A Griffith researcher who harnessed the power of sound to help preserve the planet’s waterways has been recognised at the APRA Art Music Awards.
Dr Leah Barclay won the Queensland Award for Excellence in Experimental Music at the 2019 Art Music Awards for her Listening Underwater project.
Pushing the boundaries
Dr Leah Barclay during one of her field trips to the Great Barrier Reef
The large-scale acoustic ecology project drew on over a decade of Dr Barclay’s underwater recordings from freshwater and marine ecosystems across the globe, from coastal mangroves in Mexico to frozen rivers in Norway, the iconic Great Barrier Reef and the coastline of Queensland including K’Gari (Fraser Island).
The project was commissioned for Horizon Festival 2018 and delivered as a series of sold-out immersive live performances in a custom-built geodesic surround sound dome on Mooloolaba Beach.
The live performances were accompanied by augmented reality sound walks accessed via a custom-built mobile app, and featured live projections from Emmy Award-winning underwater cinematographer David Hannan.
‘A real privilege’
Dr Barclay said it was an honour to be recognised at the APRA Art Music Awards, which recognise excellence in the composition, performance, education and presentation of Australian art music.
“It’s pretty fantastic being recognised for this particular work, which has a real environmental and community focus,” she said.
“It is a real privilege to do this work, and the real reward is seeing the way we can use sound to tackle some of the big challenges we’re facing today.”
Responding to global challenges
Dr Leah Barclay using hydrophones to record aquatic ecosystems
A sound artist, composer and researcher, Dr Barclay’s work bridges the divide between art and science. Her acoustic ecology research is helping raise awareness of the health of aquatic ecosystems, which cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface.
“This project used experimental music, augmented reality and new technologies to connect communities to their waterways and inspire action,” she said.
“It demonstrated how listening can inspire empathy and allowed communities to understand their rivers, lakes and oceans in ways that are usually not accessible.
“Listening Underwater demonstrates that sound is one of the most powerful tools to respond to these challenges.”
Dr Barclay has just launched a new project for this year’s Horizon Festival. Dr Barclay has created a ‘sound walk’ which uses wireless headphones and a live mix revealing invisible ecosystems in real-time.
A student-led recyclable art project and an socially responsible MBA program have been selected as finalists in the 2019 Green Gown Awards Australasia.
The Green Gown Awards are now in their 10th year, and recognise excellence in sustainability across the tertiary education sector.
The students repurposed, redesigned and recycled materials to create stunning works of art, using bed linens, data cables, plastic bottles, CDs and bubble wrap.
The exhibition, which included sculpture, video installation, paintings and photography went on display at the QCA’s Grey Street Gallery and the Flight Centre foyer in South Bank.
Queensland College of Art doctoral candidate Claire Tracey curated the exhibition, after completing several sustainable artworks during a residency at Flight Centre’s global headquarters at South Bank last year.
Metamorphoses by Claire Tracey
“My doctorate examines arts-led engagement, so I approached Flight Centre last year about how we could work together,” she said.
“They are based right across the road from the QCA at South Bank, and they share the university’s commitment to sustainability, so it made sense to team up.”
‘Trophy Speciman’ by Priscilla Bracks and Gavin Sade
Claire became aware of other students at the QCA working with sustainable materials and decided to put together an exhibition to showcase their work.
“There are a lot of students working in this space who are really pushing the boundaries,” she said.
“It was a great chance for students to exhibit their work off-campus, explore sustainable transformations, and look at how art can guide the way to a greener society.”
Queensland College of Art Director Professor Derrick Cherrie said the exhibition was a model of collaboration between big business and emerging artists.
“It’s a fabulous example of a large organisation with a keen interest in environmental issues working with creative young people who want to express their desire to improve the environment,” he said.
The School has created a suite of programs that include compulsory elements of ethics education, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), social business, as well as socially responsible strategy and innovation across key postgrad-level programs, including the MBA.
The courses are designed to encourage the next generation of business leaders to build a better, more sustainable world.
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Engagement) Professor Martin Betts said that Griffith was globally recognised for its innovative and effective sustainable practices.
“Griffith is proudly committed to sustainability and has worked since its founding to embed sustainable practices into all that we do.”
The winners of the 2019 Green Gown Awards will be announced at a gala ceremony at Larnach Castle in Dunedin, New Zealand on 14 November.
