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ADELAIDE SUMMER RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS (ASRS) PROGRAM ECMS PROJECT CATALOG 2019-20

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Contents Architecture and Built Environment (SABE) 5 Projects:

Government interventions and demand of solar energy A temporal and spatial analysis of housing-related mortality Really Bad Housing: Who lives in it? How does it affect their health? What do we need to do to fix it? Cooling capacity of urban green (pilot) Assessing indoor comfort and heating/cooling energy using building performance simulation

Exploring and testing 3D printed Cob and green concrete Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) 8 Projects:

Implementation of fundamental image processing and computer vision algorithms in the Julia programming language Extendible dialogue state tracking system

Australian School of Petroleum (ASP) 9 Projects:

Probing ancient volcanic plumbing systems using seismic reflection data Bench-marking machine learning predictions against deterministic methods and manual interpretation in geoscience Well bore decommissioning in South Australia: environmental and economical benefits Hindsight bias and overconfidence in industry decisions Reducing bias in uncertainty assessments Fixing reservoir fines to prevent formation damage in oil/gas wells: Laboratory Visualisation study Environmental control of coal seam gas production Visualisation of fines migration in two-phase environment Novel retention phenomena at fluid filtering in rocks (with applications to environmental engineering) Enhanced Low-Salinity Waterflooding in Copper and Eromanga Basins: Laboratory Modelling Enhanced Low-Salinity Waterflooding in Copper and Eromanga Basins: Mathematical Modelling and Reservoir Simulation Particle sizing in drilling fluid to minimise formation damage and filtrate losses

Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials (CHEM ENG) 13 Projects:

Expression of new Virus-Like-Particle Vaccine-candidate for Group A Streptococcus in Bioreactor – Upstream processing Examining the chromatographic behaviour of a new Virus-Like-Particle Vaccine-candidate for Group A Streptococcus – Downstream processing Graphene for 2d and 3d printing and additive manufacturing Modelling carbon materials for clean energy conversion reactions by computational chemistry Fast detection of precious metal using laser technology Development of novel nanoporous photonic crystals for lab-on-a-chip biosensing applications Development of nanoporous photocatalysts for environmental remediation applications Investigation of micronutrients for hydroculture and enhanced plant growth Continuous solvent extraction of adjacent metals in a coiled micro-flow inverter for mimicked asteroid ores and alloys

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Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering (CEME) 16 Projects:

Engineering a rocket launch pad Vibration analysis of structures Numerical modelling of guided wave scattering at damages in structures A cost-effective environmentally-friendly approach for soil stabilisation Smart stormwater systems modelling and optimisation Digital Image Correlation for fracture properties of high strength steel Assessing the environmental impact of concrete in construction Determination of Essential Work of Fracture of ductile materials

Computer Science (COMP SCI) 19 Projects: Discourse analysis of Stack Overflow threads to predict question and answer success

Mastik: A Microarchitectural Side-Channel Toolkit Visual comparison of online surveys Edit wars on Stack Overflow Evolutionary Diversity Optimisation

Artificial Intelligence - Innovative approaches for increasing the productivity of South Australia’s copper and gold production Applying a Deep-Learned Surrogate Function for the Evolution of a 3D Geological Map of Australia Exploring the application of deep learning to assessment of code style Towards an artificial complex system - modelling and implementing the evolution of cells into tissue Measuring emergent behaviour in systems working in contested and dynamic environments Making Real-world Datasets Suitable for Deep Learning Generalized-Zero-Shot learning in Medical Image Analysis Action Recognition from Ultrasound for Endometriosis Diagnosis Meta-Train to diagnose The Lottery Ticket Causality in Computer Vision Machine Learning for Detecting Data Exfiltration Attacks Designing Optimised Machine Learning Solutions for Security Analytics Blockchain for Electronic Medical Records Common Operating Picture for Blockchain Applications Blockchain for Smart Home

Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) 26 Projects: Analysis of real microgrid with battery storage system data for future systems Application of Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition in PV generation time series Creating an environment for terahertz test and measurement Ablation profile of catheters used in Atrial fibrillation (AF) Calibration of catheter used in Atrial fibrillation (AFib)

High power, energy efficient RF System-on-Chip (RF SoC) dynamic power conditioning circuits Fall predication and detection device for elderly people Improving Usability and User Interaction with KALDI Open- Source Speech Recogniser Behavioural analysis of mobile network traffic Interconnects for terahertz waves

Mathematical Sciences (MATHS) 30 Projects: Direct methods for investigating graphene conformation 3D printing for biofabrication Fixing sore knees: mechanics of artificial cartilage Learning Machine Learning for Text Classification: The SemEval 2020 Team

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Mathematical modelling of post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression Mechanical Engineering (MECH ENG) 32 Projects: Extending the life of aircraft structures

Magnetic gears and springs: modelling, coding, and experimentally testing new solutions for magnetic fields and forces

Design and build a low-light UV imaging system Spray flame modelling High pressure combustion experiments for gas turbines Solar hydrogen reactor modelling The art of turbulence Pipe Flow at Extreme Reynolds number Experiments on stented coronary arteries Rotating detonation engine (RDE) for supersonic flights Drag reduction for shipping industry Hypersonic flow in scramjets Improving performance of morphing wing UAVs Single particle tracking in falling particle flows Cervical spine bone quality and strength Passive stiffness and range of motion of the human neck A detailed anatomical model of the pig spine and spinal cord from CT and MRI

Creating accurate anatomical coordinate systems for the cervical spine from CT images and fiducial markers

Centre of mass of the sheep skull and brain Modelling of Beetle-Mimicking Flapping Wings

Design of a Continuum Robot for Smart Fruit Picker Bio-inspired Soft Robots: Design and Material Selection Artificial Olfactory System for Mustard Gas Detection Additive Manufacturing in Dentistry 3D Design and Printing of Smart Patient-Specific Artificial Limbs Exploring robotic arm fruit picking and trajectory planning Investigating star tracking jitter motion compensation for precision imaging Experimental assessment of the performance of bi-facial solar panels Agricultural robotics digital prototype Disaster response robot Bioinspired Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Intelligent use of cyclonic technology to filter, separate and sort particles by size Using microdrones to demonstrate effective intercepting strategy for aerial attack Using your math skills to help miners increase profitability Testing an air flow performance evaluation tunnel for evaporative coolers Virtual reality simulation of underground mining using 3DExperience Teletraffic Research Centre (TRC) 41 Projects: Demonstration of cyber attacks against nano satellites and spacecrafts Simulating Low Earth Orbit satellite internet

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SABE School of Architecture and Built Environment Project title: Government interventions and demand of solar energy Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: The project will explore the effect of government interventions on demand for solar energy. In particular, this project will exploit the recent battery storage subsidy program within South Australia, which assists eligible low-income households in attaining battery storage for roof-top solar systems. However, due to the limited scope of this initiative, not all eligible applicants will receive the subsidy, rather the State Government will randomly chose a sub-set of applicants. Given that all applicants are low-income households who broadly share similar socio-economic characteristics, this program provides an excellent opportunity for researchers to investigate (i) key determinants that encourage low-income households to apply for the subsidy, (ii) main factors that influence the state government’s choice to provide subsidy to some households not others, and (iii) the impact of battery storage on demand for solar energy given residents’ existing housing conditions. As the starting point, the project requires a comprehensive literature review, focussing on government interventions and demand of solar energy. Within the literature review phase, the project will systematically review relevant literatures that consist of economics, energy, building and construction literatures. The project will draw from the literatures both theoretical and empirical evidence on the impact of government interventions and renewable energy demand internationally, nationally and locally. The systematic review will provide a better understanding about the fundamental factors shaping residents’ decisions.

Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Lyrian Daniel and Dr Anh Pham for further information.

Project title: A temporal and spatial analysis of housing-related mortality Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: Across Australia every winter morbidity and mortality rates rise as the outdoor temperature drops. We would normally assume that our houses give us pretty good protection from the outdoor conditions but our recent research shows that it is likely that a large proportion of households are living with indoor conditions that are far too cold during winter. The role that our housing has in mitigating or amplifying the relationship between prevailing external conditions and mortality is hard to quantify, but is important, particularly in making the case for more stringent minimum building standards. The Summer Scholar will access and analyse a novel database on housing and health. They will gain skills in accessing and preparing secondary data, data analysis, and academic writing. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Professor Emma Baker or Dr Lyrian Daniel for further information. Project title: Really Bad Housing: Who lives in it? How does it affect their health? What do we need to do to fix it? Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: We often think that most Australians have pretty good housing, but our research reveals that an increasing proportion of households across the nation are exposed to poor, and even substandard, housing conditions. Poor housing conditions can include physical things like damp,

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mould and structural problems, but also harder-to-measure things like a sense of security and (un)affordability of housing costs. We want to understand more about the characteristic of the people living in such conditions, how these conditions might affect their health, and how we might frame potential policy responses. The Summer Scholar will assist us surveying a cohort of households living in substandard housing across South Australia. They will gain skills in survey development and fieldwork, data analysis, and academic writing.

Project supervisor(s): Please contact Professor Emma Baker or Dr Lyrian Daniel for further information.

