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Languages student Claudia Espinoza on exchange in Italy.
By journalism intern Monique Gilmore
Griffith University Italian student Claudia Espinoza recently returned from Italy where she worked at a primary school (the Convitto Nazionale Paolo Diacono) as part of the Griffith Global Mobility program.
While in Italy, Claudia took on the role of English language assistant, an experience she describes as unforgettable.
“Having a passion for Italy and Italian pushed me to enrol at Griffith and although learning the language at university for the past two years has been an absolute delight, nothing compares to the experience of traveling and being immersed in a different cultural practice,” Claudia said.
“I had the chance to work closely with each and every one of my students. I listened to their impressions on different topics, laughed with them, cried with them and most importantly, learned from their vivacity and innocence.”
When asked about how the Griffith mobility program benefited her, Claudia had

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Griffith photography students recently travelled to Nepal for a three-week study tour, revealing some of the untold stories of the tiny Himalayan nation.
The tour featured a five-day festival of masterclasses and workshops, followed by an intensive 12-day storytelling project which gave students the opportunity to work in the local community with a team of international mentors.
The trip concluded with a series of open-air exhibitions in the local communities the students had visited. The theme, ‘Utopia/Dystopia’, allowed the photography students to showcase the negative and positive aspects of Nepalese life.
Heading out of the classroom
Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Photography Earle Bridger said the study tour provided a unique learning experience for students from the Queensland College of Art and Griffith Film School.
“It was our first trip to Nepal and it won’t be our last,” he said.
“The kind of stuff our students took away from this trip can’t be taught in a classroom.
“They

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Developing the unique skills of people with autism and improving pathways to further education and employment will be explored in an autism seminar at Griffith University’s Mt Gravatt campus on Friday, April 21.
Emeritus Professor Patricia Howlin from the King’s College London, said most follow-up studies of adults with autism found that outcomes are poor with the majority of people unemployed and socially isolated.
She said studies of adults in Europe and the US indicate that employment rates, at best, are around 30 per cent and even among those who do find work jobs are mainly low level and poorly paid.
“But we now realise that many individuals with autism are of average or above-average intelligence and that a substantial minority also possess special skills or patterns of abilities that exceed those of the general population,’’ she said.
“How to make best use of such skills to enhance educational progress and facilitate entry into the

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Griffith Film School student Siobhan Domingo will get the opportunity to hone her craft alongside the country’s top camera crews after winning the ABC John Bean ACS Memorial Scholarship.
The Brisbane-based filmmaker has just embarked on a Masters of Screen Production, which will be partially funded by the scholarship.
The $25,000 scholarship also includes an intensive 6-week internship with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The John Bean Memorial Scholarship for Cinematography was established in memory of Griffith University alumnus and ABC cameraman John Bean, who died in a helicopter accident in 2011.
It is designed to support the ongoing study of a talented postgraduate student in the field of cinematography and encourage excellence in this specialist field.
Siobhan, who graduated from the Bachelor of Film and Screen Production last year, said she was overwhelmed to have won the scholarship.
“I was very surprised and I’m still trying to process it,” she said.
“I know a scholarship like this

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Queensland College of Art student Tim Marshall has been crowned Queensland’s top student photographer at the AIPP QLD Epson Professional Photography Awards.
The Bachelor of Photography student, 36, received raves from the judging panel for his submission, which included a powerful stand-out shot taken on a QCA study trip to Nepal.

“I didn’t expect to win,” he said.
“AIPP received more than 700 entries, so there was some tough competition.
“The award was fantastic validation that I’m on the right track and it’s a fantastic foot in the industry door.”
It has been a long and winding road for Tim, who didn’t finish high school and became a father at 20.
He has tried his hand at everything from horticulture to security work and wrestling.
Now a dad of three, he is finishing his Bachelor of Photography at the QCA.
“I finally feel like I have found where I fit,” he said.
“I didn’t get the chance to pursue an artistic

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Ethical business has always been important to Greg Ellis, co-founder of money lending company Nimble and a successful entrepreneur.
The idea for the industry-disrupting company was born when Greg and his friend, Sean Teahan noticed a sizeable gap in the finance market.
“We were talking about how there are no options if you just want to borrow a small amount of money,” the Griffith Business School alumnus explained.
“You’re either annoying your mother, going somewhere suboptimal, to put it lightly, like a pawnbroker. Or you’re racking up a $10,000 credit card with a series of small borrowings, which you generally don’t repay, or pay interest only.”
He says the company’s initial goal was to lend to working people without getting them into a cycle of debt. “It was for people who wanted an ethical, comfortable alternative for a small amount of money and then it was about paying it back shortly thereafter

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While the Turnbull government’s recent announcement that they are axing the 457 Visa program has federal officials calling it a victory for Australian workers, Associate Professor Mohan Thite of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing believes the decision is short-sighted.
“Cracking a whip to make sure businesses only hire locals is more of a political statement than a pragmatic one because it assumes employers want to hire overseas workers rather than locals, which is simply not true,” said Thite.
“If I’m an employer I would much rather have a local person if they meet all my requirements because it’s so much less of a headache for me. If I’m hiring an engineer, a doctor or an IT manager from India or China, all their personal problems become my personal problems. Are they going to get their visa? Do they understand the language? Do they have family issues settling down in Australia?”
According

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“Scientific research and a scientific understanding of our natural world are the key to Australia’s future prosperity, employment and environment.”
That is the message from Griffith University Professor Emeritus and Australian of the Year Alan Mackay-Sim ahead of this weekend’s global March for Science event, an international movement celebrating the value and importance of science in our society.
The biomedical scientist from the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD)  says, “As scientists in this age of “too much information” we must publicly discuss the importance of science in political decision making and convince politicians of all parties to keep investing in science is as important for our future as spending on health and defense.”
The Griffith Sciences Group is the research engine of the Griffith University, hosting more than 20 research centres, institutes and facilities helping to direct the course of research and discovery.
Researchers work in a variety of disciplines from sustainable water supplies to human

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