From the moment Gary Collins’ eldest son Christopher walked onto the South Bank campus during Open Day, the family felt at home at Griffith.
“We had been to Open Days elsewhere but as soon as Chris took in what was on offer at Griffith, it just felt right and there’s never been a moment’s regret,” Brisbane dad Gary said.
Chris studied a Bachelor of Film and Screen Media Production and graduated in 2014, and developed an appetite for learning which has led him to pursue other academic interests.
Gary’s younger son Nicholas has also had a life-changing experience at Griffith initially studying Science at Griffith’s Nathan campus before transferring to a Bachelor of Marine Science at the Gold Coast.
“Nick has some learning difficulties and needs extra assistance and he received so much support and help from both fellow students and teachers at Griffith that he has excelled in his studies and we are enormously proud of him,” Gary said.
“For both my sons, studying at Griffith has been transformative, helping them grow and become mature young men while also giving them the best pathway to pursue their chosen careers.”
When she dares to glimpse her future, Gold Coast hockey prodigy Morgan Mathison dreams of representing her country on the Olympic stage, maybe even captaining the Hockeyroos someday. The talented field hockey midfielder took a small but significant step towards this goal as 2017 closed when she was called into the Australian under 21 hockey squad for a training camp in Canberra.
When considering her future career, the 17-year-old also has a clear picture of where this may lie. She sees herself before a classroom of Grade 10 students teaching mathematics someday. As 2018 opens its doors, Morgan has also taken a significant step in that direction after accepting offer to study a Bachelor of Education at Griffith University.
“When I was young, and thought about what I wanted to be, it was always a teacher,” she says. “In high school it faded off a little bit and I started thinking about everything else I could do. For a while I thought about engineering, medicine and physio but it always came back to teaching and that’s what I really want to do.”
Cool and inviting
Morgan, whose mum was a high school teacher, is excited by the prospect of studying education at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus which captured her imagination when she toured it with Marymount High School earlier in 2017. “It’s just really cool and inviting. I’ve been to a few others but it was always the one that stood out for me.”
The support she could potentially secure through the Griffith Sports College was also a draw card for Morgan, prompting her to apply for membership. She is eager to balance her sporting endeavours with university studies going forward. “A lot of people will take a year off and focus on sport (after high school) but I’m someone who if I’m not busy all the time I won’t get anything done. I see what the Griffith Sports College could do for you and it’s just incredible, and it would help so much, particularly with organisation.”
Morgan was among a select group of high school students on the Gold Coast to be awarded a Griffith University School Sports Award in recognition of their sporting achievements during high school. The annual prize incorporates a certificate and $200 bursary.
Australian dream
Morgan comes from a hockey family. Her mother and father met through hockey and each of her three siblings also play the sport. Her own passion for the sport took hold from the age of four in Gladstone. Her older sister Lindsay is studying at University of California: Berkeley on a hockey scholarship.
Morgan initially mixed field hockey with lifesaving, swimming, gymnastics, touch football and one tennis lesson until hockey started to chrystallise as her strong suit around the age of 13. She had made her first Queensland team aged 11 and has gone on to captain her state at different age groups.
In 2015 she started training with the Queensland Academy of Sport before most recently being called into the Australia under 21 development squad. For the year ahead, she also has her sights set on the Queensland Scorchers, the state’s premier hockey team.
“I’ve always loved the sport and I’ve always wanted to play for Australia. I’ve always had that in the back of my mind. But it’s hard to know if you actually will. But it’s becoming more realistic for me, obviously not in the near future, but hopefully someday. I know that if I keep working hard it’s possible.”
“The grant from Screen Queensland has allowed me to polish up a script for a TV series that I started during my final year at GFS – I’m hoping to sell it to ABC iView or SBS On Demand,” Sam said.
The young film graduate isn’t content to stop there. The director, writer and script editor is also working on a children’s animation and a documentary.
“I like to keep busy, and generate my own work,” he said.
