AsiaNet 76617

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA , Australia, Dec. 5, 2018 (Antara/Medianet International-AsiaNet)--

Media Alert

Monash University has several experts available for comment on a range of topics relating to the festive season; politics and security; bushfires road safety and gambling.

BUSHFIRES AND CLIMATE

Bushfires - post-fire assessment of damage
Dr Christopher Rudiger, Department of Civil Engineering
Contact details: +61 3 9905 4985 or media@monash.edu

"It is going to be a bad bushfire season. We've had a temperate winter with significant rain creating a lot of biomass to burn once it gets dry and hot. This will happen quickly."

Chris and his PhD student assess vegetation images which are available every 3-4 days. This means assessments can be made almost immediately after a bushfire has occurred. He can assess how damaging a fire has been and how effectively it was fought off, and which areas are likely to burn in the near future.

Bushfire and disaster resilience
Dr Caroline Spencer, Monash University Accident Research Centre
Contact details: +61 407 216 825 or media@monash.edu

How do we communicate the effects of climate change through politics and mainstream media
Dr David Holmes, Director of the Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub
Contact details: +61 408 550 529 or media@monash.edu

CHRISTMAS FOOD

How nostalgia and longing for social connectedness influences our food choices
Professor Hean Tat Keh, Monash Business School's Department of Marketing
Contact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or media@monash.edu

"All of us have a fundamental need to belong and food is one of the biggest social lubricants. These tend to be memories we want to relive time and time again. Nostalgia triggers our preference for indulgent foods that are embedded in our shared or personal social histories, and this effect is further strengthened when we are dining with friends and family. In essence, our findings explain why people tend to overindulge during the Festive Season."

Food waste and food charity responses
Liza Barbour, Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics
Contact details: +61 419 352 471 or media@monash.edu

DIET, ALCOHOL, LIFESTYLE AND MENTAL HEALTH

Weight management and nutrition over Christmas
Melissa Adamski, Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics
Contact details: +61 419 272 694 or media@monash.edu
OR
Simone Gibson, Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics
Contact details: +61 447 029 510 or media@monash.edu

Breaking habits in the New Year
Associate Professor Peter Bragge, Monash Sustainable Development Institute
Contact details: +61 403 197 275 or Peter.Bragge@monash.edu

Hangover cures. There aren't any!
Does alcohol have medicinal properties?
Professor Merlin Thomas, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
Contact details: +61 408 413 508 or Merlin.Thomas@monash.edu

Mental illness can worsen during the festive season
Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc)
Contact details: +61 3 9276 6924 or Jayashri.Kulkarni@monash.edu

Managing stress and conflict over the festive period
Dr Craig Hassed, Department of General Practice
Contact details: +61 3 9808 2262 or Craig.Hassed@monash.edu

Reasons why some isolate themselves during a typically social season
Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Contact details: +61 412 700 632 or Rosanne.Freak-Poli@monash.edu

Are people addicted to being busy?
Professor Jane Fisher, The Jean Hailes Foundation
Contact details: +61 3 9594 7566 or Jane.Fisher@monash.edu

Problem gambling can intensify during the festive season
Dr Charles Livingstone, Gambling Expert
Contact details: +61 407 322 949 or Charles.Livingstone@monash.edu

RETAIL

Consumer decision-making behaviour in retail, recreation and tourism during holiday periods
Professor Harmen Oppewal, Department of Marketing
Contact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or Harmen.Oppewal@monash.edu
Consumer law, consumer protection, International trade law
Professor Justin Malbon, Faculty of Law
Contact details: +61 417 717 060 or Justin.Malbon@monash.edu

LAW AND ORDER

Family violence, intimate partner violence, adolescent family violence, violence against women, domestic homicides, homicide law, sentencing, criminal law reform, children and the law.
Dr Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Criminology, Faculty of Arts
Contact details: (+61) 412 339 243 or Kate.Fitzgibbon@monash.edu
Read some of Kate's commentary on Monash Lens

International human rights law
Professor Sarah Joseph, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
Contact details: +61 3 9903 4840 or Sarah.Joseph@monash.edu

Constitutional law, religious freedom
Associate Professor Luke Beck, Faculty of Law
Contact details: +61 403 580 311 or Luke.Beck@monash.edu
Luke Beck is a constitutional lawyer and leading expert on the separation of church and state/religious freedom issues in Australia. Read some of Luke's commentary at Monash Lens

