Griffith University students will finally return to the Indo-Pacific after COVID-19 forced eagerly anticipated New Colombo Plan (NCP) Mobility Program internships and exchanges online for two years.
The 2022 NCP Mobility Program funding of $902,000 has been awarded to Griffith by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
It will support 189 students across all disciplines – from those studying dentistry and humanities to sciences and accounting – to participate in internships, exchanges, and study tours in 40 countries in the region, like Fiji, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.
Vice President (Global) Professor Sarah Todd said while the program had continued through the pandemic in an innovative online format, it was exciting to know that students would soon be able to participate in-person.
“Over the past couple of years, we have seen some great innovation in terms of virtual international internships and other virtual mobility experiences, but it is really exciting to think that Griffith students will again be able to travel as part of their degree and enhance their understanding of the world and how they can contribute to it,” Professor Todd said.
“The funding received from DFAT, through the NCP, means that we can financially support students to experience life first-hand in another part of the Indo-Pacific region.
“Funding has been received for a variety of programs, which means a wide range of opportunities is available to Griffith students, either in their specific academic area, or as part of a multidisciplinary program.”
“Students who take part in the mobility program will be encouraged to engage in activities like cooking and language classes, K-Pop karaoke and film writing,” she said.
“By immersing themselves in these experiences, it allows the students to properly experience their host country and its culture to the fullest.”
Bachelor of Asian Studies student Willow Perhouse recently completed a six-week internship with The Australian Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) Korea, the peak body representing the Australia — Korea business community.
Willow Perhouse (top left).
“It was a pleasure to work alongside the AustCham Korea team and learn more about their role in Australia-Korea bilateral ties, especially during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Australia and Korea working together diplomatically,” she said.
“I have learnt many new skills and made lots of valuable connections during my time interning with AustCham Korea.”
Dr Haefner said participation in the NCP Mobility Program helped give students a competitive edge after finishing their studies.
“It is important for students to bolster their ability to perform well in dynamic workplaces and in varying cultural settings,” Dr Haefner said.
“These experiences are an excellent way to foster Asia-literacy and strengthen ties within the region.
“Students will develop their knowledge and skills, while establishing professional networks and enhancing their employability outcomes.”
Australia’s dramatic fall in the latest World Corruption Perceptions Index reinforces the need for urgent reform that is based on research and includes bipartisan solutions for the design of a new federal integrity commission, according to Griffith University accountability expert Professor A J Brown.
On the 100-point scale, ranking countries from cleanest to most corrupt, Australia fell a further four points, placing it at 73, and in 18th place. A decade ago Australia enjoyed a score of 85 and was ranked seventh.
Professor AJ Brown delivers the Henry Parkes oration.
“The promised national integrity commission becoming bogged down in partisan political debate, due to government confusion over what scope and powers are needed to strike the right balance, has clearly fed into this outcome,” Professor Brown said.
TI Australia CEO, Serena Lillywhite cited the “unfinished business” of government commitments to establish a Commonwealth Integrity Commission over three years ago, as underscoring the “need to act decisively to tackle corruption and restore trust and confidence in government and our democratic institutions”.
Griffith University research points to new solutions for the design of the commission, with ways of improving safeguards and ensuring due process — including protection of reputations — without compromising the full royal commission-style powers needed by an effective anti-corruption agency.
“New, best practice public hearing powers can ensure such a commission is not turned into a kangaroo court, and controls on the publication of initial complaints — but not ultimate outcomes — can strike the right balance,” Professor Brown said.
Serena Lillywhite, CEO Transparency International
He said the issue was set to play out in the federal election, with the Prime Minister and Attorney-General indicating they planned to stick with a model with no public hearing powers for corruption issues involving parliamentarians and 80 per cent of the federal public sector, despite a first 20 per cent of the sector being already subject to those powers.
Professor Brown said other challenges include the inability of whistleblowers to directly access the proposed commission, despite Assistant Attorney-General Senator Amanda Stoker having outlined historic commitments to better whistleblower protection at Griffith’s recent National Whistleblowing Symposium.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Professor Brown said, adding that how Australia fares in future indexes will likely hinge on whether all parties properly heed the research supporting new solutions — before the election and after.
