAIC — better outcomes for all Queenslanders,” Mr Singleton said.
The research team also includes Professor Elizabeth Kendall, who is director of the University’s Disability and Rehabilitation Research program, Aunty Lauraine Barlow as the project’s cultural advisor, Kevin Cocks AM (DUniv), the former Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, acting as the disability advisor, and Synapse CEO Jennifer Cullen (DUniv), and IUIH COO Donisha Duff representing partner organisations.
The elegant black-tie affair featuring a special feature performance by one of Australia’s most successful comics Akmal Saleh, aims to raise funds for the Institute’s research into finding new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for devastating diseases of global impact.
Comedian Akmal Saleh
“This year’s event will also celebrate a milestone occasion in the life of the Institute for Glycomics — our 21st Birthday – highlighting 21 years of remarkable research,” said Institute Director Professor Mark von Itzstein AO.
“Although we will most certainly celebrate our coming of age and many translational research successes, a key focus of this year’s Grand Ball will be raising money to support the Institute’s current and future cancer research.”
The Institute for Glycomics is home to the Australian Centre for Cancer Glycomics (A2CG), a unique national resource dedicated to cancer glycomics research.
“Our unique research approach centred around glycomics makes us the only institute of its kind in Australia and one of only a handful in the world,’’ Professor von Itzstein said.
With the brightest scientific talent in the field of cancer glycomics, the A2CG is an exciting hub of truly revolutionary cancer research.
Research teams within the A2CG are currently working on new and better ways to diagnose, prevent and cure cancer. Recent breakthroughs include the development of a promising new early detection test for breast and ovarian cancers, which may be a useful tool for early cancer diagnosis, and for the monitoring of treatment and disease. Other areas of interest and further investigation include world-first advances in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), to better diagnose breast cancer for women who fall in the high-risk category.
Hundreds of high-profile, influential guests from Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and surrounding areas will enjoy a premium three course meal and beverage package, live entertainment, exciting raffle prizes, and a live and silent auction. Griffith alumnus Tracey Smith from Channel 9 News Gold Coast will oversee the order of events as this year’s Master of Ceremonies.
The Institute’s special event has welcomed the community’s support, attracting high profile event partners including Platinum Partner, Meriton Group; Gold Partners, Eco Tan and Community Bank Paradise Point and Ormeau – Bendigo Bank; Silver Partner, Lucy Cole Prestige Properties; Bronze Partners, Triple M, FB Rice, The Layt Clinic, and BARD1 Life Sciences Ltd; Fireworks Sponsor, Spruson & Ferguson; and Media/Support Partners, Channel 9 News Gold Coast, Gold Coast Bulletin, Fast Proof Press, The Edit Suite and Luke Marsden Photo.
Griffith University student Aidan Donald is revving up the car design industry and he hasn’t even graduated yet.
The third-year Bachelor of Industrial Design student launched into designing modified cars after realising he could turn his love of drawing photorealistic artworks of performance and custom cars into a career.
“I transitioned into designing these cars as a freelancer, creating digital renderings of them based on a client’s brief so everyone working on the cars could see the end goal,” Aidan said.
A 3D rendering by Aidan of a pro-touring style HT Monaro.
“A couple of my customers were using CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D printing in the process of building these cars and I saw how it could be used in my process, as well as expanding my skills and abilities in the custom car industry.
“After seeing what they were up to with these tools, I was hooked and enrolled at Griffith a few weeks after.”
Aidan was always destined for a lifelong love of cars.
“My earliest memory of liking and being around cars was when my dad has his 1983 VH Commodore — I was probably three or four years old,” he said.
“He’d always be doing something to it and it was a pretty tough car.
“My dad built and owned a few early Commodores and other classic cars when I was young and is an automotive spray painter by trade, so I’ve been around cars since I can remember.”
Aidan’s Customs 4 Cancer Camaro rendering.
Aidan is currently working with Customs 4 Cancer and Moits Motorcars, as well as several other leading companies in the aftermarket industry, to design a pro-touring 1968 Chevrolet Camaro.
