Vaginal microbes are at the centre of a novel discovery that aims to investigate if these bacteria trap HIV or act as a courier service to deliver the virus to the host within the human body.
Professor Johnson Mak
Building from a collaborative paradigm-shifting publication in Cell Reports, Griffith University’s Professor Johnson Mak from the Institute for Glycomics, is leading the study thanks to a USD$297,000 grant from the United States of America’s National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“At the heart of the research will be the discovery that the HIV surface protein is decorated with an envelope or ‘glycan shield’ of sugar molecules,” Professor Mak said.
“Both Lactobacillus and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are vaginal microbes that could have opposing impacts on virus transmission.
“With this in mind, we’ll look at how the manipulation of the glycan shield could act as a molecular velcro to interact with the proteins and/or sugars on the surface of the vaginal microbes.
“We’ll investigate the biology of the vaginal microbes to see if they either act as the first line of defence by trapping HIV to deny it access to infect the host, or if it hitch-hikes across the sub-epithelial barrier to gain access to the host.”
With support from researchers such as Professor Kate Seib, Associate Professor Daniel Kolarich, and Dr Arun Everest-Dass at Institute for Glycomics, this study will use state-of-the-art techniques including surface plasmon resonance, recombinant protein production, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, and molecular virology, to investigate the interplay amongst bacteria, virus and human host.
This US NIH-funded research program is an example of the ongoing commitment from both the Mak lab and the Institute for Glycomics to elucidate how glycan (sugar) biology can be leveraged to improve human health.
Current NIH support will allow the Mak lab to accelerate its discovery and to explore translational potential in the next 24 months.
Institute for Glycomics Director Professor Mark von Itzstein AO
The Director of the Institute for Glycomics Professor Mark von Itzstein AO is delighted with this important grant win.
“The fact that our researchers are winning US NIH grants is a true testament to the quality and innovation of the research being undertaken here in the Institute,” Professor von Itzstein said.
“This particular study has the potential of providing a solution to a very difficult disease problem.”
Professor Mak is recruiting a post-doctoral research fellow to join the project along with a PhD student.
The initial research published in Cell Reports was completed in conjunction with researchers Dr Belinda de Villiers, Dr Chris Day, Associate Professor Thomas Haselhorst, and Professor Michael Jennings.
Professor Mark von Itzstein AO is a valued member of Griffith and also the Gold Coast, awarded Citizen of the Year in 2020.
Professor von Itzstein will step down from his role as Director of the Institute for Glycomics, one of Australia’s flagship interdisciplinary translational biomedical research institutes, at the end of 2023.
Griffith University’s Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Carolyn Evans, shared the news with the wider Griffith community earlier this week.
“Professor von Itzstein’s contribution to Griffith University cannot be understated,” VC Evans said.
“His long and remarkable tenure will mark over two decades of prodigious research and leadership contribution to Griffith University and to advancements in translational biomedical science.”
The founding Director of the Institute for Glycomics in 2000, Mark’s vision, expertise and leadership has seen the Institute achieve world first breakthroughs advancing research in the field of glycociences, chemical biology and medicinal chemistry.
Under his stewardship, the Institute has become a globally recognised centre for innovation, attracting top-tier talent, securing substantial funding, and producing ground-breaking discoveries that have transformative implications for human health.
Professor von Itzstein has established collaborative partnerships with industry leaders, fostering knowledge exchange and promoting commercialisation of research findings and mentored and inspired countless students and researchers, shaping the next generation of scientific leaders.
He has pioneered the development of antiviral and antibacterial drugs, revolutionising the treatment of influenza and other viral and bacterial diseases.
Professor von Itzstein led the team responsible for the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of the anti-influenza drug, Relenza®, which has been approved for the treatment of influenza worldwide since 1999.
More recently, under Professor von Itzstein’s role as Principal Research Leader at the Institute for Glycomics, his team of researchers has one drug candidate now in human Phase 1 clinical trials and another that is advancing in pre-clinical trials.
Throughout his tenure as Director of the Institute for Glycomics, Professor von Itzstein has published more than 340 high-impact research contributions that have advanced the understanding of glycobiology and its implications for various diseases.
He was elected as a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Health & Medical Sciences and is a joint recipient of the prestigious Australia Prize (1996).
Institute for Glycomics.
