Media Releases

Flicking the switch to recreate the Big Bang - Large Hadron Collider fired up to wow Victorian school children in a live satellite link to Melbourne.
The University of Melbourne will host the only Australian satellite link for the ‘switch on’ of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which will recreate conditions of our early Universe, or the ‘Big Bang’.

Lack of services leaves women with disabilities stranded in violent relationships, says new report
Women with disabilities remain in abusive relationships because current family violence services do not have the resources to meet their needs, says new Victorian research to be launched this week.

Maintaining healthy environments at a time of climate change and increasing population: Vice Chancellor Public Lecture series- Monday 8th September, 2008
“Many of the animals and plants in our natural, agricultural and urban environments are coming under a high level of stress. It is important to understand how plants and animals will cope with climate change and increasingly fragmented landscapes as population pressures increase” says Professor Ary Hoffmann, Federation Fellow from the Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research, Bio21 Institute.

World-first to predict premature birth
Australian researchers and a pathology company have joined forces to develop a world-first

Money the main barrier to businesses implementing greater water efficiency according to new report
The increased financial costs of incorporating better water efficiency initiatives are preventing many developers and businesses from changing their water practices, according to a new University of Melbourne study.

Don't wait for resources boom to end, warns senior international expert
Dr Samuel Pisar AO, a most distinguished alumnus of the Melbourne Law School has called on the Australian Government to increase investment in educational facilities,programs, research and technology to better train the 'champions of tomorrow'.

Don't wait for resources boom to end, warns senior international expert
Dr Samuel Pisar AO, a most distinguished alumnus of the Melbourne Law School has called on the Australian Government to increase investment in educational facilities,programs, research and technology to better train the 'champions of tomorrow'.

Australian over-50s walk away memory problems in world-first trial
An Australian study has found that walking for two and a half hours a week can significantly improve memory problems in the over-50s.

University of Melbourne signs agreement with Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The University of Melbourne has signed a memorandum of understanding for academic cooperation and exchange with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ).

Smokes are out and now it’s time to beat the bulge and stop cancer: University of Melbourne expert
Australians need to tackle obesity and physical inactivity with the same intensity that they have smoking if they want to prevent cancer, says a University of Melbourne expert.

Peter Blazey Fellowship 2009 awarded to NSW writer Maggie Mackellar at Writers’ Festival last night
The $15,000 Peter Blazey Fellowship for biography, autobiography and life writing was presented yesterday at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival by actor, director and writer, Graeme Blundell, at a ceremony hosted by Professor Joy Damousi, Head of School of Historical Studies at the University of Melbourne.

States can do better in attracting decent jobs through investment incentives, says new report
State and territory governments need to have greater accountability when it comes to offering investment incentives to employers, according to experts at Melbourne Law School’s Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law.

Stick with simple antibiotics for pneumonia to avoid the spread of hospital super bugs, says University of Melbourne researcher
Australian hospitals should avoid prescribing expensive broad-spectrum antibiotics for pneumonia to avoid the development of more drug-resistant super bugs, according to a University of Melbourne study.

Racing cane toads reveals they get cold feet on Southern Australia invasion
Cane toads weren’t allowed to compete in the Olympics, but scientists have raced cane toads in the laboratory and calculated that they would not be able to invade Melbourne, Adelaide or Hobart and are unlikely to do well in Perth or Sydney, even with climate change.

Veterinary Science PhD student scoops prestigious research award
An international PhD student from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne has been awarded a $4,500 bursary, beating top students from across Australia.

Multiple Sclerosis Researchers win Eureka Prize for Medical Research
Professor Trevor Kilpatrick, Director of the University's Centre for Neuroscience, and his team of twenty six researchers in the Multiple Sclerosis Group based at the Howard Florey have been awarded the Eureka Prize for Medical Research for 2008 announced in a ceremony in Sydney last week.

Remove cerebral palsy compensation cases from the courts to get a better deal for families, says University of Melbourne academic
Cerebral palsy compensation cases should be removed from the court system to provide a better deal for families and save millions of dollars in litigation costs, says a University of Melbourne academic.

University vet wins Science Week award
An anaesthetist from the University of Melbourne’s Veterinary Clinic and Hospital based in Werribee, has been honoured by receiving a $1,000 award at the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists’ Science Week.

University of Melbourne honours renowned international law expert Dr Samuel Pisar AO
Dr Samuel Pisar AO, a distinguished alumnus of the Melbourne Law School, will officially receive one of the highest honours at the University of Melbourne, when he is conferred with the Degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) on 27 August.

Abortion in Victoria – experts available for comment
University of Melbourne women’s health experts are available to comment on the proposed new abortion laws which will be debated by Victorian Parliament. Experts available include: