Many Australians spend a good deal of time contemplating life in the smallest room in the house, but few realise that the ‘porcelain throne’ is not just an item of convenience — it’s a valuable tool for preventing disease. At the 2nd International Seminar on Public Health and Education (ISPHE) in Semerang, Indonesia this week; toilet-talk was squarely on the agenda.
In a paper presented by Dr. Budi Laksono (Faculty of Public Health, State University of Semarang), Professor Donald Stewart and Dr Ross Sadler (Menzies Health Institute’s Population and Social Health Research Centre, Griffith University) the research team discussed the findings from a long-term toilet building project in Semarang.
According to one estimate, says Professor Stewart, “only 63% of the world’s population has access to a sanitation facility that ensures hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact; that leaves over 2.5 billion people without access to improved sanitation – 1.1 billion still practice open defecation.”
In rural Indonesia open defecation is common. Proper latrines are available to only about 35% of the rural population.
“Our project will test a latrine designed for local people using local materials in resource poor rural communities and emergency situations, to investigate reduced parasite (Helminth) infection and reduced environmental pollution. With colleagues in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, and in collaboration with Diponegoro University we are investigating the health benefits and impact on environmental pollution of the latrine.”
Many village people suffer unnecessarily from parasites, such as whip worm, pin worm or hookworm, yet it is possible to get rid of parasitic infections. Having a cheap, easy to build, effective latrine, particularly a model that works well in both wet and dry seasons, is a major step forward to clear worms out of the village.There are important benefits from improved sanitation and hygiene, for example, worm-free children can flourish physically and can concentrate in school and learn better. Parasites can sap energy, making people tired and unable to do their work.
Three years ago Griffith University researchers conducted public health research into the district of Mijen Gunungpati in Semerang and found that 60 wells in the region had levels of nitrate measuring well above levels recommended by the World Health Organisation. Since then a latrine building and sanitation measurement project funded by Swiss Bank philanthropy has not only reduced the nitrate levels in the drinking water but improved the overall sanitation of the area.
“Currently there are 38 villages in the district Banyumanik, district and sub-district Tembalang Ngaliyan doing toilet building programs and 32 other villages outside the three districts are doing the same” said Dr. Budi Laksono from the Faculty of Public Health, State University of Semarang.
“We provide incentives, with assistance from local authorities to promote the construction of a Katajaga (City Village Family toilet) and the response has been enthusiastic. Through this program we can show that with the construction of a Katajaga, bad toilet habits can be abandoned and the cleanliness of the river water and the garden can be maintained”
The seminar was opened by Rector Prof. Dr. Fathur Rokhman and Director Prof Dr H Ahmad Slamet from Semarang State University. The conference also featured a number of international guest speakers including Evaristo Soares (East Timor Ministry of Public Health), Ratha Phok (Cambodia), and Bashir Lakhal Kes (Department of Public Health, Lybia).
Dr Hui (Steven) Feng, Research Fellow with the Griffith Asia Institute and School of Governmentand International Relations member has been awarded the Political Studies journal Harrison Prizeat the annual Political Studies Association Annual Conference in Sheffield, England on 31 March.
The Harrison Prize 2014 was won by Dr Feng, and co-author Professor Stephen Bell (University ofQueensland) for their paper, ‘How Proximate and “Meta-institutional” Contexts Shape InstitutionalChange: Explaining the Rise of the People’s Bank of China’.
The award winning paper, published in volume 62, issue 1 of Political Studies in March 2014, wasrecognised by the judges of the annual Harrison Prize for both its advancement of institutionaltheory and its original argument. The panel of judges deemed the paper superior in the field andcommended it on its effectiveness in addressing the key question it sought to explore and forexpertly applying ‘an innovative theoretical framework that evidently has broader application’. As atheoretical exemplar, the panel also found that the paper had a strong practical outcome inadvancing the understanding of political decision-making processes as they develop in complexenvironments.
Authors’ Note on the Paper:
The paper uses historical institutionalist (HI) theory to explain institutional change. The case is therising authority of the People’s Bank of China (PBC) amidst the steep hierarchy of the Chineseparty state. HI theory, we argue, needs to expand the scope of relevant contexts that constrain andenable the behaviour of institutionally-situated agents. In this paper we argue that the proximateinstitutional context of the PBC was important, but we also cast the net more broadly and argue thatwider ideational, policy and power contexts also empowered agents within the PBC and saw theirauthority increase over time.
To read more about the award, download the latest edition of the PSA News [PDF, 20MB].
