North Ryde. Uni wins $2.06m for research

Eight collaborative research projects led by Macquarie University have received $2.06 million in Linkage Project grants from the Australian Research Council.The grants will boost Macquarie's leading research into autism support in schools, marine and wildlife conservation, employee participation, biophotonics, iron ore processing and surgical innovation. Linkage Projects must be collaborative efforts involving universities, industry and government to ensure Macquarie's research is relevant to industry and government demands, with practical solutions for community issues.

Parramatta. Arab Film Festival

The Parramatta-based Arab Film Festival Australia (formerly known as the Sydney Arab Film Festival) will be held from June 30 – July 31. Films have been selected from the Middle East, United States, Europe and Australia. The festival will screen in five locations across the country - its home at Riverside Theatres, in Parramatta, the Sydney CBD, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Region. A taste of life at university

Ninety Year 11 and 12 students have had the opportunity to get a taste of tertiary life at four of the University of Western Sydney's campuses, through the UniM8s program which is part of the UWS Fast Forward Program, helping to bridge the gap from school to university by building the educational aspirations of high school students (Years 9 to 12), who have academic and/or leadership potential, but might not consider post-school study as an option. Mr Jim Micsko, manager, of the Fast Forward Program, said the UniM8s program was an important part of increasing educational opportunities for students across Western Sydney. "It places the student in a university environment showing them that their tertiary aspirations for the future can be achieved," he said. The UniM8s program was conducted over two weeks.

North Ryde. Top spot for university

The UK-based Times Higher Education web site, listing of the top-ranked institutions in Australia and New Zealand, has placed Macquarie University in the top spot for environmental sciences and ecology research. The list, which was put together using the Essential Science Indicators database, of Thomson Reuters, ranked institutions based on the citation impact of journal articles published over the last decade. Macquarie appeared on the list in the number one spot locally and ranked as number 14 in the world. “This achievement further illustrates the quality of research and teaching we are developing at Macquarie,” said Professor Stephen Thurgate executive dean, faculty of science

Cabramatta. Arcade sold for $4.5 million

An overseas-based Asian investor has purchased The Walkway Arcade, in Cabramatta, for $4.5 million. The complex, with a net lettable are of 300 square metres, includes eight retailers. CBRE’s Harry Bird steered the auction on behalf of Rabiki