THEME: SKILLS AND RESEARCH CAPACITY - … · productivity-enhancing knowledge and solutions to ... The following collection of case studies illustrate the ... involved Peter Rendell

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THEME: SKILLS AND RESEARCH CAPACITY

Australia’s human capital is the sum total of the skills, experience and inventiveness of everyone in the country. Human capital is deployed to create new sources of economic growth and new ways to address social and environmental challenges and centres on the level and quality of the workforce skill base. As our population ages and global markets become more competitive, Australia must therefore significantly improve foundation and higher level workforce skills to lift productivity and raise innovation levels. This requires workplace cultures that promote employee engagement, create high performance workplaces and learning organisations, encourage job flexibility and knowledge exchange, and provide incentives for innovation.

Many ideas that inspire transformative innovation are born from research. Australia’s research capacity indicates how well our national innovation system is equipped to supply highly skilled researchers, productivity-enhancing knowledge and solutions to environmental and social challenges. Increasing the number of businesses investing in innovation requires more people with necessary research and technical skills to undertake R&D and operate and maintain world-class research infrastructure capabilities.

The following collection of case studies illustrate the important role that higher education institutions, publicly funded research organisations (PFROs) and skills organisations play in the Australian innovation system by maintaining and improving national research capacity and the skills base.

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Australian Innovation System

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AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

Virtual Week

Associate Professor Peter Rendell, Australian Catholic University and Professor Fergus Craik, University of Toronto developed Virtual Week that uses a board game format to assess prospective memory. This type of memory is involved in remembering to carry out future intentions such as keeping appointments, and turn off appliances. Half of all memory failures in daily life are prospective memory failures and some have dire consequences. Virtual Week is an objective behavioural measure that importantly closely represents the types of prospective memory tasks that actually occur in everyday life. Developing such a measure has been fundamental to developing our knowledge of prospective memory that can inform the identification of strategies to minimise lapses of intention. Avoiding such lapses is important at all ages but particularly for older adults wishing to maintain independence.

A/Prof Peter Rendell had six journal articles in 2010 which arose from ongoing collaborations with international researchers including Prof Matthias Kliegel, Dresden University, Germany, Prof Louise Phillips, Aberdeen University, UK, Prof Mark McDaniel Washington University, St Louis; and Prof Val Curren, University College London. In 2010, Virtual Week was further translated into Persian, French, Polish and Italian. This involved Peter Rendell collaborating with researchers from each of these countries. Other significant collaborations in 2010 included:

• Rotman Institute, Toronto, using Virtual Week as a memory training activity for older adults;

• Osaka University, Japan, testing the use of various reminders;

• Washington State University, St Louis, difficulties carrying out intentions by those with Parkinson’s Disease; and

• Oklahoma State University, looking at how spouses of older adults interact when carrying out intentions.

The welcome page of the ‘Virtual Week’ simulates a real week to assist in assessment of prospective memory. Image provided by the Australian Catholic University

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AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Working While Breastfeeding: Identifying Best Practice Strategies for Workplaces and!Childcare Centres

Dr Julie Smith, a health economist and research fellow at the Australian Centre for Economic Research on Health at The Australian National University (ANU), leads a research partnership with Flinders University, University of New South Wales, and the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA). The program of research examines ‘breastfeeding friendly’ practices in workplaces and childcare services, and what is needed to help employed mothers continue breastfeeding.

The study involves asking employers and employees in industry, government and childcare centres about current practice, identifying activity and policy that effectively supports combining employment and breastfeeding. By using up-to-date research findings coupled with the practical experiences of women, the project will support the identification, implementation, evaluation and expansion of effective strategies to support breastfeeding mothers. It will also identify the main workplace, childcare, and job quality predictors of exclusive breastfeeding at six months, and how this manifests in maternal and child health outcomes.

Assisting employed mothers to continue breastfeeding will reduce adverse impacts of genetic, social and environmental factors predisposing infants and children to ill health. It will also help prevent disease, and help mothers reconcile labour force participation with protecting their own and their children’s health. Following the completion of the study, there will be a series of knowledge exchange seminars in cities and regional centres around Australia to help ABA engage with human resource departments for major employers.

For further information:http://innovation.anu.edu.au/

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DEPARTMENT OF INNOVATION, INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH (DIISR) – RESEARCH DIVISION

Vision CRC and Anti-myopia Technology

Myopia (short sightedness) affects over 1.6 billion people globally, with two thirds of those affected living in the Asia region. If unchecked, the number of myopia sufferers is expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2020. Some 3.5 million Australians suffer from this condition.

The current Vision CRC Anti-Myopia Program demonstrated that spectacle lenses are able to control the progression of myopia by approximately 30% in younger children (6 to 12 years of age) with certain parental history of myopia. This ground breaking discovery in myopia vision control has resulted in the commercial production of a new spectacle lens through a licence to industry leader, Carl Zeiss Vision. This world first breakthrough is based on collaborative research conducted over many years by the Vision Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) in partnership with the Brien Holden Vision Institute and the University of Houston’s College of Optometry.

The new spectacles were launched under the ZEISS brand name throughout Asia in April 2010. Contact lens applications of the myopia control technology have also been developed by CIBA VISION under licence from Vision CRC.

Professor Brien Holden, CEO of the Vision CRC, says myopia can create a serious challenge to eye health.

“High myopia significantly increases the risk of cataract, glaucoma, and retinal detachment, all potentially blinding conditions and the public health risk is significant. The commercialisation of this technology is a most important outcome for the CRC program because of the potential vision and eye health benefits.

Professor Earl Smith, Dean of the University of Houston’s College of Optometry, says the correction technology is timely.

”Evidence shows that the number of individuals with myopia will dramatically escalate with increasing urbanisation and less outdoor activity in China, USA, Australia and in developing nations. This new technology is not just for children either. Over 25% of myopes in the western world are adult-onset myopes, which often begins at university. We believe that this technology has potential benefits for all myopes.”

For further information:https://www.crc.gov.au/Information/default.aspxhttp://www.visioncrc.org/our-programs/anti-myopia.html

Myopic boy finds it easier to read wearing his new spectacles. Image provided by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research

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UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG

ADHD Training System

Newly-developed software and associated training methodology developed by researchers at the University of Wollongong (UOW) has been licensed to an Australian-based neurocognitive software company for commercialisation. The novel training system, developed by Dr Stuart Johnstone and Associate Professor Steven Roodenrys at UOW’s School of Psychology, helps children improve their attention, memory and impulse control skills. When used in conjunction with a NeuroSky Mindset, a device which allows for Electroencephalography or EEG data collection, the regular use of the system has been shown to benefit children’s cognitive skills and behaviour. The intellectual property associated with this technology is the subject of a PCT patent application and has been exclusively licensed to Neuro Cognitive Software Pty Ltd for commercialisation in the field of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

For further information:http://itt.uow.edu.au/researchers/idea/UOW072556.html

ADHD researchers Associate Professor Steven Roodenrys and Dr Stuart Johnstone. Image provided by University of Wollongong

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UNIVERSITY OF BALLARAT

UB Spatial: An interoperable web-GIS supporting natural resources management

UB Spatial is an interoperable web-Geographic Information System designed by Dr Peter Dahlhaus and Helen Thomson of the University of Ballarat (UB) in a collaborative project with the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA). The impetus for the project was the need to provide the most relevant and current Natural Resource Management data into an environment where it can be accessed by catchment managers, researchers, consultants, municipalities, government agencies and members of the general public. Datasets that have been made available through this platform include groundwater bores, mapped salinity, soil erosion, and landslides. The design of UB Spatial is based on the key themes for making data accessible including flexibility, adaptability, user-friendly interoperability, and access considerations. Dozens of data sets, including light detection and ranging digital elevation models, have been contributed to the project by collaborating partners such as The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Corangamite CMA, Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and DSE (Groundwater). The output of the project is generating intense interest among user groups.

Since the implementation of the web-GIS, the Colac Otway Shire and Municipal Association of Victoria have co-invested in the project. DSE has encouraged the extension of the UB Spatial groundwater bore database across the whole of Victoria, while collaboration with the Australian Spatial Research Data Commons project is being discussed.

For further information:http://muse.cecc.com.au/clients/ccma/ccma_bores/cb_pages/about.php

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS (DEEWR)

Accelerating High End Skills Development in the Dairy Manufacturing Sector

This Dairy Australia project produced workforce development models to equip workers in specialist dairy manufacturing with high end skills and enable companies engaged in the industry to understand and improve on their own workforce development needs and processes.

Collaboration and innovation was encouraged by adopting a skills ecosystem approach in which industry, Vocational Education and Training and company partners have equal influence and outcomes are not fixed in advance.

The outcomes of this project provide a number of opportunities for wider industry application. In particular, it provides guidance and tools to allow other industry sectors to:

• Find ways to leverage experience in individual companies to build overall workforce capability;

• Identify implications for VET providers to develop internal skills and capability and/or form alliances with industry;

• Structure competency standards in the VET system to ensure training can be monitored and improved; and

• Scope opportunities for VET to work with industry and design specific learning interventions to influence workforce development outcomes.

For further information: http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/skills-development

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UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Geometallurgical Testing

JKTech Pty Ltd is the technology transfer company for the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the University of Queensland. It transfers research outcomes from mining and geology, mineral processing, water, health and safety, social responsibility and risk management to the global mining industry. JKTech offers a range of innovative solutions to improve efficiency and performance in the planning and operation of minerals projects.

A large research project (AMIRA P843), undertaken in 2005-2008 and headed by Professor Steve Walters, developed test protocols for the evaluation of ore samples which allowed processing parameters to be incorporated in mine block models. These tests allow measurements to be obtained from large numbers of samples, thereby improving understanding of ore body characteristics and reducing risk for the mining companies.

JKTech officially opened its new geometallurgical testing facility in Brisbane in June 2010. This 5,000m2 laboratory houses state of the art equipment and is the main characterisation testing facility for geometallurgical projects, using the protocols developed in the AMIRA P843 project. Then in the pre-commercial stage, these test protocols were validated by JKTech on an industry-scale and were commercially released in January 2011.

