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Southern Cross University

Southern Cross University is a contemporary and connected regional research university, with remarkable campus locations - Coffs Harbour and Lismore in New South Wales and the uniquely situated Gold Coast Airport campus in southern Queensland. Our regional environs provide living laboratories for learning and research and creative hubs for artistic endeavour. Southern Cross University has a growing research profile, with 24 research areas identified ‘at or above world standard’ in the most recent Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) national evaluation. Our research strengths include disciplines as diverse as plant genetics, zoology, geoscience, oceanography, engineering, nursing, and complementary and alternative medicine.

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Displaying 261 - 280 of 356 articles
One of four koalas on loan to Singapore Zoo, where they were unveiled to the public on Wednesday May 20. Qantas Airways

Koalas, platypuses and pandas and the power of soft diplomacy

Kevin Markwell, Southern Cross University and Nancy Cushing, University of Newcastle

Four female koalas have just made their debut in front of an adoring public at Singapore Zoo – the latest in a long line of animals used for diplomatic purposes, going back to Winston the platypus.
It may be that the seemingly inhumane aim of causing your opponent to lose consciousness by punching them separates boxing from other sports. Kate Gardiner/Flickr

Should boxing be banned?

James F. Donnelly, Southern Cross University

The death of a 23-year-old boxer has prompted a call by the Queensland branch of the Australian Medical Association for the sport to be banned in Australia.
Do all authors listed on any published work actually contribute to the research? Shutterstock/alexskopje

Tackling unethical authorship deals on scientific publications

Isaac Santos, Southern Cross University; Carlos M. Duarte, The University of Western Australia; Damien Maher, Southern Cross University; Peter Macreadie, University of Technology Sydney, and Scott G Johnston, Southern Cross University

The research excellence of academics is often measured by the quantity and quality of their scholarly publications. But how do we know that all authors listed on a publication have actually been involved…
The potential rezoning of Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area for tourism development begs the question: just what is wilderness, and what is it good for? The Wilderness Society/AAP

Explainer: wilderness, and why it matters

Brendan Mackey, Griffith University and Nicole Rogers, Southern Cross University

The Tasmanian government this month released a draft of the revised management plan for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, which proposes rezoning certain areas from “wilderness zones” to “remote…
Research tells us creativity is a capacity that can be taught. Chiu Ho-yang/Flickr

We need creative teaching to teach creativity

Pema Düddul, Southern Cross University

Whether or not creativity can be taught is still a contested question, though it really shouldn’t be. The evidence is well and truly in on this question. The idea that creativity cannot be taught is based…
What happens when a Surrealist parlour game turns into a writing exercise that’s pubilshed? Can we truly call it a collaborative process? Wikimedia Commons

Exquisite Cadaver: useful writing experiment or just a good game?

Pema Düddul, Southern Cross University; Jen Webb, University of Canberra, and Nike Sulway, University of Southern Queensland

Recently, The Conversation published what was described as “an experiment in collaborative writing” (featuring, among others, Dallas J Baker and Nike Sulway of this present article). The question behind…
Many hands have helped author The Conversation’s first collaborative writing experiment.

An experiment in collaborative writing: day ten

Marguerite Johnson, University of Newcastle; Camilla Nelson, University of Notre Dame Australia; Chris Rodley, University of Sydney; Claire Corbett, Western Sydney University; Donna Hancox, Queensland University of Technology; Jane Messer, Macquarie University; Julian Meyrick, Flinders University; Michelle Smith, Deakin University; Nike Sulway, University of Southern Queensland, and Pema Düddul, Southern Cross University

We’re starting 2015 with an experiment in collaborative creative writing. What happens when you ask ten academics to write a story together? Taking our cue from the Exquisite Cadaver game played by Surrealist…
Aerial image of gas fields in the Darling Downs. Can science keep up with coal seam gas expansion? Google Earth

Science and coal seam gas – a case of the tortoise and the hare?

