A remarkable group of nine Griffith University undergraduate students have been named as 2021 New Colombo Plan scholars.
Ramzi Matta
The New Colombo Plan (NCP) is an Australian Government initiative which aims to lift knowledge of the Indo Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region.
Newly announced NCP scholar Ramzi Matta will use his scholarship to learn how Taiwan manages crises and avoids risks, specifically looking at how its relationship with China has produced economic gain without becoming overly dependent
“There is an undeniable risk of conflict across the Taiwan Strait which would affect the lives of millions and be disastrous to nations prospering from the region, such as Australia,” he said.
“Remarkably, Taiwan has been effective at managing crises, from constant security concerns to its handling of the SARS and COVID-19 outbreaks.
“I was born into a diverse family, with a Parsi mother and a Lebanese father, who fled the civil war which has since destroyed the prosperity of Lebanon,” Ramzi said.
“Family conversations routinely turned into discussions about world-politics and conflicts, which…drove my desire to shape Australian foreign policy as a career.
Anthea Moodie
“It also provided a unique perspective on the importance of avoiding crises and the need to understand cultural perspectives.”
Anthea is keen to learn more about how sport provides opportunities for those from marginalised communities in Fiji to engage, connect and excel.
“I have commonly witnessed people of my culture who are gifted in sport fail to realise the opportunities presented before them,” Anthea said.
“Like Australia, Fiji’s national identity is deeply rooted in sport.
“Through my NCP experience, I will examine Fijian sporting programs to better understand how the outcomes of students from disadvantaged backgrounds can be improved across Australia.”
Alexander Blackborough, Anna Twomey, Cheyenne Apap, Dean Cosgrove, Joshua Saunders, Melissa Osborn and Pearl Hoile join Ramzi and Anthea as NCP scholars for 2021.
“I have a great love for Southeast Asia after my two years in Thailand and Myanmar and look forward to bringing this passion in this important leadership role,” Joshua said.
“Australia’s relationship with ASEAN is of particular significance as we move into a future shaped by the effects of COVID-19 on the global economy.”
“In a year when international activities have been challenging to say the least, it’s great to see nine Griffith students receiving these prestigious awards,” Professor Todd said.
“I have no doubt that these new NCP scholars will have a truly transformative experience as have those who have gone before them.
“I am delighted to extend the University’s congratulations to them and wish them all the very best.”
Alexander Blackborough
Anna Twomey
Cheyenne Apap
Dean Cosgrove
Melissa Osborn
Pearl Hoile
Dr Lara Herrero, research leader at Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics, has been honoured with the Creating Change Award at the 2020 Gold Coast Women in Business Awards.
The highly prestigious Women in Business Awards of Australia recognises and honours exceptional businesswomen and industry achievers who are making a difference across Queensland.
“I am both honoured and humbled to receive this award in recognition of my research expertise and leadership in helping to create change that is good for the environment and community,” Dr Herrero said.
“Research is a team effort, and I am fortunate to lead a remarkable team of scientists who have contributed greatly to this work so far. I am very grateful to my team and the Institute for Glycomics and Griffith University for the ongoing support.”
Dr Lara Herrero with her Creating Change Award
Dr Herrero’s research focuses on vector-borne diseases; primarily mosquito-transmitted viruses which cause a range of clinical manifestations including encephalitis, arthritis, arthralgia and myalgia.
She is particularly interested in alphaviruses associated with arthritis such as chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Ross River virus (RRV), having suffered from RRV arthralgia herself.
“We have discovered a potential new treatment for viral arthritis which has successfully completed phase II clinical trials and is now entering phase III clinical trials,’’ Dr Herrero said.
Director of the Institute for Glycomics, Professor Mark von Itzstein AO, said the award was very well deserved for a research leader who has so aptly demonstrated the importance of translational research.
“It’s wonderful to see our researchers recognised for their many years of hard work and research efforts, which mostly happens behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.
“On behalf of everyone at the Institute for Glycomics, I would like to congratulate Dr Herrero on this outstanding achievement. We are very proud!”
The annual Women in Business Awards of Australia initiative was created to honour women who possess vision, innovation, entrepreneurial drive, leadership, individuality and tenacity, with the ultimate goal being to present role models for other women to aspire to.
A new report is calling on the G20 to fund ‘Nature-based Solutions’ that address three main risks to humankind: biodiversity loss, climate change and global pandemics.
Professor Brendan Mackey, Director of the Griffith Climate Change Response Program and Co-Director of the Whales and Climate research
“There’s a proven link between the current pandemics we are facing and biodiversity and climate change, and that nexus is forest conservation,” Professor Mackey said.