Griffith University’s Medicine program has received international recognition by being ranked for the first time, in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject.
The prestigious QS World University Rankings by Subject highlight the world’s top universities in a range of popular subject areas, covering 36 subjects as of 2015. Published annually since 2011, the rankings are based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact.
Meanwhile Psychology as a subject has been ranked in the Top 200 globally.
“This is recognition of all the hard work we have invested in creating world class Programs and state of the art facility,” says Professor Tony Perkins, Dean Academic for the Griffith Health Group.
“To be recognised internationally vindicates the strategic investment by the University over the past 10 years and is a testament to the leadership of the PVC Health, Professor Allan Cripps.
“Being ranked internationally is important as world rankings influence the choice made by international students and makes us stand out in a competitive market.”
QSevaluated 3551 universities and 14,000 programs to gather this data.
“As a current medical student, it’s great to see that thecalibre of junior doctors graduating from theMedical Schoolis being recognised in rankings such as the QS World University Rankings,” says fourth year Medicine student Tommy Brennan. “It’s humbling to be a part of a pathway that leads to excellence in the medical field.”
The latest news comes as the QS World University Rankings by Subject awarded Griffith its highest ranking ever, while the Times Higher Education boosted Griffith’s place among the best universities in the world under 50. Visit http://app.griffith.edu.au/news/2015/04/29/griffiths-world-rankings-receive-boost/
Griffith University is partnering with UNICEF and the Indonesian Government to ameliorate child protection and social work structures in Indonesia.
Led by Griffith School of Human Services and Social Work’s Professor Clare Tilbury, the project will use three pilot districts in Indonesia to identify best practice models for child protection systems.
“Each Pilot site will develop an action plan through assessment and case management in develop an integrated approach that will benefit the most vulnerable families and children” said Professor Tilbury.
This work is in response to the Indonesia Government’s agenda in establishing a whole of government approach in creating an integrated continuum of care, with greater emphasis on family and community needs.
“The aim would be to improve linkages between social protection such as income support and family counseling, and child protection services such as foster care.”
The consultancy has enabled a memorandum of understanding between Griffith University and the Ministry of Social Affairs signed by the ice Chancellor in 2013. Under the MoU, a social work education symposium was held in August 2014, which will be followed by another in May this year at the Bandung School of Social Welfare.
The newly appointed President of Sichuan Normal University (SNU) made a recent visit to Griffith University to meet with Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Ian O’Connor (20 April 2015). The delegation came as part of a strategic plan to reinvigorate the relationship between SNU and Griffith, and, to extend the collaboration to more comprehensive coverage which includes broader Griffith academic groups. With both institutes noting many opportunities for engagement, including exploring ideas for research collaboration, further plans are underway to initiate staff and student exchange.
Founded in 1946, SNU is the oldest ‘normal’ university (teacher’s college) in Chengu, Sichuan, P.R. China. With three campuses and 42,000 students, it is also the largest provincial key university in Sichuan province. Griffith has a strong history of engagement with China and a commitment to internationalisation, and also highly values partnerships such as this with universities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Griffith University is pleased to announce the appointment of Angela Goddard, Curator, Australian Art at Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) as the new Director at Griffith Artworks.
Starting from next month, the renowned curator will assume responsibility for Griffith University Art Gallery (GUAG), the flagship public gallery of the University, and also the esteemed Art Collection comprising more than 4,500 pieces from some of Australia’s greatest practitioners, worth an estimated $6 million.
According to Ms Goddard, Griffith Artworks has always had a great reputation for its Collection and exhibition program andholds an important place in this region’s arts community.
“I am thrilled to join the excellent staff at Griffith Artworks and the University more broadly, and am looking forward to bringing my skills to develop a dynamic and ambitious new phase for the institution,” she says.
“I am interested in exploring new ways to work with the Collection and contemporary artists to contribute to scholarship and broaden the scope of the institution’s exhibitions, programs and publishing.”
The appointment also serves as a reinforcement of the University’s commitment to maintaining and expanding its role within the arts community, according to Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor.
“As one of Australia’s largest and most innovative tertiary institutions we are proud to be home to prestigious, venerable state cultural institutions as the Griffith University Art Gallery,” Professor O’Connor says.
“With countless public exhibitions delivered each year alongside the inspirational research and contemporary artistic practice of our leading academics, experts and students, the University is witnessing exciting creative prospects.”
QAGOMA Acting Director, Maud Pageagrees, saying this is “a tremendous career move for Angela, who will put her many years of experience at the Gallery to great use at the head of both the Griffith University Art Gallery and the University’s Collection.”
