Set backs are an inevitable part of life, but Associate Professor Ruth McPhail, from Griffith Business School believes that not getting what you want can actually lead to your dream career.
“I think we are conditioned so that when our expectations are not met, it bothers us, we see it as a negative. But sometimes, when you don’t get what you wanted or expected, you get something that works out better because you’re forced to re-evaluate and re-scope your future. Suddenly new possibilities and options emerge that you might not have seen or considered before,” she said.
Illustration by Demetri Martin, from This is a Book (2012)
According to Ruth, plan B or C shouldn’t be seen as your worst-case scenario plan, but rather an opportunity to be flexible, innovative and creative. Being too rigid with your goals can close you off to opportunities you may not have known about.
Take Griffith business graduate
Category: Griffith University Feed
A life changing journey for an adolescent with autism
Looking at the positive change for an adolescent boy with autism and his family while travelling through Africa has been the focus of a Griffith University research study.
Now the focus of an ABC documentary to be aired this Monday 24 July, the journey saw Sydney GP Dr James Best take his son on a six month backpacking journey aimed at rapidly developing his son Sam’s social-communication and independent living skills.
It was based on the idea that adolescence represents a particular opportunity for learning, similar to the period during infancy when the brain is highly receptive to change.
The duo travelled across 10 countries, meeting people and practising these skills. Meanwhile, a university team led by Dr David Trembath from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland, sought to examine the goals, motivations for, and outcomes of the journey.
“We used intrinsic case study methodology with mixed methods, including qualitative interviews with parents and professionals;
How an interactive article helped land a graduate position
When Taylor Toovey graduated from Griffith University this week with a Bachelor of Journalism, she received her testamur with the knowledge that she already had employment lined up.
Among a range of contributing factors that set the 20-year-old up in this position was an article published by the Griffith Review earlier this year.
In a special interactive piece, ‘From the ground up’ – a Griffith University collaboration between Griffith Review, the Policy Innovation Hub and LiveWorm South Bank – Taylor Toovey tells the story of Substation 33, a Kingston warehouse where unwanted electronics are repurposed by Work for the Dole program volunteers.
“I had attached the Substation 33 piece to my resume when I was job hunting,” Taylor (left) said.
“My goal was to gain employment before I graduated from university and two days before my graduation on Wednesday, I was offered a job at a marketing and communications business as their writer.
“I think that the
Study explores lives of women killed by partners
A Griffith University study on female victims killed by their intimate partners will aid researchers in identifying risk factors to help improve women’s safety.
“Each year in Australia about 100 females become victims of lethal violence,’’ says lead investigator Professor Paul Mazerolle, Griffith University Pro Vice Chancellor (Arts, Education & Law) and Director, Violence Research and Prevention program.
Two out of three of those victims are killed by a current or former intimate partner. In contrast just one in 10 (or fewer) male homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner.
“The over-representation of women killed by intimate partners highlights the need for improved prevention efforts focussed on reducing this form of extreme violence,’’ Professor Mazerolle said.
Professor Paul Mazerolle, Pro Vice Chancellor (Arts, Education and Law)
Although recent high-profile cases of intimate partner femicide (IPF) have received considerable media attention and driven public calls for action, the knowledge base around IPF is limited.
Much of
Fly into your future with engineering this Griffith Open Day
Griffith University is further equipping students for jobs of the future with the introduction of a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicles major.
The major in Electronics and UAV will begin in the Griffith School of Engineering next year as part of the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree program, giving students specialist knowledge in aviation and avionics as well as a CASA accredited pilot licence for UAV or drones.
It is among eight new innovative degree programs being offered by Griffith Sciences, including a world and Australian-first Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/ Bachelor of Aviation combination.
Head of Electronic and Engineering at Griffith’s Nathan campus, Associate Professor Steven O’Keefe, said while some people still thought of drones as toys, the industry was becoming more advanced and now using Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems terminology.
“You can certainly buy small aircraft, model planes for example, which are toys but the industry is using aircraft that are far beyond that,
Ochres reveal colouring of colonisation
Ochres have always been a part of the cultural practices of Aboriginal peoples.
