UNSW

💬 “Kelp forests really are the fabric of the oceans... And at the same time, they're often the forgotten forests. We need to connect the public, governments and, environmental agencies to the essential essence of these marine ecosystems.”

A new report led by UNSW Science marine ecologist Dr Aaron Eger has found that only 2% of the kelp forest challenge, an initiative aiming to protect and restore 40% of kelp forests by 2040, has been met.

The report highlights the need to accelerate conservation of kelp forests, which cover a third of the world's coastlines but receive minimal attention and funding compared with coral reefs and other marine ecosystems.

Read the full story 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/10/countries-need-to-do-more-to-conserve-kelp-forests-and-meet-international-targets?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Happy Diwali to all! ✨

Halloween ready 👻

📸 Camelia Haywood

UNSW Scientia Professor Helen Christensen has been named the 2024 NSW Scientist of the Year! 🏆

Four UNSW researchers, including Prof Susan Coppersmith, Dr Ira Deveson and Prof Stuart Tangye, have been recognised at this year's awards, acknowledging their impactful work on the local and global stage across science, health and engineering.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/10/Four-UNSW-researchers-win-NSW-Premiers-Prizes-for-Science-and-Engineering

🏆UNSW Business School has been named the top Business School in Australia by Financial Review BOSS for a third year in a row, beating 36 others from across the country! 🎉

💬 “We're preparing the next generation of leaders to not only succeed but to make an impact and contribute to advancing economic and social prosperity,” said Professor Frederik Anseel, Dean of UNSW Business School.

Read the full story: https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2024/10/unsw-named-best-business-school-in-australia-in-annual-afr-boss-?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

We welcomed India’s Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and his delegation to our campus for a tour and discussions about UNSW’s expertise in solar and clean energy technology, waste recycling and support for startups.

💬 “Our University has always valued innovation and world-leading research in areas that are important for the health and prosperity of people all over the world, and we welcome this opportunity to discuss how our expertise can, in partnership, contribute to key challenges and opportunities facing India.”

Read more 🔗https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/10/UNSW-hosts-Indian-Education-Minister-showcasing-education-and-research-ties?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Main Walkway ❌ Memory Lane ✔️

Celebrate 75 years of progress at UNSW with our archive exhibition on Kensington campus.

Think you know your generations? See if you can guess the decade of these historic moments: https://www.unswdecadesquiz.com.au/

💬 “The heat itself looks to be doing something to increase people’s distress and that is supported by other literature.”

A new UNSW study has linked hot weather to an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviours among young Australians, prompting calls for an overhaul of public health approaches to higher temperatures.

The study expands on previous research showing increases in adult and overall mental health presentations to emergency departments as temperatures rise. This is the first study to examine presentations among youth in NSW.

Lead author of the study Dr Cybele Dey noted that “this is not about concern about climate change affecting the mental health of young people, this is about hot weather itself affecting them”.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/10/rise-in-suicidal-behaviours-among-young-people-linked-to-hotter-temperatures?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Jacaranda season is the best season! 💜💜

💬 “It was extremely concerning to see how much the original business case underestimated the financial cost of this project, especially given the well-documented track record of dams being notorious for cost overruns.”

In 2019, the NSW and Federal Coalition governments announced they would raise the dam wall of Wyangala Dam on the Lachlan River, at a shared cost of $650 million but by 2021, the estimated cost of the infrastructure of the dam had blown out to $2.1 billion.

Now, new research from Flinders University and UNSW has estimated the true cost of the dam to the public.

Dam shame: government’s costing of Wyangala enlargement project doesn’t add up, say experts UNSW and Flinders university researchers say the government-proposed Wyangala Dam enlargement costs are significantly underestimated, while the benefits are overestimated.

It is estimated there are more than 421,000 people living with a form of dementia in Australia.

New research from UNSW Business School and UNSW Medicine & Health has found a number of social factors play a crucial role in the risk of dementia.

Researchers say their findings have significant implications for businesses and workplaces, especially those in the healthcare and wellness sectors, where employee well-being is directly tied to job performance and overall health.

Read the full story 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/10/how-do-social-factors-influence-the-risk-of-dementia-?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

🏆 For the third year in a row UNSW has ranked 1st in Australia for the largest number of new startup and spinout companies founded through technology developed at the University!

UNSW recorded 12 spinout companies in 2023 across a variety of fields with projects including new treatments for tissue surgery, clean fuel, next-gen solar modelling and virtual reality driving simulators.

The ranking reinforces our position as Australasia’s leading institution in research commercialisation and entrepreneurship. 🤝

UNSW Football runs in this family ⚽️

Last month, UNSW Medical Science student Tamara Jago represented our Women’s Football team at the 2024 UniSport Nationals, where the team scored a Div. 1 bronze medal in extra time.

Tamara’s parents were also both part of the UNSW Football team back in 1993, making this achievement a true family tradition. 👏

Congratulations to the 480 student athletes that represented UNSW at UniSport Nationals. Team UNSW achieved an overall ranking of 4th, as well as coming 2nd in the Spirit of the Games, two huge achievements!

