Contact magazine

Contact magazine

The housing market in Australia has seen unprecedented growth in the past several months – but could that all be about to change?
  • Knowing where to start with investing can feel overwhelming. To help cut through the noise, Contact asked UQ Business School experts Dr Eric Tan and Dr Natalie Peng to share clear, practical advice you can put into action today.
  • Contact asked Dr Anne-Maree O'Rourke from UQ’s School of Business to shine a spotlight on 5 subtle ways brands shape our decisions – and the psychology behind them.
  • Queenslanders court controversy in Emerald Fennell's daring film adaptation. Will lovers of the novel be disappointed? Well, it is "Wuthering Heights" – and it isn’t.
  • Enjoy a dose of heart-tingling good vibes with our annual series, Love at UQ. Meet the alumni who found lifelong friends and partners at UQ – including one couple who return to St Lucia every year to celebrate their love.
  • TIME Magazine’s inaugural edition of the World’s Top Universities has placed UQ as #1 in Australia.
  • If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Instagram lately, you may have seen people blending oats with water or juice and calling it “oatzempic.”
  • Contact caught up with James Frostick (BJ '10) to talk about how he landed the role, what’s really happening in Brisbane’s hospitality scene, and the best things he ate in 2025.
  • Find out who won the new Contact Photography Competition! Entries came in from around the world and were judged by UQ alum Jon McCormack (Bachelor of Science (Honours) ’91, University Medallist '92) – an acclaimed nature photographer, author and technology leader at Apple.
  • With Christmas around the corner, Contact asked London resident Nicola Cook (Bachelor of Journalism / Bachelor of Arts ‘19) for her tips on how to get the most out of the city during the festive season.

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  • An expert update on the recent SPF controversy.
  • How healthy are your conflict habits? Do you find yourself frequently clashing with those in your orbit and struggling to understand why? Or wishing you could respond to conflict differently?
  • When you think about self-care, what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s reading a new book, hitting the gym or enjoying a spa day. Whatever you’ve pictured, we doubt it includes writing emails or joining a Zoom meeting.
  • Social media makes therapy speak mainstream – but can also muddle the boundaries. So where does awareness end and misdiagnosis begin?
  • It might seem like your doctor’s always running late. But your doctor isn’t delayed because they disrespect your time. There are many reasons for running late, some unrelated to your doctor or the clinic.
  • Contact asked staff member, current student and alum Camille Brandon – a self-identified ‘semi local’ – for an insider’s guide to the City of Ipswich, a town she feels is chronically underrated.
  • We all have our ‘sneeze signature’, a pattern or style of sneezing that’s unique to us. But where do they come from – and can we change our sneezing ways?
  • Many of us are confused about what to look for on the label when buying seafood that's kind to the planet. Luckily, a team from UQ's Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science is here to clear things up with some simple rules of thumb you can use at the supermarket.
  • Contact asked UQ researcher Dr Alice Hayward (Bachelor of Science '03, Doctor of Philosophy '09) for some top tips on keeping and propagating native houseplants.

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  • It’s back-to-school season around Australia. While many students will be excited to reunite with friends, or have some nerves about the first day, others may feel an overwhelming sense of dread about school.
  • Critical care researcher Professor John Fraser and former Alumni Friends president Dr Catherine Lawrence are among members of UQ community recognised in today’s Australia Day honours. UQ graduate and Indigenous rights advocate Professor Megan Davis is one of only 6 Australians to receive the nation’s highest civil honour – the Companion of the Order of Australia.
  • As voters get ready to head to the polls for the Queensland state elections, how will the major parties plan to address the housing and rental crisis, and what policies need to be implemented urgently?
  • The Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and many other political leaders want to ban young Australians from social media until they turn 16. Is that a good idea or a regressive move that distracts us from the more important task of building forms of social media that enable young people to flourish?
  • As the next Queensland election approaches, both major parties have promised to ‘crack down’ on youth crime. But while Queensland currently locks up more children than any other state, is putting children in detention a viable solution and does it reduce the rates of re-offending? UQ experts explain.
  • Is it possible to end a contract to purchase or sell a house simply because you’ve changed your mind?
  • While a lot of profit stands to be made from alcohol and liquor licensing fees, we can’t ignore the harm it poses to young people.
  • An expert in business and information technology is among members of The University of Queensland community named in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List.
  • Recent high-profile incidents of gender-based violence have once again raised calls for the issue to be treated as a national crisis. So, as tens of thousands of Australians rallied in cities and towns across the country, 'Contact' asked UQ experts: what can actually be done to end gendered violence?

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  • AI-generated 'art' has penetrated our world. It has won competitions, saturated social media feeds, been showcased on the big screen and found it's way onto gallery walls. But is it real art?
  • The University is enhancing its cultural and events offering at St Lucia, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Mayne Bequest and the Art Museum’s 50th anniversary.
  • With F1 The Movie released today and an even greater spotlight on this hypermasculine world, we sat down with Dr Garth Stahl, an equity, inclusion and social change researcher at UQ’s School of Education, to explore how these portrayals impact our perception of masculinity.
  • Having déjà vu? The final instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise has landed and we want to know one thing – why are we obsessed with the reboot? UQ’s expert-in-residence and PhD candidate, Talia Parker, unpacks Hollywood’s movie sequel mania and what makes a sequel great.
  • Ahead of his appearance at this year’s alumni and community day at the UQ Alumni Book Fair, we sat down with award-winning University of Queensland Press (UQP) crime writer and UQ alum Matthew Condon OAM (Bachelor of Arts ’83) to delve into the world of true crime storytelling.
  • Have you ever been guilty of opting for the biggest word to impress the masses without having its meaning down pat? Do you live by a 'right click, synonyms' mentality? You might want to think again – your 'impressive' vocabulary might be doing more harm than good to your reputation.
  • Summer reads 2024: David Malouf, Terri Irwin and many more of our book-loving community members told us about their favourite read of all time.
  • Contact sat down with UQ Emeritus Professor and author Roland ‘Roly’ Sussex to talk about the ever-evolving English language and a few of 2024's 'Word Of The Year'.
  • UQ alum Paul Hodge on adapting Round the Twist for the stage.

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About Contact magazine

Contact magazine is your pocket guide to navigating our changing world. Landing in email inboxes monthly, with added special editions covering timely topics, our features keep you informed and entertained. Contact brings together the best insights from UQ’s alumni, researchers and community, connecting our global network of ChangeMakers through storytelling.