With the Orion spacecraft scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday evening (USA time), ANU researchers are proud to have provided support to the Artemis II crew during their historical lunar mission, travelling further into space than anyone before.  

The University’s Quantum optical Ground station (QOGS) at Mount Stromlo Observatory has performed incredibly as a test ground station for the Artemis II Mission and has successfully received video from the Orion spacecraft. 

ANU Professor Francis Bennet, the Australian project lead for Artemis II, says:

"We were able to collaborate with NASA to build on complimentary skills. We appreciate the experts from NASA Glenn Research Centre and Goddard Space Flight Centre who joined us for weeks at a time to help us finalise our system testing, fine tune our optics and operate the extremely complex modem electronics. 

The project marks a culmination of work and applied research over many years with continued support throughout ANU. We are honoured to contribute to such a historic mission and to showcase the University's capability to the world." 

University life is not just about studying. Get involved in campus experiences and student communities designed to help you build connections, grow your network and gain real-world experience that sets you up for success during your time at ANU and after you graduate. 

Explore these resources: 

Think you know enough about ANU? Our campus is full of stories that slip under the radar. Some are tied to our buildings, some sit deep in our history, and some are just fun to know. These are the cool facts students tend to share with their friends when they want to show what makes ANU a little iconic. 

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winners, staff member Yiyi Zhao and student Ishani Kataria. Contact ANU Corporate Communications to collect your prize.   

This week’s trivia question is: When did Mount Stromlo Observatory become part of ANU?  

Put your knowledge of ANU history to the test and see if you can claim the title.   

The animated sci-fi comedy film, Hoppers, is a deceptively simple story that opens up complex ethical and scientific questions. 

Jerry (Jon Hamm), the mayor of Beaverton, has marked a forest glade for destruction, so commuters can save four minutes of drive time. The plan is environmentally assessed as feasible given no animals seem to live there. 

But Mabel (Piper Curda) fights to save the glade, using the newest technology to put her mind into an animatronic beaver robot. This allows her to communicate with the animals and coordinate their collective action. 

Dr Rebecca Lynne Hendershott, an ANU lecturer in Biological Anthropology, unpacks how the film reflects real scientific themes.

Professor Mark Polizzotto has won a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)  award for his global study testing whether a daily tablet could replace chemotherapy for a cancer that kills up to half its patients in Africa. 

Professor Polizzotto, Clinical Director of Cancer Services at Canberra Health Services and Head of the Clinical Hub for Interventional Research (CHOIR) at ANU, received the David Cooper Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award which recognises the highest-ranked clinical trial of the year. 

What does the Middle East conflict mean for Australia and how instructive is the past in drawing parallels with the chaos of today?  Frank Bongiorno joins Mark Kenny to discuss this and the fallout for Australian politics.   

The University is carefully reviewing the findings of the Racism@Uni Report released in February and is committed to strengthening our prevention, reporting and response frameworks, and to being held accountable for the outcomes of our actions. 

The University has a Harmful Behaviours Disclosure tool that can link those that have experienced racism, or other harms, to information and support, or to provide the University with a record of the incident.  

Addressing racism requires sustained effort, cultural change and clear leadership. ANU remains committed to continuous improvement, open reporting and meaningful engagement with our community so that dignity, respect and inclusion are lived realities across our University. 

Amid global disorder, the ANU National Security College is rising to the challenge of the times by providing a trusted platform for an authentically Australian national conversation on security, risk and resilience.

In March 2026, the college delivered three major and mutually-reinforcing initiatives, and launched the findings of the Community Consultations, a massive two-year project to understand what the diverse and dispersed Australian public actually thinks about security. 

Those findings provided the evidence base for the college's major biennial conference on 24-25 March, Securing our Future: A Ready and Resilient Australia. This proved a highly inclusive, democratic and respectful national conversation identifying opportunities for a truly whole-of-nation approach to security, cohesion and preparedness. 

Wednesday 6 May, 6-7pm 

The Rhodes Scholarship is a life-changing postgraduate opportunity to join outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. Join this upcoming webinar to learn more about the Scholarship experience, selection criteria, how to apply and to ask questions from recent scholars. 

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing how we learn, teach and work. Your voice matters in shaping what comes next.  

ANU is partnering with the Digital Education Council, a global community for education innovation, to run the AI in Higher Education Survey in APAC (Asia-Pacific region). This short survey will gather your views on how AI is being used today and how it could transform teaching and learning in the future. 

Requests emailed to the IT Service Desk will no longer create a ticket. Use ANUConnect for faster IT support, clearer request tracking, and access to self-service guides.