POLITICS AND FINANCE

General political commentary
Dr Zareh Ghazarian, School of Social Sciences
Contact details: +61 402 851 224 or Zareh.Ghazarian@monash.edu
or
Dr Nick Economou, School of Social Sciences
Contact details: +61 425 748 166 or Niick.Economou@monash.edu

Interest rates, global economy
Professor Mark Crosby, Faculty of Business and Economics
Contact details: +61 437 988 120 or Mark.Crosby@monash.edu
Read some of Mark's commentary at Monash Lens

ROAD SAFETY, TRAFFIC AND TRAUMA

Sustainable intelligent transportation ecosystem
Associate Professor Tan Chee Pin, School of Engineering
Contact details: (+603) 5514 6205 or tan.chee.pin@monash.edu

Petrol prices have soared to record highs across Australia. What are some of the reasons behind the sudden hike? Is worse yet to come?
Dr George Rivers, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Business & Economics
Contact details: +61 430 361 277 or media@monash.edu

Road safety, injury and trauma, cycling, cardiac arrest
Dr Ben Beck, Deputy Head of Prehospital, Emergency and Trauma Research
Contact details: +61 423 933 755 or Ben.Beck@monash.edu

TRANSPORT, TRAFFIC AND CONSTRUCTION

How will our public transport cope with the demand over the festive season?
Professor Graham Currie, Institute of Transport Studies
Contact details: +61 414 852 699 or media@monash.edu

All aspects of traffic law enforcement (including alcohol/drug related accidents)
Professor Max Cameron, Monash University Accident Research Centre
Contact details: +61 417 331 762 or media@monash.edu

Construction safety, prefabrication and robotics in construction
Dr Mehrdad Arashpour, Department of Civil Engineering
Contact details: +61 423 597 027 or media@monash.edu

INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS

ECONOMICS AND MARKETING


Technology and innovation in manufacturing in China
Professor Neale O'Connor, School of Business
Contact details: (+603) 5514 4997 or neale.oconnor@monash.edu

Monetary macroeconomics and economic growth
Professor Eduard J. Bomhoff, School of Business
Contact details: (+603) 5514 5601 or eduard.bomhoff@monash.edu

International economics; Labour economics; Social capital
Associate Professor Grace Lee Hooi Yean, School of Business
Contact details: (+603) 5514 4907 or grace.lee@monash.edu

Influence of culture on consumption behaviour; Symbolic consumption and consumer responses to the media
Dr Juliana French, School of Business
Contact details: (+603) 5514 5693 or juliana.french1@monash.edu

B2B marketing management; B2B customer relationship management
Associate Professor Brian Low Koon Huat, School of Business
Contact details: (+603) 5514 4408 or brian.low@monash.edu

GENDER AND RELIGION

Gender, sexuality and religions in a Southeast Asian context
Associate Professor Sharon A Bong, School of Arts and Social Sciences
Contact details: (+603) 5514 6126 or sharon.bong@monash.edu

Religion, seasonal rituals, history of Christmas
Professor Constant Mews, Director of the Centre for Religious Studies
Contact details: +61 3 9852 3356 or constant.mews@monash.edu

HEALTH

Population health; Social stigma (particularly HIV-related stigma); Health equity
Professor Daniel D Reidpath, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Contact details: (+603) 5514 4962 or daniel.reidpath@monash.edu

Youth drug abuse; Effects of counselling on mental health and wellbeing among multi-ethnic groups
Dr Tam Cai Lian, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Contact details: (+603) 5514 4974 or tam.cai.lian@monash.edu

Early-life environment and risk of depression
Associate Professor Tomoko Soga, Brain Research Institute Monash Sunway
Contact details: (+603) 5514 6223 or tomoko.soga@monash.edu

Neural circuits linking negative emotions and addiction
Dr Satoshi Ogawa, Brain Research Institute Monash Sunway
Contact details: (+603) 5514 6351 or satoshi.ogawa@monash.edu

POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Democratisation and authoritarian stability; Social movements; Human rights institutions; Populism
Associate Professor Marco Buente, School of Arts and Social Sciences
Contact details: (+603) 5514 6261 or marco.buente@monash.edu

SOURCE: Monash University

Reporter: PR Wire
Editor: PR Wire
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