Australian SCIENTIST
Current design favourite
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Australian SCIENTIST
Designers favourite
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Australian SCIENTIST
Abandoned designs
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Australian SCIENTIST
Abandoned designs
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Australian SCIENTIST
Abandoned designs
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Australian SCIENTIST
Conference
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Australian SCIENTIST
Justifying Junkets Over the past 20 years, Australian scientific output has become increasingly international as the problems being tackled by our researchers become larger in scale, scope and complexity. This trend will only accelerate, which means that
a conference decide to share insights and data and
Australian scientists will need increasing support to
ultimately publish a joint paper on their findings and
build and maintain the relationships required to make
arrange to spend time in each other’s laboratory.
this happen. International collaboration is the major driver of Australia’s increased scientific output
Further down the track these researchers may formalise their collaboration with a joint proposal for funding. A prior relationship and development of trust
FEAST’s bibliometric analysis of scientific journal
is a necessary pre-requisite for minimising the risks
publications involving Australian authors clearly
and maximising the success of this more rigorous
shows that the increase in publications is being driven
engagement.
almost entirely by internationally co-authored papers,
When it comes to international funding programs,
predominately with Europe and the USA (see FEAST
the importance of trust is further accentuated as
Discussion Paper 1/09, http://www.feast.org/index/
researchers are often engaging with foreign programs
document/1).
that have vastly different Further down the track these
One of the major factors contributing to this statistic
researchers may formalise their collaboration with a
is the rise of increasingly complex global issues being
joint proposal for funding. A prior relationship and
tackled by researchers (population health, climate
development of trust is a necessary pre-requisite for
change, biodiversity, etc.) that by their nature require
minimising the risks and maximising the success of this
international cooperation.
more rigorous engagement.
Trust: the key to international collaboration
When it comes to international funding programs,
Most scientific collaboration occurs on an ad-hoc
the importance of trust is further accentuated as
basis. For example, two researchers who have met at
researchers are often engaging with foreign programs
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7
YOUNG Australian SCIENTISTS
Professor David Tissue Centre for Plants and the Environment University of Western Sydney Professor Tissue is an international
and desert environments around the
Professor Tissue’s goal is
expert on the effects of climate
world. He operates a precipitation
to determine the mechanisms
change on ecosystems. His current
manipulation experiment in the
that regulate and integrate the
research on plant response to
desert at Big Bend National Park
developmental and physiological
changes in global climate primarily
in Texas and is a close collaborator
processes that influence leaf level
considers the interactive effect
with the USDA working on water
carbon balance and plant growth
of elevated CO2 and associated
stress response in crops including
from the cell to the ecosystem level.
e n v i ro n m e n t a l f a c t o r s ( e . g .
peanut. In addition, Professor
This information will determine the
temperature, nutrients and water)
Tissue was a founding member
impact of climate factors on carbon
on leaf level physiology and its
of PrecipNet, an international
and water flux and ultimately,
implications for plant growth.
consortium of scientists studying
on growth and in natural and
He has worked at Free Air CO2
the impact of variable rainfall on
agricultural ecosystems.
Exchange (FACE) sites in forest
native and agricultural ecosystems.
Professor David Tissue Centre for Plants and the Environment University of Western Sydney
Professor Tissue is an international
and desert environments around the
Professor Tissue’s goal is
expert on the effects of climate
world. He operates a precipitation
to determine the mechanisms
change on ecosystems. His current
manipulation experiment in the
that regulate and integrate the
research on plant response to
desert at Big Bend National Park
developmental and physiological
changes in global climate primarily
in Texas and is a close collaborator
processes that influence leaf level
considers the interactive effect
with the USDA working on water
carbon balance and plant growth
of elevated CO2 and associated
stress response in crops including
from the cell to the ecosystem level.
e n v i ro n m e n t a l f a c t o r s ( e . g .
peanut. In addition, Professor
This information will determine the
temperature, nutrients and water)
Tissue was a founding member
impact of climate factors on carbon
on leaf level physiology and its
of PrecipNet, an international
and water flux and ultimately,
implications for plant growth.
consortium of scientists studying
on growth and in natural and
He has worked at Free Air CO2
the impact of variable rainfall on
agricultural ecosystems.
Exchange (FACE) sites in forest
native and agricultural ecosystems.
158
Australian SCIENTIST
Climate Change and Energy Research at the University of Western Sydney
7
Over the past 20 years, Australian scientific output has become increasingly international as the problems being tackled by our researchers become larger in scale, scope and complexity.