Producer Brenton Pinsent, writer/director Dean Law and writer Katherine Chediak Putnam on set.
Griffith Film School alumni Katherine Chediak Putnam and Dean Law have been nominated for a prestigious Australian Writers’ Guild Award (AWGIE).
The AWGIE Awards recognise excellence in screen and stage writing, and previous winners include Griffith University creative arts alumni including Yolanda Ramke, Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall.
The pair were nominated for Best Short Film for their horror movie, Stray. The film was made as part of the Screen Queensland Shorts Program, and has received a run on the international festival circuit, garnering rave reviews at festivals in the US, Italy and Belgium.
‘A career milestone’
Dean said receiving an AWGIE nomination was a career milestone.
“It came as a complete shock, but it’s really thrilling,” he said.
“A lot of times these awards are very Sydney and Melbourne focused, but this year, three of the four films nominated for Best Short Film are from Queensland.
“This is a really special award – you are nominated by your fellow writers, and it’s judged solely on the script.
“It really lets the craft of screenwriting stand on its own.”
Originally from Brazil, Katherine worked as a film editor for almost a decade before travelling halfway across the world to study at Griffith Film School.
“English is my second language, and when I arrived here five years ago from Brazil, I barely spoke English,” she said.
“I think it’s a great achievement towrite a screenplay and be nominated for such a prestigious award.
“I think it legitimises you as a writer.”
Postgraduate studies provide foundation for industry projects
Katherine and Dean began collaborating on writing projects while completing their Masters degrees at Griffith Film School.
Griffith Film School alumnus Dean Law
“Our Masters projects got the attention of Screen Queensland and reassured them that we could deliver on our vision,” Dean said.
“We also got so much support from LiveLab and the Film School – and that support doesn’t end when you graduate.”
After completing the Masters program, Katherine decided to embark on a PhD, while Dean has established his own production company and is a sessional lecturer in screenwriting and production at GFS.
“The postgraduate programmes here are really unique — you are given the support and guidance to develop as an artist and make the best films you can,” Katherine said.
Building on success
Katherine and Dean are keen to leverage the success of Stray and make their first feature-length horror film.
“We’ve had a lot of meetings with agents, managers and production companies, so we are keen to start building on our short film and develop a feature,” Katherine said.
“I’ve loved horror since I was a kid –The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining.
“The genre allows you to discuss different issues like gender politics and racism without being preachy.”
Dream team
The pair are professional collaborators and life partners – drawn together by their passion for film.
“We had a lot in common, and in the past five years, we’ve gone from fellow students to being a complete creative team,” Dean said.
“We complement each other really well – sometimes it can be challenging, we both have strong personalities and we can be incredibly stubborn.
“But we are incredibly focused and passionate about what we do, and I think we inspire each other.”
Learning from the best
Griffith PhD candidate Katherine Chediak Putnam
The pair are keen to continue writing and directing together. As part of her PhD at Griffith Film School, Katherine recently had the chance to attend a directing masterclass in Italy where she learnt from the best, including Hollywood heavyweights Jane Campion and Frances Ford Coppola.
“It was a great opportunity to build a network of filmmakers and learn from the best,” she said.
“Jane is so good at assessing your strengths and weaknesses, and great at helping you build your voice.
“Francis Ford Coppola was so knowledgeable about the industry, and we got the chance to see the new final cut of Apocalypse Now on the big screen.
“Italy is such an inspiring place and I came back so inspired to write and more confident as a director.”
The 52nd annual AWGIE Awards will be presented on Thursday August 22 at the City Recital Hall in Sydney.
Griffith’s Behavioural Science Cluster has expanded its behaviour change program with the Applied Behavioural Science Winterschool, to be held on September 5 and 6, 2019 at its Gold Coast campus.
The two-day intensive program shares the latest behavioural insights through a series of research-based, applied, and comprehensive hands-on workshops, jointly delivered by Griffith Business School, and The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), a global social purpose company which started life as a small unit in the UK government but now has offices around the world.
Professor Andreas Leibbrandt
Griffith University Professor of Economics Andreas Leibbrandt was instrumental in developing the partnership and the program.
“The Winterschool will deliver the latest behavioural insights to practitioners, including policymakers and change agents who want to achieve social impact,” he said.
