CUISINE AND CULTUREINSIGHTS ON SUPERNOVAEREDEFINING LEADERSHIPTACKLINGHOMELESSNESSOPPORTUNITIES FOR INDUSTRY FAST

FORWARDMAPPING NEW

WAYS TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW

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VENTURESCIENCE | TECHNOLOGY | INNOVATION

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contents

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Issue Two, 2012

The magazine of Swinburne University of Technology,John St (PO Box 218), HawthornVictoria 3122 Australia

EDITORIAL ENQUIRIESLiz Tunnecliffe Corporate Publications Swinburne University of Technologytel: 1300 275 788www.swinburne.edu.au/magazineemail: magazine@swinburne.edu.auesubscribe for free access to current and past issues online:www.swinburne.edu.au/magazine/subscribe

COURSES tel: 1300 275 794www.swinburne.edu.au/courses

INDUSTRY RESEARCH ENQUIRIESDr Bruce Whantel: +61 3 9214 5979email: bwhan@swinburne.edu.au

INDUSTRY STUDENT PLACEMENTStel: +61 3 9214 5766email: iel@swinburne.edu.au

PHILANTHROPYMichael Grigolettotel: +61 3 9214 8734 email: mgrigoletto@swinburne.edu.au

CRICOS Provider Code 00111D

Venture is published three times a year for Swinburne University of Technology by Hardie Grant MediaGround Level, Building 1658 Church Street, Richmond Victoria 3121 Australiawww.hardiegrant.com.au

PUBLISHER Keri Freeman

EDITOR Helen Withycombe

ART DIRECTORGlenn Moffatt

PRINTOffset Alpine

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY Eamon Gallagher

COVER Corbis Images

Printed on PEFC Certified paper from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources.

ISSN 2200-6338 (Print) ISSN 2200-7628 (Online)

Copyright © Swinburne University of Technology All rights reserved.

The information in this publication was correct at the time of going to press, August 2012. The views expressed by contributors in this publication are not necessarily those of Swinburne University of Technology.

CONTENTS

4 UPFRONTThe latest innovations and events.

6 SANDWICH SOLUTIONHow a giant 3D metal printer could help Australia’s manufacturing industry.

8 FUEL THE FIREFuel-sensor technologies have been developed using artifi cial intelligence to give drivers accurate fuel readings.

12 LEAF MATTERNew insights into the highly effi cient energy transfer capability of plants.

13 MELTING POTThe importance of food traditions in a multicultural society.

14 CALM WATERSTiming is critical for Australia’s partnership with Indonesia, says Professor Kenneth Chern.

15 MEASURED RESPONSEWorking with Credit Union Foundation Australia to create a poverty alleviation assessment tool.

16 HOME ON THE HORIZON An innovative collaboration in Geelong aims to prevent homelessness.

18 THROUGH THE WATER WINDOWThe development of an affordable, tabletop imaging solution for studying biological cell structures is now in sight.

19 MEASURING LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCERedefi ning the meaning of leadership excellence.

20 IN THE HEART OF A SAPPHIREBuilding some of the smallest devices in the world.

22 BETTER UNDERSTANDING BIPOLAR DISORDERContemporary thought is heralding a new approach to treating this condition.

23 QUEST FOR THE ANCESTRAL STARSReaching back 12 billion years to witness the earliest exploding stars.

VENTURE

A partnership with VicRoads to improve Melbourne’s traffi c management systems. BY FIONA KILLMAN

COVER STORY

10 BEATING THE GRIDLOCK

20 Professor Saulius Juodkazis

8 Jenny and Edin Terzic

Associate Professor Hai Vuand Andrew Wall

13 Helen Benny

ISSUE TWO 2012 | VENTURE | SWINBURNE | 3

19 Professor Chris Selvarajah and PhD students

15 Dr Mohshin Habib

for iPad available now

from the iTunes App Store

VENTURE

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4 | swinburne | venture | issue two 2012

upfrontupfront

A vision for the future

Welcome to Venture – our new-look magazine that provides you with an insight into the high-quality research and exciting education initiatives at Swinburne University of Technology.

In this issue, we focus on the importance of leadership and our role in shaping the leaders of

the future. In an era of globalisation, technological change, resource scarcity and environmental risk, it’s vital to provide a strong vision to take us forward.

An understanding of the steps needed for the common good, the courage to take those steps and the persuasive power to enlist support are the key pillars for strong leadership. Failures at the top, particularly at a national level, leave lasting impacts – economic as well as social. We need only look back to the global financial crisis that saw businesses close, thousands of jobs lost and families left struggling in many parts of the world.

Through the Swinburne Leadership Institute we are working to develop a community of strong and ethical leaders. In this issue, the institute’s Executive Director Professor Kenneth Chern looks at Australia’s place in the Asian Century and how we can tap into the country’s potential to drive our leadership in the region.

We also highlight some of our innovative research and education initiatives where we are playing a leading role in addressing issues that matter. A recent example is our collaboration with VicRoads to establish the Intelligent Transport System Lab, which aims to improve traffic flow on Melbourne’s busy arterials through better traffic control and management systems.

This issue also reports on an important project that has implications for future manufacturing. New technology developed by researchers in Swinburne’s Direct Metal Deposition Laboratory offers great potential to increase manufacturing production rates and decrease waste. This technology can help deliver distinct competitive advantages and more sustainable outcomes for Australian industry.

I hope you enjoy this exciting issue of Venture, which showcases the collaborative effort and innovative leadership being undertaken by Swinburne and our valued partners.

professor Linda Kristjanson

VICE-ChANCELLoR and PRESIDENTSWINbURNE UNIVERSITy oF TEChNoLogy

UNCoVERINg SECRETS oF ThE bRAINMental health and brain research has received a major boost with the opening of Swinburne’s new neuroimaging facilities equipped with Victoria’s first magnetoencephalograph (MEg) machine. MEg, a non-invasive technique that measures magnetic fields generated by the brain’s activity,

ECo SoLUTIoN oN TAP

To address the damaging effect plastic bottles

are having on the environment, Jesse Leeworthy set out to develop an alternative in

the final year of his product design

engineering course at Swinburne. his solution,

a water-purifying and dispensing system with reusable stainless steel bottles, has won

gold in the recent International Design Awards.

Designed in conjunction with Ishke Pty Ltd for his final year professional project, the dispenser has a six-stage reverse-osmosis filtration system and wireless network connectivity. The stainless-steel bottles are embedded with an RFID tag that facilitates cashless

payment, communicates bottle specifications and user preferences.

Ishke is working to bring the product to Victorian public places. Leeworthy says he hopes the system will change people’s attitudes to plastic bottles as well as put a dent in the huge amount of plastic that goes into landfill, pollutes waterways and threatens marine wildlife.

PASSWoRDS ThAT PASSonline security passwords are a part of everyday life but they need some thought to be truly secure, says dr philip Branch, a senior lecturer in telecommunications and a specialist in it security at swinburne.

“if you use a password that is fewer than eight characters long and is all lower case, it can be broken in a fraction of a second. the computing power available on the average desktop and the ready availability of hacking tools mean that simple passwords barely slow down a hacker who wants to break into your account,” dr Branch warns.

“people have a large number of accounts that need passwords, and the temptation to reuse is strong. in itself this is not a problem, but the security on all website systems isn’t uniformly good. While a separate password for every account might provide good security, it isn’t always the most practical solution.”

did you KnoW?214 million kilograms

of plastic are used in the bottling of 89 billion litres

of drinking water each year and consumption of bottled water is growing

by 10% a year?

onLine security tips

l a good password is sufficiently long and easy for you to remember, but to an outsider would appear to be meaningless. anything that can be looked up in a dictionary should be avoided.

l the best way to construct a good password is to use two or more pieces of information and combine them in a way that only you know. that way you are not open to ‘dictionary’ attacks and you are likely to remember it.

l a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols of at least 15 characters is the most secure method.

l it’s good practice to have strong and unique passwords for sensitive accounts such as banking, and a hierarchy of passwords for lesser applications.

04-05 NEWS.indd 4 18/07/12 10:54 AM

issue two 2012 | venture | swinburne | 5

upfrontupfront

oNLINE MENTAL hEALTh CARE booSTSwinburne’s National e-Therapy Centre has received more than $2.5 million from the Australian Department of health and Ageing to fund the centre’s successful Anxiety online initiative for the next three years.

The service helps people regain control of their lives by providing access to information, assessment, diagnosis and treatment programs via the internet.

