American astronaut Dr Sandra Magnus, whose five missions for NASA included the last space shuttle flight in 2011, will be the guest speaker at a free public event at Griffith University’s Nathan campus on Monday, May 18.
Hosted by Griffith and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Dr Magnus’s Perspectives from Space encompasses stories, experiences and views acquired over her many years with NASA.
Now the Executive Director of the AIAA, the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession, Dr Magnus’s time at NASA also included a four-and-a-half-month stint aboard the International Space Station.
Born and raised in Belleville, Illinois, Dr Magnus attended the Missouri University of Science and Technology, graduating in1986 with a degree in physics and in 1990 with a Masters in electrical engineering. She holds a PhD from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech.
Selected to the NASA Astronaut Corps in April 1996, Dr Magnus first went into space in 2002 with the STS-112 shuttle mission. Nine years later she was part of the crew of the final shuttle flight: STS-135.
In November 2008, Dr Magnus boarded the International Space Station as a member of the Expedition 18 crew. She served as flight engineer and science officer, eventually returning home on STS-119 after logging 133 days in orbit.
Dr Magnus then served at NASA Headquarters in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Her final duty at NASA before joining the AIAA was as deputy chief of the Astronaut Office.
Such rare and remarkable experience has informed Dr Magnus’s perspective and philosophy, as exemplified by the following excerpt from her journal written during her time aboard the International Space Station:
“As we fly over the various continents, we can easily see the imprint of man on the landscape … it isn’t necessarily a question of Mother Nature’s natural disorder versus man’s determined march toward order, but the geometry associated with habitation tends to be a bit more defined than that found in the more remote areas.
“The contrast is interesting to note — both have their beauty; both can blend well together or fight each other and that can occasionally be seen. Like it or dislike it, we are definitely leaving our mark on the surface of the planet.”
Unsurprisingly, Dr Magnus is an avid supporter of young people pursuing study and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields.
“I think it is really importantfor all young people, and not only girls, to have opportunities to expand their horizons so that they can see the possibilities for their future,” she says.
“It is hard to imagine a future as a young person without some exposure to the possibilities. They don’t know what they don’t know. Also they need to be encouraged to believe in themselves and dream.”
WHAT: Perspectives from Space, with Dr Sandra Magnus
WHERE: Building N22, Theatre 1, Off East Creek Road, Griffith University, Nathan
Griffith APEC Study Centre fellow Dr Alex Robson, today presented at the 2015 APEC Study Centre conference, addressing over 100 researchers, government and APEC officials on disaster financing in the Australian context.
Dr Robson’s presentation focused on fiscal risks and contingent budgetary liabilities that arise as a result commitments from government providing relief in response to natural disasters.
APEC member-countries alone suffered around $70 billion natural disasters over the last decade. The Philippines, as host economy of APEC 2015 has made disaster resilience in ensuring sustained economic gains, as one of its priorities for this year’s APEC Leaders’ meeting.
APEC’s 21 member-economies, which account for about 58 percent of the world’s economic output, 59 percent of the world’s population, experience over 70 percent of global natural disasters.
Dr Robson shared Australia’s experience in responding to natural disasters in terms of government coordination and funding responsibilities. His research drew upon a recent enquiry undertaken by Australia’s Productivity Commission in which policy frameworks can be adapted so that disaster-related contingent liabilities can be best managed, often taking advantage of possibilities offered by insurance.
Hosted by the Philippine Study Centre Network, the ASCC Conference serves as an avenue for researchers and scholars to discuss and exchange ideas on the APEC themes and to identify areas for regional collaboration among APEC Study Centers. The conference was organized by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the Philippine APEC Study Center Network (PASCN) in cooperation with the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). It was part of the Second Senior Officials Meeting (SOM2) and Related Meetings of APEC held in Boracay on 12-13 May.
Queensland College of Art (QCA) Fine Art graduate Angela Fok won first prize for Jewellery Design in the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) Queensland Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA), with two further students receiving high commendations and several others named finalists.
