Research & Innovation News- issue #2 2012

CONNECT: RESEARCH & INNOVATION NEWS

MARCH-APRIL 2012- ISSUE #2 ADVANCING AUSTRALIA’S DIGITAL ECONOMY

The UOW led projects that will revolutionise the news, address mental health issues and connect rural Australians BULLETPROOF GRAPHENE Researchers develop new material that’s tougher than Kevlar

ALZHEIMER’S BREAKTHROUGH Scientists discover how the brain protects itself from Alzheimer’s

The University of Wollongong ranks in the top 2% of research universities worldwide Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011.

Research & Innovation News is the research magazine of the University of Wollongong and is published six times per year. Contact: Research Services Office Building 20, Level 1 University of Wollongong Northfields Ave, Wollongong NSW, Australia, 2522 Publication manager: Sharon Martin Supervisor: Vicky Wallace Editor & designer: Elise Pitt epitt@uow.edu.au | +61 2 4221 3761 Subscriptions: Visit www.uow.edu.au/research to subscribe to electronic versions of Research & Innovation News.

Cover image: ÂŠ Timur Anikin | Dreamstime.com

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Contents

04 NEWS

Alzheimer’s breakthrough, Paving the way for safer and greener cars & UOW receives cutting edge new research equipment

FIVE MINUTES WITH

Solar technologies expert Dr Attila Mozer

16 FEATURE

The UOW led projects that will help propel Australia into a world leading digital economy

STUDENT PROFILE

PhD student Jess Bramley-Alves’ research expedition to Antarctica

TRAVEL TALE

Archaeologist Dr Adam Brumm’s tales from an

GRANTS NEWS

Upcoming NHMRC funding opportunities

ETHICS NEWS

Upcoming meeting dates

RESEARCH INFORMATION SYSTEMS NEWS Publication management review

PROFESSIONAL & ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS Early Career Researchers celebrate

23 EVENTS

The first ever TEDxUWollongong event & Uni in the Brewery returns for another year

Indonesian research dig

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Alzheimer’s breakthrough

Alongside an international team of scientists, UOW’s Professor Mark Wilson, has uncovered new understandings of the processes normally protecting our bodies from the debilitating disease which leads to a progressive decline of memory, rationality, social skills and physical functioning. There are almost 280,000 Australians currently living with dementia - a term that encompasses a large group of illnesses which cause a progressive decline in a person’s functioning. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for between 50 – 70% of all dementia cases. Without a significant medical breakthrough, almost 1 million Australians are expected to be living with some form of dementia by 2050. But UOW researchers are on a mission to change that. In a paper published in the prestigious Nature journal, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology in December 2011, the Associate Dean of Science Research and his collaborators have for the first time measured, at the level of single molecules, how a chaperone molecule normally protects the brain from damage caused by a small protein known as Alzheimer’s beta peptide (Aß). The focus of a number Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) groups is the study of protein aggregation and how this can cause disease, explains Professor Wilson. “Proteins are the biological molecules that make up a lot of the structure of our bodies and the enzymes in our bodies are all proteins, so they are important things,” Professor Wilson said. Proteins can be damaged or age and when they do they lose their normal shape, become sticky and stick to one another. These form lumps or aggregates which can cause problems – if you get lumps formed in your brain from Aß you will develop Alzheimer’s disease.” The research published in Nature - Structural & Molecular Biology, was the first evidence to demonstrate the success of a state of the art new method to detect molecular interactions, single-molecule 4

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fluorescence (SMF). Being able to observe and characterise these crucially important molecular processes helps build a better understanding of Alzheimer’s, among many other diseases, and may one day lead to a cure. “The way SMF technology analyses and reads the data is the really mind-blowing bit,” Professor Wilson said. “There are some scientists at Cambridge and only a few people around the world who actually know how to do this – it uses quite advanced mathematics, but the actual acquisition of data is relatively straight forward and the manufacturers now provide software that allow you to manage this,” he said. UOW is due to receive our own $1 million SMF suite of equipment, comprised of multiple lasers, a cutting-edge microscope and software, in May to continue this important research. In the meantime, another UOW research group has had their own Alzheimer’s breakthrough. Professor Brett Garner, Professor Aaron Oakley and Dr Heath Ecroyd have combined their different areas of research expertise in lipid (fat) biochemistry, molecular modelling and protein folding to show how a protein called apoD can directly “detoxify” oxidised forms of lipids that are present in cell membranes within the brain. Professor Garner said the research had important implications for ageing and Alzheimer’s disease where free radicals are known to oxidize lipids and contribute to neuron death. Neurons are cells that process and transmit information. “We have now identified a new pathway by which apoD may inhibit lipid oxidation in the Alzheimer’s disease brain. We will test the impact that changing apoD levels in neurons of genetically modified mice has on neuron stress and Alzheimer’s disease-like characteristics. Alzheimer’s disease prevalence is rising and there is no curative treatment. This may reveal new avenues to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease,” Professor Garner said.

Researchers develop bullet proof graphene ACES researchers have developed a new substance that is tougher than Kevlar. Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) have developed a new substance that is tougher than Kevlar and spider silk.

Photos: Vinciber, Goran Kuzmanovski, Petar Zigich | Dreamstime

The new graphene composite works just as well as the more common toughening agent, carbon nanotubes, in polymer composites and is much cheaper and easier to produce in large quantities. Professor Geoff Spinks, who coauthored a paper on the research that was published in Nature Communications in February, said that the ratio of graphene to carbon nanotubes was a key factor in development of the composite. “Quite surprisingly, we found that a ‘magic mixture’ of equal parts carbon nanotubes and graphene added to the polymer gave exceptionally high toughness”. “Fibres made with other combinations of these materials were not especially tough at all.”

The super tough fibres can be produced easily by a wet-spinning method and can be readily upscaled. In this case, fibres were spun by collaborators at the Centre for Bio-Artificial Muscle in Hanyang University, Korea. “These international collaborations are critical for effective and efficient progress at the cutting edge of science,” said Professor Gordon Wallace, ACES Executive Research Director. “This particular project benefitted from the supply of the graphene building blocks using a process invented here in Australia and further developed using the skills and facilities available the Australian National Fabrication Facility Materials node.” The team has also supplied graphene materials to other research activities in the USA, Korea and France.

