Story archive

Julia Ellyard, Carola Vinuesa, Susan Tadros and Matthew Cook. Photo by Stuart Hay.

New hope for treating autoimmune disease

We often overuse the word 'revolutionary'. Sometimes something revolutionary happens. Tabitha Carvan reports.

Batase Library, facing the Langtang Himalayan Range. Libraries are more than just a collection of books – they provide a safe place where communities can gather together to develop new skills and fight social inequality. Photo by Christina Lee.

Christina Lee, a third-year Law and Arts (Human Rights) student, has already experienced the power of university students to change the world.

Editor's note

We have many terrific stories to share with you in this edition, which is back to the standard format. The February edition, a special for the opening of the Kambri precinct, featured two covers – a first for Reporter. Clearly you liked the way we changed the magazine – it ‘sold out’!

Booromba. Photo by Associate Professor Seth Lazar.

Capturing the night sky

Associate Professor Seth Lazar was an avid travel and portrait photographer before coming to Australia. Here, trips to the bush, with crisp air and clear skies allowed him to explore a different and magical subject – the night sky. Adam Spence reports.

Dr Alessandra Capezio. Photo: ANU College of Business and Economics.

Will the banks really change?

The Hayne Royal Commission Report recommends, among other things, that regulators, banks, superannuation and financial services entities make organisational changes to reduce the risks of misconduct and unethical behaviour. Specific recommendations include ‘building cultures that reduce the risk of misconduct’ and changes to remuneration practices to focus more on behaviours and not just results.

Trust in short supply

In the Australian debate about the priority to be given to the economic relationship with China versus the national security risks of that rising power, there is a strange silence about the stark difference in values between our two countries.

Senior Fellow Mark Kenny from the Australian Studies Institute. Photo by Lannon Harley.

Why did the journalist cross the lake?

Former political journalist Mark Kenny has become a Senior Fellow at the Australian Studies Institute. But he still goes to Question Time. He spoke to Ross Peake about his new role.

Leveraging power at the UN

Jochen Prantl is researching how countries can wield influence on the UN Security Council.

Yohanni and Tony Johns. Photo by Jamie Kidston.

Speaking the same language

Indonesian tradition would never have allowed Tony, a Briton, to marry Yohanni, who is a Mingangkabau. Adam Spence reports.

The Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launches on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2018 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Photo by NASA/Bill Ingalis.

Looking down, not up, to predict drought

ANU scientists are working with space technology to predict droughts months in advance. Will Wright reports.

Researcher Elizabeth Ellis from the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences. Photo by Lannon Harley.

Mother tongue

A chance find of a language fragment buried in archives of a family farm sheds light on a forgotten Indigenous language. Jane Faure-Brac reports on how the find is emblematic of the United Nation’s Year of Indigenous Languages.

Liolaemus tenuis from the Andes in the Biobio region of Chile. Photo by Damien Esquerré.

Breaking a golden rule

A researcher has made a remarkable discovery about a group of lizards living in the Andes. Jess Fagan reports.

Children washing clothes at Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. Photo by Dr Bina D'Costa.

Protecting children on the move

A refugee camp is not the easiest place to conduct field research, but when you are exploring how best to protect children during their migration journey, that is where the need is greatest. Olivia Wenholz reports.

Following an ancestral pathway

ANU archaeologists have uncovered the earliest unambiguous evidence of ritual activity in the Torres Strait. Evana Ho reports.

ANU researcher Ilya Bobrovskiy searches for fossils in the Zimnie Gory locality, Russia. Photo by Ilya Bobrovskiy.

The Holy Grail of palaeontology

PhD scholar Ilya Bobrovskiy has already revealed the earliest known animal, but you can expect some more big discoveries from this young scientist. Will Wright reports.

Raquel Ormella, Wealth for toil 1, 2014.

Activism stitched-up

This artist asks questions by using burnt flags and restitched work wear. Anne-Marie Jean reports.

Slides of rock samples prepared by Dr Germaine Anne Joplin AM. Photo by Bethany Ellis.

Joppy Lane

A road in Kambri has been named after a trail-blazer in geology. Jess Fagan reports.

Beware the baitlayer

Many words have historically been used to describe a cook, as Australian National Dictionary editor Dr Amanda Laugesen, BA (Hons) ’97, PhD ’01 explains.

Vanessa PIrotta with the waterproof drone.

From campus to whale snot

The best known research of Dr Vanessa Pirotta, BSc ’10, is the use of drones to collect whale snot for an assessment of whale health.

Grace Elizabeth Jennings Carmichael (1867–1904). Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria.

On this day

With whom do you share your birthday? Dr Nicole McLennan, PhD ’98, solves the riddle.

The Honourable Peter Garrett AM and ANU Chancellor, Professor the Honourable Gareth Evans AC QC. Photo by Lannon Harley.

An agent of change

Australian musician, environmental campaigner and former Cabinet Minister Peter Garrett AM was awarded an Honorary Doctorate earlier this year. Here is the speech he delivered at the conferral ceremony.

Global debates, local dilemmas

Sex-selective abortion has been the subject of vigorous debate around the world, as Elouise Ball reports.

Katrina Power at the Museum of Australian Democracy. Photo by Jamie Kidston.

Watching over works of art

If you enjoy your next visit to the Museum of Australian Democracy, the person to thank is Katrina Power, BA (Art History and Curatorship) (Hons) ’97.

Dr Kiara Bruggeman. Photo by Jamie Kidston.

New help for stroke victims

Biomedical Engineer Dr Kiara Bruggeman, PhD ’17, has developed a new type of hydrogel, a material that mimics healthy brain tissue. This new technology could be used in stroke patients to administer drugs directly to the damaged area of the brain. These drugs have traditionally been administered by a permanent needle or canula, which the brain doesn’t recognise. By mimicking healthy brain tissue, the hydrogel allows the drugs to be readily accepted by the brain. Here’s a day in her life.

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