“I have a pretty diverse range of projects on the go, but at the end of the day, it all comes back to telling stories.”
Samuel graduated from the Bachelor of Film and Screen Media Production in 2016, and credits the course with setting him up for a successful career in the industry.
“It’s the best course I’ve ever done,” he said.
“I got the chance to study scriptwriting with legends like Priscilla Cameron and Shayne Armstrong and try my hand at directing and production.
“It’s crazy how much the course at GFS has helped me – it’s got me further than I ever dreamed.
“Every job I’ve got was through the Griffith network of creatives.”
After graduating, Sam worked on an animation script with Griffith Film School tutor Anthony Mullins. After pitching the project to local production companyLike a Photon, Sam scored a coveted internship with the company.
“It was an amazing experience, and although I worked for free for months, it eventually paid off.
“By putting the hours in, I learned a lot, and made some great connections in the industry.”
Griffith University researchers are building the next wave of supercomputers.
Work published in Light: Science and Applications showsa new technique for a quick and reliable characterisation of integrated quantum chips that encode information using light instead of electrical current.
In collaboration with ANU, RMIT and UTS in Australia and ITMO University in Russia, the researchers demonstrate a new method for measuring and certifying the quality of quantum devices.
“Such devices will be key for the realisation of an ultra-powerful computer in the near future and are researched by industry leaders like IBM, Google and Microsoft,” said Griffith University researcher Associate Professor Mirko Lobino(pictured), of the Centre for Quantum Dynamics.
“Having a technique to certify the quality of such devices is crucial for the development of this technology on a large scale, and this is what we have done in our paper.
“Since future quantum computers will consist of thousands, if not more, devices assembled together, each part needs to be characterised quickly and with a high degree of precision, in order for the whole machine to work property. This is what we demonstrated in this work.”
The article’s lead author, Dr. Francesco Lenzini, said that the development of future quantum technologies would involve an expansion in scale and complexity of photonic devices for applications ranging from secure communication and enhanced sensing to computer science.
“However, characterisation of quantum photonics circuits is a cumbersome experimental task, requiring the use of expensive and often inefficient single-photon detectors and a rapidly increasing measurement time with system size,” he said.
“Availability of practical techniques for the characterisation of this class of devices will be of fundamental importance for improving their performances and move quantum technologies towards real-world applications and large-scale production.
“Unlike previous proposals, our technique can be applied to circuits with arbitrary size and complexity, a crucial step towards complex, large-scale, device production.”
The group is working on building the innovative optical microchips that will enable the next wave of supercomputers; these devices are similar to the electronic ones presently in computers and appliances but, instead of electrical currents, they use light beams which propagate and are manipulated in these optical chips.
Associate Professor Andrey Sukhorukov, who led the theoretical part of the project at the Australian National University (ANU), further underlined: “Our work provides a crucial demonstration of fundamental complimentary between quantum and classical phenomena associated with changing the colour of light.
“This conceptual advance in scientific understanding can drive further development of ultra-compact quantum photon sources based on nano-scale structures.”
When Griffith Business School student Ini Akinsanmi graduates, she will have a world of experience to set her apart in the job market – literally. The 21-year-old recently completed a global internship in China and, in doing so, has added valuable skills to her resume.
“A lot of employers these days are looking for people with outside of Australia or internship experiences,” the Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Government and International Relations student explains. “And China is one of the leading world markets, so what better way to go visit such a country that has such an impact on the world market and learn their practices?”
On top of having an international experience, Ini’s job placement involved stepping out of her comfort zone and giving herself a serious skills upgrade. “I ended up doing marketing and communications over there, which was not my study area at all,” she says. “But you should be open to whatever comes your way; if you limit yourself then you’re just going to lose opportunities. I now have the skills that a lot of people in even a marketing or communications degree may not even have because I’ve had on-the-job training.”
Ini Akinsanmi.