In recognition of his significant contributions to both society and medical research, Professor von Itzstein was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (General Division) in 2019 and has won numerous national and international awards during his career.
As a well-respected member of the Gold Coast community, he was recognised and named Gold Coast Citizen of the Year in 2020 and a street has been named after him within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.
Professor von Itzstein will continue to undertake research at Griffith University in the role of Distinguished Professor.
This will include leadership of the Griffith-based Australian node of the Fraunhofer International Consortium of Anti-infectives Research (iCAIR), a significant joint initiative between Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics and the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine in Hannover, Germany.
Professor von Itzstein is proud of the legacy he leaves, as he steps down as Director.
“Over two decades we have created a unique translational research institute, that has delivered a drug available to patients under the Therapeutic Goods Administration special access scheme and another drug and two vaccine candidates continuing in human clinical trials.
This outcome, in a relatively short space of time, is remarkable and demonstrates the talent that we have attracted to the Institute over this period of time,” Professor von Itzstein said.
Professor Mark von Itzstein will continue to contribute to Glycomics as a distinguished research Professor.
“The Institute began with a handful of staff and has grown to over 200 staff and students.
“The Institute’s human fabric and physical infrastructure has created a research environment that is the envy of many national and international research centres.”
Professor von Itzstein reflected on the beginnings of the Institute and its outcomes: “I came to Griffith University in 2000 with the single focus of establishing a world-leading national centre of translational research excellence on the Gold Coast. There are very few people in the world that are given such an honour and challenge to establish a unique research institute,” he said.
“With the long-standing support of the various Queensland State Governments, the City of Gold Coast and the unshakable commitment of Griffith University, I believe that we have been successful, and I now look forward to the next chapter of this internationally recognised Institute under the next leadership.”
A Griffith University-led research initiative to discover the lived experience of Queenslanders with disability was released at Australia’s Disability Strategy (ADS) Queensland forum today.
Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and Hopkins Centre Research Fellow Kelsey Chapman
Funded by the Queensland Government and delivered in partnership with Queenslanders with Disability Network, the first annual Voice of Queenslanders with Disability report aims to inform policy to remove barriers to access and produce equitable outcomes for a diverse Queensland.
Griffith researchers adopted a unique approach to gathering survey information by engaging nine citizen scientists with lived experience of disability to enable participants to share their stories authentically and transparently about challenges and successes in their lives.
“The findings reflect a meaningful step towards understanding what life is like for Queenslanders with disability, their family and carers, and the organisations that support them,” Ms Chapman said.
“The Voice of Queenslanders with Disability report provides insights gathered from a sample of 291 Queenslanders with disability, 117 family/carers, and 34 organisational representatives who engaged with the research survey.
“Participants told us we need to strengthen a sense of belonging across the state, which fosters a sense of community and connection.
Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Director Professor Elizabeth Kendall.
“Participants called for improved standard of living and social protection for Queenslanders with disability, to improve economic security, accessible housing, increased employment opportunities, and support lifelong learning.
“Participants also told us the voice of the community should be promoted and safeguarded through citizen leadership and monitoring mechanisms for the design, delivery, and implementation of any action.
“Enhancing dignity and equity was mentioned to promote an inclusive society where everyone can participate fully.”
Griffith Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability beacon Director Professor Elizabeth Kendall said it is important the report continues annually to demonstrate the achievements made throughout Queensland and the challenges that still need to be addressed.
“We are so grateful to the nearly 450 people who shared their stories, perspectives, and insights, oftentimes vulnerably, about their lives and what can be done to continue towards improvement and inclusion,” Professor Kendall said.
“I also want to acknowledge the nine citizen scientists who met with their friends, colleagues, and people in their broader networks to gather their stories and develop the case studies that reflect experiences and daily barriers that Queenslanders with disability encounter.
“This report is driven and informed by people with disability and shows a real commitment on behalf of the Queensland Government to understand the ways in which life is getting better, worse, and staying the same for Queenslanders with disability, their family and carers, and the organisations that support them.”
The report reveals an in-depth look at successes and challenges across seven areas of Queensland’s Disability Plan including:
Working and earning money
Inclusive homes and communities
Rights, fairness, and safety
Getting support
Learning and skills
Health and wellbeing
Community attitudes
Visit the Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Hub for more information about joining the alliance or participating in future citizen science and lived experience research.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
For Dr Indigo Willing, that volition saw her take up skateboarding at age 41 and just recently, co-present at the International Stoke Sessions Conference on Surfing and Skateboarding in San Diego USA for which Tony Hawke was keynote.