Fine Art graduate Rachel Matthews-Fredrick received a High Commendation in the Jewellery and Small Objects category and Product Design graduate Paul Bardini also received a High Commendation in his category.
The other QCA finalists include:
– Fine Art graduates specialising in Jewellery and Small Objects: Jen Eales and Rebecca White;
– Product Design graduates: Callum Burgess and Megan Rowe;
– Visual Communication Design graduates: Joel Matheson, Tamati Currie and Ebony Harrison; and
– Interior Environments graduates: Luke Davidson, Ally MacMillan and Emma Williams.
Winner, Angela Fok, will now compete in the DIA Australasian Graduate of the Year awards, with the winners of the national award to be announced later this month.
Angela says her works were inspired by a drive to create miniature form wax carvings.
“The most important thing to consider before making anything is the connection of the work to the audience,” Angela says.
Paul Bardini, whose submission was highly commended, says he seeks to produce design outcomes that are moral and ethical with a goal of creating better products and services.
“I view product design as an holistic problem-solving tool, using design thinking to create better products and services from concept to creation in order to initiate change and produce moral and ethical design outcomes.”
The GOTYA awards provide graduates with the opportunity to present their work and gain state-level recognition.
Highly commended graduate Rachel Matthews-Frederick says the awards gave her the chance to reflect on her work created at University.
“GOTYA allowed me to look back on my final year of study and see my progress from a different perspective. I was able to understand my practice better, as well as the direction I was headed,” Rachel says.
Jewellery and Small Objects convenor at the Queensland College of Art, Liz Shaw says the awards are a great opportunity for students to showcase their talents outside of a University context.
“GOTYA is an important way of acknowledging and celebrating the top design graduates in the state,” she says.
“The recognition from industry confirms works completed as a student hold significance outside of the University learning environment. For the graduates this is a wonderful confidence boost and it’s also very inspiring for current students.”
QCA Product Design convenor, Beck Davis, says the GOTYA awards also provide an opportunity for students to illustrate their personal design acumen and to receive feedback from industry.
“To have their work evaluated by professionals outside the academe is critical for emerging designers, particularly for those that seek to challenge traditional design practices, raising moral and ethical questions through the work they produce.”
Young Australian filmmaker Isabel Stanfield is in France this week, taking her two films to the prestigious Cannes International Film Festival.
The 23-year-old Griffith Film School graduate plans on spending ten days soaking up the atmosphere, making contacts and networking with the world’s best.
“It will be amazing to just be there and be a part of the world’s biggest film festival,” she says.
Griffith is the only Australian film school invited to screen at the prestigious Festival and this trip marks the seventh year students have been offered the invaluable opportunity, says Professor Herman Van Eyken.
Isabel during filming of Gokanosho: Lost in Time, which she produced.
“It is the ideal opportunity for the next generation of filmmakers to make industry connections that may launch a coveted international career,” he says.
“We give students all the logistical support they need to attend — we send their films, we organize their artwork, provide all the supporting documentation and prepare them for the immersive environment.
“Being at Cannes is incredibly intensive, but that’s exactly why it works and can’t be replicated anywhere else.”
Each film from Griffith will be screened in the Cannes Court Metrage; an initiative within the festival designed to encourage emerging talent, featuring more than 2,000 registered films from more than 90 countries worldwide.
Isabel’s solo film Solitaire will screen at Cannes, along with Gokanosho: Lost in Time, a film she produced with her partner and Director Caleb De Leon during their graduate year at the Griffith Film School.
Gokanosho: Lost in Time is a short documentary about family, tradition and culture in the modern age, as it captures the lives of residents from a collection of villages in rural Japan.
The Griffith Film School graduates on location in Gokanosho, Japan during their final year of study.
Isabel explains that some 700 years ago, samurai lost a battle and fled into the mountains, establishing the idyllic village of Gokanosho in Japan, which still remains today.