Wednesday 15 April, 11am-1pm  

Join students from UC and ANU+ for a Garden Volunteer Day and Lunch Social this Earth Day. Spend the morning gardening, connecting, and contributing at the ANU Kitchen Garden, with a free lunch included. 

Inspired by the theme ‘Our Power, Our Planet’, explore volunteering opportunities and earn one hour towards the ANU+ Award. 

Saturday 11 April, 10am-12pm 

Join Dr Rebecca Mayo and Professor Mitchell Whitelaw for a creative exploration of Wanniassa Hills Nature Reserve. Discover local plant life through observation, hands-on art-making and digital tools, and engage with the living environment in new ways. 

Friday 17 April, 9am-3pm  

This symposium explores how digital tools are reshaping creative practice in glass and ceramics, examining the intersection of studio, industrial and engineering approaches. It also considers Indigenous perspectives on technology and the role of material practices in building more sustainable futures. 

Wednesday 22 April, 5-6.30pm  

Join Coral Bell School Professor Marcus Mietzner for the launch of his latest book on the former Indonesian president Joko Widodo (Jokowi). Professor Mietzner will be in conversation with Dr Eve Warburton, followed by an audience Q&A session.  

Thursday 23 April, 6-7pm  

Professor Matthew Rubery discusses the evolution of the audiobook, exploring the six pivotal phases of development. 

This lecture traces the audiobook’s development from the first experiments with recorded sound in 1877 to today’s smartphones and AI-generated voices.  

Candice Fox in conversation with Chris Hammer

Tuesday 14 April, 6–7pm

Susan Lever in conversation with Robert Hefner

Tuesday 21 April, 6–7pm

Media coverage can affect us in different ways. Support services are available for staff and students who may be impacted, and we encourage anyone needing support to reach out. 

If your idea of a good Friday night involves dice, cards and a little healthy competition, you are going to love this ANU student club. 

The ANU Board Games Society (BGS) brings students together on campus every Friday night to play board games of all kinds, from quick favourites to long, strategic games that take up the whole evening. 

ANU has a dedicated service that allows the community to report non-urgent issues and maintenance concerns across the ANU campus. Fix My Campus enables staff, students and visitors to report a broken light, damaged pathway, faulty door, or a general facility issue. Reporting these issues help us maintain a safe, functional and welcoming environment for everyone.  

Submit an issue in two easy ways:   

We encourage everyone to use this service regularly to ensure issues are addressed promptly and campus standards are maintained.  

Thank you for doing your part in keeping ANU in great shape.   

Every pill tells a story – some save lives, others fuel resistance. In A World of Resistance: India and the Global Antibiotic Crisis (Harvard, 2026), Professor Assa Doron (ANU School of Culture, History & Language) and Professor Alex Broom (University of Sydney) trace the movement of antibiotics across India, uncovering the intersecting pressures of medicine, markets and infrastructure that drive the rise and global spread of superbugs. 

How did you come to be at ANU? 

I first came to ANU as a Future Research Talent (FRT) scholar, which gave me a hands-on experience with the world-class facilities here, for three months. During that time, I literally fell in love with this amazing institution, always wanting to return, and within a year, I received the Maitri Scholarship, which brought me back to this amazing place to pursue my PhD. 

What are you most passionate about in your work? 

My entire project excites me; the whole idea of it gives me goosebumps each day. I work with small, nanoscale solid-state sensors, called nanopores, which I aim to use to develop a system that would detect biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease, years before the memories start fading; and that whole thought and purpose is what I'm most passionate about. 

What is your favourite spot on campus and why? 

While the whole campus awes me, my favourite spot would be the sunny banks of Sullivans Creek, the portion that you see as you walk from the South Oval to the Fellows Oval. The serenity there – amidst the bustle; with ducks quacking, and the sun hugging the bright green grass, in the backdrop of a breathtaking landscape, mesmerises me every single time. 

This week’s picture comes from Nicola Hall, post-graduate student in Masters of Applied Cybernetics.  

"This photo is special to me because it reminds me that the conditions do not always have to be perfect for me to keep growing!" 

Got a photo you’re proud of? Send in your picture using this form and include a short description about why your snap is special to you.  

Help is available if you need it. If you are dealing with a personal or university-related issue, ANU encourages you to seek support through the Student Safety and Wellbeing team by emailing student.wellbeing@anu.edu.au or calling 02 6125 2211, Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm.

You can also visit our Urgent Support page for a list of 24/7 and crisis support options.

For life-threatening emergencies first call 000 (or 0000 if dialing from an internal phone), then call ANU Security at (02) 6125 2249