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STRICTLY SPEAKING | HYGGE
The Danish word hygge , meaning ‘ a sense of comfort that engenders contentment ’ has had various waves of popularity in the English-speaking world . It was first recorded in the US in the 1960s to describe a general feeling of wellbeing . ‘ Mindfulness ’ might be a more contemporary way of describing this feeling , and indeed hygge has undertones of this sense – apparently stemming from an Old Icelandic word for ‘ thought ’ or ‘ mind ’. In recent years , hygge has been used more to represent physical comfort , becoming strongly associated with a trend promoting cosiness in interior home design , and has even come to be used as a verb , as in the headline in a UK paper : ‘ Everything you need to hygge your home this autumn ’. The need for home comforts has become a particular issue in lockdown , but one Melbourne writer thinks that hygge isn ’ t enough . Matt Cram writing in The Age ( 19.10 ) advocates for the Dutch adjective gezellig which conjures the same ideas of cosiness but adds to that a more social aspect , ‘ a greater sense of shared joy , mutual affection and togetherness ’. Whether you prefer the Danish or the Dutch term , it seems that English , for all its rich resources , still doesn ’ t quite cover all our needs .
Written by Dr Adam Smith , convenor of the Editing and Electronic Publishing Program at Macquarie University .
ONE OF UN ’ S FIFTEEN
Monash University academic Dr Shirin Malekpour is the only Australian among 15 scientists appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to advise the UN on global sustainable development .
The senior lecturer at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute ( MSDI ) was selected to be part of the Independent Group of Scientists that will draft the UN ’ s 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report .
Malekpour , a social scientist , previously worked on water and wastewater projects in Africa and the Middle East . In 2018 , she was named one of the world ’ s top 25 young scientists in the field of sustainable development .
POWER IN ART Creative artist Kate Power has been selected as Flinders University ’ s inaugural artist in residence for its new research centre , the Assemblage Centre for Creative Arts .
The artist in residence program , open to practitioners of all art forms , provides funds to work with industry leaders , academics and students in developing transdisciplinary creative work .
Power ’ s approach embraces video , performance , textiles , sculpture and installation , and the performance project Power will work on during her residency will draw on the writings of philosopher Sianne Ngai , poet Claudia Rankine and queer theorist Sara Ahmed to inspire a blend of movement and sculpture .
LET ’ S GET PHYSICAL A professor of applied mathematics at the University of Western Australia has been elected a fellow at one of the world ' s largest organisations for scientists – the American Physical Society .
Professor Snezhana Abarzhi is a mathematician and physicist whose research focuses on the theoretical analysis of complex systems in relation to plasmas , fluids and materials .
UWA said Abarzhi ’ s appointment in part recognises her work on the Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities – a mathematical theory that describes the dynamics of the interface separating two materials of different densities .
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
Southern Cross University announced two key appointments touted to help drive the institution ’ s path to recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic .
New vice chancellor Professor Tyrone Carlin named Professor Erica Wilson as pro vice chancellor ( academic innovation ) and Associate Professor Thomas Roche as pro vice chancellor ( academic quality ).
The appointments came as Professor Carlin formally took the helm of Southern Cross as vice chancellor , following Professor Adam Shoemaker ’ s move to Victoria University .
Wilson most recently held the position of associate deputy vice chancellor ( academic ) at SCU and Roche will continue to hold his role of director of SCU College .
EYES ON AGAR The Australian Society of Ophthalmologists ( ASO ) named Associate Professor Dr Ashish Agar as president following his three-year tenure as vice-president .
Agar is a glaucoma consultant and surgeon at the Prince of Wales and Sydney Eye Hospitals and conjoint associate professor in ophthalmology at the University of New South Wales .
He hopes to use his new role to help ensure the independence of the profession and increase awareness of the importance of ophthalmology as an essential component of an effective health service .
BOYTON TO LEAD ON SKILLS
The Australian Government has named Adam Boyton the inaugural national skills commissioner .
Boyton ’ s five-year appointment will see him lead the National Skills Commission ( NSC ) in its mission to provide advice and national leadership on the Australian labour market , current and future skills needs and workforce development issues .
The former interim national skills commissioner was previously the chief economist at the Business Council of Australia and before that the Australian chief economist at Deutsche Bank .
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