Project title: Cooling capacity of urban green (pilot) Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: This pilot study will map the surface and air temperature reduction capacity of 10 urban vegetation types including 3 types of large trees, 2 types of medium trees and 2 types of small trees, Shrubs and turf in the City of Adelaide. It is part of an ongoing project at the School of Architecture and Built Environment. Initial data will be available by Dec 2019 and this project will collect extended summer data. There is a considerable research on cooling effect of urban greenery in large scales but when it comes to smaller scales and the trade-offs between required water, maintenance and cooling effect of urban vegetation, there is very limited resources. The successful applicant will assist data collection from sample plant species, thermal photography and ambient-radiant temperature recording during summer 2019-20. The applicant may be involved in data analysed via i-Tree and ENVI-met for a journal paper in 2020. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Ehsan Sharifi for further information. Project title: Assessing indoor comfort and heating/cooling energy using building performance simulation Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: This project will contribute to an existing research project funded by the Australian Research Council title "Improving thermal environment of housing of older Australians" (DP180102019). The indoor thermal performance and heating/cooling energy use of 6 to 10 houses will need to be simulated using the Design Builder energy simulation program, and the results will be compared to measured data. The calibrated simulation models will then be used to analyse possible improvement strategies to the house design and operation in order to improve thermal comfort, optimize health outcomes, minimise energy use and operating costs. Candidates for this project should have some experience in using Design Builder and Excel, as well as some understanding of life-cycle costing analysis. It is expected that the student will also contribute to a journal publication from the project. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Veronica Soebarto and Dr Terence Williamson for further information. Project title: Exploring and testing 3D printed Cob and green concrete Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: This project will expose students to 3D printing technology for a full scale building material, in this case: Cob (earthen material) and green concrete. The project is aimed at realizing the potentials of advanced manufacturing to construct buildings but with low embodied energy materials, thus reducing the overall environmental impact from building construction.

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The successful candidate will assist the supervisors in exploring the "optimum" material properties that can be printed with a 3D printing technology, and in conducting relevant tests, such as structural test as well as thermal conductivity test. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Veronica Soebarto and Prof Michael Griffith for further information.

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AIML Australian Institute for Machine Learning Project title: Implementation of fundamental image processing and computer vision algorithms in the Julia programming language Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: The Julia Images organisation maintains a variety of image processing and computer vision packages for the numerical computing language Julia. Learn about computer vision and image processing as you join me in the implementation of several fundamental algorithms. Last year we developed an image binarisation package which was warmly received by the Julia community. This project is open to multiple students since we will work as a team. Apart from learning key concepts in image processing, the project affords you the opportunity to unlearn object-oriented programming, and discover the utility of a multiple-dispatch programming language. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Zygmunt Szpak for further information. Project title: Extendible dialogue state tracking system Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: The dialogue state tracking (DST) module is the key part of a task-oriented dialogue system. It manages the dialogue flow and can also integrate the natural language understanding unit to directly processing the utterance. One critical issue of many current systems is that the system is not extendible in terms of adding new intention, new slots, and values. It is also difficult to generalise the model learned in one scenario to another scenario. This project will study this issue by developing DST algorithms that can be more extendible. The outcome of this project can be a practical chatbot for accomplishing specific tasks like order food in restaurants. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Lingqiao Liu for further information.

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ASP Australian School of Petroleum Project title: Probing ancient volcanic plumbing systems using seismic reflection data Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: This project aims to investigate the physical processes that control the transport of magma through the shallow crust, prior to its eruption at the Earth's surface, using novel geophysical approaches for mapping subsurface igneous rocks. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the nature of the plumbing systems that feed surface volcanism across multiple scales of observation using 3D seismic and field data from a range of tectonic settings. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced capacity in imaging of subsurface geological processes and new conceptual models for shallow magma transport. This will provide significant benefits, such as reduced hydrocarbon exploration risk in magmatically-influenced basins. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Simon Holford for further information. Project title: Bench-marking machine learning predictions against deterministic methods and manual interpretation in geoscience Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Machine learning has the capability to model multidimensional datasets that otherwise can't be visualised and systematically interpreted by traditional means. They now outperform experts in classifying features seen in medical scans so they should be able to do the same for geoscientific data. This project will plunder the public archive to train and test machine learning algorithms to identify lithofacies previously interpreted by field experts using a suite of wireline log data. The same test will be conducted against 'electofacies' classified deterministically by automatic optimisation routines used routinely by wireline logging service companies in the petroleum industry. Are simple machine learning algorithms sufficient or can sufficient performance gains only be achieved by Deep Learning? Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Mark Bunch for further information. Project title: Well bore decommissioning in South Australia: environmental and economical benefits Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: This project addresses the important problem of well decommissioning in South Australia. A large datasets of wellbore information are analysed using a data analytics toolbox to identify the main factors affecting the wellbore decommissioning. Well integrity is then verified by analysis of cement bonds logs to ensure wells are abandoned safely and in an environmentally friendly fashion. Well construction, age, cementing technique and type of wells are particularly studied in this research project. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Alireza Salmachi for further information. Project title: Hindsight bias and overconfidence in industry decisions Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: Overconfidence is the (very strong) tendency of people to overestimate how much they know, how often they will be right, etc. This bias affects predictions and forecasting in

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industries like oil and gas and is a major source of error and economic loss - resulting from people believing they know what the outcome of uncertain events will be and, thus, not including contingencies for other outcomes. The causes of this bias are still not entirely clear, however. This project is aimed at improving our understanding of why overconfidence occurs and, thus, informing potential methods for reducing it. Specifically, a possibility is that hindsight bias - our tendency to re-write our memories when new information becomes available - may cause us to 'remember' being right more often than we actually have been, inflating our confidence. This project will involve design, coding, conduct and statistical analysis of experimental tests of this hypothesis. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Matthew Welsh or Professor Steve Begg for further information. Project title: Reducing bias in uncertainty assessments Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Space and Defence Project description: Accurate uncertainty quantification is crucial in deciding between alternate courses of action and in responding to uncertainty (eg. acquiring more information to reduce uncertainty and/or investing in flexible designs to mitigate the downside risks, and capture the upside opportunities, that result from uncertainty). Many uncertainties are not amenable to quantification from data alone, thus requiring the judgement of subject matter experts (SMEs). However, it is well known that people, including SMEs, make gross underestimates of the range of uncertainty compared to their true state of information. This project aims to test the efficacy of a new method for eliciting uncertainty estimates. It will require the recruitment of volunteers to make uncertainty estimates, analyse the results and compare with current techniques. A successful project has a good chance of resulting in a conference or journal publication. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Professor Steve Begg or Dr Matthew Welsh for further information. Project title: Fixing reservoir fines to prevent formation damage in oil/gas wells: Laboratory Visualisation study Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: We develop a technology to fix reservoir fines during oil and gas production, in order to prevent and mitigate the induced formation damage. The key point is to treat well with some solute and promote attraction particle-rock. The work includes flow tests with colloidal-suspension fluids, observations under the microscope, filming, and analysing the results. The project also encompasses evaluation of electrostatic forces and detachment management by salinity alteration. This project is continuation of 2014-2018 honours projects supported by Santos (SA) and Wintershall (Germany). Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Abbas Zeinijahromi, Dr Themis Carageorgos or Prof Pavel Bedrikovetsky for further information. Also supervising this project will be Thom Russell and Lara Chequer (PhD candidates) and Engineer Mark Burgoyne (Santos). Project title: Environmental control of coal seam gas production Project description: Production of fines, i.e. coal particles during dewatering of coal seam gas (CSG) reservoirs, is one of drastic environmental concerns in Australia and worldwide. Therefore, prevention, mitigation, and prediction of the coal fines production is one of the milestones of effective gas production from CSG’s. The modern theory of fines detachment, migration and consequent formation damage has been developed at ASP during 2008-2019 and applied in numerous projects on oil and gas recovery. The present project continuous this sequence of fines migration honours projects, but with applications to CSG reservoirs. The students with mechanical, chemical, and civil engineering background with strong interest in scientific engineering are encouraged to apply.

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This project is continuation of 2012-2018 honours projects supported by Santos (SA). Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Pavel Bedrikovetsky or Dr Themis Carageorgos for further information. Also supervising this project will be Abolfazl Hashemi (PhD candidate) and engineer Mark Burgyonne (Santos Ltd). Project title: Visualisation of fines migration in two-phase environment Project description: Several environmental studies on fines propagation in aquifers have shown that low salinity water in the reservoir rocks can cause reduction of rock permeability. The phenomenon is explained by mobilization of reservoir fines which plug the narrow pore constrictions. The main forces acting on a particle on the surface of a pore are drag, lift, gravity and electrostatic forces. The mechanical equilibrium of an attached particle is determined by torque balance of these four major forces. Drag and lift forces increase with increasing flow velocity and act to detach the particle from the pore wall. The total electrostatic force describes the interaction or contact of a particle and pore wall at very small separations and is largely dependent on changes to water composition. The total electrostatic force is taken as the maximum value of the sum of the Van der Waals, electrical double layer and Born forces as described by Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey and Overbeek (DLVO) theory. The total attractive electrostatic force decreases as the water salinity decreases causing the particles dislodgment by the low salinity water flow.

In this project a transparent flow cell is placed on a high resolution microscope to observe the effect of water composition on fines attachment and detachment. Several tests with varying water composition will be performed to visualise fines mobilisation at different conditions. The torque balance theory then will be applied to compare with the experimental results.

