Monash University experts are available for comment on a range of topics relating to Christmas and the summer season, including politics; climate and bushfires; COVID-19; road safety; retail and spending; online safety; gambling and more. TOURISM AND TRAVEL
The concept of ‘digital nomadism’ and working remotely from holiday destinations, in regional centres or internationally via new Digital Nomad visas Potential impacts of COVID-19 on the tourism economy Dr Jeff Jarvis, Director, Graduate Tourism Program, Faculty of Arts Contact details: +61 419 524 050 or Jeff.Jarvis@monash.edu LIFESTYLE New ways of working post COVID-19 (eg returning to the office) Dr Denise Goodwin, BehaviourWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute Contact details: +61 478 143 245 or Denise.Goodwin@monash.edu Physical activity behaviour change (eg new year fitness and weight loss resolutions) Dr Breanne Kunstler, BehaviourWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute Contact details: +61 405 366 124 or Brea.Kunstler@monash.edu Loneliness and social isolation among older Victorians has been intensified by the coronavirus Ageism has been amplified with the pandemic – older people feel disposable and a burden How can technology help tackle loneliness for older Australians? Virtual reality, robotics, apps and tablets for older Australians How can social sciences help with a post-COVID-19 recovery? Dr Barbara Barbosa Neves, Sociology, Faculty of Arts Contact details: +61 426 722 241 or Barbara.Barbosaneves@monash.
*Not available from 4-17 January 2021
Breaking habits in the New Year Road safety including mobile phone use
Associate Professor Peter Bragge, Monash Sustainable Development Institute Contact details: +61 403 197 275 or Peter.Bragge@monash.edu Personality and behaviour Conor Wynn, PhD Candidate, BehaviourWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute Contact details: +61 412 383 838 or Conor.Wynn@monash.edu
Hangover cures. There aren’t any! Does alcohol have medicinal properties? Professor Merlin Thomas, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Contact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or Merlin.Thomas@monash.edu
MARKETING AND RETAIL
Cybersecurity and trusted online retail sources: how to stay safe online Associate Professor Carsten Rudolph, Faculty of Information TechnologyContact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or Carsten.Rudolph@monash.edu Read Professor Rudolph’s commentary at Monash Lens HEALTH Weight management and nutrition over Christmas
Travel Nutrition General health over the festive and summer period Melissa Adamski, Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics Contact details: +61 419 272 694 or media@monash.edu *Not available from 18 December to 7 January 2021
Food waste at home, waste and consumption issues, behaviour change and sustainability issues
Mark Boulet, BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute Contact details: +61 427 749 392 or Mark.Boulet@monash.edu Read more of Mr Boulet’s commentary at Monash Lens
Blood supplies and transfusion emergencies over the holiday period Associate Professor Erica Wood, Head of Transfusion Research Unit Contact details: +61 407 038 435 or Erica.Wood@monash.edu
Obesity and treatments, maintaining healthy weight-loss goals over Christmas Cancer diagnoses during the Festive season Associate Professor Wendy Brown, Department of Surgery Contact details: +61 422 239 100 or Wendy.Brown@monash.edu
Covid-19 and epidemiological modelling Associate Professor James Trauer, Head, Epidemiological Modelling Unit Contact details: +61 403 260 064 or James.Trauer@monash.edu
Hospital and healthcare-associated infections and the prevention of hospital outbreaks COVID-19 Associate Professor Philip Russo, Director, Cabrini Monash University Department of Nursing Research Contact details: +61 411 659 486 or Philip.Russo@monash.edu Read more of Dr Russo’s commentary at Monash Lens *Unavailable 23 December to 11 January 2021
MENTAL HEALTH
Christmas time is a period of crisis for some Mental health stress points and demands, coping and resilience over the festive season Loneliness and social isolation, family/carer stress and workload Alcohol and other drug use during COVID-19 and over the festive season Dr Melissa Petrakis, Department of Social Work Contact details: +61 438 784 596 or Melissa.Petrakis@monash.edu
Mental health and women’s health, isolation, consequences of physical distancing and fear of COVID-19 infection Grief and disenfranchised grief, addictions to being busy
Professor Jane Fisher, The Jean Hailes Foundation Contact details: +61 3 9594 7566 or Jane.Fisher@monash.edu *Unavailable 22 December to 9 January 2021
Mental illness can worsen during the festive season Christmas can be a lonely time for some
Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc) Contact details: +61 429 028 852 or Jayashri.Kulkarni@monash.edu Read more of Professor Kulkarni’s commentary at Monash Lens
Managing stress and conflict over the festive period;
Mindfulness The role of mindfulness in reducing distracted driving and accidents
Dr Craig Hassed, Department of General Practice Contact details: +61 3 9808 2262 or Craig.Hassed@monash.edu Read more of Dr Hassed’s commentary at Monash Lens
Loneliness, social isolation and social support How loneliness impacts our physical and mental health Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Contact details: +61 412 700 632 or Rosanne.Freak-Poli@monash.edu
Sleep, body clocks and performance Dr Elise Facer-Childs, Translational Fellow in Industry, School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health Contact details: +61 481 458 045 or Elise.Facer-Childs@monash.edu
Problem gambling during the festive season Christmas and the new year are dangerous times for many due to increased stress and anxiety, and opportunities for addictions to worsen
Dr Charles Livingstone, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Contact details: +61 400 395 889 or Charles.Livingstone@monash.edu
BUSHFIRES, CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT Drought, heatwaves and the state of the climate over summer
Dr Ailie Gallant, School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment Contact details: +61 408 840 878 or Ailie.Gallant@monash.edu
Seasonal climate extremes, historical and future climate change, physical science of climate change, climate modelling, Antarctic ozone hole and future projections
Professor Julie Arblaster, School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment Contact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or Julie.Arblaster@monash.edu *Unavailable 14 December – 6 January 2021
The impacts of climate change for natural resources The effect of sea-level rise on coastal conservation, in particular salt marsh conservation in the US
The effect of climate change on urban water supply Dr Anke Leroux, Monash Business School Contact details: +61 3 9903 4710 or Anke.Leroux@monash.edu
Bushfires – post-fire assessment of damage Green economic recovery and reducing emissions at the national and subnational level Rupert Posner, System lead, Sustainable Economies, ClimateWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute Contact details: +61 438 989 420 or Rupert.Posner@
Climate mitigation
Amandine Denis-Ryan, Head of National Programs, ClimateWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute Contact details: +61 417 613 379 or Amandine.Denis@
COVID-19 and behaviour change Dr Breanna Wright, Research Fellow, BehaviourWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute Contact details: +61 422 316 401 or Breanna.Wright@monash.edu *Available from 4 January 2021 Recycling, waste reduction, litter/dumping and circular economy Jenni Downes, Research Fellow, BehaviourWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute Contact details: +61 422 969 886 or Jenni.Downes@monash.edu Bushfires – post-fire assessment of damage Dr Christopher Rudiger, Department of Civil Engineering Contact details: +61 3 9905 4985 or media@monash.edu Read more of Dr Rudiger’s commentary at Monash Lens *Unavailable from 19 December to 4 January 2021 and 11 to 13 January 2021 Dr Rudiger and his PhD student assess vegetation images, which are available every 3-4 days. This means assessments can be made almost immediately after a bushfire has occurred. He can assess how damaging a fire has been and how effectively it was fought off, and which areas are likely to burn in the near future. How do we communicate the effects of climate change through politics and mainstream media Dr David Holmes, Director of the Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub Contact details: +61 408 550 529 or media@monash.edu Read more of Dr Holmes’ commentary at Monash Lens LAW AND ORDER Family violence, intimate partner violence, adolescent family violence, violence against women, domestic homicides, homicide law, sentencing, criminal law reform, children and the law Dr Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Criminology, Faculty of Arts Contact details: +61 412 339 243 or Kate.Fitzgibbon@monash.edu Read more of Dr Fitz-Gibbon’s commentary at Monash Lens Constitutional law, religious freedom Associate Professor Luke Beck, Faculty of Law Contact details: +61 403 580 311 or Luke.Beck@monash.edu Luke Beck is a constitutional lawyer and leading expert on the separation of church and state/religious freedom issues in Australia. Read more of Associate Professor Beck’s commentary at Monash Lens Technology facilitated abuse Deepfakes Image-based abuse and sexual violence Associate Professor Asher Flynn, Associate Professor, Criminology Contact: +61 402 257 926 or Asher.Flynn@monash.edu Read more of Associate Professor Flynn’s commentary at Monash Lens *Not available from 18 December to 11 January 2021 Cashless Debit Card/compulsory income management
Newstart Young people transitioning from out of home care – extending care to 21 years in Victoria Dr Philip Mendes, Department of Social Work Contact details: +61 413 285 167 or Philip.Mendes@monash.edu Read Philip’s commentary at Monash Lens
ROAD SAFETY, TRAFFIC AND TRAUMA Petrol prices have soared to record highs across Australia. What are some of the reasons behind the sudden hike? Is worse yet to come? Dr George Rivers, Associate Dean, Faculty of Business & Economics
Contact details: +61 430 361 277 or George.Rivers@monash.edu
How will our public transport cope with the demand over the festive season?