Meet Faith, UNSW Medicine & Health’s youngest ever donor!

At just ten years old, Faith recently donated her birthday money to our National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health.

For previous birthdays, Faith has donated to Sydney Children’s Hospital, the Heart Centre for Children at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the NSW Rural Fire Service. After learning about the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health from her mum, she decided to donate this year's birthday money to the Centre to support their work in improving outcomes for people with intellectual disability.

A huge thanks to Faith for her generous donation! We can’t wait to see how you continue to help others in the future.

💬 “…it is hard to see confidence returning unless the industry takes a new approach.”

Dr Bradley Hastings and Professor Peter Swan from UNSW Business School say protection for consumer deposits in Australia's housing construction sector is vital as insolvencies rise. 🏡

Construction nightmares: How builder bankruptcies are costing Aussie homeowners millions Protection for consumer deposits in Australia's construction sector is vital as insolvencies rise, threatening the stability of the homebuilding industry.

New modelling from the University of Calcutta and UNSW has shown that widespread rooftop solar installations can change the local conditions of cities. ☀️

The researchers found that city-wide rooftop solar has a heating and cooling effect, reduces pollutant concentration at ground level and enhances the pe*******on of coastal sea breezes in cities.

The study does not suggest that solar panels aren’t an important renewable energy solution in the transition away from fossil fuels. Instead, it highlights the opportunity to develop integrated solutions for rooftop solar panels to balance their benefits with potential drawbacks in urban environments.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/10/rooftop-solar-panels-impact-temperatures-during-the-day-and-night-in-cities-modelling

We’re proud to announce that we have ranked 83rd globally in the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings 🏆

Over 2,000 institutions were measured in this year’s rankings, with UNSW improving its position among the world's top universities.

Read more 🔗https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/10/UNSW-improves-THE-World-University-ranking-to-83rd-spot?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Hoarding disorder affects 2.5% of the working-age population – around 715,000 Australians.

A new study from UNSW psychology researchers has shown that an experiential technique often used in cognitive behavioural therapy is effective at reducing anxiety and increasing motivation to discard items in people with hoarding traits.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/10/hoarding-disorder-sensory-cbt-treatment-strategy-shows-promise?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

💬 “We’ve developed an electrode that can significantly increase the energy storage capability of lithium-ion batteries by replacing graphite with compounds derived from food acids…”

UNSW chemists have developed a prototype battery component that uses food-based acids found in sherbet and winemaking to make lithium-ion batteries more efficient, affordable and sustainable. 🔋

Next-gen batteries using food-based acids hit sustainability sweet spot Emerging battery technologies can help us transition toward a fossil fuel-free future.

A new report from UNSW, Swinburne University of Technology and University of Tasmania researchers at the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute has found that increased housing options are needed for people on social housing waiting lists as applicants with increasing health and support needs face longer wait times.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/10/social-housing-delivers-more-than-just-a-home-for-people-with-complex-support-needs-report?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

We welcomed Dr S Janakiraman, Consul General of India in Sydney to our campus on Wednesday for Gandhi Jayanti. 🇮🇳

He joined our Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global Professor Colin Grant and students from the UNSW Indian Society to celebrate the life of Mahatma Gandhi and the International Day of Non-Violence.

💬 “You just don't think about how much work it takes for these tiny hatchlings to swim through the sand in the dark, with almost no oxygen.”

UNSW researchers have found green turtle hatchlings ‘swim' out of the sand they hatch in by rocking forwards and backwards rather than tipping side-to-side.

Scientists use tiny ‘backpacks’ on turtle hatchlings to observe their movements Miniature accelerometers reveal new insights into the elusive period between turtles hatching and emerging above sand.

💬 “It has been incredibly exciting to release 20 western quolls and 100 bilbies into the Wild Training Zone area.”

UNSW researchers are hoping to train threatened species to recognise and survive feral predators.

These species – including quolls, bettongs and bilbies – became extinct in the wild in NSW about a hundred years ago, and are being reintroduced through the Wild Deserts project, a 10-year initiative in the north-west corner of NSW aimed at restoring the desert ecosystem.

Read the full story 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/09/quolls-bilbies-living-beyond-fence-sturt-national-park?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

More than one million Australians live with type 2 diabetes, yet heart and kidney disease are the major causes of death and poor quality of life for these people.

Fortunately, there are medicines available to help mitigate this and potentially save lives, but a new study has revealed that many Australians are missing out.

🔗 More: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/09/australians-with-type-2-diabetes-missing-out-on-crucial-medications?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Australia continues to lead the way in IVF safety.

A new report reveals that the rates of twins and triplets born through IVF have hit a record low, thanks to an increase in single embryo transfers.

Rates of IVF twins and triplets hit record low: new report Australia continues to be one of the safest countries globally for IVF treatment, the latest data shows.