UON School of Psychology’s Founder, Prof Daphne Keats, Farewells Us All

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Prof Daphne Keats. Exactly one week ago, this true Psychology Champion died peacefully in her home surrounded by her beloved family.

Daphne joined the University of Newcastle as a lecturer in Psychology in 1970 to begin a transformative legacy that continues today.

Daphne spearheaded the study of cross-cultural psychology in Australia. Alongside her husband, Professor John Keats, Daphne led the field in developing programs of cross-cultural psychology studies involving ongoing, cooperative relationships with colleagues across Asia, particularly China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Daphne in one of her last trips to China to check progress in community rehabilitation work post Sichuan’s earthquake

As a result of her work, the University of Newcastle and Sichuan University founded The China-Australia Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies in Chengdu which commemorated its 10-year anniversary last year. Her contribution has shaped an entire branch of research; and we are proud and grateful for her lifelong association with the University.

Daphne was, beyond doubt, a pioneer. She leaves behind a legacy of wisdom and generosity in the School of Psychology and will be greatly missed by colleagues around the globe.

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Professor Keats’ funeral will be held on Tuesday 29 October at 12:00pm at Pettigrew Family Funerals, 12 Harris Street, Wallsend.

Messages of condolence can be sent to donor-relations@newcastle.edu.au and will be passed on to Professor Keats’ friends and family.

Research for the public, not just for researchers

How can we present our research in a way that makes it accessible to the public?

Recently, after attending a Research Advantage seminar on the importance of social media in the current research environment, Dr Emily Freeman from the the School of Psychology at UoN decided to try pitching an article to The Conversation. The Conversation is an “independent source of news and views sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public” (www.theconversation.com). The Conversation Australia reaches over 5 million users per month and is used by many news outlets, such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as a source of quality research stories and research experts when looking for people to comment on current events.

Emily explains that she "pitched an article that would ultimately summarise some of the research I’ve been doing looking at the role of father-child rough-and-tumble play on child development. The editor liked my pitch and asked for an 800 word article to be submitted the following week. I then worked with another editor over a few days to polish the article and make it more news-like rather than journal-like in terms of language. I was also asked to find some related YouTube clips and the like to make it more engaging. One thing I really liked was that they required links to journal articles to support any claims I was making and that they also checked them to ensure the scientific rigour of my article."

The article was published early September and reached over 30,000 reads in only a couple of weeks (it’s now at almost 40,000 which is pretty incredible especially given that Research Gate recently congratulated me on one of my journal articles having reached 100 reads!!). The Conversation tracks reads, social media shares, the location of people who are reading the article, the news outlets that are sharing it, and you can also add any engagements that have resulted from it. The article led to some radio interviews and Emily was even contacted by a screen writer interested in making a documentary about dad and kids.

Overall, it was an interesting experience and she is looking forward to pitching another article soon. Emily highly recommend it to everyone to give it a try J

Article Link: https://theconversation.com/kids-learn-valuable-life-skills-through-rough-and-tumble-play-with-their-dads-119241

E&D SERIES: Alex O'Donnell presents findings on refugees' adaptation from the Building New Life in Australia Study on Tuesday 29th October 10-11am

The School of Psychology's Social and Organisational Psychology research group and Outreach Committee are proud of inviting you to a research presentation by Alex O'Donnel, Griffith University, as part of our Equity & Diversity Series on Tuesday 29th October 10-11am, Keats reading room, Aviation building, Callaghan (zoom video conferenced: https://uonewcastle.zoom.us/s/979950681).

