UNSW Newsroom

Emeritus Professor Hal Wootten AC QC, founding Dean of UNSW Law & Justice. Photo: Supplied.

29 Jul 2021

In memory of Hal Wootten, founding Dean of UNSW Law & Justice

Emeritus Professor Hal Wootten passed away during the night of 27 July, leaving behind a world where the law can finally meet justice.

The project will support those living with a rare disease, focusing on mental health, and social and emotional wellbeing. Photo: Shutterstock.

Health

29 Jul 2021

Funding supports Australians living with a rare disease

UNSW Sydney researchers have been awarded $1.9 million for a project that will develop and deliver rare disease resources, education and training.

The Southern Ocean has the highest potential for carbon capture by an ocean. Photo: Shutterstock.

Opinion

29 Jul 2021

The future is now: how the ocean can help us solve the climate crisis

We need to investigate how the ocean’s immense potential for atmospheric carbon dioxide removal can be harnessed to reduce the impacts of climate change.

Business & Law

08 May 2020

4 ways to improve employee wellbeing post-coronavirus

Business & Law

28 Jul 2021

How can leaders create trust when the information keeps changing?

Exisiting traffic lights technologies can help detect the number of vehicles on roads but more research is needed to understand the movements of pedestrians and cyclists. Photo: Shutterstock

Science & Tech

27 Jul 2021

Pedestrians should get the green light on traffic signal prioritisation

Why the car shouldn’t always be king when it comes to traffic light sequences.

Herd immunity is when immunity in a population is high enough to block the pathway for the ongoing transmission of the disease. Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Opinion

27 Jul 2021

When will we reach herd immunity? Here are three reasons that’s a hard question to answer

Once we achieve herd immunity, people who are not vaccinated benefit indirectly from the immunity of those around them. But it’s not easy to say exactly when we’ll reach this threshold for COVID-19.

A person walking down the street with an umbrella

The Indian Ocean Dipole, or IOD, is a natural climate phenomenon that influences rainfall patterns around the Indian Ocean, including Australia. Photo: Shutterstock

Opinion

27 Jul 2021

A wet winter, a soggy spring: what is the negative Indian Ocean Dipole, and why is it so important?

Last week the Bureau of Meteorology declared a negative Indian Ocean Dipole — a natural climate phenomenon set to bring wet weather. Let’s look at what you can expect, and the role of climate change.

Opinion

27 Jul 2021

How Australia’s fickleness on COVID vaccines is perpetuating global vaccine inequity

Health

26 Jul 2021

What we know about the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant

Tim Putt, Amy Ridge and Nathan Power at the UNSW Fitness and Aquatic Centre

Eight UNSW students, including water polo players (L-R) Tim Putt, Amy Ridge and Nathan Power, and four alumni will compete at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Arc UNSW

General

20 Jul 2021

Faster, higher, stronger: UNSW's Olympic athletes are ready to take on the world

With athletes training in quarantine, taking regular COVID tests and competing in empty stadiums, Tokyo 2021 will be an Olympics like we have never seen before.

Woman sitting on bed pressing her head in pain

Regulating emotions might be harder for people with chronic pain, the study finds. Photo: Shutterstock.

Science & Tech

27 Jul 2021

Chronic pain might impact how the brain processes emotions

Chemical ‘messengers’ called neurotransmitters help regulate our emotions – but scientists have noticed a disruption to their levels in people with chronic pain.

A photo of Scott Morrison at a press release conference.

“If people don't trust their government, they will be less likely to comply with government policies,” Professor Rosalind Dixon says. Photo: Shutterstock

Business & Law

26 Jul 2021

Is it too late for the government to win back Australia’s trust?

A lack of transparency and good policy has created a challenge for trust in political leaders, says a UNSW Sydney constitutional law expert.

Opinion

23 Jul 2021

Is Delta defeating us? Here’s why the variant makes contact tracing so much harder

Opinion

23 Jul 2021

We’re losing the vaccination race because of bungling, not bad luck

golden sun shines across solar panels on a roof

In Australia, more than two million rooftops have solar panels - the most per capita in the world. Photo: Shutterstock

Opinion

23 Jul 2021

The sunlight that powers solar panels also damages them. ‘Gallium doping’ is providing a solution

The process of manufacturing gallium-doped solar panels was under a patent until last year. It's only now that this method has started to pick up steam.

The ARC Industrial Transformation Research Program supports collaborative research activity between industry and the Australian higher education sector. Photo: Shutterstock.

Science & Tech

21 Jul 2021

UNSW tops ARC Research Hub grants

More than $9 million in ARC grants have been awarded to two UNSW Sydney projects providing research into sensors for the health sector and new technologies for Australia’s infrastructure needs.