A study published today in the journal Nature, reports ground ochres among the earliest evidence for human occupation of Australia, 65,000 years ago.
The multidisciplinary team working on these finds includes Dr Jillian Huntley, a Research Fellow at Griffith University’s Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit, whose research investigates the physicochemical properties of the earliest pigments used by modern humans across Australasia.
Dr Huntley applies scientific techniques to reveal patterns in prehistoric ochre use.
“Unlike other archaeological materials, differences in pigments are not always obvious” she said.
“Ochres that look the same in colour and texture can be from different sources, or prepared and used in a variety of different ways.
“Understanding the chemical, mineral and morphological properties of ochre is often the only way to see differences between them.”
Dr Huntley says it was a privilege to be entrusted to work on the internationally significant ochres recovered
Exciting India learning experience on offer
Students with an interest in tourism and/or community development at Griffith could find themselves on a field study trip to India during Trimester 3.
Associate Professor Alexandra Coghlan, Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management, is seeking 12 students to take part in a three-week intensive course as part of the Federal Government’s New Colombo Plan initiative.
Participating students will spend time at the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, Jim Corbett National Park in Ramnagar, Ganga Aarti in Rishikesh and Jabarkhet Nature Reserve in Mussoorie.
The field trip, from November 22 to December 11, will also incorporate homestays at the different locations students visit.
“Working alongside local tourism experts, our students will learn what it takes to successfully manage rural tourism so it benefits local communities and the environment,” Associate Professor Coghlan said.
“Within this context, the importance of giving tourists an experience to remember will also be a key factor students will consider.
Prepare to
International Exchange for Downs Student Scientist
An early childhood relocation from Brisbane to the Darling Downs has had a pivotal influence on 21-year-old, Griffith University student Tim O’Dea.
The Millmerran and Pittsworth State High School graduate has maintained numerous friendships and remains grateful for the highly supportive, community orientated upbringing he had.
As a forensic science student he’s now poised for global study opportunities, embarking on an international exchange program to the United Kingdom.
O’Dea will spend six months with Plymouth University in England’s south-west, under a partnership scheme to further his academic studies as part of a Forensic Science/Criminology and Criminal Justice double degree.
Although ecstatic at this prospect, his departure means he’ll miss the opportunity to attend the inaugural ‘Future-proof your career, The Griffith STEM Roadshow’ to be held at Toowoomba’s Cobb and Co Museum on Thursday 20 July.
“It would have been great to come back to the region and instil my passion for forensic science among Darling
Caution needed as government expands military’s role in counter-terrorism
By Dr Keiran Hardy, lecturer, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
The government’s announcement of plans to strengthen the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) role in domestic counter-terrorism operations appears to be a quick and decisive reaction to the New South Wales coroner’s report on the Lindt Café siege in 2014.
The proposed changes may help to clarify some of the confusion surrounding the role of state police and the ADF in responding to terror attacks. However, to prove effective in practice, the changes will depend heavily on the willingness of state police to accept military advice and assistance.
Changes to call-out powers
The major change proposed is to relax the call-out powers for ADF assistance during a terrorist attack. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the existing law as “cumbersome” – and it certainly sets a high bar for requesting military involvement.
Currently, the Commonwealth Defence Act provides that the ADF can be called out to respond to violence within state boundaries,
Something’s coming, something good… Queensland Conservatorium celebrates its 60th with a blockbuster production of West Side Story
Love and death. Romance and rivalry. Welcome to West Side Story, the Queensland Conservatorium’s main stage musical for 2017.
The show, which turns 60 this year, headlines the Queensland Conservatorium’s 60th anniversary line-up.
Hailed as ‘the greatest musical of all time’, the show features a Grammy-winning score by legendary composer Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, including hits like Maria, America, Somewhere and Tonight.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is set in New York’s Upper West Side in the mid-1950s where racial and social tensions have reached boiling point.
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West Side Story set moves into the Conservatorium Theatre
Two weeks to go till West Side Story opens! Here is a sneak peak of the massive set moving into the Conservatorium Theatre. Book now http://bit.ly/2veQD3C
Posted by Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University on Wednesday, 12