Research sponsors from mining companies around the world continue to invest in R&D within this project and associated research projects, leading to more efficient and sustainable mining operations now and in the future.

For further information:http://www.uq.edu.au/research/ – UQ researchhttp://www.uq.edu.au/research/industry-partnerships – UQ Industry Partnershipshttp://www.uq.edu.au/research/professional-services – Commercialisation Services

JKTech Rotary Breakage Tester for ore breakage characterisation. Image provided by University of Queensland

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UNIVERSITY OF BALLARAT

Sex Hormones Link to Heart Disease

A substantial body of evidence indicates a clear male disadvantage in cardiovascular disease (CAD). With the contribution of Dr Fadi Charchar (School of Science and Engineering, University of Ballarat) an international team has been conducting research on the molecular causes of this disparity between men and women.

This research started as part of a Dr Charchar’s Wellcome Trust Fellowship at the University of Glasgow and is now a collaborative study involving many research groups from around the world (including the US and Europe) looking at the effect of gender and specifically the Y chromosome on heart disease. Collaborators include the University of Melbourne, the University of Leicester, the University of Maryland, the University of Sydney, the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, and the International Consortium for Blood Pressure Genome-wide Association Studies. This consortium of research groups is the only one in the world with current access to human cohort studies in the region of 80,000 subjects. The team also has access to unique human tissue samples from both the kidney and human blood cells for functional analysis.

To date the work has identified a specific Y chromosome type that places certain men at increased risk in the human population. Future aims are to dissect the exact molecular causes to derive novel preventative and therapeutic strategies. Dr Charchar has recently been awarded an NH&MRC grant to continue this work.

For further information:http://guerin.ballarat.edu.au/ard/ubresearch/

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UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA – INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED ECOLOGY RESEARCH

Threatened Fish in the Cotter Reservoir

Professor Richard Norris, together with Mark Lintermans, Ben Broadhurst, Rhian Clear, Jason Thiem, Danny Wright and Tim Kaminskas in collaboration with Brendan Ebner (Griffith University) has been working with ACTEW Corporation in the Cotter River catchment on projects related to the expansion of Cotter Reservoir and the subsequent threats to its fish fauna. ACTEW Corporation has committed $2.4m for this work over three years.

Projects are focused on threatened species, particularly Macquarie perch and Two-spined blackfish. The largest project is examining the use by adult Macquarie perch of a range of habitats constructed from boulders and pipes to provide refuge habitat that will ensure survival of the fish during and after dam construction. Other components of this study involve monitoring spawning movements of Macquarie perch out of Cotter Reservoir and documenting daily activity cycles and movement of Two-spined blackfish in Bendora Reservoir using radio-telemetry.

For further information:http://www.canberra.edu.au/research

Researchers are working to identify threats to fish fauna in the Cotter River catchment area. Image provided by University of Canberra

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY – INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH (IHSSR)

Australian Health and Social Science (AHSS) Project

In 2009 the Institute for Health and Social Science Research initiated The Australian Health and Social Science (AHSS) project. The project is supported through the Institute’s Population Research Laboratory (PRL), which contains professional in-house CATI (computer assisted telephone interviewing) infrastructure. This CATI facility recruits participants to a panel of subjects for on-going internet surveys. The panel now includes 3000 persons nation-wide. The PRL’s sophisticated online survey software is used to administer and manage the projects.

The AHSS project aims to examine the unique issues affecting Australians through targeted and regular research using this national group of participants. The panel provides regular input (via the completion of web-based surveys) on key issues and enables researchers to examine factors that influence health and wellbeing among Australian adults who are broadly representative of the wider population. The project explores key issues which are a focus of the Institute, including:

• physical health and nutrition;

• preventative health and health promotion outcomes;

• emotional and psychological health;

• behavioural and environmental risk factors;

• work and leisure activity; and

• sociodemographic characteristics (education, employment, etc).

The AHSS project is managed by staff and investigators at the CQUniversity, and affords senior staff with a unique resource to conduct their research. Whilst still in the early stages, it is expected that the data from AHSS studies will be analysed and reported in papers published in reputable academic journals, and will also be used to inform future research directions. The longitudinal nature of the study will also enable researchers to identify long-term trends and opportunities for potential interventions and health promotion strategies.

For further information:http://ihssr.cqu.edu.auhttp://ahss-panel.cqu.edu.au/http://www.noviolence.com.au/

Institute for Health and Social Science Research. Image provided by Central Queensland University

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY

Research for National Policy to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children

In 2008-2009, Heather Nancarrow, Director of the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research (CDFVR) and Deputy Chair of the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children co-led the development of Time for Action: The National Council’s Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children.

Members of the National Council:

• conducted interviews across Australia;

• conducted focus groups (six expert ‘roundtables’);

• conducted a desktop analysis of key Australian and international research on sexual assault and domestic and family violence;

• undertook an ‘snapshot’ analysis of the national status quo on responding to violence against women;

• commissioned a comparative analysis of sexual assault and domestic and family violence laws across jurisdictions, and

• an analysis of the future economic costs of violence against women.

Time for Action was presented to the Prime Minister in April 2009. The Australian Government responded immediately with a commitment of $42 million, covering 11 of the 20 priority actions identified by the National Council for the first three-year implementation plan. This included the establishment of a reference for the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) to investigate the interaction between federal family law and state/territory domestic violence and child protection law and policy to ensure that no law, policy or practice jeopardises the safety of women and their children. The ALRC’s extensive report was delivered to the Commonwealth Attorney-General on 10 October 2010.

For further information:http://ihssr.cqu.edu.auhttp://ahss-panel.cqu.edu.au/http://www.noviolence.com.au/

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA – MAWSON INSTITUTE

Wearable Computer Laboratory

The Wearable Computer Laboratory in the University of South Australia is the largest national research concentration in the domains of wearable computing and augmented reality. Mawson Institute at the University of South Australia operates the world’s largest and most complex large-scale projector-based augmented reality laboratory in the world. This research environment involves the creation of simulated physical environments that capture the real scale of design objects and environments. These technologies already have the capability to project vivid, interactive images of proposed arrangements onto white wall surfaces, prototypes and forms. Observing and interacting with these objects and environments allows designers and users to experience a full-scale understanding of proposed solutions. Projector-Based Augmented Reality is a branch of AR research utilising digital projectors as the display technology. The lab conducts research into novel interaction techniques and systems for SAR, presentation of information, and advanced rendering techniques.

The use of projector-based augmented reality has the potential to revolutionise the design industry in the same manner of the 3D printer. The impact of this research is the ability of the outcomes to support a wide range of Australian industries: architecture, industrial design, product design, urban planning, and landscaping. The impact is two fold: 1) a better understanding of final design between the client and the design and 2) a collaborative design tool for design teams. The economic benefit is making Australian design companies more competitive, and building of a new industry developing and supporting the tools developed in this investigation.

The Wearable Computer Lab has also been at the forefront of outdoor AR research. Our hardware platform, the Tinmith wearable computer features powerful graphics capabilities, integrated GPS and orientation sensors, and a head worn display. Using this system, we are able to conduct research into mobile and outdoor AR interaction techniques.

For further information:http://wearables.unisa.edu.au/

UniSA Holodeck – The projector based augmented reality laboratory of the future today. Image provided by Wearable Computer Lab, University of South Australia

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY – INSTITUTE FOR RESOURCE INDUSTRY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Research on Toxic Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and the Environment

In early 2010, a collaborative research project utilising a mix of both traditional and modern genetic based technologies for the detection of potentially toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) at mine sites in Central Queensland was completed. As the research findings had international scientific and public health significance they were presented at national and international conferences. This project, which was led by Associate Professor Larelle Fabbro from the Centre for Environmental Management was funded by a prestigious Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) project worth over $300,000. This award built upon Dr Fabbro’s extensive research on toxic cyanobacteria and the environmental conditions which select for their dominance.

This project has been extremely important in identifying new potentially toxic and toxin producing cyanobacteria to minimise human health risks associated with local, national and international water supplies. In recent years, research into the potential risks associated with cyanobacterial contamination of human drinking water supplies has grown considerably. The research team produced new identification tools to optimise the safe management of all water resources. The team’s innovation is evidenced by investigating the occurrence and consequence of blue-green algae in an industrial environment such as coal operations.

Benefits for Australia include:

• improvement of mine water quality and decrease in human health risks;

• mitigation of the conditions required for these toxins to develop in mine water;

• translation of the scientific data into human health risks and management options; and

• information has been provided for the international guidelines for industry.

Central Queensland University worked in partnership with the Australian Water Quality Centre, BHP-Biliton Mitsubishi Alliance, Rio Tinto and Anglo Coal.

For further information:http://iris.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?site=577

Gladstone Power Station.Image by Peter Lawrence

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CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY – PROFESSOR MICHAEL CHRISTIE

Teaching from Country: ICTs for Remote Indigenous Knowledge Authorities as Tertiary!Educators

Australian Aboriginal knowledge authorities from remote communities have had little opportunity to contribute actively to academic teaching in Australian universities. Yet there is widespread and increasing acknowledgement of the potential of indigenous knowledge to enhance our understanding of the environment, and ecological systems, of linguistic and biological diversity, culture, history, art, health and much more. This collaborative project enable Yolnu (East Arnhem Land Aboriginal) knowledge authorities in remote homeland centres, to use laptop computers and G3 connectors to teach students in Darwin, and later California and Tokyo from their homes.

The research funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, built upon the success of the Yolnu Studies program, which has been teaching Yolgu languages and culture successfully under Yolnu elders’ supervision for fifteen years.

Through the collaborative development of a rich website (www.cdu.edu.au/tfc), and an international seminar, students, academics, Yolnu knowledge authorities (www.cdu.edu.au/yaci) and international experts worked together to develop new understandings of the technical, the social and the pedagogical in a postcolonial university.

