In early June, the School of Education and Professional Studies delivered an intensive course to 13 students and 1 academic visiting from the Education University of Hong Kong.
This program saw the students participate in lectures by Dr Ben Williams and Dr Kay Hartwig. They also were involved in skill development sessions run by Mark Davidson and Indigenous Games sessions with Dr Harry Van Issum and Troy Merston.
These firsthand experiences also saw the students attending a variety of events on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane. In Brisbane, they attended a Rugby League match with the Broncos and visited Southbank Parklands, the Arts and Cultural Precinct of Brisbane City.
On the Gold Coast, they participated in a workshop at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast. They also attended beach safety sessions and trained in CPR as part of the course through Surf Lifesaving Australia.
There was also time for a visit to the
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Financial planning: your career dream?
Financial planning is a career on the rise.
An ever increasing demand for qualified planners, coupled with a move to higher educational and professional standards, means its an exciting time for those just starting out – and those who’ve been in the business for years.
August 21-27 is Financial Planning Week. This year’s theme ‘Live the Dream’ highlights the way financial planners can help all Australians to live a life without regrets.
We spoke to three financial planners to get their views on this – and why financial planning might just be a career dream too.
Neil Kendall, Managing Director, Tupicoffs
Neil Kendall is passionate about financial planning because it’s a distinct opportunity to make people’s lives better.
“You get to work with people over a long period of time and see the results you achieve as you go,” he explained.
Mr Kendall, also the chair of the Financial Planing Association Board, has seen the industry evolve
Griffith named top creative arts school in Australia
Griffith University is the best creative arts school in the country, according to the latest Uni Reviews rankings.
Uni Reviews ranked creative arts programs at Australian universities by student numbers, student and graduate satisfaction and employability.
Griffith was ranked number one, with Queensland University of Technology and RMIT rounding out the top three creative arts schools in Australia.
Pro Vice Chancellor (Arts, Education & Law) Professor Paul Mazerolle said it was a remarkable achievement.
“We are especially pleased with the recognition and endorsement of our strengths in the creative and performing arts, as we have invested strongly in this area,” he said.
“Our strength in this area positions Griffith as one of the country’s leading destinations for the next generation of artists, designers and musicians.”
Queensland College of Art Director Professor Derrick Cherrie said the results reflected the breadth and depth of creative arts programs on offer at Griffith.
“We are delighted to be recognised as the
National nod for food waste reduction program
A Social Marketing @ Griffith program designed to reduce household food waste is a finalist in the Australian Marketing Institute’s 2017 Awards for Marketing Excellence.
Waste Not Want Not was designed in collaboration with Redland City Council, who approached Griffith University to conduct a pilot to help reduce food waste in their area – a costly problem both for the budget and the environment.
The average Australian household disposes of over $600 worth of food a year, while Redland City Council estimated 23 per cent of waste in a local household’s bin was food waste.
Consumer insights gained as part of a comprehensive social marketing process showed residents needed a better understanding of what they could make from contents left in their fridge.
Professor Sharyn Rundle-Thiele, Director of Social Marketing @ Griffith, said they wanted to find a creative way to deliver this information and prevent food waste.
“The Waste Not Want Not pilot partnered
Alumni entrepreneurs nominated for 2017 Cosmopolitan awards
Congratulations to Griffith University alumni in the running for the prestigious Cosmopolitan 2017 Women of the Year Awards.
Griffith Business School graduates Sarah Schoeller and Marissa Bowden are founders of the now iconic The Village Markets at Burleigh Heads and are nominated in the category of Entrepreneur of the Year.
Sarah told the Gold Coast Bulletin newspaper about the origins of the markets nine years ago.
“Marissa and I worked together for a finance company in marketing and we used to talk about how the Gold Coast didn’t have a great fashion market,” she said.
“When we were made redundant (during the Global Financial Crisis) we had some time on our hands. We’d been to some great markets in London and Sydney, so we decided to put our own flair on it and focused on local designers, live music and street food.”