Combating teen obesity Researchers at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) are out to solve a national problem through grassroots research. They recently announced plans for a five year flagship population health project on chronic disease prevention in the local Illawarra community, with a particular focus on teen obesity, an issue which affects 25% of boys and 23.3% of girls in NSW according to data from the 2004 Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey. “Health Connect: A Chronic Disease Prevention Program for the Illawarra Shoalhaven Population” will deliver research data that can be translated into practice by local health care providers. According to one of the project leaders, UOW Professor Linda Tapsell, the project is the culmination of a longstanding collaboration between the

Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and UOW researchers. “For several years clinicians and health researchers have worked at the grass-roots level of inquiry, sharing knowledge and skills in addressing key questions relating to the health of our community. “The IHMRI flagship program provides an opportunity to consolidate these efforts into a major project that will benefit the community and showcase the capacity”.

Teen obesity affects 25% of boys and 23% of girls in NSW.

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NZ Government adopts UOW campaign Despite 25 years of campaigns and media promotion, teens still aren’t getting the message about sun protection. But a new attention grabbing campaign developed by researchers from the Centre for Health Initiatives (CHI) is out to change the lax attitudes of adolescence towards sun exposure. In fact, the campaign has already proved so effective, it has been adopted by the Health Sponsorship Council of New Zealand. “Teenagers are a challenging age group to target with most social marketing messages”, said Director of CHI, Professor Sandra Jones. “The long-lasting and life-threatening effects of excessive sun exposure usually come later in life, so most teenagers don’t see preventing sun damage as relevant to their lives now. CHI is trying to change that by showing young people the immediate effects of their sun exposure”. Using UV cameras, the researchers showed young people the invisible skin damage they had already developed – damage that will become visible as they age, but that is preventable and reversible if they act now. During the community campaign in Summer 2009/10, CHI researchers photographed 308 teenagers in Wollongong. The ‘sun team’ distributed 2,220 ‘sun packs’ (sunscreen samples, reminder wristbands, laptop stickers and information about sun protection), and placed 140 posters (showing teen models with regular and UV photos) in the local community. They also ran a school-based intervention with educational activities and UV-photography in Wollongong and Newcastle. “Adolescents who have seen the campaign reported that it was relevant to them and data collected in the intervention schools shows that it had a positive impact on their attitudes and behaviours”, Professor Sandra Jones said.

An ingenious new invention developed by researchers based at UOW’s Dubai campus promises to track personal possessions such as keys, wallets, laptop, phones and other gadgets using tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Writing in the International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, Dr Mohamed Watfa and his research team in the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, detail the intelligent system built on a mobile platform which can keep track of items a user carries in their purse or bag and alerts them when any item is removed or is missing from the bag. Combining RFID and NFC (near-field communication) technologies, the system includes tiny RFID chips which store and send information and are small enough to be stuck or inserted into any device, with an

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RFID reader, which acts as an antenna for receiving and transmitting signals to the tags. The system can also incorporate additional smart features such as a weather check built into the RFID tag on your umbrella and future developments might be able to link the system to online social networks, for example to alert your friends when you have lost your phone, or your partner when your keys are lost. IPURSE is still in the prototype stage, but Dr Watfa says he and his team plans to contact manufacturers in the near future.

A new invention from UOWD researchers promises to track personal possessions such as keys, wallets, laptops, phones and other gadgets using tiny radio frequency identification tags.

Photos: Nathalie Laure, Uschi Hering | Dreamstime

Never forget your keys again thanks to IPURSE

Utilising sunlight to convert water into cleaner, greener fuels

“The process has been shown to be more efficient than the best man-made alternative to date.”. UOW’s ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) is leading a global consortium of experts in the charge to create effective techniques of converting water into hydrogen gas- a low cost, renewable fuel option. On March 1, ACES hosted research partners from Rutgers University, USA, and the University of Stuttgart, Germany, to discuss the difficulties of the technique, called water splitting, and to develop effective strategies for it in the future. “A global team is essential to tackling complex research challenges that will have an international impact and certainly water splitting is one of those. It makes sense to bring together the best minds on the planet if we are going to progress in a reasonable time frame,” ACES Executive Director, Professor Gordon Wallace said. “Advances in our understanding of how nature uses catalysis coupled with advances in nanofabrication bring us ever closer – but the challenge in delivering practical systems that can be economically implemented remains formidable”. However, UOW has already come up with two novel technologies for water splitting, which have recently been granted patent status in Australia as a combined method. It has also recently received a Notice of Entitlement from the US Patent Office. Working with innovations developed via collaborations between UOW, CSIRO, Princeton University and Monash University, UOW

researchers Professor Gordon Wallace, Dr Jun Chen, Dr Chee Too and Professor Gerry Swiegers have packaged their own innovations together in one efficient method of splitting water. Professor Wallace said the first technology uses a highly efficient chemical process, via novel electrocatalysts, to reduce water into hydrogen gas. “The process has been shown to be more efficient than the best man-made alternative to date. This is the Intellectual Property for which UOW has obtained patent protection,” he said. The second technology mimics the water-oxidising centre in photosynthesis to produce oxygen gas from water (i.e. splitting of water to form oxygen) under sunlight. Fully functional mimicry of this type has not previously been achieved. “Put together, these technologies offer a highly efficient process for splitting of water into its component parts, hydrogen and oxygen, and also the reverse process -- the production of an electrical current from the combination of the elemental hydrogen and oxygen to form water”, Professor Wallace said. Professor Wallace says his team at ACES are currently performing studies to obtain efficiency data and are working towards engineering a prototype device. “The ultimate aim is to develop commercial devices able to spontaneously convert water into hydrogen and oxygen under sunlight”.

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Pregnant women still not getting enough iodine Photos: Brian Davis, Pavel Losevsky | Dreamstime

Researchers from the School of Health Sciences are the first to report improved iodine status of Australian women following introduction of the bread fortification programme in 2009. Associate Professor Karen Charlton, Associate Professor Heather Yeatman and HDR student Samantha Axford, along with University of Western Sydney’s Associate Professor Gary Ma, have published an article in the December 2011 issue of The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health which detailed findings of their two year study. Prior to 2009 the majority of Australian women, whether pregnant or not, were mildly iodine deficient. Following fortification, researchers found that breastfeeding women had an adequate intake of the nutrient that is essential for human growth and development. However, despite an improvement overall iodine levels, pregnant women were only able to achieve adequate intakes if they were taking supplements containing iodine. “Of concern was the low level of knowledge and awareness of all women about iodine that had not changed over the 4-year period”, said Associate Professor Karen Charlton. “The low level of public awareness regarding the role of iodine in health supports the need for additional public health strategies, including an accompanying consumer education campaign and on-going monitoring of the iodine fortification scheme”, she said.