Romanian weightlifter at the Olympic Gamers

Razvan Martin of Romania was stripped of his bronze medal after testing positive for drugs eight years after the 2012 London Olympics. Photo: Hassan Ammar/AP

Opinion

21 Jul 2021

Doping has become inevitable at the Olympics. And who wins gold in Tokyo might not be certain until 2031

Anti-doping efforts are not stopping cheating in sport. Unless there's a game changer in technology, we might just have to live with a certain amount of doping in the Olympics.

The recently constructed Japan National Stadium will serve as the main stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: Tomacrosse / Shutterstock.com.

Social Affairs

21 Jul 2021

Will the Tokyo Olympics win gold for sustainability?

It aims to be the most sustainable Games in history, but will Tokyo 2020 break the Olympic record?

'Supercharged' cells help scientists analyse SARS-CoV-2 variants faster

Health

In this video, watch how the SARS-CoV-2 virus takes over cells by ‘melting’ them into each other.

Researchers at UNSW Sydney’s Kirby Institute have developed cells that allow them to test the effect of SARS-CoV-2 faster than anywhere else in the world.

The team, led by Associate Professor Stuart Turville, use these genetically “supercharged” cells to quickly understand the dynamics of different variants of the virus, to test their ability to evade vaccines, and to inform the public health response in real time.

The scientists have now shared microscopic footage of the process – in their incredible video, you can see the healthy supercharged cells being taken over by the SARS-CoV-2 virus over a 20-hour period.

Aerial view of a typical suburb in Australia

National home-ownership rates have fallen and the ownership rate for under 35s has collapsed, building in structural problems for future decades. Photo: Shutterstock

Business & Law

22 Jul 2021

Why should financial regulators worry about exorbitant house prices?

Regulators need to take action to prevent older Australians from borrowing against their superannuation to upgrade their housing and help rein in unsustainable property prices.

masked man waits for the light rail in sydney

Photo: Bianca De Marchi/AAP

Opinion

19 Jul 2021

We’ve become used to wearing masks during COVID. But does that mean the habit will stick?

In Hong Kong, SARS created a new social norm, where people accepted mask use as part of their 'civic responsibility'.

Employee involved in a video conference with manager and coworkers

Research has collected and coded messages from senior leaders of 35 universities across 16 countries to compare how critical information was shared with employees. Photo: Shutterstock

Business & Law

21 Jul 2021

What are the keys to successful crisis communication?

As crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic evolve, research shows leaders should communicate critical information in a distinct, consistent and consensual way.

The COVID-19 vaccination glossary aims to provide plain language meanings to complex immunisation and vaccine development and terms. Photo: Shutterstock

Health

19 Jul 2021

COVID-19 vaccination glossary to help non-English speakers

The glossary will be translated into 31 languages.

Old Parramatta Jail, Parramatta, Australia.

"It is clear the justice system is failing to address the discrimination of Aboriginal women." Photo: Deleece Cook

Opinion

20 Jul 2021

Excessive strip-searching shows discrimination against Aboriginal women

Aboriginal women detainees are strip-searched at higher rates than non-Indigenous women. It's clear Australia needs to address racial discrimination in justice systems.

Aged care with demential and increased medication

Prior to this research, little was known about how many residents changed their GP when they entered aged care facilities, or what the effect this had on their care. Photo: Shutterstock

Health

19 Jul 2021

People entering aged care with new GP experience an increase in medication

New research reveals people with dementia entering aged care with a new GP experienced a 20 per cent increase in prescribed medication.

Frontline healthcare workers are advised to wear surgical masks to protect against viruses in droplets, and respirator masks to guard against airborne viruses. Photo: Shutterstock

General

21 Jun 2021

Sydney COVID-19 cluster: experts available for comment

UNSW has a wide range of experts available for comment on the coronavirus pandemic.

a woman walks past a mural with indigenous themes and native animals

Transport inequality and its health implications for Indigenous people is overlooked by policymakers. Photo: John Pryke/AAP

Opinion

19 Jul 2021

In search of walking equality: 70% of Indigenous people in Sydney live in neighbourhoods with low walkability

Reducing transport inequality and improving walkability in Indigenous communities are necessary to help close the health and social gap.

Leaders need to take a decisive yet empathetic approach to leading through a crisis. Image source: Shutterstock

Business & Law

17 Apr 2020

3 lessons from the GFC in how to lead through the coronavirus crisis

There are three lessons to be learned from the GFC that will help leaders in managing through the coronavirus crisis, according to a UNSW Business School expert.

