The Bohl revolution continues to gain momentum with Griffith swimmers producing a series of sterling performances at the Australian short course swimming championships in Adelaide.
Wins for Griffith Public Health student Emma McKeon in the 100m and 200m butterfly finals paved the way to nine gold medals in total for the Griffith team trained by super coach Michael Bohl OAM.
The highly-competitive short-course meet also yielded gold for Griffith’s Daniel Smith (400m freestyle), Georgia Bohl (50m breaststroke), Daiya Seto (100m individual medley, 200m individual medley, 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly) and Jordan Wilimovsky (800m freestyle).
A further three silver and two bronze medals had been secured by the Griffith team by the close of play in Adelaide.
Emma McKeon topped off an excellent few days in South Australia with two awards at Swimming Australia’s annual awards night at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
She collected the Swimmers’ Swimmer Award for 2017 as voted by her peers and
Category: Griffith University Feed
Griffith students win national financial planning comp
A team from Griffith University held off strong competition to take home first prize in the 2017 AMP University Challenge.
Monica Ann Rayos and Artur Kurnikov, the Griffith Elite Group, won $5000 after proving their skills in a technical quiz, presentation and client consultation.
In its seventh year, the Challenge is a national financial planning competition for tertiary students that aims to identify new talent and promote professionalism.
A record 700 students entered the Challenge this year and there were only a handful of points between the finalists.
“The judges were away for so long that we thought we might have to send out a search party,” said Professor Mark Brimble, illustrating just how tough the decision was.
The Griffith team were commended for their strong presentation, picking up on technology, and their personal approach to the client meeting.
“It still feels surreal, I’m still trying to take it in,” said Monica Ann Rayos.
Ms Rayos, now in
Griffith medicine grad named Queensland’s 2018 Rhodes Scholar
Improving the human condition by reducing health inequality is the goal for Dr Elizabeth Hamilton, a Griffith medicine graduate just announced as Queensland’s 2018 Rhodes Scholar.
Dr Hamilton graduated with First Class Honours and a University Medal from the Griffith School of Medicine last year and intends to pursue a Master of Science in Global Health Science and Epidemiology at Oxford University with a goal of working in a global health organisation such as WHO.
“Through my study at Oxford University I hope to become an integral part of the change needed to make a meaningful and sustainable impact on people’s lives and live out a dream of improving the human condition by reducing health inequality,” Dr Hamilton says.
“At a public and global health level, change is initiated and driven by leadership, initiative, research and collaboration.
“I’m completely overwhelmed and very excited to have this incredible opportunity, and so thankful to my family,
Calling all PhD and doctoral alumni
Research and engagement are the driving forces behind a bold campaign by Griffith University to reconnect with all its higher degree research (HDR) graduates.
PhD and doctoral alumni are being encouraged to complete an online survey that project leader, Professor Sue Berners-Price, says will provide invaluable information and guidance.
“We want to ensure that the research training provided at Griffith effectively equips graduates with the skills and resources needed for their future careers,” says Professor Berners-Price, Dean of the Griffith Graduate Research School.
“Also, in striving to make our research training the best it can be, being able to provide HDR candidates with accurate information about career pathways achieved by HDR alumni is extremely important.
“Finally, we are eager to reconnect with all our PhD and doctoral graduates because they comprise such an important and valued cohort at Griffith University. The more we can connect with, the better.”
Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Ned Pankhurst
Dami Im lends X Factor to GC2018 Gala
Queensland Conservatorium alumnus Dami Im will headline the GC2018 Charity Gala and Medal Reveal this Saturday 4 November at The Star on the Gold Coast.
The Masters of Music Studies graduate shot to stardom after winning The X Factor in 2013 and was Australia’s entrant in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.
Dami will carry the Queen’s Baton next April, but her Commonwealth Games journey will kick off this weekend as she lends her remarkable voice in support of the Gold Coast Community Fund (GCCF).
“I’m bringing my band, they’re flying in from Sydney, and I just want to have a really good time with everybody,” Dami said.
The multi-instrumentalist, who is also known for her showstopping outfits, is keeping tight-lipped on her wardrobe for Saturday night’s performance.
“I’ll keep it a secret for the people that are coming on the night but it will be something special and it will be fun.”
