Griffith University

Environmental Futures Centre News is a collection of noteworthy achievements, events, promotions, awards, grant succeses and research information. Both current and archived news is available and should you have any news items for inclusion please contact Dian Riseley

February 2012

 Visit by Professor Leah Bendell and Dr Ken Ashley (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada)

Professor Bendell and Dr Ashlet visited the Centre with assistance from the Griffith University and Simon Fraser University Collaborative Travel Grant awarded to EFC in November and met with many members and students to discuss possible collaborations, student exchanges and gave two seminars at Nathan campus.

 Visit by Professor Stephen Walsh, Fulbright Scholar, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA)

 Professor Walsh visited the Centre and presented a seminar and met with members, students and presented a seminar "Complexity Theory and human-environment interactions in the Amazon Rainforest and the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador". Professor Walsh has extended an invitation for members and students to visit his research centre on the Galapagos Islands.

December 2011

Congratulations to recipients of EFC Honours Thesis Write Up Scholarships
Ten students have been offered an EFC Honours Thesis Write Up Scholarship to the value of $2,000 to help them publish from their Honours.

November 2011

A/Prof Peter Teasdale wins prestigious Lloyd Smythe Medal for Analytical Chemistry
Congratulations to A/Prof Teasdale on winning the prestigious Lloyd Smythe Medal from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

Professor Zhihong Xu awarded GU and Simon Fraser Uni Collaborative Travel Grant
Professor Xu was one of 10 teams awarded up t $10,000 in this inaugral round of the Travel Grant Scheme for the project Development of a collaborative program in ecological restoration.

New Agroforestry Resource
A new booklet on Agroforestry is being prepared as part of an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)-funded project to help community timber growers.

International Symposium on People in Parks: Wrap Up from Event
Over 70 attendees from government and industry listened to 20 talks over two days on various topics regarding the management of environmental impacts of visitors in parks.

EFC researchers network with key scientists at the ESA 2011 conference
A number of EFC researchers networked and presented at the recent Ecological Society of Australia 2011 conference.

Undergaduate students offered Summer Studentships under the supervision of EFC researchers
Congratulations to 12 undergraduate students on being offered work experience within the Environmental Futures Centre over the summer break.  

Nankai University delegation visits the Environmental Futures Centre
Professor Qixing Zhou, Dean and Chief Scientist, College of Environmental Science and Engineering led a delegation visit to the Environmental Futures Centre in early November.

Animal welfare - where does science end and ethics begin?
A Guest Lecture by Peter Sandoe is scheduled for 29 February 2012 at QCA, Southbank. This free public seminar is proudly presented by the Environmental Futures Centre, RSPCA and CAWE.

Will Bennett and Jingxia Qiu awarded Postgraduate Publication Awards
Congratulations to both Will and Jingxia on being awarded $500 each for recent publications from the PhD research.

October 2011

ARC Linkage Project success: Professor Huijun Zhao as Chief Investigator
The EFC has been successful in the recent ARC Linkage Project round, being awarded $825,000 for an application submitted by Prof Zhao and colleagues in the field of Chemical Engineering.

Professor Lambert awarded SEET Research Excellence Award
Congratulations to Professor David Lambert on being awarded the Senior Reseacher Award in the 2011 PVC SEET Research Excellence Awards.

People in Parks - International Symposium
Experts in the management of tourists in protected areas will present at People in Parks: Managing the Environmental Impacts of Visitors, to be held at the Gold Coast from 14-15 November 2011.

Dreamworld increases funding for koala stress physiology research
Improving the breeding success of koalas in captivity is the aim of this collaborative research between the EFC and Dreamworld.

3rd Australia-China Symposium for Materials Science
Co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation of China and ARC, the 3rd Australia-China Symposium for Materials Science will be held on the Gold Coast from 19 - 23 November 2011.

Second issue of Pharmacognosy Communications - available online!
Pharmacognosy Communications released its second issue (available in print or alternatively online).  Dr Ian Cock (Editor in Chief and EFC researcher) photographed the Aloe ferox featured on the cover.

