One of Griffith University’s most successful alumni whose conservation missions have taken her to some of the coldest places on earth is returning to where it all began to help change the lives of students.
After blazing trails in Mongolia, jagging prestigious scholarships, and being profiled in the upcoming edition of Griffith’s digital magazine, Emma Dale is now helping the university that helped set her on the path of conservation by raising awareness of the Griffith Futures Scholarships and how much they change lives, including her own.
Emma thought her dreams for the future were over, until she received a Griffith Futures Scholarship in 2016. These scholarships help students who are excelling at university despite personal or financial hardship.
Since graduating in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science (Ecology and Conservation Biology with Honours) and a University Medal, Dale has traded sunny Brisbane for the freezing outskirts of the Mongolian capital Ulaanbataar
Category: Griffith University Feed
Renowned art museum acquires work by QCA student
Queensland College of Art doctoral candidate Anna Carey will join the ranks of artists like Pablo Picasso, David Hockney, and Claude Monet with the acquisition of two of her works by the renowned Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
LACMA is one of the world’s premiere art institutions, boasting a collection of more than 100,000 works by the greatest artists in history.
The venerable art museum acquired two pieces from Anna’s Stardust series: ‘517 North Vine Street, Hollywood…then’ and ‘517 North Vine Street, Hollywood…now’.
Both works feature ‘Stardust’ motels from different parts of the world. Using old postcards for inspiration, Anna designed and fabricated miniature models of the motels in their prime. She then photographed the models within ‘sets’, which featured oversized photographs of real landscapes.
Using Google Maps to find images of how the motels currently looked, Anna then ‘renovated’ the models to produce realistic ‘… now’ versions of the motels.
“I’m inspired by artists
Shifting sands: A brief cultural immersion for Griffith staff
Four Griffith university staff, including Dean and Head of School Professor Donna Pendergast, had the opportunity to travel to Riyadh, for the First Forum on Educational Professional Development, which was hosted by the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia.
The Griffith Program, within the Khebrat initiative, is jointly delivered by the Griffith English Language Institute (GELi) and the School of Education and Professional Studies and involves 26 Saudi Arabian teachers. Griffith was one of four Australian university and five other countries to host teachers for a year-long professional learning program as part of the Saudi Arabian Vision 2030.
The Khebrat Program is a teacher leadership and school immersion model. Following a two-week orientation, Khebrat delegates engage with GELi for intensive language learning in preparation for their education professional learning and school immersion. In June, they commence an education intensive to develop a shared language and engagement with education theory and practice. During
Bringing music to the masses
Queensland Conservatorium graduate Astrid Jorgensen is bringing music to the masses with her wildly successful project, Pub Choir.
Astrid believes that everyone can sing… and Pub Choir is the proof. Her ethos is simple: ‘no audition, no solos, no commitments, no sheet music, no worries’.
The talented singer and choral specialist graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium with a Master of Music Studies (Vocal Performance) in 2011, after winning the Griffith Award for Academic Excellence.
“The Con was an amazing place to study,” she said.
“I loved being with other people who were equally passionate about music, and I had some fantastic teachers.
“It also gave me a chance to get some contemporary performance experience – I don’t think I could lead Pub Choir if I didn’t have that training.”
After several years leading choirs around Brisbane, she hit on an ingenious way of spreading her love of singing – hosting an informal sing-along at a pub in
Does your cat walk on the wild side?
A Griffith University student has put the call out to cat owners in the Brisbane and Gold Coast regions to get the scoop on their cat’s poop in the hope of better understanding their impact on wildlife.
Renee Piccolo is an Ecology and Conservation Biology student completing her Honours research project on the potential impact of domestic cats on native wildlife through an online survey and the analysis of their diet using scat samples.
Complete the online survey on your cat’s eating behaviour.
Renee said having more respondents to her online survey will yield greater insight into patterns of cat roaming behaviour, such as the numbers kept indoors or that are free to roam 24/7, but also what animals these cats are preying upon when they are outdoors.
