Third-year business student Courtney Organ is turning an amazing international study experience into a career platform.
The New Colombo Plan scholar, who has spent the majority of 2015 in Japan, has this week met with the Australian ambassador to Japan, Bruce Miller, for the second time.
“Today was something quite special,” Courtney said. “The other Japanese New Colombo Plan scholars and I gathered together to meet with the ambassador and other members of his team at the Tokyo Embassy.
“Mr Miller was kind and quite interested in what I had been up to since our last encounter at Akita International University.”
Courtney completed a semester at Akita International University on her arrival in March before taking up an internship in the Samurai village of Gokanosho in rural Japan. She is currently completing an internship with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) in Tokyo, after which she plans to return to Gokanosho to pick up where she left off.
“During the morning tea at the embassy one of the members reiterated the importance of the Japanese and Australian bilateral relationship,” she said.
“It was quite interesting learning about what actually happens at the embassy, from dealing with aspects of agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership to hosting the Australia Day event in Spring while the sakura (cherry blossoms) are in bloom in the embassy’s spectacular gardens.
“It was also exciting to hear about what opportunities there are at the embassy here in Japan, and all over the world.
“I think that’s the really wonderful thing about being a student at Griffith University and particularly a member of the Griffith Honours College; it provides you with countless opportunities that allow you to ponder over your career and education. I’ve never been so spoilt for choice!”
At SMBC, the marketing major is working with the Structured Finance Department under the Export Credit Agency team.
“I am learning just how important free trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership are. It is a very exciting time to be a business student in Japan.
“It has been a real confirmation for me that I am indeed doing the right thing over here in Japan in order to develop my career.”
New students at Griffith Business University have the opportunity to win $10,000 to put towards an international study experience. Five lucky students will get to invest this lump sum in an overseas exchange, international internship, international study tour or a community internship.
Find out more about how to enter here.
Courtney Organ was one of seven Griffith students to receive a 2015 New Colombo Plan Scholarship which has taken them to China, Hong Kong and Japan.
Griffith University researchers have received more than $5 million in funding as part of the Australian Research Council’s major grants for 2016.
Federal Education Minister, The Honourable Simon Birmingham MP, made the announcement this morning (October 30), with a total of$357,704,938 going to 899 projects.
While the number of projects is lower than 2015, overall funding is marginally higher.
Griffith University has received $4,740,911 for 14 ARC Discovery Projects, and $334,000 for one project under the ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award.
Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor has warmly congratulated all of the awardees.
ARC DISCOVERY PROJECTS 2016
Professor Scott Baum from the School of Engineering was awarded $271,000 for the project “Employment dynamics, social determinants and regional disparities”. Project team: Professor William Mitchell (The University of Newcastle)
Dr Guillermo Diaz-Pulido from the Australian Rivers Institute was awarded $429,400 for the project “Mechanisms of acclimation of coralline algae to ocean acidification”.Project team: Associate Professor Catriona Hurd (University of Tasmania), Professor Robert Steneck (University of Maine)
Professor Qing-Long Han and Associate Professor Fuwen Yang from the School of Engineering were awarded $330,000 for the project “Networked control for distributed renewable energy systems integration”.Project team: Professor Peter Wolfs (Central Queensland University), Professor Antonello Monti (RWTH Aachen University of Technology)
Dr Qin Li
Dr Qin Li from the Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre was awarded $310,000 for the project “Capturing full-spectrum of solar energy using TiO2 ordered suprastructures”.Project team: Professor Dongyuan Zhao (Monash University)
Professor Darryl Low Choy, Dr Silvia Serrao-Neumann and Professor Brendan Mackey from the School of Environment were awarded $370,000 for their project “Managing environmental change through planning for transformative pathways”.Project team: Dr Kerrylee Rogers (University of Wollongong), Professor Wen Chen (Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology), Professor Xiangzheng Deng (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research), Professor Shaohong Wu (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research), Dr Qian Zhang (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research), Associate Professor Jiang Chen (Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology)
Professor John Parkinson from the School of Government and International Relations was awarded $224,000 for his project “Sparking a National Conversation”.