Although there was an initial culture shock in China, Ini said lessons in language and cultural understanding really propelled her forward. “When you are put in a scenario outside your comfort zone, where you don’t know anyone and you have a limited grasp of the language and you can’t interact with people to even buy something, it really shows you how to handle the situation with a lot of patience,” she says. “I picked up a lot of skills in everyday life but also in those intensive language and culture classes in the mornings.
“Immersing myself in another culture gave me a greater understanding of Chinese business practices and about myself, both of which will be extremely helpful in my career. Having that understanding from working within the culture will definitely help me network in the future.”
Ini has also been successful in attaining a number of domestic internships. One placed her with a Queensland Member of Parliament and one saw her oversee a big project for the City of Gold Coast Council, all the while earning credit points toward her degree.
“I was given the massive project task of reviewing Council’s current quotation and procurement process and it was intense,” she says. “A lot of people had a lot of problems with the current manual so I felt like I had to solve everyone’s problems or council would fall apart!
“My supervisor warned me it was a big task and it’s something I am really proud of. It’s all about understanding the whole problem and situation and knowing what information is valuable and what isn’t, and that’s something I learnt on the job.”
She says she’s incredibly grateful for her workplace experience and thinks it will set her apart once she enters the workforce.
“I understand how to work within a business and in a government context. I can tell employers, ‘Yes I have had the theoretical foundation a university degree gives you but actually working in the environment gives you a definite edge.’
“I can problem solve under pressure. I can learn new skills on the go. I can work within both an international and a government context… All these things will help me going forward with whatever career I choose. These experiences make me stand out,” she says. “Plus my friends were jealous that the university organised it all for me and I got credit for it!
Griffith University’s most recent scholarship recipient hadn’t even decided where she wanted to study until a visit to the Tertiary Studies Expo in 2017. But after discovering all the opportunities Griffith Business School could offer her in the tourism and hospitality sector, Georgia Kelly says her mind was made up.
“The staff really sold it to us,” the 18-year-old explains. “They really took the time to speak to me and explain what the course and the University could give me. And Griffith had so much to offer in terms of scholarships and international experience and study abroad that it made the choice easy.”
The incoming Bachelor of International Tourism and Hotel Management student was recently awarded the Pro Vice Chancellor (Business) Academic Excellence Scholarship, which will see her receive $15,000 over her degree to help with her educational aspirations.
“Having this scholarship will give me the safety of not having to work five days a week, so I can concentrate on my studies. I said in my application that I really value the balance between work, study and keeping up a social life, so winning the financial assistance will go a big way towards achieving that.”
Having lived in China, Jakarta and Dubai for most of her life, Georgia also knows the value of international experiences and is looking forward to being able to partake in Griffith’s global internship offerings. “My scholarship will allow me to buy flights, live, and have the financial security to have that time off work to further my international work experience. Having a global perspective will hopefully put me ahead in this business,” she says.
Georgia Kelly at her Soda Apartments workplace.
Leaving her family and boyfriend behind in China — her parents are international teachers — Georgia made the decision to come back to Australia solo to further her education. She’s currently working as a receptionist at Soda Apartments, a hotel in South Brisbane, and is really looking forward to applying the theories she’ll learn in lectures to her work.
“I’ve really learnt how to communicate with people,” she says of her workplace, “and I feel like that’s really going to push me forward when I do go to get internships or jobs in the future.
“It’s real-life experience. Everything I will learn at the University I can put into practice here.”
She says everyone should have a go at applying for the Griffith scholarships because you never know the outcome, and the financial assistance can be life-changing. “I didn’t really think I’d win and was so thrilled when I did. It’s going to change so much for me.
“Also I can now say I’m a scholarship recipient, which will hopefully appeal to future employers.”
She says she’s so pleased she ended up choosing Griffith from all the other universities she was considering because they’ve already given her so much to aspire to and she hasn’t even commenced her studies yet.
“Living in China has completely opened my mind to the importance of international experience so the options to study abroad really appealed to me. Not to mention Griffith is number one in Australia for the course I am going into.”