Project supervisors(s): Please contact Dr Abbas Zeinijahromi, Prof Pavel Bedrikovetsky or Dr Themis Carageorgos for further information. Project title: Novel retention phenomena at fluid filtering in rocks (with applications to environmental engineering) Project description: In 2018, two Honours students along with supervisors, performed averaging of micro-scale equations for colloidal transport in rock, carried out modelling using the macro-scale model, and predicted non-monotonic retention profiles, which was clearly confirmed by lab experiments. Currently we are finalising the paper for Nature. The reservoir production applications include: I -particle sizing in injected water; II - using formation damage for enhanced waterflood sweep, and III - development of lab method to determine pore size distribution. The project encompasses mathematical modelling using the derived filtering equations, comparison with experimental results, and applications to three above mentioned technologies. The students with mechanical, chemical, and civil engineering background with strong interest in scientific engineering are encouraged to apply. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof P Bedrikovetsky for further information. Also supervising this project will be Gabriel Malgaresi (PhD candidate) and engineer Mark Burgyonne (Santos). Project title: Enhanced Low-Salinity Waterflooding in Copper and Eromanga Basins: Laboratory Modelling Project description: Presently under the low and uncertain oil-prices environment, the Low-Salinity Waterflooding is considered as one of the most cost-effective methods of EOR. In 2012-2018 ASP proposed a novel technology of FINES-ASSISTED LOW-SALINITY WATERFLOOD. The project aims the Laboratory Modelling of this technology, i.e. of the flow of oil and waters with different salinity in artificial rocks with different clay contents. Numerous corefloods will be performed with measurements of flow rates of water and oil, pressure drop in three points and fines concentrations in the effluent. Lab coreflood data will be compared with CMG Stars simulation.

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This project is continuation of 2017 and 2018 honours projects supported by Santos (SA) and Wintershall (Germany). The project goes far beyond the lab methods given in the PetrEng course “Formation Damage and Productivity Enhancement”. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Abbas Zeinijahromi, Prof Pavel Bedrikovetsky or Dr Alex Badalyan for further information. Also supervising this project will be engineer Mark Burgoyne (Santos). Project title: Enhanced Low-Salinity Waterflooding in Copper and Eromanga Basins: Mathematical Modelling and Reservoir Simulation Project description: Presently under the low and uncertain oil-prices environment, the Low-Salinity Waterflooding is considered as one of the most cost-effective methods of EOR. In 2012-2018 ASP proposed a novel technology of FINES-ASSISTED LOW-SALINITY WATERFLOOD. The project aims the Mathematical Modelling and Reservoir Simulation of this technology, i.e. of the flow of oil and waters with different salinity in heterogeneous reservoirs with different clay contents. CMG Stars will perform the reservoir simulation. The laboratory data will be used as an input into reservoir simulator. This project is continuation of 2016 and 2017 honours projects supported by Santos (SA) and Wintershall (Germany). The project goes far beyond the reservoir simulation methods given in the PetrEng course “Formation Damage and Productivity Enhancement”. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Pavel Bedrikovetsky or Dr Abbas Zeinijahromi for further information. Also supervising this project will be engineer Mark Burgoyne (Santos). Project title: Particle sizing in drilling fluid to minimise formation damage and filtrate losses Project description: Invasion of drilling fluid damaging reservoir takes place in drilling and completion of oil wells. The permeability damage is caused by capture of solid particles by the rock from invaded fluid. External filter cake also results in decreased return permeability. Correct choice of particle size distribution in the fluid would minimise particle invasion and consequent formation damage providing minimum losses of filtrate into formation during drilling.

Presently the design of injected fluid is performed experimentally. It is well known that tests on drilling fluid filtration and corefloods by injected water are complex and cumbersome, very time consuming. It puts significant constrain on number of tests necessary to optimise the fluid design. The limited number of tests is performed during drilling or injection in any oilfield. This project uses recently developed mathematical model of particle penetration into porous media to design drilling/injection fluid. The project aims the development of a simple procedure of damage estimation and consequent fluid design to be used during drilling. The project involves extensive modelling using Excel or MathLab.

Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Pavel Bedrikovetsky or Dr Alex Badalyan for further information.

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CHEM ENG School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials Project title: Expression of new Virus-Like-Particle Vaccine-candidate for Group A Streptococcus in Bioreactor – Upstream processing Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: Virus-Like-Particles (VLPs) mimic the surface of an intact virus without containing any genetic material and are thus non-infectious. Furthermore, VLPs can be genetically modified to present foreign antigens on their surface and are therefore an exciting new platform technology for new types of vaccines. In this project the expression and folding behaviour of a murine Polyomavirus derived VLP vaccine candidate against Group A Streptococcus in E.coli shall be examined. Practical experiments will be done in a 9l Bioreactor (Fermenter) to control different parameters like Oxygen Transfer Rate (OTR), growth rate, Temperature, pH value and feeding strategies. This project is highly industrial related and a great opportunity to deepen the knowledge and practical experience for the biopharmaceutical industry and state of the art laboratory equipment. The duration of this project will be minimum 3 months. Former lab experience is desired but not mandatory.

Project supervisor(s): Please contact Associate Professor Jingxiu Bi or Lukas Gerstweiler for further information. Project title: Examining the chromatographic behaviour of a new Virus-Like-Particle Vaccine-candidate for Group A Streptococcus – Downstream processing Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: Virus-Like-Particles (VLPs) mimic the surface of an intact virus without containing any genetic material and are thus non-infectious and are therefore an exciting new platform technology for new types of vaccines. The purification of biopharmaceutical remain an expensive and challenging task. Usually liquid chromatographic techniques are used to purify the desired molecule from impurities. In this research project various resins will be tested for their capabilities to purify a new vaccine candidate. Statistically methods (Design of Experiments) will be used to interpret the collected data. This project is a great opportunity for students that are interested in the biopharmaceutical industry and is a good way to get insights and practical experience in the development of downstream process for high value biopharmaceuticals. The duration of this project will be around 3 months and is capable for students with a biotechnology or biological background. Former lab experience is desired but not mandatory. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Associate Professor Jingxiu Bi or Lukas Gerstweiler for further information. Project title: Graphene for 2d and 3d printing and additive manufacturing Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Project description: This summer project will provide student training for making several range of

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graphene materials and their application for making inks and filaments for 2d and 3 printing of real devices such as sensors, antennas and conductive parts using broad range of additive manufacturing instruments Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Dusan Losic or Dr Nathan Stanley for further information. Project title: Modelling carbon materials for clean energy conversion reactions by computational chemistry Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: The dwindling supply of fossil fuels urges us to explore alternative power sources to drive our highly automotive society. Under this background, establish reliable, clean and sustainable energy supplies are of great importance, and using electrochemical methods to realize energy conversions hold a great promise. Among these reactions, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and CO2 reduction reaction (CRR) are the most studied, due to their respective roles in hydrogen production, fuel cells, and fuel generation, respectively. Effective candidates for these reactions are often based on metals, while the potential of carbon-based electrocatalysts for these reactions is not fully discovered. This project will investigate the potential of carbon based materials - which are cheap, abound at, and easy to modify - for these reactions by computational chemistry approach. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Yan Jiao for further information. Project title: Fast detection of precious metal using laser technology Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Space and Defence Project description: The project aims develop detection system of precious metal using laser based techniques. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Zeyad Alwahabi for further information. Project title: Development of novel nanoporous photonic crystals for lab-on-a-chip biosensing applications Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: In this project, we will aim to develop a synthesis approach to fabricate nanoporous photonic crystal structures for optical biosensing applications. Photonic crystal structures will be fabricated by electrochemical oxidation of aluminium. The resulting structures will be assessed for lab-on-a-chip applications. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Abel Santos for further information. Project title: Development of nanoporous photocatalysts for environmental remediation applications Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: In this project, we will aim to develop nanoporous materials for photocatalysis applications. Photonic crystal structures will be fabricated by electrochemical oxidation of aluminium. The resulting structures will be assessed for light-driven degradation of environmental pollutants and toxicants.

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Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Abel Santos or Cheryl Suwen Law (HDR candidate) for further information. Project title: Investigation of micronutrients for hydroculture and enhanced plant growth Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Food, Water and Agriculture Project description: Plants require carbon dioxide to grow. However, their roots also need oxygen to function. Natural products, such as perlite and zeolites are inorganic and abundant that can absorb and release water, which can allow the plants' roots to develop more fully. For regions with uncultivable soils or no access to land space and water, these materials are economically viable for indoor planting. With the right amount of nutrients, the plant can thrive and grow although it is a slower process compared to soil-grown plants. The aim of the project is to impregnate perlite with different types of nutrients (single and/or mixed) and investigate their performance for hydroponically grown plants (e.g., plant growth (shoot and roots), survival rate, etc.). The synthesised materials will be characterised with various techniques to optimise their functionality and several plants may be used as models. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Diana Tran for further information. Project title: Continuous solvent extraction of adjacent metals in a coiled micro-flow inverter for mimicked asteroid ores and alloys Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Space and Defence Project description: Asteroid mining has been proposed as an approach to complement Earth-based supplies of rare earth metals and supplying resources in space, such as water. In this study, process schemes will be developed for two resources: metallic asteroids, such as (6178)1086 DA (89% Fe, 10% Ni, Co/Pt traces; value 35 trillion dollars), and mineral asteroids (chondrites/olivine-pyroxene with up to 50% metal). The experimental study will be conducted to test how continuous-flow processing can cope with outer space mining conditions. Mimicked asteroid ores/alloys will be tested both at lab-scale with a coiled micro-flow inverter using segmented flow, and at pilot-scale with a re-entrance flow reactor. Computational solvent modelling will be applied to select the best solvent for the separation of products. Importantly, the study will also aim at minimising the use of water in space mining. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Volker Hessel and Dr Nam Nghiep Tran for further information.

