Three Griffith University students have been appointed as youth ambassadors in a new Logan-based initiative promoting healthy, non-violent relationships among young people.
The #R4Respect program, established by YFS, a non-for-profit organisation that delivers a range of services to the people of Logan, uses social media, online games, apps and school visits to connect with youth.
Andrew Taukolo is studying Criminology and Criminal Justice and plays in the Logan Redbacks rugby league team.
“I jumped at the opportunity to be an ambassador as I believe it will be a great platform for me to be seen as a positive role model for youth,’’ he said.
“The program aims to promote positive messages such as fairness and respect, valuing others as equals and challenging negative behaviours.
“I look forward to seeing the community and young people in particular, embrace this new initiative and the positive changes that it will bring.”
Bachelor of Human Services student Jerome Faraimo, also a Logan Redbacks player, said he felt there was a need for young people to reach out to other troubled youths in Logan.
“From my experience, these youths respond better to a younger person trying to help them rather than an older person.”
“I want to make a positive impact in my community and this program is an effective way to help others.”
For Jennifer Uwineza, a passion for fighting for those less fortunate and helping others is what drives her to succeed.
“I hope this campaign will promote positive relationships,’’ the Bachelor of Business student said.
“I hope it reaches out to young people who are facing violence within their families and friends to promote respectful relationships and really make a difference.”
From imaginary classroom to real-life, Sarah Corkill has always been passionate about teaching.
“As a girl, I used to play the role of teacher with a pretend class of students,’’ the Griffith University Bachelor of Primary Education student said.
I want to teach so I can have a positive, lasting impact on a child’s life.”
The 22-year-old has just completed an internship at Southport State School which she says has reinforced her commitment to teaching.
“I learnt to be flexible by adapting daily plans on the go to continue with a lesson where students required more time to work on a new concept.
“The internship built my confidence and I believe this experience will make a smooth transition from an intern to graduate teacher.”
Sarah is one of 234 Griffith University students who will undertake an education internship this year.
Developing a professional identity
“Initial teacher education students develop their professional point of difference in the internship,’’ said Dr Paula Jervis-Tracey from theSchool of Education & Professional Studies.
“It enables them to make the shift from ‘prac student’ to ‘co-teacher’.”
Dr Jervis-Tracey and Professor Glenn Finger collaboratively inspire the students to achieve their best in the internships.
“Strengthening the connection between university and professional learning in schools is the key to the success of the internships,” Professor Finger added.
The University’s partnership with schools in the region is essential to the success of its teaching graduates, with approximately 90% of our 2014 graduates working in schools in Queensland and elsewhere, said Education Dean, Professor Donna Pendergast.
“We have a strong relationship with school principals, heads of departments and mentor teachers, all of whom contribute to the ongoing development of our pre-service teachers.
“Initial teacher education sets the foundation for a high-quality teaching workforce and the education internship is crucial to this.”
Making great teachers
Queensland College of Teachers Director John Ryan said an internship program was the most valuable part of any initial teacher education program.
“Internships are an excellent way to conclude an initial teacher program because they consolidate and practice knowledge and skills the students have learnt during their study.
“Great teachers are those with good interpersonal skills, who are resilient and willing to learn. They also have a strong understanding of the knowledge that underpins teaching as well as being able to put that knowledge into practice.”
Bachelor of Primary Education student Kylie Hughes has completed her internship at Woodridge Primary School.
“The Internship program was one of the best parts of my degree,’’ she said.
“I learnt how to plan and implement an engaging maths and geography unit, differentiate maths lessons for my students, how to interact with parents and how to assess student work.”
For Bachelor of Primary Education student Aaron Cumberlidge, who has secured a 2016 contract with a Brisbane school, being a teacher is a way to help young people become happy, productive members of society.
“I believe a great teacher needs to be committed to continual professional learning and to implement best-practice pedagogy.
“My degree has given me the skills and knowledge to enter the teaching profession with confidence.”
Indeed, Sarah feels fortunate to have studied education at Griffith University.
“I have implemented numerous strategies and knowledge from my degree in the classroom during practical placement.
