The negative health effects of international air travel are well documented but now it seems that the common elderberry can provide some relief.
Associate Professor Evelin Tiralongo and Dr Shirley Wee from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) have completed a clinical trial showing that an elderberry supplement can provide some protection from cold and flu-like symptoms following long-haul flights.
Intercontinental air travel can be stressful and affect a passenger’s physical and psychological wellbeing. Whilst jet lag and fatigue remain the best known problems, holidaymakers also often experience upper respiratory symptoms.
Reducing duration and severity of colds
Presenting their results at the 21st Annual International Integrative Medicine Conference in Melbourne, the research team showed how elderberry appears to reduce the duration and severity of the cold.
The randomised, double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted with 312 economy class passengers travelling from Australia to an overseas destination. Cold episodes, cold duration and symptoms were recorded in a daily diary and participants also completed surveys before, during and after travel.
“We found that most cold episodes occurred in the placebo group, but the difference between the placebo and active group was not significant. However, the placebo group had a significantly higher number of cold episode days, and the symptom score in the placebo group over these days was also significantly higher,” says Associate Professor Tiralongo.
“Complementary medicines are used by two in three Australians, thus increasing the evidence base of these medicines should be at the forefront of our efforts. It’s often forgotten that the evidence for various herbal medicines is extract specific,” says Associate Professor Tiralongo.
The trial used capsules containing 300mg of a standardised, proprietary membrane-filtered elderberry extract which has shown to be effective in working against respiratory bacteria and influenza viruses.
The Griffith study follows recent European research published in the open access journal Current Therapeutic Researchwhich suggests that a combination of Echinacea herb and root extract supplemented with elderberry can be as effective as the conventional antiviral medicine Tamiflu for the early treatment of influenza.
Long gone are the days where high-end luxury brands dominate the fashion marketplace.
The latest generation of shoppers are tough customers according to Griffith University’s Dr Tim Lindgren, who leads the Fashion Design course within the Digital Media degree at Queensland College of Art.
“Younger consumers live in a digital era and are increasingly mobile, using their phones for the majority of purchases, so a brand’s online presence is absolutely vital,” he says.
“They are far more discerning and are willing to research and compare brands, which must meet their expectations.
“Australian brands are very good at telling the story of freedom of lifestyle, which is an aspect that tends to generate a high level of trust from the public.
“The importance of creating and maintaining your own local narrative and combining this with the latest in technology, such as 3D printing, is where the future of fashion is headed.
“Fashion designers are the newest Australian creative producers, and that’s the message we want to send to the international market
“Also, the rise of developing economies like Asia and India and the companies who will need digitally native fashion professionals moving into these spaces is generating opportunities for our graduates in these new future regions,” Dr Lindgren says.
The Fashion Design course was introduced this year and focuses on the global market, sustainable and ethical production, fashion law, social change, branding, cultural and economic significance and the development of business models.
Dr Tim Lindgren, who leads the Fashion Design course at Queensland College of Art.
Dr Lindgren has spent more than 25 years as a fashion designer and says the industry is a very different place now and will only continue to evolve as fashion merges with other fields.
“The potential with cross-over fields is growing daily, with wearable technology in sport with brands like Nike and Adidas, lifestyle products like the Apple Watch, and even imbedded health technology in clothing,” he says.
He says the way we live, is also impacting on the way we consume.
“With many people in urban cities living in smaller dwellings, the reduction in storage space is leading to even more discerning purchases,” he says.
Dr Lindgren will present demonstrations and workshops this Sunday 26 July at Open Day in the Fashion Design Studio at G06 2.12A on the Gold Coast Campus.
Enjoy free travel on the G:link light rail to Griffith’s Gold Coast Open day on July 26.Look for the TransLink Customer Liaison Officers in red Griffith shirts on platforms between 8.30am to 1pm for your special free travel pass. Visit translink now to plan your journey.
If you’re in Brisbane you too can join in on the fun on the Gold Coast by catching the courtesy buses running from Logan campus to Gold Coast campus throughout the day by booking here. Just by attending the Open Day you will go in the draw to win an Apple iWatch or $500 travel voucher. Register on the day or early birds can register here.
What the future holds for business professionals will be a compelling part of the Open Day agenda at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus on this Sunday (July 26).