“Conservation of the most carbon-dense and biodiversity-rich forest ecosystems not only protect the biodiversity of plants and animals, it stores carbon in the trees and soil helping prevent global warming. Protecting tropical forest also acts as a natural quarantine zone, restricting the spillover of potentially harmful viruses from wildlife into human populations and livestock.”
He said COVID-19 had demonstrated the cost of imbalances between people and nature.
“Unfortunately, current economic stimulus packages launched by many G20 nations in response to the COVID-19 crisis could reinforce negative environmental trends, leading to further irreversible damage to both ecosystems and the climate, and to the possible outbreak of new pandemics.
“The members of the G20, constituting most of the world’s people, economic and trade activity, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, and COVID-19 cases — have a critical leadership role to play in ensuring this doesn’t happen.”
The report, commissioned by Foundation 20, Campaign for Nature and the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE), found that integratingNature-Based Solutionsasa core elementofG20 nationseconomic stimulus packagesis the most promising pathway to achieving the G20 summit’s key objective of safeguarding the planet.
“The economic impacts of the pandemic are severe. Stimulus packages are therefore indispensable — but they need to be to be based on sustainability and climate action to help avoid dangerous climate change, increase the resilience of our societies and help avoid future pandemics,” said Professor Li Zhang, Secretary General of SEE.
The G20 recommendations for ‘The Nexus Report: Nature Based Solutions to the Biodiversity and Climate Crisis’
Professor Mackey said that the opportunity remains for the G20 leadership to turn Nature-based Solutions into an integrated multi-lateral response.
“Our report provides guidance on how Nature Based Solutions can provide “triple win” solutions by addressing this nexus of climate crisis, biodiversity extinctions and pandemics.”
The report recommends the G20 sends a strong message to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on the need for more effective cooperation in adoption and scaling of Nature-based Solutions as a multi-purpose solution for climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as the conservation of biological diversity.
“To achieve this triple win, global leaders must secure an agreement at the UN biodiversity conference, CBD COP 15, to protect at least 30 percent of our planet’s land and seas by 2030 and set a concrete and ambitious restoration target,” said Brian O’Donnell, Director, Campaign for Nature.
Bolstering employability by developing transversal skills and attributes that employers are seeking in graduate applicants, Dahlia Bar is currently completing a Remote Global Internship with the Australian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong (AustCham) as part of the Griffith Asia Business Internship (GABI) Program, a 20 credit point Griffith Asia Institute elective course delivered during Trimester 3.
Dahlia is among 29 Griffith Business School students currently attaining Global Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences by participating in the GABI Program and remotely working with host organisations based in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Malaysia. Example internship placements include ANZ, AustCham, Boron Molecular, Crossroads Foundation, Dale Carnegie Training and Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ).
Participation in the Global WIL experience for Dahlia, a Gold Coast based International Business and Government and International Relations student, is supported by New Colombo Plan virtual mobility funding. Defined within the Asia-Pacific region, GABI aims to increase industry, cultural and language experience, while fostering professional networking opportunities. Dahlia shares her motivation to join the initiative by highlighting three key goals.
“I wish to apply real-world understanding to my double degree and gain greater insights into other cultures and how to conduct myself in a global business environment. This opportunity will also assist me to pursue my interests in leadership, global business and politics, and environmental sustainability.”
In preparation for the Remote Global Internship, Dahlia completed the Asia Ready Program, along with in-country orientation activities, including introductory cultural and Cantonese language classes. She has also attended a range of online Hong Kong industry briefings presented by AustCham, KPMG, TIQ, Uber and Wharf Hotels.
“While I felt nervous entering my global internship, the Asia Ready Program has given me greater confidence, awareness and the skills I need to succeed in this experience. I feel more prepared to take on my internship now that I understand the cultural dynamics, regional environment and have insight into the local language.
Hearing from previous students in the program and professionals in the region, and understanding the program expectations, resources and support has given me a comprehensive guide of how I should expect to navigate and conduct myself throughout.
I found the language training and diverse speakers a really unique and powerful addition to the program which I received a lot of benefit from.
I also enjoyed the AustCham orientation day – interesting business insights that provide perspective on Hong Kong and the global business environment.”
Recently commencing the Remote Global Internship with AustCham, Dahlia is enthusiastically increasing her Asia literacy and engagement capability and has already realised great value from the experience, acquiring new skills and knowledge while working on a range of different projects, activities and tasks.
“Now that I have commenced my placement with AustCham Hong Kong, I have been essentially immersed into the organisation and the Hong Kong business environment.
I attend committee meetings across a range of business sectors, helping me to gain a deep understanding of the business culture, issues, interests and environment across different sectors, from small to large organisations. The preparation and orientation before my internship really helped me find my footing.
