Hippocampus - The University of Newcastle, Australia

Stories from The University of Newcastle

Health and Wellbeing 8 min read

“I thought I was a bad mother”: How telehealth changed a young boy’s life and gave a family hope

by Rosemarie Milsom

“I thought I was a bad mother,” says Marlie Matthews, tearfully. “I tried everything, but Marcus was getting more and more behind. He wasn’t speaking much and when he did, I couldn’t understand him. It was very hard on all of us.”

Arts, Culture and Society 10 min read

A shift in energy

by Gemma Wolk

With 17 Hunter Valley mines set to close over the next 20 years, the region is facing a significant turning point. Conversations often centre around job losses, but what comes next for those who will remain?

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.

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.

Education 8 min read

Where learning meets care

by Rosemarie Milsom

The University of Newcastle’s community clinics are providing life-changing services and transforming the wellbeing of 5,000 people a year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Arts, Culture and Society 6 min read

This uni program is changing the game for mob

by Shahni Wellington

From one students’ first time in a classroom to a mum-of-three’s return to learning, these real-life stories show what’s possible when universities open doors and open minds.

Business, Law and Politics 5 min read

Is it a gift or a loan when parents help kids buy a home? How to avoid family fights over money

by Mirella Atherton (Lecturer in Law) & Julia Cook (Senior Lecturer in Sociology)

Over recent decades, many Australian families have relied on getting money from the “Bank of Mum and Dad” to help with home purchases.But our latest research shows there are growing legal risks from that trend.

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.

Education 5 min read

‘Mum and Dad both finished school in Year 10’ - How to help first-in-family students graduate from uni

by Sally Patfield, Lecturer, University of Newcastle

Each year, about 30% of new undergraduates in Australia are the first in their families to go to university.

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.

Environment 5 min read

Safe havens protect Australian mammals from invasive predators. Why aren’t they working for other animal groups?

by John Gould, Senior Research Assistant in Conservation Biology

Feral cats and foxes now roam across almost all of Australia. These predators are a major reason why many species have been driven to extinction.

Environment 4 min read

See the Sun’s surface in higher detail than ever before in new telescope images

by Hannah Schunker, ARC Future Fellow, Physics

The Sun doesn’t just fuel almost all life on Earth. It’s also our astrophysical laboratory, the only star close enough to observe in sufficient detail.

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