A groundbreaking chlamydia vaccine to fight the decline of koala populations offers hope for a struggling species. Now listed as endangered in eastern Australia, koalas are beset by disease and habitat destruction and are clinging on for survival in many regions. With about half the koala population infected with chlamydia in Queensland and NSW, the …read more

A program designed to encourage high school students from long-disadvantaged backgrounds to consider taking a university degree has logged large year-on-year growth. Teenagers from First Nations, first-in-family and low socio-economic families have been historically less likely to seek a professional credential at university. The Australian Catholic University’s Step Up Into Teaching program fosters their participation …read more

Monash University students were delighted when jailed Iranian wildlife conservation scientist Niloufar Bayani was temporarily set free in 2023, before her permanent release some months later. They had been working on a campaign for Bayani’s freedom for months, and one student had been quietly told about the scientist’s impending release before the news was made …read more

Ensuring the thoughts and preferences of autistic people are at the heart of every policy and research decision is a central tenet at La Trobe University’s Olga Tennyson Autism Research Centre. The first Australian research centre dedicated to autism, OTARC opened in 2008, and there has always been an unwavering focus on establishing what the …read more

Clean and green microalgae production systems can use sunlight to capture carbon dioxide and convert it into a wide range of products including proteins, oils, pigments, bioplastics, nanomaterials, novel carbon-storing building biomaterials, and even pharmaceuticals. Following the global success of solar power and solar heating, research on this transformational “third way” of harnessing the sun’s …read more

Years of missed tax returns, financial abuse, bewilderment, anxiety: clients of Charles Darwin University’s Free Tax Clinic arrive with all manner of financial problems. The clinic assists Northern Territory residents who need help with their tax affairs and can’t afford professional tax advice. One of the clinic’s clients hadn’t filed a tax return for 10 …read more