Dr Indigo Willing will join the advisory board of the internationally recognised non-profit ‘Skateistan’ mid-year.
“The conference was designed to look at sport and society, how to better look out for each other, care for the environment as our sport grows and highlight the often-marginalised voices that can really make a difference in those discussions,” Dr Willing said.
The panels included Skateboarding and Change-Making: Women and Non-Binary Skaters in the Olympics and National Competitions, Industry and Community as well as Grey Spaces: Skateboarding in the Anthropocene which interrogated the impact of skateboarding on the environment and opportunities to promote sustainable practise.
Drawing on research from her co-authored book ‘Skateboarding, Power and Change’ with Anthony Pappalardo, now available worldwide, Dr Willing is driving conversations around representation and empowerment to reflect an ‘ethical turn’ in skateboarding.
The book features the voices of 42 diverse industry change-makers covering critical themes of race, gender, sexuality, colonialism, consent, creative innovation and equity in subcultures such as skateboarding.
Dr Willing’s panel, co-chaired with Pappalardo, focused on amplifying opportunities for women and nonbinary people, with addresses from the world’s leading woman skateboarding agent Yullin Oliver as well as former Olympic skateboarder Amelia Brodka, The Skatepark Project Fellow L Brew and multidisciplinary Dine Navajo artist Di’orr Greenwood.
“Women and non-binary people have rarely had exposure in the sport or sponsorship deals, but hopefully the Olympics is changing this,” Dr Willing said.
“Most of the professional skateboarders who identify as women or nonbinary must work full-time but still compete and get judged at a professional standard, whilst a lot of men have been able to build careers from different sponsorships.
“We need to enable equitable opportunities for younger skaters to do what they love full-time, especially at that elite level, because the cost of an airfare to get to a competition doesn’t care what gender you are.”
Dr Willing draws on Yullin Oliver’s message that women often undervalue what they’re worth or are undervalued for what they’re worth.
Dr Willing joined the US conference panel on women and non-binary skaters.
“Even in terms of just turning up to a gig, people will say ‘you don’t skate as well as the men’, and all kinds of sexist things that need to be challenged,” she said.
“We owe it to young kids, and anybody that wants to get involved and might not fit the stereotypical skater mould, to create really safe, really positive environments for them.”
Through consultation, they learned there was often “a lack of accessible spaces, no lighting, no public toilets, intimidating elements and how skate parks are not always welcoming in their design.”
“From the findings we are able to stress that architects need to be asking: are there only huge 12 foot ramps or do we have infrastructure to accommodate beginners, people of different ages and abilities?” Dr Willing said.
“Similarly, in a conference discussion, someone said ‘you’ve got to build for speed’, and my response is you don’t always need speed, sometimes you just need creativity and imagination.
“If we have little girls in one of our workshops, they draw a flower and want to skate a flower, why don’t we design a little flower garden for them to skate and make it fun for them, whilst experienced skateboarders could skate those elements in a highly creative way too.”
Alongside international skate researchers and fellow skating academic at Grifith University Dr Benjamin Duester, Dr Willing has also been developing the ‘SSHRED’ project which considers solutions to make skating more sustainable.
“Researching environmental design, we’re looking at better ways to go about manufacturing and infrastructure in the lead up to what will hopefully be a cleaner and greener 2032 games.”
Dr Willing met with a mix of skate photographers, PhD students, academics and writers during her USA conference trip.
“We’re looking at everything from the uniforms and shoes that athletes wear to the way stadiums are constructed and the afterlife of built concrete which will inform policymakers and construction companies well ahead of the Olympics.”
Dr Willing said there is immense value in Griffith researchers adding their voices to these international conversations, especially with Australia’s reputation as a “sporty, outdoor-loving nation.”
Adding an extensive resume, including co-founder of We Skate QLD and the award-winning sexual violence prevention skate project Consent is Rad, Dr Willing will join the advisory board of the internationally recognised non-profit Skateistan mid-year, whose work on skateboarding and education won a documentary Academy Award in 2020.
Follow Dr Willing on instagram for skating videos and announcements.
Griffith University researchers will share ideas and be exposed to rare collaboration opportunities when scientists from around the world unite at the 6th International EcoSummit Congress, the first time it has been held in Australia.