Congratulations - Will Bennett publishes third paper from his PhD
Mr Will Bennett's publishes his latest paper in Analytical Chemistry and is awarded $700 from the Postgraduate Publication Scheme.

Ms Shimony Mohanty competes in Three Minute Thesis Competition
Congratulations to Shimony (PhD candidate) for competiting in the Griffith Three Minute Thesis Competition with her Australian Native Plants: Untapped Resources for Drugs research.

Human Ecology Research Group (HERG)
A Human Ecology Research Group has been established with the aim of creating networks between scholars exploring human impacts on the environment.

Significant Indigenous Tree Competition 2011
The forestry cohort within EFC ran a tree photo competition with Dr Hannah Toberman and Mr Johnvie Goloran taking out joint first prize.

September 2011

New paper in Science
Professor David Lambert's international research team map Aboriginal genome and reinterpret pre-history of Australian Aboriginal people.

PhD candidate, Vaeno Vigulu and supervisor Dr Tim Blumfield were in the Solomon Islands at the beginning of the month to establish some important field trials.

Professor Hamish McCallum's team awarded the Sherman Eureka Prize
Congratulations to Professor McCallum and his 'Devils' Advocates' team for their research to conserve the Tasmanian devil and Eureka Prize win.

August 2011

William Bennett awarded Postgraduate Publication Award
Congratulations to Mr William Bennet who received $500 for having a paper accepted for publication in the journal Environmental Chemistry.

Professor Krishna K Shrestha signs MoU between Griffith and Tribhuvan University, Nepal
During his visit, Professor Shrestha presented seminars to the EFC as well as signing an MoU with the University.

Professor Nigel Stork joins Environmental Futures Centre
We welcome Professor Nigel Stork, newly appointed Deputy Head, Griffith School of Environment, to the Environmental Futures Centre as a full member.

July 2011

Honours Thesis Write-Up Scholarship Winners - Round I 2011
We congratulate Mr James Bone, Mr Seanan Wild, Ms Jenny Yarnold and Mr Jed Sack on being awarded Scholarships to the value of $2,000 each.

4th Australian Animals Studies Group Conference - Wrap Up
The Environmental Futures Centre hosted the 4th conference of the Australian Animals Studies Group. The event was a great success!

Dr Dongjiang Yang - GU Postdoc and Research Fellowship
Congratulations to Dr Dongjiang Yang on being awarded a Griffith University Postdoc and Research Fellowship.

Paper published on the potential for humans to disperse weed seed
Catherine Pickering, along with her former honours student Ann Mount, and two colleagues in England have published a paper on the potential for humans to disperse weed seed.

A/Prof Jean-Marc Hero presents seminar at Centre for Tropical Research on chytridiomycosis
Examining the history of global amphibian declines and the role of this novel pathogen in explaining these declines.

A/Prof Catherine Pickering to present at Women in Science Breakfast
A/Prof Pickering will be keynote speaker for the upcoming Women in Science Breakfast next month held at Griffith University, Gold Coast campus.

EFC Honours student directs Climate Change Committee at Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference
Matt Brown contributed to a successful 17th AMUNC held at the Australian National University.

EFC obtained 1 of 7 NCCARF research grants in terrestrial ecology
A/Prof Catherine Pickering will lead NCCARF-funded research project on climate change in the Australian alpine region.

Congratulations to recently awarded Doctors of Philosophy
Congratulations to our recent Doctors of Philosophy graduates, Dr Chris Gregory and Dr Leila Eslami-Andargoli.

June 2011

Nature publishes article on kiwi feather cloaks DNA
Professor David Lambert investigates the traditions of the Maori people of New Zealand through their kiwi feather cloaks.

Environmental Futures Centre Annual Retreat 2011 - Wrap Up
The second Annual Retreat was a huge success and provided excellent networking and team building opportunities for all guests who attended.

Scott Piper Award - 2011 Winner - Congratulations to Mr Mark Jordan
Mr Mark Jordan, HDR student member, was presented the 2011 Scott Piper Award for Best Student Paper at the Environmental Futures Centre Annual Retreat.