“It’s been awesome fun taking everyone’s input to create such a great looking car,” he said.
“Once the build is complete, it’ll be raffled off to raise funds for the Cancer Council, which makes the project so much more worthwhile as it’s for a really great cause.”
Earlier this year, Aidan was awarded the Laurie Starling Student Scholarship for excellence in automotive fabrication.
He also has several other projects on the boil, such as working with Street Machine Magazine on their Expression Session section and various other high-level show car builds that include one-off parts like wheels, grilles and more.
A rendering of a CAD model created for one of Aidan’s assessment pieces.
The student has not let the demise of automotive manufacturing in Australia deter him, aiming further afield after graduation.
“After this, I’d like to expand into the US modified/custom car market, the market over there is much bigger, and there are a lot of really exciting projects popping up there all the time,” Aidan said.
“But if a decent automotive design studio in Australia were to pop up again, I’d really like to look into working at one.”
Aidan said his Griffith study has expanded his skillset from sketching and 2D photoshop rendering to creating physical models and prototypes, CAD models and using new, professional-level software.
“The combination of these skills has given me the ability to take projects from the concept phase all the way through to designing for manufacturing, which is really exciting and has allowed me to take on a wider variety of projects,” he said.
“My time at Griffith has helped me immensely to succeed in my industry.”
The third-year student said he’s enjoyed meeting like-minded people through his time at university and the relationships he built with his teachers.
“Industrial design is a bit more of a niche profession, so making friends that are just as interested in these things makes it so much more enjoyable and helps open doors career-wise too,” Aidan said.
“The lecturers and other staff at Griffith also often make a really good effort to help me advance my skills outside of my courses… which I think is really cool.”
Griffith University is positioning itself at the forefront of creative arts research with the launch of a new institute bringing together leading thinkers from the music and performing arts, design, art and film worlds.
“It’s about creating a collective voice for cutting-edge creative arts research within the university and strengthening our engagement with industry and the community.
“This is a genuine opportunity to connect the dots and combine our interdisciplinary expertise to do amazing things.”
Professor Tomlinson said CARI would support arts research with social impact.
“Social justice, inclusion and environmental sustainability are the central issues of our time, and creative solutions play a vital role in creating a better future,” she said.
“CARI will also provide a showcase for globally significant work by First Peoples researchers at Griffith, and we will work in close partnership with the Indigenous Research Unit (IRU).”
Professor Tomlinson said CARI would leverage researchers’ industry connections to create exciting new collaborations.
“CARI is a space for thinking, making and doing. There will be a lot of hands-on creative work, as well as big picture research which will shape policy and create new ways of engaging with the world,” she said.
“Individually, our researchers are already out there playing in concert halls, exhibiting in galleries and engaged in festivals. Together we can go to industry with a cohesive strategy, help set the future agenda for the arts, and work out how to highlight the significant role culture plays in the lived experience of our community.”
With 57 members, CARI will also provide mentoring and support for more than 150 HDR candidates across the creative and performing arts at Griffith, through a doctoral training program, research workshops and masterclasses.
“We have a large cohort of HDR students, and many of them are already leading industry practitioners,” Professor Tomlinson said.
“CARI will allow those students to tap into a network of mentors across the creative arts disciplines at Griffith.”
Tokyo bound racewalker and Griffith University Occupational Therapy student Katie Hayward has turned the heat up onhertrainingregimeas the countdown tothe Gamesbegins.
She’scurrently completingtwice weekly sessions in a heated exercise labat Griffith’s Gold Coast campus, to acclimatise ahead of the warmer conditions expected in Tokyo, where she will compete in the 20km racewalk event.
“I feelthe fittest I ever been, and I am in such a great headspace”
“I’m really looking forward to heading to Japan very soon,” Katie said.
“I think after such a crazy year (2020) it’s amazing to be able to still travel overseas and represent my country at the highest level possible in my sport.”