“The best part about studying at Griffith is the practical teaching opportunities; it makes the transition from student to teacher seamless and achievable.”
More than 800 of Queensland’s finest young musicians are attending the fifteenth annual prestigious State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) QLD 2015 being held the at the Queensland Conservatorium during the school holidays.
Participants were selected from 1900 students across 150 state, private and distance education schools and have traveled from all over Queensland to represent their schools and work alongside renowned international and national conductors.
SHEP showcases the best of Queensland’s up and coming musicians, featuring four wind orchestras, two string orchestras, a celtic string ensemble, four vocal ensembles and for the first time a symphony orchestra and big band.
Students will be put to the test over four days of intensive rehearsals culminating in five Grand Finale concerts on Sunday October 4 in the Conservatorium Theatre which will be open to the public.
Director Queensland Conservatorium, Professor Scott Harrison, said the program has grown exponentially over the years.
“For us at Queensland Conservatorium it is a delight to welcome hundreds of emerging musicians to our state of the art facilities at South Bank. From relatively modest beginnings SHEP Queensland now includes over 870 participants, with an additional 900 students participating in similar programs in regional Queensland”
“This is our largest ever cohort with many more nominations being received from schools than we were able to accommodate. SHEP is now a firmly established aspect of music education in Queensland, bringing together people young people from throughout the State to share their passion for music making with their peers.”
A reciprocal exchange program between Seattle and Brisbane will also see fifteen Queensland students from across the state pack their bags for Seattle in November to attend the Western International Band Clinic as part of the Pacific Honours Ensemble Program (PHEP). Twelve American college students have been selected to represent PHEP and will get the opportunity to experience Queensland during SHEP at South Bank.
Five Grand Finale Concerts will be held on Sunday 4th October at 10am, 12noon, 2pm, 4pm and 7pm. Contact Lisa – [email protected] or phone 3735 6375 for details.
On the afternoon of September 22, 2015, a three-member delegation led by Prof. Ian O’Connor, Vice Chancellor & President of Griffith University, Australia, visited Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU). Members of the delegation also included Prof. Sarah Todd, Pro Vice Chancellor (International) of Griffith University and Mr. Sherman Xia, Regional Director (Greater China), Griffith University. Prof. Luo Jun, President of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), met with the guests in Zhongshan Building on South Campus, accompanied by Prof. Wei Minghai, Vice President of SYSU, and Ms. Xu Yao, Deputy Director of Office of International Cooperation & Exchange of SYSU.
Prof. Ian O’Connor, Vice Chancellor & President of Griffith University, Australia meets with Prof. Luo Jun, President of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), China.
Prof. Luo Jun extended a warm welcome to Prof. Ian O’Connor and introduced the latest development of SYSU. He hoped that the two universities would promote and deepen cooperation in research and education on the basis of existing collaborations, and conduct cooperation in marine sciences in the future.
Prof. Ian O’Connor said that he was glad to visit SYSU again. The two universities have maintained good cooperative relations since the 1970s. Griffith University is leading in the research on environmental science and the two universities have conducted cooperation in this field.The two sides also discussed possibilities of university and enterprise cooperation as well as joint doctoral degree programs.
Established in 1971, Griffith University has 5 campuses. Sun Yat-sen University and Griffith University signed faculty and student exchange agreement as early as the 1980s. Later on, the two universities signed cooperation agreements in civil engineering, public health, etc, and conducted various exchanges and cooperation in education and research. In 2014, SYSU and Griffith University signed a memorandum of understanding and an agreement on faculty and student exchange. In 2015, the student exchange program was officially launched. Moreover, the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at SYSU and School of Natural Sciences at Griffith University signed a MOU on Australia China Center for Environmental Quality and Sustainability in 2014 and an undergraduate student study agreement in 2015.
Originally published as A delegation led by President of Griffith University visited SYSU
A career in health doesn’t always come with a white coat. In fact, the broadest impacts will take you just about as far from a hospital as possible.
With a Bachelor of Environmental Health from Griffith University, you’ll get access to a health career that treats the wellbeing of entire communities, in Australia and overseas.