Damien Maher, Southern Cross University; Douglas Tait, Southern Cross University, and Isaac Santos, Southern Cross University

One of the key questions about the coal seam gas (CSG) industry, which is now being developed at breakneck speed across Australia, is how much methane is released as “fugitive” emissions. Three weeks ago…
Cricketer Phillip Hughes was struck in the head by a ball at the SCG. Dan Peled/AAP

Explainer: what is traumatic brain injury and how is it treated?

James F. Donnelly, Southern Cross University

Life-threatening brain injuries are thankfully rare in cricket and other sports, even those that involve collisions. But Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes’ tragic accident yesterday shows how little…
Writing programs don’t just produce strong writers, they produce critical thinkers with strong skills for the workplace. mpclemens/Flickr

University writing programs deliver, so let’s turn the page

Pema Düddul, Southern Cross University; Donna Lee Brien, CQUniversity Australia; Jen Webb, University of Canberra, and Lynda Hawryluk, Southern Cross University

Whether creative writing can be taught is a question that has been debated on and off for decades. Are writers born, is the question, or can they be made? Neither side of the debate has offered incontrovertible…
Beans have travelled a long way to make your cup of coffee. Jack Fussell/Flickr

Where’s that bean been? Coffee’s journey from crop to cafe

Don Brushett, Southern Cross University

Welcome to the third instalment in our series Chemistry of Coffee, where we unravel the delicious secrets of one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world. As you listen to the whirring grinders…
Environment minister Greg Hunt will now push forward with his Direct Action policy, after successfully negotiating with Clive Palmer. AAP Image/Alan Porritt

Palmer deal gives green light to Direct Action – experts react

Frank Jotzo, Australian National University; Alan Pears, RMIT University; Caroline A Sullivan, Southern Cross University; Jemma Green, Curtin University; John Quiggin, The University of Queensland; Ken Coghill, Monash University, and Neil Perry, Western Sydney University

The federal government’s Direct Action climate policy, a A$2.5 billion scheme aimed at paying polluters to cut their greenhouse emissions, is set to be approved in the Senate after a deal between environment…
Grind, temperature, time and coffee-to-water ratio – nail these for the best coffee. Andy Ciordia/Flickr

The perfect cup of coffee boils down to four factors

Don Brushett, Southern Cross University

Welcome to the second instalment in our series Chemistry of Coffee, where we unravel the delicious secrets of one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world. Here we look at how tweaking variables…
For some vulnerable gamblers, social casino games can trigger a desire to gamble for real money, while for others the games can act as a useful distraction. shutterstock

Social casino games can help – or harm – problem gamblers

Sally Gainsbury, Southern Cross University

Free-to-play social online games that simulate gambling are a hugely popular, and profitable, new phenomenon, but concerns have been raised about how innocent these games really are. Our recently published…
The government’s higher education reforms will benefit the prestigious universities with branding and price power, but few others. Supplied

Non-Go8 university leaders seek changes to higher education bill

Alexandra Hansen, The Conversation

Leaders of Australia’s middle-tier and regional universities are concerned that the government’s proposed higher education package will hurt their brand and their students. At a conference in Melbourne…
Feeling guilty about your frequent flying? It may not be all about you… Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com

Three ways to feel less guilty about frequent flying

Martin Young, Southern Cross University; Arianne C. Reis, Southern Cross University; Francis Markham, Australian National University, and James Higham, University of Otago

If you are worried about the impact of your flying on climate change but keep flying anyway, you might be addicted. At least, this is the finding of recent research from the universities of Bournemouth…
The proposed Aquis casino in Cairns is likely to be underwritten by the poker machine losses of local residents. AAP/Aquis Great Barrier Reef

This time is different? The local costs of Cairns’ new casino

Francis Markham, Australian National University and Martin Young, Southern Cross University

The proposed Aquis casino resort in Cairns is edging ever closer to regulatory approval. The development is touted by proponents as a “man-made wonder of the world” and will cost billions to develop. The…
Your instinct not to trust some people is an evolutionary response to keep you safe. Flood G./Flickr

Trust is unconsciously determined, thanks to the amygdala: study

Emma Saville, The Conversation

The part of the brain responsible for the fight-or-flight response also plays a key role in unconsciously processing a face’s trustworthiness – in a matter of milliseconds. A study published today in The…

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