Dr Surendran Sabapathy with Katie Hayward training behind him.
Dr Surendran Sabapathy, Discipline Lead, Exercise and Sport at Griffith’s School of Health Sciences and Social Work, said Katie’s heat training, combined with a stint in Cairns just before departing for Tokyo, would help her adjust to the expected temperature and humidity in Sapporo.
“When performing in hot and humid environments, endurance and team-sport athletes unaccustomed to such conditions typically experience decrements in performance,” he explained.
“A period of training in, or even passive exposure to, a hot and humid environment results in adaptive changes that can preserve or even enhance performance.”
“Typically, 7-14 days of consecutive training in the heat or even passive heat exposure is thought to confer full heat acclimation, but this can vary between individuals.
“Adaptive changes, includingincreases in blood volume, enhanced sweat responses and heat dissipation, and improved thermal tolerance, lead to improved athletic performance and thermal comfort in the heat. These adaptations also lead to better body temperature regulation that may reduce the risk of heat-related injuries.”
Racewalker Katie Hayward with long-time coach Steve Langley on Griffith’s athletics track at Gold Coast campus.
Long-time coach Steve Langley, who first spotted Katie’s potential at a Little Athletics meeton the Gold Coastmore than 10 years ago,saidall aspects of her training and development were going exceptionally well.
“In all facets she’s definitely developed some strength, physicallymentallyand emotionally.This last 12 months with the Olympics being postponedthere has been a dramatic change in Katie,” Steve said.
“Being younger makes it tougher as its certainly a gruelling event and you have to beemotionallystrong, not just physically, but Katie shows great maturityand she’s already been part of that world stage.”
“I’ve learned to be such a stronger athlete and have grown in so many different aspects of my life as well,” Katie said.
“The times that we’re in at the moment, it’s a bit scary and uncertain,butI feel fine. I feel like Australia’s got it sorted and for us to be safe as possible.
“I’mcontinuing todo plenty of hardtraining sessions, keeping my diet right, checking in with peopleatmy gym,withmy psychologist, my dietician and just ticking all the boxes to get me on that plane.”
As asecond year Occupational Therapy student andmember of Griffith Sports College, Katie said their assistance had been invaluable in her Games preparations.
“I’m very grateful to be part of the sports college, trying to juggle study and training,they’ve been such an amazing help for me to do both.
“Although young, I’ve learnt how to manage my own time very well (and) uni gives me an outlook where I’m not always thinking about my training. It gives me a little time to breathe and focus something else that I’m also extremely passionate about in my life.”
Katie Hayward is one of more than 30 Griffith student athletes and 6 alumni bound for the Games, which start on 23 July.
Griffith University researchers have developed a new way to detect cancer biomarkers which could help diagnose early-stage disease.
They bioengineered cell factories to assemble nanobeads with magnetic properties that bind to specific target antibodies. Then the magnetised nanobeads were added to ovarian cancer cells to capture methylated DNA and exosomes (cells) to detect cancer.
“As the nanomaterials can be engineered according to the need for detecting a certain disease type, they are highly flexible and can be tuned for almost any kind of biological molecules that are relevant to detect specific diseases,’’ Professor Shiddiky said.
“Once the disease molecules have been ‘captured’ by the nanomaterial, they can be easily isolated and separated from bodily fluids using a simple magnet.”
He said the method was faster, more accurate and less expensive compared to current detection methodsand the nanobeads could be produced at high volume in industrial cell factories reducing the cost of analysis.
“The two-step strategy uses nanobeads to magnetically isolate the cancer biomarkers, such as methylated DNA or exosomes, from blood or tissue samples collected from cancer patients.
“The principle of detection of these biomarkers is based on the specificity of antibodiesbetween the antibody and target molecules.”
“This method represents a diagnostic platform that can be adapted to a wider variety of protein and DNA-based biomarkers to enable diagnosis of various diseases.”