Collaborative academic writing emerging from this process has addressed the Yolnu philosophy of knowledge and identity, Yolnu pedagogy, ethics in a post colonial university, the nature of translation, Indigenous environmental science, and much more. A special edition of the journal Learning Communities: the International Journal of Learning in Social Contexts was published in December 2010.

For further information:www.cdu.edu.au/tfcwww.cdu.edu.au/yaci

East Arnhem Land Aboriginal knowledge authorities in remote homeland centres use laptop computers and G3 connectors to teach students in Darwin. Image provided by Charles Darwin University

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CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY

Global Theological Network

In September 2010 the Global Network for Public Theology (GNPT) consolidated its international collaboration in the area of Public Theology, by bringing together at a consultation forum in Canberra, scholars from leading international Faculties and Schools of Theology including the Edinburgh University, Stellenbosch University, the Free University of Amsterdam, The University of Pretoria and Charles Sturt University. This consultation reviewed the interaction between religious traditions, particularly Christianity, and a broad range of international and national government policies, and the ways in which religious bodies, national governments and international organisations could co-operate in planning for future relations. Against the background of international religio-political tensions this is a significant contribution.

Professor James Haire, Director of Charles Sturt University’s Public and Contextual Theology Strategic Research Centre (PACT), is serving as the current Chairperson of the GNPT.

For further information:http://www.csu.edu.au/research/http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/theology/pact/

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CURTIN UNIVERSITY

Western Australian – Organic & Isotope Geochemistry Centre

The Curtin University Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA -OIGC) is an international recognised Centre contributing to world-class research to:

• improve our ability to forecast environmental responses to climate change;

• help to manage current threats to biodiversity;

• increase the ability to identify crude oil and gas sources, to the benefit of petroleum exploration; and

• improve our understanding of controls on water quality and to help protect our precious freshwater resources which are already under intense pressure from climate change and urban development.

The WA – OIGC works in areas of biomarker and compound specific isotope together with undertaking research in: the study of climatic trends both past and present; issues concerning environmental sustainability research (e.g., water, sediments and soil); as well as assisting the full realisation of Australia’s natural resources (e.g., petroleum, gas exploration).

The WA-OIGC works in areas of biomarker and compound specific isotope together with undertaking research into past and present climatic trends, issues concerning environmental sustainability research (e.g., water, sediments and soil), as well as assisting the full realisation of Australia’s natural resources (e.g., petroleum, gas exploration).

These application areas are consistent with the ARC National Research Priorities. Curtin has identified “Resources and Energy and Sustainable Development and Technologies” as key research themes.

Dr Katherine Trinajstic, a palaeontologist working in the WA-OIGC, won the prestigious 2010 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for her work in the preservation of fossilised soft tissue of ancient fish. Dr Trinajstic’s work has found muscles and internal organs of ancient fish preserved along with fossilised bones. This has led to a series of discoveries including the oldest known fossilised vertebrates with soft tissue and discovery of the ‘first womb’.

For further information:http://www.curtin.edu.au/research/

Dr Katherine Trinajstic. Image provided by James Rogers

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DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

Assessing Cost-E!ectiveness in Prevention – ACE Prevention

Ensuring our scarce health resources are directed to where they can be most effective in improving the health and quality of life of all Australians, particularly for those with the poorest health outcomes, is a crucial task for those managing our health systems.

This collaborative five-year study, funded by the NHMRC and led by the University of Queensland and Deakin University, provides the foundation for a more effective system for health. The findings demonstrate how to achieve both a more efficient and fairer system of health. The report’s focus on deeply entrenched health inequalities facing Indigenous Australians paints highlights the need do more to improve the physical and mental health of those experiencing social, economic or geographical disadvantage.

The project evaluated the cost-effectiveness of 150 preventive health interventions, addressing areas such as mental health, diabetes, tobacco use, alcohol use, nutrition, body weight, physical activity, blood pressure, blood cholesterol and bone mineral density.

As the community and decision-makers become more aware of the need to allocate more resources to disease prevention, it is vital that action be based on the best available evidence, not on. The importance of this landmark study is that it shows the possibilities of evidence-based decision-making on prevention.

In addition to identifying where more must be done, the report identifies where we should do less to achieve a healthier community and a health system that delivers better value for money.

For further information:http://www.deakin.edu.au/research/showcase/

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EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY

APOE 4

Professor Ralph Martins, Foundation Professor in Ageing and Alzheimer’s Disease at Edith Cowan University, has been at the forefront of research into Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) since his contribution to two seminal discoveries. Professor Colin Masters and his German collaborators identified the chemical identity of the beta amyloid protein, now universally acknowledged as fundamental to the molecular pathology of Alzheimer’s, and that the Alzheimer’s brain is under oxidative stress.

Significant breakthroughs include demonstrating that APOE 4 is the major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s in the Australian community and providing valuable insights into how it contributes to the development of the disease. Research has been directed towards identification of treatments that target the neutralisation, clearance or production of beta amyloid. Recent research has focussed on the development of an early diagnostic blood test and effective therapeutic and preventative strategies.

Professor Martins co-leads the Australian Imaging Biomarkers Lifestyle (AIBL) Study of Ageing, the world’s most comprehensive study towards development of an early diagnostic test for AD. This partnership between ECU, CSIRO and the University of Melbourne places Australia at the forefront of the field. Perth is one of ten sites world-wide for the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN), which has been funded by the US National Institutes of Health for six years and is the only international study to monitor the preclinical development of autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s patients.

Professor Martin’s contributions were acknowledged when he was awarded the 2010 WA Australian of the Year. Overall, the research has so far attracted funding of over $40 million.

For further information:http://www.ecu.edu.au/research/overview

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JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY

Science and Policy for the Great Barrier Reef

For decades researchers at James Cook University (JCU) and other institutions, have conducted research on the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef (GBR) including human impacts such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

Informed by this research, the Commonwealth Government rezoned the GBR in 2004 to increase no-take ‘green zones’ from 5% to 33% to establish a large-scale network of marine reserves.

In 2010, scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and CSIRO published a comprehensive study of the impacts of the zoning policy.

Their analysis demonstrated that:

• fish densities on no-take reefs were twice those of unprotected reefs;

• fish populations had increased significantly across the ecosystem;

• outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish were fewer on no-take reefs; and

• protected areas were especially important in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function.

These results show the rezoning is an excellent investment in social, economic and environmental terms and a cost-effective way to enhance the resilience of the reef to climate change.

The rezoning is an exemplar of evidence based policy and highlights the benefits of good feedback loops between research excellence, engagement and adaptive policy and management strategies.

The quality of GBR research is globally recognised with the ARC Centre of Excellence being the world’s Number 1 ranked institution in the ISI Web of Science, for both publications and citations in coral reef research.

For further information:http://www.jcu.edu.au/research/

Great Barrier Reef.Image provided by James Cook University

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MONASH UNIVERSITY

Building Industry Skills in Green Chemistry

The Monash Centre for Green Chemistry (CfGC) formally began as an ARC Special Research Centre in January 2000. CfGC was one of the world’s first university-based research organisations dedicated to Green Chemistry, and its goal of driving sustainable manufacturing practices into industry has resonated strongly with the sector’s needs. In June 2010, Monash University announced that, with support from the Federal Government, it would establish a $72.8 million multidisciplinary hub, Green Chemical Futures (GCF). GCF will serve as a pipeline for the technologies and human resources needed by an industry striving for a lower environmental footprint, and positioning Monash and Australia as a location of choice for R&D into sustainable technologies for this sector.

CfGC has unique skills in a number of key sustainable industrial technology areas, particularly in novel manufacturing, while operating alongside and networking with some of the largest academic and commercial organisations internationally. As well as contributing to more sustainable technology outcomes, the CfGC has been an important player in establishing and growing Australia’s green-economy workforce. Since 2000, the Centre has employed 101 research fellows/assistants and produced over 70 PhD graduates that have subsequently gone to industry (49%), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) (8%) and public/private research (40%).

For further information:www.monash.edu.au

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ROYAL MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (RMIT) UNIVERSITY

Increasing Australia’s Preparedness for and Responses to Bushfire Threats

RMIT researchers from various disciplines are working to address the negative consequences of climate change, in particular the increased likelihood and intensity of bushfires. RMIT researchers play a critical role in the Bushfires Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and have worked with key partners to undertake research on a range of bushfire issues. The “Black Saturday” bushfires that devastated Victoria in February 2009 served to underscore the importance and impact of this research.

RMIT’s Professor John Handmer was a leading adviser to the Bushfire CRC Research Taskforce established immediately after the Black Saturday fires and was one of several RMIT researchers who provided expert testimony to the Bushfires Royal Commission and analysis of key bushfire research findings. A survey of people affected by the Black Saturday bushfires designed by Professor Handmer and his colleagues provided insights into how people prepared, how they reacted, and how they were dealing with the recovery and is helping to shape how agencies engage with communities dealing with bushfire threats. In addition, RMIT researchers have developed practical tools to evaluate community safety policies and programs and promote community resilience.

RMIT’s research partners include the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility and Victorian Government agencies such as the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. RMIT research students are supported by and make a valuable contribution to the Bushfires CRC’s research programs.

For further information:http://www.rmit.edu.au/

Professor John Handmer in bushfire affected Victoria. Image by Carla Gottgens and provided by RMIT

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UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

Bringing Mammoth Blood Back to Life

A collaboration of international researchers has brought the primary component of mammoth blood back to life using ancient DNA preserved in bones from Siberian specimens 25,000 to 43,000 years old.

Professor Alan Cooper (Australian Research Council Future Fellow) and members of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA and the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute resurrected mammoth haemoglobin, and published the results in Nature Genetics this year (2010 Jun;42(6):536-40).

The Adelaide group extracted and deciphered the genetic instructions for haemoglobin from mammoth bones preserved in Siberian permafrost, and managed to uncover physiological attributes of an animal that hasn’t existed for thousands of years. The approach opens the way to studying the biomolecular and physiological characteristics of extinct species, even for features that leave no trace in the fossil record.

