QUT News & Events Wrap – June 26 edition

NEWS




Stop abusing your eyes: Put down that phone or tablet & get outside: Is our tech-laden modern world wearing out your eyes? QUT eye health researcher and optometrist Associate Professor Scott Read says it’s a case of not just stopping to smell those flowers, but having a good look at them too.

Surgeons make mistakes and would welcome robotic help: QUT study: A team of QUT biologists, roboticists and surgeons are building robotic tools to help orthopaedic surgeons avoid unintended damage while performing knee arthroscopies.




Brisbane Airport named Australia’s first dementia-friendly airport at guide launch: Brisbane Airport has been named Australia’s first dementia-friendly airport by Alzheimer’s Australia at a launch of a new guide developed with the help of QUT researchers.

QUT awards robotics leader Peter Corke title of Distinguished Professor: QUT has awarded the title of Distinguished Professor to Professor Peter Corke for his outstanding achievements in the field of robotics.



Pauline Hanson is wrong - and here's the evidence: QUT researcher: QUT education policy expert Associate Professor Linda Graham has provided evidence arguing that One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's views on segregating children with disabilities and autism are ill-informed.

Pacific Rim power shift – RCEP, TPP and the Silk Road initiative: A leading law academic has warned Australia will need to reform its intellectual property (IP) and trade policy, in the wake of Trump pulling the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
 

EVENTS

June 21-22: Thérèse Requin @ Gardens Theatre
June 25-July 7: School holiday STEM activities @ QUT
July 10-11: Bakersfield Mist @ Gardens Theatre
July 14 - June 25, 2018: Eternal Present: The Still Life paintings of William Robinson (free) @ William Robinson Gallery, Old Government House
July 14: IFE Grand Challenge Lecture with Dr Henrik Christensen - Opportunities & Challenges in Robotics (free) @ Institute for Future Environments
July 20: Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame 2017 Induction Dinner @ Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
July 24: Rhodes Scholarship information session (free) @ Gardens Point
July 30: QUT Open Day (free) @ Gardens Point
Aug 1: QUT Business School Careers Fair (free) @ Gardens Point
Now-Aug 6: Louise Hearman (free) @ QUT Art Museum
Now - Nov 24: STEM for Schools: What's on in  2017 @ QUT

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

- Professor Lidia Morawska explained to 7 News, ABC Radio Sydney, ABC Radio Brisbane, ABC Radio National, Brisbane Times and The Medical News just how far the germs you sneeze travel and for how long they live. The research received widespread international attention including Dotemirates, TravelWireNews and Science Daily.