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CEME School of Civil, Engineering and Mining Engineering Project title: Engineering a rocket launch pad Research theme(s): Space and Defence Project description: This project will explore this issues involved with the design and analysis for the development of a launch pad facility in Australia. Directions that the project could take include i) determining the expected loading that the launch pad could be expected to be subject to or ii) the behaviour of the launch pad under high strain rate loading or high temperatures. The project will use analysis techniques such as continuum fluid dynamics or non-linear finite element analysis. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Terry Bennett for further information. Project title: Vibration analysis of structures Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Vibration tests provide a practical way to determine dynamic properties of structures using vibration data. Modal identification allows extraction of important information for evaluating the structural performance and serviceability of a wide range of civil and building structures, such as suspension bridges, tall buildings, footbridges and stadiums etc. It provides information about the ‘in-situ’ vibration properties of constructed structures, which can differ significantly from the design. Discrepancies in the order of 30% in predicting the vibration frequency of structures are not uncommon. The project will focus on vibration testing of structures using measured vibration data. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Alex Ching Tai Ng for further information. Project title: Numerical modelling of guided wave scattering at damages in structures Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment, Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: To improve the sensitivity and reliability of guided wave based damage detection techniques, an efficient and reliable numerical modelling technique is required for understanding wave propagation and scattering characteristics at defects. The aim of the project is to verify a developed numerical modelling technique and apply this technique to investigate the wave scattering characteristics at cracks, holes and delaminations. An optimal wave mode will be identified for each of these defects for the purpose of damage detection. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Alex Ching Tai Ng for further information. Project title: A cost-effective environmentally-friendly approach for soil stabilisation Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: We often face different geotechnical problems in fine graded soils. One of the problems is the non-uniform settlement of roadway or building foundation. This can result from soft spots in the clay, insufficient compaction of foundation materials, and consolidation of subsoil caused by building or traffic loads and also by soil subsidence due to groundwater extraction. Therefore, a suitable ground improvement technique is needed for geotechnical engineering projects in order to confront these problems. Chemical stabilisation through traditional cementitious agents including cement, lime and fly–ash can be regarded among the most common solutions in this context.

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Application of polymers as a chemical stabilisation method has recently received attention as well. In this project, new additives will be used to develop a soil suitable for different engineering applications. In this study application of different soil stabilisation methods will be investigated. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Abbas Taheri for further information. Project title: Smart stormwater systems modelling and optimisation Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment, Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Existing stormwater systems require upgrades on the order of $100s of billions globally to meet challenges imposed by a changing climate and rapid urbanisation. These costs can be reduced by adopting smart technologies using sensors and controllers, coupled with state-of-the-art optimisation approaches. This will transform their operation from static to adaptive, permitting them to be instantly “redesigned” to respond to individual storms, water demands, and evolving land uses. In addition, a range of other benefits can be achieved, such as making water available for the greening of cities and reducing pollution in rivers and oceans. The focus of this project will be on developing smart stormwater systems models and a multi-objective optimisation approach. This project will be done in collaboration with industry, use cutting edge software, building a strong foundation in the systems and optimisation thinking needed to build our future Smart Cities. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Professor Holger Maier or Dr Michael Di Matteo for further information. Project title: Digital Image Correlation for fracture properties of high strength steel Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Project description: This project will use Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique in conjunction with standard experiments for the determination of both yield strengths and essential work of fracture associated with necking and tearing of structural steels. A series of experiments will be conducted on both standard dogbone specimens and non-standard ones with notches or holes and DIC will be used to obtain full field strains and their evolutions during deformation. The analysis of experimental data using DIC post-processing algorithms in the commercial package VIC2D will help obtain both yield envelop and the essential work of fracture. These data are useful for computer simulation of structural failure and for practical purposes involving fracture of structural steels. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Giang Nguyen or Assoc Prof Abdul Sheikh for further information. Project title: Assessing the environmental impact of concrete in construction Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: The standard of living offered by modern society is infeasible without the use of the cement based materials upon which the construction of all forms of structures and infrastructure is based. Evidence of this can be seen by examining the usage of cement in the past 65 years, which shows cement production has increased 3400% while the population has only grown 300%. Cement is now the highest volume manufactured product, with an annual consumption of 4.6 billion tonnes, equating to more than 600kg/capita – a number higher than food consumption. In addition to the high production volume, concrete manufacture is the third highest emitter of CO2 behind energy production and transport. Significant international research effort is therefore being devoted to the development of greener concretes.

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This project will assess a range of green concrete alternatives using detailed life cycle analysis to identify the optimal usage of concrete materials in structures. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Phillip Visintin for more information. Project title: Determination of Essential Work of Fracture of ductile materials Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Project description: The project focuses on a new method to determine the Essential Work of Fracture (EWF) of ductile materials using advanced Digital Image Correlation techniques. This is to overcome the issues of the current methods in giving different values of EWF for different thicknesses. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Giang Nguyen for more information.

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COMP SCI School of Computer Science Project title: Discourse analysis of Stack Overflow threads to predict question and answer success Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: The question and answer forum Stack Overflow now contains more than 17 million questions and 26 million answers. The success of a question or answer on Stack Overflow depends on many factors, including the extent of confusion exhibited in questions and the information seeking vs. information giving behaviour in answers and comments. The goal of this project is (1) to apply pre-trained machine learning models for confusion detection and discourse analysis in other domains to Stack Overflow data, and (2) to train new domain-specific models on Stack Overflow data to understand the impact of confusion and discourse structure on the success of information exchange on Stack Overflow. We will use these models to predict events on Stack Overflow, such as whether a question will be answered, what kind of answers it will attract, whether it will be edited, and how well it will be received by the Stack Overflow community. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Christoph Treude or Dr Thushari Atapattu for further information. Project title: Mastik: A Microarchitectural Side-Channel Toolkit Research theme(s): Space and Defence; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: In recent years, multiple weaknesses and vulnerabilities have been discovered in the hardware used to build computers and electronic devices. These discoveries had a profound effect on the design of hardware and software and even on the share prices of processor vendors. While the theory behind such vulnerabilities may be well understood, challenges in implementing the attacks form a barrier-to-entry into the area, and prevent free exploration of attacks and defences. Mastik, a toolkit for performing microarchitectural attacks, aims to bridge the gap and allow every programmer to experiment with microarchitectural attacks. In this project you will help improving Mastik. There are multiple openings in various areas, from investigating new microarchitectural attacks, through data analysis, to GUI design and development. This is a great opportunity to participate in an open-source project and to get experience that would be useful for a career in both academia and the industry. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Yuval Yarom for further information.

Project title: Visual comparison of online surveys Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Online surveys are an important method in empirical software engineering research to investigate the state of practice. As drawing a random sample of a certain population of software developers is rarely possible, researchers often rely on so-called convenience samples with limited external validity. To enable researchers to compare own online survey samples with existing studies such as the annual Stack Overflow developer survey, we will develop a web tool that allows researchers to upload key demographics of their study participants (e.g., age, work experience, gender). The tool will then automatically compare the researcher's sample with suitable existing studies. We utilise different visualisations to support users in identifying salient differences, for instance by helping them to visually compare the distribution of certain variables. In a next step, the tool will be

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extended to automatically generate interactive data reports that combine generated natural language text and embedded word-sized graphics. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Christoph Treude for further information. Project title: Edit wars on Stack Overflow Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Stack Overflow is the most popular question-and-answer website for software developers, hosting over 17 million threads on a wide variety of topics. Editing posts for content improvement is a central feature of the platform. There are, however, instances of posts being edited tens or even hundreds of times. Some of those frequently edited posts are examples of so-called edit wars between disagreeing users. Besides causing hostility on the platform, such extensive edit sequences do not contribute to goal of improving the quality of posts through editing. In this project, we will first develop strategies for detecting edit wars on Stack Overflow. We will then thoroughly analyse a sample of disputed posts, including their metadata, edit history, and related comments, to determine the (potential) cause of edit wars on Stack Overflow and their progression. Our long-term goal is to be able to predict and mitigate such disputes in future posts. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Christoph Treude for further information. Project title: Evolutionary Diversity Optimisation Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: The student will be involved in a research project funded by the Australian Research Council on Evolutionary Diversity Optimisation. The goal is to design and analyse evolutionary algorithms for computing a diverse set of high quality solutions. A strong background on algorithms and strong programming skills are required. Knowledge in the area of evolutionary computation is beneficial, but not a requirement. The student will be closely working with other researchers in the Optimisation and Logistics group and the aim would be to write a conference paper based on the outcomes of this summer project. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Frank Neumann or Aneta Neumann (PhD candidate) for further information. Project title: Artificial Intelligence - Innovative approaches for increasing the productivity of South Australia’s copper and gold production Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: Artificial Intelligence is currently used in various ways to solve significant industry challenges. The students will develop advanced technologies to help boost South Australia’s copper and gold production. The topic spans from experimental investigations of algorithms to data analysis using machine learning methods. The projects can be carried out dependent on the background and interest of the students. Female students are especially encouraged to apply and several additional Women in IoT scholarships are available. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Aneta Neumann (PhD candidate), Dr Markus Wagner or Prof Frank Neumann for further information. Project title: Applying a Deep-Learned Surrogate Function for the Evolution of a 3D Geological Map of Australia Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment

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Project description: The Aim of this project is use deep learning to create a function that will greatly speed up the production of a high-quality 3D geological map of Australia. Background: As the world becomes increasingly resource-constrained, improving our knowledge of the Earth's geology is becoming vital. Many geological mapping techniques map the earth by refining a series of guesses until we achieve a map that matches collected sensor data. Unfortunately this process is currently constrained by having a slow process assessing guesses. Project: In this work we improve on previous work by learning a function using 3D convolutional nets to represent maps of the deep earth and generating an artificial response from these maps. These responses will then be integrated into an existing search framework to produce 3D maps within minutes, rather than weeks. It expected that this work will greatly speed up the production of detailed geological maps of Australia. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Brad Alexander for further information. Project title: Exploring the application of deep learning to assessment of code style Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Coding style impacts on the maintainability and extensibility of software systems as well as the likelihood of errors. Assessing code style is, however, a time-consuming task. In programming courses, as in industry, code style is most commonly assessed through manual code review. This approach limits the amount of feedback that can be provided to students who are developing code style and to system developers to improve their software. Tools such as linters are able to assess adherence to various style guidelines but still are unable to identify deeper features of code style or to learn new patterns from examples or counter examples. In this project you will work alongside researchers in deep learning, software engineering and computer science education* to investigate the use of deep learning to improve the assessment of style beyond linter applications, compare to human assessment and identify current limitations. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Cheryl Pope or Dr Brad Alexander for further information. Also supervising this project will be Dr Christoph Treude, Dr Markus Wagner and Dr Cruz Izu. Project title: Towards an artificial complex system - modelling and implementing the evolution of cells into tissue Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: This project looks at modelling a cell-based system and its evolution to a tissue. A cell is represented as a cuboid or brick-shaped within a fixed of a volume range. The cell is the basic unit of all individuals and has a wide range of characteristics, such as minimum energy, energy and toxin transformations as well as interaction rules with other cells. The project aims to answer the following research questions:

1. Does variability in a living environment favour low or high species diversity? 2. How do RQ1 and RQ2 stand when there is a consistent change across all variables (e.g.

climate change) – does climate change favour/lead to mass extinction? 3. Given that cells share information and are potentially influenced by the environment, how can

this model be parallelized? 4. What is the best modelling resolution to ensure scalability but also ability to answer the

biology questions?

Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Claudia Szabo for further information.

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Project title: Measuring emergent behaviour in systems working in contested and dynamic environments Research theme(s): Space and Defence Project description: This project looks at designing metrics to measure the emergent behaviour arising in MANETs operating in contested and dynamic environment. The project involves running extensive experimental analysis of an automated information management system that dynamically transforms, prioritizes and controls the flow of key information on to tactical networks according to changing operational and network contexts. The project is suitable for students looking for defence related experience but also for students interested in pursuing a PhD. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Claudia Szabo for further information. Project title: Making Real-world Datasets Suitable for Deep Learning Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Deep learning modelling relies on well curated large-scale datasets, where the labels associated with samples are complete and correct. Nevertheless, most real world large-scale datasets contain labels that have an imbalanced prevalence, besides being incomplete and incorrect. We propose the first approach in machine learning that can use such real world datasets for modelling deep learning classifiers. Our proposed modelling approach will enable the use of previously ignored datasets, and as a result, allow the development of the next generation of deep learning models. We will validate our proposed modelling approach on real world publicly available loosely labelled and imbalanced datasets of digital photos and X-rays. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Gustavo Carneiro, Dr. Vasileios Belagiannis or Prof Ian Reid for further information. Project title: Generalized-Zero-Shot learning in Medical Image Analysis Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Current diagnosis systems for chest X-ray rely on a large amount of images that have been labelled by experts. However, it is unfeasible to tag every image with all the diagnosis options. In this project, we aim to design a classifier that can diagnose not only diseases that have been seen, but also unseen. Steps:

1) Setup the baseline method. 2) Build semantic representation with chexpert labelling system. We will use the PADCHEST

dataset 3) Implement the first GZSL in medical image analysis.

The goal is to prepare a submission to one of the main medical image analysis conferences Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Gustavo Carneiro or Dr Gabriel Maicas for further information. Project title: Action Recognition from Ultrasound for Endometriosis Diagnosis Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics

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Project description: Endometriosis is a pathology that affects a relatively large percentage of women. However, its invasive diagnosis remains a challenge even for experts. In this project, we aim to design a system to automatically diagnose endometriosis from ultrasound video by analysing spatiotemporal characteristics. Steps:

1) Baselines (3D temporal convolutions, spatiotemporal CNNs) 2) Implementation of Video action transformers network (CVPR’19). 3) Use of UnFlow (AAAI'18) to extract temporal information.

The goal is to set the foundations to submit a MICCAI’20 paper. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Gustavo Carneiro or Dr Gabriel Maicas for further information. Project title: Meta-Train to diagnose Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: In this project, we aim to design a medical image classifier that accurately diagnoses 14 chest x-ray diseases. Our goal is to improve current training methodologies by meta-training the classifier to solve automatically design tasks. Steps:

1) Build meta-training tasks based on deep infomax. 2) Optimise the meta-training similarly to the paper "How To Train Your MAML", ICLR'19

The goal is to become the leaders of the Chexpert leaderboard and possibly submit a paper. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Gustavo Carneiro or Dr Gabriel Maicas for further information. Project title: The Lottery Ticket Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: It is well-known that deep neural networks can be pruned and still perform competitively. The recent "Lottery Ticket Hypothesis" paper identifies such relevant subset of the initial network weights, which behave as the winning ticket. In this project, we aim to investigate whether drawing again the loosing tickets is an effective strategy to increase the performance of the original deep network. Steps:

1) Reproduce published results of the "Lottery Ticket Hypothesis" paper. 2) Prune the network architecture (identify loosing tickets) 3) Initialise and retrain loosing tickets to measure (all of them, only new ones).

We aim to submit the outcome of this work to one of the main conferences ICML/ICCV in early 2020. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Gustavo Carneiro, Dr Michele Sasdelli or Dr Gabriel Maicas for further information. Project title: Causality in Computer Vision Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Current machine learning models excell in prediction tasks. These models exploit the correlation between the pixels in the image and the associated ground truth labels.

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However, they fail to find the cause of the prediction. For example, assume a model that is trained to recognize the number ‘1’. If such model is trained with only gray images, it will fail to recognize a number ‘1’ written in red, meaning that the model did not learn to recognize the shape, but texture patterns from the training data. In this project, we aim to study causation, i.e. which elements of the image are relevant for its classification. Our goal is to shed light on the causes and effects to improve the interpretability of the current image classifiers. We aim to submit the outcome of this work to one of the main computer vision or machine learning conference. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Prof Gustavo Carneiro or Dr Gabriel Maicas for further information.

Project title: Machine Learning for Detecting Data Exfiltration Attacks Research theme(s): Smart Technologies & Mathematics (Primary); Space and Defence Project description: Data exfiltration is the process of retrieving, copying, and/or transferring data without authorization. In 2018, 53,000 data exfiltration incidents have been reported. The primary reason of these incidents is the inability to detect attacks in real-time. This project aims to utilize big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop and Spark) for developing a cyber security system that can accurately detect data exfiltration attacks at real-time. The project will be developed using our big data infrastructure consisting of private clouds, containers technologies, and Microsoft Azure. The project will leverage Data Mining, Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Processing Language (NLP) for detecting cyber security attacks using data exfiltration datasets. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Professor M. Ali Babar and Faheem Ullah for further information. Project title: Designing Optimised Machine Learning Solutions for Security Analytics Project theme(s): Smart Technologies & Mathematics (Primary); Space and Defence Project description: Big Data Cybersecurity Analytics (BDCA) systems uses big data frameworks (e.g., Hadoop and Spark) for analysing security event data to detect cyber-attacks. The available big data frameworks use different Machine Learning (ML) algorithms for optimising cybersecurity analytical solutions. It is important to implement and understand the Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and optimisation mechanisms underpinning the well known big data frameworks like Hadoop and Spark. This project will compare the performance of big data frameworks while using different ML algorithms and optimisation in terms of response time for processing big security data. The project will also implement a set of algorithms for optimising solutions for security analytics. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Professor M. Ali Babar and Faheem Ullah for further information. Project title: Blockchain for Electronic Medical Records Project theme(s): Smart Technologies & Mathematics Project description: Electronic Medical Records (EMR) contain patient and population health information which are stored electronically in a digital format. They help to improve quality care for patients. EMR are generated independently by different health providers following each incident, hence, there is a need to exchange and synchronise these records to capture the state of a patient across time. This project explores the use of Blockchain (Ethereum or Hyperledger) and Smart Contracts to exchange and synchronised EMR across health providers. A student is expected to develop a blockchain based decentralised system which allows multiple health providers to access and modify a synchronised set of EMR.

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Project supervisor(s): Please contact Professor M. Ali Babar and Nguyen Khoi Tran for further information.

Project title: Common Operating Picture for Blockchain Applications Project theme(s): Smart Technologies & Mathematics Project description: Blockchain applications, also known as Distributed Apps (DApps) are software systems whose data and operation logics are maintained by a blockchain network instead of a single entity. Due to the prohibitive costs associating with blockchain storage and updates, DApps maintain only their core data and logic on-chain and distribute the rest of the data across multiple cloud services, clients, and even private blockchain networks. This project aims to develop a Web-based utility to visualise the internal states and activities of all components constituting a DApp. A student is expected to work with an existing blockchain-based smart home system to enhance its capabilities for gathering and visualising the states and activities involved in a blockchain system. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Professor M. Ali Babar and Nguyen Khoi Tran for further information. Project title: Blockchain for Smart Home Project theme(s): Smart Technologies & Mathematics Project description: Privacy of personal data collected by devices and longevity of their services are major concerns in developing smart homes. The current paradigm which relies on cloud services to operate smart home devices has not been able to address the privacy and trustworthiness problems when the services are dependents upon manufacturers. A potential solution is to remove the reliance on manufacturers by distributing data and control of smart home devices across a blockchain network. This project is built upon an existing blockchain-based smart home system. A student is expected to design and develop optimization mechanisms to reduce the response time and operational cost incurred by the existing system. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Professor M. Ali Babar and Nguyen Khoi Tran for further information.