While at QAGOMA, Angela’s curating achievements included the ‘Art, Love and Life: Ethel Carrick and E Phillips Fox’ (2011) and the acclaimed ‘Ian Fairweather: Late Works 1953—74’ (2012), as well as contributions to major exhibitions including the Contemporary Australia and APT series.
Most recently, she worked on the ‘Sam Fullbrook: Delicate Beauty’ (2014) exhibition, and has played an integral role in bringing together ‘Robert MacPherson: The Painter’s Reach’, opening at the Gallery of Modern Art mid-2015.
Ms Goddard takes the helm from Ms Naomi Evans who has acted in the position for more than two years and brought to the Gallery a range of high profile exhibitions including Ben Quilty: After Afghanistan; Michael Zavros: The Prince and Mythopoetic: Women artists from Australia and India to name a few. Formerly, the Director’s role was held by Simon Wright, now QAGOMA Assistant Director, Learning and Public Engagement.
Th nextshow at GUAG is Elemental Phenomena, an exhibition exploring naturally occurring events, constructed experiments and transitions of states of matter, including water, air, light and magnetic fields. Artists include Ella Barclay (NSW), Robin Fox (VIC), Michaela Gleave (NSW) and Jason Hendrick Hansma (The Netherlands). The exhibition runs from 8 May to18 July.
Media Contact:Lauren Marino, 0418 799 544, [email protected]
Business programs at Griffith University have gained significant recognition in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject.
Business and Management at Griffith is now a subject area rated in the top 150 in the world, following the assessment of more than 13,000 business schools around the globe.
There is further good news for Griffith Business School with the Politics and International Studies discipline affirmingits position in the top 100.
Pro Vice Chancellor (Business), Professor Michael Powell (left), said the latest QS Rankings demonstrate the high quality of education and research ongoing at Griffith Business School.
“The QS Rankings consider top universities and leading business schools all over the world and this is an important acknowledgement of the business programs on offer at Griffith,” he said.
“It demonstrates the impact and reach of our core business subjects.”
He said the QS results also highlighted thought leadership of world-leading academics in the area of politics and international studies.
Ranked globally
Overall Griffith University has recorded its highest QS World University Rankings performance ever.
It is now ranked in the top 100 in the world for five separate study areas. Along with Politics and International Studies in the top 100 are Architecture/Built Environment, Law, Education, and Art & Design for the first time.
Another 10 subject areas were ranked globally, including Medicine for the first time, indicating Griffith’s trajectory of international recognition and reputation.
Vice Chancellor and President of Griffith University, Professor Ian O’Connor, said there were thousands of universities in the world, and to remain among the top echelons of the widely referenced rankings was a strong achievement.
“Griffith is in the top 100 in the world in five subject areas and that should reinforce the confidence of students in these areas,” Professor O’Connor said.
“This underlines the University’s rapidly-rising reputation for research with real impact. The results are a credit to our academic staff and to the University as a whole.
“Nationally, the ability of some Australian universities to improve their positions says a lot for the quality that underpins Australian higher education.”
“Rankings generally have an influence on Australia’s fourth largest export industry — education — and our attractiveness to top staff, collaborators, philanthropists, industry partners and investors.”
Griffith University results for the 2015 QS Rankings by Subject:
Top 100
- Architecture/Built Environment
- Art & Design
- Education
- Law and Legal studies
- Politics and International Studies
101-150
- English Language and Literature
- Business and Management
151-200
- Environmental Sciences
- History
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Psychology
- Sociology
251-300
- Medicine (ranked for the first time)
- Biological Sciences
301-350
- Computer Science and Information Systems
The 2015 QS World University Rankings by Subject ranks universities across the world, as determined by surveys of leading academic experts and employers who recruit graduates they regard as being outstanding in their field.
A full list of 2015 QS World University Rankings by Subject can be found at: www.topuniversities.com
If you are on the internet then you have nowhere to hide.
Your personal information is being used on a daily basis — and not by who you think.
The big new players in the personalisation of digital media are businesses.
It’s a warning Griffith Head of School of Information and Communication Technology Professor Michael Blumenstein shared when he joined an elite panel of digital media experts at an event hosted by Business South Bank’s Hub4101.
The shift towards digital media collecting and using information sourced from individual devices has well and truly entered the business sector.
Known as data mining, Professor Blumenstein said companies were collecting your data and putting it to use in the marketing landscape, meaning your full life’s behavior can now be tracked through different search engines and digitally stored.