Treatment programs are available for generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder and depression. The service is expanding, with programs soon to be available for bulimia, irritable bowel disease, insomnia, gambling and the treatment of multiple disorders. Next year clients will be able to communicate with therapists through virtual-reality platforms, email, audio chat or by video chat.

www.anxietyonline.org.au

While science and engineering have contributed to major advances in recent decades, education of the next generation of engineering professionals has not kept pace, says associate professor alex Mazzolini, the associate dean Learning and teaching in swinburne’s faculty of engineering and industrial sciences.

“traditional teaching techniques are no longer effective in engaging students,” professor Mazzolini says.

He welcomes growing interest in scholarship among engineering educators and expects more than 200 engineering academics, postgraduate and undergraduate students and professional engineers to attend the 2012 annual conference of the australasian association for engineering education in december.

Hosted by swinburne, the conference will put australia’s engineering education in the spotlight with a major focus on improving engineering education through innovative methods that better engage students, scholarship and rigorous research in engineering education. The conference will be held aT Swinburne’S advanced TechnologieS cenTre aT The hawThorn campuS from 3–5 december.

focus on engineering education

Astronomer’s influence recognised

is one of the most advanced tests of brain function in the world.

“This technology allows us to detect brain activity much more accurately and in more detail than ever before,” says Professor Susan Rossell, Deputy Director of Swinburne’s brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre and Principal of Neuroimaging.

“As a result we are able to pursue advanced neuroscience research, search for clues to brain function and mental-health disorders and gain a much more thorough understanding of brain function.”

The MEg technology was purchased with the support of a $1.55 million grant from the federal government’s Education Investment Fund. A Victorian government grant is supporting laboratory staff.

you can see rare and aMazing iMages of tHe Brain froM tHe Meg at sWinBurne’s MarKet of tHe Mind exHiBit in tHe city square, 5.30pM – 9pM friday 10 august.

At least half of Australia’s top 500 private companies are family-owned and yet 2010 statistics indicate that 66 per cent of Australia’s family-owned businesses were not succession-ready, despite an ageing CEO profile, says Dr Sheree Gregory, of the Swinburne Institute for Social Research.

Dr Gregory, a specialist in work and family issues, is studying the key issues involved in succession planning for Australian businesses, identifying common issues and potential solutions to the often vexed issue of succession.

The first year of the study has already told of the many significant challenges that families face in planning management and ownership succession from one generation to the

next, including issues around trust and conflict, marriage and divorce, mortality and simply letting go.

“It’s very hard, after investing the majority of your life in building up a business, to work out when to hand over, how to hand over, or who to hand over to. We haven’t so far found too many CEOs planning extended vacations when they hit 65,” Dr Gregory says.

She is seeking participation of around 100 firms for the interview component of the two-year study, funded by the Australian Research Council in collaboration with accounting firm Pitcher Partners.

For more information, contact chief investigator Professor Michael Gilding mgilding@swinburne.edu.au or Dr Sheree Gregory sgregory@swinburne.edu.au

KEEPInG IT In ThE fAmIly?

Swinburne astronomer Professor Karl glazebrook has been named one of the 12 most influential Australian

researchers at the 2012 Thomson Reuters Australia Citation and Innovation Awards. The recipients were selected based on citation impact of their published research and patent analysis by Thomson Reuters, the world’s largest international multimedia news agency, using their Web of Science and research evaluation tool InCites.

“This would not have been possible without the strong intellectual environment and resources Swinburne has provided, nor without the extraordinarily talented scientific collaborators and students I have had the good fortune to work with,” says Professor glazebrook.

Professor glazebrook’s research is focused on understanding the

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formation and evolution of galaxies and the structure, nature and history of our Universe. Through fundamental cosmology he is seeking to answer basic questions such as determining the nature of the dark energy which causes the expansion of the Universe to accelerate. he has pioneered the new technique of probing cosmology using “cosmic sound”.

Swinburne Vice-Chancellor Professor Linda Kristjanson says Professor glazebrook has made an enormous contribution to astronomy research in Australia and internationally. Professor glazebrook is one of only 10 highly Cited (hi-Ci) astronomy researchers in Australia – the top 0.5 per cent of cited researchers in the world.

Two others are also based at Swinburne’s Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing: professors Warwick Couch and Jeremy Mould.

04-05 NEWS.indd 5 18/07/12 10:54 AM

manufacturing

sandwIch solutIonRESEARCHERS HAVE STRUCK ON A TECHNOLOGY THAT MAY AID AUSTRALIA’S STRUGGLING MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY.

6 | sWinburne | venture | issue TWO 2012

by caRolyn Boyd

Dr Khalid Imran using a 3D printer for metal, which reduces

the time needed to make components

out of aluminium and other metals.

06-07_TOOLING.indd 6 18/07/12 12:15 PM

manufacturing

issue TWO 2012 | venture | sWinburne | 7

In what could prove a lifeline for Australia’s manufacturing industry, researchers at Swinburne have found a way to slash the time it takes to make components out of aluminium and other metals. And the solution, it seems, is all thanks to the help of a giant

3D printer for metal.

Installed in Swinburne’s Advanced Technologies Centre, at its Hawthorn campus, the machine promises to significantly reduce waste and cut cooling times in high-pressure die-casting by one-third.

Observing the way that parts are made for motor vehicles, Swinburne PhD graduate Dr Khalid Imran and his supervisor Professor Syed Masood noted that once aluminium components are cast into a steel die or mould, the molten aluminium takes a lengthy time to cool down and solidify because steel is a poor thermal conductor and tends to hold the heat in the mould. The component can’t be removed from the mould until it has cooled and hardened.

In die-casting, molten aluminium is injected into steel moulds to form complex shapes, and the moulds have a special coating to prevent the aluminium from sticking to them, meaning that once it is cool, the aluminium is then extracted from the mould.

Although die-casters pump coolants through channels in the steel moulds to hasten the process, it still takes a considerable time for the moulds to cool, explains Dr Imran. And in the competitive manufacturing industry, time equals money, particularly in Australia where wages and energy costs are high compared with countries such as China and India.

RetaInIng a technIcal edgeThe Australian manufacturing industry has been under increased pressure in the wake of the global financial crisis as it struggles to compete with countries that have much cheaper labour. While it is not possible to slash labour costs in Australia, improving efficiency in an industry that has long relied on having a technical edge could make all the difference.

“If the production rate is high then you can produce millions of parts in a very short time and that will reduce the cost of manufacturing,” explains Dr Imran, whose research promises to cut cooling times in high-pressure die-casting by one-third.

While tooling steel tends to hold heat, another metal – copper – is quick to release it. “If the mould is copper, it will suck the heat out very quickly,” says Dr Imran. “That means the molten metal that has been injected [into the mould] will solidify very fast.”

However, the problem with copper is that being a soft metal, it has a lower melting point than tool steel and when used as a mould, it begins to interact with the molten metal injected inside it.

Nevertheless, Dr Imran hypothesised that a high-strength copper alloy could be used as a mould if it was lined with a thin layer of protective tooling steel to stop it from melting, in a process known as bimetallic tooling.

the layeR effectDuring his Swinburne PhD studies, Dr Imran spent six months collaborating with Jyoti Mazumder, a joint professor in mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan in the US. Professor Mazumder is an internationally recognised authority on laser-aided manufacturing including direct metal deposition, laser cladding and advanced metallurgy. He says Dr Imran’s project was challenging as melding copper and tooling steel is like trying to bond oil and water. “Metallurgically they are not very miscible,” Professor Mazumder says.

Working closely with the POM Group, designers and builders of Direct Metal Deposition additive manufacturing systems, of which Professor Mazumder is the chief executive, and the University of Michigan, Dr Imran found a solution – sandwiching a third metal that mixes with both copper and steel in between. His research built on earlier work by the POM Group. The make-up of the bonding metal is a closely guarded secret.

Dr Imran used the additive manufacturing process of Direct Metal Deposition, or DMD, to layer the three metals and produce a predominantly copper mould.

The revolutionary concept makes components, or in this case a mould, directly from powder, ribbon or wire deposited in a layered manner, without the need for casting, forging, rolling, cutting, machining, welding or drilling. The DMD machine replicates

“If the pRoductIon Rate Is hIgh then you can pRoduce mIllIons of paRts In a veRy shoRt tIme and that wIll Reduce the cost of manufactuRIng.”Dr Khalid Imran

computer-aided designs (CAD), taking them straight from design to product. At Swinburne, DMD is produced using a machine manufactured by the POM Group that is fed by up to four different metal powders and builds 3D items from scratch.

The process particularly lends itself to making moulds for die-casting, as the die cavities tend to be very complex and DMD provides a true metallurgical bond, says Syed Masood, who

is Professor of Advanced Manufacturing in Swinburne’s Industrial Research

Institute and a leading researcher in additive manufacturing technology.

“The bimetallic tooling is of better quality [than traditional processes],” Professor Masood says. “It has less heat-affected zones, which means less

thermal cracking or thermal fatigue, and minimum distortion.