EcoSummit 2023 – Building a sustainable and desirable future: Adapting to a changing land and sea-scape — will take place at the Gold Coast Convention Centre from 13-17 June 2023.
Dr Olaf Meynecke.
Dr Olaf Meynecke, from Griffith’s Whales & Climate Research Program, is a Congress co-chair and said the event would allow renowned marine and environmental scientists to present the latest scientific findings across a range of topics, foster future research collaborations and discuss conservation efforts that could inform and improve decision-making for our marine life and our environment broadly.
“Given the present circumstances of a growing global population, especially in coastal areas, it is clear that embracing sustainable living and resource management is absolutely necessary,” Dr Meynecke said.
“It is envisaged that the Summit will produce a declaration encompassing its vision and policy recommendations.
“At this international congress of experts in environmental modelling, engineering, science, and policy ways forward for developing socio-economic and environmental resilience and sustainable prosperity around the world will be presented.
“The wealth of knowledge that these experts bring from nearly 100 countries is what we need to help address these critical issues in our environment.”
The EcoSummit conference series was founded in 1996 in Copenhagen, as a forum for scientists, practitioners, and policy-makers working across disciplines to solve the integrated environmental, social, and economic problems facing the world today.
EcoSummit 2023 will have a focus on coastal and marine ecosystems including adjacent terrestrial ecosystems and all habitats that are integrated within those ecosystems, including river networks, wetlands and catchments.
Further focus will be placed on fragile systems that are more likely to suffer the consequences of climate change and anthropogenic pressure such as islands, coastal communities and arid landscapes.
Topics covered will include, but are not limited to:
Coastal Systems
Ecology and Biodiversity
Marine Ecosystems/ Aquatic Environments
Policies and Governance/Science and Policy
Socio-economics
Griffith University is a partner of EcoSummit Congress 2023, organised by Elsevier, with support by Tourism & Events Queensland, Destination Gold Coast and a range of societies and organisations.
A team of top scientists and clinicians from Griffith University is heading to Canberra today to support calls for new national clinical guidelines to improve the care of hundreds of thousands of Australians with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and potentially thousands more with Long Covid.
Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik from the National Centre For Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) at Griffith University.
The team is led by the Director of the National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) at Queensland’s Griffith University, Dr Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, a world expert in ME/CFS.
“While nations around the world are looking to Australian research as leaders on ME/CFS and Long COVID, our own clinical guidelines for treating patients are more than 20 years out of date,” Professor Marshall-Gradisnik said.
“The existing guidelines do not reflect the great advances we have made in the past decade to understand the pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of ME/CFS, and the advice they offer doctors is out of step with current science.”
The Griffith University team was the first in the world to prove the pathological link between ME/CFS and Long Covid and the first to report on the potential benefit of repurposing drugs, with known safety data, to fast-track new treatment options for ME/CFS patients.
Earlier this year, they used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to show ME/CFS and COVID-19 have the same effects on brain structure.
More than 40 parliamentarians, researchers and patient representatives around the country will attend the Parliamentary Friends of ME/CFS meeting at Parliament House on Tuesday, calling on the Federal Government to establish and fund a working group to prepare new clinical guidelines so doctors around the nation have accurate and up-to-date advice.
“The current clinical guidelines still recommend graded exercise therapy,” said ME/CFS Australia President Sarah FitzGerald.
“This treatment has been discredited because it is known to make patients worse.”
Despite being a champion horse-rider and tennis player in her youth, Ms FitzGerald has suffered from ME/CFS all her life.
Now her daughter, a 28-year-old paramedic, is also experiencing symptoms.
This is the first time the Parliamentary Friends of ME/CFS has met since the forum was established in 2019.
Since then, multiple reviews have recognised the prevalence and need to support ME/CFS, including a recommendation for funding handed down by the Parliamentary Inquiry into Long Covid in April 2023.
That recommendation was not picked up in the recent Federal Health budget.
Some advocates will be presenting to the group from their beds as they are too ill to travel to Canberra.
After decades of controversy, ME/CFS is recognised as one of a suite of post-infectious diseases that often follow a viral illness.
Symptoms can be wide-ranging, depending on which cells in the body are affected, and patients are often left severely disabled, unable to work, and even bedridden for years.
One of the distinguishing signs is post-exertional malaise, where even minor physical or mental activity makes symptoms worse, and resting doesn’t help.
