Bond University will open its doors to the public next month with a series of free lectures, seminars and debates showcasing the array of imaginative, innovative and inspirational research currently underway at the Gold Coast university.
The fifth annual Bond University Research Week will run from 10 to 14 October and will shine a spotlight across Bond’s Business, Law, Health Sciences and Medicine, and Society & Design faculties, covering such topics as autism, antibiotic resistance, screenplay writing and women in research.
The week-long event will include daytime and evening public lectures, along with specialist industry seminars including a half-day workshop, Zen and the Art of Law, highlighting wellness and resilience in the legal profession and a two-day Forensic Accounting Teaching and Research Symposium.
For the first time, this year’s Research Week will include special events and activities for secondary school students too. Bond’s Research Challenge: Quest for the Golden Researcher will give local Year 10 students the opportunity to test their knowledge against Bond University academics in a fun, interactive online quiz, with an Apple Watch, iPad Mini or iTunes voucher going to the winning students, iTunes vouchers for the winning teams plus $1,000 for the winning school.
Bond University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford, said Bond University Research Week was an opportunity to highlight the breadth of innovative research being conducted on the Gold Coast, and the positive impact it had on the everyday lives of members of the community.
"Research Week is an annual highlight on the University calendar, providing the community with insight into the imaginative, innovative and inspirational research that is happening at Bond and an opportunity to interact with our researchers," he said.
"The activities provide a forum for future students and industry professionals to connect with the University’s research programs, through personal meetings with the academics leading our global endeavours.”
“The week also provides an excellent way for the community to discover more about the world around us. We take our responsibility to be a place of higher learning very seriously.
"Our researchers are working with industry leaders and researchers from other organisations, locally and globally, to deliver world-class research outcomes that enhance the everyday lives of individuals and the broader community.”
Bond University Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research, Professor Keitha Dunstan, said this year's Research Week would discuss a number of important issues in modern society.
"The Week will kick off with a public event headlined by Professor Vicki Bitsika AM, Director of the Centre for Autism Spectrum Disorder, who will present data from her recent study that shines the light on how anxiety impacts the daily lives of boys and girls with ASD," she said.
"Professor Bitsika will also present emerging data on the profound and chronic stress levels that particularly affect girls on the autism spectrum, which will give their teachers, carers and families - and the community at large - a unique insight into what these children experience day in and day out.
"Tuesday will see a controversial panel discussion featuring Dr Richard Hill, Mr Rolf Moses and Bond Professor Rachael Field on wellbeing and resilience in the law and whether stress in the legal profession is the result of a lack of coping skills or the pursuit of ever-improving performance and ever-increasing profits.
"Given that it is projected there will be 10 million deaths each year from antibiotic resistance by 2050, on Wednesday evening Bond Professor of Public Health Chris Del Mar and the University of Queensland's Dr Mark Blaskovich will tackle both sides of the controversial issue of antibiotic use in society and whether we should ‘innovate’ or ‘regulate’.
"This is just a sample of some of the research being showcased throughout Bond University Research Week, so I would encourage anyone who is curious to attend for the opportunity to hear, learn, discuss and debate these important issues with our world-class academics."
Bond University will also host the fourth Forensic Accounting Teaching and Research Symposium from 13-14 October, which is expected to attract more than 100 accountants and academics from across Australia and the Pacific, to learn about the latest developments and innovations in this dynamic area.
The symposium will include presentations from a diverse range of speakers including Deloitte Forensics Partner Nikki Scott-Smith, Supreme Court barristers Sandy (Gavin) Thompson QC and Simon Gerber and the former Auditor-General of Queensland Len Scanlon.