We have measured the quality of the parts produced and we have proven that

the quality of the parts produced by bimetallic tooling is as good as the original tooling methods.”

As well as being able to lay down multiple metals in complex patterns, the process has a major advantage over traditional tool making – little to no waste.

“You are just adding material layer by layer to get the shape, whereas the traditional manufacturing technique is to take your hunk of material and remove [parts of it] to get to the shape,” says Professor Mazumder. “In many components, 80 per cent of the material is just removed and wasted, whereas here, instead of removing 80 per cent you are just adding 20 per cent. That’s the big deal. It’s almost a paradigm shift.”

Professor Masood says the research group’s expertise and the technology are providing unique opportunities for companies to address needs in tooling development, tool and metal component repair, surface modification and coating, new alloy development and direct metal prototypes.

For further information, email Professor Masood at smasood@swinburne.edu.au l

the australian manufacturing industry

has been under increased pressure in the wake of the global financial crisis as it

struggles to complete with countries that have much cheaper

labour.

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8 | SWINBURNE | VENTURE | ISSUE TWO 2012

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

“BASED ON THE LEARNING ALGORITHM THAT IS WITHIN THE SENSOR, IT CAN PREDICT EXACTLY THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THERE WITH ACCURACY OF PLUS OR MINUS THREE PER CENT.”Dr Edin Terzic

A MELBOURNE COUPLE HAVE STIRRED GLOBAL INTEREST WITH THEIR FUEL-SENSOR TECHNOLOGIES, WHICH EMPLO Y ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO GIVE DRIVERS ACCURATE FUEL READINGS.by CAROLYN BOYD

for process and product inspection in the automotive and food industries.

“Professor Nagarajah has very extensive theoretical knowledge in the area of artifi cial intelligence and non-contact sensing, and that was a really valuable contribution to our work,” Dr Jenny Terzic says. “We were able to combine our practical industry experience in fuel systems with his academic knowledge and basically come up with this end product that is highly sophisticated and easily adaptable to any vehicle application.”

“A big part of our PhD work was the literature research and benchmarking within the industry, understanding the use of technology,” says Edin. “We spent nearly eight months doing just that to understand exactly what the industry needs, what the issues are, what the existing states of technologies are, and based on that benchmark exercise we are confi dent it will be used.”

TWO SENSORS, ONE OUTCOMEIn their postgraduate research completed last year, the Terzics developed two sensors – Jenny’s is ultrasonic and Edin’s is a capacitive sensor.

“The ultrasonic sensor is a non-contact sensor. In other words the sensor is not in contact with the fl uid that it measures,” says Edin. “That one typically would be used where there are aggressive fl uids such as acids. On the other hand, capacitive sensors can be submerged in the liquid.”

The two sensing systems apply different types of artifi cial intelligence techniques. “In Jenny’s case it was using support vector machines, which is a fairly

Working out how much fuel is left in a car’s tank is a complex engineering challenge most drivers give little thought to. As a vehicle moves and turns, the rudimentary sensors in today’s

cars struggle to provide an accurate reading of fuel levels. That means vehicles have more unusable fuel than necessary to compensate for this inaccuracy and minimise the chance of running out. More unusable fuel also means that the actual vehicle range is reduced.

A dynamic Melbourne couple have developed two groundbreaking smart sensors that end the guessing game. Edin and Jenny Terzic are using artifi cial intelligence to measure fuel levels, and their research is creating so much interest they have been published in fi ve international journals, have a book out on the subject, and are fi elding calls from vehicle manufacturers abroad.

“The current sensors do not compensate well for fuel slosh when the vehicle is moving,” explains Dr Edin Terzic, Chief Manufacturing Engineer, Asia Pacifi c, for Delphi Automotive and the Managing Director of Powertrain Australia.

“They mainly rely on measuring fuel when the vehicle is stationary and averaging or integrating this with readings taken approximately every 20 seconds in dynamic driving conditions. So the accuracy is not that great, especially in more dynamic conditions such as car racing and other motor sports.”

SEARCH FOR A SOLUTIONIn search of a solution, the couple decided to undertake a PhD under the supervision of Professor Romesh Nagarajah who oversaw the couple’s earlier master’s degree study. Professor Nagarajah heads the non-contact inspection research group within Swinburne’s Industrial Research Institute. The research group has developed and implemented several intelligent sensing systems

advanced signal processing method, and in my case, I used neural networks,” says Edin.

The artifi cial intelligence allows the sensors to recognise the frequency of a slosh inside the fuel tank. “Based on the learning algorithm that is within the sensor, it can predict exactly the amount of fuel in there with accuracy of plus or minus three per cent,” says Edin. “That is signifi cantly more accurate than any traditional sensors that we have in the industry today.”

INDUSTRY APPLICATIONSThe technology has obvious applications in industries such as car racing, where knowing just how much fuel is left in a driver’s tank could mean the difference between winning and losing a major title. And in ordinary cars on the street, the Terzics say more accurate fuel measurement could be used by vehicle manufacturers to gain a marketing edge by advertising that their models can go further on one tank, or to reduce the size of fuel tanks, making vehicles lighter and therefore lowering overall fuel consumption.

“Distance to empty is very important,” says Edin. “In any vehicle there is a certain amount of fuel that is unusable, it’s like a safety margin that will never get used because this prevents the vehicle running out of fuel. That means … your travelling distance and range is lost.”

A major attraction to car manufacturers is the fact that the Terzics’ sensors can fi t all vehicles and need a simple fi ve-minute software adaption to work from model to model.

“Now that’s something vehicle manufacturers like a lot,” says Edin. “Currently, even the smallest design changes to a fuel tank require new sensor development, which is very costly.”

The Terzics say that once the technologies have found an appropriate home, they can be put in production within six to 12 months. ●

FUEL THE FIRE FUEL THE FIRE FUEL THE FIRE

08-09_fuel.indd 8 18/07/12 2:34 PM

ISSUE TWO 2012 | VENTURE | SWINBURNE | 9

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

FUEL THE FIRE FUEL THE FIRE FUEL THE FIRE Jenny and Edin Terzic are used to working side-by-side. They met during the first year of their undergraduate degree in Bosnia, before emigrating to Melbourne in 1995 and undertaking a master’s degree together at Swinburne University of Technology.

When the couple embarked on their PhDs, they juggled working full-time as senior engineers at Delphi Automotive Systems Australia, and studying part-time while

parenting their children, now aged 12 and 20. Jenny, who recently left Delphi to take

up a role as Director of Quality for Fiat Iveco Trucks Australia, says far from being a hindrance, living, working and studying together helped the couple to maintain their strong family bonds.

“We enjoyed working together as we had a chance to at least have a chat during the day,” she says.

TEAM WORK

Dr Edin and Dr Jenny Terzic

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10 | swinburne | venture | issue two 2012

HEADER HERE

tRAnspoRt stRAtEgy

by fiona killman

≥

Associate Professor Hai Vu, Swinburne Faculty of Information

and Communication Technologies with Andrew Wall, Manager

Network Operations at VicRoads.

Beating the gridlock

≥ ≥

≥

A partnership between Swinburne and VicRoads is promising to advance Melbourne’s traffic-management capabilities.

10 | swinburne | venture | issue two 2012

10-11_Transport.indd 10 20/07/12 2:50 PM

issue two 2012 | venture | swinburne | PB

HEADER HERE

tRAnspoRt stRAtEgy

Innovative science at Swinburne.

Swinburne research aims to enhance Australia’s capacity in science, technology and innovation.

Meet the people behind fascinating science discoveries that affect your world during National Science Week and throughout August.

For more events, details and to register visit swinburne.edu.au/events C

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Science Week Events

§ Technology and Tots

§ Brain Beats: A Drummer’s Mind

§ Meet Your Freeloaders

§ Dark Matters in Our Universe

§ Stealing From Nature

Traffic managers across Australia are under constant pressure to ensure roads run efficiently as the growing population increases traffic congestion. This is why the Victorian Road Authority, VicRoads, is working with Swinburne to implement an

intelligent transport system for Melbourne.

“There is a lot more traffic on the road network, especially in the inner and middle parts of Melbourne,” Andrew Wall, Manager Network Operations at VicRoads says. “There is no more space to build our way out of the problem, so we have got to be smarter about how we use our existing roads. This involves the use of intelligent transport systems to give priority to transport that moves more people, and encourages drivers to make different choices about how they travel.”

To develop the system, Swinburne and VicRoads launched Victoria’s first dedicated traffic analysis research centre in April. Researchers at the Swinburne Intelligent Transport Systems Laboratory, based at the Hawthorn campus, will analyse live traffic data to develop new technology and algorithms to help improve traffic flow and make the journey safer for drivers by reducing collisions and managing disruptions.

