Budding young scientists will get to collaborate with renowned researchers at this year’s World Science Festival.
Provided as a chance for Queensland Secondary Schools to jumpstart their 2017 science programs, the World Science Festival Apprentice Programs, coordinated by Griffith University, may even provide the impetus and inspiration towards some award winning student projects.
Held on March 22 and 24 at Nathan campus, the two-hour workshops will see Queensland secondary school students get valuable hands-on experience and take part in unique, interactive experiences, either in the field or within a laboratory setting.
The World Science Festival Apprentice Programs are small, hands-on workshops where renowned scientists, technologists and innovators educate curious minds on the workings and wonders of their chosen fields.
In small groups, participants become the scientist’s apprentice, investigating or experimenting in the field or the lab.
Students will learn to identify and understand the toxic risks to the natural environment caused by various human activities as an
Category: Griffith University Feed
Griffith Uni stars at World Science Festival
From tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges to acknowledging the unsung women in science and getting kids to become eco-warriors, Griffith University is sharing its expertise across all areas at this year’s World Science Festival Brisbane.
Held from March 22-26, the festival brings together great minds from around the world in an annual week-long celebration and exploration of science.
Griffith is featured in several events in this year’s exciting program and will showcase its reputation for water knowledge on a global scale.
Professors Stuart Bunn and Poh-Ling Tan will start the festival with the insightful ‘Water: It’s not a Privilege‘ discussion which coincides with World Water Day on March 22.
Professor Bunn, director of the Australian Rivers Institute, says it is important to acknowledge water is a basic human right, while not destroying biodiversity in the process.
“It’s about how we do a better job, and we’ve got this double challenge of addressing sustainable development goals for water and meeting those
How does volunteering in an orphanage encourage modern slavery?
By Kate van Doore, Griffith Law School
Last week, the Attorney-General, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, announced an Inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia. This is a great step forward for Australia as we think about our responsibility for how our actions contribute to modern slavery throughout the world.
I am interested in this issue because of my research looking at how orphanage volunteering can cause child trafficking into orphanages. Senator Linda Reynolds and I have co-written a Voluntourism Information Sheet – Support families, not orphanages and will be highlighting it at the Inquiry.
This short blog will give you an idea of how volunteering in an orphanage might be regarded as a form of modern slavery.
What is modern slavery?
Modern slavery is not defined in any international convention, but usually includes the traditional definition of slavery in addition to ‘debt bondage, serfdom, forced marriage and the delivery of a child for
Duncan Free inducted into Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame
Griffith Sports College Director, Duncan Free OAM, has been inducted into the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame.
The Australian rowing legend joins a legion of sporting greats emanating from the Gold Coast who have received the prestigious award including Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew, Nathan Sharpe, Robbie McEwen and Trevor Hendy.
“It is a great honour to be recognised alongside such notable and great names in sport,” Duncan Free said.
“To be mentioned in the same conversation as someone like Grant Davies is something I value personally. His sportsmanship at the Seoul Olympics is memorable and a lesson to us all.”
Grant Davies displayed grace and integrity in 1988 after he discovered the gold medal he thought he had won was not to be and he would have to settle for silver.
He was inducted into the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame in 1999, the same year the Hall of Fame accolade was opened to
New pool making a splash on Gold Coast campus
Staff and students returning to the Gold Coast campus for the 2017 academic year will note an exciting and welcome addition to life at Griffith.
An Olympic-size swimming pool is the centrepiece of the new Gold Coast Aquatic Centre which is now open and put to use by everyone from serious swimmers to those just looking looking to cool down during a scorching summer.
The new facility, located next to the Student Centre (G33), also provides an ideal setting for social events.
An additional gym space overlooking the pool will also complement the Gold Coast Uni Fitness Health Centre already based on the campus.
“The new Aquatic Centre is a magnificent addition and I would encourage staff and students to come along and make the most of this top quality amenity,” Professor Ned Pankhurst, Head of Gold Coast campus, said.