“With only 350 residents, and one third aged over 75, the region sadly faces depopulation and is now at risk of fading away,” she says.
“Being from a small town myself, growing up in Boonah, my heart really went out to them, so it was the people and their lives and stories that we wanted to capture.
“Our final interview was with Shingo, one of the direct descendants of those samurai who was able to roll out a scroll for us with his entire family tree spanning all generations from the last 700 years,” she says.
As an Honours College student at Griffith, Caleb was awarded federal government funding as part of the New Colombo Plan, which allowed he and Isabel, alongside two other students, to journey to the tiny village in Japan.
Gokanosho: Lost in Time premiered at the Silver Springs International Film Festival in Florida, US last month.
Watch a sneak peek of the short film on the crew’s facebook page.
Mohammad Atahee, a native of Afghanistan, is the recipient of the 2015 Griffith University Bendigo Bank Scholarship.
The Bachelor of Commerce student is among four Australians, two from Afghanistan and one from Burundi, who will receivethe Logan scholarshipstonight (Wednesday) which are awarded exclusively to students at Griffith Logan campus who have lived and attended high school in the region.
“I have a dream to be an accountant and financial planner,” Mohammad said. “I really enjoy working with numbers and it is my ambition is to work in a bank.
“I am a full-time student living independently and need to support myself financially. The scholarship I received is highly helpful for my textbooks and other necessaries for studying at the university.
Mohammad said he applied for the Bendigo Bank Scholarship in the belief it could help him succeed at university and achieve his study goals.
Mohammad came from Afghanistan to Australia by boat in 2010, and he secured permanent residency in April 2011. He went to Woodridge State High School and he successfully graduated last year with six OP subjects.
“A big thank you to all the staff at Woodridge State High who helped me during my time there,” Mohammad said. “I have lived in Logan for four years now and to me Logan is the best place to live because it is such a multicultural place.
“My life has changed in so many ways since I’ve come here. I’ve learnt a new language and a new culture, and made lots of friends.”
Mohammed describes his first days and weeks at university as challenging. “But now I am used to it. I love Griffith University and I am very grateful for this opportunity. The environment is great, there is easy access to computers, the classes are great, and the staff is friendly.”
The scholarship will be officially presented at Griffith’s Academic Awards Presentation Ceremony at the Queensland Conservatorium tonight(May 12).
The exclusive Logan scholarships will be awarded in association with community partners Bendigo Bank, Turner Freeman Lawyers and YFS, a not-for-profit organisation that delivers a range of services in the Logan region.
Two business students and two health students are the inaugural recipients of the YFS Scholarships — Deborah Brownsey (Bachelor of Commerce), Denis Oyoo (Bachelor of Business), Hassan Karim (Bachelor of Social Work) and Raizah Stephen (Bachelor of Social Work).
Marie-Rose Ishimwe, a native of Burundi, will be presented with the Lesley Chenoweth Scholarship. Marie-Rose is studying a double degree in human services and criminology and criminal justice.
“The scholarships demonstrate our ongoing support for students at Griffith’s Logan campus.
“Support is a key part of any student’s university journey. It allows students to pursue their dreams with confidence and energy and without undue stress about finances.”
New research findings may shed light on the potential cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
Researchers from Griffith University’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) — part of the new Menzies Health Institute Queensland – have uncovered significant factors contributing to the pathology of this illness.
The results reveal genetic changes in important receptors associated with immunological and cellular function and contribute to the development of this complex illness.
“These findings have been achieved through a team effort involving researchers, patients, funding bodies, clinicians and the support of Griffith University and the Queensland Government,” say chief investigators Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik and Professor Donald Staines.
Co-researcher and consultant immunologist Professor Pete Smith said that important signalling mechanisms are disrupted as a result of these genetic changes involving the detection and response to threats.
“These are primitive genes that are involved in many cellular signals in the brain, gut, cardiovascular and immune systems, as well as in the mediation of pain.”
