A team of young filmmakers from Griffith University have created an advertising campaign that encourages young people to have their say at the ballot box.
Second-year film student Carmen Garratt directed and produced the campaign with a crew from Griffith Film School.
Carmen’s concept won a pitch competition run by Griffith Film School’s in-house production arm, LiveLab. Her visionwas simple and effective: create a campaign that focuses on the issues that really matter to young people.
“Young people can be a bit disillusioned with politics, but it’s important that they feel voting will make a difference,” she said.
“We drove home the point that seats can be won or lost by a few votes, and that young people have the potential to shape the upcoming Queensland election.
“The ad campaign covered all of the issues that my friends and I care about – the environment, mental health, technology.
“It was about making things exciting, colourful and vibrant.”
Carmen and the crew shot at 13 different locations across south-east Queensland to tight timeframes – from labs and lecture theatres at Nathan campus to rural properties, skate parks, police stations and coffee shops. Adding an extra layer of complexity was the need to make sure the shoot conformed to strict COVID protocols.
“It was very intense – a real learning curve,” she said.
“It was logistically very challenging, but it all paid off in the end.
“I always wanted to make films that positively influence society, and I’m already getting the chance to do it before I even graduate.
“By studying at Griffith you are part of something bigger – we get to go beyond the classroom and work on industry-level projects.”
LiveLab Creative Director Richard Fabb said the student filmmakers had been able to draw on Griffith University’s expertise, industry connections and cutting-edge equipment to create a stunning, cinema-quality campaign.
“The scale of the production and the tight timeframes meant this was a steep learning curve for our students, but they really stepped up,” he said.
“ECQ were delighted with the campaign and have plans to use it beyond the upcoming state election.”
Professor Anne Tiernan
Griffith Business School Dean (Engagement) Professor Anne Tiernan said the project provided a model for industry collaboration.
“The Electoral Commission was able to tap into our vast expertise at Griffith University – from researchers in the School of Government and International Relations to marketing experts at Social Marketing and film talent at Griffith Film School’s LiveLab and Griffith Business School’s DigiLab.
“Industry partners like ECQ get access to our thought leaders, our distinctive inter-disciplinary experience and a pipeline of creative talent.
“Industry-relevant, community-focused projects like this are a win-win, providing positive outcomes for student employability.”
Griffith University students have addressed the complex issue of mental health in a vital project to increase awareness of the university’s mental health services and support for students.
More than 60 students from Service Learning’s Community Internship course worked collaboratively on the project, generating positive solutions aimed at encouraging fellow students to utilise the many existing mental health services on offer.
To implement this goal, the project applied a peer to peer ‘for students, by students’ approach to create a personable way to connect students to existing resources.
Project Leader Madi Wheeler said the project had taken five weeks to complete but showed a lot of promise.
“We think the project would be successful if implemented,” Madi said.
The project is part of Service Learning’s larger Social Impact Project, which aims to address five social justice issues faced by vulnerable communities.
They also include homelessness, digital inclusion, empowering people of all abilities, and environment and sustainability.
Director of Griffith’s Service Learning Unit Dr Faith Valencia-Forrester has been working on the Mental Health Project since 2019. Photo: Iris Zhang
Director of Griffith’sService LearningUnit, Dr Faith Valencia-Forrester, saidtheMental Health Project aimed to support students within Griffith and the wider community.
“There has been acknowledgement of increasing issues around mental health for students and we decided to strategically address them,” Dr Valencia-Forrester said.
“I have been working on this project since the middle of 2019, so it’s been quite a big project, pulling it alltogether,but the students are the ones doing all the work.”
The students pitched the project tomental healthpartners from Mental Health First Aid through a Zoom session on August 25.
Mental Health First Aid Workplace Engagement Manager Kathy Bond congratulated the students on their vision for the project.
“I particularly like the way you’re working together and, not to sound clichéd, but we work stronger as teams, so I think that’s great,” MsBond said to students after their project presentation.
“I love that you’re thinking about sustainability, that this project will live longer than you do as ateam, so it sounds like a really amazing project.”