Professor Geoff Pryde
Professor Geoffrey Pryde from the Centre for Quantum Dynamics was awarded $540,800 for the project “Quantum physics and complexity”.Project team: Associate Professor Mile Gu (Tsinghua University), Professor Norbert Lutkenhaus (University of Waterloo)
Professor Ronald Quinn from the Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery was awarded $493,300 for the project “Escaping Bio-Assay Guided Isolation: Nature’s Tools for Chemical Biology”.Project team: Dr Ruangelie Edrada-Ebel (University of Strathclyde)
Professor Parlo Singh from the Griffith Institute for Educational Research was awarded $233,311 for the project “Learning for Teaching in Disadvantaged Schools”.Project team: Associate Professor Kathryn Glasswell (California State University), Associate Professor Leonel Lim (National Institute of Education, Singapore)
Professor Paul Tacon
Professor Paul Tacon from the School of Humanities was awarded $490,100 for the project “History Places: Wellington Range rock art in a global context”.Project team: Dr Sally May (ANU), Dr Liam Brady (Monash), Dr Duncan Wright (ANU), Professor Joakim Goldhahn (Linnaeus University), Professor Ines Domingo Sanz (University of Barcelona)
Professor Zhiyong Tang from the Environmental Futures Research Institute, Professor Ming Wei from the School of Medical Science and Dr Porun Liu from the Environmental Futures Research Institute were awarded $300,000 for the project “Fabrication of Novel Core-Shell Nanocomposites as Targeted Carriers”.Project team: Professor Nicholas Kotov (The University of Michigan)
Professor Dan Wang from the Environmental Futures Research Institute was awarded $320,000 for the project “Well-designed Metal Oxide Semiconductors for Photocatalytic Water Splitting”.Project team: Professor Brian Korgel (University of Texas)
Professor Patrick Weller, Professor Yi-Chong Xu from the Centre for Governance and Public Policy and Dr Jack Corbett from the School of Government and International Relations were awarded $190,000 for their project “Small States in International Organisations”.
Professor Patrick Weller from the Centre for Governance and Public Policy was awarded $239,000 for the project “Cabinet Government in comparative perspective”.Project team: Dr Dennis Grube (University of Tasmania), Professor Roderick Rhodes (University of Southampton)
ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)
Dr Chris Brown
Dr Christopher Brown from Australian Rivers Institute was awarded $334,000 for his project “Predicting fisheries change from cumulative impacts to aquatic habitats”.
Griffith involvement in ARC Discovery Projects administered by other universities
Dr Liam Wagner from the Department of Accounting, Finance & Economics, through QUT, $390,000
Professor Charles Sampford from the Griffith Criminology Institute, through The University of Melbourne, $621,496.
Professor Catherine Beavis and Associate Professor Leonie Rowan from the School of Education & Professional Studies, through Deakin University, $302,818.
Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics Director Professor Mark von Itzstein will collaborate with some of the world’s most innovative thinkers at an event focused on the future of the Gold Coast.
The Big Blue Sky Event on November 5 aims to be the catalyst where the city’s brightest minds come together with global visionaries and the public to write the Gold Coast’s next chapter.
Professor Mark Von Itzstein, Director of the Institute for Glycomics
Professor von Itzstein will be part a panel of experts who will discuss how to position the Gold Coast as the leading hub of intelligence, IT and Innovation in Australia.
Professor von Itzstein said his vision is to see the city positioned as one of the flagship biotechnology precincts in the country.
“I believe we have the infrastructure, capabilities and knowledge to position ourselves much like San Diego has in California,” he said.
“It will take a combined effort from Griffith, the Gold Coast University Hospital and the co-location of industry partners to engage to make it happen.”
Professor von Itzstein said he believed it was important to be part of innovative forums such as the Big Blue Sky Event as science was an important aspect of advancing the community.
“Scientists must engage the public,” he said.
“Science needs to be front and centre in any dialogue about advancing the community in economics, new opportunities, workforce, driving industry and engagement.”
