Among the inspiring change-makers announced for this year’s Australian of the Year Local Hero Awards, two JCU Alumni — Melissa Redsell and Belinda Young — stand out as women empowering change within their local communities.
Since graduating from JCU in 2015, a career in tourism and hospitality has taken Bachelor of Business Alumni James David to over 40 countries. Now back home in Australia, James finds himself managing one of the Sunshine State’s most popular resorts.
JCU Alumni Michael Bromage found that a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Music and English put him on the path to a creative career that has taken him around the world. Michael says his adaptable and creative skills have enabled him to work on projects writing songs for local businesses, developing video and web content across continents, and helping others to creatively solve problems.
JCU Dentistry plays a vital role in providing access to affordable dental health care to Cairns and the broader Far North region, and they’re taking that care from the clinic to the footy field.
When you think about geckos, you might imagine the small brown lizard whose loud and distinctive chatter fills your home of an evening. In actual fact, there are over 1,500 species of gecko worldwide — most of which live in the wild. JCU PhD Candidate Rishab Pillai and his advisor Lin Schwarzkopf are exploring geckos’ sticky secrets.
An eastern spiny-tailed gecko (strophurus williamsi).
Image: Rishab Pillai.
Losing our connection to nature
Chances are you are reading this on some kind of device. You could even be looking at one device, while browsing another. Without even knowing it, your actions could be having a negative impact on an important relationship. JCU PhD student Melusine Martin is exploring how digital technology is affecting people’s feelings of connectedness to their environment.
JCU Alumni Matteo Sandona tells us about his role as a Senior Town Planner at Milford Planning and how he is able to pursue a diverse and challenging career that plans for the future of our regional towns and cities.
JCU Singapore’s Professor Eddy Ng is a visiting academic from Canada who helps early career researchers develop their skills and investigates diversity in the Australian workplace. This International Migrants Day (18 December), Eddy tells us why it makes a huge difference that skilled migrants are encouraged to integrate and not to assimilate.