Griffith University communications graduate Michael Batchelor has just had his first novel published and hopes his readers will be persuaded by its message — not to take drugs.
The Red Chilli tells the tale of a young high school student who becomes embroiled in the dark underbelly of drugs in a small Queensland town.
“The culture, language and attitude of my adolescent peers are the inspiration for the novel,’’ Michael (pictured, below) said.
“The Red Chilli addresses the issues of illegal drugs, but it also delivers the message to young adults without being too preachy or condescending.
“By having a protagonist who experiences the conflict many high school students experience undergo with regards to drugs, the reader will be able to relate to the character and his apprehension towards the underground drug scene.”
Since he graduated with a Bachelor of Communication at the Gold Coast in 2011, Michael has been writing novels and trying to break into the publishing market.
“Studying journalism and creative writing helped me find my voice and hone my writing style and I hope this book will lead to more,’’ he said.
Griffith University creative writing lecturer Dr Sally Breen said she recalledMichael’s passion for writing in class.
“We’re very excited here at Griffith to hear of Michael’s publishing success and see it as testament to the vibrancy of our writing program and the talent of our graduates.
“I am thrilled to see that his dedication and efforts have come to fruition. I’m sure we will see more from him in the future.”
This is Michael’s third novel and the first to be published.
The Red Chilli is published by the Horizon Publishing Group.
Young Australian-Chinese lyric tenor Kang Wang will soon call New York home as he arrives at one of the best known opera companies in the world.
Known as the venue for the world’s greatest voices, the Metropolitan Opera uses its Lindemann Young Artist Development Program to identify and develop extraordinary emerging opera talent from all over the world.
The Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University graduate was one of only a handful selected to take part from August 2015 for a two-year tenure and says it’s a dream come true.
“I’m hoping to make the most of my time in New York and improve all aspects of my singing,” he says.
“This offer really came as a big surprise for me, and it still feels surreal when I think that I will be going to the Met to work every day.”
As part of the program, Kang will receive specialised training from the Met’s own artistic staff and invited master teachers along with access to rehearsals for all Metropolitan Opera productions.
An already distinguished career
The stellar appointment tops off an already exceptional career for the 27-year-old who is currently finishing his one-year contract at Theater Basel in Basel, Switzerland in their OperAvenir opera studio.
It also follows a string of notable achievements including the People’s Choice Award of the Dame Joan Sutherland Award, the Italian Opera Foundation Australia Scholarship, and the 2014 Clonter Opera Prize.
Since 2010 Kang has appeared as a guest soloist in over 20 concerts with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, was a special guest soloist in Lisa Gasteen’s return to the stage in 2011 and was guest soloist in concerts by Opera Queensland in 2013 and 2014.
Opera in his blood
Kang also has a great singing pedigree. His parents are both professional opera singers in China, but it wasn’t a career he envisaged for himself until he saw The Great Caruso (about the life of tenor Enrico Caruso) when he was 17.
“I knew then what I wanted to do with my life,” he said.
His father, another tenor, warned him classical singing was not always an easy career choice.
So Kang moved to Darwin to complete a Bachelor of Information Technology (with electives in singing under Mrs Kathy Banks) and worked as a web-developer for three years, while also performing with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra.
At the end of 2009, he started flying to Brisbane every two months for private lessons with Joseph Ward OBE at Queensland Conservatorium, before beginning his Graduate Diploma and then a Masters of Music Studies in Opera Performance.
“I learned so much during my time at the Conservatorium,” Kang says.
“I had singing lessons twice a week with Joseph Ward, opera classes with Lisa Gasteen, movement classes with Anna Sweeny, language coaching with Teresa Desmarchelier and the opportunity to do a lot of ensemble work.
Kang as Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress, which he performed while studying at the Queensland Conservatorium.
“Since graduating, I’ve met some great young tenors with voices as good as mine and even better, so they have become the inspiration for me to keep training harder and harder.
“After the Met program, I’d love to participate in some international competitions and with some agent’s help maybe try to start freelancing in European houses to gain more experience.
“The long term goal for me is to become better and better so one day I will be singing leading tenor roles in the best opera houses around the world.”
The Lindemann Young Artist Development Program was created in 1980 by Maestro Levine and has trained a new generation of celebrated American and international opera singers, as well as coaches and pianists, who perform at the highest standards in productions at the Met and opera houses around the world.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Marino, 0418 799 544, [email protected]
While the marketing landscape has evolved dramatically since Michelle Noordink graduated from Griffith University, the core principles of marketing that she learned in a Gold Coast classroom are playing an important and influential part in the progress of her innovative business venture.
