History of Red Cross in Australia has been published, SharkFest 2021 documentary appearance, new grant to examine the impact of the pandemic on tinnitus and keynote speech for women in physics.  

Examining 80 years of Red Cross in Australia

At the Swiss Embassy in Canberra, a special event to celebrate 80 years of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Australia featured Associate Professor Christine Winter delivering the keynote address. Associate Professor Winter’s commentary on the International Committee of the Red Cross celebrating 80 years since its first delegation in Australia has now been published by the Australian Journal of Human Rights (DOI: 10.1080/1323238X.2021.1946275). She considers the first Australian ICRC delegation (1941–1947), headed by the Swiss economist Dr Georges

SharkFest 2021 documentary with Chris Hemsworth

Dr Charlie Huveneers from the College of Science and Engineering took part in the SharkFest 2021 documentary “Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth” to discuss the work he and his team are doing to develop deterrent devices to prevent violent shark interactions. The device generates an electric field to disrupt the sharks ability to detect the electric field of potential targets and deter these attacks. So far, use of such a device reduces the odds of a shark encounter by 60%.

The documentary was screened on National Geographic and is available to stream on Disney+.

2021 Ida Research Grant for the impact of the pandemic on tinnitus

Professor Raj Shekhawat from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences has won a 2021 Ida Research Grant worth $10,000 for his research into the impact of the pandemic on tinnitus. Nearly a third of those who responded to his online survey in 2020 said their tinnitus had worsened, with stress, anxiety, a changed soundscape, and a lack of distractions named as key contributing factors.

“This grant will enable us to roll the survey out further and reach a much wider population,” said Professor Shekhawat, who is leading an international team of researchers on the Ida-funded project. “The idea is to get data from as wide a community as possible.”

The survey will be followed up with interviews and focus groups to capture a more detailed picture of the impacts.

Keynote invitation to focus on women in physics

Associate Professor Maria Parappilly from the College of Science and Engineering has been invited by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley to give a keynote address at the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) International Conference on Women in Physics.

The virtual event began on 11 July and will run until 16 July. Associate Professor Parappilly will be delivering an address on STEMming the tide:  Fostering girls to turn to STEM in particular Physics.