Dr Craig Cameron, Senior Lecturer with Griffith Business School, recently caught up with former student and GBS alumnus Dr Miwa Nakai in Tokyo, Japan. Miwa talked about her time at Griffith, postgraduate study and her groundbreaking research at the University of Tokyo.
After completing high school in 2004, Miwa worked for two years to save enough money to study abroad. But she had to make two critical decisions about her proposed international study: Australia or the United States? And which university? Miwa chose Australia and Queensland Institute of Business and Technology (QIBT, now Griffith College), impressed by the small class sizes and extensive study support. During this time, Dr John Fan (now a lecturer in Finance at Griffith University) was part of Miwa’s study group at QIBT. As Miwa reflected, having two eventual PhDs from a study group of four was quite an achievement!
Miwa initially intended to study for a
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Keeping the Gold Coast’s domestic tourism mojo
It’s time to rethink what the Gold Coast offers to tourists and shift the focus away from the surf and sand.
That’s the view of Professor Susanne Becken, Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT), and Dr Sarah Gardiner.
Professor Becken and Dr Gardiner argue that if the famed Gold Coast wants to maintain its position as a world class tourist location, more must be done to compete with the ever growing number of worldwide holiday destinations.
In last year’s budget, the Queensland Government announced $33.5 million additional funding for tourism over four years to attract new visitors from Asia. The Coast also benefited from major infrastructure investments, including the extension of the light rail and a range of Commonwealth Games Facilities.
“So, with that tailwind and a globally booming tourism industry, how is the Gold Coast investing in its tourism future?” Professor Beck and Dr Gardiner ask.
“To make informed decisions it is
‘My quadriplegic son is my inspiration’: A mother’s unwavering love
Not for one second did she think twice about what she should do. Her son had sustained a devastating spinal cord injury as a result of a road traffic accident, which had left him without feeling or movement from the chest down. But she knew whatever happened now from then on, she would always be by his side.
It was 2010 and Chithrani Palipana’s 32 year old son Dinesh had his life changed forever. The Griffith University Medical student’s dreams of becoming a doctor were hanging in the balance, and so were the dreams that his mother had for him.
Dinesh’s subsequent struggle to come to terms with life as a quadriplegic; his success in studying medicine and his ultimate triumph in gaining registration as a doctor earlier this year, have been well documented.
But what of Chithrani? She says it’s no coincidence that she is now on a path towards becoming a
Neilson: exciting future for financial planning students
It’s a good time to be embarking on a career in financial planning.
That was one of the key messages delivered during a campus visit by Kerr Nielson and Liz Norman from Platinum Asset Management.
“This is a profession in the making, it’s wide open,” Mr Nielson told students.
As the founder and managing director of Platinum, Mr Neilson was at Griffith University to present eight scholarships on behalf of his company and The Neilson Foundation.
Olivia Tregoning was one of the recipients selected from a highly competitive field.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity Platinum Asset Management offers us,” she said.
“The chance to meet Kerr Neilson and hear from him is incredible.”
Platinum Asset Management and The Neilson Foundation scholarship recipients for 2017: Mitchell Kelsey, Samuel Russell, Olivia Tregoning, Wesley Hunt, Matthew Tape, Nathan Thomas, Matthew Jones and Diogo Rodrigues.
The partnership between Griffith University and Platinum Asset Management has developed over the past three years.
“And like a good
How to make sense of fake news
Digital strategies around fake news and spin was the compelling topic for discussion when the Griffith Press Club brought together an expert panel of Kellie Riordan (Content and Digital Strategy, ABC Radio), Simon Elvery (Digital Interactive Storytelling, ABC), Rod Chester (National Technology Writer, News Corp Australia), Jennifer Dudley (National Technology Editor, News Corp Australia) and Kathy McLeish (Journalist, ABC News and Current Affairs). Griffith PhD researcher and journalism graduate, Audrey Courty, set the scene in terms of the challenges facing journalists and editors today with the following introductory remarks.
In the last couple of months since the US election, ‘fake news’ has become big news.
For those unfamiliar with the term, fake news is considered deliberate misinformation or hoaxes dressed up as legitimate news stories.