Aspiring accountants, economists and finance professionals will be told how advances in IT, intensified international competition and the globalisation of economic linkages have created an exciting employment landscape for future business graduates.
“We are dealing with a market that values a business education, a market that suggests the return on a business education during the next five years will be strong and positive,” Professor Fabrizio Carmignani, Head of the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, said.
Griffith Business School lecturers will deliver a series of presentations on commerce, international business, the Asian landscape, government and policy, and tourism and hotel management during Open Day.
Two presentations on how a Griffith business student can become a modern business success story will take place at 10am and 1pm.
Professor Fabrizio Carmignani says new teaching processes already in place mean university programs are instilling students with flexibility and versatility. “This will enhance and sustain their employability as traditional business roles evolve and new occupations emerge.”
Department of Employment projections forecast a 14% rise in professional occupations in the Business, Finance and Human Resource category during the next four years.
Among the specific occupations with significantly positive forecasts are financial brokers (set to jump by 13%), financial dealers (17%), financial investment advisors (23%), human resource professionals (10%) and accountants where the spike is projected to be 13%.
“The idea of an accountant that only does journal entries is no longer relevant,” Professor Carmignani said. “However, if we look closely at the professional profile, we can identify exciting new opportunities for the modern accountant in areas like tax administration, corporate governance and business development.
“It will call for a flexible, versatile dimension on the part of future graduates in their approach to the employment market. It is important, therefore, that the types of skills we are teaching are skills that will fit in to other professional profiles not necessarily in business.
“Therefore, the processes that the university has in place now are about forming students who will be employable and will have a bag of tools that gives them the flexibility to do jobs in five years that may not even exist now. There will be plenty of jobs in the future for people with that type of knowledge, with that bag of tools.”
The new business building, including a state-of-the-art trading room, is located beside the Griffith University station on the G:Link.
Free travel to Open Day is available on the G:Link light rail. For a special free pass, look for the TransLink customer liaison officers in red Griffith shirts on G:Link platforms between8.30am to 1pm on July 26.
Research that is applicable to real life healthcare and which has positive impacts for the community is the focus for Professor Sheena Reilly, the newly appointed director of the Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ).
Professor Reilly says she is aiming to develop a program of research that has “people’s health built into it from day one.
“I don’t want research for the sake of it. Whether we are talking about clinical research, research in the laboratory or out in the community, there must be a strategy behind it from the start that means it is easily translatable into tangible health outcomes.”
The Menzies Health Institute Queensland – formerly known as the Griffith Health Institute – is positioning Griffith University as a leader in world-class research, and wasofficially launched by the Governor-General and Patron of the Menzies Foundation, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd), on Thursday 9 April.
This significant development is enhancingGriffith’s health research excellence through collaboration and resource sharing, as well as support greater engagement between academic researchers and healthcare professionals nationally and internationally.
Professor Reilly — previouslyAssociate Director of Clinical and Public Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Professor of Speech Pathology at the University of Melbourne – says a key part of increasing health outcomes will entail MHIQ working closely with the Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH).
“Working very closely with GCUH is something that will be built into our research strategy as a way of facing the clinical challenges that our health system is currently seeing.
“For example, nationally in Australia that there is a decrease in the number of children seeing GPs and an increase in the number presenting to hospital emergency departments. Of course children cannot be turned away from EDs, however there are opportunities to partner with the GCUH and the community to see what can be done about this problem.
“Partnering with health services to address their needs will be paramount and working with state and federal government will also form a part of this.”
An uncertain environment
Acknowledging the challenges of an increasingly uncertain funding environment, Professor Reilly admits that there will be changes ahead within MHIQ.
“Change is always challenging, especially as we don’t see much of a change ahead for research funding, but this relationship between two different organisations has the chance to be a very powerful thing.
“Part of the Gold Coast Health Strategic Plan details the need to negotiate joint research appointments with Griffith and I am looking to nurture that, with a supply of very focussed researchers that have the backing of the Menzies global reputation for excellence in discovery and innovation.”
Whilst Professor Reilly says that there are no specific disciplines to be focussed on at this stage, she says that she would like allied health to be the niche area that Menzies will be globally known for.
“Allied health professionals and nurses (18 and 35% respectively) make up the majority of the overall health workforce. About 10% of the workforce is comprised of medical professionals. At MIHQ we have a great opportunity to grow research leaders in allied health alongside those in medicine, so that MHIQ becomes the place to be for allied health researchers.”
