Get the appMore than 80,000 Victorian Year 12 students are sitting final exams, with warnings that AI technology could make cheating easier. La Trobe University academic Therese Keane said exams must ensure students' work is their own, as technology evolves. She stressed the importance of maintaining confidence in the VCE system's integrity and transparency. While AI poses risks, it can also be a useful study tool when used responsibly, Keane said.
La Trobe University has restored its advanced major in Greek Studies thanks to a donation from Peter and Mary Mitrakas. The university hosted a morning tea on 20 October to celebrate the couple's contribution and the Greek Australian community's commitment to preserving Greek language and culture. The event highlighted the importance of collaboration between universities and community organisations in maintaining Greek Studies at tertiary level.
La Trobe University is asking graduates from the 1980s and 1990s to update their contact details ahead of its 60th anniversary in 2027. Vice-chancellor Professor Theo Farrell said alumni are an important part of the university's community. Graduates who update their details and share a favourite La Trobe memory online can enter a draw to win one of three $200 Coles Group gift cards. Alumni are also encouraged to tell former classmates, friends and family about the celebration.
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Get the appLa Trobe University will reinstate its upper level Advanced Greek Major for three years, under a joint funding arrangement with the Pharos Alliance. The program's coordinator says a university-wide restructure removed subjects across all languages, not Greek alone. Greek remains the only language of its kind offered at a Victorian university, and student numbers have held steady. The program is now developing a long-term plan, and will host an international Modern Greek Studies conference in February 2027.
La Trobe University researcher Dr Lakshmi Wijeyewickrema has received the Guiding Star Mentorship Award at the 2026 Women of Colour in STEM awards. The award recognises her work supporting the growth and personal development of her mentees. The awards are organised by STEM Sisters and celebrate women of colour working across science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Dr Wijeyewickrema was one of five La Trobe University nominees recognised across different categories.
Nicole Chiesa and Erin Smith have each received the $50,000 Tim Fischer Fellowship, which recognises people driving change through education in rural Australia. Ms Chiesa founded Link 2 Country, a program giving school students hands-on farming experience. It has reached about 1000 students in a little more than a year. Associate Professor Smith is expanding an online training module that helps rural paramedic and nursing students practise disaster response. The simulation was developed at La Trobe University and avoids long trips to the Melbourne campus for on-site drills.
Barry York has published A Pentridge Memoir, an account of his jailing at Pentridge Prison in 1972 with two fellow La Trobe University students. The three were held for contempt of the Supreme Court of Victoria without trial or sentence. York describes harsh conditions in the prison, including violence in the maximum security wing. The memoir also covers the group's later work supporting prisoners and campaigning for prison reform. The book is self-published and priced at $34.95.
The number of Australian pharmacies stocking an abortion pill increased by almost 50% after prescribing restrictions were relaxed. A study published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open examined the impact of changes by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in 2023. Researchers led by La Trobe University found that by mid-2025, 4,107 pharmacies were stocking the medication, up from 2,228 before the policy change. The number of postcodes with a pharmacy stocking the medication rose from 915 to 1,292, with regional coverage increasing from 23% to 35% of postcodes.