Griffith University has partnered with TI on corruption measurement and national integrity research for more than 20 years.
Professor Brown is also a global board member of TI, which produces the widely cited index.
A tongue-in-cheek editorial about the death of the Great Barrier Reef undermined efforts to build action on climate change and amplified conflict, a new study in Media International Australia has found.
Researchers from Griffith University and the University of Tasmania used Google Trends to trace the re-emergence of the idea of a ‘dead Reef’ back to the article ‘An obituary for the Great Barrier Reef’ by Rowan Jacobsen in a 2016 Outside magazine.
“The imagined spectacle of a dead reef, triggered by a single article in a niche magazine in America, devolved into a sideshow of climate change politics back home here in Australia.”
“The way the reef is communicated about is critical to public understanding and political action on climate change.”
Using Google Trends to measure when the idea of a ‘dead Reef’ occurred in public sentiment and Google News to dissect how the idea was conveyed, the researchers demonstrate how the reported annihilation of the reef was used by different interests for their own ends.
Associate Professor Kerrie Foxwell-Norton, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research and Griffith Climate Action research program.
“Politicians, for example, scampered to reassure Australians and the world that the reef was indeed still alive and beautiful,” said Dr Claire Konkes from the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Social Change.
“While in the public sphere, climate science deniers and those advocating for climate action collided over the impacts of global warming to Reef health.”
Dr Foxwell-Norton said Australian mainstream news reporting data showed the amplification of this message was generally used to serve political and financial interests to discredit claims for action on climate change and as part of a public platform for the repetition of Australia’s ‘climate wars’, now centred on the Great Barrier Reef.
“As general audiences struggled to separate the satire from the science, global digital communication networks spread the confusion and climate change deniers in the Australian news media used the confusion to their advantage.
“Tourism industries who are especially reliant on international arrivals, were impacted by this satirical communication as potential visitors took news of the Reef’s passing as fact.”
The global reach of communication networks makes it easy for messages created in a one context to be misinterpreted and misunderstood in another.
“While satirical representations of climate crisis can cause an emotional response that stimulates interest and action, apocalyptic messages of ecological crisis, like that of Jacobsen’s dire reef obituary, can also paralyse action,” Dr Foxwell-Norton said.
“This is particularly unhelpful in an era of climate change denialism and digital media, where audiences are aware of climate change but already perplexed about their ability to respond.”
“The greatest impact of the satirical imagining of a dead Reef was to confuse audiences, enflame divisions, harm local Reef communities/businesses and, stall Australian action on climate change, which is so urgently needed.”
Western attitudes towards aging, physical and social impediments and impacts of the coronavirus pandemic are some of the factors responsible for high suicide rates in older adults, according to new research from Griffith University.
While the global rates of suicide in older individuals was found to have declined between 1998 and 2017, the findings published in Nature Aging consider the current issues facing older populations (such as the global pandemic) and highlight unreported cases of ‘silent suicide’ and overly simplistic approaches to suicide prevention.
“While suicide in old age has declined, this was probably not due to anti-suicide programs but to improved access to health assistance and better quality of life,” Professor De Leo said.
“Nevertheless, suicide among older adults still has high rates.
“Frailty, physical illness, loss of autonomy and dependency, together with loss of a partner and friends are important risk factors for suicide in old age. Loneliness is destined to become a social epidemic and a major contributor to suicide ideation, and the pandemic has exacerbated both social isolation and loneliness.
“Also, ageism is currently a powerful barrier to the proper care of older adults. We need to fight it much more aggressively than what we are currently doing.”
Cases of ‘silent suicide’, such as those due to voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED), are generally not registered as suicide cases, according to Professor De Leo, “even if VSED is a true suicide case, given that the person’s intention is to die”.
Studies that specifically clarify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rates of death from suicide among older adults are not available yet; however, the research found it was conceivable that the pandemic had a negative impact on suicide in old age.
The 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Hong Kong was associated with an increase in the number of suicides in old age, especially in women. Compared to previous years, the increase was 30% of the expected numbers.
Professor De Leo proposes an integration of social prescriptions with pharmacotherapy for older adults at risk of suicide as promising lines of intervention, which he said would require better consideration and more research effort to understand and implement.
