March 2010 - Issue #9
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Knowledge as a way of being
A new centre for Indigenous knowledge and design anthropology is set to shape the way knowledge is shared in Western universities
Social inclusion bridging the gap
Through programs and innovations at both higher education and TAFE level, Swinburne is proactively linking contemporary Australia, education, Indigenous culture and community development.
‘Clingy’ bacteria surprise comes to the surface
Swinburne research examining bacterial activity could improve the success rate of artificial implants, reduce the risk of Staphylococcus outbreaks in hospitals and reduce the fuel consumption of ships.
Immune system fails on video
The body is a microbiological battlefield on which our immune system fights to keep us well. Sometimes it fails, betrayed by its own defenders. Scientists have now found a way to actually witness this cellular warfare and hopefully identify what goes wrong
Cultural pride helps education start making sense
A Swinburne TAFE program run in partnership with Aboriginal organisations in Victoria is helping to create some stability for disadvantaged Indigenous youths
Award to cross-culture business program
Swinburne TAFE’s partnership with several other organisations to develop Indigenous business governance skills has been recognised with a Business/Higher Education Round Table (B-HERT) Award in the category of Best Community Engagement.
Colourful, creative and fighting to stay local
Indigenous community television has played an important cultural and educational role in remote communities, but faces an uncertain future with Australia’s imminent conversion to digital television
The ultimate wave
By observing pulsars, Swinburne researchers hope to discover the most elusive waves in space and, with that knowledge, gain new insights into the universe
An Australian tissue engineer in Paris
Swinburne's first Cotutelle PhD student researched biodegradable polymers, which could be used to form the next generation of stents used to treat cardiovascular disease.
Human antennae tuned to the future
The future can both excite and terrify as it draws us forward, demanding we fill in its blank canvas moment by moment. Helping people to master that forward journey is the role of ‘strategic foresight’
Synthetic vaccine hope in fight against polio successor
Research is stepping up into the development of synthetic vaccines, which are potentially safer, cheaper and more practical than conventional biological vaccines
Continuous system check could release data-processing ‘brake’
Swinburne has developed software that can check the accuracy of data processing as it is happening, eliminating the need for time-consuming verification checks afterwards
I phone, I shop … nutrition at your fingertips
Swinburne MBA graduate Sandy Abram is launching her latest business venture ‘Our Food’, which integrates food information with modern mobile communications and is designed to help people eat healthier foods and live better lives
Greyfields revisited
Australian cities’ ageing residential tracts – or ‘greyfields’ – offer environmental and economic solutions to Australia’s hunger for city housing