Opinion

16 Jul 2021

Vital Signs: amid the lockdown gloom, Australia's jobless rate hits decade low of 4.9%

General

16 Jul 2021

A new $5m centre of excellence will enable capacity building in India

collapsed apartment building in miami with rescue crew

Photo: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue/AP/AAP

Opinion

16 Jul 2021

Why we need engineers who study ethics as much as maths

The Miami apartment collapse is a grim reminder of why engineering matters, and why comprehensive education in ethics should be embedded in the training of engineers.

See, no crying or big needles, just a person of colour showing off his plaster

Photo: Shutterstock

Opinion

09 Apr 2021

Pictures of COVID injections can scare the pants off people with needle phobias. Use these instead

Our well-meaning efforts to use images to help demystify the vaccination process or share our pride in getting a COVID vaccine can backfire.

Professor Richard Kingsford has worked extensively across the wetlands and rivers of the Murray-Darling and Lake Eyre Basins. Photo: UNSW Sydney.

Science & Tech

15 Jul 2021

Ecological Society of Australia honours UNSW academic

River ecologist and conservation biologist Professor Richard Kingsford has been awarded a prestigious 2021 ESA Gold Medal.

People wearing masks wait in line for a COVID-19 test

The last few months in Melbourne and Sydney show the COVID crisis is far from finished. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Opinion

13 Jul 2021

As Sydney’s lockdown continues, what support is available – and needed – for people losing income?

JobKeeper and the Coronavirus Supplement ended earlier this year. But the last few months in have shown the COVID crisis is far from over in Australia.

"There are probably several different syndromes that cause long COVID. In other words, long COVID isn't just one thing": Professor Gail Matthews. Photo: Shutterstock

Health

21 Apr 2021

Long COVID: What is it and what do we know about it?

With over 139 million COVID-19 cases globally, the latest challenge for medical researchers is a post-COVID-19 syndrome referred to as 'long COVID'.

Science & Tech

13 Jul 2021

Survey finds encouraging platypus numbers on Kangaroo Island

Opinion

12 Jul 2021

Why most economists continue to back lockdowns

Professor Megan Davis has been an expert member of the UN Expert Mechanism since 2017. Picture: Andrzej Liiguz

General

13 Jul 2021

Law Professor elected as Chair of United Nations Indigenous rights body

Professor Megan Davis, UNSW Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law and Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous, is the new Chair of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous People.

Dr Beena Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Signal Processing in the School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications, was honoured in the AI in Education category for her development of speech therapy applications for children.

International Women in Engineering Day

Science & Tech

It’s International Women in Engineering Day.

At UNSW, we're so honoured to have inspiring female engineers who are making a big impact in the world.

Opinion

12 Jul 2021

NDIS independent assessments are off the table for now. That’s good – the evidence wasn’t there

Science & Tech

12 Jul 2021

Every spot of urban green space counts

Professor MacIntyre said when considering the life expectancy of children, arguably they have the most to lose from persistence of the pandemic so they should be included in any vaccination program. Photo: Shutterstock

Health

02 Jul 2021

Should Australia vaccinate children against COVID-19?

Experts suggest vaccination of children must be part of Australia’s exit strategy, especially with the Delta variant of the virus.

COVID Files: How do variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge?

Health

Associate Professor Stuart Turville from UNSW Sydney and the Kirby Institute's Immunovirology and Pathogenesis Program explains how variants emerge, how they are detected and what we know about the B.1617 variant.

Opinion

13 Jul 2021

Studying social media can give us insight into human behaviour. It can also give us nonsense

Opinion

13 Jul 2021

First Nations people urgently need to get vaccinated, but are not being consulted on the rollout strategy

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and astrazeneca policy

“There are already very mixed feelings amongst the community regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine and so changing the information regarding dose timing may impact the confidence of some people,” says Associate Professor Holly Seale, an infectious disease social scientist at UNSW. Photo: Shutterstock

Health

09 Jul 2021

Do the public need clearer guidance when it comes to vaccine messaging?

The Prime Minister is asking people in Greater Sydney to consider bringing forward their second AstraZeneca dose but what is the official health advice?

The effects of the pandemic on people living with dementia

Health

Dr Katya Numbers from the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has posed unique risks to people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Dr Numbers' research has revealed people living with dementia have a relatively high risk of contracting severe COVID-19 and are also at risk of neuropsychiatric disturbances as a result of lockdown measures and social isolation.

Social Affairs

05 Jul 2021

'Supercharged' cells help scientists analyse SARS-CoV-2 variants faster

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