Indigenous Writers’ Prize for book creating change
Associate Professor Natalie Harkin of the College of Business, Creative Arts, Law and Social Sciences, has been awarded the $30,000 Indigenous Writers’ Prize in the New South Wales Literary Awards for her book Apron-Sorrow/ Sovereign-Grief, which explores how First Nations women were used as indentured domestic servants in South Australia across the 20th century.
In a ceremony on 18 May, the awards judges applauded Associate Professor Harkin’s book as, “…deeply important. Future generations will understand the sacrifices our Aunties have made and the pain they have been subjected to, and this understanding will create change.”
This builds on earlier success for Apron-Sorrow/ Sovereign-Tea, which was announced in March as part of the longlist for the Stella Prize.
Flinders fossil hunter joins elite group of scientists
Digging deep for ancient life forms provides clues to climate change, the rise and fall of animal kingdoms and even civilisation collapse – while also paving intriguing international career paths for palaeontologists.
Among them is Flinders University Emeritus Professor in Palaeontology John Long who this year joins an eminent line of fellows admitted to the Australian Academy of Science.
Professor Long’s research has helped shape our understanding of vertebrate evolution and established him as a global leader in palaeontological research, says Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC, the Academy’s President. Read more about Professor Long’s work and the award here.
ARC projects go underground for answers
Two new environmental research projects at Flinders University are going underground, after receiving Australian Research Council (ARC) grants.
Flinders College of Science and Engineering’s Professor Gavin Prideaux and Associate Professor Ilke Wallis will respectively lead innovative palaeontology and groundwater projects in regional Australia in collaboration with additional funding from local partners and two ARC Linkage Projects grants involving a combined total of almost $2.8 million.
Both new ARC projects aim to improve conservation and environmental outcomes. Learn more about the projects here.
Flinders mentioned at US Congressional breakfast
Flinders and AUKUS were mentioned at the Navy League’s Global Maritime Expo, Sea Air Space, in Maryland USA earlier this year.
Professor Karl Sammut, Co-Director, Centre for Defence Engineering, Research and Training, and Tony Kyriacou, Defence Partnerships Director, attended the Expo’s Congressional Breakfast where a panel of US Congressmen and women spoke about the naval readiness of the US and its allies.
Congressman Joe Courtney, who represents the 2nd District of Connecticut, home to the Virginia Class submarine program, spoke enthusiastically of the relationship between Flinders and the University of Rhode Island Connecticut, particularly our role in helping to achieve real progress on AUKUS Pillar 2 projects.