Hippocampus - The University of Newcastle, Australia

Stories from The University of Newcastle

Environment 6 min read

The secret lives of Sugarloaf koalas

by Penny Harnett

“Tree stars” in the night sky revealed a hidden koala colony, nestled deep within Sugarloaf’s bushland.

Environment 11 min read

Tackling the chemicals we can’t see: PFAS

by Penny Harnett

PFAS contamination is persistent, but so is the determination of scientists working on solutions to remediate it.

Education 9 min read

Pathway to purpose

by Carmen Swadling

From limited beginnings to limitless dreams - equity in education is giving Arthur Demetriou the chance to change the face of medicine.

Environment 8 min read

Partnering to solve the Pacific plastics plight

by Penny Harnett

Microplastics are notoriously hard to detect but their impact is significant. How deep is the problem in the Pacific Ocean? Scientists from Australia and Samoa teamed up to find out.

Arts, Culture and Society 11 min read

Young Catholics seek new ways to ‘do church’

by Gemma Wolk

During a time of promising reformation in the Catholic church, unparalleled new insight into the thoughts and feelings of Catholic women has revealed a hunger for radical change.

Education 7 min read

Teaching the Hunter

by Madelaine Love

Eric Roach was just 19 when he graduated from Newcastle Teacher's College in 1953. His time there launched a career that would span almost four decades, and instilled in him a passion for teaching that would transcend generations.

Health and Wellbeing 4 min read

What is gingivitis? How do I know if I have it?

by Dileep Sharma, Professor and Head of Discipline - Oral Health

Do your gums look red and often bleed when you brush them, but they’re not painful? If so, you could have the gum disease gingivitis.

Arts, Culture and Society 5 min read

Unorthodox approaches to buying a first home

by Julia Cook, Senior Lecturer in Sociology

Achieving the so-called “Australian dream” of home ownership is increasingly difficult for members of younger generations.

Health and Wellbeing 9 min read

Painful departure for diabetes testing

by Sheena Martin

Professor Paul Dastoor is developing a saliva glucose biosensor that will see a fundamental shift in diabetes management, removing typical barriers to health testing such as pain, cost or availability, and empowering people to monitor their own health.

Education 5 min read

More and more Australian families are homeschooling.

by Rebecca English - Senior Lecturer in Education, Queensland University of Technology; Chris Krogh - Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle; David Roy - Lecturer in Education, University of Newcastle

Across Australia, more families are choosing to homeschool.

Health and Wellbeing 6 min read

A common antidepressant could help tackle domestic violence

by Tony Butler - Professor and Program Head, Justice Health Research Program, UNSW; Emaediong I. Akpanekpo - Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, UNSW; Lee Knight - Academic Program Director for the Mental Health Practice Program, UNSW; Peter William Schofield - Conjoint Professor School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle; Rhys Mantell - PhD Candidate, School of Population Health, UNSW

In April 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared domestic and family violence a “national crisis” calling for proactive responses that “focus on the perpetrators and focus on prevention”.The issue hasn’t really improved since then.

Arts, Culture and Society 10 min read

Run like a girl

by Gemma Wolk

The game changing program revolutionising female participation in sport

Click the pins on the map below to discover stories of the impact we're making across our regions.

Business, Law and Politics 4 min read

From bean-counters to cyber-sleuths: how accountants are a frontline defence against online crime

by Zhongtian Li, Senior Lecturer, Newcastle Business School, Christina Boedker, Professor, Newcastle Business School, Jing Jia, Senior Lecturer, Newcastle Business School, Karen Handley, Senior Lecturer, Newcastle Business School (University of Newcastle) and Nirmala Nath, Senior Lecturer, School of Accountancy (Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa - Massey University)

Once considered to be simply “bean counters”, accountants now play an important role in the defence, investigation and protection against cybercrime.

Arts, Culture and Society 5 min read

Mother Tongue

by Rosemarie Milsom

People in the Hunter and around the country are using a unique community program to keep Indigenous languages alive.

Health and Wellbeing 6 min read

Improving Indigenous Healthcare

by Rosemarie Milsom

Australia’s first Indigenous surgeon, Associate Professor Dr Kelvin Kong is committed to empowering communities and removing barriers that prevent access to critical healthcare services.

Environment 5 min read

New video shows sharks making an easy meal of spiky sea urchins

by Jeremy Day, PhD researcher

Long-spined sea urchins have emerged as an environmental issue off Australia’s far south coast.

Health and Wellbeing 5 min read

Can I trust my period-tracking app?

by Emmalee Ford Conjoint Associate Lecturer in Medical Biochemistry, University of Newcastle and Tessa Copp NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow in Reproductive Health, School of Public Health, University of Sydney

As many as 50 million people now have a record of their menstrual cycle on their personal devices.

Health and Wellbeing 5 min read

We knew offshore detention was bad for the mental health of people seeking asylum. Our new research shows exactly how bad

by Belinda Liddell, Daphne Keats Chair in Cross-Cultural Psychology (University of Newcastle), & Adjunct Professor, School of Psychology (UNSW), Phillipa Specker, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program (UNSW), and Angela Nickerson, Professor & Director, Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program (UNSW)

For more than a decade, mandatory offshore detention has been a cornerstone of Australia’s strategy to deter people who arrive by boat to seek asylum.

Business, Law and Politics 4 min read

Bold climate action benefits more than just the environment - it's also great for business

by Sudipta Bose, Senior Lecturer in Accounting at the Newcastle Business School (University of Newcastle) and Syed Shams, Associate Professor in Accounting and Finance (University of Southern Queensland)

As the world grapples with the intensifying challenges of climate change, businesses are under increasing pressure to take action.

Arts, Culture and Society 7 min read

Big dreams built through remote community partnership

by Shahni Wellington

The unlikely pairing of outback Menindee and seaside Newcastle have successfully bridged the distance