PRESENTATION TITLE: Financial, Psychological, and Social Barriers to Refugee Adaptation in Australia: Findings from the Building New Life in Australia Study (BLNA)

ABSTRACT: The previous decade has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people being forcibly displaced. Lingering crises around the world have created situations where an enormous number of displaced persons cannot return home and require resettlement. Previous research has shown that humanitarian migrants face challenges that persist over time and can lead to long-term inequities in health and wellbeing even after resettlement. Recent efforts to investigate these inequities have been established in Australia. The Building New Life in Australia (BNLA) study followed a representative sample of resettled humanitarian migrant adults for several years post-settlement and provided a cross-sectional assessment of adolescents. I will present recent findings from this study, focusing on how the immediate post-settlement context can have lasting effects on humanitarian migrants’ long-term psychological and financial well-being (Finding 1), and their likelihood of experiencing stress into the future (Finding 2). Finally, I focus on the adolescent sample, and identify how positive community engagement in the form of extracurricular activities can mitigate adverse outcomes associated with post-settlement risk factors (Finding 3). These results showcase that negative outcomes are not a forgone conclusion for humanitarian migrants. Together, we should foster welcoming and accepting communities to improve the lives of vulnerable people around us.

BIOGRAPHY: Alexander O’Donnell is an advanced PhD student at Griffith University (Gold Coast, Australia). He has a broad research interest, having published in intergroup relations and adolescent leisure time. More recently he has also studied refugee adaptation. Collectively, this work seeks to identify structural (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage) and psychological barriers preventing people from engaging in the diverse and enriching opportunities around them.

If interested in a one-to-one meeting with XX around their visit, please contact their SOPRG host at stefania.paolini@newcastle.edu.au to make arrangements.

UON researchers to find out: A driverless shuttle bus is set to hit Newcastle’s streets; but will the public use it?

At the cutting edge of automated vehicle (AV) technology, a driverless shuttle bus will soon be trialled in Newcastle. The shuttle will have the capacity to carry 11 passengers, is battery powered, has no steering wheel, and will use sensors on each corner to read the roadway, objects in front, back or beside the vehicle. The trial in Newcastle is extra special as it will be the first time a driverless shuttle bus has been tested in normal traffic.

For new technology to be of benefit to a community, however, the public needs to accept it. So… how does the Newcastle public feel about such a vehicle, and will they use it?

                                                   The Newcastle driverless shuttle bus

Dr Cassandra Gauld, Professor Kristen Pammer, Angus McKerral and a team of researchers from the School of Psychology (Jade Williams, Lauren Gibson, and Caitlin Reeves) were awarded a Faculty of Science Strategic Investment Grant to explore these questions and more.  The research team took to the streets of Newcastle to interview the locals and found that their opinions about the shuttle were divided.  Some believed that the shuttle would provide a safer form of transportation, would increase tourism by enhancing Newcastle’s image as a modern city, and would provide an environmentally friendly public transport option. Others were cautious about the new technology, were concerned about on-board safety, and wondered how it would accommodate the elderly and the less mobile if there weren’t a driver on board to assist.

The next phase of the research, which is currently underway, will verify which of these beliefs are held by broader sample of the Newcastle public and apply theoretical models of technology acceptance to investigate other psycho-social factors which may predict acceptance of AVs.

While experts predict that it may be years until AVs are a common sight on our roads, worldwide, research regarding AVs is in full flight. It has been predicted that AVs may be able to significantly improve road safety (road crash is currently one of the biggest killers, worldwide), increase the mobility of older adults, and benefit individuals who are currently unable to drive due to a medical condition and/or vision impairment.


For more information, please contact Dr Cassandra Gauld
E: cass.gauld@newcastle.edu.au

(L to R) Dr Cassandra Gauld, Professor Kristen Pammer, and Mr Angus McKerral after their Tesla test-drive.

Prof Scott Brown named top Australian Cognitive Scientist for 2019

Prof Scott Brown from the School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle was named earlier this month the top Australian Cognitive Scientist for 2019. Scott was among six University of Newcastle researchers that have been named as top in their field in new data published in The Australian’s 2019 Research magazine. Well done Scott!

Herald article: https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/6407518/six-university-of-newcastle-researchers-top-their-classes-in-new-data/