Professor von Itzstein believes the event is timely given the lead up to the Gold Cost 2018 Commonwealth Games which will present the city on the world stage in many dimensions, rather than simply being known for its exceptional tourism prospects.
The event will also hear from keynote speakers such as Matt Desmier, founder of Silicon Beach in UK, Mark Rowland CEO Downtown Las Vegas Project and Dr Martin Blake, Sustainability Strategist.
Griffith’s Queensland College of Art photography lecturer Peter Thiedeke will also speak at the event on the topic of ‘Why be gratified when you can inspire?’
Two other panels will explore the topics of making the Gold Coast 100 per cent sustainable and how to disrupt the blockages to entrepreneurship and emerging businesses across the world.
Tickets to the event can be purchased here.
The Big Blue Sky
Join the free ‘optional’ community launch at 4.30am on Surfers Paradise beach with an official sunrise welcome followed by yoga.
The official event kicks off at 7am at Q1, 9 Hamilton Avenue, Surfers Paradise.
View the full program here.
Studying the genetic variations for developmental delay and autism in children has been the focus of study for student Alyce Dunn, 28, from Carrara.
Set to graduate in November, the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science student is currently in her fourth and final year of the program, majoring in histopathology and genetics.
Formerly a supervisor for a duty free outlet at the Gold Coast Airport, Alyce took on her latest round of study following completing a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences, also at Griffith.
“Ihad always had an interest in science, but was unsure of exactly what I wanted to do. Initially I started doing Biomedical Sciencethen after graduation the Medical Laboratory Sciencedegree became available. During this time I worked at the airport to support myself financially while completing my degrees.”
But it was an eleven week placement at the National Centre for Medical Genetics at Our Lady’s Children Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, that really provided Alyce with a unique opportunity for professional growth in her chosen field.
“I was really lucky to be selected to travel to Ireland for the placement where I worked in Cytogenetics. This department is further divided into sections called Microarray; Fluorescence in situ hybridisation or ‘FISH’, Oncology and Constitutional. The goal was to work as a lab assistant in a fully functional clinical laboratory, assisting with procedures across all of the different areas.
“Initially I was involved in preparing DNA samples to check for genetic losses and gains. This involved looking for chromosomal disorders in relation to development delay in children and possibly also for genetic signs of autism.
“Children would be referred to the hospital, sometimes from birth, for conditions including Down’s Syndrome. I was involved in staining of the chromosomes and the genetic testing for this condition, as well as others such as Fragile X Syndrome.
“Cytogenetics is a very interesting section to work in; everyday there was something different and I was constantly learning and gaining a better understanding of the different syndromes and conditions, as well as the tests used to diagnose them.
“During my placement I had the opportunity to observe, assist and work autonomously, this has allowed me to grow professionally, improving my communication skills and confidence conducting laboratory procedures.
“I found my time at the NCMG invaluable and I have learnt a lot, improved my laboratory skills and gained a better insight into what it means to be a laboratory scientist. The Centre even offered me a position with them if I wanted it!”
“It’s really exciting to now be studying how different genetic variations of individuals could lead to altered risk of developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders. In the future, this work may lead to new developments in the research and treatment targets for these conditions,” she says.
Having just completed her research project ‘Identifying biomarkers for colorectal cancer via immunohistopathology,’ Alyce says she is now looking forward to gaining a job in pathology or alternatively continuing with a research position at Griffith.
Griffith students’ sporting excellence was recognised at the Sporting Blues Awards on October 28.
Hosted by the Griffith University Gold Coast Student Guild and the Griffith Sports College, the awards celebrate the achievements of student athletes as Full Blue (Open and International) and Half Blue (Junior, State & National) Award winners.
Griffith Sports College Manager Duncan Free OAM said the awards were a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Griffith students who had represented Australia throughout 2015.
“We had more than 60 students represent Australia, NZ and PNG in over 25 sports in 2015. It’s great to see such diversity in the number of sports represented,’’ he said.
“It is a great sign of things to come next year for the 2016 Rio Olympics and also looking ahead to the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“Griffith University is extremely proud of all our athletes and like to think we play a role in our student athlete successes both on the field of sport and in their field of study.”
Most Outstanding Sporting Achievement
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Cameron McEvoy
Academic Athlete of the Year
Matilda’s Footballer Elise Kellond-Knight
Australian University Sport Honour Roll
Matthew Denny — Athletics
Kiah Melverton — Swimming
Tiana Soggard-Anderson — Water Polo
Half Blue Awards
Tiarne Augustine — Power Lifting
Tyler Blah — Ballroom Dancing
Georgia Blair — Softball
Shona Black — Ten Pin Bowling
Tess Carty — Rowing
Matthew Denny — Athletics
Jy Duffy — Exercise Science
Emily Edmunds — Skipping
Jake Eve — Skipping
Zachary Henderson — Karate
Stanford Kawale — Swimming
Kiah Melverton — Swimming
Mitchell Orwin — Fencing
Joshua Parrish — Swimming
Samuel Seghers — Swimming
Michael Solomon — Gridiron
Timothy Stenlake — Marathon Kayak
Fred Dorrough — Rugby 7s
Jaz Hedgeland — Triathlon
Liam McNamara — Rugby 7s
Brianna Thomas — Cross-country
Sam Heazlett — Cricket
Tiana Soggard-Anderson — Water Polo
Matthew Kuhneman — Cricket
Tegwen Marsdon — Synchronised Figure Skating
Jesse McEwan — Power Lifting
Paige Findlow — Synchro Skating
Simon Leung — Badminton
Brandon Borello — Football
Brianna Massie — Kayak
Full Blue Awards
Jess Ashwood — Swimming
Bill Bain — Kayak
Madeleine Edmunds —Rowing
Jessica Hall — Rowing
Emma McKeon — Swimming
Ella Sabljak — Wheel Chair Basketball
Joel Turer — Sailing
Devon Halligan — Surf Lifesaving
Lorna Tonks — Swimming
Madi Wilson — Swimming
Gretel Tippett — Netball
Clare Polkinghorne — Football
Matthew Cameron — Para Athletics
Sam Walker — Volleyball
Jessica Russell-Croucher — Volleyball
Melinda McLeod — BMX
Dominic Bedgood — Diving
Lara Tarvit — Diving
Jenelle Crooks — Cycling
Melissa Gorman — Open Water Swimming
Elise Kellond-Knight — Football
Matt McShane — Basketball
Tameka Butt — Football
Jessica Jonassen — Cricket
Nikita Pablo- Synchro Swimming
Danielle Scott — Aerial Skiing
Matthew Dodd — Figure Skating
Alyce Burnett — Kayak
A Griffith University initiative to help international students increase their English language skills has won a national award recognising outstanding achievement in the higher education sector.
The Griffith English Language Enhancement Strategy is the recipient of the International Education category of the inaugural Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards.
The evidence-based approach aims to assist students whose first language is not English to be well prepared for university studies and maximise their academic success.
Pro Vice Chancellor International Professor Sarah Todd said they were delighted to win the inaugural AFR International Education Award.
“GELES is a great example of a university-wide initiative that clearly benefits both international and domestic students, through a mix of English language support and social integration activities.
“While the strategy has received a number of awards, including an OLT award last year, it is wonderful to receive further recognition from representatives of peers in the Higher Education sector and the AFR.”
The Griffith Centre for Coastal Management was also a finalist in the community engagement category of the awards for its partnership with the City of Gold Coast to empower the local community in coastal management and promote commitment to a sustainable environment and city.
Workplace bullying, payday lending and the impact of taxes on the environment will be among the issues scrutinised at the 2015 Business Law Symposium in Brisbane on Monday (Nov 2).
‘Insolvency and Tax: Smoke and Mirrors’ is the symposium’s theme and will be addressed by Associate Professor Helen Anderson from the University of Melbourne in her keynote presentation.
