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News in spotlight at USC Research Conference
The Internet’s impact on the way people gather and consume news was highlighted at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s inaugural Annual Research Conference on Wednesday 8 November 2006.
This was the topic of USC Associate Lecturer in Journalism Gillian Cowden’s presentation at the research conference, which featured 10 other research presentations and a keynote address by Australian Research Council Executive Director of Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience Dr David Falvey.
Gillian discussed factors like the levels of interest in certain types of news, the use of the Internet as a source of news and current affairs, personalised news services and the increased interest in weblogs (online journals).
"Outcomes of the research will help journalism educators and journalism practitioners better understand the impact of the Internet on the way news is consumed,’’ she said.
USC Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill said the one-day conference in Lecture Theatre 3 was open to the public and showcased and celebrated the University's research and its research training activities.
Other research presentations included: "Taking responsibility for extinction"; "Communication of conservation messages in an ecotourism setting"; "Baby boomers and beyond: The changing mature market's evaluation of services"; "Getting active with active learning: an interactive demonstration of neural concepts using the Mexican wave"; "Improving operator support and selection processes"; "Making sense of space"; "The relationship among group process perceptions, goal commitment and turnover intention in small committee groups"; "Microbial communities associated with a shallow hydrocarbon seep in the tropical Timor Sea"; "Molecular methods for the detection of virulent bacteria in environmental and clinical samples" and "Measuring the kick in freestyle swimming".
Among those attending the conference were representatives from the Department of Primary Industries, the CSIRO and small businesses.