“Evidence suggests that organisational decisions are too often inconsistent, biased, swayed by arbitrary considerations, suffer from debilitating unintended consequences, clash with social norms and prove ultimately self-defeating.
“We want to understand these factors so we can improve our decision-making processes at work and avoid common mistakes.”
“This course offers practical, hands-on advice and training from speakers who have substantial expertise in the field of behaviour change and behavioural economics.
“Those who attend the course and complete a short exam will also receive a digital qualification which is shareable on LinkedIn and other digital platforms.
“Plus, did we mention the Winterschool is on the Gold Coast, where winter is virtually non-existent!”
“I’m excited to work with the world-leading team at Griffith and the Winterschool is a great opportunity to bring together BIT’s practical policy expertise with the latest academic research from the university’s Behavioural Science Cluster.”
Griffith’s Behavioural Science Cluster is chartered to deliver meaningful change through scalable and sustainable solutions, ensuring greater social outcomes for the wider community.
Led by eleven highly regarded cross disciplined academics, it passionately combats social issues like obesity, environmental degradation, social inequalities, retirement savings, taxes, and volunteering.
“Our cluster is bridging the gap between social intervention development and behavioural insights, placing people and organisations at the centre of our program design,” said Professor Leibbrandt.
For more information about the Applied Behavioural Science Winterschool visit
For details about Griffith University’s Behavioural Science Cluster email Professor David Butler, Director, Behavioural Science Collaborative [email protected]
Trimester 3, 2019 willtake off to a flying start, with more than 50excited students departing Australia to participate in the Global Mobility BusinessInternship Program in one of the following Asiandestinations:
Hong Kong
Jakarta, Indonesia
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Shanghai, China
Tokyo, Japan
Over the summer months, the supervised transformational learning experience will expose students to work in an international professional environment as well as introduce life as an expatriate. Participants will be presented with many opportunities to develop some of the soft skills demanded by employers includingcritical thinking; resourcefulness; resilience; flexibility; and cultural adaptation whilebuildingpeople to people relations between Australia and the host country.
This year, an Australian Government New Colombo Plan (NCP) Mobility Grant providing up to $8,000 in financial assistance, supports 85% of students.
Professor Caitlin Byrne and Dr Andrea Haefner from the Griffith Asia Institute played host to a ‘Welcome Aboard’ lunch for our 2019 global interns on Thursday 15 August at the Gold Coast campus. The room was abuzz with chatter and delight and provided a wonderful opportunity for students to not only discuss expectations and course requirements, but to also develop rapport with fellow global interns and gain valuable knowledge and insight from global ambassadors and internship destination experts.
In support of the development of our future Asia-Pacific leaders, Griffith Asia Institute looks forward to hosting on-campus pre-departure classes for our global interns in Trimester 3.
For more information about the program, please visit our Global WIL web page.
Griffith university staff and students will rub shoulders with global water experts at next month’s Water Future Conferencein Bangalore India.
The conference, organised by the Griffith University-based Sustainable Water Future Programme and the Indian Institute of Science, will see the Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute and the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science’sthe Water Storycome together with global water leaders from Future Earth, UNESCO and UN Environment Program (UNEP)
Sustainable Water Future Programme Director A/Prof Anik Bhaduri said it was important to see Griffith university water experts and communicators leading the charge in tackling the global water crisis at an international forum.
“Griffith University is not only playing a central role bringing global water experts into one place to share knowledge and find innovative solutions to the global water crisis, we are also training the next generation of communicators on how to produce science-based journalism,” he said.
A/Prof Bhaduri said the world was in the midst of an unprecedented global water crisis, that not only threatened global water security but could also have catastrophic effects on human health, food security and biodiversity.
“Science has played an outstanding role in scoping and understanding such risks for decades, but now we need to do more to observe and respond to these crises in near real time which will enable us to analyse, automate, correct, predict and minimise water risks,” he said.
Australian Rivers Institute Director Prof Stuart Bunn said the conference provides an important opportunity to identify the priority science needs to underpin sustainable water management.
“There is nowhere else in the world with a greater need for solutions to these pressing environmental challenges than the Indo-Pacific region” Prof Bunn said.
School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science lecturer and the Water StoryDirector Dr Kasun Ubayasiri said the conference provided an unprecedented opportunity for Griffith Communications students to meet and learn from the world’s leading water experts.
