April
Articles
Books that changed my mind
Dawn of the artificial employee
A tsunami of change is already arriving. Artificial intelligence is now capable of doing desk jobs that were previously safe from automation. The social and economic effects remain to be seen, but is AI what we think it is?
On my mind: Ranjit Voola
Ranjit Voola has a message for big business. The future belongs to the companies that rethink their single-minded drive for profit, and instead look to developing countries for opportunities to make money, while improving peoples' lives.
Devil of a problem
A contagious cancer is threatening to wipe out the Tasmanian devil. A big problem is that the devils are all so genetically similar. Breeding programs and genome mapping are underway, and there have already been surprises.
The jacaranda we all knew
When it was planted in 1928, no-one could have known that the small, jacaranda sapling in a corner of the Quadrangle would become one of the most beautiful and beloved parts of the University campus.
Sound with vision
It's often called the bionic ear, but Professor Graeme Clark first thought of it as the cochlear implant. His invention has now been changing the lives of deaf people for decades, but it faced strong, early opposition from the medical establishment.
A woman of the world
She used to be an engineer talking to machines. Now Olivia Wellesley-Cole is an aid worker talking to relief organisations, governments and some of the most disadvantaged people in the world. The work can be confronting, but it matters.
In a class of her own
Donna Loughran is a school principal and one of the most successful and respected teachers in NSW. An unlikely outcome for someone who used to habitually skip school to work in a shop, and failed her year 10 exams.
Watch this space
The lack of moon missions doesn't mean space exploration has been standing still. University people are currently involved in everything from deploying satellites, to developing rocket engines for missions to Mars, and finding extra-terrestrial life.
A kaleidoscopic life
From Mt Isa to the Daintree, Palm Island to Sydney, Wilo Muwadda has seen some difficult times, but he has always been defined by his determination and his achievements. He's now pursuing a new goal and taking on new challenges.