Better informed, Better managed trafficWall says the Swinburne team will receive data from every signalised intersection in Melbourne. “By partnering with academia we open up opportunities for more research that not only assists us to better manage the roads and make use of the wealth of data we collect, but also provides fantastic learning opportunities for students and researchers,” he says.

Head of the laboratory, Associate Professor Hai Vu, from Swinburne’s Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies, says advancements in technology enabling better access to more accurate, real-time information, inspired him to look into intelligent transport systems and approach VicRoads.

“I live in Melbourne and like many other big cities, traffic congestion has a huge impact on social and economic activities – not to mention how frustrating it can be for drivers. I see the opportunity where understanding how and when congestion occurs from traffic data can help to improve the situation. This is the idea underpinning this exciting new partnership,” he says.

“We can apply information and knowledge gained from traffic data to better utilise and manage our road infrastructure, and Swinburne has a lot of research activities and expertise in this area,” he says.

Melbourne has the lowest

car occupancy rate in Australia, at 1.2 people per vehicle. An increase in car occupancy could

significantly reduce congestion.

rethinking transport systemsThe Swinburne team brings to the project extensive research expertise in networks and data communication, artificial intelligence and knowledge of data intensive systems, their management and control. The team also has expertise in sustainable infrastructure and transportation.

Associate Professor Vu says the laboratory will collaborate with Australian and international universities, including the University of Queensland, University of Melbourne and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. This will form partnerships with other leading researchers tackling this difficult problem and leverage the experience

of similar initiatives overseas such as the co-operative traffic management centre

in the Netherlands.

Wall says the initial role of VicRoads is to provide access to data and the traffic signal system; however, they plan to work with researchers in the near future to identify problems and

solutions to improve traffic flow and reduce collisions and incidents.

“The university researchers have a lot of different skills and can bring completely

different ways of thinking,” he says.

the driver experience“What people value is reliability,” Wall says. “If it generally takes a driver 20 minutes to get to work, we want it to consistently take 20 minutes.”

Intelligent transport systems aim to deliver more consistent and safer travel through improved traffic management, increased use of public transport and new technology. In the short term, this will mean changes to traffic signal timing in hot spots, as well as other strategies to improve traffic flow and ensure less disruption to public transport.

In the future, improved navigation systems could provide drivers with optimal turn-by-turn guidance based on live information about traffic congestion and incidents on their travel path. On-board technology could also identify when a driver is stressed or fatigued.

Under an intelligent transport system, communication between vehicles – an area Associate Professor Vu has been researching for some time – has the potential to reduce collisions and fatalities on the road by warning surrounding vehicles about sudden braking or other problems, so drivers can react faster.

“My vision is a transportation system where we can have cars, trains, buses and trams all connected, sharing information and interacting with people. It’s all part of a future digital society,” Associate Professor Vu says. l

“my vision is a transportation system where we can have cars, trains, Buses and trams all connected, sharing information and interacting with people. it’s all part of a future digital society.” Associate Professor Hai Vu

10-11_Transport.indd 11 20/07/12 2:49 PM

12 | swinburne | venture | issue two 2012

culturephysics

leaf matterphYsicists are sheddinG neW liGht on the hiGhlY efficient enerGY transfer capabilitY of plants.

Dr Davis is a Senior Research Fellow in the ultrafast spectroscopy group at the Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy (CAOUS), and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science hosted at Swinburne. CAOUS was founded in 1999 by Emeritus Professor Peter Hannaford.

PhD student Gethin Richards performed the experiments and much of the analysis that led to these observations.

The team collaborates with external researchers Professor Paul Curmi at the University of NSW (chromophore samples) and Dr Harry Quiney at the University of Melbourne (modelling).

This work was supported by a Discovery Project grant from the Australian Research Council.

the prOJect teAM

by James hutson

new understanding of photosYnthesis

“if we can understand how

nature has designed these structures we can apply those to organic

photovoltaic cells … so that energy from the sun can

be stored and used with virtually

no loss.”

Photosynthesis underpins all life on this planet. It is the process by which energy from the sun is collected and stored as chemical energy in plants.

Understanding the intricacies of nature’s highly effi cient energy transfer has long

been the focus of researchers around the world.

The more we learn about this energy transfer mechanism, the more feasible it becomes to mimic nature in the development of highly effi cient photovoltaic solar cells, says Dr Jeff Davis, Research Fellow with Swinburne’s Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy (CAOUS).

He is leading a research group which has developed a technique that provides new insights into the photosynthesis process at the atomic level.

the keY to high energY efficiencYClassical physics was long deemed to be suffi cient to explain the passing of energy from sunlight to where the biochemistry can take place.

However, in 2007 experiments from the Fleming group at the University of California, Berkeley, showed that during photosynthesis, energy doesn’t hop between the different light absorbing plant molecules (chromophores) as classical physics would suggest. Instead, the chromophores are momentarily coupled in a quantum superposition, effectively sharing energy for relatively long times (more than 200 femtoseconds or 0.0000000000002 seconds).

It is speculated that these quantum-superpositions allow the energy absorbed from the sun to rapidly and reversibly explore all possible pathways before taking the most effi cient one and provide the key to extremely high effi ciency energy transfer in photosynthesis.

Only a handful of research groups around the world have now seen these quantum effects exist

in photosynthesis but until now they have not been able to clearly confi rm or refute any of the predictions regarding their role.

oBserVing Quantum effectsThe Swinburne team has developed a technique to isolate these quantum effects. This has led to the fi rst clear measure of how long these quantum superpositions last and the fi rst observation of strong coupling between the electronic transitions of the chromophores and the vibrational energy states of the protein matrix that holds the chromophores in place.

This observation provides clear experimental evidence that classical treatment of photosynthesis isn’t good enough. Better models, which include these newly

observed quantum details are required. Initial theoretical models suggest that quantum coupling on its own

would actually reduce the system’s effi ciency, and that only by factoring in dephasing,

quantum tunnelling and noise due to vibration and motion processes does highly effi cient energy transfer occur.

As Dr Davis points out, the more we understand about this energy transfer

mechanism and how the environment affects that mechanism, the more feasible

it becomes to use these fi ndings to make more effi cient photovoltaic solar cells.

more efficient photoVoltaicsCurrent organic photovoltaics are a thin layer mixture of two types of light-harvesting molecule: simple, but with only single digit effi ciencies. Dr Davis admits applying these fi ndings would require a change in approach. Additional structures would be required to position the chromophores in a similar manner to which they are held in place by the protein matrix in the plant cells.

“If we can understand how nature has designed these structures we can apply those to organic photovoltaic cells or some other form of biomimetic light harvesting so that energy from the sun can be stored and used with virtually no loss.” l

12-13_PhotoFood.indd 12 18/07/12 12:36 PM

issue two 2012 | venture | swinburne | 13

culturephysics

by Virginia millen

There has been little work done in the sociology space around the issue of multiculturalism and its influence on food trends in Australia. Swinburne PhD student Helen Benny is changing this with her research project Kitchen Matters, which

explores the importance of food traditions in a multicultural community.

Benny’s research was conducted in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, a multicultural community that has undergone some rapid change in recent years. Her findings suggest that the connection between food and identity is particularly important for new migrants. “At a broader level it’s also important because, for the average Australian, food is often the first point of contact with different cultures and cultural practices,” she says. “So it becomes an important part of intercultural communities and communication.”

Benny observed that the recipes and food traditions of ageing migrants are being kept alive by their children and grandchildren. “Traditional cuisines that were really only kept alive in oral cultures are still an important part of identity, even for those who are second-generation,” she says.

keeping traditions aliVe While Benny’s subjects were keen to preserve cooking traditions, they often went about it in very creative ways, using short cuts available to them through the modern food system. “There is a danger of becoming too nostalgic about the past,” Benny says. “The people I interviewed were aware that much of the food they or their parents used to eat was of poorer quality. Another important factor in this is that many ‘traditional’ cuisines rely on someone (most often a woman) having enough time and energy to spend long hours cooking from scratch. Preserving traditions relies on some adaptations.”

Benny also found that many in the Brunswick community were interested in the people around them, no matter what their origin. “Several people emphasised that they felt it was really important to establish ties with and to learn the ways of other people who were in the community. There was a great sense of hope of what Australia will become,” she says, adding that eating, one of our most basic needs, imbues a sense of curiosity and generosity that allows people from all backgrounds to come together. l

a research projectuncovers the importance of food and tradition in a melbourne suburb.