The data mining phenomenon is becoming such a contentious topic that he joined a panel comprising of ABC Managing Director Mark Scott, Cutting Edge CEO Michael Burton, City of Brisbane Chief Digital Officer Cat Matson and Public is Worldwide Australia Managing Director Rob Kent to speak about the issue. It was moderated by ABC News Qld Presenter Karina Carvalho.
Professor Blumenstein said he wanted to educate the audience on what was happening in the digital world now and in years to come.
“Every time you do anything online – use google as a search, look at a website, buy your groceries – it is collecting your data and it’s is done in a way that you don’t even know.
“Theoretically it is collecting information on everything you do, where you are and your personal preferences. Your full life’s behavior can be tracked through different search engines and digitally stored.”
Professor Blumenstein said the scary part was if all this information was triangulated.
“Imagine if we bring all this information together with artificial intelligence and you have a mass of information about people right down to the individual if you want,” he said.
“This is a new era of big data analytics that is migrating to business analytics and businesses are now making big decisions based this actual collated data.
“Gone are the days of focus groups of 10 people when businesses can now capture thousands to millions of your stored information.
Professor Blumenstein said his message was similar to that of the responsible drinking campaigns — “responsible social media”.
He advises to always remember that whatever you are doing online, it can be tracked — even what you just ‘Googled’.
Go to:
http://app.griffith.edu.au/sciencesimpact/
Art and Design at Griffith University is now ranked among the world’s best.
Following the release of the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject, the University was named in the top 100 globally in the creative field for the very first time.
According to Professor Paul Mazerolle, Pro Vice Chancellor (Arts, Education and Law), the result is testament to the diversity, capacity and creativity of the Queensland College of Art Griffith University.
“To be ranked alongside the world’s best universities in the fields of art and design, reflects the inspiring creative environment we have worked tirelessly to achieve, enriched by the expertise of leading practitioners from across Australia and the world,” Professor Mazerolle says.
“As one of the country’s oldest art institutions, such an achievement on the world stage goes some way to demonstrate our continued relevance, our commitment to forward thinking and our emphasis on nurturing the very best in emerging talent.
“It is a credit to our staff, artists and academics to be recognised globally for such fine education delivered across both traditional and emerging pathways.”
Nurturing the new digital natives
Recording the highest performance ever in the field of Art and Design has also resonated well with students, such as 29-year old Gold Coast local Tim Wilson.
“Being part of a University that places so much emphasis on the creative industries is a fantastic opportunity,” he says.
“I’ve been able to get on the front foot of additive manufacturing or 3D technology from the very first day of my degree and the prospects are now endless.”
The first year Industrial Design student made the change to focus on his creative side after a successful career as an academic and also 13 years in remedial massage for the sporting industry. And it’s a change he says came at just the right time.
“Global production processes are changing and expanding every day so exploring avenues to progress quickly within the field of design and manufacturing is such an advantage,” he explains.
“To have access to amazing facilities coupled with the unparalleled support of leading experts who put their full confidence in you has been incredibly refreshing.”
A “real confidence boost”
The self-described “problem solver” is currently in the process of producing a range of unique designs, including a wooden wine cradle, a copper light and other one-off furniture.
“It’s a real confidence boost to know you’re learning in a Top 100 university and it makes a massive statement to a potential employer,” he says.
QS evaluated 3,551 universities and 14,000 programs and ranked Griffith in the top 100 in the world for four other separate study areas: Architecture/Built Environment, Politics & International Studies, Law, and Education with another 10 subject areas ranked globally, including Medicine (also for the first time).
Griffith University is home to the Queensland College of Art — one of the country’s longest running art and design colleges, established in 1881, that now boasts the widest range of visual art programs in Australia.
This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art and next month, Griffith Artworks welcomes a new Director to the helm, Australian Curator Angela Goddard.
Colin Brown, Griffith University
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are dead. Above all else, their deaths are a human tragedy for their families. But their executions, which took place on Tuesday night, also present major problems for the Australian and Indonesian governments.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, clearly bears political and personal responsibility for the executions of the two Australians and six others. He undoubtedly believes in the position he has taken, but his handling of the matter reflects his domestic political weakness.
If Jokowi had been stronger, he might have been more willing to look at the international implications for Indonesia of his plan to execute up to 60 people this year. The vast majority of them are not Indonesian.
Jokowi might also have been prepared to review the evidence-based research on the efficacy of the death penalty as a deterrent to drug smuggling — or the lack thereof. And he certainly would not have permitted the disgraceful treatment of the Chan and Sukumaran families as they visited their condemned sons and brothers for the final time on Tuesday.