These research findings coincide with International Neuroimmune Awareness week commencing Monday 11 May.
The Griffith Health Centre on the university’s Gold Coast campus is being lit up each evening from 10 -12 May to raise awareness of neurological conditions such as CFS/ME as well as other conditions such as Fibromyalgia and Gulf War Syndrome.
“The lighting up of the Griffith Health Centre signifies Griffith’s commitment to the CFS patient community and our team approach to this research,” says Pro-Vice Chancellor (Health) Professor Allan Cripps.
CFS/ME is a highly debilitatingdisorder characterised by profound fatigue, muscle and joint pain, cerebral symptoms ofimpaired memory and concentration, impaired cardiovascular function, gut disorder andsensory dysfunction such as noise intolerance and balance disturbance. Many cases cancontinue for months or years. It is believed to affect around 250,000 Australians.
The research findings are to be presented at an international conference in London later this month.
Two Victorian writers have taken out this year’s Josephine Ulrick Literature and Poetry prizes.
Among the richest literary prizes in Australia, the Josephine Ulrick awards were announced at a ceremony at the Gold Coast Arts Centre on Friday, May 8.
“The awards are now an Australian tradition,’’ said Professor Nigel Krauth, judging co-ordinator and head of Griffith University’s creative writing program.
“They recognise established writers as well as fostering the talents of early career writers.”
Mark Smith, a writer, educator and surfer from Anglesea won the literature prize for his short story Manyuk, while University of Melbourne academic Dr Amanda Johnson won the poetry prize for her suite of poems, The Book of Interdictions.
Literature
Manyuk tells the story of a young Indigenous woman in Darwin living away from her country and wanting her newborn daughter to know and understand her culture against the wishes of her white husband.
Already an accomplished writer with other short story competition awards and work published in Best Australian Stories, The Australian and Great Ocean Quarterly, among others, Mark said he was ‘still in shock’ about the win.
“This is such a prestigious prize. I am very hounoured to win it and extend my congratulations to the other shortlisted writers. I hope it will generate interest in the novel I have just completed.”
The director of an outdoor educational residential campus on Victoria’s west coast, each year Mark takes a group of students to the Nauiyu community in the Northern Territory where the students spend time with elders and learn about their culture.
Mark plans to donate half his $10,000 prize money to the Indigenous Literary Foundation.
Poetry
Amanda Johnson’s suite of short poems The Book of Interdictions reflects on asylum seeker issues.
The poems deal specifically with naval interdiction, the towing back of boats, and the surveillance of refugees by drones. They deal with various aspects of incarceration and the impact of mediated images of detention environments
“Wining the poetry prize is a great honour,’’ she said.
“Poetry is on fire in Australia at the moment, which is very exciting for communities of writers and readers and students of poetry and poetics.
“It is such a rich field. I feel enormously encouraged by this award and I want to congratulate all the other poets on the shortlist.”
A writer and artist, Amanda lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Melbourne. Her work has been exhibited in Australia and overseas and her poetry published in many anthologies. She hopes to donate a portion of her prize to Melbourne organisations supporting Asylum seekers.
The Josephine Ulrick Literature and Poetry prizes are sponsored and managed by Griffith University.
Create, connect and consume — Innovating today for tomorrow.
That is the theme of a unique conference hosted by Griffith University which will explore important issues facing higher education technology and education leaders, drawing international delegates from across the world.
The Higher Education Technology Agenda (THETA) conference will see more than 900 delegates who have travelled from Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom and the USA converge at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on May 11 – 13.
The biennial conference, held for the first time on the Gold Coast, attracts a comprehensive range of practitioners and senior decision makers across the whole spectrum of information technology, learning and teaching, library and knowledge management in tertiary education.
Griffith Vice Chancellor Ian O’Connor said the conference was not only a great opportunity to promote and share innovative ideas but it would deliver a $500,000 boost to the Gold Coast economy.