UWS has established one of Australia’s largest and most comprehensive research facilities, following the awarding of a $40 million grant in 2009. This project is an initiative of the Australian Government, being conducted as part of the Nation-Building Economic Stimulus Package. It supports Australia’s response to climate change – assisting the nation to adapt to a carbon-constrained economy and driving innovation in developing energy alternatives. The new national Climate Change and Energy Research Facility (CCERF) at UWS will act as a beacon for the best and brightest climate change and energy researchers from around Australia and the world. The integrity of excellent teaching and research, the initiative to explore new horizons and the responsibility to create an environment where innovation thrives are key drivers in advancing the University’s mission. If you have any enquiries about the Climate Change and Energy Research Facility – perhaps you 159 are interested in joining or collaborating with UWS – please email cpeinfo@lists.uws.edu.au for further information. 04/08/2010 CHS2061
YOUNG Australian SCIENTISTS
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10
Young Australian Scientists Age is not a prerequisite for world-class scientific achievement. On the basis of their significant achievements to date, the following young Australian scientists have been nominated by the Australian Academy of Science as those likely to make significant contributions to world scientific knowledge in the near future.
161
YOUNG Australian SCIENTISTS
Stephen Blanksby Mass Spectrometry
Blood, sweat, tears… and roofing iron
A good tool has many uses, says Stephen
“We have been trying to understand the molecular
Blanksby, and researchers from a diverse range of
structure of tears,” says Dr Blanksby. “The familiar
disciplines are requesting that the mass spectrometry
‘dry eye’ sensation that some contact lens wearers feel
unit at the University of Wollongong becomes a part
may be associated with the lipids in tears. It’s exciting
of their projects.
research.”
“Mass spectrometry (MS) means being able to
The challenge for the future, according to Dr
identify molecules by their weight,” says Dr Blanksby.
Blanksby, is using MS to the greatest advantage,
“This helps us to understand the molecular structure,
applying techniques that are faster, more accurate and
and can be applied to medical research, where we
more selective than ‘traditional’ MS in order to derive
can observe very subtle changes in cell membranes
more detailed information about molecular structure
associated with diet, exercise, illness or age.
with ever less sample to analyse.
“Using a related technology, we’ve been able to help
Dr Blanksby completed his PhD at the University
Australian industry by identifying anti-oxidants in the
of Adelaide in 1999 where he undertook mass
polymer coating of roofing iron and fences,” he says,
spectrometry-based studies of highly unsaturated
“and improving these traditional products to cope with
cumulenes of interest in the interstellar medium.
the harsh conditions found on a typical Australian
He then took up a postdoctoral appointment at the
roof!”
University of Colorado, Boulder, where he worked on
Dr Blanksby looks forward to a continuing increase
using ion-chemistry and spectroscopy to investigate
in MS as a research technique, and is proud to find that
the reactivity and thermochemistry of peroxyl radicals.
researchers trained in Australia find a ready welcome
Since his appointment to the University of
in MS chemical and biological laboratories around
Wollongong in 2002, he has made significant
the world, while the Wollongong team is hopeful of
contributions to the fields of ion-molecule chemistry
exporting ‘home-grown’ technologies.
and lipid mass spectrometry. He has published over
Dr Blanksby and his team have also been
70 papers and was awarded the 2007 Rennie Medal
collaborating with an Australian visual research
from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and the
institute, which has a particular interest in problems
2009 LeFévre Prize from the Australian Academy
associated with contact lenses.
of Sciences.
162
Marnie Blewitt Epigenetics Researcher
What makes the genes go round
As well as being a young mother, Dr Marnie
Dr Blewitt is enthusiastic about the daily tasks of the
Blewitt leads a research team in epigenetics. Highlights
laboratory researcher. “Lab work is really exciting,”
of her career include journal articles, conference
she says. “It’s fun. It’s one of the reasons why I went
presentations, and a number of awards and prizes.
into science in the first place. It’s a pleasure not to have
In 2009 she was awarded the l’Oreal Australia For
to sit at a computer all day, but to go into a lab and
Women in Science Fellowship.
perform physical experiments. That part of science is
“The Human Genome Project identified 30,000
really enjoyable.”
genes making up a human. But how do the genes
Biology is the basis of Marnie Blewitt’s enthusiasm.
know which human characteristic they cause? If
People, she says, are wired differently, and her interests
similar or identical genes produce quite different
and talents lie in the biological sciences. She hopes
results, then the reason must be something outside
her research will lead to some fundamental insights
the gene sequence,” she says. “This is the exciting
into how epigenetics controls the expression of the
field of epigenetics.”
genes. It may also have some important application
Dr Blewitt took her degree at Sydney University, and
to disease.
studied in Paris and Oxford before gaining her PhD
“When epigenetics goes wrong it can cause cancer,”
in 2004. She is currently a Peter Doherty Postdoctoral
she says. “If we can understand the molecular
Fellow at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in
mechanisms, then perhaps we can design targeted
Melbourne.
therapies to treat these tumours in the most effective
She is confident that Australian science is very
ways possible.”
highly regarded overseas. “Even though researchers in Europe or the United States may have access to a far larger pool of money, Australian researchers are seen as being very resourceful,” she says. “They are regarded as being a real asset in any lab. They think about things from different angles to try to get to the answer. It’s not difficult for an Australian scientist to find jobs in science overseas.”
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