A diet deficient in iodine can lead to a number of disorders, the most devastating of which can occur in pregnancy, leading to neurological defects in the foetus that may range from a mild reduction of intellect to severe mental retardation.

Creative arts lecturer launches new novel Dr Merlinda Bobis has launched her latest novel with a national tour, beginning with an event at the Adelaide Writers’ Week on March 5. Fish-Hair Woman is a gripping and poetic tale of love and violence set in the midst of Merlinda’s home region of the Philippines during the 1987 Total War. It is the culmination of years of interviews and research, which was to build on her vivid memories of the violent times. “In 1987 two battalions occupied the local school. Part of the countryside that was hit by the military was my region because it was a hotbed of insurgency,” Dr Bobis said. “I remember the village as this beautiful place of flowers and large dragonflies; and my grandmother – a place of love and comfort.” “Here was the village where I used to have my summer holidays with my grandmother, where I had all my

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memories, and what happened next was violence,” she said. “It was a very bloody time and both the insurgents and the government were guilty of atrocities”. Dr Bobis came to Australia to complete her Doctorate in 1991 but the vivid experiences of her homeland and past remained ever present. Dr Bobis’ previous works have won various awards, including the Prix Italia, the Philippine National Book Award and the Australian Writers’ Guild Award. Fish-Hair Woman was supported by two prestigious fellowships; the Ministry for the Arts Writers’ Fellowship (a $20,000 fellowship awarded annually to a writer in NSW) and a combined Writing Fellowship offered by the Australian National University, Canberra University and the Australian Defense Force Academy.

Paving the way for safer, greener cars

TWIP steel could improve fuel economy, enhance passenger safety and decrease production costs. Motorists of the future can look forward to safer vehicles which leave a smaller carbon footprint thanks to pioneering research into Twinning Induced Plasticity (TWIP) steels being carried out at UOW Research Strength - the Engineering Materials Institute. PhD student Ahmed Saleh, under the co-supervision of Professor Elena Pereloma and Dr Azdiar Gazder, is working on understanding and improving TWIP steel, an advanced material which it is hoped will improve fuel economy, enhance passenger safety and decrease production costs. Unlike conventional steels which are either strong but not ductile or conversely, are ductile but lack mechanical strength, TWIP steels exhibit an excellent combination of strength and ductility and represent a major breakthrough for steelmakers. In the quest to develop advanced high strength steels, their research is now receiving international recognition. Some of their findings published in two top journals - Materials Science & Engineering A and Scripta Materialia - have been listed in the ‘Top 25 Hottest

Articles’ for April-June and July-September 2011, respectively. “Only a handful of key institutions in the world are undertaking similar research. Both Ahmed and Azdiar have been taking full advantage of our modern electron microscopy facilities for their experiments and data analysis”, Professor Pereloma said. “In fact, Ahmed has also been awarded Neutron Diffraction beam time on two successive occasions through a competitive proposal process at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA. He is currently working in close collaboration with researchers there in order to model the in-situ deformation behaviour of this special steel.” “Ahmed will complete his PhD by September this year. So we are in the process of publishing his work on Neutron Diffraction – which incidentally also confirms our findings at the EMC,” Dr Gazder said. “We hope to provide steelmakers and the car industry with a commercially viable niche product -– affordable, lightweight TWIP steel with absolutely unique mechanical properties!”

Security workshop brings ‘sousveillance’ under the lens Wearable cameras and portable technologies might seem like creations reserved for the likes of James Bond or Jason Bourne. However, the use of camera technologies by law enforcement is on the increase and was the topic up for discussion at the recent Sixth Workshop on the Social Implications of National Security, convened by UOW’s Associate Professor Katina Michael. Over 50 delegates attended the workshop, which was held at the University of Sydney, including former Privacy Commissioners of Australia, prosecutors and barristers of the high court, members of the Queensland and Victorian police, private investigators, spy equipment vendors and academics from across the country. The theme of this year’s workshop was entitled: “Sousveillance and Point of View Technologies in Law Enforcement”. “[Sousveillance] refers to the inverse panopticon. Rather than

watching from above like Big Brother, it is watching from below, usually through small wearable or portable technologies. The recent riots [in London and Vancouver], however, have demonstrated the path towards crowd-sourced sousveillance”, Associate Professor Michael said. “The workshop investigated the use of sousveillance by law enforcement for evidence-based gathering as well as its use against law enforcement by everyday citizens. The ways in which we have witnessed the proliferation of overt and covert surveillance technologies has set the stage for the re-evaluation of existing laws and practices.” Professor Michael said the recent riots in London and Vancouver where thousands of citizens submitted footage of the events was a good example of why regulatory measures were needed.

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Scientists discover new fat over lunch

Uncovering new fats, or lipids, with links to diseases in the human eye is as easy as taking a lunch break, according to UOW chemists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology. The research, conducted by UOW Associate Professor Stephen Blanksby and his PhD student Shane Ellis, used ozone naturally present in laboratory air to find previously unknown lipids in the human lens. Their work was featured as a hot article in the March 7 edition of the scientific journal, Analyst (pictured above, right). “My lunch breaks are never unproductive,” says Shane Ellis. “If I leave the human lens samples on the bench while I am at lunch, the background ozone in the lab takes care of the reaction with the lipids. Afterwards I analyse the products from the reaction, and determine the structure of the lipids I have in my lens sample.” This builds on the group’s previous work showing that dramatic changes in the lipid composition of the human lens occur as we age. These changes are associated with the onset of presbyopia, a

condition where the eye loses its ability to focus on close objects. “Revealing the molecular structure of lipids will help us understand their role in disease and provide future treatment options. We hope our work will provide scientists with a convenient tool to do this using nothing but air: a reagent every lab can afford,” says Associate Professor Blanksby. Using a combination of two methods called desorption electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (DESI) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) that the group combined specifically for these experiments, lipids can be characterised in one simple analysis, a significant improvement on older methods. “Our method allows for reliable lipid identification in any complex biological sample. It has the potential to contribute enormously to what we know about lipids in human tissue and it is almost as simple as going out for a pub lunch!” says Associate Professor Blanksby.

Design plans to assist dementia patients UOW researchers have been commissioned by the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Ageing to help design facilities to cater for people with dementia.

“This project brings research findings into the hands of those that can make use of it to improve the wellbeing of people with dementia.”

Led by Professor Richard Fleming, the NSW/ACT Dementia Training Study Centre team of environmental design experts will offer a nation-wide service directly to managers and architects involved in designing facilities for people with dementia.

Professor Fleming said that winding corridors and dead ends, confusing to all of us, were even greater obstacles for those with dementia.