He said 10 Griffith University journalism and communications, photo-journalism and documentary film students will travel to Bangalore under the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade funded New Colombo Plan to report on the water crisis in India.
“Not only will our students gain crucial environmental communications skills they will partner with three Indian communications schools in Bangalore and hopefully make lifelong friendships with India’s next generation of communicators,” he said.
“This is second time the Water Storywill travel to India to report on the water crisis, and we are now looking at extending our footprint to other countries in South Asia, Africa and Europe.”
A/Prof Bhaduri said the Bangalore Water Future Conference will bring more than a 1000 water experts together across about 90 sessions to deliver cutting edge water solutions.
“It is a gathering of global heavyweights including United Nations Water agencies and other international organisations, along with the Griffith University-based Sustainable Water Future Programme, he said.
Dr Bargallie, a proud descendent of the Kamilaroi and Wonnarua peoples, is a senior research fellow at the Griffith Institute of Educational Research and her research, titled Maintaining the racial contract: Everyday racism and the impact of racial microaggressions on “Indigenous employees” in the Australian Public Service, investigates the experiences of 21 Indigenous employees of the APS.
Dr Bargallie worked for the public service herself for 14 years before she took a redundancy when she was unable to relocate because her mother was in hospital following a stroke. This redundancy lit a fire in her belly.
“My decision to take a voluntary redundancy — what for any other person may have been a personal matter — became for me an act of political warfare,” Dr Bargallie said.
“I wondered how many other Indigenous employees this had happened to.”
Dr Debbie Bargallie. Photo: AIATSIS
Her thesis draws on yarning sessions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples working for or had previously worked in the APS and found Indigenous employees were exposed to multiple experiences of covert and overt racisms that manifested through racial microaggressions.
“The research found that racism pervades the APS and that Indigenous employees feel their engagement, promotion and general workplace interests are affected by this,” she said.
“Racism is vehemently denied by those who claim to be committed to Indigenous employee career progression yet racial microaggression and everyday racism mark the daily experiences for Indigenous employees in the workplace.”
As the winner of the Stanner Award, she receives a glass sculpture, $5000 in prize money and the publication of her manuscript by Aboriginal Studies Press.
Dr Bargallie said she was proud of receiving the award and Griffith University Acting Dean (Academic) Professor Susan Forde echoed the sentiment.
“This award is a terrific outcome and a wonderful recognition of Dr Bargallie’s important work in critical race theory,” Professor Forde said.
“To have the Aboriginal Studies Press publishing Dr Bargallie’s manuscript as her first sole-authored book is a considerable milestone.”
Dr Bargallie’s postdoctoral research project at Griffith University is titled Breaking the Racial Silence: Fostering critical racial literacy in Australian universities for understanding race and racism.
Combining her love for skateboarding with her passion for sociological and cultural research, Dr Willing will speak on a panel at the Pushing Boarders conference in Malmo, Sweden, about the social benefits of skateboarding, particularly for women.
“I am the type of sociologist who is always 100 per cent passionate about what I teach and write about and to get to do research on skateboarding, as I have in recent years, is a dream come true,” Dr Willing said.
“I especially appreciate that the organisers (of Pushing Boarders) are actively inclusive of women’s and minorities’ voices, as we are often on the periphery.
“Australia and the world has a thriving skateboarding scene (and) we can hear from academic researchers who are also skateboarders and are dedicated to exploring its social and cultural benefits, as well as physical benefits.”
Dr Indigo Willing with her skateboard.
Dr Willing said there were increasing numbers of skate education programs in countries affected by conflict or economic disadvantages, as well as in Australia.
“There are learn to skate events working with individuals from Indigenous communities, refugees and people who have escaped human trafficking,” she said.
“There are also groups of older, mature aged skaters who skate regularly and still embrace the sport and lifestyle as strongly as they did in their youth, challenging stereotypes and encouraging ‘active ageing’.”
“I am grateful to be able to combine my passion for skateboarding, promoting diversity, community volunteering and sociology background,” she said.
“These are all things of interest to me as a researcher and former war orphan who was adopted to Australia, a woman who skateboards and someone over 40.”
She will speak at the conference on August 15 in the ‘University of Skate: Support your local Academic’ panel.
Griffith University’s Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre (QMNC) will share in $4.59 million in Queensland Government funding to build on its innovative research and industry projects such as clean energy technology and sensors for harsh environments.