Acting Community Engagement Manager for Mental Health First Aid, Erin Healy, saidthe students’ project was well produced, particularly during a global pandemic.
“I think you’ve carried [inclusivity] through all of your steps really well, particularly with your response to COVID-19, as obviously things have had to move ontoonline platforms,”MsHealy told students.
“You mentioned you’veconsidered that not everyone will feel confident enough to speak up in a group, and that you’ve got other options for people to be involved, but at levels that will suit different comfort zones, which is really amazing.
“I think it’s been a difficult time to pull a project like this together and it’s forced all of us to think creatively.”
Student Sammy Brigden said the feedback from Mental Health First Aid partners was helpful for the project team going forward.
“The areas for improvement were things we touched on earlier but kind of neglected on the way, so it’s a really good way to pull us back into focus and make us accountable for what we’re trying to achieve,” Sammy said.
The project not only raised awareness for existing services at Griffith, but also aimed to connect students to external mental health organisations outside the university.
Student Jennifer Radford said the project had unique elements that separated it from similar projects.
“I think it[the Mental Health Project] opens upa whole new demographic considering we are specifically focusing on university students,” she said.
“I’m sure they [mental health organisations] have worked with people from that demographicbefore,but I think that our specific targeting could helpopen upthe conversation a lot more to a new group.”
The next stage in the Mental Health Project is for individual project teams to work together on making improvements and implementing feedback from Mental Health First Aid partners.
This article is an edited contribution from Griffith journalism students Iris Zhang and Madison Coskerie.
Matthew Keech was always determined to get a bachelor degree, despite the universe trying to hold him back. His high school didn’t actively encourage university study and, what’s more, he would be the first in his family to attend or graduate from a tertiary institution. But he knew he wanted to challenge himself and to go above and beyond expectations, and he knew Griffith was the place where he could be remarkable.
“I did a lot of research and found the academics at Griffith had a really great wealth of expertise and knowledge. The lecturers, yes they were academics, but they were linked to industry; they had 10-15 years of practical experience,” Matthew says. “In the end it just became a no brainer.”
The Bachelor of International Business graduate, who now works as an Integrated Support Logistics Manager within the Department of Defence, says his time at the University gave him transferable skills that enabled him to begin his dream career.
“Studying at Griffith gave me versatility to adapt and evolve,” he explains. “My first year allowed me to try a few paths before I discovered my passion for logistics and supply chain management.
“Any given day at my job could see me in a warehouse dealing with inventory movement, in a meeting negotiating with contractors, or looking at logistics data to make decisions. It’s a fulfilling hybrid of strategic decision making and being out there getting your hands dirty.”
Something Matthew thinks helped him get a leg up when initially applying for the Department of Defence graduate program were the skills beyond the textbooks that the Business School offered. “When you study, you have all the practice and academics in a normal degree, but as a graduate you need the extra skills that set you apart,” he says. “The Griffith Business School Student Leadership Program gave me the interpersonal skills I needed to be successful.”
Matthew, who did a duel major of Logistics and Supply Chain Management and International Business, continues: “The support on offer at Griffith is amazing; they have such a well structured way of bringing people up to speed and making them feel comfortable. There’s a plethora of assistance available if you need it while you’re studying, they really want you to do well.
“Even once I graduated, the Alumni Network is a prime example of that support. I might not geographically be in Brisbane, but I’m still connected to the Griffith community. They help you from the first day until the last day when you walk across and grab your degree, and even into the future.”
A Griffith student has taken out a national competition after creating his own Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) strategy.
Hugh Mackay, who is in his third year of combined Law and Commerce degrees majoring in Financial Planning, developed an ETF that mitigates investment risk temporarily, which he called HEDG.
He has been awarded a $5000 scholarship from Betashares, a leading ETF manager which provides investment solutions for Australian investors.
“The grant will go towards covering additional costs associated with my degree, particularly textbooks, equipment and subscriptions that all assist me in my educational experience,” Hugh said.
“I also hope to use these funds towards researching & developing solutions to common financial issues facing Australia, including a study into the complex dilemma of student debt and how to provide sustainable and adequate advice to lower-income families.”