“Although our aim is to learn more about the wildlife domestic cats are potentially eating while wandering away from their residence, we also hope to
Kate earns her Masters the smart way
Despite not having higher education qualifications, a 30-year career across a wide range of business endeavours reaped dividends for Kate Crouch.
And she wants other mature age students to know that it is possible to gain entry to a Griffith University postgraduate degree without undergraduate qualifications.
“I had started a Bachelor of Business degree before a ‘eureka moment’ arrived through a casual conversation with one of my lecturers.
“It was a pleasant shock when my lecturer told me my work history enabled me to apply for a postgraduate degree.” Kate said.
The mother of three became the proud holder of both a Griffith Graduate Certificate in Marketing and a Master of Marketing two years on.
Kate’s 30 year business career began when she owned a gym in the early 1980’s before working in a slew of business-related positions from catering to marketing and training at Deloitte. A significant part of her career was spent in marketing
Hayfever patients can benefit from probiotics
New research from a pilot study at Griffith has shown that probiotics can improve the quality of life of hayfever patients.
As part of a clinical first-of-its-kind development program, the researchers investigated whether a multispecies-probiotic formulation, which has been shown in previous research to reduce eczema in children, could benefit hayfever patents as well.
They gave 44 adults aged 18-65 with moderate to severe hay fever, the probiotic twice a day for a period of eight weeks. The patients were asked to report hayfever symptoms, medication use, and rated their quality of life.
“At the end of the study, 63% of the participants taking the probiotic reported a significantly improved quality of life,” says research leader Dr Nic West from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland.
“In addition, the patients experienced less severe hayfever symptoms and required less medication.”
Hayfever (seasonal allergic rhinitis), is a chronic disorder of the upper respiratory tract, caused by an overreaction
Griffith Business School represents University at Hult Prize Challenge
A team of four undergraduate students represented the University at the regional stages of the 2018 Hult Prize Challenge. The Hult Prize is an annual, year-long competition that brings together the brightest college and university students from around the globe after challenging them to solve a pressing social issue.
Former US President Bill Clinton is the official ambassador for the Challenge. Bill Clinton personally selected this year’s challenge theme: “Harnessing the Power of Energy to Transform the Lives of 10 Million People”.
The multi-disciplinary team was selected out of a record number of applicants (more than 100,000) to take their plan to tackle inefficient waste management practices and access to clean energy in Southern Africa to San Francisco in March. During this time, more than 50 teams from around the world competed for a place in an eight-week, all-expenses-paid, start-up accelerator in the United Kingdom.
“We pitched an idea to create a scalable,
New book hopes to slow down the ‘Fantasia’ of harmful algal blooms
Smelly, murky water. Damage to the Great Barrier Reef. Toxic build-up in fish that can be deadly when eaten.
Harmful algal blooms can play a part in all of these issues, but a new book that has been co-edited by a Griffith University expert reveals there are ways to reduce the occurrence of damaging blooms.
Professor Michele Burford, from Griffith’s School of Environment and Science and the Australian Rivers Institute, was part of the team of editors behind Global Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms, published by Springer and now available online.
Professor Burford said the book featured input from experts from around the world and collated their research from the past 10 years into one place on the causes, impacts and management options for harmful algal blooms, which she said was a growing problem worldwide.
“The blooms are a problem is for a range of reasons,” Professor Burford said. “They can be
International business students gain unique perspective on innovative business solutions
Industry speakers offer different points of view to students, enhancing their learning experience by providing first hand insights into real world business bringing theory to life and inspire students to see the opportunities that await them.
Mr Craig Somerville, Managing Director, Reload Media.
The Department of International Business and Asian Studies was delighted to welcome Mr Craig Somerville, Managing Director at Reload Media as a special invited guest to talk to the students of 1005IBA (Introduction to International Business) on Monday 21 May.
Reload Media is a full service digital marketing agency based in Brisbane with a reputation for delivering high-quality digital marketing services across SEO, pay-per-click (PPC) and social media. Craig has played a pivotal role in the successful growth of the company from a start-up of $10,000 into a multi-million dollar company today. Reload now has 300 clients in Australia and around the world with offices in London, Auckland, Manilla and