“She will explore the unique dual roles of the Australian Tax Office, both as a creditor recovering unpaid taxes and as a regulator enforcing taxation laws,” says Dr Jenny Dickfos of Griffith Business School which is hosting the day-long event at its South Bank campus.
The third staging of the annual symposium is supported this year by the Insolvency and Restructuring arm of QUT’s Commercial and Property Law Research Centre, and by two industry-leading firms, Worrells Solvency + Forensic Accountants and Dickfos Dunn Chartered Accountants.
Michael Murray, Fellow of the QUT Commercial Property Law Research Centre, will provide an assessment of the ATO in dealing with taxpayers leading up to an insolvency appointment and its conduct as a creditor in the ensuring liquidation or bankruptcy.
“The symposium also provides an opportunity to showcase the breadth of important research activities undertaken by business law academics at Griffith Business School,” Dr Dickfos said.
Among these will be a presentation by lecturer Ben French who has examined the impact of the Fair Work Act on workplace bullying in Australia.
“Workplace bullying represents a significant compliance and wellbeing challenge to workplaces,” he said. “Changes in Australia’s legal framework in relation to bullying will only amplify these challenges.”
The emergence and practice of payday lending in Australia will be assessed by Dr Pelma Rajapakse, who will present a critical analysis of the policies, laws and governmental agencies potentially involved in regulating payday lending.
“This will include an analysis of the characteristics of payday lending, the typical borrowers that access this form of credit and the regulatory landscape governing the payday lending industry,” she said.
Further presentations will cover the environmental impact of taxes with a focus on Australia’s luxury car tax, and a comparative study of patenting human genetic material and bioethics.
“They rush you and push you too much… and you can’t really get any good response off them”. This was just one of the family member comments from recent Griffith research regarding the acute care of their loved ones with dementia.
The first-of-its-kind study examined the family involvement in care of people with dementia in acute care and overwhelmingly, found a significant need for an increased focus on the family as a resource to improve communication and the care of people in this group.
Just published in the Australasian Journal on Ageing, the study sought to explore the role and needs of the family carer across acute care settings.
Funded by the Dementia Collaborative Research Centre — Carers and Consumers, 30 families and 30 acute care staff were interviewed from across Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania.
“The family member with a relative with dementia is often in the critical role of the proxy decision maker,” says Professor Wendy Moyle, the lead author from Griffith University’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland. “Such a role becomes even more important when the person with dementia is acutely ill and they often are even more confused by the acute care environment.
“Many of the families that we interviewed believed their role was to provide emotional and physical support to their family member; however they felt that there was often a barrier to providing this support with medical and nursing staff often unaware of the needs of the older patient with dementia.
“Although the family member is in a position to inform health professionals of the needs of the person with dementia unfortunately they are often left out of the discussions and communication about care provision.”
A resource to improve relationships
Families felt they were not only often being ignored, but that they could have been used a lot better as a resource to improve the relationship between their relative and medical and nursing staff. Family members’ requests for a time to speak with medical staff was often ignored, or even worse they waited for hours only to be told they could not be involved in discussions about the care of their family member due to privacy issues.
“It is clear that questions remain regarding the management, needs and preferences of people with dementia in acute care, with care of this group presenting special challenges.
“Given the potential of family carers to enhance the care experience of the person with dementia, improving our knowledge of family carer involvement during an episode of acute care hospitalisation is a priority,” says Professor Moyle.
This study indicates that family carers want to be involved in the acute care of their family member and that the time is ripe for targeted family involvement in interventions to improve acute care of older people with dementia.
The value of providing 24-hour emergency nursing care for people held in police watchhouses is the focus of a new $116,000 research project announced today (Wednesday, October 28).
The research, funded by the Queensland Emergency Medicine Research Foundation (QEMRF), follows recommendations of a 2012 coronial inquiry into the death in custody of Herbert John Mitchell which found it was “inappropriate‟ for police to make medical decisions about watchhouse detainees.
QEMRF researcher and Griffith University Associate Professor Julia Crilly said the aim was to find out whether 24-hour on-site nursing care reduced the need and cost of transferring prisoners to a hospital emergency department for medical attention.
