Plump ponies, cyberchondria, Mars stars and spectacular robots – if you kept up with the news in 2015, the chances are you saw QUT’s world-class research among the headlines. Here are the top 15 QUT stories that found their way into hearts and living rooms around the world.
QUT set the tone for robotics advancements early. Professor Peter Corke launched the world's first robotics massive open online courses (MOOCs) for undergraduates, while the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision showed off its Baxter robot’s unbeatable Connect Four skills at its official launch at QUT. Watch a video.
Drs Matthew Dunbabin and Feras Dayoub began their first sea trials of COTSbot, the world's first robot designed to seek out and control the Great Barrier Reef's crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS).
Brisbane showed its support for robots of every kind when almost 20,000 people packed Gardens Point campus for QUT’s Robotronica spectacular. Watch a video.
Dr Abigail Allwood, the first woman and first Australian to lead any NASA mission to Mars, returned to QUT to accept her Outstanding Alumnus of the Year award and urge Australia to join the space race. Watch a video.
Professor Matthew Rimmer pointed out the Trans-Pacific Partnership virtually ignored the most pressing global issue of our time – climate change.
Professor Peter Waterhouse and Dr Julia Bally discovered a gene in an ancient native tobacco plant that could speed up plant genetics research and pave the way for growing food on a space station. Watch a video.
Genomics researcher and QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation Executive Director Professor Lyn Griffiths and her team discovered that eating a higher-folate diet may reduce migraine frequency. Watch a video.
Professor Kerry Carrington urged Australia to adopt women-only police stations after her research showed they were highly successful in reducing violence against women in South America.
QUT’s School of Justice launched Australia's first Graduate Certificate in Domestic Violence, coordinated by Associate Professor Molly Dragiewicz.
Bachelor of Justice graduate Harriet Horsfall was announced as Queensland’s 2016 Rhodes Scholar, QUT’s eighth Rhodes Scholar and the fifth in the past six years. Watch a video.
Dr Andrew Baker discovered two more species of suicidally-sexed carnivorous marsupials, one of which may already be destined for the threatened list. Dr Baker broke QUT’s record for social media reach, his research attracting more than 26,800 shares on the IFL Science Facebook page and almost 1,800 shares on the ScienceAlert Facebook page. Watch a video.
Professor Karen Thorpe and Dr Sally Staton called for changes to ‘mandatory’ day-sleep rules in childcare settings after their research showed toddlers who nap during the day may be poorer sleepers at night. Watch a video.
Australian horse fans rallied behind Professor Martin Sillence when he called for kind owners to house 40 plump ponies that had participated in clinical trials to treat laminitis. Watch a video.
Dr Guido Zuccon proved ‘Dr Goggle’ doesn’t know best. His research found searching the internet for medical complaints promoted ‘cyberchondria’ because search engines provide irrelevant information that could lead to incorrect self-diagnosis, self-treatment and possible harm. Watch a video.
Stephen Whyte and Professor Benno Torgler’s study into how women choose sperm donors online revealed smart, shy men were favoured over extroverts.
Media contacts: media@qut.edu.au, 0407 585 901