A degree in Environmental Health equips you to work as an environmental officer, investigating, assessing and managing the many factors in our environment that have the potential to impact human health. With a focus on creating and maintaining sustainable environments, you’ll be prepared for a career with aid agencies, multinational mining companies, airlines, resort chains and ocean cruise operators
So, if you’re passionate about creating healthier, happier communities, choose Environmental Health at Griffith. Because at Griffith University, when you know more, you can do more.
For more information, visit Environmental Health
Are you driven to make a difference in the lives of others?
If you’re passionate about justice and human rights, you could be making that difference every day with a rewarding a career in human services.
A Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Human Services or Bachelor of Child and Family Studies from Griffith will prepare you for a career on the front line of care provision to disadvantaged members of our community.
You’ll learn from both nationally-awarded lecturers and through hand-on experience, with real-life placements in professional practices where you’ll have the opportunity to impact the lives of clients while you learn.
Beyond the front line, these comprehensive degrees will also give you the opportunity to develop and lead community-wide programs, or pursue positions in policy and research.
So, if you’re passionate about helping people, choose a degree that’ll teach you how to make a real impact, every day. Because at Griffith University, when you know more, you can do more.
Read more about these 3 degrees at griffith.edu.au/health
Griffith University is now ranked as one of the world’s top 300 universities according to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for2015-2016.
Griffith ranked in the band of 251-300.
This latest ranking cements Griffith’s position as one of the top 3% of universities in the world on all the major international ranking schemes.
Mr Phil Baty, Editor Times Higher Education Rankings, said:
“TheTimes Higher EducationWorld University Rankings, now in their 12th year, apply rigorous standards, using global benchmarks across all of a global research university’s key missions— teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
“The results are trusted by students and their families, academics, university leaders and governments. For Griffith University to make 251-300 in the world is an outstanding achievement to be celebrated.”
For many, drawing invokes whimsical memories of childhood. Few may realise, however, that drawing is growing in popularity as a contemporary arts practice that cuts across a range of different industries.
This week, Brisbane is to become the focal point for people who draw with the launch of the inaugural Drawing International Brisbane (DIB) 2015.
DIB 2015 explores the bridging of disciplinary boundaries through drawing from dance and theatre to linguistics, design and interactive technologies. The event brings together delegates from across the country in a range of public programs, exhibitions, performance and installation projects and an international symposium.
Nine galleries at the Queensland College of Art and across the city will be overtaken by prominent Australian and international artists exhibiting experimental drawing, performance art, graphic drawing and textile and tape drawing, including an after dark projection on the William Jolly Bridge.
Queensland College of Art lecturer Bill Platz says while drawing and printmaking have traditionally been bundled into the graphic arts, drawing as a practice is changing.
“What we’re seeing now, and what you’ll see at Drawing International is the way that drawing has expanded, particularly in the digital realm.
“Drawing is the kind of discipline which cuts across all different industries which is wonderful for the people who pursue it.
“Drawing manifests in architecture, fashion, film and television, and you’re seeing all kinds of cross overs and practices meshing in interesting ways.”
Highlights include Drawn to Experience V2 at the POP Gallery in Woolloongabba, an international group exhibition of performed drawings featuring artists from Australia, New York, Spain, Indonesia and Estonia.
DIB 2015 runs from September 30 — October 2. For a full program, please see here.
Inspired by Martin Nicolaus’ 1968 Fat-cat-sociology speech — ‘…the professional eyes of the sociologist are on the down people, and the professional palm of the sociologist is stretched toward the up people…’ — Sociologist, Associate Professor Georgina Murray, has since her activist youth written on issues of gender inequality, class and issues associated with the polarisation of rich and poor in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. We spent five minutes with Georgina to learn a little more about her research…
In what area/s does your current research interests lie?
I began early on writing about gender inequality. This early feminist work subsequently led me to research women in and around Australian coalmines. This interest continues, having published a book with [WOW colleague] David Peetz (Women of the Coal Rushes (2010)) following interviews with over one hundred men and women, and a subsequent Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grant which conducted the two phase Australian Coal and Energy Survey (ACES). The questionnaire was sent to 9 000 Australian miners and their partners to see what was happening to them and their families in the turbulent times of the 2008 financial crisis and immediately after.
