Melbourne Uni launches ambitious research site

Volume 11 Number 9 September 28 - October 25 2015

Readers hungry for the latest in research and expert commentary now have access to a new website, populated by content from the world-leading experts at Australia’s top university.

The University of Melbourne has launched a bold new website that lifts the lid on its research activities and their impact.

From cutting edge new cancer treatments to the history of witchcraft, the stories featured on the Pursuit website are as diverse as the University’s academics themselves.

Communicating the impact of its work has been part of the University’s core mission for some time, but stepping into the digital media landscape as player in its own right is a new move for the 160-year-old institution.

Editor Phillip Gardner is confident the mix and significance of the stories on Pursuit will prove attractive to readers.

“The work that takes place here at Melbourne Uni, day in day out, and the impact it has on the community is quite amazing,” says the former editor-in-chief of the Herald Sun.

“Readers will find everything from the story behind cutting edge new melanoma treatments to how meditation can benefit school students.

“The common thread through everything on the site, is that it is all directly informed by world-leading experts; every piece of information is research-informed, reliable and the latest in its field.”

The website is the result of over a year of hard work from a large team at the University. Marketing and communications executive director, Lara McKay, says the site forms a vital part of the organisation’s overall communication strategy.

“Increasingly, universities must communicate how their work benefits the community. The challenge for the University is to communicate our comprehensive strength and the impact of the multitude of projects being worked on here every day, but we can’t rely on a once a month or once a quarter publication to do that anymore,” she says.

“Pursuit is the latest, and boldest, step we have taken towards making that research not only visible to the public, but interesting, engaging and dynamic. Our aim is absolutely to entice readers to stay on the site, read more stories, and return the next day to learn about our next great contribution in research.”

Pursuit will be updated daily, and readers will have the opportunity to subscribe to hear about new articles in their areas of interest. The University’s social media channels will also keep readers up to date on the latest content. Read more at  pursuit.unimelb.edu.au

pursuit.unimelb.edu.au