The markets have been a huge success in themselves, and designers among the earliest
Good nursing managers help nurses to cope with the challenges of shiftwork
An investigation into the experiences of nurses exposed to shift work is shining new light on coping strategies health care workers go through, and is emphasising the importance of strong front-line management.
Griffith University’s Jane Gifkins, under the supervision of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing’s Rebecca Loudoun, published the research as a result of her master’s research.
“In Australia, with our ageing population and the increase in chronic disease, the healthcare needs of our society are increasing, and nurses need to do shift work to provide 24-hour care to their patients,” Gifkins said.
“There’s a lot of negative impacts working in shifts, for example, It’s well researched, but it’s not generally known in society that for instance, shift work is associated with breast cancer.”
“Obviously the most common complaint for shift workers is sleeplessness, fatigue and tiredness, but in spite of there seems to be a lot of shift workers who are able
Griffith to introduce drone-focused engineering major in 2018
Imagine applying the rapid advancement of drone technology to guide the future of aviation.
That’s the opportunity for graduates of Griffith University’s new cutting-edge Electronic and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Engineering (UAV) major, according to Associate Professor Steven O’Keefe.
The head of electronic engineering at Griffith’s Nathan campus says the major is offered at arguably the most fertile period in the development of UAV technology.
Available through the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at Griffith’s Nathan campus, the UAV major offers students the chance to graduate as qualified electronics engineers and certified drone pilots, ready to design and fly the unmanned aircraft of tomorrow.
“Graduates will be equipped to develop advanced new aircraft and systems, as well as the applications they’re put to,” says Steven.
“And UAV design and application will continue to evolve with greater navigational capabilities, greater autonomous ability and artificial intelligence, longer endurance and greater payloads.”
Steven says UAVs—more commonly known as drones—have been quickly
Judy’s mission inspires a career in education
Epiphanies occur at any time. Such is the nature of the concept.
For Griffith University alumnus Judy Staggs, a Brisbane-based former intensive care nurse and now community educator, the moment that changed her life came during the most mundane of activities: housework.
And while some may question Judy’s belief in what transpired and why, the true measure of an epiphany lies in where it leads and what it continues to achieve.
In Judy’s case, this includes completing a Bachelor of Arts (Modern Asian Studies) and a Master of English as a Second Language at Griffith University, followed by teaching English in China and now doing the same for Syrian and Afghan refugees trying to start new lives in Australia.
But first things first, namely a day in 1978 when nurse and mother of four Judy was doing the housework and listening to the radio news.
“I was washing up and there was a news item
Body art as branded labour
Would you employ someone with a visible tattoo?
If you’re wanting to target a younger, trendier demographic – it might be worth considering.
Associate Professor Andrew Timming, of the University of Western Australia, recently visited Griffith University’s Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing.
His research centres around physical appearance and its relationship to success – or otherwise – in the workplace.
Associate Professor Andrew Timming of the University of WA.
Assoc Prof Timming’s most recent work looked at visible body art, traditionally considered an impediment to employability.
“People with tattoos are often at the receiving end of unfounded prejudices,” he said.
“I wanted to research the positive effects of body art in the labour market because no one should be stereotyped.”
He acknowledged that times are changing but said tattoos are often still perceived, especially by older generations, as indicators of criminality, deviance, untrustworthiness and mental ill health.
To complete his research, he surveyed almost 200 respondents with management experience
Marine biogenic aerosols – the “Holy Grail” of climate science
Most people think of aerosols as something you’d get from a spray can but scientists are discovering more about how these atmospheric particles are protecting the planet.
Research led by Griffith University and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in the USA, recently published by the American Meteorological Society, has revealed the role marine biogenic aerosols play in the Arctic and Southern oceans, helping the global challenge climate scientists face – understanding aerosol effects on warming.
Most aerosols have a cooling influence on the climate by reflecting sunlight back into space and altering cloud microphysics. Without their ‘masking’ effects, global temperatures would have increased more than they have since the 18th century.
Until recently aerosols have been acting like a ‘handbrake’ on global warming but Associate Professor Albert Gabric, of the Griffith School of Environment, warns the possible decline in emissions of natural and anthropogenic aerosols in the future could accelerate the warming