The study of class and transnational networks of power also led me to question the idea of citizenship – What is it? Is it construed differently now to what it was? If yes, are there different issues of social justice now that I’ve neglected to focus on in my earlier research? These questions, and their tentative answers, led to academic articles and most recently a book – Financial Elites and Transnational Business: Who Rules the World? (Murray and Scott 2012).
Are there ongoing or emerging trends in your field/s of research?
The most recent focus of my writing is a central ongoing topic in sociology looking at globalisation. Particularly, I am a part of a group of international scholars called the – Network for Critical Studies of Global Capitalism — who research the question of transnational capitalism. We are looking at whether a transnational capitalist class (TCC) is emerging, and if so, are they using – or capable of using – their power to do anything positive about global warming and environmental sustainability? Other key findings about the TCC have been largely theoretical, but empirical evidence exists to suggest that the economic crisis (2008-2010) – though difficult for the majority of people – made the very rich, very much richer, and polarised the income/ wealth gap between rich and poor.
What (else then) are you working on at the moment?
Longitudinal analysis of the ACES is underway with David Peetz and Olav Muurlink. David Peetz and I are in Germany working on methodological aspects of the wave two Survey that Professor Werner Nienhüser (University of Duisburg-Essen) has contributed to.
David and I are co-editing a book with Palgrave Macmillian entitled Women at Work: Labor Segmentation and Regulation. And I have a second contract with Palgrave for the co–edited book (with Mexican colleague, Professor Alejandra Salas-Porras), Think Tanks – key spaces within global structures of power. I am also writing up from a project in conjunction with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Organising Centre, Ms Jenny Evans, Ms Jane Clarke and Professor Peetz called Networks and support for delegates.
Finally, David and I are involved with a project on Corporate ownership and sustainability, having recently conducted interviews with appropriate corporate sources in London, Paris, San Francisco and Toronto. We have based our sample on data sets in the Bureau van Dijk and are working toward submitting an ARC Linkage Project from this research.
Harnessing the energy created from salinity gradients — for example, when freshwater meets the sea — could provide a renewable source of power able to mitigate climate change impacts, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and improve processes within the desalination industry, according to new research from Griffith University.
In a paper published in the journalRenewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Dr Fernanda Helfer and Professor Charles Lemckert, from Griffith’s School of Engineering, review investigations into the potential of salinity gradient energy, which is released when waters with different salinities mix.
In particular, the paper explores the efficacy of Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) as a carbon emission-free process to extract and implement this energy.
PRO technology comprises a semi-permeable membrane that separates water flows with different salt contents, creating a solution that, once depressurised via a turbine, produces electrical energy.
Broad implementation of PRO has long been hampered by issues of cost and quality, but rising energy prices and growing acknowledgment of the potential impact of climate change have brought PRO and salinity gradient energy into renewed focus.
In their paper, The power of salinity gradients: an Australian example, Professor Lemckert and Dr Helfer contend that Australia is particularly suited to osmotic power production.
“Australia has various sources of saline solutions that could be used as draw solutions for PRO plants. These include salt lakes, brine from desalination plants and saline ground water,” says Dr Helfer.
“The largest Australian urban centres are located near the ocean and close to river mouths, ideal conditions for the construction of osmotic power plants.”
A unique aspect of the study is the suggestion of the use of brine–which is rejected during the desalination process–as a source of osmotic energy.
“Even taking into account the current inefficiencies of PRO, and based on the power generated under laboratory conditions and published by other institutions, a mixture of seawater and brine could generate power in a PRO plant adjacent to a desalination plant,” says Dr Helfer.
“This power would be used in the desalination process while the PRO plant, in turn, would use the reject brine as the draw solution and seawater as the feed solution.”
Dr Helfer and Professor Lemckert agree that significant technical and economic improvements are required to ensure the commercial viability and credibility of PRO membrane technology.
However, they also consider PRO-assisted desalination a promising alternative for the industry worldwide, one that provides power to the desalination process–thus reducing the industry’s reliance on fossil fuels–and the opportunity to minimise environmental impacts caused by the discharge of concentrated brine into the sea.