Professor Rehm said the demand for point-of-care diagnostics and monitoring was rapidly increasing with the increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, healthcare costs and unmet healthcare needs.
“Huge research efforts have been devoted towards the development of technologies that can detect cancer at early stages,’’ he said.
“However, the main challenge that many health systems face is finding a method that is cheap, rapid and accurate. These nanomaterials could provide a way to overcome some of these challenges.”
He said most conventional diagnostic methods used expensive biological kits and relied on sophisticated equipment, limiting their use in developing countries and other resource-poor settings.
“Early diagnosis of cancer is critical for more effective treatment strongly improving prognosis of patients so it is important to develop versatile diagnostic platform technologies that are specific and sensitive to detect cancer.”
Meeting the demand for affordable and social housing through high-density urban solutions and precincts is the focus of a new framework from Griffith University researchers.
Dr Reid says the days of building high-density towers without considering the needs of the people who live in them and the surrounding community are no longer sustainable.
“Our early findings are that starting with liveability and accessibility principles, as the basis for developing medium to high-density urban housing maximises investment and minimises the future risk to the community,” she said.
The final report presented findings from five Queensland case study sites.
“Our parallel case study from Western Australia will focus on the amenity and innovations in medium and high-density housing found there,’’ Dr Reid said.
“With escalating housing prices and economic uncertainty, many Australians are at their limit and the past year has exacerbated the number of individuals and families seeking housing options.”
“This continuing demand is placing significant pressure on governments and private housing organisations to supply more social and affordable housing solutions.”
The liveability framework will form the basis for a set of quality standards that can be used by the social and affordable housing sector to guide design, precinct development and the management of more effective social and affordable higher density housing.
Dr Reid said the report was timely because it also focuses on the role governments can play in improving the adoption of liveability and accessibility standards to drive new urban forms and higher density urban precincts.
“With the Queensland Government’s $1.9 billion commitment in the budget to social and affordable housing, now is the time for new standards and a roadmap based on research that’s only interested in what works for the people who desperately need social and affordable housing and the industry at large.”
“Blubber and skin samples taken with dart gun from whales migrating from Antarctica are often used to discover the make-up of their diet in the Southern Ocean, and how it’s changing over time,” said PhD candidate Jasmin Gross.
“Unfortunately, the high levels ofaparticular type of carbon(13C) in fats within the tissue,compared to proteins or carbohydrates,confoundsdiet interpretationsofthe samples.
“Solvingthis problemis crucial,asthe chemical signalof carbon and nitrogen in thesesamples from migrating whalesprovidesone of the only ways to look atboththe health ofthe whale population andSouthern Oceanecosystem inwhich they live.”
The team investigated twowaysto account for the confounding effect of fats ondiet interpretations:tochemicallyextractthe fatsout of the samplesorto mathematicallycorrect for the effect of the fats.
“Whileextracting the fatscorrects the chemical signal for carbon in the sample, unfortunately it also negatively affectsnitrogen, both of which areneededto identify the source of the whale’s diet,” Ms Gross said.
“We need an accurate signal for both carbon and nitrogento maximiseefficientuse ofthe small amount oftissuewe can sample, and streamline cost and effort associated with analyses.”
For this reason,the researchers alsotestedmathematicalmethodsofcorrectingeffect ofthe fats.
“Wefoundthe mathematical methodsprovideda more accuratealternativetechniquefor dietary studiesofsouthern hemisphere humpback whales and otheranimalsamples with high fat content,’’ Ms Gross said.
“With the Southern Ocean vulnerable to the effects of climate change, thisresearchwillimprovethe accuracy of dietinvestigationof southern hemisphere humpback whalesandour understanding of the feeding ecology of this Antarctic krill consumer.”
Winning a New Colombo Plan Scholarship while he was at Griffith University sparked Shaun’s interest in human rights law and international dispute resolution.
“We need an accurate signal for both carbon and nitrogento maximiseefficientuse ofthe small amount oftissuewe can sample, and streamline cost and effort associated with analyses.”