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation
Griffith launches $250,000 Student Investment Fund
Griffith Business School is launching Queensland’s largest Student Investment Fund.
Providing students with unparalleled hands-on experience, the fund is worth $250,000 and will be invested in socially responsible, ASX listed companies.
“Griffith has a strong commitment to the environment, social justice and good governance,” said Associate Professor Robert Bianchi.
“The Fund will make investments in companies that exhibit those three characteristics.”
The opportunity to be part of the Student Investment Fund will be offered to outstanding third year Bachelor of Commerce students, as well as postgraduate finance students.
Industry-standard experience
Fund managers will make use of Griffith’s state-of-the-art Trading Rooms, which are equipped with 24 Bloomberg terminals.
“Bloomberg is used by investment professionals worldwide, so it’s the closest thing we’ll get to on-the-job experience, in the classroom,” said Bachelor of Commerce student Enoch Pun.
Associate Professor Bianchi said providing access to real funds and live data was crucial to ensuring the Griffith Business School students
Griffith musical theatre grad in the spotlight
Griffith Bachelor of Musical Theatre graduate Jackson McGovern is stepping into the spotlight with a lead role in a new production at the Brisbane Powerhouse.
Nineteen is a black comedy about four young men living in a share house. From the outside they seem like lovable larrikins but underneath the bravado lurks something more sinister.
The play is a new work by local writer and director Shane Pike, who based the script on interviews with dozens of young people.
“It’s very exciting to be the first person to play this character, and do something completely original,” Jackson said.
“The play is very funny, and very relatable, I think all of us know people like these characters.”
Originally from Bundaberg, Jackson graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium in 2014, and spent two years touring Queensland as a lead Shakespearean actor with the Grin & Tonic Theatre Troupe.
He has also worked with Queensland Theatre and appeared in musicals, plays, short films and web
Music is the best medicine
Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre Professor Don Stewart believes that music can be the best medicine.
Professor Stewart’s latest project uses an innovative mix of music and traditional shadow puppetry to help combat parasitic infections and break the poverty cycle in rural Indonesia.
The project is one of 17 new grants funded by the Australia-Indonesia Institute, which promotes Australia’s relationship with Indonesia through art, culture and education.
Professor Stewart has worked in Indonesia for a number of years, helping build sanitation facilities in rural parts of the country as part of a project with Griffith’s School of Public Health.
“We installed cheap homemade latrines to help prevent parasitic infections, but I realised we needed some way of getting messages about good hygiene practices across to the local villagers.
“We decided we needed to approach the issue from a different angle.”
Professor Stewart worked with researchers and musicians from the Queensland Conservatorium and an Indonesian puppeteer to develop a short
Griffith experts ready for Queensland election
After months of speculation, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced Queenslanders will head to the polls on November 25.
Griffith University will look beyond the slogans, blame-games and promises to provide voters with the insights they need to be informed and active participants in the state election.
Griffith experts will draw on their vast experience to contribute to a dedicated website, with written analysis and interactive material including podcasts.
“We have deep cross-disciplinary expertise and a forty year tradition of being engaged in understanding Queensland politics and electorates,” said Professor Anne Tiernan, Dean (Engagement) with the Griffith Business School and Director of the Policy Innovation Hub.
“Expert researchers from across the University’s four academic groups and five campuses are involved as analysts in Griffith’s coverage of the 2017 campaign.
“They study political culture and work very closely with the Government in a number of key delivery areas including, among others, education, health, law and justice and
Survey: support for Indigenous recognition underestimated
A national survey has found widespread support for Indigenous constitutional recognition, including the Voice to Parliament proposal, contrary to views expressed by the Turnbull Government last week that such proposals would command limited public support.
SEE THE RESULTS: Australian Constitutional Values Survey
The results were part of the most recent Australian Constitutional Values Survey, conducted in August by an Australian Research Council-funded team led by Griffith University, the University of NSW, University of Sydney and the Australian National University.
The survey was conducted online by OmniPoll among a representative sample of 1,526 adults, from all states and territories, age ranges, gender and political affiliations.
“The results were clear and surprisingly strong,” said Dr Paul Kildea, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of New South Wales.
“Not only did general support for Indigenous constitutional recognition remain strong – specific support for the idea of a representative Indigenous advisory body (“Voice to Parliament”) was much stronger