“food is often the first point

of contact with different

cultures.”Ms Helen Benny

melting pot

12-13_PhotoFood.indd 13 18/07/12 12:36 PM

According to an Indonesian proverb, calm water does not mean there are no crocodiles. That is handy advice for the Australian government as it prepares the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century

commissioned to address the global power shift to Asia. The Swinburne Leadership Institute cautioned in its white paper submission that Australia must display values of innovation and courage to lead in the Asian Century, and that corruption in Indonesia must be uprooted if Indonesia is to fulfil its promise in partnership with Australia.

Indonesia’s population is the fourth-largest in the world. It is the third-largest democracy, and the largest Muslim population globally. It straddles vital sea lanes and is a close-by neighbour. Australia has an enormous stake in what happens there.

A solid FoundAtion

Canberra and Jakarta seem to be getting on well. Security co-operation is productive, and the two governments work harmoniously in multilateral groupings on issues such as deforestation and climate change. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose government has made great strides in democratisation, decentralisation, economic growth and international participation, terms Australia a “close friend”.

However, Australia needs to work to dispel public mistrust arising from the cultural gap between the countries, and to help Indonesia build a civil society and an economic foundation for a prosperous future. Australia needs to drive this process before President Yudhoyono retires in 2014. Beyond that lies uncharted water where crocodiles may lurk.

Australia has creditably supported Indonesian civil society via development assistance despite the culture gap. If Indonesia modernises its governance and deepens its democratic traditions, the gap could dissipate, as a vibrant pluralistic society resonates with Australian values and presents a compelling model for the developing world, particularly for Muslim countries. The construction of more than 2000 junior secondary schools in 2005–10, and 330,000 new school places, reflect this effort, as does 2011–12 funding to support civil society, justice and democracy.

tAckling corruptionHowever, certain factors in Indonesia’s governance may frustrate this interest. Last November in Foreign Affairs, former White House Asia Director Karen Brooks commended Indonesia’s progress under President Yudhoyono. But she also flagged persistent corruption at all levels of government, including at high levels in the President’s political party and, ironically, “decentralisation of graft,” with officials from Jakarta to villages now demanding kickbacks. These phenomena threaten the prospects for an Indonesian model of multiparty democratic government.

Australia envisions expanded bilateral trade and investment through a Free Trade Agreement but, as the Lowy Institute’s Fergus Hanson notes, it is odd that Australian business is “so underdone in a country right on our doorstep set to become one of the world’s largest economies”. With 240 million people, strong economic growth, and a rising middle class, Indonesia in 2010–11 was only Australia’s 12th largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of $13.8 billion, while New Zealand, with less than two per cent of Indonesia’s population and one-fifth of

its GDP, was Australia’s seventh-largest partner, with $21.1 billion in trade.

Why is this so? In part because, as Karen Brooks wrote, Jakarta’s promotion of Indonesia as an open, investor-friendly country is mostly rhetoric. Indonesia has backslid on international commitments to reduce or eliminate trade barriers, notably in the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area. And this February, Jakarta issued regulations requiring most foreign-owned mining companies to divest a majority share of their assets to an Indonesian participant after 10 years of production – a step “inward and backward”, as ANU’s Peter Drysdale notes. Greg Moriarty, the Australian Ambassador in Jakarta, warns of rising “economic nationalism”, and The Australian Financial Review links this to corruption defying governmental clean-up efforts, and the capture of Indonesian democracy by producer interests and business oligarchs.

the chAllenge AheAd

Australia must find ways to help Indonesia renew its attack on corruption and re-engage with the world economy, if Indonesia’s trade, investment and democratic political system are to anchor its economic development and international role. These efforts need to start before President Yudhoyono retires.

This will be hard yards, but Australia’s overarching strategic interests in her near neighbour make it essential. Australia must bring to bear courage, integrity, innovation and communication – values that the Swinburne Leadership Institute is promoting – to help Indonesia fulfil its promise and enable Australia to meet its own destiny in the Asian Century. l

CALM WATERSSecuring our Indonesian stake in the Asian Century.

“AustrAliA must Find wAys to help indonesiA renew its AttAck on corruption And re-engAge with the world economy.” Kenneth Chern, Professor of Asian Policy and Executive Director, Swinburne Leadership Institute

OPINION

14 | swinburne | venture | issue two 2012

MICROFINANCE

by proFessor kenneth chern

14-15_opinionMicrofinance.indd 14 18/07/12 12:45 PM

microfinance

issue two 2012 | venture | swinburne | 15

It may be hard for Australians to imagine living in a community where taking out a loan for $20 to start a business that earns 25 cents a day, could be the key to lifting your family out of extreme poverty.

But that’s the reality in Cambodia, where Credit Union Foundation Australia (CUFA) has programs to teach village people basic financial literacy and help them establish and run financial co-operatives.

Dr Mohshin Habib, the Discipline Leader of Management and lecturer in international management at Swinburne, is working with the foundation to create a poverty alleviation assessment tool to measure the results of the foundation’s activities.

His research has required him to make numerous visits to Cambodia, and to Timor-Leste, where the foundation also operates programs. Sometimes he has taken groups of his undergraduate students along on study trips – physically and emotionally challenging experiences they will remember for the rest of their lives (see breakout ‘From Shock to Inspiration’).

Microfinance Makes an iMpactBefore coming to Australia in 2002 and entering academia, Bangladesh-born Dr Habib was a development practitioner working in non-profit and international development organisations in Asia and the Pacific. For his PhD, which he undertook in Australia, he investigated a model of how microfinance can have an impact on poverty, social exclusion and human development.

He has an ongoing research partnership with the CUFA and is also honorary research adviser to the Brotherhood of St Laurence, which helps people living in poverty and disadvantage in Australia.

an iMportant partnershipCatherine Drummond, CUFA’s International Projects Supervisor, says more and more accountability is being expected of non-government organisations in Australia that rely on donor funds. “We need to be able to measure people’s current poverty levels to ensure we are working with our target group – the poorest of the poor – and to allow us to measure their movement out of poverty,” she says. “Our partnership with Dr Habib

Bianca Whelan was one of 16 students who went with Dr Mohshin Habib to Cambodia for nine days in January. “I never realised how sheltered I was until I experienced Cambodia,” says the Swinburne undergraduate student. “In Australia we are so lucky. We have access to fresh drinking water, proper toilets and plumbing, medicine and healthcare. This tour was really seeing how the locals live, and at first I was in shock, sadness and disbelief. But ultimately, it was motivating and inspiring.”

Dr Habib and his students visited four remote villages and saw how Credit Union Foundation Australia programs are helping some of Cambodia’s poorest people.

For hundreds of families, the ability to save a few cents a day and take out tiny loans is transforming their lives. They are able to start up small businesses, improve their diet and perhaps send one or more of their children to school.

Dr Habib’s work is encouraging students to choose a career that helps people in need, as well as giving them valuable life skills. “Professionally, the trip has inspired me to want to work for an organisation contributing positively to the world, and especially to developing countries such as Cambodia,” says Whelan. “I am now more aware of my strengths and weaknesses and how I deal with challenging situations.”

from shock to inspiration

“our partnership with Dr habib and

swinburne has provided us with the ability to collect

and analyse the necessary information so we can ... say

we really are making a difference.”

measured response

and Swinburne has provided us with the ability to collect and analyse the necessary information so we can put our hand on our heart and say we really are making a difference.”

Researching the assessment tool has been a monumental task. It involved hiring teams of assistants in Cambodia and Timor-Leste to put a 45-point questionnaire to 2000 people in each country.

“The final tool will have 10 to 15 very carefully phrased questions covering quantitative

changes as well as qualitative factors such as social inclusion,” says Dr Habib. l

developing a reMedy for poverty

Credit union Foundation australia is drawing on the expertise of dr mohshin Habib in its efforts to transform the lives of some of the world’s poorest people.

by steve packer

dr mohshin Habib

14-15_opinionMicrofinance.indd 15 20/07/12 1:08 PM

homelessness

16 | swinburne | venture | issue two 2012

homelessness

HOMEIn VIctorIa’s second-largest cIty of geelong, a groundbreakIng collaboratIon between researchers, schools and communIty agencIes Is poIsed to MakE a diffErEncE tO yOutH HOMElEssnEss.

On any given night, around 20,000 young people around Australia are homeless. Adolescence is tough on any teenager, but a turbulent home life makes it even harder. When things get too much, some young people feel there’s no

choice but to leave home.

“Family conflict is the major driver of youth homelessness,” says Mike Kelly, CEO of Geelong-based community services agency Time for Youth. “Some young people experience physical violence and parental alcohol or drug abuse. Others clash with parents who set limits on their behaviour.”

Research shows that people who leave home early are more likely to leave school prematurely. School provides a major source of stability, routine and contact with responsible adults, so losing that connection puts young people at significant risk of social marginalisation.