I am enjoying working with AustCham and have already found many opportunities to learn and enhance my skills as I navigate the remote internship.”
By developing work-ready graduates with a competitive edge and understanding of Asia, GAI looks forward to continue supportingstudentsthroughout the 2020 RemoteGlobalWIL experience. As highlighted by Dr Andrea Haefner, GABI Course Convenor, “It is great to see that students are still able to engage with Asia, learn about a new culture and work with an overseas company during unprecedented times. Global WIL offered remotely can provide access to international experiences for a diverse range of students who previously might have not been able to join.”
Dr Hughes was one of 700 Australian artists to enter the awards this year, claiming top prize with Gestural Body Painting. The work has been acquired by the Sunshine Coast Council for its public collection.
“This has been a year of incredible highs and lows and something like this is really life-changing,” she said.
“As a professional artist it counts for a lot – it’s not just the financial aspect, but it’s a real profile-building moment.”
Dr Hughes said the work had taken her in a new direction.
“This was a joyous work for me. It’s playful, fun and free, and that’s not something I always get to do,” she said.
The artwork is part of a series, ‘Maybe I was painting the woman in me’, that features bold colours and intricate patterns.
Sunshine Coast Art Prize judge Tracy Cooper-Lavery with Dr Hughes
The judge of this year’s competition, Tracy Cooper-Lavery, said Dr Hughes had reclaimed the traditionally male-dominated field of abstract expressionism with her work.
“This piece was painted in response to Willem de Kooning’s famed Woman series, but the thick, gestural brushstrokes of those original works are replaced with intricate pattern, executed in painstaking detail,” Ms Cooper-Lavery said.
“The result is a painting that reclaims the female form, capturing it with a new kind of energy and vibrancy.
“I can’t help but feel she was painting the woman in many of us. Hughes’ curves and colours are the joy of self-representation – something to celebrate indeed.”
Professor Elisabeth Findlay
Queensland College of Art Director Professor Elisabeth Findlay said the QCA had a host of renowned artists on faculty.
“We are delighted to see Natalya’s work selected for this national prize,” she said.
“The Sunshine Coast Art Prize provides an opportunity for artists to have their work exhibited alongside their peers from across the country and an opportunity for national exposure.
“The fact that our graduates and lecturers are consistently represented at this award reflects the calibre of teaching and learning at the QCA.”
Sunshine Coast Councilllor Rick Baberowski said the Art Prize was helping to put the region on the map as a major hub for the arts.
“The Art Prize gathers a genuinely remarkable selection of accomplished and emerging artists, and we are delighted to accept another great work of art into our increasingly impressive Sunshine Coast Art Collection,” he said.
The national contemporary acquisitive award is presented by the Sunshine Coast Council, and is open to any Australian artist working in a 2D medium.
Reducing salt consumption at population levels is a cost-effective strategy to combat high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in Africa according to new Griffith University-led research.
In a study published in the British Medical Journal Open, researchers from Griffith’s School of Medicine and the University of Oxford evaluated the health impacts and cost-effectiveness of three population-wide dietary salt reduction strategies (mass media campaigns, school-based education programs and a switch from regular cooking salt to low-sodium salt substitutes) to reduce salt intake in Cameroonians.
Dr Leopold Aminde
Lead author Dr Leopold Aminde, a Griffith University Postdoctoral Research Fellow, said low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) bore the brunt of the global non-communicable disease epidemic, with cardiovascular disease being the major contributor.
“About one in three adult Cameroonians have a high blood pressure, and excessive salt consumption is a major underlying factor,” Dr Aminde said.
“Evidence from high-income countries has shown that reducing salt consumption at population levels is a cost-effective strategy to combat high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, however, very few studies have assessed the impact of such strategies in Africa.”
He said about three-quarters of the salt consumed in Cameroon and other LMICs was added during cooking or at the table.
“Therefore, strategies to reduce salt intake need to target the consumers. We found mass media campaigns, a national school education program and switching regular cooking salt to low-sodium salt could prevent between 10,000 to over 80,000 deaths from heart disease and stroke in Cameroon,” Dr Aminde said.
All three interventions were very cost-effective with an 85-100% probability of being cost-saving.
“This is very promising for LMICs like Cameroon with limited resources,’’ said Professor Lennert Veerman, senior author and Professor of Public Health at Griffith University School of Medicine.
“Such excellent returns on investment could be ploughed back to other health-promoting strategies, basic health care or other social causes.
“For high-income countries like Australia, salt reduction strategies need to focus on the food industry that puts excess salt in processed foods. This could include setting mandatory limits in salt content of processed foods, or fiscal policies such as taxing food products with salt contents above certain thresholds.