- Bluebox and Professor Chamindie Punyadeera’s agreement with MDxHealth to develop a saliva-based test for oral cancer was reported by The Courier-Mail, Reuters, One News Page, European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Magazine, GenomeWeb, Capitol, Bourse Direct and Beurs.
- The Australian and radio stations including 2GB and 3AW reported on a QUT study led by Professors Jonathan Roberts and Ross Crawford that looked at damage rates in knee operations, and bolstered the case for better robotic tools to assist surgeons.  It followed a Conversation article on the topic. 
- Associate Professor Scott Read told Brisbane Times we should all spend more time outdoors for the sake of our sight, with the story running across the Fairfax network on titles including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
- A feature story in the The Courier-Mail quoted marketing expert Professor Larry Neale, who has researched sports fans’ behaviour, on public reaction to sporting heroes striking for more money.
- Professor Rowena Barrett spoke to Campus Review about the MIT Bootcamp coming back to QUT next year. It was also covered by The Courier-Mail and Campus Morning Mail.
- Professor Robert Schweitzer (pictured) talked to the ABC for a TV and online story about the motivation behind extreme sports, following a Brisbane man completing the world’s longest winter ultramarathon in Alaska.
- The Australian’s High Wired and Campus Morning Mail reported on former US Navy energy boss Adjunct Professor Chris Tindal’s appointment to QUT, which was announced in the US to coincide with the annual BIO convention.
- The Courier-Mail also reported on the Queensland Premier’s biotechnology trade mission to the US, with Professor Ian O’Hara (who is the state’s biofutures envoy) commenting on future jobs and development potential.
- Brisbane Times, Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times featured QUT business graduate Ben Jeffreys and his recycling business ATEC Biodigesters, which has Google backing.
- Associate Professor Linda Graham was interviewed by ABC Radio Brisbane Drive and NewsRadio about Pauline Hanson’s call for autistic and disabled schoolchildren to be excluded from regular classrooms. She also wrote a piece for The Conversation which was reprinted by the ABC, Business Insider, Daily Bulletin and the UK-based Australian Times.
- The launch of QUT’s Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration dementia-friendly guide to Brisbane Airport was covered by Aged Care Insite, SeniorAu, The Australian, New Zealand’s Insite Magazine, Dotemerates, XinhuaNet and Asia Pacific Daily. Dr Maria O’Reilly was interviewed by ABC Radio Canberra.
- CARRS-Q’s Dr Gregoire Larue told Brisbane Times drivers aren’t confused by complex road signs. The story ran across the Fairfax network.
- Nine’s A Current Affair reported on QUT research about young people using their phones while driving.
- Professor Narelle Haworth spoke to ABC Radio Evenings about the importance of motorists slowing down when passing emergency vehicles.
- Dr Sue Keay and Belinda Ward introduced ABC Brisbane Drive listeners to their Pepper social robot (pictured), in a segment from community correspondent and SEF scientist Mathilde Desselle.



- Smart Company spoke to Associate Professor Gary Mortimer about Amazon’s chances of buying up an Australian supermarket chain.
- The Daily Telegraph ran a column by Kerry Parnell on ditching depressing news from your Twitter feed, which cited research by Professor Axel Bruns on Aussies’ prolific political bickering.
- The Courier-Mail’s Phil Brown wrote about QUT alumnus William Robinson’s mastery in the lead-up to two new exhibitions, including one at QUT’s William Robinson Gallery.
- The Motor Report cited QUT research led by Dr Kenan Degirmencihat that found electric car buyers wanted to use electricity from ‘green’ sources, not coal.
- The Sydney Morning Herald mentioned Professor Matthew Rimmer’s call for stronger laws to protect Indigenous intellectual property after another fashion furore over use of Indigenous cultural symbols.
- The Cairns Weekend Post ran a feature on QUT law and psychology graduate Kristyn Knox who works as a personal injury lawyer but moonlights as an actress in local musicals.
- IEEE Spectrum interviewed Associate Professor Michael Milford and Professor Gordon Wyeth’s research into robots that navigate as rats do. Robot Enthusiast republished it.
- Dr Shushma Malik was interviewed by ABC Radio Brisbane Drive about the art of commemorating winter's solstice.
- Professor Jonathan Roberts spoke with ABC Radio Brisbane about backing up human life, with the story also covered by Business Insider.
- RetailWire featured a story about Dr Paula Dootson’s idea that humanising self-checkouts can reduce theft.
- News Corp’s feature piece on Deborah Mailman mentioned she is a QUT alumnus.
- Dr Mary Crawford argued the need for wage growth during her regular Monday politics segment with ABC Radio Brisbane.
- The Courier-Mail’s Qweekend cover story mentioned QUT’s Masters of Education (Teacher Librarianship) in a cover story on the pressures on school libraries.
- A collaboration between QUT, Mining3 and Caterpillar was reported on by the National Mining Chronicle.
- Susan Hetherington was on ABC Rockhampton discussing a study on mothers of young children feeling they're being judged for their parenting choices.
- The Chinchilla News ran a story about the Wonder of Science STEM conference at Miles which involved QUT and other universities.
 
Media release date: Monday, June 26, 2017
Media contact: media@qut.edu.au

 
QUT is part of a national collaborative group of five major Australian universities that form the ATN (Australian Technology Network of Universities).