“If they lack strong role models or reference points, and they’re not old enough to obtain welfare benefits, who will look out for them? How will they get by?” asks John Townsend, acting CEO of fellow Geelong-based agency Barwon Youth. “If they fall in with a peer group that influences them negatively, they may move towards substance abuse and even criminal behaviour.”

In Geelong, where at least 80 young people are homeless each night, and across Australia generally, schools and community agencies work hard to address issues around youth homelessness. However, a lack of co-ordination between schools and agencies, and between agencies themselves, means the pace of change has been frustratingly slow.

a piOnEEring MOdElSpearheaded by Swinburne in partnership with Time for Youth and Barwon Youth, The Geelong Project is a pioneering early intervention model that draws together researchers, schools and community agencies into a single united effort. The pilot began in June this year and will run until September 2013.

Associate Professor David MacKenzie and Dr Monica Thielking from the Swinburne Institute for Social Research believe early intervention is crucial to address the factors placing young people at risk.

“Couch-surfing and youth refuge accommodation don’t last forever,” says Associate Professor MacKenzie. “We need to reach young people before they hit crisis point.”

Adds Dr Thielking, “Once they leave home and education, it’s very difficult to get back in. The earlier we can identify and reduce that risk, the better their chances in life.”

Swinburne’s team has designed a Student Needs Survey to identify an initial 210 young people at high risk of homelessness. The students come from six schools, which generate a substantial proportion of referrals to youth homelessness services.

individualisEd suppOrtCo-ordinated by Time for Youth and Barwon Youth, Early Intervention Teams work in these schools daily, liaising with school support workers such as counsellors to plan and tailor services appropriate for each student’s needs.

Team members have expertise in addressing family difficulties, mental health problems, educational issues, and abuse of alcohol and other drugs.

“Ultimately, we want to test whether this approach can reduce the number of young people who come to agencies seeking temporary accommodation,” says Townsend.

systEMatic fOllOw-tHrOugHThe Geelong Project is underpinned by rigorous identification, monitoring and evaluation. This includes the e-Wellbeing Toolbox, developed by Swinburne researchers so Early Intervention Teams can track – in real time – who is receiving and providing support.

“We hope tracking young people will prevent them ‘falling through the cracks’ so they get the help they need to participate in society and reach their potential,” says Dr Thielking.

by fiOna MarsdEnOn tHE HOriZOn

Kelly believes Swinburne’s work is a crucial adjunct to local agencies’ efforts. “We have considerable expertise in service delivery, but establishing an early intervention model across a whole region demands a much more comprehensive approach.”

gOvErnMEnt suppOrtThe Victorian Government is contributing about $1.5 million to The Geelong Project. The Commonwealth Government is providing $250,000 towards research and evaluation.

“Governments see this as a ‘lighthouse’ project,” says Associate Professor MacKenzie. “If it works, it could be expanded locally and replicated nationally. On that scale, keeping more young people at home and in school could bring substantial social and economic benefits.” l

AbOut the reseArchers

DAviD MAcKenzie has substantial research and development expertise in public policy, applied social research and evaluation; particularly in the complex area of youth policy and homelessness. he was one of four commissioners responsible for the national Youth Commission Inquiry into Youth homelessness, which reported to Commonwealth, state and territory governments in 2008.

MOnicA thielKing is a registered psychologist with qualifications in youth work and a longstanding interest in the issues facing young people. she is working on an Australian Research Council-funded project exploring the costs of youth homelessness in Australia. she has a special interest in researching how best to provide evidence-based early intervention services to disadvantaged, at-risk and homeless young people in both educational and community settings.

16-17_homelessness.indd 16 18/07/12 2:32 PM

homelessness

issue two 2012 | venture | swinburne | 17

homelessness

“gOvErnMEnts sEE tHis as a ‘ligHtHOusE’

prOjEct. if it wOrks, it cOuld bE ExpandEd lOcally

and rEplicatEd natiOnally.”

Associate Professor David MacKenzie

The Geelong Project team, pictured from left

to right: John Townsend; Dr Monica Thielking;

Mike Kelly; and Associate Professor

David MacKenzie.

16-17_homelessness.indd 17 18/07/12 2:32 PM

imaging innovation

Revealing the detailed structure of the protein molecules in the membrane of biological cells is key to the development of new antibiotics and medication treatments for cancer and other chronic diseases.

Many important pharmaceuticals are dependent on the activity of proteins in the cell membrane; however, little is known about the structure and function of many important membrane proteins because they cannot be studied at the atomic level using current imaging techniques.

TableTop soluTionProfessor Lap Van Dao leads a team of Swinburne researchers on the path to developing an affordable, tabletop imaging solution for researchers to study and define the structure of protein molecules in the membrane of living cells.

Currently, imaging of these molecular protein structures is mostly limited to the small number of multimillion-dollar synchrotrons and $3 billion-dollar free-electron laser accelerators such as Stanford University’s kilometre-long Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). At LCLS the X-ray light is so intense that samples need to be imaged as they disintegrate in its brightness.

Extremely high demand means use of these facilities is very competitive, extremely limited and incurs high costs, requiring researchers to work in shifts to maximise their access.

“A tabletop solution wouldn’t replace these hugely expensive facilities, but would provide an affordable, compact, versatile, parallel tool for studying atomic, molecular and biological systems,” says

Swinburne’s Professor Emeritus Peter Hannaford, a co-investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science project led by the Swinburne Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy.

generaTing high order harmonics In a major milestone, the Swinburne team recently succeeded in generating bright, intense and laser-like soft X-rays at the four- nanometre (nm) wavelength in the centre’s laboratories, generating very high order (350th) harmonics from an infrared laser beam.

It’s an achievement that has been five years in the making, starting in 2007 with visible light at the 800 nm wavelength and progressively reducing to 30 nm in 2008, 10 nm in 2009 and 4 nm in 2011, while all the time increasing the intensity and reducing the divergence of the soft X-ray beam.

Only by understanding the processes at work has the team been able to generate high-energy photons and control the process to emit extremely intense laser-like beams in the wavelength within the “water window” (between 2.3 nm and 4.4 nm) where the light is not absorbed by water but strongly absorbed by carbon.

But the beam also has to be finely focused to capture the required detail of the proteins’ molecular structure.

Recent upgrades to the laser system should allow even shorter, more intense pulses that will result in better images. The team is also trialling alternative

approaches. Dr Michael Pullen and PhD student Naylyn Gaffney are passing the laser through helium and hydrogen gas sprayed out through a lawn sprinkler-like array of individually controlled gas jets. This should allow the laser to be tuned to emit a narrow bandwidth of X-ray photons.

compuTer reconsTrucTion Lenses absorb too much of this soft

X-ray radiation to be of much use in focusing the light. Instead, the team uses a lens-less form of imaging called coherent diffractive imaging (CDI).

This points the soft X-rays at a sample, recording the resulting

scattered photon diffraction pattern. From this, co-members of the ARC

Centre of Excellence at The University of Melbourne – Associate Professor Harry Quiney,

and Drs Ruben Dilanian and Bo Chen – create a computer reconstruction of the sample. It is a little like reconstructing an image of a disco ball when you can only see the light it reflects onto the surrounding surfaces.

Professor Dao says the work so far all points to the feasibility of “water window” imaging technology that is accessible (in size and cost) for a large number of research laboratories, allowing high-resolution imaging of these sub-cellular structures in their live, water-rich cellular environment.

“It won’t replace the large free-electron laser imaging facilities, but my hope is that it will accelerate biological research and the development of new drug treatments.” l

LEaDERSHiP

Through The waTer windowresearchers are opening the window to new insights into biological cell structures, paving the way for accelerated drug development.

18 | swinburne | venture | issue TwO 2012

by james huTson

many important pharmaceuticals

are dependent on the activity of proteins

in the cell membrane.

“my hope is ThaT iT will acceleraTe biological research and The developmenT of new drug TreaTmenTs.”Professor Lap Van Dao

18-19_SoftxrayLeadership_V2.indd 18 18/07/12 2:38 PM

Measuring leadership excellence

imaging innovation LEaDERSHiP

issue TWO 2012 | venture | sWinburne | 19

Financial scandals in recent years, the credit crisis and subsequent recession combined with public unrest at the size of chief executive bonuses are challenging measurement of management performance and how corporations and

societies define leadership excellence, says Chris Selvarajah, Professor of International Business at Swinburne’s Faculty of Business and Enterprise.

There is no shortage of literature and tools available to employers to raise the standard of management, he says. However, the vast majority is US-focused and fails to take into account national cultural and environmental influences, which underpin leadership performance, especially values and decision-making.

Professor Selvarajah has spent nearly 20 years developing and testing his Excellence in Leadership framework through extensive interviews and surveys with business and government leaders in the 10 countries in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus China, and more recently India, The Netherlands and Africa.

