QUT News & Events Wrap – June 5 edition

NEWS



Brisbane researchers discover native Australian plant can kill Zika virus: QUT researchers in collaboration with Health Focus Products Australia (HFPA) have discovered a group of naturally occurring compounds in an Australian native plant that effectively kill the Zika virus.

Laser light future: $3 million research boost for new QUT Australian Laureate Fellow: Imagine a future where car scratches could be healed by laser light and where changing the colour of light, rather than the ink itself, in the 3D printing process could result in different products with vastly different material properties.

Creative ad students show flair for fearless flying: Designing a way to ease the fear of flying among air passengers has landed a group of QUT international students in the global spotlight for the world’s top advertising awards.




QUT project to identify Australia’s creative hotspots awarded $480,000: New research by QUT Distinguished Professor Stuart Cunningham using Census data to pinpoint Australia’s most creative areas has been awarded $480,000 from the Australian Research Council.

Overhead signs on freeways: Are drivers being told too much?: The growing trend to install multiple road signs at the same location along Australian freeways might be practical and cost-effective but is it safe?




Global tobacco epidemic threatens sustainable development: Stricter tobacco controls around the world would help alleviate poverty and health inequality, says QUT Professor of Intellectual Property and Innovation Matthew Rimmer.

QUT Alumni Student Leader of the Year announced: With the tenacity to earn a near-perfect grade point average while leading a variety of student engagement initiatives, Nalongded Luanglath is not one to let fear of a challenge defeat his will to achieve.



 

 
EVENTS

Now-June 11: Reconciliation events @ QUT
June 12-13: Shirley Valentine @ Gardens Theatre
Now - June 18: William Robinson: Genesis (free) @ William Robinson Gallery
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 @ Gardens Point
Now-Aug 6: Louise Hearman (free) @ QUT Art Museum
Now - Sept 13: Season 2017 @ Gardens Theatre: Stories that connect  @ Gardens Theatre
Now - Nov 24: STEM for Schools: What's on in  2017 @ QUT
 

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

- Dr Trudi Collet and industry partner HFPA’s discovery of a native Australian plant that can kill the Zika virus ran nationally on 7 News, and was covered by AAP, The Australian, The NZ Herald, News.com.au, the UK’s Daily Mail, the UK’s UiTV, China’s Xinhua News, the Press Trust of India, India Today, India.com, The New Daily, Fairfax titles including The Sydney Morning Herald, HealthTimes, SBS, radio stations including ABC Far North Qld, 2Day FM, 4BC, 2GB, 3AW, and 5AAA, and McPherson regional papers including Shepparton News.
- Professor Adrian Barnett was on ABC Radio Melbourne and 7 News, 2GB, 4BC, 2CC, 3AW, 6PR, WaveFM, Hobart Mercury, Sunraysia Daily, Daily Telegraph about the lack of warmth in Australian housing after a background briefing on Scimex.
- Associate Professor Gary Mortimer (pictured) featured in Smart Company stories about Aldi Wine and South Africa’s The Foschini Group coming to Australia. He was also interviewed on ABC Brisbane Mornings on mid-year sales and quoted in a Bloomberg article on Amazon’s push into the Australian market which was picked up by The Japan Times.
- The Guardian ran an article on the benefits of exercise when battling cancer, which quoted QUT expert Professor Sandra Hayes.
- The Courier-Mail’s Qweekend ran a feature on QUT lecturer and forensic anthropologist Donna MacGregor and her dedicated and painstaking work with police and military investigations.
- Associate Professor Kirsten Vallmuur talked to The Sunday Mail about research into injury admissions at Queensland hospitals.
- Dr Gregorie Larue’s research on whether or not highway overhead gantry signs were distracting ran on CarAdvice, Engineering 360, and ScienMag.
- ABC Radio Brisbane interviewed Masters in Creative Advertising students Chloe Reynaud, Nicolai Henriksen and Shashin Weeratunga about a VR device they have designed to help nervous flyers.
- Professor Hilary Bambrick told AAP coal mining has “direct health impacts on the population” for a story about a coal financing protest.
- Washing our jeans less will make them more eco-friendly, Dr Alice Payne and Susannah Kate Devitt wrote in The Conversation.  Dr Payne also spoke with ABC Radio Melbourne.

- Distinguished Professor Stuart Cunningham (pictured) was interviewed on ABC Radio Brisbane about his new Australian Research Council grant to analyse Census data to find Australia’s creative hotspots.
- The Australian also mentioned QUT’s ARC grants in its High Wired section.
- Associate Professor Mark Lauchs spoke to The Courier Mail about the AEC investigation into One Nation donations.
- Emeritus Professor Bill Caelli told Brisbane Times  an internet cable from Asia or the US to the Sunshine Coast would cost billions and rely on NBN availability.
- The Australian’s story about combining law and IT quoted head of School of Law Professor Judith McNamara. It also reported on QUT’s ‘Disrupting Law’ hackathon for students.
- Dr Mary Crawford talked about energy issues and climate change during her federal politics segment with ABC Radio Brisbane’s Steve Austin.
- Associate Professor Michael Milford’s work developing a robot navigation system modelled on the brains of rats featured on IEEE Spectrum and Robot Enthusiast.
- Associate Professor Linda Graham’s article about disability funding featured in The Conversation. She talked to The Age and ABC Radio Melbourne about children with a disability being excluded from excursions. The story ran across the Fairfax media network.
- ABC Science asked Professor Peter Grace about a study that found Arctic peatlands may release potent greenhouse gas.
- QUT graduate Brenton Thwaites spoke to The Gate magazine about studying acting at QUT and his role in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
- The interactive elements designed by Dr Deb Polson (pictured) and her team of QUT graduates in GOMA’s new Marvel exhibition were covered by Junkee.
- The Senior wrote about Great Barrier Reef research projects including QUT’s COTSbot.
- Professor Axel Bruns spoke to ABC Brisbane and 7 News about media coverage of Schapelle Corby and Dr Jason Sternberg told Triple M the media hype would abate. He also wrote a piece for The Conversation on the ABC and Fairfax, which was republished by Mumbrella.
- Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson wrote a piece for ABC Online on the legacy of the 1967 referendum to recognise Indigenous Australians as citizens.
- Dr Marilyn Campbell spoke with ABC PM about alcohol advertising around schools.
- The Music reported on a Go-Betweens reunion that will involve QUT’s John Willsteed.
- Redland City Bulletin featured QUT student Niamh Conway who received a Westpac Young Technologists scholarship to study business and IT.
- Bundaberg News Mail featured a story on the QUT Blueshift Business Competition.
- Yanto Browning wrote a piece for The Conversation about the impact MP3 files had on how we listen to music.
- Louise Hearman, winner of the 2016 Archibald Prize, was interviewed on ABC Radio National about her new exhibition  at the QUT Art Museum.

- Dr Donna Hancox
(pictured) spoke to ABC Southern Queensland about arts programs delivery to regional areas.
- QUT projects in disaster warnings and AgTech were highlighted in Science meets Business.
- QUT Art Museum curator Kevin Wilson talked to Arts Hub about Queensland’s creative growth. Arts Hub also wrote about QUT actors starring in the play Blackrock.
- Dr Leonie Simpson co-authored a piece for The Conversation on Australia’s cybersecurity strategy.
- Australian Defence Magazine acknowledged QUT’s success in receiving funding for defence-related research.
- Asian Correspondent featured QUT in its wrap of top young Australian universities.
- Dr Claire Ferguson’s comments on the difficulty in solving cold cases appeared in the Northern Star.
 

Media release date: Monday, June 5, 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).