The summer break is here, which means bushfires, heatwaves, parties, family time and resolutions for the year ahead. UNSW has experts available for comment on stories this holiday season.
Summer is here, which means bushfires, heatwaves, southerly busters, family time and making resolutions for the year ahead. UNSW has experts available for comment on stories most likely to emerge this holiday season.
The benefits of giving
As the Christmas shopping frenzy reaches its zenith, Dr Lisa Williams, from UNSW’s School of Psychology, says spending money on others actually benefits wellbeing – especially when the gift is a shared experience.| 0434 089 442
Bushfires
Hazard-reduction burns were hampered by an exceptionally wet spring, resulting in a precarious bushfire season. Associate Professor Jason Sharples, a mathematician at UNSW Canberra, says new research could be a game-changer in predicting the movements of catastrophic bushfires. | 0400 586 074
Heatwaves
Heatwaves cause more deaths in Australia than all other natural hazards combined – that’s disturbing news as heat-related records continue to tumble in Australia. Dr Sarah Perkins from the UNSW Climate Change Research Centre is an expert on Australian climate extremes and their impact. | 0400 933 793
Heating cities
Dr Paul Osmond is a sustainable development expert with UNSW Built Environment who specialises in the effects of heatwaves on urban cooling and outdoor thermal comfort. |0414 385 610
Extreme weather and climate change
Climate Change Research Centre media contact, Alvin Stone | 0418 617 366
Families and time pressure
School’s out for summer but there’s a good chance Nan and Pop will be looking after the kids during the holidays. Dr Myra Hamilton, from UNSW’s Social Policy Research Centre, says grandparents are often caught in an intergenerational squeeze, juggling work and childcare. | 0401 204 173
Drug use during the party season
Summer means music festivals, which can also mean party drugs and pill testing. Dr Monica Barratt from UNSW’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) researches drug harm reduction and the impacts of drug laws and policies. | 0407 778 938
New Year’s resolutions
Dr Lisa Williams from UNSW’s School of Psychology explains how psychological research and the “fresh start effect” reveal why New Year’s resolutions might actually work, and offers simple ways to set yourself up for success. | 0434 089 442
For other urgent media inquiries during the Christmas/New Year break, go to the Newsroom.