“It’s a very exciting service. For 20 or 30 years, there has been a lot of research into the importance of designs which reduce confusion and depression for people with dementia while encouraging social interaction and engagement. However, not much action has been taken to use these finding in the real world until now,” Professor Fleming said. 10

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“Poor design of buildings housing dementia sufferers is an obstacle similar to a set of stairs for someone in a wheelchair. It is important that we look at patient’s needs and create for them an environment free of barriers and constraints to their enjoyment of life,” he said. The service has already begun in NSW and Victoria and is due to be up and running in Western Australia in April.

UOW bowel cancer treatment patented in Europe A novel formulation for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, developed by UOW researchers, has been granted patent rights by the European Patent Office- speeding up the process of converting research into widely available products. Fluorodex was developed by Emeritus Professor John Bremner, Professor Philip Clingan and Dr Julie Locke to address key adverse events associated with current treatment regimens that are used to combat metastatic colorectal cancer. “Many colorectal cancer patients cannot tolerate existing ‘standard of care’ treatments, which leads to interruption or discontinuation of therapy,” Professor Clingan, Co-director of IHMRI’s Cancer Continuum Research Program, said. “The main benefit of Fluorodex is the ability to deliver an effective chemotherapeutic regimen that patients can tolerate over repeated treatment cycles.” The granted EP patent (No. 2131849) will assist in ongoing discussions with potential industry partners, who are evaluating the technology for clinical testing. Earlier in 2011, the research group received a favourable review of a proposed clinical treatment protocol from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which further clarified the steps needed to take Fluorodex through the clinical trial phase. UOW’s Commercialisation Manager (Health and Science), Gavin Dixon said the European Patent Office has a particularly gruelling examination process, so the patent milestone gives the Fluorodex technology a significant value boost.

“European patents for Australian innovations not only re-affirm the high quality of local research – they help improve the risk profile of the commercial opportunity for potential investors and licensees as the technology progresses to a clinical trial program and market launch.”

Photos: Richard Thomas, Gina Smith | Dreamstime, D Sharon Pruitt

Researchers combat inactive kids Researchers from the Interdisciplinary Educational Research Institute (IERI) have won two research fellowships from the National Heart Foundation of Australia to continue research into the promotion of physical activity in young children. Director of IERI, Associate Professor Tony Okely, recently won the National Heart Foundation Career Development Fellowship, which will see him undertake research to better understand how to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in young people for the next four years. “This is vitally important to the ongoing health of our young people,” Professor Okely said. IERI’s Dr Dylan Cliff has also won a National Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship for his project: Measurement, patterns, and determinants of sedentary behaviour among children. Dr Cliff and Professor Okely will also head a team of international researchers from the UK and Australia including fellow IERI members, Dr Rachel Jones and Dr Trina Hinkley, who have won a National Heart Foundation Grant-in-Aid to compare the accuracy of several activity monitors for assessing physical activity, sedentary behaviour and energy expenditure among children aged six to 12 years.

“This is vitally important to the ongoing health of our young people”, says Associate Professor Tony Okely.

MORE NEWS FROM IERI Associate Professor Tony Okely, Director of the Interdisciplinary Educational Research Institute (IERI), was recently appointed to the NHMRC Project Grants Peer Review Panel for 2012. The panel is an Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition and Obesity Panel.

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Photo: Jolin | Dreamstime

Designing the future

UOW graduates and computer engineers Stuart Argue and Anthony Marcar have taken Silicon Valley by storm. In November 2011, US retail giant Walmart bought their innovative point-of-sale technology company, Grabble, for an undisclosed sum. Elise Pitt chatted to one half of the talented duo, Anthony Marcar, about his journey, which started with a Creative Arts degree, included a 6000km cycle across Australia’s deserts and ended up with a Silicon Valley relocation to work with the world’s best innovators. Studying at UOW I originally studied a double degree in Creative Arts – Sound, Composition and Production, as well as Computer Science. Originally, I was very focused on music, but then I spent one year on exchange at the University of Alberta, Canada where I realised that ultimately I was more passionate about the possibilities of software. I graduated in 2008. Life after UOW I worked at itree, a Wollongong based Software company where I worked on and off for about three years. During this time I did a lot of backpacking and also cycled 6222km solo from Alice Springs to Canberra through some of Australia’s roughest deserts. Three months before Grabble, I had quit my job with the hopes of starting my own contracting business. Coming up with the idea Stuart and I were catching up over a beer and I was telling him how I was going to start scanning all my receipts for my new contracting business. A week later, Stuart was writing down a startup idea every night while on a road trip near Broken Hill. He sent me an email with an idea for transferring receipts electronically to USB 12

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keys. I honestly wasn’t excited. But then Stuart drove all the way back to Wollongong to pitch me on the environmental effects and huge potential. The technology that Walmart bought Our first idea was that consumers could carry around a USB key that they would be able to plug into cash registers to download their receipts, but very quickly we realised how silly that was. I mean who wants to carry a USB key around when a smartphone will do the job quicker and easier [Hence, Grabble created a smartphone app to facilitate the storage of receipts]. How they got Walmart’s attention We were working out of a startup incubator in Silicon Valley called “500Startups” for three months. One evening, a friend told us that Kosmix, a company downstairs, had recently been acquired by Walmart and were having a party. To be completely honest, we weren’t hugely excited about Walmart at that stage, but we went down anyway to check it out. We pitched them and they loved it, and before we knew it we were meeting with execs in Walmart.com and they were pitching us on why we should join them.

Highlights so far There are so many highlights. Living in Silicon Valley. Visiting the headquarters of Facebook, Google, Square. Meeting inspiring entrepreneurs both in Australia and the U.S. Raising money off investors. Flying in a private jet. Coding software that I own and that I’m really proud of. Major challenges The life of an entrepreneur is full of extreme ups and downs. Grabble’s key challenge was always distribution. We had a product that consumers and retailers both loved, but we had a very hard time finding a way to distribute our product in a scalable and efficient way. Raising money was also very challenging. We spent weeks meeting with investors and constantly getting rejected. The future We’re truly excited about harnessing Walmart’s resources over the next few years to make a big difference. Personally, I’d love to run my next startup from Wollongong. Advice Talk Talk Talk. If you have an idea for a startup, start talking to your friends about it. One of two things will happen. They will shoot down your idea for good reasons, or, they will support you, give you advice, and just by talking about your idea, you will start to talk yourself into doing it. Also, get involved in the local startup community. Wollongong is really growing here. The UOW eClub is a great place to network with other entrepreneurs and listen to talks from successful local and international entrepreneurs. StartPad is another great resource for those looking for mentoring and a collaborative environment to work in. Silicon Beach Sydney is another great resource.