Researchers converted the mammoth haemoglobin DNA sequences into RNA and inserted them into modern-day E. coli bacteria, which then manufactured the authentic mammoth protein. Using modern scientific physiological tests and chemical modelling the team characterised the biochemical properties that confer mammoths with physiological cold tolerance. The resulting haemoglobin molecules are no different than ‘going back in time’ and taking a blood sample from a real mammoth.

Studies of the recreated mammoth haemoglobin reveal special evolutionary adaptations that allowed the mammoth to cool its extremities down in harsh Arctic conditions to minimise heat loss. Three highly unusual changes in the protein sequence allowed the mammoth’s blood to deliver oxygen to cells even at very low temperatures, something that indicates adaptation to the Arctic environment.

For further information:www.adelaide.edu.au/research

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UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

How the Brain Changes Following Traumatic Brain Injury

A research project in rats funded by the Victorian Neurotrauma Initiative (VNI) has tracked how problems such as anxiety, depression, attention disorders and epilepsy develop after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The knowledge gained will be used to design and test novel treatments with the potential to improve the quality of life of TBI sufferers and their families significantly.

The study, led by Professor Terence O’Brien of the University of Melbourne, investigated the long-term changes that occur in the hippocampus—a region of the brain which is essential to the formation of long-term memory and emotion and is the most common source of epilepsy following TBI.

TBI is an important cause of death and disability in children and young adults around the world. For years after the initial injury, survivors suffer from disorders in attention, memory and learning. They also exhibit psychiatric and behavioural problems. Improved understanding of the causes of these long-term disabilities that follow brain trauma, O’Brien says, is the key to developing effective treatments.

O’Brien’s team investigated the physical degeneration of the hippocampus in rats using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and looked at changes in its function using Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The use of these advanced, non-invasive imaging techniques enabled the researchers to assess the brain repeatedly over time following injury, and to relate the changes they saw to abnormalities in behaviour, cognitive function and the development of epilepsy. They found that the changes picked up by imaging were correlated with changes in behaviour.

Thirty per cent of the rats developed epilepsy within six months of the initial injury. The rats also showed depression and increased anxiety, and struggled to perform simple tasks. This demonstrated that many of these problems which commonly afflict people following a brain injury have, in at least part, a physical basis—they are actually related to structural and functional changes in the brain.

There are currently no effective treatments to reduce the occurrence or severity of psychological, cognitive or epileptic problems caused by TBI. Using animal models to further our understanding of how long-term brain injuries progress, and when to treat them, provides researchers with a practical way to test potential treatments before starting expensive and lengthy clinical trials, says O’Brien.

Professor Terence O’Brien who is leading the study into how the brain changes following trauma. Image provided by University of Melbourne

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Criminalisation of Cartel Activity

In 2009, an interdisciplinary team led by Associate Professor Caron Beaton-Wells (Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne) was awarded research funding of $340,000 from the Australian Research Council for a three year project concerned with the criminalisation of cartel activity. Serious cartel conduct is highly damaging to Australia’s economic welfare but only recently has it been regarded as criminal. This research informs public debate about the impetus and justification for this major shift in competition law policy and enforcement. It provides robust empirical evidence about public opinion and business behaviour and derives insights into whether criminalisation will promote greater compliance with the law. It also assists in refining practical implementation measures to ensure the effectiveness of a criminal regime and will aid legislators and regulators in policy-making, regulatory design and enforcement in relation to competition law and business regulation more generally.

Significant deliverables from the project to date include:

• completion of a substantial research book – Australian Cartel Regulation: Law, Policy and Practice in an International Context, by Associate Professor Caron Beaton-Wells and Professor Brent Fisse (Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne), published by Cambridge University Press in February 2011;

• completion of edited book – Criminalising Cartels: Critical Studies of an International Regulatory Movement, edited by Associate Professor Caron Beaton-Wells and Dr Ariel Ezrachi (Faculty of Law, University of Oxford), published by Hart Publishing in March 2011; and

• completion of a large scale extensive survey of the Australian public to ascertain public attitudes to the legal status of, consequences for, and characterisation of cartel conduct for the report The Cartel Project: Report On A Survey Of The Australian Public Regarding Anti-Cartel Law And Enforcement published in December 2010.

For further information:www.cartel.law.unimelb.edu.au.

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World-Class Geochemistry Capabilities for Research and Training in the Earth Sciences

The School of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne has established world-class geochemical facilities for investigating the history and evolution of the Earth. These facilities (led by Professors Janet Hergt, John Woodhead, Andrew Gleadow, Barry Kohn, Associate Professor David Phillips and Dr John Moreau) incorporate a unique combination of analytical instrumentation, specialist laboratories and expertise for research and training in the fields of isotope geochemistry, geochronology, thermochronology, aqueous and environmental geochemistry and biogeochemistry.

Significant research and training outcomes of the facility include:

• dating new early human (hominin) fossil sites in South Africa using novel U-Pb geochronology techniques;

• evaluating palaeo-climate variation throughout the geological record by analysing speleotherms (for example, stalagmites and other cave calcites);

• charting the evolution of the Australian landscape using new, innovative automated fission track dating methods;

• establishing the timing and mineralisation environment of gold deposits in Victoria, with implications for future gold exploration in Australia;

• discovering unexpected biogeochemical processes consuming the greenhouse gas methane in the deep seafloor;

• investigating aqueous environmental factors controlling the release of cyanide breakdown products and arsenic from mine tailings; and

• research and vocational training qualifications (PhD, Masters, Honours) for twelve Geologists and Geochemists.

The geochemistry facilities in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne have extensive links and collaborative ties with numerous government organizations, industry and universities worldwide.

Photograph of the University of Melbourne School of Earth Sciences Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory (Pictured from left to right are Dr John Hellstrom, Professor Jon Wood, Professor Janet Hergt and Dr Roland Maas). Photograph courtesy of Professor Andrew Gleadow (School of Earth Sciences, Facuty of Science, The University of Melbourne.) Image provided by University of Melbourne

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Malaria Research

Malaria is a major global health problem. The World Health Organization estimates that 500 million people are infected and three million people die each year. There is currently no vaccine and the parasite is now resistant to most of the existing drugs.

Research led by Professor Geoffrey McFadden (School of Botany, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne) discovered that the malaria parasite contains a relic plastid – the chloroplast organelle that is responsible for photosynthesis in algae and higher plants. This discovery has revolutionised the understanding of one of the world’s major pathogens, and opened up new strategies to battle the deadly disease. The genetic traces of plant-like metabolism in malaria indicate that the parasite was originally a plant-like organism that survived by photosynthesis. This organism moved from its life in the ocean to a new, parasitic lifestyle eating the blood in our veins.

Professor McFadden’s research team has identified many new drug targets in the relic plastid of malaria parasites, vastly increasing the number of strategies for the development of much-needed new malaria drugs.

For further information:http://www.geoffmcfadden.com/McFadden_Lab/Home.html

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Research into Parasites

Worldwide, the current financial losses caused by parasites and neglected tropical diseases have a major impact on farm profitability and exacerbate the global food shortage. Parasitic nematodes of humans, livestock and other animals cause devastating diseases of major proportion. The long-term prospects and opportunities of research into these parasites include the development of diagnostic tests and/or safe anti-parasitic compounds, based on a better understanding of parasite genomes, host-parasite relationships and the molecular biology of the parasites themselves. Hence, there are major gains to be made by improving the knowledge of such neglected pathogens, leading to such outcomes.

Professor Robin Gasser (Professor in Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne) has support from the Australian Research Council and various overseas partners (including the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington and the National History Museum in London) as well as collaborations with the California Institute of Technology and the Genome Sequencing Center (Washington University School of Medicine) to research parasite genomics and genetics.

The research team in the Gasser Laboratory utilises next-generation sequencing technologies and new concepts to gain improved insights into the molecular biology of parasites and the interactions with their hosts. The group is working towards developing novel intervention strategies against parasites. The program provides a unique technology platform and a skills-base in parasite genomics and will generate significant fundamental research results, leading to applied and biotechnological outcomes, such as the development of drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tests.

For further information:http://research.vet.unimelb.edu.au/gasserlab/index.html

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UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Cure for Life Foundation

Australia’s first research group dedicated to tackling the rising incidence of brain tumours has been established at the University of New South Wales, following a $2.3 million donation by the Cure for Life Foundation. The research facility, to be known as the ‘Cure for Life Neuro-Oncology Group’, will be led by renowned brain tumour researcher Dr Kerrie McDonald and based at UNSW’s Lowy Cancer Research Centre.

The $2.3 million funding will be used to drive research into malignant brain tumours – one of the deadliest forms of cancer – and develop the research group in Neuro-Oncology over the next five years.

According to the Brain Foundation, more than 1,200 people die each year from malignant and benign brain tumours.

“There is no known cure for brain cancer, yet it has the greatest impact on society of all the cancers. As a neurosurgeon who sees dozens of patients with this disease each week, it’s easy for me to be passionate about this issue – but it’s not so easy for others. To find a researcher who has that same passion and vision is incredible and Kerrie McDonald’s appointment is a major step toward finding a cure,” Dr Teo said.

”The incidence of brain tumours is on the rise and it is still the most common life-threatening form of tumour in children. This funding will provide the support to help find a much-needed breakthrough.”

The Cure for Life Foundation™ is the largest active fundraiser for brain tumour research and awareness in Australia. Established in 2003 by world-renowned neurosurgeon, Dr Charles Teo, Cure for Life is making a major contribution to research and education in the treatment of brain cancer.

For further information:www.unsw.edu.auhttp://www.cureforlife.org.au/Lowy_Cancer_Research_Centre/

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA – MAWSON INSTITUTE

The Development of Micron-Scale Surface Chemical Gradients

Since 2008 Dr Endre Szili and colleagues of the University of South Australia have led an international collaboration with teams from the University of Liverpool (UK) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (US). The collaboration aims to develop gradients of chemistry in organic and polymeric materials at the biologically relevant micron-scale.