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EEE School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Project title: Analysis of real microgrid with battery storage system data for future systems Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: The University of Adelaide has developed a mobile microgrid test platform with battery storage system. This system has been deployed on a distribution system powering a small town (with significant roof-top photo voltaic systems), and both electrical and weather data has been logged over a period to capture seasonal changes. This highly unique and practical project aim to develop analysis techniques that can define benchmark study for future microgrids. It is likely that the results will produce technical paper(s). Project supervisor(s): Please contact Associate Professor Nesimi Ertugrul for further information. Project title: Application of Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition in PV generation time series Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: While the environmental benefits of the ever-increasing renewable resources are undeniable, they challenge power system operators due to their inherent uncertainty and unpredictability. To address this issue, many researchers developed various forecast techniques to accurately predict their future generation at different time intervals and horizons. Due to the nonlinearity and non-stationary nature of the wind/PV generation time series, the most successful prediction methods use decomposition techniques to obtain a stationary signal prior to predicting. This project intends to use recent variations of Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) in PV generation time series for the future application in prediction and battery sizing/operation studies. We use the EEMD to decompose PV generation data into a minimum number of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) and check the stationarity of the residuals. Then, Permutation Entropy (PE) and Hurst Exponent (HE) will be used to quantify the predictability of each component. To successfully complete this project, basic knowledge of time series analysis and/or signal processing is needed. In this project, the ASRS fellow will learn about EEMD, PE, and HE and their application in PV generation time series, and will gain experience in writing a research paper. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Seyyed Ali Pourmousavi Kani for further information. Project title: Creating an environment for terahertz test and measurement Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: In the Terahertz Engineering Laboratory, the vector network analyser and the associated terahertz extension modules provide the platform to access and explore various applications within the 220-330 GHz band where the atmosphere attenuation is as low as 0.004 dB/m at ground level, and the metal loss remains low. This project will involve creating a LabView environment to interface the network analyser and analytical tools. The vector network analyser is utilised for various experiments, including imaging, RCS measurement and material characterisation. The process of obtaining and analysing these data is rather tedious as there is no direct interface between these two tools. Thus, this environment would benefit the speed of data acquisition and analysis.

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The knowledge developed throughout this project is highly beneficial to the student as it requires a high level of programming with LabView – which is the tool used in most test and measurement equipment in the industry. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Wendy Lee or Dr Withawat Withayachumnankul for further information. Project title: Ablation profile of catheters used in Atrial fibrillation (AF) Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common abnormal heart rhythms leading to 5-fold increased risk of stroke, 2 fold increased risk of heart failure and two fold increased risk of death. Catheter ablation is recommended in patients with symptomatic AF. Radiofrequency energy is the most common used modality and leads to rise in underlying tissue temperature causing irreversible injury. The lesion size can range up to 6-9mm with the initial heating of tissue being resistive in nature and subsequent by conduction. The aim of the project is to develop a platform which allows measurement of the temperature changes in the tissue during catheter ablation in an in vitro model. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Said Al-Sarawi or Dr Rajiv Mahajan (Adelaide Medical School) for further information. Project title: Calibration of catheter used in Atrial fibrillation (AFib) Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common abnormal heart rhythms that is a major health concern for elderly people. The project aim at investigating both hardware and software that can be used to investigate the catheter’s near and far fields sensitivity, commonly used in AF operations. Initial thoughts for the hardware, would be the development of prototype that is composed for a number of voltage sources that can be programmed to generate the required electric field across a micropad. The electric field amplitude across each electrode should be programmed from sub-millivolt. Ideally, in the order of 100 uV to 200 uV. Furthermore, the voltage at each of these electrodes should mimic a biological pulse, possibly with a pulsating ranging from 20-400 Hz. The software part will investigate signal processing techniques that can be used to help investigate the sensed signal, is it from the nearfield or far field. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Said Al-Sarawi or Dr Rajiv Mahajan (Adelaide Medical School) for further information. Project title: High power, energy efficient RF System-on-Chip (RF SoC) dynamic power conditioning circuits Research theme(s): Space and Defence; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: The project will develop a compact, high power, energy efficient RF System-on-Chip (RF SoC) by inventing dynamic power conditioning circuits (power supply modulators) and closely integrating them with RF MMIC transceivers and necessary external control circuits. The program will add an additional stage of power conversion and conditioning layer to the typical RF transmitter system and realize significantly higher overall system efficiencies. The main emphasis of this proposal is on physical and design approaches that enable power levels and bandwidths suitable for airborne and space-based applications. This project will investigate the

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implementation of an efficient high-speed power supply modulator to rapidly convert input DC bus voltage to any DC supply voltage required of the RF PA within a given operational range. This modulator will ultimately be integrated into the transceiver design to implement envelope tracking techniques. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Said Al-Sarawi for further information. Also supervising this project will be Aaron Pereira and Neil Weste. Project title: Fall predication and detection device for elderly people Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: With this project you will join a group of leading researchers from academia and industry working toward the design of an ultra-low power, passive wireless sensors that present significant technical challenges and raise opportunities for innovative solutions. This is a multidisciplinary project and can accommodate students from mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering and computer science disciplines. In case of mechanical engineering, the interest will be the design of miniaturised sensors such as accelerometers or gyro that can be integrated with electronic circuitry using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), for the electrical and electronic engineering students the focus microelectronic side and integration off the shelf sensors with high performance microcontroller devices, while for computer science the focus is on the review and development of algorithms to predict and detect a fall. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Said Al-Sarawi for further information. Project title: Improving Usability and User Interaction with KALDI Open- Source Speech Recogniser Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Kaldi is an open source transcription software that is widely used by speech transcription researchers. The aim of this project is to enable users to access functionalities of KALDI without the knowledge of scripting, a language like Bash, or detailed knowledge of the internal algorithms of KALDI. To achieve this aim, two aspects are considered, firstly improving usability and user Interaction with KALDI through a GUI that has the following features: • Provide acoustic and language models selection. • Allow for continuous live speech input or from recorded audio. • Isolating Utterance/Speaker ID and Speaker ID/Utterance pairs from decoded results for later analysis of recognition performance of each user. Secondly, • Documenting the developed graphical user interface design and functionality for KALDI • Documenting the results of evaluation studies of the new GUI design. • Presenting the work to interested staff in Intelligence Analytics Branch of DST Group. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Said Al-Sarawi or Dr Ahmad Hashemi-Sakhtsari (DST Group) for further information.

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Project title: Behavioural analysis of mobile network traffic Research theme(s): Space and Defence; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: The last two decades have marked a dramatic shift in our reliance on mobile devices. Mobile devices now account for over half of all time spent online. From games to online banking, apps have made their way into almost every market. Their ubiquity however has also made mobile devices and their apps a prime target for user analytics and malicious attack. The aim of this project is to examine what information can be inferred about a mobile device and its applications through analysis of its network communications traffic. In this project, the students shall: • Gain knowledge in network traffic analysis with a focus on mobile Internet communications. • Analyse mobile network traffic in a controlled environment. • Create classifiers to identify mobile devices and applications through their network communications. • Develop apps to analyse the extent of embedded advertisements to exfiltrate user information. Useful skills/knowledge: python, bash, networking fundamentals, machine learning, data analytics. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Hong Gunn Chew or Kyle Millar for further information.

Project title: Interconnects for terahertz waves Project description: The terahertz range spans 0.1 and 10 THz. It defines a transition between the electronics and photonics domains—the frequency range is at the upper bound of electronics and the lower bound of photonics. For this very reason, in the past the band has been perceived as a terahertz gap due to the lack of efficient generation and detection approaches. Over a few decades, a myriad of sources and detectors have become mature to tap into unique opportunities in this frequency range. Much has yet to be done in this area towards integrated high-performance platforms, envisioned for post-5G applications. Core components that underpin any integrated platform are interconnects, i.e., waveguiding structures. A large number of terahertz waveguides have been proposed with different trade-offs related to bandwidth, dispersion, confinement, losses, and fabrication complexity. Here we will investigate a waveguide design that could carry terahertz waves with practical performance. This project will tackle on different waveguide designs and related components. The students will gain experience on full-wave electromagnetic simulation, theoretical analysis of waveguides, and a terahertz measurement system. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Withawat Withayachumnankul for further information – 2 positions available.

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MATHS School of Mathematical Sciences Project title: Direct methods for investigating graphene conformation Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Project description: Graphene is a promising advanced material proposed for many applications in nano-scaled electromechanical devices. The bending nature of graphene is such that it may be modelled as an ideal two-dimensional and perfectly elastic material. In this project we will investigate the conformation of deformed graphene such as occurs in graphene-folds and wrinkles using a variational framework from which numerical solutions may be readily generated by employing direct methods. These numerical solutions may then be compared to other theoretical predictions and experimental results in the literature. Prospective students should be familiar with higher order differential equations and some familiarity with programming in Matlab would be advantageous. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Barry Cox for further information. Project title: 3D printing for biofabrication Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Biofabrication uses 3D printing to create artificial biological tissues (bone, cartilage, tendons) ... this might sound familiar from the TV show "Westworld"! A new printing technique has been developed that involves melted polymers being stretched into fine threads via the application of an electric field ("melt electrospinning writing"). This project will model the fluid mechanics of thread formation/collection (which can be very complicated, watch here). Assumed knowledge: some differential equations, a bit of MATLAB. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Mike Chen for further information. Project title: Fixing sore knees: mechanics of artificial cartilage Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Artificial cartilage implants are a proposed alternative to current treatments for osteoarthritis, which involves full joint (knee/hip) replacements and can require extensive rehabilitation. These implants are made by seeding harvested cartilage cells in a gel, then culturing them to produce a mechanically strong implant that can withstand the high stress environment of a joint. This project will model the process of how these cells secrete various interacting substances, which in turn reshapes their surrounding environment into an artificial material that performs like real cartilage. Assumed knowledge: some differential equations, a bit of MATLAB. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Mike Chen for further information.

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Project title: Learning Machine Learning for Text Classification: The SemEval 2020 Team Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Do you want to learn programming, AI, natural language processing, and become a published author, in one summer project? Then join the Team! The SemEval (Semantic Evaluation) contest is an annual event, intended to explore the nature of meaning in language. SemEval 2020 is its 14th incarnation, offering challenges including:

• AI for "commonsense" in text (Task 4) • Predicting and generating "funny" news headlines (Task 7) • Sentiment analysis in multiple languages (Task 9).