“The fight against stigma and the ageist way of thinking, which is pervasive in society, including among health professionals, must be pursued with great vigour,” he said.
“Additionally, successful aging requires promoting a culture of resilience and adaptation to the different stages of life as well as to the changes that come with advancing age.
“Promoting human rights of older people is an essential step in the path leading to this success.”
Griffith University has rolled out the welcome mat for thousands of international students as they begin arriving in South-east Queensland following the easing of travel restrictions.
Several thousand current and new Griffith students are expected to arrive in the next two months, joining those already here after Australian international border restrictions were removed in mid-December.
“We are incredibly pleased to finally welcome international students back to the country and our campuses in 2022,” Griffith Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans said.
“Almost 1800 Griffith students have spent the past two years studying remotely overseas, waiting patiently to return to Australia to complete their studies and placements.”
“We also expect a sizeable number of new students to join us, including those who have been unable to start studies or held off applying until travel to Australia became possible.
“Our international students are an integral part of campus culture, helping to ensure a wealth of diversity, experience and understanding that really makes Griffith a vibrant and unique community.”
Professor Evans said the University was proud of the incredible efforts of its international cohort, which kept the faith and stuck it out, in the midst of a global pandemic.
“It’s testament to their resilience and persistence in these trying times since early 2020,” Professor Evans said.
“It has been a long time coming but it is great to be planning activities and the support that will be offered as new and returning students join us across our campuses,” Griffith Vice President (Global), Professor Sarah Todd, said.
“Preparations are underway across many of our academic programs, as well as English language support services, to ensure that students who have been studying online while they were offshore can seamlessly join classes with their colleagues on campus.
“There has also been great support and a willingness to welcome international students back by our local communities in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, with employers particularly keen to benefit from the skills that international students bring with them to a range of businesses, including hospitality and the healthcare sector, where there are considerable staffing shortages.”
Griffith University and Gilmour Space Technologies are pleased to announce the winners of a mission patch design competition for ‘Joey’ — a small satellite bus demonstrator, jointly developed by Gilmour Space and Griffith, that will be launched to space in 2022.
The winners are 16-year-old Wypaan Ambrum, a Kuku Djungan woman from Trinity Bay State High School, Far North Queensland; and 17-year-old Kate Deane, a Trawlwoolway woman from Marist Regional College in Lutruwita (Tasmania). Both students are members of CSIRO’s Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy, which runs Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) programs for First Nations female students across Australia.
“We received some fantastic design submissions to represent the launch of our first 100-kilogram Australian made G-class satellites to space,” Shaun Kenyon, Program Manager for Satellites at Gilmour Space, said.
Professor Paulo De Souza
“Australia’s First Nations people have long been described as the world’s first astronomers, and it is only fitting that these designs by First Nations young women Wypaan and Kate will represent the two iterations of Joey that will be launched from Australia.”
The two winners will be invited to join a new Griffith University STEM program related to Space in 2022.
“Griffith University is pleased to offer this exciting experience to such talented and passionate students,” Professor Paulo de Souza,who heads Griffith University’s School of Information and Communication Technology, said.
“Our partnership with Gilmour Space Technologies is the first of its kind in Australia.”
“These students will come on board as part of our satellite development team, where, jointly with Gilmour, we will develop the largest satellite ever built in Australia.
“We look forward to sharing more news about this terrific initiative in 2022.”
16-year-old Wypaan Ambrum
Ms Ambrum explained her design choices.
“I wanted Indigenous art to be the focus in my patch design so non-Indigenous people can see we are still here,” she said.
“We are the longest living continuous culture in the world. I am a part of the Kuku Djungan tribe, and a part of the Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy.
“The figure at the top of the triangle is an Aboriginal symbol to represent a star. On the base of the triangle, you can see multiple circles representing different landforms which the satellite will monitor.”
Kate Deane’s design.
“I love science, mainly biology and chemistry, and I also love art,” Ms Deane said.
“I am gradually incorporating my Indigenous identity into these endeavours. My design depicts a hexagonal patch, in the shape of the spacecraft.
“It features the spacecraft travelling through the night sky, and land and waterways below. I wanted to incorporate the richness of Country, with bold earthy red hues of ochre deposits and strong blue water, sustaining life. I incorporated styles and patterns similar to those found in petroglyphs throughout Tasmania.”