Peak body ME/CFS Australia, which represents a network of patient-led, volunteer-run charities around the country, said the cost to individuals was incalculable but the cost to Australia, in lost productivity and healthcare, was estimated at an astounding $14 billion a year.
The organisation said ME/CFS is growing as a national public health emergency with an estimated 240,000 Australians suffering from the disease including many whose ME/CFS was triggered by COVID-19.
Around 25 per cent of people with ME/CFS are housebound or bedbound, often for years, and fewer than 15 per cent of patients are able to work.
Annual research funding for ME/CFS in Australia is currently $6 per person for the 240,000 ME/CFS patients in Australia.
This pales in comparison with $4,338 per person for an estimated 2,272 patients with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), or $151 for an estimated 33,300 people with Multiple Sclerosis.
New Griffith-led research outlines how nutrient offsetting can achieve its potential as a more cost-effective way of improving water quality.
Published in the Journal of Environmental Management, this research identifies the scientific challenges and biophysical-chemical knowledge gaps that prevent nutrient offsetting from being incorporated in catchment health programs and suggests strategies to bridge these gaps and increase confidence in environmental outcomes for waterway health.
Senior author Professor Michele Burford at the Australian Rivers Institute.
“Nutrient offsetting allows polluters to pay for reductions in nutrient load flowing into a river from alternative sources, preferably up-stream with a lower cost,” said senior author Professor Michele Burford at the Australian Rivers Institute.
“To date nutrient offset/trading has not been widely adopted, partially due to the inability of regulatory mechanisms to address the concept and the complexity of the necessary governance structure.
“However, there are also uncertainties in the biophysical-chemical understanding of nutrient sources and their impacts on waterways for offset programs.
“It is critical to assess the feasibility of employing nutrient offsetting to manage nutrient load in waterways and achieve catchment health.”
To this end, offset programs need to evaluate appropriatetime- and spatial-scales(local, catchment, or regional) for assessing and managing nutrient load, and quantify the differences in characteristics between point and non-point nutrient sources to ensure that offsets can realistically achieve environmental management goals.
Lead author Dr Jing Lu, a research fellow at the Australian Rivers Institute
“Accurately quantifying the diffuse source nutrient loads is challenging,” said lead author Dr Jing Lu, a research fellow at the Australian Rivers Institute.
“For nutrient offset to be successful, we need better monitoring design to quantify nutrients entering waterways, as well as robust modelling approaches to reduce uncertainties.”
“Catchment interventions also need effective ongoing monitoring programs and modelling to ensure that nutrient reductions are sustained over the period of the offset program and to reduce the uncertainty ofan intervention’s effectiveness.
“A better biophysical-chemical understanding of a catchment also allows us to prioritize areas within catchments with key nutrient sources appropriate for targeted interventions to achieve aquatic ecosystemhealth.”
Monitoring nutrient discharge patterns and developing methodologies to determine environmental equivalency ratios that clearly quantify the impacts of different nutrient sources on ecosystem response across seasons and at different river sites, can further ensure that nutrient offsetting leads to genuine ecosystem health improvements and positive environmental outcomes for our waterways.
Leaders in the field of corporate governance and medicine have led the Griffith community who have been honoured in the 2023 King’s Birthday list.
Professor AJ Brown (School of Government and International Relations, GBS) and Professor David Ellwood (School of Medicine and Dentistry) received AM and AO recognition respectively.
Professor Brown AM was honoured for his significant service to the law and to public policy particularly to whistleblower protection.
Professor AJ Brown AM with Senator Nick Xenophon
A board member of Transparency International, Professor Brown AM continues to be one of the loudest voices in affecting change to legislation regarding whistleblowing protection laws for employees who speak up and publicly disclose corruption in the workplace.
“This honour is obviously less about me than about growing recognition of the importance of whistleblowing and people who are prepared to speak up against corruption in our institutions – at home and abroad – so that’s really pleasing to see,” Professor Brown said.
“We’re seeing a sea change in support of long overdue integrity reforms, with establishment of the new national anti-corruption commission and many other measures, but disasters such as Robodebt continue to show how badly we need them.
“Unfortunately, there are still far too many whistleblowers who never receive the thanks or support they deserve, let alone a recognition like this.
“So if our research is doing anything to help change that, through direct influence on policy and also the university’s partnership with Transparency International over the years, then every bit of the effort is worth it.”
