27 - 08 - 2021
Join us for this week's roundup of inspiring Scholar news...
Our Patron-in-Chief, his Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC, Governor-General of Australia, has been published in The Australian this week. He has delivered a heartfelt message intending to support and uplift Australians. In this personal message, he has urged us to band together, because overcoming this is the only way we can reach our new normal.
Misinformation causing vaccine hesitancy in Victorian communities
Dr Garang Dut, 2017 Roth/Segal John Monash Harvard Scholar has joined several other African Australians for an article recently published by SBS that explores some reasons for vaccine hesitancy. Dr Dut has outlined that social media has played a huge role in spreading conspiracy theories. Though official government health messages are being translated into other languages and broadcast through television, they are not impactful in comparison to other sources of news. He has outlined further support measures that could help communities feel more informed and included in the COVID-19 response.
The deepest insights come from a holistic understanding of problems
The University of Melbourne has included Lauren Bennett, 2021 Judith Neilson Foundation John Monash Scholar ‘Sustainable Futures’, as one of their own inspiring alumni members. In an online article, Lauren discussed the breadth of her studies at The University of Melbourne including literature and philosophy which gave her critical grounding to work in science and technology. It was this experience that allowed her to pivot from biomedicine to economics and machine learning. She is now commencing a cross-disciplinary PhD in the Ecological Brain Program through The University College London as part of her John Monash Scholarship.
Calls for lifesaving assistance as Afghans have to leave homes
Catherine Stubberfield, 2010 John Monash Scholar, has been quoted extensively across international news channels this week. As the Asia Pacific regional spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, she is calling for countries neighbouring Afghanistan to accept refugees as the situation remains precarious. The number of internally displaced people in Afghanistan amounts to 3.5 million people, including over 500,000 displaced since January 2021, Stubberfield said.
Does offshore processing work?
2012 John Monash Scholar Madeline Gleeson appeared on ABC’s podcast The Signal this week, on behalf of the UNSW’s Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law. In a twenty-minute episode, Madeline discusses and explains the reality of the off-shore processing policy and the four stages it has gone through over 20 years. This podcast was released to mark the 20th anniversary of the offshore processing policy.
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