17-year-old Kate Deane
Susan Burchill, Director of CSIRO Education and Outreach said it had been an amazing experience for the members of their Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy.
“It all started with a virtual STEM experience in September, including a tour of Gilmour Space, which the young women found very inspiring,” she said.
“That led to the mission patch competition, and the opportunity for the winners now to learn more about space technology from Griffith University and to visit Gilmour Space in person.”
Institute for Glycomics researchers have been awarded more than $1.1 million in National Health and Medical Research Council(NHMRC) grant funding to develop new antibiotics for the treatment of multi-drug resistant gonorrhoea infections.
Institute for Glycomics Director Professor Mark von Itzstein AO
The team will be able to delve further into the chemistry and potential application of new “zinc-binder” drugs under development to target a range of significant drug resistant bacterial infections.
Sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng). Most gonococcal infections are asymptomatic and can lead to pelvic disease, infertility and increased risk of HIV co-transmission.
The recent emergence of multi-drug resistant superbugs means ‘Ng’ is now classified as an immediate public-health threat. No vaccine is available.
“Applying our extensive experience in the fields of drug discovery and Neisseria research, we aim to develop a novel class of antibiotics to treat gonorrhoea and other bacterial infections,’’ Professor von Itzstein said.
Since the last entirely original class of antibiotics was discovered in the late 1980s, no new classes of antibacterial agents or drugs have been brought into medical use.
Professor Michael Jennings, Deputy Director of the Institute for Glycomics
Professor Michael Jennings, Deputy Director of the Institute for Glycomics and a Chief Investigator on the grant, said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that there were 106 million cases of gonorrhoea worldwide annually.
“Since this disease was first treated with penicillin in the 1940s, this bacterium has become resistant over the decades to each successive class of antibiotics that have been developed.
“New antibiotics are now needed to treat the infections with multi-drug resistant strains that have emerged and are becoming more widespread,” he said.
Professor von Itzstein said that their ‘zinc-binder’ drug candidate approach has found great use in tackling drug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumanni infection, published recently in Cell Reports and mBioas part of collaborative research with University of Melbourne and University of Queensland.
“Building on our Institute’s world-leading expertise in gonorrhoea research, this NHMRC grant will allow us to apply our zinc-binder drug discovery approach to drug resistant gonorrhoea infections and provides an exciting opportunity to develop a new solution for the treatment of a significant antibiotic-resistant infection, leading to commercialisation income for Australia,” he said.
ABOUTGONORRHEA
More than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day worldwide. Gonorrhoea represents a major proportion of these STIs, making it a global health priority. Gonorrhoea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae(Ng) which primarily infects the female cervix and the male urethra.
Mothers with gonorrhoea can pass the bacteria to their baby during birth, resulting in neaonatal blindness. Moreover, gonorrhoea can cause long-term damage to the reproductive tract, leading to infertility. The US Centre for Disease Control and WHO list ‘Ng’ as an urgent antibiotic resistance threat. Gonorrhoea infection also causes a higher risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV. There is no vaccine for gonorrhoea.
Griffith University researchers will lead 17 new Discovery Projects across a broad field of knowledge after being awarded over $6.96 million from the Australian Research Council.
Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research Professor Sheena Reilly AM said the outstanding results placed Griffith in the top ten in Australia for the number of grants awarded and success rate.
“Our researchers are at the forefront of discovery.”
“These high impact research projects will not only expand our knowledge and understanding across a broad spectrum of areas, but give solutions and better outcomes both in Australia and internationally.”
Australian Research Council Discovery Projects (DP22) led by Griffith University researchers
Dr Kirsten Besemer and Professor Susanne Karstedt (Griffith Criminology Institute, AEL) awarded $229,029 for the project Lifting the burden of imprisonment: Creating safer and stronger communities. This project aims to identify how a reduction in imprisonment rates could benefit Australian communities and enhance their safety and wellbeing. It will link a range of statistical data sources on imprisonment, crime and community wellbeing. We will, for the first time, comprehensively demonstrate the impact of imprisonment on individuals and communities in Australia and beyond. Expected outcomes of this project include expansion and innovation of coercive mobility theory, novel integration of data, and a forecasting tool to assess the impact of imprisonment reduction on communities.
