Griffith Law School PhD candidate Michelle Rourke has been awarded a 2017 Fulbright Scholarship to further her research on the commodification of viruses.
Captain Rourke, a scientific research officer with the Australian Defence Force, will spend 10 months with the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, Washington DC.
“Viruses pose the greatest infectious disease risk to global health due to their ability to rapidly mutate, jump host species and evade vaccines and drug treatments,’’ she said.
“It is essential that scientists have access to virus samples so they can conduct lifesaving research.
“But there’s been a shift in the way international law treats viruses. They used to be part of the sharing economy but are now regarded as tradeable commodities.”
This is causing major threats to global health because some developing countries have not been willing to share their viruses.
“In 2007 for example, Indonesia claimed sovereignty over pandemic influenza viruses
Category: Griffith University Feed
Studio 39 backing Gold Coast student startups
Student entrepreneurship is building at Griffith and Studio 39, the University’s startup hatchery on the Gold Coast campus, will be having a very busy 2017.
The Studio is part of Griffith Enterprise (GE) who have been working with students hoping to develop the next Twitter, Canva or Fitbit rather than a job or career. In 2016 startups jumped into the public mind as digital services like Netflix and Uber began to move into the lives of everyday people.
The successful multi-billion dollar listing of Australian software firm Atlassian on the NASDAQ has provided further impetus, as have television shows like Shark Tank.
In previous years, GE’s support was limited to advice and their co-working space. But in 2015 they adjusted focus and began making connections in the American startup community, organising breakfasts with investors, brought in the 3 Day Startup team from Texas to run training and facilitated hacking competitions.
Students have also been
Education students aim to inspire younger generation
Smart, confident and determined to make a difference. These are the hallmarks of three high-achieving young women who will start their education degrees at Griffith University this year.
School leavers Yasmin Atwani, who received an OP1, and Emily Williamson and Jean Stansfield OP2s could have studied anything they wanted, and chose teaching because they believe in the power of education.
“I had the option of studying medicine,’’ says Yasmin, “but then I had to be honest with myself and look at what I would really like to do in the long-term and the answer was teaching.”
“The significance of being an educator was initially sparked by my teachers and parents, who embedded in me a passion for improving the world we live in through education.”
Emily agrees. “I found that if you have passionate teachers it makes a big difference. I’m passionate about English and history and hope to teach those areas as a
Griffith research project team makes submission to whistleblower protection inquiry
Australia’s largest whistleblowing research project has given evidence to the first hearings of the Joint Parliamentary Committee inquiry into whistleblower protections in the corporate, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Whistling While They Work 2 project leader Professor A J Brown of Griffith University’s Centre for Governance & Public Policy told the Brisbane Inquiry, comparisons across the G20 countries showed Australia’s legal protections for corporate and not-for-profit whistleblowers is embarrassingly weak.
“However, Australian business and government face a vital choice on what to do about this,” he said.
“Will it be by introducing protections for employees who reveal wrongdoing in a piece-by-piece fashion in Commonwealth laws, starting with tax avoidance, then financial misdeeds, and so on?
“Or will it be a more strategic approach in which business is spared pain, with companies and employers operating under one overarching set of protections for those who blow the whistle on wrongdoing?”
Professor Brown and fellow WWTW2 research team, Associate Professor
World-leading centre for rehabilitation and disability research opens
Experts in rehabilitation have joined forces to improve the outcomes for people with long-term disabling conditions including spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and persistent pain.
Launched today by the Minster for Health and Ambulance Services Cameron Dick, The Hopkins Centre – Research for Rehabilitation and Resilience brings together almost 150 senior clinicians and researchers from Metro South Health and Griffith University, to produce impactful research in disability and rehabilitation.
“Rehabilitation is an essential part of a person’s healthcare journey and should be seen as an essential component of an integrated health system,” Mr Dick said.
“The distinguishing feature of the Queensland health system is that it never gives up—not on people, not on the conditions that afflict them, not on finding better ways to treat them.