Mackay described his HEDG concept as a solution to an over-reliance in super and bias towards investing in Balanced funds.
“Both Covid-19 and the GFC have shown certain asset classes are highly correlated during stressful market conditions and can easily threaten our retirement system.
“Using HEDG, during Covid-19, balanced funds would have been protected from the down turns in property and infrastructure, helping super funds avoid having to undertake fire sales of their assets to cover redemptions.”
“Hugh Mackay won what is a national competition from a field of 60 entrants, an excellent outcome which demonstrates our Finance and Financial Planning students are work-ready,” he said.
“I am impressed by his efforts to develop a new ETF to help manage portfolio risk for institutional investment managers and individual investors.”
Mackay currently serves as the Financial Planning Coordinator for the Griffith University Commerce Society on the Gold Coast.
His career goals include helping people achieve financial independence and an improved understanding of their own financial situations by providing sound, informative and practical advice, especially during hardship such as Covid-19.
“Following my graduation, I want to help develop a platform for people whose financial circumstances make them unable to afford quality, informative and affordable advice.”
Brisbane Festival Artistic Director and Griffith alumnus Louise Bezzina
Griffith University is one of the partners behind the annual event – one of the highlights of the city’s arts and culture scene. This year’s festival is the first for new artistic director and Griffith creative arts alumnus Louise Bezzina.
Ms Bezzina was forced to think outside the box, reshaping the festival program to accommodate COVID restrictions.
One brainwave was the Street Serenades program, billed as the biggest deconstructed music concert in Brisbane’s history. It covered 190 suburbs, from concerts in cul-de-sacs and performances in the park.
As part of a program of pop-up performances across town, Queensland Conservatorium students performed at a series of secret locations on bespoke wheels, from flatbed trucks to retro caravans.
A host of small ensembles from the Queensland Conservatorium have entertained music lovers across the city for the past fortnight, from jazz duos to string quartets.
Clarinettist Drew Gilchrist
Clarinettist Drew Gilchrist performed at the Port of Brisbane and on the bayside with his wind ensemble, the Acetaria Quintet.
“It’s so good to be back in action, performing again,” he said.
“There is a real sense of excitement about returning to what we love and sharing music with the community.”
Drew formed the Acetaria Quintet two years ago as part of his studies at the Queensland Conservatorium.
“It’s like playing in a sports team – there is a real sense of connection,” he said.
“Just as valuable as the degree is the network of other musicians that you meet and collaborate with at the Con and the performance opportunities we are given really sets you up for your career.”
The Serrano Quartet
Violinist Scarlett Gallery performed a series of gigs on Brisbane’s northside with her string ensemble, the Serrano String Quartet.
“There was a real buzz getting back to live performance for the first time in months,” she said.
“I was thrilled to be part of the Brisbane Festival – it’s such a huge event across town, and we get the chance to play to such diverse crowds.
“This is what music is all about – bringing people together.”
Musical theatre Paul Roos
As part of the Brisbane Festival, the entire cohort of musical theatre students got the chance to perform a show at Brisbane City Hall in front of a socially-distanced audience.
Musical theatre student Paul Roos said emotions were running high as the students took to the stage for their first major concert this year, performing hits from iconic shows including Les Miserables and Aladdin.
Musical theatre students take the stage at Brisbane City Hall
“It was an experience I’ll never forget – we looked out into the audience and they were just weeping,” he said.
“People have been starved of live performance for so long, there were definitely heightened emotions.
“For us, it was amazing to be back on stage. This is all I want to do in my life – music is my passion.”
Associate Professor Peter Morris
Queensland Conservatorium Deputy Director (Engagement) Associate Professor Peter Morris said the University’s partnership with Brisbane Festival had created an invaluable opportunity for students to share their music with the community.
“It is an opportunity for our students to play in a professional setting and try something outside their comfort zone,” he said.
“It is great experience to be part of a bigger event, and it’s so good to be sharing live performance with local audiences again.”