It started 25 years ago as a single building among bushland on the edge of town.
But today Griffith University has a thriving Gold Coast campus in possibly the most exciting university precinct in the world.
Serviced by the new light rail system and across the road from one of Australia’s most modern hospitals and the site for the 2018 Commonwealth Games athletes’ village, Griffith is a mini-metropolis born of humble origins.
And according to a study released recently, a Griffith University degree today could improve your earning potential by more than 40 per cent.
The latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, funded by the Australian Government, reveals Griffith delivers better career earning potential to its graduates than most universities.
Griffith is a member of the Innovative Research Universities group, which according to the HILDA survey means students at Griffith showed an “earnings premium” of 15 per cent higher than traditional universities, known as the Group of Eight.
The report also showed that compared to an educational level of Year 11 or below a Bachelor-level degree boosted earning potential by 40.7 per cent for men and 31.9 per cent for women. A Masters-level degree boosted earnings by 47.1 per cent for men and 42.1 per cent for women.
Griffith’s Gold Coast campus in 1990.
Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Ned Pankhurst said the news comes as Griffith’s Gold Coast campus marks 25 years since its humble beginnings in 1990 when there were just three buildings and 456 students.
Today it is home to more than 18,000 students learning from the best teachers in a cluster of multi-million dollar buildings alongside literally hundreds of researchers tackling some of the toughest global problems.
Griffith’s School of Engineering lecturer Charles Hacker, who was here when Griffith first opened its doors to students in 1990, said he was proud to be part of such an innovative leading university.
Bachelor of Business students in 1990.
He said while technology had dramatically changed the approach to teaching in the past 25 years, the passion and quality had always remained high.
“When I started we had buildings in the middle of nowhere and engineering wasn’t offered at first,” he said.
“I started as a physics and maths teacher and was over the moon when the opportunity came to utilise my electronics background.”
When Griffith opened in September 1990 at Parklands it became the region’s first “higher education” facility, offering courses in business, teacher education, the arts and social sciences.
Griffith was also the first university to acquire one of Australia’s most power computers, The IBM SP2 Parallel Supercomputer costing $1.3million in 1994.
Come and see how you can get a higher earning career at Griffith’s Gold Coast Open Day on Sunday, July 26 from 9am — 2pm.
A brief history of Griffith University Gold Coast
Bachelor of Arts students in 1990.
September, 1990 – Gold Coast campus opens after amalgamating with the Gold Coast College of Advanced Education.
1994 – Australia’s most powerful computer is installed at Griffith University The IBM SP2 Parallel Supercomputer’ cost 1.3million dollars in funding and allowed for researchers to carry out large numbers of calculations simultaneously
June, 2000 – The Honourable Ms Leneen Forde has served as the University’s first female chancellor. She was also the second woman in Australia to be appointed Chancellor of an Australian university. Ms Forde retired in 2015.
2005 – Professor Ian O’Connor begins as Griffith’s fourth Vice Chancellor
July 1, 2005 – The first Australian School of Dentistry opens in nearly 60 years.
July 19, 2013 – The state of the art $150 million Griffith Health Centre Building opened.
November 14, 2013 – The first test tram arrived into the underground station at the Gold Coast campus by Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor. The light rail officially began running in July 2014.
August 2014 – Opening of $38 million Griffith Business School building
February 2015 – The Margaret Mittelheuser AM Trading Room opened, named after Australia’s first female stockbroker.
April 2015 — The Menzies Foundation partners with Griffith to form the Queensland Menzies Health Institute, the only one of its type in Queensland
2015 June – Griffith welcomes new chancellor Henry Smerdon AM
The Gold Coast campus in 2014.
Pathways into and out of youth crime, youth gangs and community-based approaches for preventing violence are just some of the topics to be explored at the Youth Violence: Cutting to the Core conference this week (July 20 and 21).
Hosted by Griffith University’s Violence Research and Prevention Program, the conference aims to improve understanding of the causes of youth violence and how to prevent it.
Program Director, Professor Paul Mazerolle, said few forms of violence leave a community as raw and vulnerable as violence by its young people.
“Sadly, rather than trying to prevent trouble from starting in the first place, our social and justice policies often focus on young people only when they are already in trouble and on a clear pathway to bad outcomes,’’ he said.