“Apart from assessing whether there would be savings to the health system and taxpayers, the research also aims to meet the coronial inquiry recommendations to improve the quality of health care for prisoners,” said Associate Professor Crilly from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland.
She said the QEMRF and Griffith research would evaluate the health outcomes and cost effectiveness of a trial involving Gold Coast Health emergency nurses at the Southport watchhouse.
“Prior to this trial, the watchhouse was staffed a few hours a day by nurses trained in community care,” she said.
24 hour presence
“During the trial, the addition of ED nurses with specialist skills meant there was a 24 hour nursing presence in the watchhouse.
“The nurses could detect and treat more health issues on-site, in conjunction with forensic medical officers who are on-call. This means fewer transfers to hospital.”
Gold Coast Health emergency nurse Katie East, who worked at the watchhouse, said she could see as many as 30 detainees a shift.
“We see all sorts of issues in the watchhouse. Things like drug addiction, wounds, alcohol poisoning, patients with mental health illnesses and chronic health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes,” Ms East said.
“It costs more than $900 every time a prisoner needs to be transported to the ED, which requires two police officers and two ambulance officers as well as hospital resources.
“Having emergency nurses on-hand means fewer hospital transports and police are able to do their jobs rather than waiting in busy emergency departments guarding prisoners.”
The research announcement follows recent media reports which revealed ambulances were called to Brisbane’s Wacol jails an average of 2.5 times a day last year to transfer prisoners to a hospital emergency department.
Some of the ailments were reportedly minor and required only Panadol.
Associate Professor Crilly, who is also employed by Gold Coast Health, said other states were anticipating the results of the research to inform their own practices on medical care for prisoners.
“It’s a great collaboration among QEMRF, Gold Coast Health, Griffith University, Clinical Forensic Medical Unit, Queensland Police Service and the Queensland Ambulance Service,” Associate Professor Crilly said.
The QEMRF-funded research findings are expected next year.
Earlier this month Calvary Christian College student Taylor Birtchnell was awarded first prize in the 2015 Griffith Law School and Short Punch and Greatorix (SP&G) Gold Coast Legal Essay Writing Competition.
Taylor’s essay ‘Criminal Law: Drugs and Inadequate Sentencing’ edged out a competitive field of more than 20 entrants with her analysis of drug sentencing practices.
Griffith Law School academic and competition judge Dr Edwin Bikundo says he was impressed with the depth and breadth of her legal research.
“The quality of Taylor’s legal analysis really stood out from the rest. She used case law, parliamentary reports and sociological materials to make her argument,” says Dr Bikundo.
Taylor says she was motivated by Australia’s ‘ice epidemic’ to write about whether criminal law sentencing was keeping pace with community expectations.
“At the moment it is not quite harsh enough and it doesn’t reflect the severity of these crimes,” Taylor says.
“Our legal textbook says sentencing of criminals should reflect community sentiment and I think in the past few years community sentiment has changed and the law needs to change with it.”
She says mandatory sentences with fixed minimum or maximum terms are not the answer.
“Judges should still be able to maintain their discretion in specific cases, but they need stricter guidelines,” says Taylor.
The Gold Coast Legal Essay Writing Competition is run in partnership with law firm Short, Punch and Greatorix (SP&G) to encourage high school students to consider a career in law.
SP&G partner Martin Punch OAM and Griffith Law School Dean Professor Pene Mathew presented trophies and cash prizes to the winner and the runner-ups at SP&G’s Gold Coast Law Chambers.
Professor Pene Mathew is pleased by the growing number of high school’s participating in the competition and encourages others to participate next year.
Runner up winners
Merrimac State High School student Esther Lammers for her essay, ‘Should Australia’s Surrogacy Laws be Ammended to Legalise Commercial Surrogacy in Australia?’
Somerset College student Jacinda Gray for her essay, ‘The Current Approach to the Sentencing of Child Sex Offenders does not Adequately Satisfy the Needs and Rights of all Principal Stakeholders’.