By the same token, if Prime Minister Tony Abbott was in a stronger position in the electorate, he may have been less inclined to use the Australian mass media to communicate with the Indonesian president. He might not have been so ham-fisted as to suggest that Indonesia should repay Australian generosity after the 2004 tsunami with clemency for Chan and Sukumaran.
Abbott might also have been more inclined to follow Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s more measured and nuanced — but no less firm — statements.
But ultimately, no matter what Abbott did, it was unlikely he was ever going to change Jokowi’s mind.
A more diplomatic response
The immediate issue is how Abbott will respond to the executions. When Australian Nguyen Tuong Van was executed in Singapore 10 years ago, then-prime minister John Howard explicitly ruled out imposing trade or military sanctions against Singapore.
Given how hard Abbott has pushed the issue at home, and how much public support for clemency has emerged in Australia in recent months, doing nothing is clearly not an option.
Underlying the choices Abbott will have to make is his understanding of what the objective of Australia’s response is. Is it simply to symbolise Australia’s rejection of the death penalty? Or is to punish Indonesia for what it has done?
The least costly option is withdrawal of Australia’s new ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson. This is what Brazil and the Netherlands did in January following the execution of their citizens.
Jokowi could hardly expect less from Abbott. It certainly symbolises Australia’s continued rejection of the executions.
A more punitive response
However, the pressure will be on Abbott to go further than that — to in some way punish Indonesia. The three main options open to his government are international diplomatic pressure, trade sanctions and reductions in the aid program.
The international diplomatic option could involve withdrawing from bilateral meetings with Jakarta, or not supporting Indonesian positions in various multilateral forums important to Indonesia. The problem with the latter is that in many of those forums — most obviously ASEAN — Australia is either not a member, or not a very powerful member.
To be effective internationally, Australia would have to act in concert with other states. France and the European Union have already indicated that they are contemplating diplomatic action against Indonesia. Brazil would almost certainly follow suit.
But one country that would clearly not do so is China. This is a country that uses the death penalty more frequently than Indonesia and which would welcome the chance to have Indonesia turn to it for international diplomatic support. Australia would not want such an outcome.
Trade sanctions might hurt some sections of the Indonesian economy, but they are likely to hit Australian businesspeople as much as Indonesians. In any event, two-way trade between Australia and Indonesia is so relatively small that the impact on the Indonesian economy would be slight. Trade sanctions would ultimately be of little more than symbolic significance.
Aid to Indonesia is potentially a different matter. Indonesia is the second-largest recipient of Australian development assistance after Papua New Guinea. Australia is the fourth-largest provider of assistance to Indonesia.
A substantial reduction of aid to Indonesia — more than would have happened with planned overall aid budget cuts — would have an impact in Indonesia. However, unless very carefully managed the aid cuts could fall heavily and disproportionately on the poorer, more marginalised sections of Indonesian society — not on the Indonesian government.
Taking Indonesia’s response into account
Abbott will need to consider, too, how Jokowi would respond to any of these options. Jokowi could hardly remain unmoved, perhaps engaging in tit-for-tat actions. He might possibly curtail co-operation with Australia in areas such as counter-terrorism, people smuggling — and drug smuggling — impacting directly on crucial Australian national interests.
Looking more broadly, the Australian government will also need to consider what precedent will be set by any action it takes against Indonesia should an Australian be executed elsewhere overseas: in China perhaps, or Singapore, or Texas.
Australia cannot be seen to react more forcefully in the Indonesian case than in any other. But is it prepared to contemplate, for instance, diplomatic sanctions against China?
Australian public reactions could well affect the bilateral relationship as well. Demonstrations outside Indonesian diplomatic missions are likely following vigils held prior to the executions. If this happens, expect similar responses in Jakarta outside the Australian embassy.
There are already calls for Australians not to holiday in Indonesia. Australian tourists are of major significance in Bali, where any substantial downturn in visitor numbers would harm the local economy. But the impact would be felt most by ordinary Indonesians who work in the tourism industry, though government revenues would also be affected.
Three months ago, I argued that the impact of the executions on the Australia-Indonesia relationship would not be long-term. I am no longer so sanguine. The way in which the issue has developed since then suggests we are in for a prolonged period of tension in the relationship.
Given the intensely personal nature of the way the issue has been handled, perhaps the frostiness will remain for as long as Jokowi is Indonesian president.
Negotiating a way through or around the issues raised will be a major challenge for Abbott. But negotiate he must, because the bilateral relationship with Indonesia remains important to Australia.
This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Read the original article.