In this project we'll enter one (or more) of these tasks as a team, and in the process learn about:

• Statistical machine learning methods • Industry-level programming for data science (Python) • Wrangling messy text data • Natural language processing and sentiment analysis.

The output of this project will be a conference article on our approach, which we will jointly co-author. You can check out our paper from SemEval 2019 here. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Lewis Mitchell and Dr Mehwish Nasim for further information. Project title: Mathematical modelling of post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Roughly speaking, genes are stretches of DNA which encode the information required to make a particular protein. The first step in the production of the protein is the creation of an RNA copy of the information encoded in the gene, called messenger-RNA (mRNA). This process is called transcription. The messenger-RNA is then used in the production of the protein. However, post-transcriptional gene regulation can occur when the messenger-RNA becomes bound to a complex known as a RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex), preventing the information it carries being translated into a protein. The RISC consists of micro-RNA molecules bound to the protein Argonaute. This project will involve developing and analysing a mathematical model to understand how the concentrations of micro-RNAs and Argonaute, and their rates of binding (and unbinding) affect the production of different proteins. The models will be formulated as systems of ordinary differential equations. Familiarity with Matlab would be useful. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Edward Green or Dr Emily Hackett-Jones for further information.

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MECH ENG School of Mechanical Engineering Project title: Extending the life of aircraft structures Research theme(s): Space and Defence Project description: The two most critical threats to structural integrity and airworthiness of ageing aircraft are fatigue and corrosion. Corrosion alone is estimated to cost the Australian Defence Force $245 million per annum with the total cost to the nation being in the order of $30 billion annually. The airframes of military and civil aircraft contain a very large number of fastened joints. For example, the Boeing 747 is reported to include over six million parts, half of which are fasteners. It is therefore vital that all aspects of the corrosion and fatigue behaviour of aircraft fastened joints are fully understood to reduce the capability impacts caused by unscheduled maintenance on aircraft. This research will involve experimental and finite element investigation into the mechanical behaviour of fastened joints used in aircraft. There are a range of possible summer projects within this broader project. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr John Codrington for further information. Project title: Magnetic gears and springs: modelling, coding, and experimentally testing new solutions for magnetic fields and forces Research theme(s): Space and Defence; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Magnetic fields and forces are usually calculated with finite element analysis, which is a general solution but is extremely slow for even simple geometries. Our research group builds new models for calculating fields and forces with analytical models and semi-analytical interpretations of the fundamental equations of magnetics (e.g., as derived from Maxwell's equations). These models are hundreds of times faster than FEA, but have only be derived and testing for specific geometries. We are creating new solutions and amalgamating solutions from the literature in a public code repository for use by the general research community, to allow any engineer to use magnetic solutions in their designs without becoming experts in magnetics themselves. This project is flexible to the interests of the student and could involve theory, programming, experimental testing, novel device design, or a combination of all. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr William Robertson for further information. Project title: Design and build a low-light UV imaging system Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Space and Defence Project description: Many applications in space, defence and scientific research require photographs to be recorded with very low levels of light. This project will use technology similar to "night vision goggles" to enable imaging of low levels of UV light. The project can be tailored to suit the applicant's interests in the relevant optics, mechanics and electronic aspects of the system. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Associate Professor Paul Medwell for further information.

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Project title: Spray flame modelling Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: The project will involve computational models of flames encountered in engines, particularly gas turbines. Students should have an interest in CFD and applying it to engine environments. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Associate Professor Paul Medwell or Dr Michael Evans for further information. Project title: High pressure combustion experiments for gas turbines Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Space and Defence Project description: The project will use the University's large-scale combustor for performing experiments of flames at high pressure. The project is in collaboration with the US Air Force, and the outcomes will be relevant to next-generation gas turbines. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Associate Professor Paul Medwell or Dr Michael Evans for further information. Project title: Solar hydrogen reactor modelling Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: Renewable, carbon-free fuels are expected to play a vital role in the future of industrial and transport applications which currently rely on the combustion of fossil fuels. Processes for the production of hydrogen gas using steam, gold catalysts and solar irradiation are being developed in the Department of Chemistry. This project will develop a comprehensive CFD model of next-generation solar fuel reactors to advance understanding and aid in upscaling the process from laboratory to industrial production capacities. No prior experience using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software is required to undertake this project. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Michael Evans or Dr Alfonso Chinnici for further information. Project title: The art of turbulence Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Food, Water and Agriculture Project description: Turbulence remains one of the unsolved Clay mathematics institute millennium prize problems. The prize money is $1,000,000. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Rey Chin for further information.

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Project title: Pipe Flow at Extreme Reynolds number Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Food, Water and Agriculture Project description: Water hammer in piping networks can cause damage to pipes resulting in loss of pressure within the pipe lines and wastage. Numerical and experimental studies will be performed to assess these water hammer effects in the pipe lines. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Rey Chin for further information. Project title: Experiments on stented coronary arteries Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: Water hammer in piping networks can cause damage to pipes resulting in loss of pressure within the pipe lines and wastage. Numerical and experimental studies will be performed to assess these water hammer effects in the pipe lines. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Rey Chin for further information. Project title: Rotating detonation engine (RDE) for supersonic flights Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Space and Defence Project description: Numerical studies of rotating detonation engines. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Rey Chin for further information. Project title: Drag reduction for shipping industry Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment; Space and Defence Project description: Experimental and numerical studies of drag reduction performance of various ship hull coatings. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Rey Chin for further information. Project title: Hypersonic flow in scramjets Research theme(s): Space and Defence Project description: Numerical studies of hypersonic flow in scramjets. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Rey Chin for further information. Project title: Improving performance of morphing wing UAVs Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Space and Defence Project description: Experimental and numerical studies of performance of morphing wing UAVs. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Rey Chin for further information.

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Project title: Single particle tracking in falling particle flows Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: This research-based project invites 2 - 4 students to

1) design and build a novel apparatus to accurately control the mass loading of spherical particles in a falling particle flow while keeping experimental boundary conditions, which needs 3D-printing, and/or

2) perform a proof-of-concept experiment to track a single particle in a high-loading particle flow.

Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Zhiwei Sun for further information. Project title: Cervical spine bone quality and strength Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: Osteoporosis of the spine is diagnosed clinically using DEXA scans of the lumbar spine. However, often only small segments of ex vivo cadaver spines are obtained for biomechanical testing, and in this case there is no standard way of determining if a specimen has suitable bone quality for the research question. The aim of this project is to develop a relationship between the bone density predicted by calibrated CT images of cervical spines, and the bone density measured at specific locations on microCT images, as well as the strength of the bone from mechanical testing. Project supervisor(s): Please contact for Dr Claire Jones (Mechanical Engineering/Adelaide Medical School) and Dr Ryan Quarrington (Adelaide Medical School) for further information. Project title: Passive stiffness and range of motion of the human neck Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: The passive stiffness and range of motion of the human neck, from childhood to old age, is needed to enable accurate design of paramedic mannequins. In this project student(s) will design and build an apparatus, and assess volunteer participants in the motion capture laboratory, to determine their passive neck stiffness and range of motion. Project supervisor(s): Please contact for Dr Claire Jones (Mechanical Engineering/Adelaide Medical School) and Dr Will Robertson (Mechanical Engineering) for further information. Project title: A detailed anatomical model of the pig spine and spinal cord from CT and MRI Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: In order to develop computational models for investigating spinal cord injury in an animal model, an accurate scalable anatomical model of the pig spine, spinal cord and dura is required. This will be developed from existing CT and MR images using a combination of semi-automated and manual segmentation techniques. Project supervisor(s): Please contact for Dr Claire Jones (Mechanical Engineering/Adelaide Medical School) for further information. Project title: Creating accurate anatomical coordinate systems for the cervical spine from CT images and fiducial markers Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: To determine the motions of a joint during biomechanical testing, local

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coordinate systems are defined using anatomical landmarks. This has traditionally been performed by determining the 3D co-ordinates of these landmarks using a motion capture system and a digitising wand; however, the accuracy of this method can be limited by difficulties in physically accessing the landmarks, and irregular anatomy. This project will investigate the feasibility and accuracy of determining these anatomical coordinate systems from high-resolution CT images, and will compare the results to the current methodology. Project supervisor(s): Please contact for Dr Claire Jones (Mechanical Engineering/Adelaide Medical School) and Dr Ryan Quarrington (Adelaide Medical School) for further information. Project title: Centre of mass of the sheep skull and brain Research theme(s): Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: Ongoing traumatic brain injury and concussion studies in our group require an accurate representation of the centre of mass of the sheep skull and brain, as defined by external palpable landmarks. In this project, an existing bank of CT images will be used to determine the location of the centre of mass of the sheep’s head, and to relate this to reliably palpable external anatomical landmarks. This will involve the use of medical imaging software (Mimics) to create 3D models of the skull, and writing custom Matlab code to determine the centre of mass from anatomic landmarks that are digitised virtually on the 3D models. Project supervisor(s): Please contact for Dr Claire Jones (Mechanical Engineering/Adelaide Medical School) and Dr Ryan Quarrington (Adelaide Medical School) for further information. Project title: Modelling of Beetle-Mimicking Flapping Wings Research theme(s): Space and Defence; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: In this project, the student is required to develop the mathematical model of a beetle-mimicking flapping wings based on some flight testing data using system identification approaches. The work requires good knowledge of MATLAB. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Rini Akmeliawati for further information. Project title: Design of a Continuum Robot for Smart Fruit Picker Research theme(s): Food, Water and Agriculture; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: In this project, the student is expected to investigate various designs of continuum robot and come out with a design for a fruit picker robot. We require a student with a passion on Robotics and some background knowledge on MATLAB. The student is also required to do some works that involve CAD drawings. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Rini Akmeliawati or Dr Tien-Fu Lu for further information. Project title: Bio-inspired Soft Robots: Design and Material Selection Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Space and Defence Project description: Soft robotic technology has become a hot research topic in recent years. This technology is motivated by the idea of creating a more 'human-friendly' human-robot interaction. It has many potential applications such as in healthcare, agriculture robotics, defence and search-rescue missions. There are challenges in designing soft robots; such as design and system integration as well as material selection.