Professor Julian Meyrick (Creative Arts Research Institute/Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL) awarded $165,000 for The impact of immigrant theatre artists on Australian culture 1919-1949. Using an innovative mixed-methods research design, this project aims to investigate the lives and impact of immigrant theatre artists working in Australia from 1919 to 1949, focusing on the influential Latvian “power couple” Dolia and Rosa Ribush. After 1918, increased migration flows led numbers of foreign artists to come to Australia. These have been studied individually but never as a network, so their contribution to Australian culture has been greatly undervalued. Benefits of the project include better understanding of the way Australian theatre has been creatively shaped by diverse patterns of immigration.
Dr Jacqueline Drew (Griffith Criminology Institute, AEL) awarded $296, 730 for the project Innovation in police gender equity management: Looking back, moving forward. This project aims to investigate gender equity recruitment and career support policies in all nine Australian and New Zealand policing agencies. A wide range of equity initiatives that have been implemented across police agencies will be examined, along with affirmative action measures including recent 50/50 male/female recruitment targets. (With Professor Timothy Prenzler, University of Sunshine Coast).
Professor Sue Trevaskes (Griffith Criminology Institute and Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL) awarded $228,000 for China’s Law-Based Governance Revolution under Xi Jinping. To sustain its unmitigated power, the Chinese Communist Party is transforming its legal ideology and governance focus to make politico-legal institutions more capable of supervising and moulding people’s behaviour and beliefs. This project aims to examine how this transformation is constructed by key institutions and digested into public policy and legal decision-making guidelines. It expects to generate new knowledge on how Xi Jinping-era legal ideology guides policy and decision-making in China. The expected outcomes include an enhanced conceptual and empirical understanding of politico-legal change in China. This project has significant implications for Australia given China’s increasingly assertive role in international governance. (With Associate Professor Delia Lin, The University of Melbourne and Professor Zhiyuan Guo, China University of Political Science and Law).
Professor Sara Davies (Centre for Governance and Policy and Griffith Asia Institute, Business), Dr Cosmo Howard andDr Jessica Kirk (Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Business) awarded $230,329 for the project The politics of expertise during COVID-19. Experts play a crucial role during crises. This project aims to examine how four governments (Australia, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States) have incorporated public health expertise into their decision making during COVID-19. These countries have similar economic resources, liberal democratic institutions, health system capacities and pandemic preparedness. Yet, their governments responded differently to COVID-19. (With Associate Professor Clare Wenham, The London School of Economics and Political Science; Dr Jeremy Youde, University of Minnesota and Dr Rachel Irwin, Lund University).
Dr Cosmo Howard (Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Business)andProfessor Juliet Pietsch (Griffith Asia Institute and Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Business) awarded $233,777 for Understanding the Antipodean ‘Fair Go’. There is bipartisan support for the ‘fair go’ in Australia and New Zealand, but what does the fair go actually mean? This project aims to generate new knowledge about the role of the fair go in political debate and policy making. It will examine the values that have been historically connected to the fair go. It will assess how the public and politicians currently understand the fair go and will investigate how the fair go has influenced public policies. (With Professor Jennifer Curtin, The University of Auckland).
Dr Lee Morgenbesser (Griffith Asia Institute and Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Business) awarded $166,134 for Agents of Disinformation: The Rise of Counterfeit Election Observers. This project investigates the rise of “counterfeit” election observers as agents of disinformation. Using four case studies and four qualitative methods, it identifies how autocratic regimes entice partisan individuals to imitate genuine international observers. The expected project outcome is an explanation for the origins, features and impact of counterfeit election observers that is practically applicable to our foreign affairs and national intelligence communities as well as genuine observation organisations. The knowledge gained from this project will not only help defend Australia from malign disinformation, but advance its interest in the promotion of good governance and stronger democratic institutions everywhere.