Georgia says she felt instantly welcomed by the GBS Open Day crew and that helped make her mind up. “The staff were willing to stop and have a chat, told me I could contact them directly if I had questions… No other university took the time to do that. It makes potential students feel like they’re really wanted and will be a great addition to the university, not just like they’re another number in the crowd.
“The staff I spoke to even personally encouraged me to apply for the scholarships and sent me through the links I needed,” she says. “I felt really welcomed and heard of all these great things that set Griffith apart, and knew I wanted to go there.
“I hope that I can show the University and from that show employers what I am capable of and I hope the scholarship allows me to do that throughout the whole course, rather than just at the end.”
Griffith Business School Scholarship applications are still open. Apply now.
Leading international and local scholars will come together in January for a conference that will cast an analytical eye on the rise of China and its impact on global politics.
TitledDebating China and International Order, the two-day conference will be held from 17-18 January at the Royal on the Park Hotel, and is the first Griffith University event to be supported by the US-basedJohn D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundationas part of a grant issued in 2016.
The conference will take the form of a bilateral dialogue/debate, canvassing a diversity of thematic topics around China’s rise and its changing role in the international order.
Academics from America, China and Australia will take part in the discourse, with the end result being an edited volume being released through a leading publisher.
“This conference aims to provide an intellectual platform for leading scholars to debate and exchange views on various challenges to the current international order as well as the dynamic roles of China and the United States,” Professor He said.
“Through scholarly dialogue, this conference will not only deepen our understanding of the rise of China, but also offer policy insights on the future transformation of international order and the United States in the region.”
The conference will also highlight the role of academics in influencing and educating political leaders in shaping foreign policy, and reflects Griffith’s long-standing commitment to, and focus on, the Asia-Pacific region.
“Griffith University was established with a strong focus on the Asian region as one of its founding principles, and has a central vision to be one of the most influential universities in the region through delivering outstanding scholarship and research,” Professor Pankhurst said.
“Asian politics, security and development is recognised as a key area of research excellence at Griffith, and builds on the expertise of both the Griffith Asia Institute and the Centre for Governance and Public Policy.
“Griffith University is pleased to serve as an intellectual platform to enhance mutual understanding between China and the United States as well as between China and the outside world in general.”
New Colombo Plan scholar Nicholas McLean has a dream to forge a career as a dispute resolutions specialist in the Asia Pacific region.
“Even as a boy, I was fascinated by how societies collapse, evolve and function — ultimately this steered me in the direction of law” he says.
“I’ve always viewed law as the mechanism which regulates and upholds a society. Without it, we’d be at the mercy of anarchy. I think my legal studies have made me more aware of how our way of life is maintained, as well as honing my analytical skills”.
“Ideally, I’d like to combine comparative political analysis with legal knowledge of dispute resolution practices to become a government relations specialist in the Asia-Pacific Region”.
Already making a mark in the international arena, Nicholas is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, a former Hansard scholar and more recently a Griffith Asia Future Fellow. This last experience, he says, has proved particularly beneficial to his future career ambitions.
“The Fellows program allowed me to expand my knowledge of Chinese culture, which I think is invaluable given China’s One Belt, One Road initiative is going to change the face of the globe” he says.
He is also studying Mandarin through a Diploma of Languages offered at Griffith University.
“Being able to speak and understand the language will be invaluable to both my personal and professional growth.”
As part of his NCP program, Nicholas will travel to Shenzhen where he will study cross- cultural and border negotiations at the Peking University School of Transnational Law. Then he plans to undertake internships across the Asia-Pacific in the legal and energy resource sectors.
Nicholas, who initially started his law degree at Bond University, says making the move to Griffith has been one of the best decisions he’s ever made.
“As a Griffith Honours College student there are a wealth of opportunities for academic, leadership and extracurricular development. Further, the sense of community at Griffith is fantastic. I applied for the NCP in part because of the encouragement I received from my peers – this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“I was a little incredulous when I found out I’d been selected’’ he confesses.
