Outcomes

It began with dead embryos, a distraught PhD student and a chance conversation with a cleaner in a university corridor. What followed would take Professor Rebecca Robker and her team into an entirely new field of research, spark widespread public interest and ultimately put their findings before a Federal Senate inquiry. And, as Robker is quick to point out, none of it would have been possible without early funding from what was then the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation –…

The world of genetics has a group of unruly schoolchildren to thank for Professor Grant Sutherland choosing science over teaching. Growing up on a farm in country Victoria, money was tight. University was only possible for the future internationally renowned geneticist after he secured a scholarship to become a secondary school teacher. There was just one slight problem. At the beginning of the third year of his science degree, Sutherland was sent into a high school for three weeks of…

As his Fellowship draws to a close, Dr Kopecki isn't winding down. Instead, he's taking the next step, working with industry to advance groundbreaking research that could revolutionise the way chronic wounds and infections are treated in children with EB. “I'm actually kind of excited and energised to take this research to the next step and to be working closely with industry, I'm really positive on the future outcomes,” the Adelaide University Industry Research Fellow shares. And Dr Kopecki acknowledges…

77% of young people are experiencing body image distress, making them 24 times more likely to develop depression and putting them at higher risk of developing an eating disorder. However, the resources to educate young people about fuelling their bodies — without triggering shame — are severely lacking, particularly for Years 7 through 10, where the gap is greatest. This project will create two tailored programs for Year 7-10 students, and will be delivered by teachers as five interactive online…

Delivered in partnership with Raising Literacy Australia, this inaugural project is aimed at supporting and improving literacy outcomes for Aboriginal children, because while 23.8% of children in South Australia start school developmentally vulnerable, this figure rises to 42.5% for Aboriginal children – a gap that the project seeks to address in culturally meaningful ways. (Australian Early Development Census) The project will build on the successful early childhood development campaign, Words Grow Minds – a universal program that demonstrates how everyday…

Incensed in his early 20s when he finally realised just how cool science was, Todd Norton determined he would become a teacher so no other student would miss out. “It just didn’t come across how cool science was in school. And I thought I’d become a teacher to show (students) just how cool it can be,” the now Dr Norton says.  However, a teacher friend steered him away from the profession, suggesting he should “have a go at actual science”,…

Dr Ryan Balzan hopes the smartphone app he is co-designing will one day make his role as a clinical psychologist obsolete. Only half joking, he says the goal of the “Thinking About Thinking” app is to intervene early before young people develop an eating disorder. Supported by the Firefly Children’s Foundation, the app targets key risk factors including perfectionism, rigid thinking and body image concerns – traits known to increase vulnerability in adolescents. Eating disorders are among the leading causes…

A superhero belt, a hearty dose of time in nature and a bit of dirt are helping shape a new approach to improving children’s health and development. Early career researcher Dr Kylie Dankiw drew on her childhood exploring creeks and their leafy surrounds in Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs. “I was really, always really passionate about the environment and fascinated in the natural world and how things worked, and our connection to nature,” she said. “All I did was explore and find…