“Griffith has developed a world-class university campus on the Gold Coast over the past decade, a place
Abortion law reform stymied again in Queensland
By Zoe Rathus AM, Griffith Law School
On Tuesday, Rob Pyne MP, independent member for Cairns, announced the withdrawal of his two abortion reform Bills aimed at de-criminalising and regulating abortion in Queensland.[1] The decision was made in the face of inevitable failure when the LNP advised that its members would vote in a block to oppose the Bills.
As Pyne explained at a Rally the following evening – it would be damaging to see the Bills defeated in the Legislative Assembly. Instead the question has been referred to the Queensland Law Reform Commission (QLRC) by the Attorney-General, Yvette D’Ath MP. Reports about each Bill have already been produced by the Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Committee of the Queensland Parliament, but the QLRC will provides a different process to that of a Private Member’s Bill.
Queenslanders have campaigned for decades for change
It was understandable that some who were present
Competition creates employment opportunities
Griffith University students were granted a unique opportunity to gain work-based experience in Company Law, thanks to a competition run by SV Partners.
The national insolvency practice has a history of hiring Griffith graduates and was keen to seek out the best and the brightest of the new cohort. Matthew Hudson, Manager at SV Partners, devised a contest that would see students stretch their problem solving skills for a shot at a paid work experience position.
The competition took the form of a legal hypothetical question devised by Matthew, for students in the Company Law course to complete as their weekly workshop exercise. The answers were judged by course convenor Craig Cameron, who then sent the top five responses on to Matthew to select a winner who would get paid work experience at the practice. And the standard was so high, they couldn’t choose just one.
The winner of the SV
Political donation reform needed to regain public trust
With Queensland’s new political donation disclosure system now online, a new international survey shows strong Australian support for banning businesses from making political donations.
The release of Transparency International’s 2017 Global Corruption Barometer results marks the commencement of Queensland’s new online disclosure system for donations to candidates, until now only revealed after elections are over.
Professor A J Brown from Griffith University’s Centre for Governance & Public Policy, said the telling results highlight how crucial it is for such reforms to be rolled out nationally, and extended, if citizen trust in government is to be maintained or restored.
Professor A J Brown says political donation reform is needed to restore public trust
“In many countries, citizens are concerned by the level of petty bribery they face when trying to access government services, but Australians are clearly most concerned about the risks of ‘grand’ corruption and secret deals behind closed doors,” Professor Brown said.
Public distrust
The
Law is the art of goodness and fairness
By Dr Edward Mussawir, Griffith Law School
The opening words of Justinian’s Digest, the great surviving compilation of Roman law, contains a thought on the relation between the concepts of law and justice. ‘For he who intends to devote himself to law (ius),’ the jurist Ulpian states from his guidebook for students, ‘first it is necessary to know from where the very name of law (ius) derives. It is called such from justice (iustitia). For … the law is the art of goodness and fairness.’ (Digest 1, 1, 1).
On its own the passage isn’t very remarkable. In the place where Justinian enshrines it, it would be easy to take it either as a relatively empty introduction, aimed at lifting esteem in the law and the study of law in particular.
Or it could be seen as resembling something of a more critical reminder, one which is similar to the way our better teachers, remind
Compassion the key for teaching student
Compassion is the driving force behind Griffith University first-year education student Anja van Aswegen’s desire to teach.
The former Coomera Anglican College school captain, who graduated in 2016 with an OP3, says she tossed up a few different career options and decided on teaching because she wants to instil compassion in others.
Quoting British philosopher Betrand Russell, she says knowledge without love is not enough, you need to have a life inspired by love but guided by knowledge.
Impressed by Griffith’s new education degree with its foundation first year enabling students to decide at the end of that year whether they will go into primary or secondary, Anja who is based the Gold Coast campus, says she is definitely leaning towards primary teaching.
“I’m interested in teaching early childhood as it’s easier to influence young minds and teach them about the importance of compassion,’’ she said.
The Griffith Honours College student also won a Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship to help with