New Journal: Pharmacognosy Communications
The Environmental Futures Centre is proud to congratulate Dr Ian Cock who is the Chief (and Founding) Editor of the new journal Pharmacognosy Communications.

Human Frontier Science - Ancient Ibis Mummies from Egypt: DNA Evolution
Professor David Lambert is leading a collaboration of international researchers on a project investigating DNA evolution of ancient ibis mummies.

May 2011

Professor David Lambert awarded 43.7% of ARC funding awarded to Griffith researchers
Congratulations to Professor Lambert who was awarded a total of $730,000 over a 4 year period, for the project: How will animals adapt to climate change? A genomic approach.

Ground-breaking Research in Amphibian Endocrinology
The addition of the Enzyme-linked Immunoassay system at the Gold Coast campus will allow rapid quantification of the physiological responses and adaptive capacity of Australian animals.

April 2011

Important Upcoming Visit from Leader of Botanical Research for PPBio in Nepal
Professor Krishna Shrestha will visit the Environmental Futures Centre in August to collaborate with Associate Professor Jean-Marc Hero on the PPBio project. 

Emerald Literati Network - 2011 Awards for Excellence - Highly Commended Paper
Congratulations to Dr Anand Tularam and colleagues who have been awarded a Highly Commended in the 2011 Awards for Excellence by the Emerald Literati Network.

Associate Professor Hero Appointed to Board of Directors for the Save the Bilby Fund
Congratulations to Associate Professor Jean-Marc Hero for his appointment to the Save the Bilby Fund Board of Directors.

March 2011

New Environmental Futures Centre Fact Sheets Produced
Two new fact sheets have been produced targeted at biodiversity planners, managers and the general public, providing information about biodiversity conservation and restoration.

Can we restore the rainforests?
Carla Catterall has contributed to the current international debate about the future of tropical biodiversity and whether it can be rescued by forest regrowth. Visit ABC Online for the article.

Carla Catterall particpating in new Caring for Our Country project in tropical forest restoration
Through the project "Mobilising landholders to improve landscape connectivity in the Wet Tropics" the Wet Tropics Management Agency has been funded by the Commonwealth Government's CfOC program.

New PhDs awarded
Congratulations to Dr Clare Hourigan, Dr Miriam Paul and Dr Sarah Boulter whose PhD thesis examination process has now been finalised and the degree award confirmed.

February 2011

Dr Jason Coughran names new species of spiny crayfish
Adjunct Research Fellow, Dr Jason Coughran, has named a new species of spiny crayfish, Euastacus morgani sp. n. from the highland rainforests of eastern New South Wales, Australia.

International Centre for the Management of Pest Fruit Flies joins the EFC
The Environmental Futures Centre welcomes Professor Dick Drew and his ICMPFF colleagues who have joined the EFC as a strategic program.

Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland 2011 Research Grants
In February 2011, Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland launched its 2011 Student Research Grants Program - available to students at Queensland Universities.

Professor Catterall presents at 50th Anniversary of Ecological Society of Australia
Professor Carla Catterall served her final term as president of the ESA and presented her viewpoints on work and life as an ecological scientist and researcher.

$10M Road Ecology Koala Study
The Applied Road Ecology Group is working in partnership with the Department of Main Roads in a ten million dollar project to reduce koala vehicle-related mortality in southeast Queensland.

Dr Anand Tularam to present at major climate change conference
The Climate Change Volunteer Group Conference series engages mainstream business and policy makers on the global warming and climate change issues and helps to facilitate action.

Symposium  - Who Drives Animal Welfare in Australia?
The Environmental Futures Centre sponsored the Minding Animals International's fourth pre-conference event: Who Drives Animal Welfare in Australia?

January 2011

Dr Jenni Garden awarded Griffith University GUICS Grant
Dr Jenni Garden, Research Fellow with the Environmental Futures Centre, has been awarded a Griffith University Industry Collaborative Scheme (GUICS) grant for her post-doctoral research fellow project.

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