Griffith University researchers have helped develop national guidelines to minimise healthcare workers’ risk of acquiring and spreading infection while examining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with respiratory symptoms.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a rapidly-changing health policy environment. These new guidelines aim to provide resources and support healthcare teams in prevention and management of COVID-19,’’ said Associate Professor Jing Sun from the School of Medicine who led the project.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a higher prevalence of respiratory conditions, many of which share symptoms with COVID-19.
“Health care workers examining a patient with respiratory symptoms are at risk of spreading infection between patients with the highest risk of transmission likely during throat and nose examination including when a swab is being collected.”
While the guidelines were designed specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities Associate Professor Jing Sun said they could also be applied to other communities.
“As we continue to analyse the evidence from the international organisations and countries and Australian governments, we will be able to implement similar guidelines for others.”
The guidelines were funded by the Lowitja Institute and designed in collaboration with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Australian National University.
Griffith University’s reputation in artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow — ranking world number 17 in the latest AI Research Index and the best in Queensland.
“Our aim is to harness artificial intelligence technologies to create user-friendly, effective and adaptive systems, capable of responding to the needs and challenges of complex, changing and unpredictable environments,’’ he said.
“We conduct basic research that advances the scientific knowledge base, contributes to the fundamental theory, discovers new theories and develops new technology.
“The AI Research Index ranking highlights our strength in AI research — which will help us secure critical future funding.”
Using satellite images for early detection of bushfires, an intelligent remote water quality monitoring platform to address waterway environmental sustainability and big data analytics are just some of the artificial intelligence projects underway at IIIS.
“It’s designed for leaders who want to understand the latest technology with a view to applying it to their business, enterprise or organisation.AI has enormous potential, but it’s important to understand the ethics of using it safely. This course will teach students how to do this.”
“AI is transforming how we engage with industry. It’s moved from being a buzz IT term to now very real employment opportunities,’’ said Griffith University ICT Industry Advisory Board Adjunct Associate Professor Peter Johnson.
“It is the fastest growing division in the ICT sector with Griffith University students having developed skills to be “employmentready” in this post COVID-19 industry.
“The IT industry is seeking these skilled Griffith graduates to not only empower regional Australia in various high-profile sectors such as agricultural, health and mining but to take the lead in creating new roles in all sectorsacross all industries.”
Compiled by Korea’s Software Policy & Research Institute, the index ranks the value of AI research performance and competency from 2016-2019 which includes the number of academic studies and citations per publication.
Griffith aviation students continue to take flight despite COVID-19 as training continues throughout the pandemic.
Rosie Martin.
Although planes around the world may be grounded, forward-thinking and optimistic Graduate Diploma of Flight Management students Rosie Martin and Matilda Sandell were ecstatic Griffith allowed them to continue with their training.
Both have now completed a Bachelor of Aviation at Griffith and are confident that despite the current aviation downturn, they will be able to follow their dream career path.
“I believe that the demand for pilots will be greater than ever after COVID-19,” Rosie said.
“While COVID has made us appreciate what’s on our back doorstep, I think most of the population will be pining for a holiday by the end of it.”
Matilda agreed with Rosie and said there were many people who had cancelled holidays or not seen their families throughout the pandemic.
“Aviation, like the rest of the global economy, will need some time to rebuild.”
“When aviation comes back, it is going to boom,“ Matilda said.
Professor Tim Ryley.
Rosie also said many of the senior pilots she knew had opted to retire, leaving a gap for younger pilots to take to the sky.
“The shortage that was present before COVID-19 will have only dramatically increased afterwards,” she said.
Head of Griffith AviationProfessor Tim Ryley said many parts of the aviation industry had been “badly” impacted by COVID-19, but took the actions of major airlines continuing to train pilots as a positive sign.
“It is too early to tell what the future of aviation will look like but it will certainly emerge very differently and in a learner form,” Professor Ryley said.
“..there is still long-term demand for pilots”
“However, there is still long-term demand for pilots.”
“One example is that Qantas are still investing in their pilot training academy, even during a period of severe financial distress.”
Matilda Sandell.