In recent years the reduction in dimensions of plasma sources has received considerable global attention. The application of micron-scale plasma sources to modify organic surfaces is relevant to the increasing demand for further miniaturisation in a number of industries; agriculture and the testing of food allergies, diagnostics in forensic and environmental sciences and the life sciences in, for example, the study of gene expression to profile human breast cancer.

To date the project has utilised a unique experimental system to characterise the micron-scale plasma sources and demonstrated their application in the attachment and culture of cells in vitro. 2010 saw a further innovation of this technology being established in collaboration with Professor Karen Gleason, and her corporation GVD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

For further information:http://www.unisa.edu.au/

An example of a micron-scale plasma source. In the background is an image of fluorescing human cells that were grown on a plasma surface engineered material at the Mawson Institute, University of South Australia. Image provided by Mawson Institute, University of South Australia

A custom-built plasma reactor used for the operation of micron-scale plasma sources for automated miniaturised surface engineering processes located at the Mawson Institute, University of South Australia. Image provided by Mawson Institute, University of South Australia

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA – THE IAN WARK RESEARCH INSTITUTE

AMIRA International Project P260

The Ian Wark Research Institute (The Wark™) is the Australian Research Council Special Research Centre for Particle and Material Interfaces. Led by Laureate Professor John Ralston, the institute has a prized international reputation for its research and postgraduate education. The Wark™ has extensive state-of-the-art research facilities, internationally renowned researchers and an international client base of major companies.

For more than a decade The Wark™, at the University of South Australia (UniSA), has been a part of finding business solutions for mining leaders such as Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, and major corporates including Dow and Unilever. The Wark is distinctive in its creative and flexible approach to research and development, where a mixture of fundamental and applied research is conducted across a wide range of project areas.

From 1998 to 2010, the AMIRA International project P260 has been conducted with the aim to improve flotation of minerals in the minerals processing industry. The project also has applications across other industry sectors.

To evaluate the benefits from this project since its inception up until 2006, AMIRA International and The Wark commissioned RMDStem Limited, an independent organisation with an extensive track record and proven experience, to conduct the study. The study showed industry end-users were very effective in transferring the AMIRA P260 Project research outputs into useful outcomes.

The financial value derived by end-users:

• Delivered Net Present Value (NPV) $318M – primarily through improved recovery, price realisation (by improving grade and quality of concentrates), and reduced operating costs.

• Expected NPV $118M – primarily improving recovery, price realisation, reduction in operating costs and improving throughput.

• Total value $436M.

The benefits NPV to cost ratio is (21.5 to 1) for industry. The benefits to cost ratio for The Wark is (18.5 to 1).

For further information:http://www.unisa.edu.au/ http://www.unisa.edu.au/iwri/

Ian Wark Research Institute. Image provided by University of South Australia

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UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY

Thought Controlled Wheelchair

Professor Hung Nguyen, Dean of UTS’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, and his team from the Centre for Health Technologies have developed a wheelchair that promises to give mobility to people with severe disabilities.

The intelligent wheelchair technology identifies and classifies the user’s brain signals, which are then translated into commands to control a motorised or electronic device. Professor Nguyen explains:

“I started developing a head movement system in 1997, and it’s only recently that we came up with a very small and wireless technology. The thought controlled technology took some time to get here. We use a number of different electrodes – though I’d prefer to only use one electrode. We use lasers and stereoscopic cameras to allow the user to navigate. You can also call the wheelchair to come to you, just by thinking. The wheelchair can even be parked without you being in the chair.”

Professor Nguyen says he hopes to explore possibilities for people with a locked-in syndrome, such as those who are aware and alert but unable to respond.

“They can use this technology to communicate with people or to control the wheelchair, to even turn on the TV. They wouldn’t need carers all the time. The technology will soon have the ability to adapt to the user, so the device will rewire itself to cope with different disabilities.” The wheelchair is only the beginning – Professor Nguyen and his team are already working on a thought controlled car.

For further information:http://newsroom.uts.edu.au/news/2010/10/thought-control

Professor Hung Nguyen (right) and the commercialisation team. Image provided by KiLN Media

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UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics

The first human genome sequences ten years ago were only the start of an avalanche of data arising from a new industrial-scale molecular biology. Beginning in 2000, reports and government white papers called attention to capabilities gaps that must be addressed for Australia to remain competitive in life science-based industries. The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics (ACB) was established in 2003 under the leadership of Professor Mark Ragan at The University of Queensland (UQ) to build a critical mass, research excellence, national focus and international visibility in the management and analysis of genome-scale data.

ACB has developed new partnerships across disciplines and institutions to achieve significant outcomes, including:

• training a skilled research workforce:

– 62 postdoctoral fellows, 35 research personnel, 112 postgraduates, 50 honours students and 51 interns trained through 2010;

– Internships provided at the European Bioinformatics Institute, Oxford University and IBM;

• supporting research outreach:

– founded the national Winter School in Mathematical and Computational Biology, which in 2010 attracted 260+ registrants from Australia and overseas. From 2011 it will be managed by Bioplatforms Australia and EMBL Australia as a cornerstone of a nationally coordinated approach to advanced training in bioinformatics;

– key role in founding Bioinformatics Australia within AusBiotech, the national peak body in biotechnology;

– attracted three major bioinformatics conferences to Australia; and

• commercialising service:

– Queensland Facility for Advanced Bioinformatics (QFAB), a 2006 spinout, employs 17 FTE and provides advanced bioinformatics service across Australia and overseas.

ACB is led by UQ on behalf of ANU, Newcastle, Deakin and Macquarie Universities, along with Auckland University, the University of Tennessee and IBM.

For further information:http://www.uq.edu.au/research/ – UQ researchhttp://www.uq.edu.au/research/industry-partnerships – UQ Industry Partnershipshttp://www.uq.edu.au/research/professional-services – Commercialisation Services

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QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

The QUT YuMi Deadly Centre – Maths Education

The QUT YuMi Deadly Centre (YuMi means “you and me working together for all”), which opened in 2010 has $4.7 million in federal and state grants to undertake research in indigenous education.

The Centre, led by Associate Professor Annette Baturo and Professor Tom Cooper, has been successful in securing a number of major grants including: $2.2 million from DEEWR over four years as part of a federal government initiative; $1.56 million from the Queensland Department of Education and Training (DET) over three years; and a four-year ARC Linkage project for $837,000, plus $320,000 from industry partners.

The YuMi Deadly Centre has commenced a 3-year (2010-2012) project, Teaching Inclusive Mathematics Education (TIME), which has been funded by the Queensland Department of Education and Training (DET). The major purpose of this project is to increase schools’ capacity to enhance the mathematics learning outcomes (and thus their life and employment chances) of their Indigenous, Torres Strait Islander, migrant and low SES students. Teaching Inclusive Mathematics Education (TIME) grew out of work by QUT Professors Baturo and Cooper with dozens of Indigenous schools over the past decade.

Teachers from 29 Queensland state primary schools have been trained in this new maths teaching method developed by QUT. 70 teachers from central and southern schools wishing to improve their maths results were trained during March and low socio-economic schools, from Rockhampton to North Stradbroke Island signed up for teacher training in the program which is not a radical new maths teaching method but takes a holistic approach.

The goal of the program is to lift the performance of disadvantaged students, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, in national maths tests. Australian students performed poorly in maths compared with countries such as India. A big performance gap also existed between Australian students from higher socio-economic backgrounds and those from lower ones.

For further information:http://ydc.ed.qut.edu.au/yumi-deadly-maths.html

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SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Bioplastics

Researchers at Swinburne University have been investigating the use of bioplastics – ingredients from renewable sources – and the properties of biopolymers that determine their ‘compostability’. Prototype biodegradable plastics are possibly just months away, spelling good news for the worsening headache of plastic packaging, which accounts for up to 25 per cent of municipal landfill.

The projects have brought together PhD students, Suchetana Chattopadhyay and Cameron Way, who are examining the properties of plastics biopolymers as part of their PhD studies, under the supervision of Associate Professor Enzo Palombo.

Chattopadhyay is using a respirometer – a composting machine – to test novel, chitin-based polymers. Chitin is the world’s second most abundant organic compound. It is mostly derived from shellfish waste, but also includes the exoskeletons of crustaceans, insects and spiders.

In collaboration with an industry partner, Chattopadhyay has provided the first direct evidence of true biodegradability in novel, chitin-based polymers. She has demonstrated that fungi – which plays a key role in degrading the most abundant biolpolymers found in nature – grows on the chitin-based biopolymer, proving that the material is biodegradable.

Chattopadhyay’s objective to reduce the growing amount of inorganic landfill has the added aim of finding a biopolymer suitable for food packaging that is derived from raw materials that don’t compete with food crops such as starch from food crops.

In a parallel project, Cameron Way has been examining the composition and mechanical and biodegradation relationships of polylactic acid-lignocellulose (PLA) biocomposites. Way’s research has led him to use a corn starch-based biopolymer that is reinforced with lignocellulose fibres.

Biodegradable plastics are essential to reducing the mounting dilemma of plastics waste, and it is hoped that through these projects Swinburne may have soon have a product that solves some of the issues surrounding plastics waste.

For further information: http://www.research.swinburne.edu.au

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THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Marathon Robotics

Marathon applies state-of-the-art robotic technology to live-fire marksmanship training. This approach simultaneously improves realism and challenge of training while reducing the overall cost of ownership.

Smart targets are autonomous, which provides a set of unique capabilities:

• realistic, challenging and unpredictable motion;

• responsive behaviour; and

• minimum infrastructure.

With the smart targets system, a single instructor can conduct complex long-duration scenarios with multiple free-ranging targets. No need to use a joystick – just give the command and off they go, following a pre-orchestrated scenario. Auto-generated scenarios are also available.

