A year in review – 2017
- Another year has come and gone, filled with much success for Griffith University’s staff and students. As the year draws to a close we want to celebrate some of Griffith University’s greatest achievements and highlight some of the good news stories of 2017. With so many great stories to choose from, here are just a few you might have missed.
1. Griffith University scientist named Australian of the Year
We could not be more proud of our remarkable academics here at Griffith University. This year Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim was awarded Australian of the Year. Professor Alan Mackay-Sim has been researching how nose cells regenerate, and how that process can be applied to damaged spinal cords. Find out more about Professor Alan Mackay-Sim’s Australian of the Year award and important research here.
2. Queensland Conservatorium turns 60
This year the Queensland Conservatorium celebrated it’s 60th Birthday in typical musical style. Home to some of Australia’s biggest entertainment names, including Dami Im, Brett Dean and Katie Miller-Hedke, the ‘Con’ has a lot to be proud of. Queensland Conservatorium Director Professor Scott Harrison invited everyone to come and join the celebration, promising a massive year of events, including hit musical West Side Story. Find out more about the Queensland Conservatorium’s star studded history and details of upcoming events here.
3. A ‘refugee’ beams life into cancer research
Sora’s journey to achieving her PhD has been anything but easy. Sora grew up in Jordan and studied a bachelor of medical analysis, with the ambition of studying a postgraduate degree in medical science. However, Sora was prevented from gaining the necessary experience required to complete her master’s degree because she held a Syrian passport. Further, civil war in Syria put financial pressure on her family, diminishing their ability to support her studies. Despite this, Sora was able to enrol in a Master of Medical Research at Griffith and was awarded a scholarship allowing her to continue her studies. Sora is now set to complete her PhD here at Griffith. Read more about Sora’s remarkable story here.
4. Aquatic centre officially opens
2017 has been a year of milestones for Griffith University, with the official opening of the Aquatic centre. Former Olympian and Commonwealth champion Libby Trickett OAM, Commonwealth games gold medalist Emma McKeon as well as Queensland Treasurer, the Honourable Curtis Pitt MP were among the guests at the opening. The new pool is solar heated and features FINA approved starting blocks and electronic timing, making it the perfect location for training and competitions. Find more details about the official opening and the new aquatic centre here.
5. HRH Duke of York visits Institute of Glycomics
In late September, Griffith Univeristy had a very special visit, HRH Duke of York. On his royal tour of the Gold Coast, His Royal Highness visited the Institute of Glycomics, to find out about their breakthrough Malaria and cancer research. Read more about HRH Duke of York’s visit here.
6. A Star is born
At Griffith we love hearing about the success of our remarkable graduates. Bachelor of Musical Theatre alumnus, Georgia Hopson, has had a stella career since she graduated in 2014 including being chosen by Dame Julie Andrews to join the cast of My Fair Lady. Georgia was also named as one of six finalists for the Rob Guest Endowment award and the winner of a Matlida Theatre Award for Best Emerging Artist. Read more about Georgia’s amazing career and her journey with My Fair Lady here.
7. EASE does it…Alex’s app a coup for property data
Since graduating in 2008, Urban and Environmental Planning alumnus, Alex Steffan’s career has gone from strength to strength. Whilst studying Alex worked as a student planner for a private consultancy, before stated his own planning business upon graduation. Alex can now add app development to his list of achievements, developing a town planning app, PropertEASE, which can provide town planning detail of any property at the click of a button. Find out more about Alex’s revolutionary new app here.
8. An act of generosity that changed the lives of Bec Silman and Angus Burkitt
In October 2016, Future Scholarship recipients, Bec Silman and Angus Burkitt, attended a breakfast to talk about the importance of supporting students who excel at university despite facing personal hardships. Bec 
spoke about the difficulty of studying whilst supporting her family, after her mother passed away of cancer six years ago and her father was unable to work due to a work accident. Angus spoke about suffering from femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and the stress of studying and being on the public waiting list for a much needed hip operation. Dr Soheil Abedian and his wife, were moved by the two’s stories and offered them additional financial support. One year on, Angus has received a hip operation and is now enjoying an active life again, whilst Bec is enjoying her studies stress free. Read more about their remarkable stories here.
9. Griffith Film project wins award at Cannes
Griffith Film School’s LiveLab were honoured at the Cannes Corporate Media and TV awards, winning a dolphin award for Ky’s Story – Living with Autism. The production aims to raise awareness for autism and featured Hollywood A-lister Hugo Weaving and his 16-year-old nephew Ky. Read more about Livelab’s production and their prestigious award here.
10. Engineering students get global perspectives for sustainability infrastructure
At Griffith University our students have access to global opportunities. This was the case for a number of Engineering, Industrial design, Environmental Science and Environmental Planning students who travelled to Cambodia to work on an aid project providing locals with access to safe drinking water. Students were tasked with building and installing bio-sand water filters in villages, providing clean water for more than 104,000 people. Hear about the student’s experiences here.
That concludes another year for The Griffith Collective. Thanks for reading and we will see you next year!
Be sure to check out the Griffith Magazine 2017 Edition for more remarkable stories!
Courtney Quast – Bachelor of Laws/ Bachelor of Business