Associate Professor Thomas Haselhorst (Institute for Glycomics, Sciences)andDr Christopher Day (Institute for Glycomics, Sciences) awarded $523,000 for the project Glycan-based prebiotic approaches to increase food safety in Australia. Since the launch of the first Australian Animal Sector National Antimicrobial Resistance Plan (2018) several approaches have been suggested to reduce the use antibiotics in agriculture, however no alternatives to antibiotics have been suggested or trialled. In this proposal we aim to develop a novel glycan-based prebiotic strategy to reduce Campylobacter jejuni colonisation in chicken and poultry by disrupting important glycan-glycan interactions. Outcomes of this proposal is a cost-effective antibiotic- and vaccine-independent animal feed supplement strategy that will decrease the risk of human food-borne illness and therefore promoting food safety and public health in Australia.
Professor Melanie Zimmer-Gembeck (Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Health) andDr Jaimee Stuart (School of Applied Psychology, Health) awarded $320,639 for Parenting in an unsteady world across nations. Overinvolved and overcontrolling parenting seems to be on the rise as families are confronted with an unsteady world. This project aims to investigate how overparenting affects youth’s achievements and well-being as they transition out of secondary school, and will isolate societal and cultural determinants of overparenting. This project will generate new knowledge on family influences on youth’s progress, and will substantially contribute to an existing multinational study to identify macro social-cultural determinants of overcontrolling parenting. (With Dr Stijn Van Petegem, Free University of Brussels; A/Prof Bart Soenens, Ghent University; Prof Grégoire Zimmermann, University of Lausanne).
Professor David Lambert (Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Sciences) awarded $430,182 for The genetics of four ancient ‘Kings’ of Sahul and Sunda. This project aims to recover all the genetic information from four ancient humans. Two of these iconic specimens come from Australia and two from Malaysia. We will sequence the entire DNA (genomes) and proteins (proteome) of Mungo Man (Willandra), the Yidinji King (Cairns), the Deep Skull (Borneo) and the Bewah specimen (Malaysian Peninsula). This will provide a better understanding of the settlement of Australia and new knowledge about the ancient people of Australasia and their relationship to other human populations worldwide. The research will use cutting-edge methods of DNA and protein sequencing of ancient human material and will provide critical reference genomes / proteomes that will anchor future research. (With Associate Professor Craig Millar, The University of Auckland; Dr Edinur Atan, University of Science Malaysia; Prof Enrico Cappellini and Prof Eske Willerslev, University of Copenhagen; Mr Gudju Gudju Fourmile, ABRICULTURE).
Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen, Dr Chin Hong Ooi andAssociate Professor Helen Stratton (Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Sciences) awarded $495,000 for Microfluidics with core-shell beads: handling liquids like solids. Reducing waste of consumables in chemical reactions promises to solve environmental problems as well as enable novel applications in space. This project aims to establish a revolutionary fluid handling technology that lowers waste in the labs and in satellites. The project deciphers the fundamental physics behind our recent discovery of encapsulating a tiny liquid content in a solid shell, allowing for handling liquid samples like solid particles. Examples of the benefit of this project are more precise detection of bacteria on earth and compact reactors in space. The research outcomes are instrumental for promoting a clean environment, good health, and creating new business opportunities, particularly in space industry, for Australians. (With Professor Dr Volker Hessel, The University of Adelaide).
Professor Maxime Aubert (Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL), Professor Adam Brumm (Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Sciences), Dr Tim Maloney andDr Andrea Jalandoni (Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL) awarded $848,116 for Early art, culture and occupation along the northern route to Australia. This project aims to uncover archaeological evidence for early humans in Indonesia’s northern island chain (from Borneo to West Papua). This poorly known region harbours the world’s earliest known figurative cave art (>45,500 years old), and it is also the most likely maritime route used by modern humans during the initial peopling of Australia ~65,000 years ago. The project aims to use cave excavations and rock art dating to fill the 20,000 year gap between the earliest known archaeological evidence from these islands and the oldest human site in Australia. Expected outcomes include new insight into the ancient past of Indonesia and a greatly improved understanding of the art and cultural lifeways of the ancestors of the First Australians. (With Associate Professor Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Southern Cross University; Dr Rebecca Jones, Australian Museum; Mr Marlon Ririmasse, Indonesian National Research Center for Archaeology; Dr Pindi Setiawan, Bandung Institute of Technology).