When a target is shot, it provides instant visual feedback by stopping and dropping its mannequin. It simultaneously sends a message to other targets, which can react by running for cover.

The technology was developed by three University of Sydney PhD students. Marathon Robotics was established approximately 8 years ago, and The University of Sydney granted an exclusive licence to the technology in 2007.

Marathon Robotics secured funding support from both the New South Wales and Federal Governments.

In 2008 Marathon was invited to provide the technology for an on-screen challenge: to autonomously deliver pizza across several city blocks in downtown San Francisco. The target body is replaced with a friendlier character. The results are shown in Discovery Channel’s TV show – Prototype This!

Throughout 2009 Marathon participated in a number of defence hardware shows and expeditions, in key European and US markets.

In July 2010 Marathon Robotics was awarded a US$50 Million Contract for the First-Ever Smart Targets in the U.S. Military by the United States Marine Corps.

For further information:www.sydney.edu.au/sydnovate

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VICTORIA UNIVERSITY

Innovation in Sport Science

Sport science is a continually evolving process of innovation and application that can elevate sport performers and teams into winning positions. When Victoria University entered into a formal partnership in 2005 with the Australian Football League team, the Western Bulldogs, it was logical that one of the key initial partnership activities was to develop a vibrant sport science relationship. This was initiated and overseen by a committee with key representatives from both parties. A vital development was to directly engage sport science staff from Victoria University with the elite football community.

It was also essential to engage coaches and players with the academic environment. Learning occurred both ways! This engagement was generated in a multi-disciplinary way by creating a “pipeline” professional development opportunity for outstanding Sport and Exercise Science students, capable of meeting short- and longer-term needs of both parties. Up to five cadetships have been offered annually to the top Sport and Exercise Science students, to be immersed in sport science activities in the football club environment. Outstanding students have progressed from a Cadetship, to an Honours research year, to a PhD, all embedded in the Western Bulldogs to address industry-specific problems.

Further engagement occurred through a conjoint appointment in Sport Science. These Sport Science activities produced immediate benefits for players. Key early scientifically-based improvements involved monitoring and regulating player hydration status and core body temperature, regular monitoring of player work rates during matches and at training, monitoring balance and decision-making.

The sport science relationship has progressively led to a series of scientific initiatives in regulating player load, player recovery, player rotations during matches, testing of various ergogenic aids and garments, assessment and training of kicking efficiency and use of visual cues by players to select appropriate kicking skills. This approach has successfully merged the Western Bulldogs’ demand for quick feedback, with the longer-term requirement of carefully controlled research.

Our sport science partnership remains a work in progress, but has already been of great benefit to Victoria University’s undergraduate and postgraduate students, to Victoria University staff, Western Bulldogs fitness and coaching staff, and of course, the players. With Victoria University’s new world-class scientific sport and exercise science laboratories set to open at the end of 2010, and with a dedicated presence now of Victoria University staff and students at the Whitten Oval, the scene is set to evolve to the next level of innovation in sport science.

For further information:http://www.vu.edu.au/researchhttp://www.vu.edu.au/industry-and-community/innovation-and-commercial-development

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VICTORIA UNIVERSITY

Kinda Kinder

Kinda Kinder is a free, play-based program for pre-school aged children (from birth to the early years of primary school) and their families delivered in community settings throughout the western region of Melbourne. It is run by Victoria University students undertaking the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood/Primary) and the Diploma of Children’s Services students from TAFE in conjunction with mentors, university colleagues and communities. It has the financial or in-kind support of Victoria University, Best Start (a State Government initiative which is a prevention and early intervention project aimed to improve the health, development, learning and wellbeing of all children in the state of Victoria from pregnancy to transition to school), the Myer Foundation and IBM.

The program began in 2005 with a small number of sites and has now grown to encompass 25 sites in total with interest shown from other communities to join in 2011. The program offers the Victoria University students the opportunity to devise, implement and evaluate an educational program in a ‘real’ situation allowing for skills development via the integration of theory and practice and mentored by experienced early childhood practitioners. The Early Childhood Team is also undertaking research on the efficacy and outcomes of the program.

For further information:http://www.vu.edu.au/researchhttp://www.vu.edu.au/industry-and-community/innovation-and-commercial-development

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UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG

Sustainable Climate Change and Environmental Research

The Federal and State governments have recently awarded several University of Wollongong (UOW) researchers with funding of more than $2.8M (over 4 years) for projects in climate change and environmental research, indicating a rapidly growing cluster of ‘sustainable’ research at the UOW, and reinforcing the successful effort UOW is making towards the Government’s national research priority, “An Environmentally Sustainable Australia”.

From mosses on the frozen flanks of Antarctica to the erratic behaviour of bushfires, from atmospheric measurements in Darwin to eroding coastlines on the eastern seaboard, researchers at UOW are ensuring that the university is at the forefront of this significant area of research.

UOW’s Climate Change experts include Professor Sharon Robinson, Dr Helen McGregor and Professor Colin Woodroffe who has an international reputation as a coastal geomorphologist and has researched and written books on coastal environments. Professor Woodroffe was a lead author on a chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment on the vulnerability of coastal systems.

For further information:http://www.uow.edu.au/research/index.html

Professor Colin Woodroffe and coral sample. Image provided by University of Wollongong

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GBS VENTURE PARTNERS

Hydrexia Pty Ltd – Developing Products for the Hydrogen Storage Market

Brisbane based Hydrexia is developing products for the Hydrogen storage market. Today Hydrogen is used in many industrial processes and is increasingly being considered as a clean energy carrier to replace hydrocarbons fuels. However storage of hydrogen is a barrier to its wider adoption, with available storage technologies (pressurized gas or liquid) suffering from significant performance, cost and safety disadvantages.

Hydrexia’s technology was developed at the University of Queensland and is based upon magnesium alloys capable of storing hydrogen as a solid metal hydride. The alloys are produced using conventional casting equipment, and are therefore expected to have significant economic benefits over conventional hydrogen storage materials, in addition to safety and portability benefits.

The company has financial backing from UniSeed, GBS Ventures, Conduit Ventures and has received significant support from Government initiatives including the Climate Ready program and Innovation Investment Follow on Fund (IIFF).

Operationally Hydrexia has focused on scaling-up and testing its technology in prototypes with a goal of achieving commercial scale units to be tested with industry partners. This has resulted in significant skills being generated in the local economy, applicable to the existing hydrogen industrial gas industry as well as likely growth industries related to emerging clean energy markets.

For further information:http://www.hydrexia.com/ http://www.gbsventures.com.au/

Existing commercial MCP holding ~10kg of H2 vs. Hydrexia’s prototype holding ~40kg of H2 on the same footprint. Image provided by GBS Ventures Pty Ltd

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GBS VENTURE PARTNERS

Cogstate – Measuring Cognitive Performance

CogState is based on technology developed by Professor David Darby from the University of Melbourne which allows for the quick, accurate and culturally neutral measurement of cognitive performance. CogState tests begin by taking a baseline measurement from a subject who is then periodically retested in order to detect cognitive change. The company was founded around investment from GBS Ventures’ Australian Bioscience Trust; itself established under the Australian Federal Government’s Innovation Investment Fund (IIF) program.

The company has grown to a point where it is now commercialising its cognitive tests and was listed on the ASX in 2004. CogState remains principally based in Melbourne but has additional offices in the US and UK. In FY2010 the company generated sales revenue of just under $10m and a net profit after tax of $1.6m.

The primary source of revenue is sales of cognitive tests into pharmaceutical trials, however a number of other markets provide significant growth opportunities including work place testing and the emerging market of concussion testing in sport – particularly in the US where CogState entered a joint venture to form Axon Sports in August 2010, based on its technology.

For further information:www.Cogstate.com http://www.gbsventures.com.au/

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VICTOR CHANG CARDIAC RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The Victor Chang School Science Awards

The Victor Chang School Science Awards is an innovative program, developed to foster an interest in science amongst secondary school students, and to promote a career in science as a viable and interesting career path. In 2010, the awards have increased their reach and capacity, expanding into the Illawarra Region, as well as Sydney’s South-West, to over 100 schools.

The Awards are presented to Year 11 students who are selected by their school as having excelled in their science studies during the year. Awardees are presented with a framed Certificate and are given the opportunity to visit the Institute for hands-on work experience.

24 year old Monique Ohanian is a shining example of the success of the program. Monique was the recipient of the inaugural award in 2004, as a year 11 student at Loyola Senior High School, Mount Druitt. As part of her award, Monique spent a day at the Institute to see first-hand the research being done. She became inspired to continue, and later completed several months of work experience and part time work at the Institute, whilst completing her degree – a Bachelor of Medical Science.

Monique now works in the Sister Bernice Inherited Heart Diseases Laboratory at the VCCRI, under the guidance of Associate Professor Diane Fatkin, studying the genetic causes of cardiac arrhythmias. Recently, she not only completed her Honours degree with the Institute but graduated with First Class Honours and received the University Medal from the University of Western Sydney.

For further information:www.victorchang.edu.au

Monique Ohanian, 2004 Victor Chang School Science Award Winner, now works at the Institute studying the genetic causes of cardiac arrhythmias such as Atrial Fibrillation and Dilated Cardiomyopathies. Image provided by Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

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DEPARTMENT OF INNOVATION, INDUSTRY, SCINEC AND RESEARCH (DIISR) – RESEARCH DIVISION

Capital Markets CRC and SMARTS Surveillance Technology

The research capacity of the Capital Markets CRC (CMCRC) has been integral to the success of the Smarts Group, an Australian global securities markets surveillance technology group acquired by the NASDAQ OMX in July 2010.

SMARTS, which will remain a CMCRC partner, is the global leader in market surveillance technology for exchanges, regulators and stock broking firms with over 30 national exchange and regulatory customers and over 50 broking firm clients in 30 countries. NASDAQ OMX is a household name and the world’s largest exchange company. It delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across six continents and 50 countries.