“I’m the first in my family to go to university, so they are immensely proud but explaining to my mother that I would be away for up to 18 months was a little difficult.”
After travelling for 288 days and engaging with all nations and territories of the Commonwealth, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) Queen’s Baton arrived back on Australian soil on Christmas Eve.
And Griffith University Bachelor of Science (Advanced Honours) student Cameron McEvoy was literally on hand for its arrival.
The GC2018 Ambassador and Longines Friend accepted the Queen’s Baton airside from Hugh Graham, Vice President Commonwealth Games Federation for Oceania, following its arrival from New Zealand.
Hundreds of travellers were there to witness the historic arrival as Cameron carried the Queen’s Baton into the arrivals hall on Brisbane International Airport’s busiest morning of the year.
“With the arrival of the Queen’s Baton in Australia, the countdown to GC2018 is on,” Cameron said.
“As a proud Gold Coast athlete, I am looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in a global sporting event in my own backyard.”
Major Milestone
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development and Minister for the Commonwealth Games Kate Jones MP, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) Chairman Peter Beattie AC, GOLDOC CEO Mark Peters and Commonwealth Games Australia CEO Craig Phillips were in attendance to welcome the Queen’s Baton back to Australia.
GOLDOC Chairman Peter Beattie AC described the day as “a major milestone” for GC2018.
“After its epic international journey, the Queen’s Baton is now embarking on a 100-day voyage around Australia, travelling through every state and territory,” he said.
“As the ultimate symbol of the Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton gives everyday Australians the chance to share the dream of GC2018 in the lead-up to April.”
At the last stop on the international journey, the Queen’s Baton was officially handed over to representatives of the Yugambeh Language Group, the traditional custodians of the land on which the majority of the Games will be held, at a special ceremony at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Griffith University’sJohn Graham formally received the Queen’s Baton for that final international leg of the journey. John, a senior learning assistance officer with theGUMURRII Student Support Unit, represented the Yugumbeh people for the handover.
Since starting its journey on Commonwealth Day, 13 March 2017, at Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s Baton has shared the dream of GC2018 with over one third of the world’s population, travelling more than 230,000 kilometres.
Approximately 3,800 batonbearers will carry the Queen’s Baton in Australia.
A fascination with how people behave led 2018 New Colombo Plan scholar Kimberley Bates to a double degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice and Psychology.
“I’ve always been interested in human behaviour and why people behave the way they do,’’ she says.
“Criminology and psychology are a natural fit for me. Townsville where I grew up has a lot of youth problems, as do many other towns in Australia. This sparked my interest in research and the dynamics of relationships between parents and their children.”
As part of her New Colombo Plan scholarship Kimberley will travel to Hong Kong City University where she will study with the School of Applied Social Sciences.
“It offers unique courses in domestic violence and I’d really like to study what happens in Asian countries so I can apply what I’ve learnt to an Australian context.”
Kimberley also plans to undertake an internship at the Pol Leung Women’s Refuge Centre in Hong Kong.
“The scholarship will help me develop my research skills as that’s where my interests lie.”
Adding to her repertoire, Kimberley is also studying Mandarin through a Diploma of Languages offered at Griffith.
“I love learning the language and it’s been useful for my part-time job where I liaise with lots of people from China, Hong Kong and Singapore, and it will definitely help with my future studies and career.”
A talented singer, Kimberley’s background in musical theatre brought initially brought her to Brisbane where she contemplated studying theatre, before deciding on criminology and psychology. Shewas awarded a division place for her performance in the 16th Annual Chinese Bridging Competition in Queensland this year.
Kimberley was also awarded a 2017Asia Futures Fellowship where she visited Peking University, met with other Chinese students in Australia and raised money for an orphanage in collaboration with her role through the Australia China Youth Association.”
NCP is an amazing opportunity to open up networks and learn about other cultures,’’ Kimberley says.
Kimberley is one of six Griffith students who have been awarded 2018New Colombo Plan Scholarships.