Grabble founders and former UOW students Anthony Marcar (left) and Stuart Argue (right).

“Before we knew it we were meeting with execs from Walmart.com and they were pitching to us on why we should join them”.

Researchers blueprint to keep firies safe UOW’s Centre for Human and Applied Physiology is on a mission to reduce the risks that firefighters face. “We are studying the physiological demands of the most demanding and important duties of fire fighting, as performed by firefighters from Fire and Rescue NSW”, says Centre Coordinator, Associate Professor Nigel Taylor. “The ultimate aim of this research is to provide recommendations concerning the ideal physiological attributes of capable firefighters, so that such individuals may be targeted during recruiting”. In the meantime, A/Prof. Taylor says he and his team have recently designed three educational modules for the training of firefighters in conjunction with UOW’s Centre for Educational Development, Innovation and Recognition (CEDiR). They have also recently established the metabolic demands for all protective equipment worn by firefighters, enabling the

development of equipment design guidelines to minimise injuries. The Centre has been working with Fire and Rescue NSW since 2000. In that time, they have identified the injury mechanisms of firefighters that account for more than 65% of firefighter injuries, tested new thermal protective clothing and helmet designs and provided recommendations prior to the bulk purchase of these items for the entire brigade. “This work complements our extensive collaborative research with the Australian Defence Force, which is also aimed at establishing physiological employment standards”, says A/Prof. Taylor. “In fact, in November, we will be running an international conference dedicated to this topic”. The first Australian Conference on Physiological and Physical Employment Standards will be held between November 27-29 at the Australian War Memorial.

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UOW receives new cutting edge equipment “Highly expected novel achievements in superconductors, bionics and nanomaterials will put AIIM and University of Wollongong among the leaders of advanced sample characterization in Australia and in the world”. superconductors, magnetic materials, semiconductor materials, bionics, nanomaterials, and/or virology will strongly benefit from the services offered by the STM-SPM-SNOM triplet. Highly expected novel achievements in aforementioned research fields will certainly put AIIM and UOW among the leaders of advanced sample characterization in Australia and in the world”.

The University of Wollongong has received three lots of state-of-the-art equipment that will aid with research in bionics, drug discovery, DNA and biofuels. X-ray diffraction for Chemistry UOW’s School of Chemistry have just received new high tech X-ray diffraction facilities which will allow research into enzyme engineering, drug discovery and fundamental investigations into how DNA is copied. The new facility has been funded by a 2011 ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) Grant, awarded to UOW and partnering organisation, the Australian National University (ANU). Associate Professor Aaron Oakley, one of the UOW researchers to be awarded the LIEF Grant explains how the X-ray diffraction system works. “Just as visible light can be used to visualise objects such as cells, so too can X-rays be used to obtain images of molecules”. “A single molecule is too small to ‘photograph’ (atoms, from which molecules are built, are 1 to 2 trillionths of a centimetre across). However, if large numbers of the same molecule can be formed into a crystal, a picture of the molecule can be taken using a technique called X-ray diffraction”. Knowing the structure of a molecule can tell us a great deal about how a molecule

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functions says Associate Professor Oakley. “Proteins, nucleic acids and other biological molecules can be understood better if we know how they are constructed. Some proteins are involved in disease, and knowledge about the structure can be used to help design drugs”, he said. Advanced microscopes for ISEM UOW Research Strength, the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials (ISEM), has also just received exciting new equipment. The three highly advanced microscopy systems, namely, a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM), a Scanning 4 Probe Microscope (SPM) and a Scanning Near Field Optical Microscope (SNOM), have all been purchased through two successful ARC LIEF projects. “The facilities will bring about enormous capacity for characterisation and manipulation of various samples in high vacuum, at low temperatures and with variable magnetic field”, says Dr Germanas Peleckis of ISEM. “From technical aspects this system is the most advanced and complete system in Australia”. Dr Peleckis says that many researchers at the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM) from both ISEM and the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) are eager to explore the opportunities that this setup offers. “Major research directions such as

New fitout for algal research Lastly, the Shoalhaven Marine & Freshwater Centre (SMFC), a Strategic Research Initiative of UOW, has recently received new purpose built facilities to undertake advanced research into Phycology (algal research). Dr Pia Winberg, Director of SMFC, says the new facilities (pictured above) will allow her team to conduct algal research in the fields of sustainable seafood systems, marine products including seaweeds and microalgae, with applications in biofuels, health, agriculture and aquaculture. The new facilities include an algal cultivation laboratory, a greenhouse with carbon dioxide delivery systems and light control, a genetics laboratory as well as seawater aquaria systems. “We have both commercial partners and government funding to support this strategic research focus and now with the facilities we have the capacity”, says Dr Winberg. SMFC have multidisciplinary links across UOW, including partnerships with the Illawarra Health and Medical Institute and the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security. They also have an extensive networks of external partners that will benefit from their research, including the Catchment Management Authorities and NSW Marine Parks, seafood industries (especially oysters and abalone) across southern Australia, nutraceuticals, the Kids Research Institute, Children’s Hospital at Westmead, algal biofuels and local shipping industries in Port Kembla.

FIVE MINUTES WITH Dr Attila Mozer An expert in new solar technologies, IPRI’s Dr Attila Mozer reveals his latest research and how he got to where he is today. Dr Attila Mozer is no stranger to travel. He completed his Masters in Budapest, received his PhD in Austria and undertook a postdoctoral research scholarship in Japan. For the last six years, he’s been working with ARC Laureate Professor Gordon Wallace at the lead node of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute. He has been a Senior Research Fellow since 2010 and the Associate Program Leader of the ACES Energy Program and a member of its Executive. He is also currently the Lead Chief Investigator on three Australian Research Council Discovery and Linkage Grants, developing new solar cell technologies using organic polymeric light harvesting materials and dyes. “We fabricate devices that convert solar radiation into electrical energy using a lightweight, flexible polymer platform and materials with low environmental impact”, says Dr Mozer. “I am most excited when I use laser spectroscopy to determine performance-determining fundamental limitations in organic solar cell materials and provide guidelines to chemists and engineers how to improve their materials. In one of our most important collaboration with a USA-based organic solar cell manufacturer Konarka Technologies (www.konarka.com), we get to analyse their best materials and apply our knowledge directly relevant to the business of a multimillion-dollar start-up company.” Dr Mozer says that his research career started in the final year of his Master of Science studies (Chemical Engineering, Budapest University of Technology), when he won a scholarship and spent a year at Osaka University, Japan during 2000 and 2001. “This turned out to be a life-changing event, as I was first exposed to world-class science in Professor Shirota’s lab, studying organic light