Professor Andre de Waal from The Maastricht School of Management and The Netherlands Centre for Organisational Performance collaborated with Professor Selvarajah on the development of a profile of an “excellent Dutch manager”. There was a strong need for a more balanced western-eastern focus to improving the quality of management worldwide, Professor de Waal says.

Professor Selvarajah agrees. “The events leading to the global financial crisis suggest the US models have not succeeded in lifting management performance to standards expected by the public,” he says.

Four dimensions For leadership excellenceProfessor Selvarajah has developed a unique and comprehensive picture of characteristics of high-performance managers across the participating countries. The profiles are built across four dimensions: cultural and social behaviours (the environmental influencers) as well as managerial behaviours, personal qualities and organisational demands. The profiles provide an insight into the context in which business operates and its influence on management behaviours and decision-making.

In Thailand, for example, the influence of Theravada Buddhism, deference to authority and respect for the monarchy is strong. In China and some other east Asian countries, Confucianism influences the way business is done.

“Such factors are very strong in creating the work ethic in each country,” says Professor Selvarajah. “Generational differences are also evident in China, with older managers having stronger traditional values such as the old notions of filial piety and

AusAID, the Australian Government’s overseas aid program, is helping small to medium-sized businesses in Vietnam boost their export performance. It has given Professor Chris Selvarajah and his Swinburne team (Dr Jerome Donovan, Dr Viet Le and Dr Ali Saleh) a research grant of $264,000 to produce an evidence-based model of how best to target its aid for this purpose.

The team will also produce a portfolio of training modules for 35 Vietnamese government officials so they can develop small business export performance and train other officials in the task.

Part of the Australian Government’s stated objective is to support gender equality in Vietnam. The training material will specifically address ways to increase the participation of women in small businesses.

by sTeVe pacKer

Research is redefining the meaning of leadership excellence in a growing number of countries.

hierarchy. These are not conducive in a modern society and can hinder change and be challenging for younger managers seeking to progress new ideas.

“The role of women in business is also a significant cultural factor today. In Singapore, a modernised society that has evolved from Confucianism, the role of women in management is recognised and supported to an extent that is not seen in China as yet.

“But culture evolves and the Singapore/China comparison highlights the dynamic nature of business leadership, especially in Asia – nothing is static.”

adVancing managemenT perFormance and educaTionThe models are proving valuable for local and global corporations and to management coming in from another country, often as part of a multinational corporation.

“Companies can use the profiles to tailor their recruitment, evaluation, mentoring and management development programs in order to improve the quality of their managers,” says Professor Selvarajah.

The models have great value in teaching too. “Exposure to our international business research and experiences engages students and brings practical understanding to the theory in an area valued by employers,” Professor Selvarajah says. “Multinational corporations are acutely aware of employing managers with the skills and cultural awareness to operate in a fast global business environment.”

expanding The FrameworKInterest in the Framework for Excellence in Leadership is growing in Asia, Africa and Europe with projects underway to build profiles for high-performance managers in Sri Lanka, India, South Africa, Britain and Hungary.

“PhD students are attracted by the research we do. We have a Canadian who’s extending the leadership model by looking at innovation and creativity in Australia. A student from Sri Lanka is comparing high-performing managers at multinationals in Australia and her own country,” explains Professor Selvarajah.

What’s more, a Vietnamese PhD student’s work on training evaluation in Vietnam will link directly with the work Professor Selvarajah’s team is doing in that country (see left for more details). l

ExPoRt booSt

“The role oF women in business is also a signiFicanT culTural FacTor Today.”Professor Chris Selvarajah.

Professor Chris Selvarajah (second from left) with PhD students, from left to right: LeTien Dat (Vietnam), Richard Laferriere (Canada) and Ayoma Sumanashi (Sri Lanka).

18-19_SoftxrayLeadership_V2.indd 19 20/07/12 2:33 PM

20 | swinburne | venture | issue two 2012

plasmonics plasmonics

Imprisoned in the glowing heart of a sapphire in the Swinburne laboratories of Professor Saulius Juodkazis is a fragment of metal not seen before at the Earth’s surface. This tiny scrap of superdense aluminium was formed under phenomenal pressures and temperatures akin

to those at the planet’s very core.

Professor Juodkazis joined the Swinburne Centre for Micro-Photonics team three years ago, fresh from a distinguished career in Lithuania, France and Japan, and plasmonics is the heart of his research. It refers to the manipulation of energy in tiny nanoscale objects (between one and 100 millionths of a millimetre in size), by modifying the electrical and optical properties of their surfaces. It is enabling researchers to fabricate exquisitely small devices with radically new abilities for use in photonics, electronics and medicine.

The currency of The ‘LighT Age’The birth of this fragment of metal heralds a new era in the discovery and fabrication of exotic substances, which will enable the next generation of smart devices, medical treatments and telecommunications. Besides being stronger than their familiar counterparts, such materials may also harbour unique properties for transmitting and reflecting photons, the currency of the ‘Light Age’.

Professor Juodkazis and his team formed the rare metal using ultra-short femtosecond (1015s) laser pulses to generate a microscopic explosion inside the sapphire – he terms it a ‘micro-sun’ – creating temperatures exceeding 5400ºC and pressures above three million atmospheres. The particle of superdense aluminium was so tiny they needed Argonne’s massive synchrotron, a particle accelerator, to confirm its existence.

Trapped within the sapphire, the exotic metal is at present a curiosity – but its mere existence has emboldened the scientists to believe that, by replicating the conditions inside forming stars and planets, we may soon be able to manufacture synthetic materials never before seen. It is also throwing new light on the still largely mysterious processes by which minerals form within our own planet and in generations of stars.

“Using this focused laser technique, we may now be able to forge a range of superdense metals that have extraordinary properties,” Professor Juodkazis says. “The creation of superdense materials, for example, could substitute for and be superior to silver and gold in bio-sensing and plasmonics.”

DeveLoping micro-ArchiTecTureTo undertake this work, Swinburne recently commissioned a new world-class facility, an $8 million plasmonics laboratory, which employs cutting-edge techniques. “We have combined two different scientific tools – planar lithography, which is used for engraving electronic circuits in a single plane, and a beam of gallium ions that we use to mill and drill the surfaces in three dimensions, forming different textures with different properties in a space smaller than a virus. We have, in effect, created mechanical tools controlled by light; a pair of ‘nano-hands’, that enable us to spin light – and trap nano-objects such as DNA molecules – one way or another. This is helping us to build some of the smallest devices in the world,” Professor Juodkazis explains.

“For example, we can mill a 10 nanometre (nm) cavity in a particle to only 100 nm, a 10,000th of a millimetre in size. This has important implications for fields such as solar energy, because such devices will reveal principles that enable you to harvest more sunlight at different wavelengths and convert it directly to electricity more efficiently. That in turn brings closer the day when much of society can be powered by low-cost, clean energy.”

The work is yielding fundamental discoveries, such as the team’s finding that nanoparticles of gold, besides being superb scatterers of light, also benefit light harvesting in organic solar cells by absorbing it. This leads to better charge separation and enhances the overall efficiency of the cells.

In other work, by minutely milling the surfaces of an LED light into Fresnel-style micro-lenses, the researchers hope to build an LED that releases far more of its trapped light, saving energy and creating new tools and devices for Light Age communication, on-chip sensing and future general lighting. The nano-hands will enable medical researchers to explore and manipulate the surface properties of our body cells, with a view to understanding how substances enter or leave the cell. This has major implications for drug delivery to combat cancer and other diseases, and the control of viral infections.

Working WiTh inDusTryThe Centre for Micro-Photonics offers unique opportunities for industry and postgraduate research students to work with the nanofabrication laboratories’ tools and a team with expertise in fabrication, design and modelling of nano-textured surfaces for photonic applications.

Current industrial projects underway include an ion beam lithography with Raith-Asia Ltd, Hong Kong, supported by funding from the Australian Research Council; a Raman imaging sensor with Agilent (Australian branch); and projects with Altechna Ltd, Lithuania and Laser System Ltd, Japan.

