As I spoke to University of Tasmania researcher, associate professor Elizabeth Leane, I could hear sighing gusts of wind in the background. "I'm looking directly at an ice breaker," she loudly voiced over the gale. By that she meant the Aurora Australis, a red, 95-metre behemoth ...
More »Australian and German researchers clean up, together #G20
Amid the usual, Trump-driven headlines at this year’s G20 summit – a meeting of world leaders from 20 major economies – you may have glimpsed something less sensationalist but just as significant: a new, $20 million Australian-German research project to ...
More »Report contemplates future of sex robots
Frigid Farrah is a sex robot with a personality. She is, as her name suggests, sexually coy. Advances made on her likely won't be "appreciated", say her creators, True Companion. But what are the ethics associated with this situation? Should the fact ...
More »International graduates’ degrees working
International students are overwhelmingly satisfied with their study experience for good reason: Australian degrees make them highly employable. A survey of 3,800 international graduates by the Australian Universities International Directors’ Forum (AUIDF) has found, "That graduate employment trends for international graduates are comparable ...
More »Deciphering deliciousness with UniMelb food scientists
We're all aware of emotional eating, and have possibly indulged in it ourselves. Now, this phrase has new resonance. Researchers at the University of Melbourne’s new sensory lab are testing more than our tastebuds in an attempt to divine what makes ...
More »ATAR not decisive in UNSW law entry
In the summer of 2016, University of New South Wales Law quietly unveiled a new entry process for undergraduates: prospective students are assessed for admission to the faculty based on their ATAR and their score in a Law Admission Test (LAT). The ...
More »Non-profit education and training providers worst at protecting whistleblowers
Unlike Snow White's seven dwarfs, not-for-profit education and training institution employees may wish to think twice before whistling while they work. A fresh batch of results from the Whistling While They Work 2 project has been released, showing non-profit education and training institutions ...
More »University of Melbourne named best Australian uni in Asia-Pacific
The Australian National University may lead Australian universities globally, but in the Asia-Pacific region, the University of Melbourne has bested its national competitors, placing #3. That’s a result from the latest crop of rankings released by Times Higher Education (THE). Its ...
More »Birdy McBirdface unfurled as CQU’s new mascot
CQUniversity's new sporting mascot has been christened Birdy McBirdface, perhaps leaving the university's VC slightly red-faced. The mascot, an intense-looking pale-headed rosella, was given his cheeky name – a reference to the infamous Boaty McBoatface – following a crowd-sourced naming competition. Birdy was ...
More »Teachers more trustworthy than uni lecturers: professions survey
Teachers have continued their trustworthiness winning streak against university lecturers, a recent Roy Morgan Research survey shows. Since the survey was first conducted in 1976, teachers have consistently ranked above university lecturers for ethics and honesty. This gulf now stands at ...
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