LATEST ARTICLES

Machine learning is ‘the electricity of our future’

Machine learning is ‘the electricity of our future’

Machine learning is driving the computing revolution now sweeping through the world’s economies, and an Adelaide-based institute is ranking high among leading research centres dedicated to this sophisticated form of data analysis. A type of artificial intelligence that enables a computer to improve its operations with experience, machine learning has already up-ended global transport, communications, and …read more

A first for our Indigenous culture

A first for our Indigenous culture

A huge Aboriginal cultural centre under construction on Adelaide’s North Terrace will break design rules and set standards for immersive and creative storytelling. With an unusual and distinctive architectural design that evolved and changed with Aboriginal oversight, the centre will be managed by Aboriginal custodians and become a place of welcome and cultural rejuvenation for Aboriginal and …read more

Take two: women busy switching careers in strong job market

Take two: women busy switching careers in strong job market

After 20 years working as a graphic designer, both in Australia and overseas, Kylie McCaffrey started to look around for a different career, a profession with more stability and more face-to-face human interaction.“I started to feel the desire to study something else,” she remembers. “I felt like I was doing the same thing all the …read more

Chart a short course to your new career

Chart a short course to your new career

Whether you are looking to update your qualifications, learn a new skill for the next stage in your career, or move into a new professional field, it’s worth considering doing a short, six-month course that is focused on your needs. Over 250 are now available from Australia’s tertiary institutions in a wide range of fields. …read more

Publishing in elite journals no guarantee of tenure

Publishing in elite journals no guarantee of tenure

Research by a team of US neuroscientists is intended to debunk widely believed myths that prestigious grants or publication in top-flight journals were necessary to obtain a tenure-track position. These myths could drive trainees to pursue large or complex time-intensive research projects, the paper’s authors said, and could unnecessarily prolong time in training.

A new tool to assess researchers for promotion and recruitment

A new tool to assess researchers for promotion and recruitment

Spanish researchers have developed a tool to measure academics’ knowledge, skills and abilities and improve research efficiency. In the past decade, despite steady growth in academic staff and investment, European universities have “not always reached the desired levels of research productivity”, write the authors of a study published in Science and Public Policyin August 2021. This …read more

The allure and scarcity of Rolex sports models

The allure and scarcity of Rolex sports models

A Rolex Oyster Perpetual stainless steel sports watch with a Tiffany blue dial was described in the auction catalogue as having the manufacturer’s stickers and being in “practically unworn condition”. It sold in early November for 18,900 Swiss francs (US$20,700), four times the Rolex catalogue price of a brand new watch of the same type.

RMIT’s Kate Nguyen helps protect buildings from bushfires

RMIT’s Kate Nguyen helps protect buildings from bushfires

With degrees in chemical engineering and materials engineering from Vietnam universities, followed by a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Melbourne, Thuy Quynh Nguyen was inspired to use her expertise to limit bushfire damage to Australia’s rural homes.

Eco-jewellery for the rich and conscientious

Eco-jewellery for the rich and conscientious

A diamond ring can signal joy, love, commitment and, maybe these days, environmental awareness. The global demand for ethically-sourced and environmentally-sound jewellery is steadily growing and big names, from the world-famous Tiffany brand to the massive Asia-based Chow Tai Fook group, have developed deep sustainable jewellery policies. 

Eco-babies and the vexed generation

Eco-babies and the vexed generation

A production stage manager at a theme park, Helen Wu is in her 40s and she is both childless and a committed environmentalist. Since her wedding last year, her friends and colleagues have repeatedly asked her when she will have a baby, but her answer doesn’t change. “No,” she says. “As I grow older, more …read more