Professor Ryley said Graduate Diploma of Flight Management flight training continued throughout 2020 through Basair at Archerfield Airport, with appropriate COVID-19 hygiene practices.
Matilda was always destined to fly, as her great-uncles were pilots in World War II and her father an avionics engineer.
“There is something magical about being in the sky, and it is truly an amazing experience to fly a plane yourself,” she said.
“I always loved air travel and what I loved even more was Dad taking me flying in his Piper Warrior.”
Rosie, on the other hand, always had an interest in aviation but never thought seriously of it as a career until a life-changing event.
“Halfway through Year 12 I had a serious skiing accident and realised that life can turn upside down in a second,” Rosie said.
“I also realised that I’ve got to have a job I absolutely love, so I put all fears aside and chose to study aviation.
“This by far was the best decision I ever made. “
The women are confident, despite the period of uncertainty, they will have careers as commercial pilots one day.
“Growing up I always wanted to fly for the air force, but I am actually too short, (however) now it is my dream to be a commercial pilot,“ Matilda said.
“I might have to wait a little bit longer to sit in the left-hand seat of an A380, possibly beginning my career somewhere different entirely, but I know I will get into that seat someday.”
Works by Queensland College of Art (QCA) staff, students and alumni are in the running for two of Australia’s most prestigious portrait prizes.
Fine art lecturer Dr Julie Fragar and alumni Monica Rohan and Karen Black are among the 55 finalists vying for the $100,000 Archibald Prize, which is awarded each year to the best portrait of a person ‘distinguished in art, letters, science or politics’ by an Australian artist.
More than a dozen staff, students and alumni have also made it to the finals of the Brisbane Portrait Prize, now in its second year.
Archibald Prize finalist Dr Julie Fragar
Dr Fragar’s imposing two metre Archibald Prize entry features Aboriginal activist and artist Richard Bell.
This marks the third time that the acclaimed artist has made it to the finals of the Archibald Prize.
“The Archibald Prize is a whole other level of exposure. It’s a little bit like the Melbourne Cup – people place bets each year on who is going to win,” she said.
“It does create great excitement, and I believe it plays a vital role in connecting Australia with the visual arts. It’s great to participate in a national conversation about art.”
Dr Fragar said she was honoured to paint her friend and fellow artist, Richard Bell – the eighth time he has appeared in a finalist portrait. The painting was based on a series of photographs by QCA alumnus Louis Lim.
“Richard is well known as a fearless artist with a sharp mind and a big personality. Sometimes, though, when talking about personal experiences, he shows a quieter side,’ she said.
“He occasionally tells the story of growing up in south-west Queensland where the home he lived in was demolished by local authorities. I wanted to refer to something of that loss and to show two sides of Richard — the fearless and the feeling.”
Archibald Prize finalist Monica Rohan
Rising star Monica Rohan, who graduated from the QCA in 2011 with a Bachelor of Fine Art (Hons), made it to the finals for the second time with a portrait of fellow artist Lucy Culliton.
Lucy, by Monica Rohan
“It’s really exciting – there is so much anticipation and effort that goes into an entry, so to make the finals is so rewarding,” she said.
“I think the Archibald is among the most accessible art events in Australia – everyone can enjoy it.”
Monica travelled down to her sitter’s rural NSW property to make preliminary sketches for the portrait and get to know her subject.
“Lucy was so generous and actually became a friend in the process,” Monica said.
Brisbane Portrait Prize finalist Ashlee Becks
Fine Art Honours student Ashlee Becks is also among the 70 finalists at this year’s Brisbane Portrait Prize.
Her striking self-portrait, To Have and To Hold, is part of a series of works she has produced as part of her studies at QCA.
“I’m in my Honours year now and am doing a research project focused around how painting can help cope with trauma,”she said.
To Have and To Hold, by Ashlee Becks
“My work for the Brisbane Portrait Prize is a very personal piece and is based on my own experience of grief and trauma.
“I love the idea of portraiture as a way of exploring and understanding yourself.”
Ashlee said the Brisbane Portrait Prize provided an invaluable opportunity for emerging artists to gain exposure for their work.