CMCRC Chief Scientist and SMARTS co-founder Professor Mike Aitken of the University of NSW commented, ‘the acquisition of SMARTS is a great achievement for the Australian IT industry and the CRC system as it showcases the technology leadership potential of Australian innovation, especially security markets technology, in an international context.’ He acknowledged also that the CMCRC ‘provides research and career opportunities for about 60 PhD students. It’s a knowledge base that no-one else can hold a candle to.’ The CRC has used a range of innovative methods to attract and retain high calibre PhD students including a You Tube promotion by their current students, early engagement strategies to target promising undergraduate students and a share equity plan for PhD students completing the CMCRC scholarship program.

On other CMCRC enterprises, Professor Mike Aitken added that ‘I am encouraged by the progress of another one of our commercial ventures, CMC HIBIS, which could, given time, become even bigger than SMARTS.’

For further information: https://www.crc.gov.au/Information/default.aspx

SMARTs – an Australian global securities market surveillance technology employed globally sells to NASDAQ QMX. Image provided by DIISR Research Division

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AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER STUDIES (AIATSIS)

Native Title Research Unit – Broader Land Settlements

The Native Title Research Unit at AIATSIS is primarily funded through an agreement with FaHCSIA. As well as providing a range of native title resources, information and access services, publications, workshops and an annual native title conference, the unit undertakes high quality research relating to identified priority areas. It undertakes 6 monthly reporting to FaHCSIA attached to a 3 year business plan with clear outputs related to key performance indicators

Broader Land SettlementsThis research project is part of the new 3 year funding agreement with FaHCSIA which commenced in July 2009. It responds to the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s call for the development of innovative policy options for progressing broader land settlements that complement the Australian Government’s Native Title Act 1993 and the work of the Federal Court of Australia. A related ongoing project is the Registered Native Title Proscribed Bodies Corporate project which addresses the critical issue of the future of Native Title corporations and the management of native title land.

Knowledge Management: Agreement Precedents The Knowledge Management: Agreement Precedents 12 month pilot project is run by the NTRU and commenced in October 2009 in response to requests from native title representative bodies to develop a legal precedents database to inform the negotiation of native title agreements. Making agreements is central to the native title system, but much of the useful information included in native title agreements is effectively ‘locked away’ by confidentiality clauses. As its primary output in accordance with its key performance indicator, the pilot project, undertaken by Joe Fardin, has developed a database of agreement clauses that may be used to inform future negotiations. The project has a working group of five NTRBs to provide strategic guidance on development of the project and to act as the primary information contributors during the pilot phase. The database initially contains precedents relating to mining, mineral and petroleum exploration, infrastructure and cultural heritage agreements.

Mediation and Negotiation Ms Toni Bauman, a research fellow in the NTRU, works extensively with native title stakeholders and researchers to help increase understanding of the importance of decision making and dispute management processes in achieving successful and sustainable agreements. This project is ongoing within the NTRU 3 year business plan (see above). The project includes working on the Victorian Native Title Settlement Framework with the Victorian Government, particularly with the Department of Justice and Native Title Services Victoria. It includes working on the Right People for Country project which is developing a panel of skilled Indigenous mediators and facilitators to work on Native Title overlapping claims and group membership disputes. It also includes working with Native Title Services Victoria and the Department of Justice to develop new ways of doing business particularly in the assessment of connection information.

For further information:www.aiatsis.gov.au

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AUSTRALIAN NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION (ANSTO)

The Cold Neutron Source at the OPAL Reactor

ANSTO is the custodian of the OPAL Reactor – landmark infrastructure deployed in the national interest and one of the world’s leading research reactors. The OPAL Reactor is designed for several scientific uses including neutron-scattering related research at ANSTO’s Bragg Institute. One of the sources supplying neutrons is the Cold Neutron Source (CNS). The CNS provides key capabilities to Australian neutron science communities that were not available with Australia’s first reactor, HIFAR, which closed in 2007.

New frontiers in many scientific disciplines are explored by using the long wavelength of the low-energy neutrons generated by the CNS to study large molecules and compounds, rather than objects of atomic size.

Since its commissioning in 2007, the OPAL CNS has operated at its design capacity. It has achieved 90% availability in 2010 and 100% availability over the last 6 months.

An advanced monitoring methodology and maintenance regime have been developed and implemented that is international best practice for the operation of the facility. Looking to the future, this new knowledge base and human resource will be crucial to OPAL’s continuing success over its life time, given the high demand seen on the existing cold beam instruments at ANSTO’s Bragg Institute, and the potential for a second neutron guide hall and second CNS.

For further information: www.ansto.gov.au http://www.ansto.gov.au/discovering_ansto/anstos_research_reactor www.ansto.gov.au/research/bragg_institute/facilities/instruments

A view of the OPAL research reactor. Image provided by ANSTO

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Initial Eight Neutron Beam Instruments at the OPAL Research Reactor

The initial suite of neutron beam instruments for the OPAL Research Reactor was funded along with the Commonwealth’s decision to build OPAL itself in 1997. Between 2000 and 2007, seven leading-edge instruments were constructed with project management and integration by ANSTO. The eighth instrument has now received its operating license and will come on line next year. The first neutron-scattering data was taken in 2006, a few months after OPAL went critical and the first scientific paper published in 2007.

Proposals for beam-time requests are received from users across Australia and internationally. These requests are accepted on scientific merit through an international peer-review assessment. This takes place every 6 months. The 7th proposal round is now open. To date, roughly 50% of demand has been from the Australian university sector and CSIRO, 20% internal from within ANSTO, and 30% from the international science market. The leading overseas connections are: Taiwan (which is close to completing its own $8m instrument at OPAL and also funds 5 positions based at ANSTO), New Zealand, Singapore, the United States of America and Europe. Demand is on average around 60% above the supply of neutron beam days, with this increasing to 2.5 times in particular cases. At the time of writing, roughly 60 refereed articles had been published, making use of all seven initial instruments.

The research is highly collaborative and at least 90% of the work includes ANSTO staff as co-authors. In user surveys, the performance of our instruments is regularly reported as being comparable to the best facilities in Europe and the USA, and in some cases the best in the world.

For further information: www.ansto.gov.au http://www.ansto.gov.au/discovering_ansto/anstos_research_reactorwww.ansto.gov.au/research/bragg_institute/facilities/instruments

ANSTO’s neutron-beam hall featuring part of the initial neutron-beam instruments. Image provided by ANSTO

Sergey Danilkin and Mohana Yethiraj (left) working on ANSTO’s triple-axis spectrometer, TAIPAN, which is being used to understand the structure and mechanism of superionic conductors – used in fuel cells and batteries. Image provided by ANSTO

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Medical Trials – Neurodegenerative Diseases

In 2010, medical trials commenced using a new imaging technique developed by ANSTO. The global pharmaceutical company, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, is conducting these trials in the United States. A successful outcome will provide new diagnostic options for patients with neurological diseases. This pilot study is scheduled to conclude in the first half of 2011.

The trials follow the signing of an agreement between ANSTO and Bayer in mid-December 2009 and are for clinical development of compounds for the diagnosis of neuroinflammation, which is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The agreement stems from studies performed by ANSTO scientists since the mid-1990s.

This Australian-grown research has the potential to greatly improve diagnostic capabilities for a range of neurological conditions. It is estimated that more than 70,000 Australians suffer from Parkinson’s disease and 245,000 Australians suffer from dementia.

For further information: www.ansto.gov.au http://www.ansto.gov.au/discovering_ansto/anstos_research_reactorwww.ansto.gov.au/research/bragg_institute/facilities/instruments

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DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT, NORTHERN TERRITORY

Menzies School of Health Research – Leishmania Project

Worldwide, leishmaniasis is an important disease of humans and other animals caused by the parasite Leishmania. Infection with Leishmania parasites can cause a range of symptoms, from ulcerative skin lesions to infection of the liver and spleen which can be fatal if left untreated. Australia and the Antarctic were thought to be the only continents free of Leishmania parasites. However in 2003, Leishmania infections were discovered in captive red kangaroos in the Northern Territory. Genetic analysis of the NT Leishmania has revealed it is a new species not found elsewhere in the world.

The work in this project stems from this important discovery and has focused on defining the lifecycle of this parasite. The project has shown that a number of different animals native to the Darwin, Northern Territory rural area can be infected by the parasites. Most significantly, the researchers found clear evidence implicating biting midges as the insect responsible for transmitting the parasites. This was the first evidence anywhere in the world that an insect other than a sand fly is capable of transmitting Leishmania. The findings have significant implications for biosecurity in Australia with the possibility that important Leishmania species which are capable of infecting humans and our native wildlife could be transmitted within Australia.

Leishmania parasite and day-feeding midge vector. Image provided by NT Department of Business and Employment

In 2003, a chronic ulcerative skin disease was reported in red kangaroos from two locations in the Darwin rural area. Extensive analysis of the skin lesions was carried out to try and determine the cause of the condition. With assistance from the Australian Registry of Wildlife Health in Sydney and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research in Melbourne, the cause of the disease was identified as a protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania. This was an entirely unexpected finding, as prior to this Australia and Antarctica were thought to be the only continents free of the Leishmania parasite. This was the first ever identification of locally acquired Leishmania infection in Australia.1

The Leishmania parasites are capable of causing significant disease which can manifest in a number of different forms, including skin lesions (cutaneous leishmaniasis), destruction of the soft cartilage of the nose (mucocutaneous leishmaniasis), or systemic infection of the liver and spleen (visceral leishmaniasis). Worldwide, approximately 12 million people are thought to be infected with Leishmania, with a further 350 million people at risk of infection. There are 1 to 1.5 million new cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis, along with estimated 500 000 people acquiring the potentially fatal form visceral leishmaniasis every year.

Like malaria, the life cycle of Leishmania involves a vertebrate host and a transmitting insect vector. Hosts can include humans, dogs, gerbils, fat-sand rats, anteaters, sloths and monkeys. In all cases throughout the world where the transmitting vector of Leishmania is known, it is a species from the phlebotomine sand fly family.