Professor David Ellwood received an AO for distinguished service to medicine as an obstetrician and gynaecologist, to research and tertiary education and to professional associations.
The Dean of Medicine and Head of School of Medicine and Dentistry at Griffith from 2017 to 2022, Professor Ellwood AO is recognised as one of Australia’s leading clinical obstetricians and served as President of the Australian Medical Council (2018-2020).
Professor David Ellwood AO
“I have been lucky to work with many talented people in obstetrics and gynaecology that have made meaningful contributions to my career and I acknowledge one and all at this proud moment,” Professor Ellwood AO said.
Professor Ellwood AO is also a tireless supporter of several charities including the Stillbirth foundation which raises money for research into its causes and prevention, a tragic outcome of pregnancy which affects six families a day in Australia.
Other Griffith community members including former staff and alumni to be recognised in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours List:
MEMBER (AM) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA
Professor Peter Martin DUniv (Alumnus – AEL Outstanding Alumnus of the year 2015, Professor of Practice – Griffith Criminology) for significant service to public administration in Queensland.
Peter Martin AM, DUniv (2021)
Dr Tony Badrick (Adjunct Professor, School of Pharmacy & Pharmacology) for significant service to diagnostic pathology and to education.
Paul Crossley (Chair – Review of the School of Biomolecular and Physical Science 2013) for significant service to education and molecular biology.
Peter Blatch (Alumnus – Diploma of Teaching) for significant service to youth through scouting and education.
George Torbay (Alumnus – Master of Music Studies) for significant service to the performing arts through music in a range of roles
OFFICER (AO) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA
Cheryl Vardon DUniv (Adjunct Professor, School of Education & Professional Studies) for distinguished service to public administration particularly education and health and for protection of young people.
Gerald Williams (Adjunct Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery) for distinguished service to critical care nursing to medical education and as a mentor.
MEMBER (OAM) OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA IN THE GENERAL DIVISION
Sandra Johnston (Volunteer – Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP) ) for service to community health.
Ian Langdon (Dean, Griffith Business School 1990-1992) for service to community and primary industry.
Associate Professor Kelly Rogers (PhD – Biology) for significant service to medical research.
Astrid Jorgensen (Alumnus – Master of Music Studies) for significant service to the community as a musical director.
Natalie Rose – (Alumnus – School of Law) for service to the law.
The late Timothy Page (Adjunct Professor, Centre for Ethics, Law and Government) for service to photojournalism.
Dr Margaret Shapiro (Honorary Professor of Social Work, School of Health Sciences and Social Work) for service to community health.
AUSTRALIAN POLICE MEDAL (APM)
Detective Superintendent Albert Joseph (Alumnus – M. International law)
Superintendent Anne Vogler (Alumnus – B. Teaching)
Superintendent David Scutchings ( Alumnus – GCert Aviation Management)
AMBULANCE SERVICE MEDAL (ASM)
Assistant Commissioner David Hartley (Alumnus – B. Criminology & Criminal Justice, MA. Public Sector Leadership)
Griffith University has joined key players in the Australian aviation and green hydrogen industries with the launch of the Hydrogen Flight Alliance (HFA) at Brisbane Airport.
Minister Mick De Brenni launches the HFA.
The aim of the Alliance is to ensure Australia plays a leading role in the aviation industry’s transition towards net-zero by 2050, and its first mission is to enable Australia’s first commercial emission-free, hydrogen-powered flight between Brisbane and Gladstone in 2026.
Griffith climate and aviation experts will play key roles in the lead up to this exciting outcome.
Stralis CEO Bob Criner and Skytrans co-owner Johnathan Thurston.
and policy capability and expertise to the alliance, and are particularly interested in progressing the action learning and applied research opportunity in collaboration with project partners and other stakeholders.”
The Brisbane-Gladstone route will be operated by Skytrans Airlines using a 15-seat Stralis B1900D-HE aircraft, designed and built in Brisbane. The only emissions from the tailpipe of this aircraft will be water vapour.
A combustion aircraft engine.
Both cities already have significant green hydrogen developments underway, making them ideal locations to launch the first hydrogen electric aircraft routes in Australia.
Stralis Aircraft will begin flight testing their hydrogen electric-powered, six-seat Beechcraft Bonanza demonstrator aircraft in early 2024. These flights will occur in Southeast Queensland, allowing the alliance to gain real world experience operating and refuelling hydrogen aircraft.
