Health/Medicine/Wellbeing
Life, simulated
A quick glance at accident statistics tells a grim story – alcohol or drugs and driving or any other skilled activity don’t mix. But while the relationship between drug or alcohol consumption and impaired performance is well known, until now, researching this relationship has been difficult: giving someone a stiff drink and putting them behind the wheel of a car crosses ethical boundari...
Research briefs
Macquarie University has a tradition of breaking the mould, of being a centre where high levels of research engagement are strongly encouraged and where a pervasive research culture spanning all academic levels provides the opportunity for innovative breakthroughs. Some of the most intriguing stories are below. Healthy reefs Planet of the bugs Transforming surgical innovation Creat...
Students struggle to hear in open-plan classrooms
Recently some schools have begun converting classrooms to open plan learning spaces, with as many as 200 children in one area. While the classroom settings make group work easier and improve children’s social skills, noise can be a big problem for both students and teachers. According to Kiri Mealings, a PhD candidate researching speech perception in open plan classrooms, noise is a real ...
Australia Day Honours
It was another outstanding year for alumni and staff who were recognised in the Australia Day honours. Four Macquarie University professors were recognised for their contribution to education and to their disciplines. Emeritus Professor Farhat Yusuf, Professor Rosalind Croucher and Professor John Croucher all received Order of Australia (AM) awards, while. Adjunct Professor Jim Patrick A...
New UNESCO physical education guidelines aimed at longer, more productive lives
The time children and adults all over the world spend engaging in physical activity is decreasing, with dire consequences for their health, life expectancy, and ability to perform in the classroom, in society and at work. It’s a trend that the World Health Organization (WHO) has described as a pandemic that contributes to the death of 3.2 million people every year, more than twice as many...
New clinic helps people read all about it
The Cognition Clinic for Reading is now open to the public, at the Australian Hearing Hub. “Our clinic’s aim is to help people with a range of reading and spelling difficulties, and their supporters,” said Genevieve McArthur. “We help people directly by providing comprehensive assessments and evidence-based advice about treatments. At the same time, we know we can’t help everybody ...