“We must play our part by keeping the saltshakers and soy sauce away from the dinner table and use other condiments for flavouring.”
Initial results from a Griffith Universitystudy on first-time fathers suggest dads have unique needs in comparison to mothers including during the antenatal period.
Led by PhD candidate Stacey Bernardin from the School of Applied Psychology, the New Dads Project aims to examine the challenges first-time fathers face.
“We know they have unique experiences and further analysis will enable us to determine what factors contribute to men’s positive adjustment to fatherhood, with the intention of promoting healthy families in Australia,” she says.
“There’s scant research on understanding the different needs of first-time fathers and their unique experiences.
“This is the first study to look at the relationship between social factors and paternal adjustment including at potential explanations as to why some men appear to adjust more positively to their new role as fathers and others do not.”
She said as fathers play a pivotal role in the family dynamic and are also increasingly expected to be hands-on in child-rearing, it is becoming more important to support them in their role as new dads.
“Fathers are often equally as important as mothers in facilitating child development and wellbeing, so research in this area is crucial.”
The researchers are looking for first-time fathers aged 18 years or older, having a baby with a first-time mother, with no birth or pregnancy-related complications.
Fathers are invited to share their experience of transitioning to fatherhood for the first time, including personal statements about things that have been most important for them during their journey.
Griffith University’s unique FishID software project has been given a boost with the announcement of $211,000 in funding from the Australian Research Data Commons.
Professor Rod Connolly, Director of the Global Wetlands Project at the Australian Rivers Institute
Led by Professor Rod Connolly, Director of the Global Wetlands Project at the Australian Rivers Institute, the FishID software is helping to transform environmental monitoring of aquatic ecosystems in Australia through automated detection and identification of animals in underwater imagery.
“The FishID platform overcomes the cost associated with manually processing and extracting data from underwater cameras by creating user-friendly, public-facing facing artificial intelligence for detection and automated identification of animals,’’ Professor Connolly said.
“FishID will deliver a robust and intuitive system for our researchers to annotate imagery, train and evaluate deep learning models to accurately detect, identify and count species of interest across aquatic ecosystems.”
The project will enable a step-change in monitoring efficiency improving outcomes for marine environmental monitoring, river health monitoring, aquatic habitat restoration, education (e.g. Moreton Bay Live streaming cameras for QLD Environmental Education Centre) and enhancement of tourist experiences.
Griffith University is also a major partner in the University of Melbourne-led project Biosecurity Commons – Intelligently Managing our Pests and Diseases.
Professor Brendan Mackey, Director of the Griffith Climate Action Beacon, Griffith Climate Change Response Program, and the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility.
“This project arose from a working group convened under the auspices of the National Biosecurity Committee (each state/territory biosecurity agency and the federal government) who were tasked with identifying priority cross-sectoral innovations for the biosecurity system.
In a protected environment provided by the Biosecurity Virtual Lab, researchers will be able to investigate a wide range of questions related to biosecurity risk and response such as species/host distribution, impact estimates, transmission methods, pathways, efficacy of control, effort scenarios, optimal surveillance and proof of freedom.
The Biosecurity Commons project team will be hosted at Griffith University alongside the current EcoCommons program team and use existing EcoCommons architecture, which offers a suite of approaches to building analytical modelling outputs, and pull together a vast array of geospatial information including climatic, environment, and ecological data.
Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Mario Pinto said for the first time, researchers across organisations will be able to securely share and reuse biosecurity data, models and analytics in a virtual laboratory/modelling platform.
“This is immensely important for nationally cost-shared programs to ensure transparency. Building trust and confidence in models and model outputs will significantly accelerate research.”
The Australian Research Data Commons promotes nationally significant, leading edge data intensive e-Infrastructure, platforms, skills and collections of high-quality data that radically changes the way research is conducted in Australia and/or dramatically increased the speed of research.
A team of Griffith health technology researchers has won the iAwards 2020 Business Industry Solution of the Year with a device they created to better identify and treat pain.
Menzies Health Institute Queensland NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow Dr Daniel Harvie and his team of PhD candidate Nick Olthof and Griffith Electronic and Computer Engineering alumnus Dylan Chippindall won the national award after taking out the state prize in October.
Their invention, the Imprint Tactile Acuity Device (iTAD), will soon be tested in clinical trials. The national award recognises their research as an innovative step in the right direction.
Dr Harvie said their aim was to solve a significant issue in a practical way, with the cause of persistent pain often invisible, and thus very difficult to treat.
Dr Daniel Harvie, Dylan Chippindall and Nick Olthof.