Her high-fashion footwear concept has already captured the imagination of reviewers at high fashion publications like Cleo and Cosmopolitan who are describing her invention as revolutionary, a hot product and ‘the best concept we’ve seen in the shoe industry’.
Michelle launched Conf3ss Shoes last December, an online business selling a range of high-fashion shoes with interchangeable straps.
Her simple formula incorporates four styles of shoes (flat, mid-wedge, high-wedge and platform stiletto) in two colours, and up to 30 coloured straps and T-bars that can be interchanged to suit the occasion and the outfit.
“With just one pair of shoes and 30 coloured straps, you can have 27,000 different combinations,” Michelle says.
The idea was born at a Gold Coast lunch one day when Michelle, who has always loved shoes, was observing the footwear on show. “I noticed all the women were basically wearing the same kind of shoe. The only difference was the height of the shoe and the colours of the straps.”
From there a business idea was brought to life with the support of an entrepreneur friend who advised her that this idea was the one Michelle should run with. “My dad was always an ideas man and from an early stage I got that creative streak. I always wanted to invent something.”
Michelle’s invention has caught the imagination of an online audience, with social media platform Instagram and its selfies culture yielding an unexpected but exciting market for her product.
Michelle says her Griffith degree stood to her as she carried out the initial market testing of her product on Australian consumers. In April sheannounced that Conf3ss Shoes was set to go global with international distribution.
“I’m continuously testing different markets through tools like Google analytics and Big Commerce,” she says. “I’m constantly researching and testing and finding out where my customers come from, where they’ve found out about the product, and how they make their purchases.”
She says this kind of groundwork has yielded interesting and unexpected information about the market for her product, not least the age range of current and likely customers.
Michelle, who has previously lived in Japan and the US, has also worked as a graphic designer and ran an interior design business that she has set aside with the success of Conf3ss Shoes.
Check out the Conf3ss Shoes website
The Director of Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute, Professor Stuart Bunn, is to receive a major international honour for his contribution to ecology.
Professor Bunn will travel to the US in August to accept the Ecological Society of America (ESA) Honorary Membership Award.
The annual award is presented to a distinguished ecologist who has made exceptional contributions to ecology and whose principal residence and site of ecological research are outside of North America.
“It’s a great honour because the ESA is the largest professional group for ecologists in North America and it publishes a suite of high end, peer reviewed journals that for many years have informed and enhanced understanding of ecological issues,” says Professor Bunn.
This year’s award also comes as the ESA celebrates its centenary.
One of Australia’s leading freshwater scientists, Professor Bunn has earned national and international recognition for his work in water research and management. His research has covered a broad range of systems across Australia, from small forest streams to large floodplain rivers in the arid zone and, more recently, the wet-dry tropics of the north.
His findings have resulted in more than 250 technical publications and he fulfils formal advisory roles with leading agencies on water resource strategy and administration.
In 2007, Professor Bunn was awarded the Australian Society for Limnology Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to research and management of Australia’s inland waters.
Lately he has been working in Papua New Guinea, assisting an advisory committee overseeing mining operations in the Watut River Basin, south-west of Lae, the country’s second largest city.
“This is a mineral-rich area and the river is impacted by mining as well as a range of other factors, including forestry and natural landslides. Our aim is to synthesise available data to prepare a report card on the health of the river to present to government and the broader community,” says Professor Bunn.
Elsewhere, the rapid pace of China’s population growth, urbanisation and industrial development is commanding the attention of international ecologists, including Professor Bunn and particularly with regard to water quality.
“Water quality is a very challenging issue in China and the level of environmental awareness and expertise there is still developing,” says Professor Bunn.
“However, the Chinese are making massive investments to address the issue over the next 10-15 years. That’s extremely encouraging.”
Professor Bunn will receive the Honorary Membership Award at the ESA’s annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. He says it reflects well on Griffith University’s core commitment to sustainability.
“Griffith was founded on environmental principles and these, including a strong and ongoing capability in the science to underpin water management through groups such as the Australian Rivers Institute, remain fundamental to the University’s operation and philosophy.”
Planet Earth may contain millions fewer species than previously thought and estimates are converging, according to research led by Griffith University.
In a paper published by the US-based journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Professor Nigel Stork of Griffith’s Environmental Futures Research Institute reveals findings that narrow global species estimates for beetles, insects and terrestrial arthropods.
