Welcome to QUT's weekly round-up of news and events. For more updates as they happen, join 16,946 followers of @QUTmedia on Twitter. To subscribe to this wrap, please email media@qut.edu.au.
Will this Aussie robot be Amazon’s ‘pick’ of the bunch?: It’s the competition that could save Amazon.com billions in logistics – and QUT’s custom-built robot may be the winning solution.
Find your future at QUT Open Day on July 30: Are you one of more than 500,000 students across Australia planning to start university in 2018? The future is in your hands at this year’s QUT Open Day on Sunday, July 30, in Brisbane.
QUT to use drones to find and protect koalas: QUT will deploy drones in a high-tech effort to find and protect koalas in South East Queensland, with the State Government today announcing a funding boost for koala conservation.
Queensland business greats join Hall of Fame: Six Queensland business luminaries making their mark in diverse fields from health to engineering and gaming have been honoured as 2017 inductees in the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.
To delay or not to delay? Tips for parents stressed about when their child should start school: Parents of pre-school children and infants often feel significantly stressed as they ponder the pros and cons of delayed entry to primary school in a vacuum of objective information, says a QUT education academic.
EVENTS
July 14 - June 25, 2018: Eternal Present: The Still Life paintings of William Robinson (pictured below) (free) @ William Robinson Gallery, Old Government House
July 24: Rhodes Scholarship information session (free) @ Gardens Point
July 26-Aug 31: Blackrock (featuring QUT final year actors) @ Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove
July 30: QUT Open Day (free) @ Gardens Point
Aug 1: QUT Business School Careers Fair (free) @ Gardens Point
Aug 3: QUT MBA Primer (free) @ Gardens Point
Aug 20: Robotronica (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
- 7 News ran a story on our Science and Engineering Faculty/Australian Centre for Robotic Vision team contesting the international Amazon Robotics Challenge in Japan this week, which included interviews with Professor Peter Corke and Dr Sue Keay. Roll on Robotronica!
- Dr Matthew Dunbabin and Dr Feras Dayoub’s RangerBot robot made True Viral News' list of top 5 robots doing dirty human jobs.
- Distinguished Professor Peter Corke explained to Farming Portal how robots are transforming Australian agriculture and was also in a podcast on Robot Enthusiast.
- A Conversation article from Dr Jared Donovan, Dr Glenda Caldwell and Professor Jonathan Roberts explored the history and future of robots in art. It appeared on The Brisbane Times.
- Dr Amanda Mergler (pictured above) and Professor Susan Walker’s research into children delaying starting school ran on ABC News, the ABC’s AM program, ABC TV News Breakfast and ABC Radio Melbourne, Perth, and Newcastle, and was covered by the Courier-Mail, the APN network and Education Today. It coincided with Dr Mergler’s opinion piece for The Conversation.
- Professor Matthew Rimmer weighed into the #FoxtelFail during the Game of Thrones season premiere, speaking to ABC Radio National’s AM, ABC News online, ABC Radio Melbourne and Canberra, and Australia News.
- QUT robotics student Rob Patterson has made tomorrow (Tuesday) night’s grand final of Channel 9’s Australian Ninja Warrior thanks to an incredible ‘performance of the night’ in the semis, that also attracted 110,000 views on the show’s Facebook page and reached 70,000 people on QUT’s Facebook page. Watch his heat, semi-final and interview here.
- Associate Professor Gary Mortimer’s opinions on supermarkets and plastic bags featured on Smart Company, MSN, ABC Radio Newcastle, 6PR Perth, The Fifth Estate and ABC Radio Adelaide. His Conversation article about single use shopping bags also ran on New Zealand Herald, SBS and Catch News. He also featured in a 9 News story on Afterpay, was interviewed for 7 News Brisbane on new website Price Hipster, and joined weekly ABC Brisbane Mornings retail panel that was broadcast via Facebook Live.
- The QUT Business Leaders Hall of Fame received coverage across the News Limited network including the Courier Mail, Fairfax publications including The Brisbane Times, and ajp.com.au. Professor Peter Little also spoke to ABC Radio’s Steve Austin who attended the event.
- True Viral News, Stuff.co.nz and more than 140 regional Fairfax papers featured Associate Professor Pamela Pollock and Professor Monika Janda in a story about rising cancer rates in obese women.
- Distinguished Professor Dietmar Hutmacher chatted with 2SER about 3D printing for targeted breast cancer treatment.
- The Courier-Mail, the Sunshine Coast Daily and MyGC.com.au ran news about a project involving QUT that will use drones (pictured below) for koala counts.
- A Conversation article by Professors Ben White and Lindy Willmott was republished by the Daily Bulletin.
- Associate Professor Linda Graham discussed the increasing number of suspensions for prep students on ABC Radio Brisbane.
- Dr Mark King talked to 7 News about speed cameras.
- Professor Laurie Buys co-hosted the ABC Radio Brisbane afternoon program with Kelly Higgins-Devine (4.52min in) discussing alternatives revolutionising aged care living.
- Dr Mark Ryan discussed the life and death of modern zombie movie-maker George Romero on ABC Radio National’s The World Today.
- Food News International, SBS, Foodbeast, One Page News and Watson reported on Distinguished Professor James Dale’s golden bananas for Uganda (pictured below).
- Campus Morning Mail published QUT’s high ranking among Australian theatre schools.
- The Australian’s High Wired congratulated QUT on being a finalist in the Higher Education Academy’s Global Teaching Excellence awards.
- The Australian ran a piece on QUT alumnus Marc Smith on how tough situations can shape your life.
- The Australian also mentioned a QUT-developed guidebook to Brisbane Airport for people living with dementia. Meanwhile, Nicole Shepherd did a live cross with ABC Radio Brisbane to discuss why Brisbane Airport is the most dementia-friendly airport.
- News Regional Media talked to Professor John Aaskov for a networked story about mosquito-borne diseases.
Professor Michael Milford’s Conversation article about artificial intelligence was republished by Sci Fi Generation TV.
- MyCityLife and Scenestr profiled the Creative Industries Faculty’s Theatre Republic contingent at the Brisbane Festival. Meanwhile The Music and The Industry Observer talked up APRA AMCOS’ Anatomy of an Album series coming to the Kelvin Grove campus.
- Dr Ernest Foo explained the origins of cryptocurrency to ABC Radio Brisbane.
- Associate Professor Wendy Scaife was interviewed on ABC Canberra Drive about a research project on school fundraising activities like fetes.
- The Australian, Quest Newspapers and The Courier-Mail promoted the play Blackrock at La Boite featuring QUT acting students.
- ABC News featured a story about an exhibition curated by QUT grad Kieran Swann.
- Local Sunshine Coast papers talked up a Creative Industries Faculty architecture student project to spruce up Nambour.
- Fashion grad Haley Elsaesser featured in 29 Secrets discusses how she’s built her brand in Canada’s fashion industry.
- ZDnet featured Dr Monique Mann and Dr Angela Daly’s research on the increasing prevalence of 3D-printed weapons.
- Dr Mary Crawford talked about politics surrounding the Adani coal mine during her regular Monday segment with ABC Radio Brisbane.
- Smart Company featured a piece on Dr Kirstin Ferguson’s career and leadership lessons.
- Professor Marilyn Campbell spoke with ABC Radio News about calls to reintroduce conscription.
Media release date: Monday, July 24, 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).