emitting diodes. I was completely overwhelmed by the experience of doing experimental research and finding out things no one else in the world could possibly know”. He was inspired to undertake more study and completed a PhD from Serdar Sariciftci, the inventor of polymer solar cell technology, at the Linz Institute for Organic Solar Cells in Austria in 2004. “It was during this time at the ICSM 2004 conference in Wollongong that I first met Prof. Wallace and his research group”, says Dr Mozer. “While I have seen some good quality science in my previous travels, it never occurred to me that it could be done such an easy-going, friendly and respectful way. I first learned the meaning of ‘fair dinkum’ and the Aussie attitude of not taking ourselves too seriously and I was completely taken by this attitude”. After completing his PhD, Dr Mozer flew to Japan for a one year postdoctoral fellowship supported by the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science. “It was no surprise, however, that I accepted an offer from Prof. Wallace in 2006 to join his research group and to build a worldrecognised organic solar cell research activity”, says Dr Mozer. “This career decision turned out to be by far one of my best”. Since his appointment in 2006, Dr Mozer has co-authored 27 publications, which have appeared in world renowned publications such as Nature Materials and Advanced Energy Materials. He has also commenced a Master of Business Administration degree, sponsored by UOW’s Sydney Business School. Dr Mozer says in 2012, he is looking forward to continuing his research into solar energy. “My immediate task besides the three ongoing research projects is the training of three new postgraduate students starting this year”.

PhD graduate wins China’s most prestigious award Former UOW PhD graduate, Professor Jun Chen, who now works at China’s Nankai University, has won a prestigious National Natural Science Award for his work on energy storage materials. Professor Chen and his team took out second place for their project entitled “Energy storage and electrochemical performance of several types of inorganic materials including hydrogen, lithium, and magnesium”. “The battery is a system which can store

chemical energy and convert it into electrical energy”, explained Professor Chen. “Currently, battery study had two focuses: one is the conversion efficiency, the other is storage density. If the conversion efficiency and storage density are low, it indicates that relatively low energy is used. We are focused on these two aspects to explore the use of new materials to enhance the high efficiency of energy conversion and energy storage density via the cross disciplines research

of chemistry, nanotechnology and energy. Finally, we can use these two aspects to optimise battery performance”. Director of UOW’s Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials (ISEM), Professor Shi Xue Dou, said that he and his colleagues at ISEM are thrilled at Professor Chen’s success. “We are very proud of his achievement and hope our current postgraduates will follow and even exceed senior PhD graduates”.

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FEATURE

Advancing the digital economy On the eve of the instalment of the National Broadband Network on UOW’s doorstep, we take a look at the UOW led projects that will help propel Australia into a world leading digital economy. By Elise Pitt. The internet is now a firm part of our daily lives. It has forever changed the way people connect, collaborate and transact and is shrinking the distances that have historically dominated our domestic and international relationships, opening up new markets for engagement and growth. By 2020, the Australian Government is aiming to position Australia among the world’s leading digital economies. “The digital economy is essential to Australia’s productivity, global competitive standing and improved social wellbeing”, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Stephen Conroy said. “Already, the digital economy offers exciting opportunities for all Australians. It allows us to stay in touch with family and friends easily no matter where they live by sending emails, sharing online photos or, increasingly, starting up a web-cam”. But it can also drive Australia’s national’s national productivity. One 2009 report estimated that the adoption of smart technology in energy, water, health and transport, and the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) could generate more than 70,000 16

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Australian jobs and add 1.5 per cent to the level of Australia’s Gross Domestic Product in only a few years. The implementation of the $36 billion National Broadband Network has already begun. Over the course of the next decade, high speed internet cables will connect all Australians, that is; 10.9 million premises, plus a further two million which will be built over the life of the project. The NBN rollout is expected to hit Wollongong in July 2012 and conclude in September. Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research), Professor Judy Raper, says the University of Wollongong is thrilled that the Illawarra will be one of the first regions in Australia to receive the service. “We are delighted with the NBN rollout coming through Wollongong in the near future”. Professor Raper says a number of the University’s top researchers are involved in projects to ensure the success of the NBN in the region. “We are actively engaged with the NBN team to develop innovative

“The CMH will use the NBN network to publish, distribute, and receive digital content produced by UOW staff and students, project partners, and rural and regional community participants from their homes/and or a scalable network of NBNenabled mini media hubs”, he says. ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH Professor Craig Gonsalvez from UOW’s School of Psychology is leading a project which aims to address the significant mental health needs of rural and regional Australia. “The project, e-Supervision, will use the NBN highway to give clinical psychology trainees in regional and remote areas access to the best supervision and expert supervisors across the country”, says Professor Gonsalvez.

innovative applications that will ensure the NBN is fully utilised. The four projects are all to do with education, but we are also working on e- health initiatives that will engage with the NBN”. These four projects are applications with the NBN- enabled Education and Skills Services Program, a four year $27.2 million initiative which seeks to develop and trial services that have the potential to provide more interactive and effective learning opportunities for all Australians, no matter where they live. Funding for these proposals will be announced before the end of June. REVOLUTIONISING THE NEWS NBN Co, the company established to design, build and operate the National Broadband Network infrastructure as well as TAFE NSW: Illawarra Institute, among others, have already offered their support to one of UOW’s most promising proposals. The University of Wollongong Community Media Hub (CMH) will transform the way people interact with the media. UOW Journalism lecturer Shawn Burns, who is leading the project, says the program will develop a cutting edge new model of journalism, radically shifting role of audience

Suppling quality and flexible tuition by means of digital video recordings in a highly secure webspace, the program is not only cost efficient and sustainable, it will also provide an accommodating work environment in which to raise families (more than 80 per cent of Australia’s clinical and counselling psychologists are women). INSPIRING STUDENTS TO STUDY MATHS Another project which aims to create a more flexible learning experience is Maths ALIVE. “Maths ALIVE will trial the creation of live interactive online mathematics classes on a large scale, targeting primary and secondary trainee teachers, parents and practising teachers in remote, rural and regional Australia. It will also endeavour to produce freeware for this application”, says Dr Carolyn (Caz) Sandison from the School of Mathematics & Applied Statistics (SMAS), who is directing the project. Dr Sandison, an award winning teacher with over 20 years experience, says the project aims to inspire students to study mathematics. The number of Australians opting to study mathematics at secondary and tertiary levels is on the decline. However, mathematics is vital to the development of digital technology and industry. Without mathematics, there would be no cars, no planes, no mobile phone networks. To ensure Australia’s success

in a digital economy of the future, more mathematicians are required. DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS VIA VIDEO Professor Andrew Bonney from UOW’s Graduate School of Medicine is heading up the Telehealth Skills Training and Implementation Project. “Training the next generation of doctors to practice in regional, rural and remote Australia is critical to ensuring the welfare of rural Australians. Enabling these future