“Research tells us that many of these young people have been raised in homes characterised by poor or absent parenting, alcohol and substance misuse, violence, poverty and joblessness, and chronic instability.
“This conference will provide important insights into points where it may be possible to intervene in what is often an intergenerational cycle of disadvantage, violence, and crime.”
Del Elliott, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, University of Colorado — Pathways into and out of violent youth crime.
Finn-Aage Esbensen, Professor of Youth Crime and Violence, Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St.Louis — Youth gangs: What do we know and what can do?
Abigail Fagan, Professor of Criminology and Law, University of Florida —An effective community-based approach for preventing youth violence: the Communities that Care System.
Other topics to be discussed include:
Social aggression;
Violence in schools;
Preventing the onset of youth offending;
Adolescent dating violence;
Youth homicide offenders;
Gender differences, violence and alcohol consumption.
WHAT: Youth Violence: Cutting to the Core
WHEN: Monday, July 20 and Tuesday, July 21 — 8.30am-5pm
WHERE: The Royal on the Park Hotel, Brisbane.
The Queensland Governor, His Excellency, the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC officially opened the Griffith Criminology Institute (GCI) at Griffith’s Mt Gravatt campuslast night (July 16).
“All Queenslanders can be very proud that this institute through its excellence in both teaching and research now leads Australia in the fields of criminology and criminal justice,” his Excellency de Jersey said.
“Thanks to its new crime lab, Griffith is a world leader in the analysis of security and justice data.”
GCI Director Professor Ross Coomber said the Institute was a strategic consolidation of criminology scholars across the University, with an impressive group of external partners,representing one of the largest and most productive criminology communities in the world.
“In 2014 Griffith Universityranked in the top 15 of institutions worldwide on volume of criminological output and has strong collaborative ties across the US, Europe and Asia,’’ he said.
“The institute’s aim is to produce cutting-edge knowledge that helps create safe, just, well-governed and equitable societies.
“We are honoured to have the Queensland Governor Paul de Jersey officially launch the Institute.”
The institute has six key areas of focus.
Corrections and Sentencing
Crime Pathways and Patterns
Justice, Law and Society
Policing and Security
Prevention
Violence
“The Institute will continue to strengthen Griffith’s place as world leading in criminology and to apply critical thinking and research for maximum impact and positive contributions to society.”
Each year Griffith University offers more than 500 scholarships across a range of areas including academic excellence, music, sport andequityto name just a few.
Bachelor of Music student Jessica Goodrich had many interests at school but when it was time to go to university it was a choice between engineering and music.
Music won and the dedicated French Horn player hasn’t looked back.
“Ultimately, I chose music because I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to study something I loved,’’ the Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship holder said.
Jessica started playing the French horn in year five.
“I really loved the look and the sound of the horn as soon as I saw it and put it down as my first preference.
“Then when we tried out all the instruments, I think I was one of the few kids who could make a sound on the horn. No-one else was particularly keen to play it so lucky for me the teachers allocated it to me.”
She said the Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship has helped her more than she could have imagined.
“It means I don’t need to work as many hours part-time and have more time to focus on my studies.
“Also, with music there are so many extra things on offer like camps, concerts, lessons with visiting artists and instrument maintenance. This scholarship has allowed me to do all of these things without having to worry about what I can and can’t afford.”
Jessica is one of four Queensland Conservatorium French Horn students to attend the International Horn Symposium held by the International Horn Society in Los Angeles in August.
They will take part in the Horn quartet competition as well as attending concerts and masterclasses.
When she graduates Jessica hopes to continue on with postgraduate studies in Germany.
Aiming high
Madison Hardingencourages all students to apply for a scholarship.
With a passion for social justice, first-year Bachelor of Business/Public Relations & Communication student Madison (Madi) Harding is already setting her sights high and wants to work for an organisation like UNICEF when she graduates.
The Griffith Business School Academic Excellence Scholarship recipient has always enjoyed being involved in community programs such as Roteract and helping others, and see the degree as a way of fulfilling her ambitions.
“I chose it because of its flexibility and I believe that combining a business major with communications is vital in a networked business economy,’’ she says.
Also a participant in Griffith Business School’s Student Outreach program while at high school, Madison said it gave her an insight into the study pathways on offer.
“As a student reporter in Year 12, I was able to write numerous stories regarding the business department as an expression of my interest in this area.