Professor Graham Currie, Institute of Transport Studies Contact details: +61 414 852 699 or Graham.Currie@monash.edu Read more of Professor Currie’s commentary at Monash Lens. All aspects of traffic law enforcement (including alcohol/drug related accidents) Professor Max Cameron, Monash University Accident Research Centre Contact details: +61 417 331 762 or Max.Cameron@monash.edu ENERGY TECHNOLOGY How can we be smarter about our energy consumption? The future of Australian green energy Associate Professor Ariel Liebman, Faculty of Information Technology and Director of Monash Grid Innovation Hub Contact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or Ariel.Liebman@monash.edu Read more of Associate Professor Liebman’s commentary at Monash Lens TECHNOLOGY Social, political, and economic aspects of technology as they relate to potential long-term changes catalysed by the pandemic
The rapid rise of workplace surveillance Dr Jathan Sadowski, Research Fellow in the Emerging Technologies Research Lab, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University Contact details: +61 0 424 007 342 or jathan.sadowski@monash.edu Read more of Dr Sadowski’s commentary at Monash Lens. COVID-19 security, data collection and the use of digital technology to monitor symptoms, enforce restrictions and track viral spread
Facial recognition technology – its use and impact
Data mining, privacy, surveillance and monitoring on social media Professor Mark Andrejevic, Professor Communications and Media Studies, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Faculty of Arts Contact details: +61 479 051 142 or Mark.Andrejevic@monash.edu Read more of Professor Andrejevic’s commentary at Monash Lens
Smart home devices: Help or hindrance? Is smart-home technology in need of a gender reboot? Associate Professor Yolande Strengers, Emerging Technologies Research Lab, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University Contact details: +61 (0)408 408 572 or yolande.strengers@monash.edu Read more of Associate Professor Strengers’ commentary at Monash Lens Facial recognition technology and the emergence of deepfakes Dr Abhinav Dhall, Department of Human-Centred Computing, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University Contact details: +61 3 9909 4840 or abhinav.dhall@monash.edu
Empowering learning for an age of artificial intelligence Professor Dragan Gasevic, Director of the Centre for Learning Analytics at Monash University Contact details: +61 3 9909 4840 or dragan.gasevic@monash.edu Read more of Professor Gasevic’s commentary at Monash Lens
How digital health will support – not replace – humans in the healthcare sector Professor Chris Bain, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University Contact details: +61 3 9909 4840 or chris.bain@monash.edu Read more of Professor Bain’s commentary at Monash Lens
Artificial Intelligence and the future of aged care Dr Mor Vered, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University Contact details: +61 3 9909 4840 or mor.vered@monash.edu Read more of Dr Mor’s commentary at Monash Lens
Driverless cars: Frameworks and infrastructure needed to make this a reality How humans relate to and adapt to new technologies Self-tracking and wearable technologies Emerging smart technology and artificial intelligence Data digital futures Design anthropology Professor Sarah Pink, Director, Emerging Technologies Research Lab
Monash Art, Design and Architecture and Faculty of Information Technology Contact details: +61 499 860 622 or Sarah.Pink@monash.edu Read more of Professor Pink’s commentary at Monash Lens URBAN PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION Urban issues post-COVID-19, adapting to rapid population growth
Housing affordability, finding better, more creative was to design our cities Urban growth, economies and employment Professor Carl Grodach, Director of Urban Planning and Design, Department of Architecture Contact details: +61 3 9903 2565 or Carl.Grodach@monash.edu