“We are actively engaged with the NBN team to develop innovative applications that will ensure the NBN is fully utilised” rural doctors to take advantage of rapidly evolving technology in order to create a more effective, equitable and efficient health system must be a key component of modern medical training”, says Professor Bonney. Thanks to enhanced connectivity, speed and resolution provided by the NBN, widespread PC-based video consulting has become a possibility. This means improved access to specialised health services for rural patients, up-skilling for rural GPs and improved rural workforce retention. Professor Bonney and his team hope, through their project, to provide high quality training for health professionals to optimise video consultation care. UOW CREATING A DIGITAL FUTURE UOW is committed to creating a digital future for both the Illawarra region and the wider national community. Through these four projects, currently awaiting approval as part of the NBN- enabled Education and Skills Services Program, the University hopes to establish flexible online learning environments that will inspire Australian children to study maths, teach health professionals to utilise video for tele-consulting, train more psychologists in remote areas and revolutionise the way news is created.

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Photo: Maksym Filipchuk | Dreamstime

to news producer.

RESEARCHER UPDATE

STUDENT PROFILE Jess Bramley-Alves PhD research student, Jess Bramley-Alves, talks about her recent expedition to icy Antarctica to carry out field work with some of UOW’s top researchers.

What are you studying? A Ph.D in Biological Science. What does your research focus on? Developing a new proxy for measuring climate change in the Antarctic and subAntarctic region. How did you come to study at UOW? After completing a Bachelor of Environmental Science with honours at UOW (2006 – 2010) I was offered my first field season on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. The three month research expedition inspired me to further my studies and to work towards increasing our knowledge about, and awareness of, such a diverse and fragile part of the world. I returned to UOW to work with Professor Sharon Robinson who has many years experience in Antarctic climate change research and leads Australian investigations in this field. What’s been the highlight of your career so far? I feel I have only dipped my little toe into science and therefore cannot claim to have had a career in the field yet. However I have certainly had many fantastic experiences throughout my education in the discipline. The highlight has undoubtedly been the opportunity to carry out fieldwork in remote and wild places like Casey station in Antarctica, as well as on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. From an academic point of view, working in such isolated and extreme environments poses interesting and unique challenges in how you are able to conduct your work. You have to be flexible in your approach and be prepared to change months of planning in response to local conditions. You also need to be physically fit to function well in difficult terrain and weather and to

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develop a good sense of humor for long days in the field. On a personal level the seasons that I have spent working in the Antarctic have been some of the most fulfilling months of my life. I have been able to live in close proximity to an abundance of unique animals such as albatross, seals, petrels and whales, that have virtually no fear of humans. On Macquarie Island for example, you can sit on the beach and within minutes be surrounded by penguins trying to work out what you are. Taking part in daily life in small, remote communities of expeditioners has also been hugely rewarding and an education in itself. Antarctic research stations are made up of a dynamic mix of people from many different walks of life. Everyone has different strengths and qualities that they bring to the community of the station. Have you always had an interest in Science? That is a hard question to answer. If you looked at the path I took to get to science you would assume not. I grew up heavily entrenched in dance, English and arts and at school, took none of the traditional science subjects. I elected to study science as my degree because I am interested in the process of learning and in acquiring information about the world around us.

I believe that science and arts go hand in hand. Science isn’t just about wearing a white coat and working in a laboratory, it is about asking questions, about thinking critically about problems including those we are facing in the future, and it is about striving to find solutions. What do you think are the key issues relating to your industry today? I think one of the key issues for scientists today is the challenge of providing an interface between science and the public. I believe that communicating science in an effective, plausible and interesting way is a problem waiting to be addressed. What do you plan on doing after the completion of your study? I hope to work towards a career in which I can combine my love of travel and my passion for aid work with my background in science. What do you hope to achieve in your research/field in the future? I hope that the work that I am currently doing will help towards giving us a greater understanding of climate change and of what we can expect to happen in years to come. Basically my aim is to try and make a difference in one way or another.

TRAVEL TALE The Isle of the flowers Archaeologist and research scientist Dr Adam Brumm recalls his recent expedition to the Indonesian island of Flores in search of the earliest human inhabitants of this ‘lost world’ on Australia’s doorstep.

The island of Flores – Portuguese for ‘flower’ – was my home for three months last year. We dug at a fossil site in the remote grasslands of the So’a Basin, home to pony-riding hunters with spears and strikingly patterned ikat (woven cloth sarongs), and some of the most important Palaeolithic sites in Asia. Our aim was to uncover fossil ancestors of Homo floresiensis (‘Hobbits’), the tiny archaic humans discovered in Liang Bua Cave in the western highlands of Flores. With a team of 15 Indonesian and Australian researchers, and 130 Ngada villagers, this was large-scale archaeology the likes of which has not been seen in Indonesia since before WWII. Day after day, we chiseled at the hard rock matrix to reveal bones and tusks of now-extinct pygmy elephants (Stegodon) and the occasional chipped stone tool fashioned at the site over 800,000 years ago. In the cool of the evening we made the long walk back to our base camp. We used the newly bulldozed track, passing by the also newly broken-down bulldozer (one of only a handful on Flores) and its forlorn driver, who slept beside his charge on a piece of cardboard for most of the field season. Base camp was a large house in the small village of Mengeruda. We had lived in this house the year before, and, in between seasons, paid to have it renovated, much to the owner’s delight. A year later the paint still had not dried, although, to be fair, it was slightly drier than when we had first rented the house in 2010. A puzzling addition were the two new rooms with adjoining en suites separated by a low wall, enabling one, when seated on the toilet, to directly converse with one’s neighbour. It was nonetheless preferable to the squat latrine next to the pigpen. The Ngada people, many of whom we have known for years, were characteristically welcoming. Indeed, one of our fieldworkers, a noted sorcerer, quickly became infatuated with a young Australian student on our team. He proposed marriage on several occasions and half-seriously threatened to summon rain and ruin the dig if she did not concede – or rather, if I did not concede on her behalf.