The research features an entirely new method of species calculation derived from samples of beetles from the comprehensive collection at London’s Natural History Museum.
“It has been said we don’t know to the nearest order of magnitude just how many species with which we share the planet. Some say it could be as low as two million; others suggest up to 100 million,” says Professor Stork.
“By narrowing down how many species exist within the largest group – the insects and other arthropods — we are now in a position to try to improve estimates for all species, including plants, fungi and vertebrates.
“Understanding how many species there are and how many there might have been is critical to understanding how much humans have impacted biodiversity and whether we are at the start of, or even in the middle of, an extinction crisis.”
About 25 per cent of all species that have been described are beetles. However, when combined with other insects the figure climbs to more than half of all described and named species on Earth.
New method of estimation
For this reason, Professor Stork and his colleagues focused on asking how many species of beetles and insects there actually are, in the process applying a new method of estimation arising from a tendency for larger species of British beetles to be described before smaller species.
“Because of the global spread of major beetle lineages, we made the assumption that the size distribution of the very well known British beetles might be similar to that of beetles worldwide,” says Professor Stork.
“So, if we could get a measurement of the body sizes of the beetles from around the world, we might be able to plot where these fitted in time against the British beetles.”
After measuring a sample from the Natural History Museum’s worldwide collection of beetles, Professor Stork compared the mean body size with the changing body sizes of British beetles to reveal that roughly 10 per cent of the world’s beetles have been named and described.
This figure sheds intriguing light on previous estimates of global species richness.
In the 1980s, there were just two methods of estimating species. In the case of beetles, these gave a mean of 17.5 million species and a range of 4.9-40.7 million. For all terrestrial arthropods, the mean was 36.8 million and a range of 7-80 million.
However, the new research shows that four current methods of estimation – dating from 2001 onwards — suggest much lower figures, namely a mean of 1.5 million for beetles (range 0.9-2.1 million) and 6.8 million for terrestrial arthropods (range 5.9-7.8 million).
“While all methods of estimating global species richness make assumptions, what is important here is that four largely unrelated methods, including the new body size method, produce similar estimates,” says Professor Stork.
“With estimates converging in this way, this suggests we are closer to finding the real numbers than before.
“It also means we can improve regional species richness. For Australian fauna and flora, for example, we should be able to make better estimates of just how many species there are and which groups need more taxonomic attention.”
Diversity of life
Professor Ian Owens, Director of Science at the Natural History Museum, says this research is a great example of how natural history collections support high-impact scientific research that addresses challenging questions such as the diversity of life.
“The Natural History Museum’s beetle collection is one of the most important and extensive in the world, so I’m delighted that it has played such a fundamental part in this study that uses a novel approach to estimating how many species of beetle exist,” says Professor Owens.
“The results are very exciting and are a big step forward to establishing a baseline for biodiversity.”
Meanwhile, co-author of the PNAS paper — the University of Melbourne’s Associate Professor Andrew Hamilton – says efforts to come up with new or modified ways of resolving how many species exist are beginning to prove fruitful.
Professor Stork says the research has important conservation ramifications.
“Success in planning for conservation and adopting remedial management actions can only be achieved if we know what species there are, how many need protection and where,” he says. “Otherwise, we have no baseline against which to measure our successes.
“Furthermore, it is arguably not only the final number of species that is important, but what we discover about biodiversity in the process.
“The degree to which we can or cannot accurately estimate the number of species or the scale of organismal diversity on Earth is a measure of our ignorance in understanding the ecological and evolutionary forces that create and maintain the biodiversity on our planet.
“Attacking this question also drives scientific enquiry and is of public interest. Society expects science to know what species exist on Earth, as it expects science to discover nuclear particles and molecules.
“These discoveries open doors to more utilitarian interests.”
A research initiative involving Griffith Business School and the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) has received funding under the Australia Awards Fellowships administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The $86,224 project will fund a capacity development training program, involving six Fellows from the RBF, on banking sector and economic research and policy formulation at the Bank.
Potential knock-on benefits for banking institutions across the South-Pacific region are also on the cards.
Collaborations with the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu are underway, while avenues are being explored with the Central Bank of Papua New Guinea.
The partnership between Griffith Business School and the RBF is led by a team from the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics – Dr Parmendra Sharma, Professor Eduardo Roca, Dr Jen Je Su, Dr Katherine Hunt, Dr Benjamin Liu, Dr Suman Nuepane and Associate Professor Mark Brimble.