“This conference will provide an opportunity for delegates to come together and engage with some of the pressing challenges in transforming information technologies and services to continue providing a positive experience for their staff and students,” he said.
“In a global market information technologies are radically transforming the way we communicate, create, connect and consume information.
“Griffith is proud to host the 2015 THETA conference on behalf of the Council of Australian Directors of IT, Council of Australian Librarians and the Australasian Council on Open, Distance and e-Learning.”
Key speakers at THETA include USA’s Bryan Alexander of Bryan Alexander Consulting, Germany’s Martin Fenner of the Public Library of Science, Professor Phillip D. Long of the University of Texas and China’s Dr Xiaolin Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Our innovative ideas
More than 20 Griffith academics and researchers will also share their innovative projects throughout the three day conference. Some of the projects include:
Chemistry Gamification: students teaching students through gaming
Griffith students Jack Siu, Nikolai Trinajstic, David Hatch, Hareendra Irugalratne and Oscar Erazo created the online chemistry game.
Information and Communication Technology and multi-media students have created an “addictive” chemistry game aimed at teaching and refreshing students on the basics of chemistry.
Led by School of ICT lecturer Dr Heather Gray, the 90 second online game, titled Element Bonding, involves “blowing up ions, with either fire or water, collecting electrons and completing bonds”.
School of ICT lecturer Dr Heather Gray
Dr Gray said while this particular game allowed students to engage with a physical workbook on Introduction to Chemistry, the notion of “gamification” was taking over teaching and learning across the world.
“The student as a teacher approach to learning and teaching provides opportunities for academics to facilitate learning and teaching that extends the flipped classroom to an advanced social and cognitive constructivist learning approach using games as the learning and teaching platform,” she said.
“When it comes to gaming I would love to see more opportunities like this arise as it is a great way to enhance teaching and learning.”
Videoconferencing and teaching — from outback Queensland to Ireland and back again
Recent innovations in videoconferencing technology have allowed Griffith to connect students with real life experts across the world.
Griffith students speak with world leading film producer Lord David Puttnam via videoconferencing.
Just recently world leading film producer Lord David Puttnam has been guest lecturing to students of the Griffith Film School about the film industry and his own career from his home office in Ireland. Griffith is the only university in Australia that are part of the programme Lord Puttnam is delivering in real time called Cinema of Hope.
Audio Visual Team project manager Tim Gentile and video conferencing administrator David Wilson.
Griffith’s video conferencing administrator David Wilson, who will present at the conference with Audio Visual Team project manager Tim Gentile, said opportunities like this were invaluable to student.
“Ten years ago the best we would have got was a pre-recorded presentation, now it’s a live class with the opportunity for questions and interaction from students,” he said.
“We are also doing some great work with midwifery students in rural Queensland we are on work placement and complete their entire degree via videoconferencing with lecturers at Griffith.”
Social Media as a professional tool: Gimmick, Godsend or Risk?
Planning and Projects Executive Director David Gunsberg will co-host a panel debate on the value of being a “connected professional”.
He will explore whether spending time on social media has real benefits in the professional arena or if it was simply a “waste of time”.
“Participants will be able to review the relative merits of the major social platforms, learn ways to become more ‘social’ and strategies for managing a professional social media presents while at the same time understand the risks associated with it,” Mr Gunsberg said.
“It is intended to use real time twitter polling to generate and then share a data set of survey responses with session participants.”
How you can get involved
For a full list of presentations by Griffith see here.
THETA will be streaming live throughout the conference. Watch the keynote and feature speakers via live streaming here.
To engage with your colleagues in real time use the official hashtag #THETA2015
The Griffith Asia Institute has been awarded funding by The Japan Foundation to host the 2015 Australia-Japan Dialogue as part of the Institute’s successful Asian Century Futures Initiative.