Professor Dzung Dao and Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen (Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Sciences), Associate Professor Erik Streed (Centre for Quantum Dynamics and Institute for Glycomics, Sciences) andDr Yong Zhu (Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Sciences) awarded $585,000 for Nano optoelectronic coupling: towards an ultrasensitive sensing technology. This project aims to elucidate ultrasensitive mechanical and thermal sensing effects that are tens of thousands of times better than conventional sensing technologies. This is achieved through controlling interactions between photons and electrons at the interface of two semiconductors. Outcomes of this project include scientific breakthroughs that are expected to revolutionise and disrupt the established sensing technologies. Microscopic low power mechanical and thermal sensors with ultra-high sensitivity have great value to enhance safety, security, and productivity of industry and society. (With Dr Toan Dinh, University of Southern Queensland).
Associate Professor Susan Bengtson Nash (Centre of Planetary Health and Food Security, Sciences) awarded $724,450 for the project Uncovering Antarctica’s Secret Chemical Voyagers for Expedited Regulation. This project aims to strengthen global chemical policy by rapidly identifying chemicals that demonstrate environmental persistence and mobility, two requisite risk criteria for regulatory action. It will take the novel approach of applying powerful non-target chemical screening approaches to Antarctic environmental media, leveraging the remoteness of Antarctica to derive unambiguous evidence against the key risk criteria. Research will uncover a new catalogue of proven persistent and mobile chemicals, and further assess their ubiquity and biomagnification potential in the Antarctic system. (With Dr Xianyu Wang, The University of Queensland; Dr Pernilla Bohlin-Nizzetto and Dr Martin Schlabach, Norwegian National Institute for Air Research; Dr Derek Muir, Environment Canada).
Professor Howard Wiseman (Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Sciences) awarded $512,835 for Heisenberg-limited lasers: building the revolution. The project aims to design and build a revolutionary new type of laser based on the ground-breaking 2020 Nature Physics paper by the two Chief Investigators. The significance of this work is that it overturns 60 years of theory about the limits to laser coherence, by applying 21st century quantum theory and quantum technology to the problem. This project expects to greatly advance the theory and, by instigating a collaboration with world-leading experimentalists working with superconducting quantum devices, to demonstrate a laser with coherence beyond what was thought possible. Benefits of the project should flow from the manifold applications for highly coherent radiation, including scaling up superconducting quantum computing. (With Associate Professor Dominic Berry, Macquarie University; Professor Benjamin Huard and Dr Audrey Bienfait, ENS Lyon; Dr Mazyar Mirrahimi, National Research Institute in Digital Sciences and Technologies).
Professor Bernd Rehm, Dr Frank Sanisbury andDr Shuxiong Chen (Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Sciences) awarded $560,000 for Bioengineering self-assembly of innovative core-shell nanomaterials. This project aims to generate new knowledge in nanoscale bioengineering. It expects to develop a disruptive platform technology for design and manufacture of advanced nanomaterials to provide solutions for unmet needs in industry. It will explore an innovative bioengineering concept that merges biopolymer synthesis with virus-like particle self-assembly to produce innovative tunable core-shell nanomaterials. Expected outcomes are the development of advanced techniques for design and manufacture of innovate nanomaterials with enhanced stability and performance. This innovative platform technology for precision engineering of high-performance nanomaterials should provide significant benefits for biotechnological and agricultural industries.
Professor Sally-Ann Poulsen andProfessor Katherine Andrews (Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Sciences) awarded $415,495 for Chemical probes to dissect the cell cycle of globally important parasites. This project aims to develop new reagents, called chemical probes, to visualise key biological events in globally important pathogens. We will use innovative chemistry to modify the building blocks of DNA and provide researchers with essential tools to ‘see’ DNA synthesis in order to study growth and replication of pathogens in combination with microscopy. This project expects to support a major technical advance that will address important gaps in our understanding of many pathogens (e.g. those that cause malaria and tuberculosis), at both the cellular and molecular levels. This should provide significant benefits by enabling researchers worldwide to identify new intervention opportunities that target unique aspects of pathogen biology. (With Dr Martin Blume, Robert Koch Institute).
Australian Research Council Discovery Projects (DP22) with Griffith University researchers as team members
Associate Professor Kylie Burns (Law Futures Centre, AEL and Menzies Health Institute Queensland) is part of a team led by UNSW’s Prof Jill Hunter awarded $540,000 for the project titled, Judges’ work, place and psychological health – a national view.