“Particularly during COVID, there haven’t been many opportunities to see new work. It’ll be interesting to see what people have been working on,” she said.
“It’s exciting to make the finals alongside so many other artists from QCA.
“My dream is to be in the finals of the Archibald Prize one day, so this is the next step.”
Professor Elisabeth Findlay
Queensland College of Art Director Professor Elisabeth Findlay said the success of QCA in Australia’s premier portrait prizes reflected the high calibre of staff and alumni engaged in contemporary portraiture.
“Making it to the finals of the Archibald Prize is an impressive achievement and it’s wonderful that QCA artists are so prominently featured in this highly competitive exhibition,” she said.
“QCA is also well represented amongst the finalists of the Brisbane Portrait Prize and it is exciting to see staff and alumni pushing the boundaries of portraiture.”
The Archibald Prize will be announced on Friday 25 September and the Brisbane Portrait Prize will be awarded on 6 October.
Archibald Prize finalists
Dr Julie Fragar
Monica Rohan
Karen Black
Brisbane Portrait Prize finalists
Emeritus Professor Pat Hoffie
Dr Julie Fragar
Dr Bill Platz
Tish Lineaan
Sarah Hickey
Deborah Eddy
Amanda Penrose Hart
Ashlee Becks
Adrian Charles Smith
Georges Soler
Janine Heany
Peter Jacobsen
Tyza Stewart
Adam Southgate
Griffith University’s leading researchers have been recognised at the 2020 Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Awards held online for the first time this year.
“Griffith University continues to be one of Australia’s leading research universities and these awards recognise the depth and breadth of the work being carried out by our talented researchers,’’ Professor Evans said.
The full list of 2020 winners:
Excellence in Research Leadership
Such was the high-calibre of research leadership nominees, two awards were given in this category.
She is a former ARC Future Fellow and an established national and international leader in the field of parental incarceration research. She is working to transform policies and systems to reduce the intergenerational transmission of offending and disadvantage.
Her research findings are driving substantial changes in correctional design, policy and practice with respect to prisoner-family relationships, contact and community re-entry.
Professor Dennison became the first invited Fellow of the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement and in 2015 she was invited to join an international consortium on parental incarceration, with some of the world’s most highly cited and respected researchers in the field.
As a Principal Research Leader at the Institute for Glycomics she has spearheaded the development of a new area of endeavour – metalloglycomics — the interaction of defined coordination compounds with oligosaccharides.
A major advance has been the new perspective she has provided to gold-based therapeutics, showing they can be rationally designed as versatile drugs for a range of human diseases caused by dysfunction of selenol and thiol containing proteins.
Professor Berners-Price has played a major leadership role in nurturing the development of bioinorganic chemistry and medicinal inorganic chemistry internationally. She is the current President of the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry and the recipient of the 2018 Asian Biological Inorganic Chemistry Outstanding Achievement Award.
She is also an internationally recognised leader in graduate research education and the immediate past convenor of the Australian Council of Graduate Research.
Excellence in Early Career Research
Dr Hoang-Phuong Phan is a member of the Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre and Griffith Sciences and was awarded his PhD in 2016 from Griffith University. His research expertise is in Material Engineering, micro/nano sensors, bio-sending applications, flexible electronics and nanowires. He was awarded an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award this year.
Dr Phan has an h-index of 22 and citation count of 1283. His world-first flexible single crystal SiC electronics was published in ACS Nano, with an impact factor of 13.9. He has a remarkable research income record, approaching $1m awarded since 2017.
Dr Phan’s vision for the future includes the expansion and enhancement of multi-disciplinary research between science schools and national and international collaborators. He is committed to training and guiding both HDR candidates and undergraduate students.
Excellence in Mid-Career Research
Associate Professor Lauren Ballis an NHMRC Fellow with Menzies Health Institute Queensland. Since completing her PhD at Griffith University six years ago, she has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications on research that explores how patients in primary care can be best supported to have a healthy diet.
Her h-index of 21 is more than double the benchmark in her field as a mid-career researcher. This year Lauren is finishing her NHMRC Early Career Fellowship and was successful in the first round of the new NHMRC Investigator Grants.