The dialogue, to be held in Brisbane this December, will have the title ‘Policy Convergence and Divergence in Australia and Japan: Assessing Identity Shift within the Bi-Lateral Relationship’. The dialogue will examine the level of convergence and divergence between Australian and Japanese policy responses to contemporary international pressures.
“Australia and Japan’s similar political systems and values; strategic alignments; and foreign policy priorities, including the further development of trade and investment ties, provide a strong basis for gauging the level of external influence on domestic policy and debate in both countries.” said Associate Professor Michael Heazle of the Griffith Asia Institute.
“Comparing the Japanese experience with the Australian experience is significant because both countries face similar challenges in Asia with respect to geopolitical shifts triggered by the redefinition of the US-China relationship and economic forces resulting from multilateral initiatives, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership. How Japan redefines its own role in Asia and beyond will impact on the future of the Australia-Japan relationship, so it is critical to grasp the various dynamics that will shape that redefinition.”
This will be the fifth Griffith Asia Institute Dialogue held between the two countries.
Last year’s Dialogue, held in Tokyo, focused on the rapidly evolving security landscape in Asia. The outcomes paper from that event can be accessed online.
The Griffith Centre for Coastal Management (GCCM) has been instrumental in the Gold Coast’s Burleigh beach being named Queensland’s Cleanest Beach for 2015.
Keep Queensland Beautiful made the announcement yesterday (Thursday, May 7), acknowledging the GCCM’s role as a driver of education, expertise and broad community input into beach care.
Burleigh’s 2.5km stretch of pristine white sand was chosen above a number of other beautiful coastal stretches.
“The Gold Coast is already famous for its beautiful beaches, but we were impressed at how so many members of the Burleigh community came together to look after this precious resource,” said Keep Queensland Beautiful CEO, Mr David Curtin.
Children explore and learn about Burleigh’s rocky foreshore
Along with the GCCM, City of Gold Coast, local schools, scouting groups, surf lifesavers, the Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre and other community, environmental and sporting groups all contribute to ongoing beach care initiatives at Burleigh.
These include daily maintenance and beach sweeps, beach care litter clean-ups and audits, a butterfly corridor project, water conservation strategies, a solar-powered beach patrol tower, a heritage trail, a dune plant propagation program and outstanding school education through the Griffith Centre for Coastal Management.
GCCM Research Assistant and BeachCare Coordinator, Ms Tegan Croft, said programs were enhancing beach care awareness and activity.
Daily beach sweeping is an important part of Burleigh beach maintenance
“People are more aware of the importance of all our beaches as natural assets that must be cared for and protected,” said Ms Croft, a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science) graduate who began volunteering with BeachCare during her undergraduate study at Griffith.
Scientific expertise, environmental passion
“Burleigh is a great example of what can be achieved through the combination of scientific expertise, environmental passion and community support and participation.
“And the message remains: if you go to the beach, leave nothing in the sand but your footprint.”
Some of the youngest members of the Burleigh community were involved in achieving the cleanest beach award, including the C&K Kindergarten and Burleigh Scouts.
“If pre-school children are able to adopt the Keep Queensland Beautiful message, then surely the rest of us can do more to prevent litter, increase recycling and generally work to make Queensland number one in Australia,” said Mr Curtin.
The Member for Burleigh, The Honourable Michael Hart MP, said he was thrilled to have Queensland’s cleanest beach added to Burleigh’s long list of achievements.
“Burleigh has always been known as a great place to live, work and raise a family and now it is even greater.”
Division 12 Councillor Greg Betts said Burleigh was one of the jewels in the Gold Coast crown.
“Everyone loves the place so much and they always take care not to destroy what they came to enjoy.”
The Clean Beaches Awards program has been running since 1999. Beaches are considered against criteria including community action and partnerships, litter prevention, heritage and culture, resource recovery and waste management, water and energy conservation and environmental protection and innovation.
Burleigh will now be in the running for the national Clean Beach Awards Competition, to be announced in Sydney on July 21.
