Latest news with #SouthernCrossUniversity
New York Times
6 days ago
- Science
- New York Times
The Manmade Clouds That Could Help Save the Great Barrier Reef
The fog was neither subtle nor slow. It did not emanate gradually from the sea or roll gently down the slopes of the nearby islands. It erupted into the air with all the drama of a volcanic-ash plume. Yet, for all that, its source was quite modest: a grid of nozzles, about 20 feet wide, stationed on the back of a ship. On a hot February morning, that ship and two smaller companion barges — nicknamed Big Daddy and the Twins — roamed a bay within the Palm Islands cluster, off the northeastern coast of Australia. Each pumped seawater aboard, pressurized it and sprayed it into the air through hundreds of tiny nozzles arrayed on metal frames. Dense plumes of fog billowed from all three vessels, forming long white strands that eventually converged into a seamless cloak. Daniel Harrison — an engineer, pilot and oceanographer based at Southern Cross University's National Marine Science Center — surveyed the scene from the large ship's observation deck, one hand on his wide-brimmed brown felt hat to keep it from flying away. It was the most successful test of the technology to date, he said. Since 2016, Harrison and his colleagues have been investigating whether it is possible to reduce coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef by altering the weather above it. As the planet heats up, unusually high ocean temperatures are stressing corals around the world, forcing them to eject their symbiotic partners: the photosynthetic single-celled algae that live in their tissues and provide them with much of their sustenance. Theoretically, machine-generated fog and artificially brightened clouds can shade and cool the water in which corals live, sparing them much of that stress. Not far behind the primary fogger on the big ship stood a pair of cloud-modifying machines known as the cannons. From a distance, each tubular white contraption resembled a jet engine angled toward the sky. Up close, you could see that they were mostly hollow, outfitted on one end with a large fan and on the other with a ring of torpedo-shaped manifolds, each of which supported nearly 100 small metal nozzles. When the scientists switched them on, a series of squat, square air compressors began to groan and shake, like washing machines pushed to their breaking point. This time, seawater pumped onboard was combined with highly pressurized air before being expelled through the nozzles. The result was a fine white mist that burst from the cannons at more than 60 miles per hour. As the wind lifted the briny spray into the air, it intermingled with low-lying clouds, making them more reflective. Harrison's project is essentially a highly localized version of geoengineering: the deliberate modification of the planet to counteract climate change. When Harrison began his undergraduate studies in the late 1990s, geoengineering was still largely taboo in the scientific community. In a paper that considered the history of such research, the climate scientist Stephen Schneider recalled that even the idea of including a single chapter on geoengineering in a 1992 National Research Council report resulted in 'serious internal and external debates.' The physicist David Keith, now a prominent figure in the field, remembers colleagues in the '90s telling him that pursuing geoengineering might tarnish his reputation and derail his career. Not much changed in the subsequent two decades, though there were some high-profile geoengineering blunders. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
ABC News
16-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Southern Cross University under fire for giving research funding to conspiracy theorist Trevor Hold
Southern Cross University is providing research funding to a conspiracy theorist who has wrongly claimed fire ant bait causes ADHD, autism, and low fertility in humans. The university has confirmed it has allocated funding to Trevor Hold, an organic cattle farmer, who has spread misinformation about Australia's fire ant treatment program. Mr Hold is an administrator for Stop The Toxic Fire Ant Program, an activist group that incorrectly claims fire ant bait kills birds, bees, cows, and dogs. The national fire ant authority says Mr Hold and other members of the group have harassed their workers and obstructed them from entering properties to treat fire ants. A university spokesperson said the university had allocated $7,500 to Mr Hold for his assistance in field trials and for the use of his "Fire Ant Soup Machine", which involves spraying hot water onto fire ant nests using a machine invented in Florida and licensed in Australia by Mr Hold. Southern Cross University entomologist Nigel Andrew said Mr Hold initiated the research trial into the efficacy of the alternative "chemical-free" treatment. However, the National Fire Ant Eradication Program and the Invasive Species Council have described this method as less effective, less reliable, and less affordable than the current treatments. Invasive Species Council advocacy manager Reece Pianta said he was concerned the university was partnering with Mr Hold instead of a reputable institution. "I think it's really important that the community looks for trusted sources for advice on this, and understands the way these things are being applied." Mr Pianta refuted claims by Mr Hold that the Invasive Species Council was being paid off by "pro-chemical places" to promote the fire ant eradication program. Mr Pianta said he was "surprised" that Professor Andrew, a prominent entomologist, was involving himself with Mr Hold. National Fire Ant Eradication Program general manager Marni Manning said Stop The Toxic Fire Ant Program had directed threats and abuse at her workers. Ms