Minister for Science and Environment Leanne Enoch MP announced the funding for the Australian National Fabrication Facility — Queensland Node (ANFF-Q), housed within Queensland Microtechnology Facility (QMF) of QMNC and at the University of Queensland.
“This is the first recipient to receive funding as part of the $25 million Research Infrastructure Co-investment Fund (RICF), established earlier this year,’’ Ms Enoch said.
Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Andrea Bishop said the strategic infrastructure investment will further enhance the University’s capacity for research and innovation with industry, including collaborative work to bring prototypes closer to market.
“It represents an engagement platform as well as a technical capability. A key feature for industry is the accessibility not only to these state-of-the-art, purpose-built facilities here at the QMF, but also to the expertise and know-how of our exceptional research teams.”
The ANFF-Q GU Site is located within the QMF, which houses specialised materials development fabrication equipment for microelectronics, micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) and microfluidics.
Aimed at bridging the gap between University research and industry, the facility provides unique integration of research flexibility and processing at semiconductor-industry standards.
Mainly focused on silicon carbide technology, the QMF supports a full range of activities from research and development through to pilot production.
QMNC Director Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen said the funding would significantly enhance the capability and capacity of ANFF-Q to support these and many other cutting-edge research projects.
“Using the unique EpiFlx reactor fabrication technology Griffith researchers have developed world-first silicon carbide nanowires for use in nanoscale sensors that are suitable for harsh mining environments,’’ he said.
ANFF-Q also provides silicon carbide on silicon to some of the top 10 semiconductor companies and top academic research organisations in the world and validates the potential in silicon carbide.
Professor Nguyen said the centre had facilities specifically for the development of silicon carbide technologies and wide band gap device technology.
“Our knowledge and expertise of microtechnology and high-quality and productive processing has led us to support many Australian companies, including Cochlear, Vaxxas and Bluglass. Our capability will potentially attract our industry partners to relocate their operation to Queensland.”
Griffith University’s recent Open Day was a huge success, with around 14,000 people visiting our Gold Coast, Nathan and South Bank campuses.
Prospective students and their families braved ‘Ekka’ westerlies to explore the wide range of degrees and support programs on offer in 2020 at Griffith.
“These Open Days are critical opportunities for potential students to meet with our staff and current students to understand what is special about Griffith and what we can offer them,” she said.
“Attendance was well above expectations, given the 28 percent drop in graduating Queensland year 12 students in 2019.
“Griffith’s friendly and welcoming nature was certainly on display. Our student volunteers were full of enthusiasm about their experience at Griffith and gave generously of their time and insights.”
A packed program allowed prospective students a range of hands-on experiences, from race car simulators and interactive robots to quadcopter demos, street science displays, wildlife encounters, and creative arts workshops.
Nova106.9’s all day broadcast at Nathan campus ensured those visiting could also hear firsthand from current and graduated students and staff about their own experiences at Griffith.
“We look forward to seeing many of these students back here as part of the Griffith community in 2020 and beyond.”
Nova106.9 journalist Ange Anderson with Associate Professor Cheryl Desha
Also interviewed, Associate Professor Cheryl Desha released details of some of the exciting new features of the new academic building (N79) nearing completion at Nathan.
The Director for Engagement (Industry) in the School of Engineering and Built Environment also spoke about the global opportunities Engineering offers.
“One of the reasons I chose Griffith as a place to work was its international focus where you can problem solve locally,” she told Nova 106.9 journalist Ange Anderson.
More than 90% of prospective students who attend Griffith Open Day say it has an impact on their final decision on what to study at University.
In case you missed all the action, check out the highlights.
Professor Caitlin Byrne and Dr Andrea Haefner from the Griffith Asia Institute played host to a ‘Welcome Aboard’ lunch for our 2019 global interns on Thursday 15 August at the Gold Coast campus. The room was abuzz with chatter and delight and provided a wonderful opportunity for students to not only discuss expectations and course requirements, but to also develop rapport with fellow global interns and gain valuable knowledge and insight from global ambassadors and internship destination experts.
Griffith University’s recent Open Day was a huge success, with around 14,000 people visiting our 
Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Carolyn Evan
A packed program allowed prospective students a range of hands-on experiences, from race car simulators and interactive robots to quadcopter demos, street science displays, wildlife encounters, and creative arts workshops.