Her advocacy with the UN and WHO has resulted in recommendations for nutrition education for all health professionals in the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition.
Associate Professor Ball has also changed clinical practice in Australia by creating the first support bundle for general practitioners to integrate nutrition into their routine care.
Excellence in Research Supervision
Professor Rod Connollyis the director of the Global Wetlands Project and member of the Australian Rivers Institute. He is an experienced HDR supervisor who has been with Griffith University for 22 years and during time has graduated 25 candidates, 20 as Principal Supervisor. Sixty per cent of his candidates have completed their candidature within 3.5 years of commencement. Rod instils the importance of a strong publishing record in his candidates and has published with 70% of his candidates as lead or co-author.
His mentorship of candidates is extensive and varied and includes – encouragement and assistance to work in an overseas lab to experience alternative research methods and thinking, to establish collaborations at an early stage of their careers; weekly lab discussions with invited Early Career Researchers; pre-conference training and post-conference de-briefings and a dedicated poster practice session with the venue set up as an actual conference poster session and where the research team acts as a live audience.
Professor Connolly mentors in engaged and thoughtful processes to address gender inequality and bias in science and this is evidenced by presentations and discussions on up-to-date methods and recommended behaviours for overcoming gender bias in academia and science.
Excellence of a Research Group or Team
Griffith Centre for Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering, Menzies Health Institute Queensland
The research team develops disruptive technologies to prevent and manage various musculoskeletal (orthopaedic), neurological, cardiac and vascular conditions in collaboration with industry partners and end-users.
Under the leadership of Professor David Lloyd, the applicants established the Griffith Centre for Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (previously GCORE) within Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) in 2016, and more recently the Medical Devices domain within the new Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADAPT).
Since its inception, GCORE has grown to more than 40 academics, researchers, clinicians, technologists as well as industry partners.
In the past three years the team haas collectively attracted >$9 million in external competitive research grants and supervised 20 PhD candidates to completion with a further 33 continuing.
The team has ongoing research collaborations with more than 15 industry partners and demonstrates impact by using Science Technology Engineering, Art and Mathematical (STEAM) to create disruptive technologies to improve health outcomes, reduce health care costs and enable Australian industry.
Notable examples include improving orthopaedic surgeries using computer simulations, designing the world’s first 3D-printed wrist ligament, building thought-driven devices for neuro-restoration following spinal cord injury, and designing wearable sensor systems to help prevent sports injuries.
Excellence in Research Engagement
Professor Ross Homel AO joined Griffith University as the Foundation Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice in 1992.Since this time, he has undertaken ground-breaking research in the field of translational prevention science. He has applied this research to several major social problems including drinking and driving, alcohol-related crime and violence, public sector corruption and (most recently), youth crime in disadvantaged communities.
Over the past three decades, this work has been co-created through respectful engagement with policy people and frontline professionals who contribute a wide range of disciplinary perspectives and skills that enable research outcomes to be translated into policies, programs and practice.
Professor Homel has published three monographs and six edited books, as well as more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and numerous high impact government reports.
He has won many awards for his research on the prevention of crime, violence and injuries and the promotion of positive development and wellbeing for children and young people in socially disadvantaged communities.
His accomplishments were recognised in January 2008 when he was appointed an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) ‘for service to education, particularly in the field of criminology, through research into the causes of crime, early intervention and prevention methods.’
Carmen and the crew shot at 13 different locations across south-east Queensland to tight timeframes – from labs and lecture theatres at Nathan campus to rural properties, skate parks, police stations and coffee shops. Adding an extra layer of complexity was the need to make sure the shoot conformed to strict COVID protocols.
LiveLab Creative Director Richard Fabb said the student filmmakers had been able to draw on Griffith University’s expertise, industry connections and cutting-edge equipment to create a stunning, cinema-quality campaign.
“I think it’s been a difficult time to pull a project like this together and it’s forced all of us to think creatively.”
Professor Sue Berners-Price 
Dr Hoang-Phuong Phan 