“Tactile acuity is the ability to precisely feel the location and quality of touch on the body,” Dr Harvie said.
“This sensory impairment has shown to correspond to changes in the area of the brain that processes information from the body (and) it has been proposed that re-training tactile acuity might reduce pain by reversing these changes.”
The iTAD is a device that delivers vibro-tactile impulses through 12 nodes, imbedded in a wearable strap and is designed to create greater visibility when treating pain.
The iTAD.
“New science suggests that changes in the nervous system can be a key cause and the iTAD can help identify and treat those changes in the nervous system,” Dr Harvie said.
“Using our wirelessly connected tablet, clinicians like physiotherapists can measure how accurately patients can perceive sensations and they can identify people who might benefit from sensory training using the device.”
Not only does the iTAD provide an interface for sensory testing and training games while offering feedback to patients and therapists, but it is also more efficient than its alternatives.
“The iTAD fills a real gap in the management of a massive problem and it does so in a way that is really, really practical,” Dr Harvie said.
Griffith postgraduate student Emily Ragus has been awarded a prestigious Sir John Monash Scholarship and plans to use it to pave the way for women in healthcare.
Emily has been an emergency nurse for 15 years, responding to everything from farming accidents in remote Australia and delivering a baby on the side of the road in the middle of the night, to a mass casualty bus crash in Vanuatu.
She plans on using the 2021 Judith Neilson Foundation John Monash Scholarship, worth $70,000 per year for up to three years, to research how gender empowerment during disasters could be used as a health diplomacy tool and to continue fighting for inclusion and diversity in her field.
“There have been great advancements in gender equality within disaster management, but we fall drastically short in terms of inclusion,” Emily said.
“Diversity is giving a woman a seat at the table, but inclusion is listening to what they have to say.”
She hopes the connections she makes with her scholarship allow her to establish a consultancy to improve processes in large organisations such as the United Nations (UN) or non-government organisations around issues of poor gender integration, lack of leadership and cultural problems.
Gender Equality is listed as number five on the UN’s list of Sustainable Development Goals.
The Master of Global Development student says women working in male dominated health industries often experience subtle forms of gender discrimination and have to go the extra mile to prove themselves an asset to the team because of their gender.
“Women’s professional abilities are often relegated to the background while comments about hair, lipstick, or sexual jokes remain frequent topics of workplace conversation,” Emily said.
“The strengths women can bring to the table are often disregarded.
“I hope the impact of my research is that female graduates will not have to experience discrimination, but they will also have respect.”
COVID-19 further highlighted inequalities
The nurse says the present-day disaster of COVID-19 highlight the need for women’s voices in healthcare to be heard in the fight to end domestic violence — something she says directly correlates to gender stereotypes.
Emily Ragus.
“This pandemic has shone a light on an epidemic that women in Australia have been battling in silence for decades — domestic abuse,” Emily said.
“Australian culture is based on stereotypical gender roles.
“Upholding these stereotypes only strengthens the position of the violent perpetrator and increases the gender disparity gap.
“My PhD, with the support of this scholarship, will improve the inadequacies of current research findings regarding gender-based violence in disasters whilst establishing an innovative framework for emergency response teams when working with affected women.
“Qualitative data will allow the previously unheard voices of women who are leaders in disaster management, as well as survivors of violence themselves, to tell their personal stories.”
She says frontline health professionals are powerless to combat the inequities without systemic structural and organisational support, and hopes her research informs the development of innovative technological solutions and organisational processes.
Due to the pervasiveness of the issue of women in disasters, Emily says women need to be better supported to become specialists in the field.
She believes to understand the problems that a community faces, the voices of the entire community need to be heard.
“When I consider my achievements by my 50th birthday, I envision an established career as an international expert in gender studies in disasters,” she said.
“It is predicted that Australia and the Pacific will continue to be impacted by more devastating disasters in the future.
“My research will solidify Australia’s position as global leaders in disaster management, ensuring that female voices within the community and healthcare sector are part of this evolutionary change.”
Emily received the Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2018, which allowed her to study a Diploma of International Humanitarian Assistance at New York City’s Fordham University in New York City and was the stepping stone to embarking in this direction
The Sir John Monash Scholarship was first awarded in 2004 and recognises postgraduates who have demonstrated excellence in their field, leadership potential, and a vision for how they can contribute to a better Australia.
Bolstering employability by developing transversal skills and attributes that employers are seeking in graduate applicants, Dahlia Bar is currently completing a Remote Global Internship with the Australian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong (AustCham) as part of the 
I found the language training and diverse speakers a really unique and powerful addition to the program which I received a lot of benefit from.
