UNSW

💬 “In many fire-prone areas, building standards are applied on a house-by-house basis. We’re studying how to design whole suburbs to be inherently safer.”

UNSW mathematician Jason Sharples has found that embers can cause the side of a house facing away from a fire to be unexpectedly vulnerable to ignition.

The unexpected danger from ‘ember storms’ during severe wildfires Understanding the erratic behaviour of wind and embers at fire fronts could save lives.

🐈 *NO CATS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS POST*

UNSW researchers have made a quantum breakthrough, demonstrating the well-known “Schrödinger’s cat” thought experiment in the real world.

Their study has delivered a new and more robust way to perform quantum computations and has important implications for error correction, one of the biggest obstacles standing between them and a working quantum computer. 🧠

Read the full story 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2025/01/quantum-computing-schroedingers-cat-silicon-chip?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Flying into this view feels so good 🫶

Data analysts studying fitness app usage patterns call the second Friday in January ‘quitter’s day’ - the point when many people abandon their New Year's resolutions.

UNSW Associate Professor Justine Gatt shares her tips for avoiding ‘quitter’s day’ and creating meaningful and achievable goals.

How to avoid ‘quitter’s day’ and make your New Year’s resolutions last A wellbeing expert from UNSW Sydney shares tips for creating meaningful and achievable goals.

We’re biased, but this is a much better name than Ferry McFerryface ⛴️

Sydney’s newest ferry has been named after UNSW solar pioneer, Scientia Professor Martin Green!

Known as the father of modern solar, Professor Green led the development of PERC technology, which is used in the production of more than 90% of the world’s solar energy. ☀️

Martin Green [the ferry, not the professor] will operate on the F3 route from Circular Quay to Parramatta.

🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2025/01/sydneys-newest-ferry-named-after-unsws-martin-green?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

🚲 E-bikes are surging in popularity worldwide. But are they as safe as regular bikes?

UNSW’s Dr Milad Haghani breaks down what we know about e-bike safety and what Australia can learn from the rest of the world.

E-bike popularity is booming. But are they as safe as regular bikes? E-bikes are surging in popularity worldwide. But in Australia, we don’t know how often they’re involved in injuries and deaths.

Perovskite solar cells are one of the hottest topics in photovoltaics, with start-ups and multinationals alike racing to commercialise the technology.

There is, however, a problem that still needs to be solved. While the cells — which harvest light with the help of perovskite — are very efficient, their performance wanes after just a few weeks.

Dr Xiaojing Hao, a UNSW solar cell engineer, explains how she is working to solve this problem.

Making stable and sustainable solar power from perovskite cells A simple addition to the hole transport layer has enabled a perovskite solar cell that remains stable for more than a month, paving the way for more sustainable panels.

💬 “One study of 200 New Year's resolvers found that 77% maintained their pledges for one week, and by mid-January, most had given up.”

UNSW Business School’s Professor Peter Heslin explores the psychology behind New Year's resolutions. 🧠

Have you found yourself reconsidering your New Year's resolutions already? If you’ve set New Year’s resolutions and are already struggling to keep them, here’s why they often fail – and what to do instead for a more sustainable path forward.

Happy New Year, UNSW 🫶

📸 Shot by Yiwen Zhu, UNSW Photo Club, 2023-24

In the summer of 2022, 54 people drowned in 90 days along the Australian coast.

Before you go for a dip these holidays, stop and assess the conditions and see if you can spot any rips – it could just save your life.

If in doubt, don't go out Thinking of swimming at unpatrolled beaches this summer? Don't do it until you know the risks

✨ Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse ✨

📸 Prof Sarah Maddison

Happy holidays! 🎄

Our social channels aren't being monitored for the UNSW shutdown period - we're back from the 6th of January 2025. Our Future Students team is available for special hours to answer your questions, details at http://www.unsw.to/call

📸 Prof Philip Oldfield

Looking for some summer entertainment? ☀️👀

Whether you're by the beach or relaxing at home, UNSW Centre For Ideas have a treasure trove of talks, videos and podcasts perfect for expanding your horizons and keeping you entertained on those long summer days. ⁠

Check out their 2024 highlights 🔗 https://unswcentreforideas.com/article/best-bits-2024

World Cup Football is getting faster! ⚽️

A new UNSW study has found that players at FIFA World Cups are competing at an ever increasing intensity.

The study found that total stoppage time, ball speed and passing rates have increased significantly for both men and women over the last decades, with ball speed increasing faster for women than men as speeds continue to converge.

Read the full story 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/12/world-cup-soccer-is-getting-faster-for-men-and-women-alike-new-study?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

It’s bluebottle season and a team of UNSW scientists are developing a tool that will predict when bluebottles may wash up at a beach near you.

Escaping the summertime blueys UNSW is located on the unceded territory of the Bidjigal (Kensington campus), Gadigal (City and Paddington Campuses) and Ngunnawal peoples (UNSW Canberra) who are the Traditional Owners of the lands where each campus of UNSW is situated.

💬 “We had a good bounce in numbers after good breeding in the flood years of 2021 and 2022, but numbers have now dipped below the long-term average again, with little breeding in 2023 and 2024.”

UNSW’s annual waterbird survey, led alongside major NSW government partner the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has observed fewer waterbirds breeding and a drop of nearly 50% in overall waterbird numbers, compared with 2023.

Read more 🔗 https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/12/waterbird-numbers-down-almost-50-after-drier-2024?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

💬 “Concerningly, many of the places in Australia that are most vulnerable to extreme heat have been designed without enough of the features that mitigate heat…”

Between 1900 and 2010, extreme heat events claimed more Australian lives than the total number of deaths from all other natural hazards combined.

Now, UNSW researchers have created a national index to measure and mitigate heat vulnerability in Australia’s towns and cities.

Beat the heat: how UNSW researchers are making cities cooler and safer Urban overheating is a growing problem, and UNSW researchers have created a national index to measure and then mitigate heat vulnerability in Australia’s towns and cities.

💬 “Through this pilot, we are exploring innovative ways to collaborate with AI, to unlock new possibilities to elevate the learning experience at scale for business educators and students."

UNSW has initiated a major collaboration with OpenAI, becoming the first university in the Asia-Pacific region to deploy ChatGPT Edu in a pilot program focused on enhancing productivity, curriculum development and student and teacher support.

UNSW Sydney signs landmark agreement with OpenAI The enterprise-level collaboration will allow UNSW researchers, educators and students to use the OpenAI tool ChatGPT Edu securely.