A new report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that in the days just before the 2016 US election Facebook users’ engagement with fake news actually surpassed engagement
Week showcases top education research
The latest developments in educational research were showcased during Education’s Research Week (May 29-June 3) at Mt Gravatt and Gold Coast campuses.
Autism research, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) learning, the role of Aboriginal Knowledges in higher education in the 21st century and applied theatre research were just some of the projects on display during the week.
“The purpose of the Research Week is to celebrate and showcase our staff and higher degree research candidates’ remarkable achievements,’’ said Associate Professor Sarojni Choy – Coordinator of Higher Degree Research.
“The events of this week include lots of learning, sharing and collaborations with researchers and our networks to advance collaborations and contributions through research in social sciences.
“These events form a prelude to on-going cultivation and nurturing of a strong research culture, engagement with current and new networks and professional bodies.
“It is also an opportunity to inspire current students who may be interested in
Double platinum for industry-leading partnership
An Australian-first partnership between Griffith Business School and AMP has been awarded double platinum at the 2017 LearnX Impact Awards.
The platinum status, which is the highest achievable level, was awarded in the Best Talent Partnership category for the AMP/Griffith partnership and the Best Bespoke/Custom for the AMP Adviser Academy collaboration. AMP also won Platinum in a third category, the Best Future of Learning Project, for the AMP University Challenge.
“This is an excellent example of a true partnership based on shared values and expertise to deliver great outcomes for students across a range of platforms,” said Professor Mark Brimble, Head of Finance and Financial Planning at Griffith Business School.
“It shows that quality industry and university relationships can enhance value for all stakeholders – and it’s a partnership approach we’d strongly endorse.”
“We are very proud of this recognition. It’s great to have external acknowledgment for the hard work and effort of so
Griffith connects Indigenous culture with science
Up to 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students will be able to immerse themselves in science when Griffith University hosts the inaugural Indigenous STEM Experience Day.
To celebrate Dr Chris Matthews recent achievement as national winner of the CSIRO’s Indigenous STEM Professional Award, Griffith Sciences will host the event, themed Future Earth – Water, to encourage more First Australian students to study STEM (science, engineering, maths, technology) at a tertiary level.
Held during National Science Week on August 10, students from years 9 to 12 will attend a variety of workshops in science, environment, IT, and engineering. They will also participate in activities highlighting STEM careers and be introduced to the expansive diversity of pathways for students to gain entry into university.
Dr Matthews is a Noonuccal man and lecturer at Griffith University. As Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mathematics Alliance he is passionate about connecting culture and mathematics, having developed a method of teaching
Does the contraceptive pill alter an athlete’s performance?
Does the contraceptive pill alter a female athlete’s performance? This is the question posed by new research at Griffith University.
“Already it is well known that the combined contraceptive pill changes female physiology by increasing the core body temperature across the whole of the menstrual cycle and altering the ability to regulate heat,” says research co-leader Associate Professor Clare Minahan from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland.
“The pill also delays the blood flow to the skin, therefore decreasing a woman’s ability to cool down quickly.
“Thermoregulation is therefore extremely important when it comes to elite athletes and their performance, especially when it takes place in hot climates such as that in Queensland.
“This preliminary study is aiming to investigate more about how the contraceptive pill can alter this elite athlete performance and inform the sporting community of the scientific evidence and the potential pros and cons for female athletes.”
40 elite athletes
The study which is
Highly sensitive nanosensors to prevent potential catastrophes
Griffith University researchers are creating tiny high-tech chips that will detect problems in ageing gas and oil pipelines, preventing potential catastrophic events.
A team from Griffith’s Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre is developing the novel, low-cost and highly sensitive compact sensors that will detect and monitor changes in harsh environments, such as strain, pressure, flow rate, magnetic field and temperature.
With safety in the resource sector a globally critical issue, the researchers said an affordable, robust, and real-time monitoring system was imperative – and they have already made recent important discoveries furthering this work within the centre.
Dr Dzung Dao, Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen, Professor Sima Dimitrijev and Alan Iacopi will use a $403,000 Australian Research Council Linkage Project grant for their project ‘Superior Silicon Carbide Nanoscale Sensors (SCANS) for Harsh Environments’.
Conducted in partnership with SPT Microtechnologies, the team will develop silicon-carbide (SiC) nanoscale sensors (SCANS) that will be commercialised to improve the safety and efficiency