Manning said Mr Hold, and others in his group, were spreading "dangerous misinformation" about the safety of their fire ant treatments. She said previous studies on hot water treatments had shown limited effectiveness. "We have extensively explored what is being tested by the university, and we have found the eradication effectiveness to be very low," Ms Manning said. "Often it won't reach the queen, so you may have disturbed or dismantled the nest temporarily, but you have not actually eradicated that nest, and it will come back very quickly." Ms Manning refuted claims by Professor Andrew that they were "killing off pretty much everything" by spraying the insecticide Fipronil onto properties six times per year. She said there was no evidence that the insect growth regulators used in ant bait, pyriproxyfen and S-methoprene, were harming Australian birds, humans, or other mammals. Professor Andrew said he acknowledged there was no evidence that insect growth regulators harmed humans, but he believed "chemicals should be used as a last resort" to treat fire ants. "They feel disenfranchised, they feel there are problems, they've identified what they see as problems, and they need to be listened to." Professor Andrew has appeared in videos with conspiracy theorist Sarah McGuire, who runs the business Fire Ant Treatment Alternatives Page. Ms McGuire told the ABC that Professor Andrew was aware of her views before he agreed to go on camera. Both Ms McGuire and Mr Hold have made money from their activist activities, charging landholders for signs, posters, advocacy fees, and fake legal notices. Both have claimed, without evidence, that fire ant authorities are pushing a chemical-based eradication agenda in order to continue receiving state and federal government funding. Contacted for comment on the university funding, Mr Hold said the ABC was "controlled media" that refused to report on "the truth" because it received federal government funding. "The stories you're making are one-sided and making us out to be a mob of bloody lunatics."
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
The new threat facing Australian children in daycare centres
Experts are concerned that fast-tracked childcare courses could be putting young lives at risk. Traditional four-year university degrees in early education are being whittled down to just 10-month graduate diplomas as institutions cash in on an industry shortage of teachers and market 'worthless' courses to international students. The industry has come under the spotlight in recent days after Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was charged with over 70 child abuse offences, including the sexual penetration of a child and producing child abuse material. At Southern Cross University in regional NSW, an estimated 6,000 students have enrolled in its 10-month early education graduate diploma in the last two years. University insiders claim that the majority are international students, including older men in their 40s and 50s with corporate backgrounds. 'Childcare services are recognising that students are quite openly telling them that they are only there to get their permanent residency and that's why they are undertaking the course,' a university insider told ABC's 7.30 program. Parents should be concerned that people are coming to Australia to study childcare as a pathway to permanent residency, immigration expert Mark Glazbrook says. 'They're looking after our children and in some cases they're not attending their classes,' he told the program. 'There are a lot of education providers that are set up to deliver courses that are worthless, they're useless. This is a big concern.' University of Sydney early education professor Dr Marianne Fenech said the growing number of international enrolments was a 'cash cow for universities'. 'Employers of high quality services are telling us that the quality of graduates coming out is not what it used to be, it is not as high as it should be,' she said. Dr Fenech was alarmed to hear claims that students were placed with childcare centres that failed to meet minimum national quality standards. Southern Cross University told the program that the graduate diploma is a 'rigorous, high quality program' which includes 60 days of practical experience in early childhood education settings. It is also fully accredited by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. 'Within 10 months, our Graduate Diploma in Education (Early Childhood) will prepare you to work in early childhood education and care services, long day care centres, and preschools,' a course description on the university website states. 'Our course covers key areas of early childhood education and care, theory, principles and practices that best support children's learning and development.' The regulator has since confirmed that it has launched a review into the university. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Southern Cross University for further comment. Parents of 1,200 children were advised to consider testing them for sexually transmitted diseases after coming into contact with Brown. The 26-year-old worked at a total of 20 childcare centres over an eight-year period between January 2017 and May 2025. Brown was not known to police before his arrest and had a valid Working With Children Check, which has since been cancelled. Police discovered evidence of the alleged horrific offending by the childcare worker while investigating 36-year-old Michael Simon Wilson. Wilson, from Hoppers Crossing, was charged with 45 child sex offences on Wednesday, including bestiality, rape and possession of child abuse material, according to court documents. It is understood Brown and Wilson are known to each other, but Wilson's charges are not linked to any childcare centre and involve different alleged victims.