“To receive the scholarship has been rewarding in the sense of acknowledgement for my hard work to achieve at school, in addition to the financial support for my university studies.”
Madison encourages all students to apply for a scholarship.
“Initially, I had no idea of the diversity of scholarships on offer, so just apply and you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve,’’ she said.
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Engagement) Professor Martin Betts said scholarships enable everyone to take part in tertiary education irrespective of their personal circumstances.
“The University offers more than 500 scholarships each year. Applying is easy as there is only one form to complete and students may be eligible for more than one scholarship.
By Daniel Chen
2nd year Bachelor of Journalism student
With mayors, deputy mayors and government leaders from more than 100 cities attending, the 2015 Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors Forum 5-8 July at Brisbane’s Convention and Exhibition Centre was undoubtedly the pinnacle of professional business and leadership conferences in the Asia-Pacific.
I was fortunate enough to represent Griffith University as an intern at the APCS Media Centre and participate in the event as a delegate from the 6th till 8th of July. My main responsibilities as a media centre intern were handing out media accreditation to journalists, guiding media personnel to speeches and sitting in numerous concurrent sessions.
The main themes for the 2015 APCS were Global Cities, Future Cities, Digital Cities and Cities For People which spanned the threemain days of the summit and featuring world-renowned speakers, presentations and trade shows.
Each day started off with an inspirational presentation from the APCS keynote speakers namely, Lord Sebastian Coe, Former Chairman of 2012 London Olympics Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games; SY Lau, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent and President of its Online Media Group in Beijing; Randi Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media.
The Young Professionals’ Forum- Urban Challenges for Future Cities, sponsored and facilitated by Griffith University, was also a vibrant part of the summit, which provided professional development opportunities for university students, private and public sector leaders from the Asia-Pacific aged between 18 to 30 years old.
Professor Paul Burton, Acting Director of Griffith University’s Urban Research Program said this year’s Young Professionals’ Forum was the largest and the best one to date with 106 participants (of which 26 were Griffith University students). He said the forum was about finding solutions to challenges facing cities in the Asia-Pacific region now and into the future. On the final day of the forum, four outstanding young professionals presented the accumulated findings and recommendations to the whole APCS conference.
Lecturers from Griffith University held nothing back as they work-shopped and presented their research, experience and knowledge to the attentive young professionals. In the Harnessing digital possibilities in the cities session, Dr David Tuffley said future employment in IT related careers were in high demand. Therefore, mastering new media as technology progresses would be a great skill to hone.
I believe this internship experience has helped me acquire more knowledge on how Brisbane is economically integrating with the Asia-Pacific region and the potential innovations that future cities need.
The connections I have gained from interning at the summit will be beneficial when I graduate and enter the media industry. Overall, I would like to thank Griffith University and Rowland for this great opportunity. It was a great honour to be part of the 2015 Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors Forum.
Prominent Gold Coast tourism figure Paul Donovan has been appointed an adjunct professor at the Griffith Institute for Tourism.
The move both highlights and cements the link between research and industry at one of the country’s iconic tourist destinations.
Mr Donovan will bring a wealth of industry knowledge to the university classroom with students of international tourism and hotel management set to benefit from his input at academic level.
Currently the executive general manager of business development and marketing for Queensland Airports, Mr Donovan was previously the chief operating officer of Gold Coast Airports for almost a decade.
“I am looking forward to having the opportunity to make a contribution to tourism in the education sector,” Mr Donovan said.
“I am keen to share my insights with bright young minds in the classroom while also collaborating closely with some of the country’s leading tourism academics.”
Mr Donovan has spearheaded a series of tourism initiatives on the Gold Coast with the emergence of the Chinese tourism market and the development of the Gold Coast Airport among his leading priorities in recent years.
“Paul brings a body of knowledge that is both relevant and current to the university setting,” Professor Susanne Becken, Director, Griffith Institute for Tourism, said.
“His appointment is a shining example of the collegial spirit that exists between industry and research when it comes to tourism on the Gold Coast.
“Paul’s in-depth knowledge of the Gold Coast tourism landscape is matched by specialised industry experience in areas like business development, high level negotiations, relationship management, brand management and marketing.
“Students and researchers will gain from his knowledge, his leadership and mentoring skills.”
Paul Donovan officially took up the adjunct professor position at the Gold Coast campus on July 1.