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The Leishmania parasite previously identified in the kangaroos was shown to be a novel species, not found elsewhere in the world. These remarkable findings led to further work by the Leishmania project team aimed at investigating the Australian Leishmania species, its natural hosts and to identifying the insect vector.

When the project researchers commenced work on Australian Leishmania, there was absolutely nothing known about the natural hosts of the parasite or the insect which transmitted it. The disease had only been identified in red kangaroos, all of which were in captivity and were not native to the Northern Territory Top End region. In order for this work to be a success, collaboration with local Northern Territory experts in various disciplines was crucial.

From 2006–2009, this project was the work of PhD candidate Annette Dougall supervised by Assoc Prof Shelley Walton, Dr Deborah Holt, Dr Karrie Rose and Dr Bruce Alexander, and supported by a scholarship from the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease. The work continued in 2010 with funding support from the Wildlife Exotic Diseases Preparedness Program of the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Taronga Conservation Society Australia.

Initially the researchers further investigated the disease in animals at the Territory Wildlife Park. They identified new cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis in macropods other than red kangaroos, including northern wallaroos, black wallaroos and agile wallabies.2 This implicated these macropods as the natural hosts of Leishmania in Australia. The team also developed and refined diagnostic tools to screen animals for infection with Leishmania parasites so that they could assess the geographic and host range of the parasites.

The team’s vector studies initially focused on phlebotomine sand flies, which are the only known vector of Leishmania anywhere in the world. Over 3000 phlebotomine sand flies were collected and morphologically identified. All sand flies collected were from the genus Sergentomyia, which are known to have a preference for feeding on reptiles. No Leishmania infection was detected by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) during the screening of 1818 female sand flies from the collection.

Thus the vector studies were broadened to include other blood sucking flies, such as biting midges, which are common in the areas of known transmission. The researchers had also observed that day-feeding midges seen biting animals at the Territory Wildlife Park during the day could be a potential vector. Screening of female day-feeding midges by PCR analysis for the presence of Leishmania DNA produced a surprising result – Leishmania DNA was present in the genus Forcipomyia, subgenus Lasiohelea. After further collection and identification of these day-feeding midges, the researchers found a prevalence of Leishmania DNA of up to 15% in a previously undescribed species of day-feeding midge.

Leishmania parasites mature in the gut of the insect vector and progress through a number of life stages. Thus the researchers also undertook dissection of live midges which had been collected while feeding on captive wallabies and wallaroos. In four midges, manual dissection of the gut revealed the presence of live Leishmania parasites with morphology consistent with that found in known phlebotomine sand fly vectors. This was the first evidence anywhere in the world that a vector other than phlebotomine sand flies is capable of transmitting Leishmania.3

The projects work both in the laboratory and in the field has increased the knowledge and the capacity to monitor this parasite in Australia. This work has immense implications for Leishmania research worldwide and for biosecurity within Australia. The implication of a new vector capable of transmitting Leishmania has never before been demonstrated and refutes the doctrine that phlebotomine sand flies are the only vector. The presence of an insect vector capable of transmitting Leishmania in Australia has serious implications for biosecurity. It raises the possibility that other species of Leishmania, including those which are known to cause severe and potentially fatal disease in humans, could be introduced from other countries and subsequently be transmitted within Australia. Preparedness for incursions of such exotic diseases is of key importance to government, industry, primary producers and the Australian community.

This project team’s studies have increased Australia’s capacity in vector surveillance and the study of Leishmania-host interactions, which has provided important information regarding the lifecycle of the parasite in Australia.

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Further research now needs to be conducted to determine all the natural animal (host) species and geographic range of the parasite. In addition, laboratory proof of transmission by the day-feeding midge must be demonstrated. Ultimately this information will be used to assess the biosecurity risk that exotic Leishmania poses for Australia.

1 Rose K., Curtis J., Baldwin T., Mathis A., Kumar B., Sakthianandeswaren A., Spurck T., Low Choy J., and Handman E., Cutaneous leishmaniasis in red kangaroos: isolation and characterisation of the causative organisms. International Journal for Parasitology, 2004; 34(6): 655-64.

2 Dougall A., Shilton C., Low Choy J., Alexander B., and Walton S., New reports of Australian cutaneous leishmaniasis in Northern Australian macropods. Epidemiology and Infection, 2009; 137(10): 1516-20.

3 Dougall A.M., Alexander B., Holt D.C., Harris T., Sultan A.H., Bates P.A., Rose K., and Walton S.F., Evidence incriminating midges as vectors of Leishmania in Australia. Submitted.

For further information:http://www.cdu.edu.au/research/

Collecting blood from an Antilopine Wallaroo.Image provided by NT Department of Business and Employment

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NEW SOUTH WALES PUBLIC SECTOR

New South Wales Scientist of the Year – Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte

Professor Durrant-Whyte has helped develop autonomous solutions for a wide range of applications industries including mining, marine, military, aeronautics and agriculture. As part of his work in robotics, Professor Durrant-Whyte and his team have spun out a number of companies, most recently Marathon Robotics, which has developed free-ranging robots protected by armour plating to train marksmen. The Marathon Robotics system has attracted a $57 million contract with the US Marines.

Professor Durrant-Whyte was awarded NSW’s most prestigious science prize, the NSW Scientist of the Year 2010. The NSW Scientist of the Year Award recognises creative, high calibre research that brings benefits to the State’s economy, environment and people. It is also designed to engage and involve the general public and the NSW research community to promote the value of science and encourage science careers. Prize money is awarded to researchers to acknowledge their exceptional achievements in environment, water and climate change sciences; physics, earth sciences, chemistry and astronomy; biomedical sciences; plant and animal sciences; and engineering, mathematics and computer sciences. Professor Durrant-Whyte won $55,000 for his achievement and six category winners are awarded $5,000 each.

For further information:http://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/Current-Activities/NSW-Scientist-of-the-Year.aspx

Professor Durrant-Whyte and the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir AC. Image provided by NSW Government, Department of Innovation, Industry and Investment

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Breeding for Less Methane

The NSW Department of Primary Industries is developing a world-first breeding program to reduce methane emissions from livestock without sacrificing growth performance. With the average herd of 100 cows emitting the same amount of greenhouse gases as 40 large cars every day, and global demand for protein set to rise, livestock methane emissions is a growing environmental issue.

Based at the Armidale Beef Industry Centre of Excellence, the project began with a 2008 discovery that production of methane in livestock can be genetically controlled. After determining that the answer to reducing livestock methane emissions could lie in good old-fashioned breeding, researchers began mating for the project’s ‘next generation’. In July 2010, they used the ‘best’ and ‘worst’ (emitting) new young bulls from NSW DPI’s pedigree Angus herd to mate with 500 cows. The progeny will be measured for methane production as they approach their first birthdays in early 2012.

To take these measurements, a small gas cylinder is inserted into the rumen or fore stomach of the animal. Over following days the cylinder releases tracer gas and researchers measure the ratio of tracer gas in the air breathed out to calculate the rate of methane produced by the animal.

While methane is a greenhouse gas, methane produced in cow and sheep bellies also represents a loss of energy, “We are looking at benefits for the environment and improved efficiency in the way cows and sheep extract energy from their food,” says Principal Research Scientist for the project Dr Roger Hegarty. “We want cattle that eat well and grow well, but at the same time produce less methane.”

For further information:http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

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Fraunhofer Project Group at NICTA

NSW has provided $400,000 funding towards establishing a NSW presence of Europe’s largest applied research organisation, the Fraunhofer Institute, with the creation of a Fraunhofer Project Group at NICTA’s Sydney laboratory. The Project Group has been established to undertake joint research work to solve hard problems in transport and logistics. Establishing a Project Group in Australia builds on their strong international reach throughout Europe, the United States and Asia.

A major activity of the Project Group is to work with German software giant, SAP AG to create a “Future Logistics Living Lab” (FLLL). The Living Lab concept originated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has been significantly developed within Europe. The Future Logistics Living Lab (FLLL) is a collaborative innovation network with the involvement of many participants from research, the ICT industry and the logistics industry.

Expected to open in early 2011, this will be the first Living Lab in Australia and the first Living Lab for logistics in the world. The innovation network will be supported by a physical laboratory, which will demonstrate in a semi-real-life environment how technology innovation can benefit the logistics industry.

Visitors to the FLLL will be guided through a tour based on a container export scenario. The tour will illustrate challenges in the logistics industry and opportunities to benefit from future technologies and innovation in the logistics industry. Stations in the lab will cover topics in: ordering; dispatch; carriers over road, sea, rail, and air; distribution centres; and delivery. Innovation themes from research and industry will include: interoperability and collaboration; standards harmonisation; logistics performance and optimisation; sustainability; and safety.

For further information:http://www.nicta.com.au/media/previous_releases3/2010_media_releases/nicta_and_fraunhofer_iese_world-leading_researchers_combine_forces

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QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT

Dr Peter Scarth – Queensland International Fellowship 2009

Pressures due to land use conflicts, such as competition between agriculture, carbon sequestration, energy, biodiversity conservation or recreation, will increasingly impact on Queensland’s lifestyle and economy. In this context, information on better land management practices will assist landholders to achieve balanced economic, social and environmental outcomes.

With the support of a Queensland International Fellowship, Dr Peter Scarth from the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM), and Dr Achim Röder in Germany worked together to analyse satellite remote sensing images. They developed novel management products to better assess the impact of grazing pressure and climate change in the extensive Queensland rangelands. This research has provided key data and tools for authorities and landholders to better manage the rangeland resource and guide sustainable production practices. While directly applicable to the Queensland environment, the principles and approaches developed through the Fellowship are relevant to other Australian and international rangeland environments.

Documents

THEME: SKILLS AND RESEARCH CAPACITY - … · productivity-enhancing knowledge and solutions to ... The following collection of case studies illustrate the ... involved Peter Rendell