“We have been engaging with government and private sector institutions in the South Pacific and have been developing a working relationshipwith the Reserve Bank of Fiji during this time,” Dr Sharma (left) said.
“The Australia Awards Fellowship has opened doors to other financial institutions and organisations, and we have been approached by private firms and development organisations for possible consultancies and collaborations.”
The initial partnership between Griffith Business School and the RBF led to a research paper assessing for the first time Fiji’s banking stability and efficiency on a global scale since the turn of the century. This provided a new insight which revealed the country’s banking system had remained strong since 2000, even during and after the global financial crisis.
“Taking into consideration ongoing economic uncertainty and Fiji’s own socio-economic conditions, we anticipated banking stability and efficiency was likely to have been adversely affected,” Dr Sharma said.
“However, Fiji’s banking sector has done well to remain stable and profitable. It is a country with a unique setting, perceived to be disadvantaged from a macro—economic and socio—political perspective. Yet its banking performance has rivalled the best in the world.
“A combination of prudent banking and regulation, with minimum state interference appears to have worked effectively, and potentially offers important lessons for other developing economies around the world.”
The Australia Awards Fellowship, to be rolled out from June 29 to July 10, provides an opportunity to produce the next set of joint working papers examining unconventional monetary policy in Fiji during the last decade, the adequacy of microfinance and mobile banking regulatory framework, and the effects of bank reforms on the efficiency of banks.
“This is anoutcome of a lot of important work in building relationships and trust with partners,” Associate Professor Mark Brimble, Discipline Head of Finance and Financial Planning, Griffith Business School, said.
The Women Lawyers Association of Queensland (WLAQ) has presented the Una Prentice Award to the highest achieving female law graduates from each of the Law Schools in Queensland.
Griffith alumnus Giverny Atkins joined a remarkable group of lawyers to honour the legacy of Queensland’s first woman to graduate in law, Una Prentice.
Giverny received the honour after completing her Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Psychological Science double degree with the highest GPA out of all of the female law students in her graduating class last year.
Griffith Law School’s Deputy Head of School Dr Therese Wilson presented the award to Giverny at a ceremony held at Wesley House in late April.
“I was very pleased for Giverny and proud. She was an excellent student who got on with the job without any fanfare — a quiet achiever,” says Therese.
Giverny, also a Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship recipient, has many achievements to her name including the Bachelor of Psychological Science Medal for being the highest achieving student in that program.
She also participated in Griffith’s Honours College, an extra-curricular program that gives high achieving students experiences and skills that enhance and complement their undergraduate studies.
“Giverny is pretty typical of many Griffith Law School students, making the most of every opportunity and enjoying a rich and varied legal education as a result,” says Therese.
The Una Prentice Award does more than just showcase the smart and accomplished women in our universities. It also serves as a reminder of the ongoing issues that women face in the law.
“While we’re pleased that our female graduates today won’t face the same difficulties as Una Prentice faced in seeking to practice law; men still make up the majority of judges, Queen’s Counsel and partners in law firms,” says Therese.
“We must applaud, promote and support our high achieving female lawyers to explore the full extent of their abilities. Griffith Law School is very proud to be a part of that by supporting the Una Prentice award.”
View the full list of the Una Prentice Award Winners for 2014 >(PDF link)
Find out more information on studying law at Griffith >
Griffith’s innovative approach to the delivery of first-class university programs has taken another step forward with the launch of a new accelerated online Master of Finance.
The latest offering to be rolled out as part of Griffith’s suite of digital education options offers people working in the finance industry the chance to study while continuing to work.
The new 100% online postgraduate program givesstudents unprecedented flexibility in their education options, while connecting them with some of the industry’s leading thinkers.
The program is structured for six intakes during the calendar year, allowing those enrolled to manage their studies on their terms and to start their studies when and where they want to.
“The accelerated learning mode means students can now complete a fast-tracked Master of Finance in two and a half years. They will do so while engaging with a community of like-minded professionals in an interactive learning environment,”Associate Professor Mark Brimble (left), Discipline Head of Finance and Financial Planning, Griffith Business School, said.
“And while the modern-day student wants an educational structure that grants this kind of flexibility, they also want further education that leads to new, influential careers or which builds on the career path they have taken in an industry.”
Industry links
The strong industry links that Griffith Business School has developed in the financial sector have been incorporated into this new program. Students will be learning from some of the country’s leading thinkers in finance.
These include lecturers and researchers who are active and influential in the finance industry, people who are highly valued and much sought-after.