For postgraduate student Gediminas Gervinskas, it provides the opportunity to research development of photonic crystal structures, including working with a world-leading expert in the field, Professor Sajeev John at Toronto University in Canada, as part of his PhD project. l

CoMPANIES AND RESEARCHERS INTERESTED IN CoLLABoRATIoN oN PRoJECTS FoR DEvELoPMENT oF oPTo-MECHANICAL, MICRo-FLUIDIC, SoLAR-CELL AND RAMAN SENSING STRUCTURES, CAN CoNTACT PRoFESSoR JUoDKAzIS, EMAIL sjuodkazIs@swInburne.edu.au

in The he rT of A sApphire

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plasmonics

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To confirm iTs exisTence.

by juLiAn cribb

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issue two 2012 | venture | swinburne | 21

plasmonics plasmonics

Professor Saulius Juodkazis, Swinburne Centre for

Micro-Photonics

plasmonics

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22 | swinburne | venture | issue two 2012

ASTROPHYSICSPSYCHOlOgY

by virginia millen

people who have the condition,” he says. One tangible outcome of this approach to research has been a much stronger emphasis on measuring quality-of-life outcomes rather than just symptom outcomes in bipolar disorder. He adds that by recognising the creativity that tends to be associated with manic tendencies, people with bipolar disorder could be a great source of ideas for the treatment of the condition.

Self-management is critical to positive outcomes for bipolar disorder, so keeping patients engaged with treatment is also important. “Failure to adhere to the medication is a very serious problem – the primary cause of relapse is people spontaneously stopping their medication.

“Therapists need to recruit patients to actively participate in their own wellbeing,” he says. “It’s a therapeutic relationship that is much more patient-centred and collaborative.”

The imporTance of a supporT neTworkThere is now evidence to suggest that combining psychosocial interventions with medication improves patient outcomes. A central element in psychosocial interventions is psycho-education – understanding that bipolar disorder is a chronic condition and one that waxes and wanes, that medication is a part of management, the importance of a team approach to the condition (which often includes a psychiatrist, a psychologist and family members), and looking out for the early warning signs of sliding into a depression or mania.

Meet Professor Murray And OTHer SwInburne brAIn And pSycHOlOgy reSeArcHerS AT Market of the Mind 5.30pM – 9pM, FrIdAy 10 AuguST, In MelbOurne cITy SquAre. He wIll perFOrM Brain Beats: What goes on in a druMMer’s head?

Better understanding Bipolar disorderContemporary thought about bipolar disorder Could improve management of this Complex Condition.

until quite recently the study of bipolar disorder was limited to psychiatric research, conducted purely from a biomedical perspective. professor greg Murray, Head of psychological Sciences

and Statistics at Swinburne, has observed a number of changes in thinking that have occurred over the past decade.

He believes that studying bipolar disorder using psychological theories and combining psychological therapies with medication treatments can lead to a more holistic understanding of the disorder and therefore better outcomes for the patient.

One of the traditional assumptions about bipolar disorder that has come under question is that it should be treated like a disease.

However, major genetic research conducted in the uS shows this may not be the case. “There’s growing evidence that to explain the disorder properly you need to recognise that many of its features are continuous,” says professor Murray.

“At the genetic level, bipolar disorder involves the interaction between multiple genes and the environment. behaviourally, bipolar disorder appears to involve two fundamental tendencies: one is the tendency to become unmotivated or depressed and the other tendency is to become highly energised or manic. while people with bipolar disorder experience clearly pathological manic and depressive states, all of us are capable of experiencing some level of emotion dysregulation, suggesting that bipolar disorder is not well understood as a disease.

“I believe that characterising bipolar disorder as the extreme clinical manifestation of a trait or traits that are present in the normal population has quite a different meaning to characterising it as a disease present in only a small percentage of people,” he says. “That’s really quite a significant change in how we think. To take one example, thinking about bipolar disorder as traits in the community enables us to consider what strengths might be associated with the condition.”

a collaboraTive approach To research and TreaTmenTwith creST bd (collaborative research Team to study psychosocial issues in bipolar disorder) in canada, professor Murray is involved in “consumer-based participatory research” into bipolar disorder.

“when creST bd undertakes mental health research, two types of expertise are recognised: that of people who are trained in the research and treatment of bipolar disorder, and that of the

“At the genetic level, bipolAr disorder involves the interAction between multiple genes And the environment.”professor Murray believes that changes in thinking across a number of areas of bipolar disorder are leading to new and better ways of treating what can be an extremely debilitating condition. “we are moving towards a fully biopsychosocial understanding of bipolar disorder and its treatment,” Murray argues. “This more holistic approach is already showing benefits for patients, and over the next decade will lead to better models of the condition, which in turn will lead to further clinical improvements.” l

Maintaining regular sleep patterns is an important part of the management of bipolar disorder. “There is now compelling evidence that sleep is fundamental to the problem of bipolar disorder,” says Professor Murray.

“Events that destabilise patients’ 24-hour rhythms tend to be associated with mania and depression. In many cases we see a disturbance of sleep before there are disturbances in mood and motivation.

“This has led researchers to explore the brain mechanisms involved in sleep and biological rhythms. There’s now ample evidence to show there are abnormalities in the biological rhythm systems of people with bipolar disorder.

“What’s exciting about this finding, of course, is that the functioning of these brain systems is responsive to how we behave. Simple behavioural changes, such as improving sleep and daily rhythms, can therefore help patients reduce their risk of relapse.”

THe ImPORTAnCe Of SleeP

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ASTROPHYSICSPSYCHOlOgY

action in the universe occurred, when its elements formed and its patterns were laid down,” he explains.

It was an era of unimaginable turbulence and fury, very different from the dispersed universe we see today. In its furnaces the first-generation stars, the formative elements of hydrogen and helium, cooked down into iron, nickel, carbon, oxygen, gold and all the familiar materials of today: the building blocks of planets, life and the human race.

The supernovae played a vital churning role in the formation of stars. Accreted from vast clumps of matter, these giants become unstable after they exhaust their nuclear fuel and their cores collapse and rebound, causing the stars to blast off their shells in runaway thermonuclear explosions that utterly consume them. These create hot voids where stars cannot form, but their radiating shockwaves also sweep together clouds of matter, that in turn become the nurseries of new stars.

searching 12 billion years back in Timewhen dr cooke began his search, the oldest supernovae ever seen were from around eight billion years ago, only partway back towards the big bang at 13.7 billion years. He reasoned that they ought to exist as far back as the first generation of stars, 12 billion years ago, but the transient nature and extreme distance of the explosions made them very hard to spot. To narrow the hunt he began searching for a certain type of very bright exploding star, known as a pair-instability supernova, at redshifts (distances) between eight and 12 billion years.

The initial wide-field sky search was carried out with the canada-France-Hawaii telescope and, as promising candidates emerged, dr cooke used the giant Keck telescope – accessed from Swinburne, one of the few places in the world to have remote access to the telescope – to follow up and verify if these were truly primordial supernovae. His eureka moment arrived in 2007 when, from a grainy digital image, he managed to confirm the oldest exploding star yet seen at 10 billion years. He has since confirmed a further 11 discoveries, reaching back 12 billion years.

“These early supernovae are rare, but with tens of thousands of infant galaxies all in the process of forming, they have to occur quite frequently,” he says. “It is just a matter of searching long and widely enough among high red-shift galaxies, seeing if one of them flares up, then establishing why.

“In this particular case, we spotted a bright light at redshift 2. The light was strong and clear – evidently from a supernova. I thought, ‘This is absolutely fantastic. I am witnessing an event that took place 10 billion years ago. Its light has been travelling all that time to reach earth’.” Since then he has identified several dozen possible candidates.

dr cooke’s current research at Swinburne is exploring the formation and evolution of galaxies, the processes by which early galaxies generated stars as compared with today and – most exciting of all – an attempt to glimpse the very first generation of stars ever to form, after the universe came into being.

“Finding this first generation of stars is the current Holy grail. If we can see and understand them, we will understand better how the universe was seeded with its present elements, as well as the role of supernovae and how galaxies form.” Tantalisingly, he speculates, certain low-mass stars from that first generation may still exist today, smouldering unseen out there in the cosmos. l

the researCh of dr Jeff cooke

is illuminating the origins of

the universe.

QuesT for The

ancesTral sTars

as a blinding flash of light from the depths of time falls on the collectors of the 3.6 metre wide-field telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii, dr Jeff cooke is galvanised. That light, he knows, has

been speeding for 10 billion years across the void to enter his particular ‘window’, and it bears messages from the dawn of the universe.

The light is from a supernova – an exploding giant star – a rare event in any epoch, but from so far back in time, close to the formation of the first stars and galaxies, it is almost impossible to detect amid the glittering backdrop of the cosmos. yet the tenacious Swinburne astronomer has so far hunted down a dozen of this elusive quarry and has more than 20 possible events in his sights, awaiting confirmation.

The firsT generaTion of sTarsThe light of these supernovae contains detailed information about the infancy of the universe, the composition and behaviour of the primordial stars themselves, from the era when they first condensed out of the swirling ball of superheated matter formed by the big bang. “My fascination is with the very first generation of stars – the ones that formed about 12 billion years ago. That is the time when most of the

by Julian cribb

dr Jeff cooke

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