Research & Innovation

“Education allowed me to become a changemaker”: Q&A with sustainability and equality champion Dr Sandy Chong
“Education allowed me to become a changemaker”: Q&A with sustainability and equality champion Dr Sandy Chong

Dr. Sandy Chong, a successful businesswoman and philanthropist, emphasizes the transformative power of education for women. She believes education is key to unlocking women’s potential as disruptors and leaders. By empowering women, we can create a more equitable and innovative society.

Leading sustainability communicator mentors next generation on climate challenges
Leading sustainability communicator mentors next generation on climate challenges

Growing up in Esperance along our State’s picturesque south coast, a young Josh Byrne was inquisitive about the world around him.

The coastal location with its brilliant blue waters, powdery white beaches, and spectacular national parks, proved the ideal landscape to awaken the environmental scientist’s love and appreciation for nature.

Curtin research to develop evidence-based strategies for expanding access to youth mental health care in WA
Curtin research to develop evidence-based strategies for expanding access to youth mental health care in WA

Currently in WA, there are children whose mental health problems are too severe for early interventions provided by not-for-profit organisations but not severe enough for acute specialist services. They wait extended periods of time to see a psychologist or psychiatrist due to the limited supply of these mental health professionals.

Economics student Alex Jayasuria raises his voice at COP26
Economics student Alex Jayasuria raises his voice at COP26

Thank you for the kind words! I am from Southeast Asia, where income inequality and the disparity between standards of living within the region are substantial, particularly in Malaysia where I was born. I lived in a small house in a collapsing neighbourhood there but have also been privy to the luxuries of life here in Australia. I am lucky to have been gifted a better quality of life and I intend to use this to help those less fortunate than me.

Ending shame and embracing disability inclusion with Curtin staff champion Alana Kelly
Ending shame and embracing disability inclusion with Curtin staff champion Alana Kelly

Looking at me, you would have no way of knowing that I have ADHD. In adults, it doesn’t look like what you may think. For starters, a majority of us internalise our hyperactivity. Being faced with negative feedback from a young age, we learn how to mask symptoms so we can fit in with societal expectations. But this feels uncomfortable to do and takes a huge personal toll.

Finding joy in building homes with construction management grad Alberto Amara
Finding joy in building homes with construction management grad Alberto Amara

As managing director, I worked hard to continue the business’ progressive tradition, which started in 1959. Collier Homes is a special brand and a household name. My vision was to shape it into one that was more design-oriented, thoughtful and inclusive – “good design, made accessible” became our motto. I believe the refreshed branding and projects we took on spoke to that vision.

Our journey to end Alzheimer’s devastating impact on community
Our journey to end Alzheimer’s devastating impact on community

“I went to my doctor and said: ‘I feel like my head is not working properly’,” says Eileen. “My doctor did some memory tests and then sent me to a specialist (gerontologist) who organised a brain scan that showed I had Alzheimer’s disease. I don’t know why I have it because my two sisters don’t have it and neither does my 97-year-old mother.”

“Regional Aussies don’t need to conform to stereotypes”: Bec Bignell on filming ‘Homespun’
“Regional Aussies don’t need to conform to stereotypes”: Bec Bignell on filming ‘Homespun’

Curtin graduate Bec Bignell (BA Journalism and Performance Studies, 2007) grew up on a farm in Kojonup in regional Western Australia and has worked in film and television for over a decade. She recently finished shooting a new web series in the Great Southern which showcases and celebrates regional Australia – and challenges country stereotypes.

If I can become a teacher, anyone can: essay by Katherine Pritchard
If I can become a teacher, anyone can: essay by Katherine Pritchard

In the 1970s social housing was clustered into specific suburbs, so the poor and rich were separated. Our family was very low income, as were our neighbours. At school, teachers either brought out the best in us or judged our academic capability by our postcode. Their expectations of my family and I were always low.

“Education allowed me to become a changemaker”: Q&A with sustainability and equality champion Dr Sandy Chong
“Education allowed me to become a changemaker”: Q&A with sustainability and equality champion Dr Sandy Chong

Businessperson, philanthropist, mentor and educator, Dr Sandy Chong (BCom Management and Marketing, 1996, PhD Information Systems, 2003) has been a champion for change ever since she began her higher education journey and decided she wanted to be a “student for life.”

‘Grok’ and the grads it inspired: reflections on over half a century of Curtin’s student rag
‘Grok’ and the grads it inspired: reflections on over half a century of Curtin’s student rag

Passed around by Student Guild members, shared among student protestors walking down the streets of Perth’s CBD, and more recently transformed into an online blog, the small and sometimes carefully, sometimes haphazardly, constructed student newspaper known as Grok has a long history in Perth.

Nursing grad Mel Robinson on the key to success for Aboriginal Uni students
Nursing grad Mel Robinson on the key to success for Aboriginal Uni students

As an Aboriginal woman with connections to Ngarinyin and Gidja Country in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, Melanie Robinson (BS Nursing, 1993) has described having to overcome racist attitudes throughout her career and journey to becoming the respected and knowledgeable health practitioner she is today. But for her, it has all been worth it to do what she loves most — improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in her role as Acting Director of Aboriginal Health at the Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) in WA.