Queensland rugby league icon Johnathan Thurston is co-owner of Skytrans, who will operate the route.
Stralis Aircraft’s hydrogen-powered engine.
Brisbane is planning for the 2032 Olympic Games to be a climate positive event. The HFA is working to enable the vision of athletes being flown around Queensland during the games on locally built emission free aircraft.
Raechel Paris, Executive General Manager, Governance & Sustainability at Brisbane Airport Corporation said: “Brisbane Airport supports the ambition of the Hydrogen Flight Alliance (HFA) to decarbonise aviation with innovative technologies like hydrogen electric flight. With Queensland home to the largest number of regional flights in Australia, Brisbane is the perfect testing ground for zero emissions aircraft.”
Green hydrogen has the potential to contribute significantly to the decarbonisation of air travel. However, challenges around the fuel’s availability at scale, future cost and airport supply infrastructure need to be solved. Consortiums like the HFA bring together the diverse mix of expertise required to make progress in these areas.
Formation of this alliance will establish a clean technology innovation hub in Queensland, generating world class jobs, training programs and emission free aircraft manufacturing. Australia is an ideal location to trial hydrogen flight, due to its abundance of renewable energy and developing green hydrogen industry.
Members of the Hydrogen Flight Alliance.
Commercial hydrogen electric aircraft will be designed, tested and certified with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to the same level of safety as conventional aircraft.
Bob Criner, Co-Founder & CEO of Stralis Aircraft said: “The HFA allows us to answer the most common question we hear from airline customers, which is how they will access affordable green hydrogen at airports in future. This is not a problem we can solve on our own, it requires industry collaboration.”
The Hydrogen Flight Alliance members include:
     Stralis Aircraft
     Skytrans Airlines
     Brisbane Airport
     Gladstone Airport
     Aviation Australia
     BOC
     h2ec
     Griffith University
     Central Queensland University
Dr Candace Kruger will co-host the annual Creating Futures Summit Series.
Griffith University’s School of Education and Professional Studies is proudly hosting the 8th annual Creating Futures Summit Series, inviting participants to have conversations that matter to teaching and teacher education.
The dynamic summit this year brings together leading experts, educators, and professionals from around the world to empower educators for transformation in the field of indigenous education practices.
Co-host Dr Candace Kruger said the summit aims to create a collaborative space where participants can engage in thoughtful discussions, share ideas and develop actionable plans to reconceptualise and transform Indigenous Education In Practice.
“If we can bring first-hand experience to the table and assist our teachers to speak about the experiences they have, we might be able to encourage others to build authentic relationships with their local Indigenous communities and their students,” Dr Kruger said.
“Every teacher has had a moment where they were paralysed by fear of saying the wrong thing to their students and really what this conference is about — not being afraid of dipping your toes into the water and keeping them there until you’re comfortable with being uncomfortable and moving forward.”
Summit series originator, Professor Donna Pendergast.
“This year will be a significant one for Australia and for the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people,” Professor Pendergast said.
More than 500 participants will be engaged in a fast-moving event, with 19 six-minute provocations and four 10-minute panel discussions with leading educators and thought leaders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education.
The panel discussions will provide a platform for thought-provoking conversations on key industry challenges and opportunities, with experts from diverse backgrounds offering their perspectives on working together, forward-thinking sharing practice, realising the vision, and organisational resilience.
Delegates are encouraged to bring their smartphones or preferred devices and will be led through a journey of idea generation and voting to create a shared, futures-oriented set of outcomes using interactive summit tools.
Keynote speakers and panellists will include renowned scholars, industry leaders and practitioners who have made significant contributions to the field, sharing their expertise and insights on topics such as:
Culturally Responsive Teacher Pedagogies
Dreaming BIG and imagining the WHAT IF
Moving across the Intercultural development continuum
Empowering voices and decolonising narratives
Participants will gain valuable knowledge and practical strategies that can be implemented in their respective fields, with opportunities to network with like-minded professionals, forge new collaborations and gain inspiration from thought leaders who are at the forefront of professional learning. They will be challenged to step outside their comfort area.
The summit is open to educators, professionals, policymakers, and anyone interested in indigenous knowledge and learning related to teachers and teacher education.
Registration details and additional information can be found online.