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In this project, the student is expected to investigate those challenges and explore the potential solutions that may be applied, in order to gain insights on the mechanics and design of soft robots. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Rini Akmeliawati or Assoc Prof Ling Yin for further information. Project title: Artificial Olfactory System for Mustard Gas Detection Research theme(s): Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: In this project, the student is required to create a robotic nose that can detect mustard gas. The work will involve investigation of various gas sensors for mustard gas, and particular machine learning techniques for the smart detection. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Rini Akmeliawati for further information. Project title: Additive Manufacturing in Dentistry Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: Digital dentistry is one of the rapid expanding arenas of the additive manufacturing technologies. CAD/CAM in dentistry is often associated with subtractive manufacturing, involving 3D scanning, designing and milling from solid blocks of bulk solids. However, subtractive manufacturing cannot entirely replace all traditional manual methods. Additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing, can create sophisticated dental prostheses in mass production, which makes it an attractive technique for dentistry. This project aims to develop additive manufacturing techniques to enable 3D design and printing of sophisticated dental prostheses. It will train students to enhance their skills in advanced materials, design and manufacturing. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Ling Yin or Dr Sarbin Ranjitkar for further information. Project title: 3D Design and Printing of Smart Patient-Specific Artificial Limbs Research theme(s): Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Medical, Health and Bioprocessing Technologies Project description: Many people have lost their legs because of diseases, wars and accidents, require prosthetic limbs for better mobility. This project aims to develop techniques to enable 3D design and printing of smart patient-specific artificial limbs. It will train students to enhance their skills in advanced materials, design and manufacturing. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Assoc Prof Ling Yin for further information. Project title: Exploring robotic arm fruit picking and trajectory planning Research theme(s): Food, Water and Agriculture Project description: Aging population, the shortage of labour, and ever increasing labour costs pressure agriculture sector for greater automation. Fruit picking represents one of the automation challenges to be tackled. In order to reduce/avoid possible damage to fruit trees while manoeuvring among branches to pick fruits, thin snake-like multiple degrees of freedom robotic arm could be advantageous.

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This project aims to explore/understand the nature of fruit pickings to derive the required robotic arm specifications leading to possible designs, followed by trajectory planning investigation. 3D fruit tree models with fruits (i.e. Cherry, Apple, Tomato, etc.) will be employed for the study. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Tien-Fu Lu for further information. Project title: Investigating star tracking jitter motion compensation for precision imaging Research theme(s): Space and Defence Project description: Similar to many other precision positioning applications suffering from disturbances, nanosatellites unavoidably experience jitter during orbit, which prevents camera pointing at distant space-based targets with high precision and undermines effective space-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR). This project aims to investigate piezoelectric stack actuator-based approach to compensate for the jitter motions in X and Y directions. Several designs will be explored and modelled using software like ANSYS-FEA or Comsol to understand the frequency responses and evaluate jitter compensation capabilities. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Tien-Fu Lu for further information. Project title: Experimental assessment of the performance of bi-facial solar panels Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: In this project the performance of a bi-facial solar panel system installed at Thebarton Campus will be monitored. The ultimate goal of the project is to find out if bi-facial panels can produce power at a cheaper price than conventional single-sided panels. The project suits Mechanical, Mechatronic, and Electrical Engineering students. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Maziar Arjomandi for further information. Project title: Agricultural robotics digital prototype Research theme(s): Food, Water and Agriculture; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Huge advances have recently been made using autonomous systems to help multiply the effort of farmers and make agriculture more sustainable. The Robotics Research Group is interested in the combination of mobile robots, UAVs and biologically inspired soft continuum robotics arms to help increase efficiency and crop yield. This project aims to create a digital prototype or twin using the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform that will help explore what is possible and scope future implementation. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr David Harvey or Dr Tien-Fu Lu for further information. Project title: Disaster response robot Research theme(s): Space and Defence; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: The South Australian State Emergency Service (SES) responds to incidents where Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) technical rescue skills are required. USAR skills are utilised where a building has been partially or fully destroyed through a natural disaster, industrial accident or an act of terrorism. Rescuing victims in this situation can be hazardous, with the shifting debris, confined spaces, gas and other dangers to rescuers present.

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This project aims to scope and design a robotic platform that can help the SES in their work, and compete in the “RoboCup Rescue League” competition in 2020. The robot will need to be able to traverse a range of rough terrain and enter small spaces to reach a victim. Ideally, a range of atmospheric sensors and cameras would assist to determine the extent of damage to the structure, hazards present and the status of the victim. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr David Harvey for further information. Also supervising this project will be Jayme Moreland, Chief Remote Pilot & Capability Coordinator, South Australian State Emergency Service. Project title: Bioinspired Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Research theme(s): Space and Defence; Smart Technologies and Mathematics Project description: Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are tasked to explore and sense extreme environments. Many natural organisms are very capable under these conditions, and can provide wide ranging inspiration for robotics engineers. In 2019 an honours project was started that has created a biologically inspired cuttlefish AUV. This summer research project aims to take the existing platform and extend the work, in areas such as the use of digital twin prototyping, implementation of autonomous behaviour, investigation of propulsion efficiency and extension of mission endurance through innovative power storage and generation. We plan to present this work at the "IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics". Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr David Harvey or Eric Fusil for further information. Project title: Intelligent use of cyclonic technology to filter, separate and sort particles by size Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: In many instances it is useful to separate and sort batches of minerals, powders and particles by their size. This is not only important in fundamental scientific studies utilising particles, but also crucial in many industrial processes, such as in the combustion of biomass, the processing and handling of minerals, and more recently, in next generation concentrated solar thermal systems. In this project, you will design and build a particle classifier by "reversing" conventional cyclones, such that the "waste" of the cyclones will become the end "product". Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Timothy Lau for further information. Project title: Using microdrones to demonstrate effective intercepting strategy for aerial attack Research theme(s): Space and Defence Energy Project description: Intercepting ballistic attacks has always been a challenging research topic in defence science due to the unpredictable superior manoeuvrability of an attacker compared to interceptors. Current defence guidance laws normally assume adequate superiority of the interceptor, which could be problematic due to the uncertainty of this condition in real life. In order to effectively intercept a superior attacker, new guidance laws must be investigated. To offset the quality inferiority of single interceptor, we use the quantity advantages of multiple interceptors against a superior attacker. Utilising the maximum acceleration of the attacker, we can define its covering range at any point in time.

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This covering range is then matched up by deploying multiple interceptors to maximise the coverability. The success of the new control algorithm will be implemented and demonstrated through microdrone testing in a laboratory setting. Project supervisor: Please contact Dr Lei Chen for further information. Project title: Using your math skills to help miners increase profitability Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: Your math skills can be useful in developing new technique which enables mining operators to select appropriate feed rates of mills, thereby providing optimal throughput and prevent the clogging of mills that causes downtime. Through this practice you will gain insight the importance of math in engineering and how to use the skills to save energy and increase productivity and profitability. Project supervisor: Please contact Dr Lei Chen for further information. Project title: Testing an air flow performance evaluation tunnel for evaporative coolers Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: To reduce greenhouse emissions from detrimental refrigerant used in the normal air-conditioning equipment, evaporative coolers provide a sustainable solution to combat this challenge. Although there many types of evaporative coolers are available in the market, their efficiencies vary widely. In order to compare different evaporative coolers, an air flow performance testing tunnel is built at the School of Mechanical Engineering. The project will focus on data collecting and testing on various cooler components. Project supervisor: Please contact Dr Lei Chen for further information. Project title: Virtual reality simulation of underground mining using 3DExperience Research theme(s): Energy, Resources and Environment Project description: One of the challenges in mining industry is that the mineral resources are going deeper in the grand with lower grade. The traditional mining method through open pit operation is no long viable. To reduce mining cost, block caving method is increasingly becoming popular. This project focuses on developing a 3D block caving model to show the effectiveness of the new blasting and extract methods. Project supervisor: Please contact Dr Lei Chen for further information.

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TRC Teletraffic Research Centre Project title: Demonstration of cyber attacks against nano satellites and spacecrafts Research theme(s): Space and Defence Project description: Satellites and spacecrafts are becoming smaller and cheaper to build. While security standards for critical infrastructure are often technically sufficient to deter many attacks, they remain a challenge to implement due to time and resource constraints, especially on small satellites and spacecrafts. In this project we first review some of the major attack vectors to current nano space systems using the common vulnerability and exposure (CVE) databases and NSA GHIDRA tool. We then demonstrate the attacks on a model cubeSat. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Hung Nguyen for further information. Project title: Simulating Low Earth Orbit satellite internet Research theme(s): Space and Defence Project description: Low earth orbit internet is becoming a reality with SpaceX starlink and Amazon Kuiper. It’s crucial to understand how these new networks perform, especially when combining with the existing terrestrial Internet. In this project, we will build a simulation plug-in for NS-3/Omnet++ to simulate the LEO networks. We will then this simulation tool to evaluate the performance of SpaceX starlink and Amazon Kuiper networks. Project supervisor(s): Please contact Dr Hung Nguyen for further information.

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