Perth Now
07-07-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Shock claims about uni childcare course
Southern Cross University is facing claims that its 10-month graduate diploma in early childhood education is in crisis. Staff at the university told the ABC's 7.30 program the course, which could bring in $150m in fees for the SCU with the course cost set at $25,000 per student, was 'very low quality'. The institution was reportedly pushing the course 'hard' with an estimated 6000 students enrolled in the past two years, journalist Adele Ferguson reported. 'We've gone from having classes with 200 students in a unit, which was considered a lot, to over 2000 students,' a whistleblower said. The program alleged that the graduate diploma had received massive enrolments from international students, with the course heavily marketed through immigration agents as a pathway to residency. Immigration agent Mark Glazbrook told 7.30 the situation should 'concern every Australian'. 'We have people coming into Australia on student visas that are studying courses just to use that pathway to get permanent residency in Australia and they're looking after our children, and in some cases, they're not attending their classes.' An estimated 6000 students have enrolled in the course in the past two years, 7.30 reported. Southern Cross University / instagram Credit: Supplied In one claim, the program aired emails showing the university had asked staff to join 'phone sprints' to help find placements for students after the level of enrolment left it struggling to meet demand. 'One email described the situation as a significant crisis, threatening the viability of the faculty, with 400 placements needed by May, and another 2381 by July,' Ferguson reported. The staff who found the most placements for students reportedly received a gift card. The program went on to allege that SCU was placing students in childcare centres that were not meeting minimum national safety standards. The program said regulatory documents had exposed widespread gaps in basic care, including educators not understanding child protection policies, mandatory reporting duties, or even safe sleep and hygiene practices. NSW Greens MLC Abigail Boyd questioned how students were getting a good education at childcare centres that were not meeting standards. John Appleyard Credit: News Corp Australia Abigail Boyd, NSW Greens MLC said the situation struck her as absurd. 'How on earth is it giving those students any kind of good education,' Ms Boyd said. Southern Cross University has been contacted for comment. SCU declined 7.30's interview request and did not respond to detailed questions about enrolment numbers, staff turnover, student distress, or course quality and placement issues. In a statement it said the graduate diploma was a 'rigorous, high-quality program' attracting strong interest, and was fully accredited by the national higher education regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), and the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).
News.com.au
07-07-2025
- News.com.au
Southern Cross University faces shock claims of a crisis in one of their early childhood courses
Southern Cross University is facing claims that its 10-month graduate diploma in early childhood education is in crisis. Staff at the university told the ABC's 7.30 program the course, which could bring in $150m in fees for the SCU with the course cost set at $25,000 per student, was 'very low quality'. The institution was reportedly pushing the course 'hard' with an estimated 6000 students enrolled in the past two years, journalist Adele Ferguson reported. 'We've gone from having classes with 200 students in a unit, which was considered a lot, to over 2000 students,' a whistleblower said. The program alleged that the graduate diploma had received massive enrolments from international students, with the course heavily marketed through immigration agents as a pathway to residency. Immigration agent Mark Glazbrook told 7.30 the situation should 'concern every Australian'. 'We have people coming into Australia on student visas that are studying courses just to use that pathway to get permanent residency in Australia and they're looking after our children, and in some cases, they're not attending their classes.' In one claim, the program aired emails showing the university had asked staff to join 'phone sprints' to help find placements for students after the level of enrolment left it struggling to meet demand. 'One email described the situation as a significant crisis, threatening the viability of the faculty, with 400 placements needed by May, and another 2381 by July,' Ferguson reported. The staff who found the most placements for students reportedly received a gift card. The program went on to allege that SCU was placing students in childcare centres that were not meeting minimum national safety standards. The program said regulatory documents had exposed widespread gaps in basic care, including educators not understanding child protection policies, mandatory reporting duties, or even safe sleep and hygiene practices. Abigail Boyd, NSW Greens MLC said the situation struck her as absurd. 'How on earth is it giving those students any kind of good education,' Ms Boyd said. Southern Cross University has been contacted for comment. SCU declined 7.30's interview request and did not respond to detailed questions about enrolment numbers, staff turnover, student distress, or course quality and placement issues. In a statement it said the graduate diploma was a 'rigorous, high-quality program' attracting strong interest, and was fully accredited by the national higher education regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), and the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).