“The Hopkins Centre will make an important contribution to that tradition, and the partnership it formalises between Metro South Health and Griffith University will promote and support
Griffith MBA awarded five stars in prestigious 2016 GMAA rankings
Griffith University continues to cement its reputation as one of Australia’s leading educational institutions with the release of the Graduate Management Association of Australia (GMAA) 5-star rankings.
The University attained one of the prized top ratings of five stars for their MBA program in 2016, which reinforces their position as an industry leader in the field of business.
The Griffith MBA is already well credentialed, ranked No. 4 in Australia by the Australian Financial Review BOSS Magazine and is among the country’s leading MBA programs in the CEO Magazine’s ranking.
Pro Vice Chancellor of Business, Professor David Grant, says the ranking results further demonstrate Griffith Business School’s commitment to producing high-quality, cutting edge content that ensures graduates are ready for the modern workplace.
“We are delighted that GMAA have once again awarded the Griffith MBA five stars,” Professor Grant says. “The award reflects both the program’s innovative content as well as the commitment of
Griffith students step into trimesters
New students starting at Griffith this week will have their own unique place in the university’s history books.
Trimesters replace semesters in 2017, with the first of three 12-week teaching periods commencing on February 27.
Griffith is the first Brisbane-based university to offer the trimester structure.
“Universities need to deliver flexible learning options more than ever before,” Professor Debra Henly, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), said.
“Our new structure will allow students in many degrees greater flexibility to balance work and study by spreading their workload across three trimesters, or to accelerate and complete a standard three-year degree in two years.
READ MORE: New trimester system working for students
In many programs, students will also be able to commence their studies in Trimester 2 starting on July 3 or Trimester 3 commencing on October 30.
The introduction of trimesters is a part of a suite of teaching innovations that Griffith University is implementing in 2017, focusing on preparing
New trimester system already working for Griffith students
Learning about life at university was already on the radar of education student Lauren Vidler before she docked at the Mt Gravatt campus for O-Week.
The 18-year-old graduate of Calamvale Community College was suitably versed in how the education program’s foundation year works to her advantage and how Griffith’s new trimester system will benefit her student experience.
With her Bachelor of Education program shaped around trimesters, Lauren will graduate in three-and-a-half years and conclude her studies with a 6-8 week internship.
“This means my chances of gaining employment as a teacher immediately after university will be stronger,” she said.
The new Bachelor of Education also incorporates a foundation year across the first two trimesters which Lauren welcomed enthusiastically.
“It’s a chance for me to see what I like. I’m thinking secondary teaching right now, possibly maths and sport, but I don’t know for sure what I want yet. This will give me a good idea
Griffith graduate nominated for Oscar
Griffith alumnus Angie Fielder has been nominated for an Oscar for the critically acclaimed Aussie box office smash, Lion.
Angie produced the film, which is up for the Best Picture Award at next week’s Academy Awards.
International acclaim
The ceremony attracts a worldwide audience of more than a billion TV viewers and gathers all of the film industry’s major ‘movers and shakers’.
“It’s really exciting and a little overwhelming,” she said.
“It is very special to be in the same room with people you feel you’ve known your whole life.
“I try not be intimidated – I have come to the realisation that they are filmmakers just like me, and they are in this industry because they are passionate about it.”
Lion has a star-studded international cast, including Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel, Rooney Mara and David Wenham.
It has topped the Australian box office charts since its release, and has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It
Gold Coast researchers make Chronic Fatigue Syndrome breakthrough
In a world first, Gold Coast researchers have made an important breakthrough in understanding the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Science Minister Leeanne Enoch said researchers from Griffith University’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) have found strong evidence that chronic fatigue syndrome was associated with a dysfunctional immune system.
“The research team, led by Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik and Professor Don Staines, have identified a dysfunctional cell receptor in the immune system which seems to be at the core of the problem,” Ms Enoch said.
“This discovery is great news for all people living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and the related Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), as it confirms what people with these conditions have long known – that it is a ‘real’ illness – not a psychological issue.
“CFS and ME are notoriously difficult to diagnose, with sufferers often going for years without getting the proper care and attention they need. Currently,