Dr Margaret Gibson, (Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL) is part of a team led by UNSW’s Prof Michael Balfour awarded $300,000 for the project titled, Future stories: creating virtual worlds with young people in hospital.
Dr Natalie Osborne, (Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, AEL) is part of a team led by the University of Sydney’s A/Prof Thom van Dooren awarded $427,000 for the project titled, Narrative Ecologies of Warragamba Dam.
Associate Professor Fuwen Yang (Institute of Integrated and Intelligent Systems, Sciences) is part of a team led by QUT’s Prof Yu-Chu Tian awarded $490,000 for the project titled, Mitigating the risks of cyberattacks on cyber-physical power systems.
Griffith University experts have delivered training to Indonesian decision makers on how to turn the country’s waste into energy.
“WTE is a process to generate electricity or heat from residual wastes generated from agriculture, industry and communities,” Associate Professor Kaparaju said.
“The energy can be recovered as solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels, or as heat and can replace fossil fuels and decarbonise the energy and transport sector.
“Indonesia has a large amount of waste that can be turned into energy to power homes and small-scale industries, the cement industry and replace fossil fuels in passenger vehicles.”
The South East Asian country, known for its surfing spots and rice fields, generates an extraordinary amount of waste each day – approximately 190,000 tonnes.
Of the 25,000 tonnes of daily plastic waste, 20 per cent ends up in rivers and coastal waters.
The Indonesian government has approved the construction of 12 WTE plants, spending $1 billion on the initiative with an aim to reduce 70 percent of waste by 2025.
Participants in the Griffith-led virtual course, which included experienced engineers, policy makers, regulators and administrators in waste management and WTE projects, engaged in open discussions with industry leaders and guest presenters from Australia and Indonesia.
The training was held virtually due to COVID-19.
Working in groups, the participants developed Award Projects which involved plans to implement within their organisations.
During this process, they were encouraged to speak to Australian WTE experts and collaborate with the Indonesian Ministries and local governments in developing large-scale WTE infrastructure projects.
“Networking and interaction with Australian WTE experts and engaging in virtual site visits to some of the advanced WTE facilities across Australia through this course should give confidence to our participants when developing the policies and regulations for implementing these projects in Indonesia,” Associate Professor Kaparaju said.
Course co-lead, Associate Professor Sunil Herat, said course participants were now well equipped to meet challenges and drive solutions.
“Through this program we have managed to create much needed ‘local champions’ in this field,” Associate Professor Herat said.
Griffith University viral immunologist Professor Suresh Mahalingam has been appointed to a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group tasked with combatting viruses like dengue and Zika.
The Technical Advisory Group on the Global Integrated Arboviruses Initiative (GIAI) will provide advice to WHO on arboviruses, which are transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks and cause human disease like dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, Zika and Ross River viruses.
“It is very satisfying to realise the work I have done over the last 20 years on understanding how arboviruses cause disease and on development of vaccines and antivirals now gives me the opportunity to be involved in this important WHO program,” Professor Mahalingam said.
“I am very excited to be in a position to make a real difference to global health in the field of arboviruses.”
Professor Mahalingam said his appointment to the WHO Technical Advisory Group would allow him to guide policy, research into new vaccines and drugs to combat arbovirus infections like dengue.
“Dengue virus is the most important arbovirus in terms of human health,” he said.
“It affects many tropical and subtropical regions globally, with around 100 million cases each year.
Arboviruses are transmitted by arthropod vectors like mosquitoes.
“Dengue infections range from mild, febrile flu-like illness through to very severe disease that can result in death.
“Despite many years of research, there is still no effective vaccine or treatment for dengue.
“In this position, I will be able to advise WHO about developments in the field and the best approaches for new products, as well as helping WHO select the best projects for further support and accelerate their development.”
Professor Mahalingam is an internationally recognised expertise in arbovirus disease.
His research program at Griffith University has led to a vaccine development program and the re-purposing of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat arbovirus diseases.
“One important goal of this work will be to facilitate passage of new products through clinical trials and the regulatory approval process, before entering into the market,” he said.
“Successful experience in applying my research places me in a strong position to advise others on the best strategy for vaccine and drug development for arbovirus infections.”