“Their insights and extensive corporate knowledge will make this online program a very practical, relevant experience for students who will graduate with new skills that can be put to immediate use in financial decision-making processes,” Dr Brimble said.
Student eligibility for the new program is not limited to previous study, and previous professional experience will also be taken into account and may lead to credits towards the degree.
A further option is also available in the form of the new accelerated online Graduate Certificate in Finance, which is also being rolled out as part of the launch.
Students can gain a Graduate Certificate in Finance by completing four initial courses during an eight-month period and then continue on to the remaining 12 courses of the Master of Finance.
The Master of Finance program has also been meticulously designed to support students, who are likely to take on CFA Program exam after graduation to complement their industry credentials.
View our new online degrees.
Griffith University has welcomed a group of young leaders from Vietnam’s Institute of Strategy, Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) for an intensive Australia Awards Fellowships program.
The “Leadership for a Resource Efficient Zero Waste Society (Vietnam)” program is being led by Dr Sunil Herat from the Griffith School of Engineering.
Eleven staff members from ISPONRE are taking part in the program, which is funded to the value of $211,332, through the Australia Awards Fellowships. This program, administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, aims to build capacity and strengthen partnerships between Australian organisations and partner organisations in eligible developing countries, in support of key development and foreign affairs priorities.
This Fellowship will provide ISPONRE staffwith training, networking and support necessary to promote significant changes in technical and policy aspects of waste management in Vietnam. Developing strategies to tackle the serious environmental, social and economic issues which are inherent in this area will lead toimproved health for rural poor by increasing access to safe water and sanitation.
ISPONRE researcher and leader of the visiting group, Nguyen Minh Khoa said they had already gained valuable knowledge on sustainable waste management strategies, taking into consideration Vietnam’ s unique context.
“It will be of great value for us in proposing relevant policies and strategies for Vietnam,” he said.
“The program enhances our capacity in waste management theoretically and practically, and offers opportunities to learn from, and collaborate with, Australia’s leading institutions.The program consolidates the bond between ISPONRE and Griffith University.”
Dr Herat is a consultant to the United Nations on e-Waste, and an Associate Editor for the world-leading journal Waste Management & Research.With more than 20 years experience in the field, his research interests are in waste management and cleaner production with special emphasis on managing electronic wastes (e-Waste).
“The project is further recognition of the University’s waste management training capabilities,” Dr Herat said.
Project management is through Griffith International’s International Business Development Unit .
Griffith University has been named the most Sustainable School in the Logan Eco Awards for its commitment to environmental initiatives at the Logan campus, located at Meadowbrook.
The Slacks Creek Restoration Project, a new landscaping strategy and the GrowsAtGriffith app are all part of the University’s commitment to biodiversity, community engagement and education.
As part of the Slack Creek Restoration Project more than 7000 trees have been planted. They will help increase the koala habitat, contribute to connecting a wildlife habitat along the Slacks Creek corridor and create shade for the mid and understorey species which will be planted next year.
Trees for rare Glossy Black cockatoos and a vine scrub thicket for Richmond Birdwing butterflies have also been planted.
The award was accepted at the Logan Eco Action Festival on 31 May, held at the Logan campus from 10am to 3pm. The Festival promotes eco-living tips in a free, fun family environment.
Griffith’s Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Ned Pankhurst said Griffith was proud to be the largest project site for the Slacks Creek Restoration Project, which received Australian Government funding of almost $1.6 million over five years.
He said the project’s activities included improving water quality in Slacks Creek, restoring adjoining habitat, weed management, collecting data and undertaking activities to engage and build the capacity and skills of Indigenous people and the broader community in natural resource management.
“The award highlights our long standing commitment to environmental science and education programs,” he said.
“The Restoration project, new landscaping strategy and GrowsAtGriffith App all complement each other and generate valuable knowledge and community resources that will enhance the Logan community. They could be used as an example of best practice anywhere.”
GrowsAtGriffith app
As part of the new landscaping strategy, Griffith has worked with Logan City Council to select species to expand the native arboretum.
Sustainability Project Officer Kay Ollett said a new proposal to include a glade of bottle trees representing the different species found in the local region will provide a visual link between the campus buildings and the arboretum.
“We will also be looking at establishing ‘knowledge fig trees’ using local species of Ficus in the centre of the courtyards on campus to act as places for reflection and renewal,” she said.
“Our GrowsAtGriffth App for smart phones and tablets has also been very successful with more than 900 stunning images and information on species in South East Queensland.”