Above (from top): The Flores dig team (photo: E. Setiabudi), Dr Adam Brumm beside a fossilized Stegodon tusk from Mata Menge, Flores (photo: K. Grant).

He was unsuccessful, but in honour of her red hair (a rare sight on Flores) renamed his battle-scarred hunting dog Monica, the only way the deeply Christian Florenese could pronounce and comprehend her actual name, Yinika. By the end of the season, virtually every square metre of the house was covered with carefully wrapped fossils and wooden crates bulging with artefacts. We had made many significant discoveries, including the longest recorded Stegodon tusk (2.5 m) and the oldest known fossils of Komodo Dragons. But the all-important fossil ‘Hobbit’ had eluded us. Our sorcerer friend claims he can summon this momentous find in exchange for ‘Monica’s’ hand – an offer worth considering.

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GRANTS NEWS

Upcoming funding opportunities

NHMRC GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS NHMRC Partnership Projects This Scheme is designed to encourage researchers and partner organisations to form alliances to define research questions, identify research projects, conduct research, interpret its findings and promote the use of those findings to influence the design and evaluation of health and health care policy and practice. The Scheme supports connections that will improve the translation of research evidence into health policy and practice, with the aim of improving health services and processes. NHMRC Development Grants The NHMRC Development Grants Scheme aims to support the development of health or medical research that has commercial potential and which has the potential to benefit the Australian community. Development Grants provide funding for research commercialisation at the early proof-of-concept stage. Development Grants are designed to support development work undertaken in a human health related field, for example, diagnostics, medical devices or pharmaceutical product development, biotechnology, bioinformatics and biomaterials. NHMRC Early Career Fellowships The purpose of NHMRC Early Career Fellowships is to provide opportunities for Australian researchers to undertake research that is both of major importance in its field and of benefit to Australian health. These Fellowships provide a vehicle for training in basic research either in Australia or overseas (where appropriate), to enable Fellows to work on research projects with nominated advisers. Awards are offered to a limited number of persons of outstanding ability who wish to make research a significant component of their career. www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants For further information, please contact James Walsh on ext: 4097 or walsh@uow.edu.au

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Date

Grant

18 April 2012

NHMRC Partnership Projects opening date

10 April 2012

NHMRC Development Grants opening date

3 May 2012

NHMRC Early Career Fellowships due

More information at: www.uow.edu.au/research/rso

INTERNAL GRANT SCHEMES 2012 URC Research Partnerships Scheme The URC Research Partnership Scheme aims to support high quality industry related research projects of modest cost conducted by researchers of proven excellence in collaboration with partners who provide matching support. Researchers with projects supported under this scheme are expected to apply for external competitive funding in the following year. Funding up to a maximum of $20,000 for one year is available. In 2012 there will be two rounds of assessment: Round 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; (TBA) May; Round 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; (TBA) October. For further information, please contact Tansie Jarrett on ext: 4522 or tansie@uow.edu.au.

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AWARDS

Travelling Fellowships

The Australian Academy of Science invites nominations and applications for its 2013 honorific awards, research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships. Honorific Awards Central to the purpose of the Academy is the recognition and support of outstanding contributions to the advancement of science. The honorific awards were established to recognise distinguished research in two categories: awards of medals and prizes are made to early career scientists under the age of 40, and the prestigious career awards are made to scientists for life-long achievement.

The Academy provides funding for travelling lectureships to enable distinguished researchers to communicate with Australian researchers and, through public lectures, to a broader audience. Nominations are now open for the Oxford Nuffield Medical Fellowship (closing 25 May) and the Selby Fellowship (closing 31 August). Research Conferences The Academy supports research through the sponsorship of research conferences that focus on rapidly developing fields of research. Research conference applications are in two stages. Expressions of Intent to hold a conference close 31 August 2012.

Deadline for nominations: 29 July 2012. www.science.org.au/awards Research Awards The Academy supports awards for research on the conservation of endangered Australian vertebrate species, the history of science, population and environment, and basic research. Deadline for Applications: 31 August 2012.

**Intending applicants for any of the abovementioned awards should advise Danielle Annese in the Research Services Office by email at annese@uow.edu.au two weeks prior to the closing dates indicated above.

ETHICS NEWS Upcoming Committee meetings

Agenda deadline

Meeting date

Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) Health and Medical

18 April 16 May

8 May 5 June

Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) Social Sciences

11 April 2 May

26 April 1 May

Animal Ethics Committee

10 May 14 June

31 May 15 July

Gene Technology Review Committee

16 May 15 August

23 May 29 August

More information at: www.uow.edu.au/research/ethics

RESEARCH INFORMATION SYSTEMS NEWS

Publication management review In late 2011 a review of publication management was undertaken. The main aims of the review were to; - Ensure a more complete collection of UOW publications - Improve the metadata integrity - Simplify publication reporting - Make collection and entry of publication data more efficient The recommendations from the review have since been endorsed by the DVC Research and the University Librarian. A working group with representation from the Library, Research Services Office and Faculties is now in the process of implementing the recommendations which will come into effect in mid-2012. Feedback or questions regarding the review or research publications management can be directed to the Chair of the working party Liz Baker (lizbaker@uow.edu.au). R E S E A R CH & INN O VAT I O N NE W S

LIBRARY NEWS

New browser plug-in provides Direct Access to all UOW-subscribed resources Jumping between your work, Google, publisher websites and the Library’s website to get fulltext can be frustrating. A new plug-in for your internet browser can solve this problem. The UOW LibX plug-in provides a one-click solution. On a publisher’s page: Force access to UOW-subscribed content by using the plug-in to acknowledge your UOW membership. On any website or document: Highlight any phrase and use the right-click menu to quickly search Google Scholar, Summon or the catalogue.

Photo: Steve Selby

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PODS NEWS

Early Career Researchers Celebrate Participants of the 2011 Early Career Researcher Development Program, coordinated by Professional and Organisational Development Services in conjunction with the Research Services Office, recently celebrated the conclusion of the Program with their mentors. The twelve month Program included core and optional workshops, a writing retreat, mentoring by senior career researchers and networking forums. Professor Judy Raper congratulated the participants on their achievements, thanked the mentors for their involvement and presented participants and mentors with certificates. Involvement in the Program has led to the development of participants writing, networking and research planning skills. Above all participants reported that they now felt more confident in themselves, to ask for advice, seek assistance and approach senior

researchers for collaborations. Participants also appreciated the support and guidance from their mentors, with one early career researcher stating: “the experience and inside knowledge of my mentor has helped me with tools to manoeuvre through the quagmire to achieve my goals.” We would like to thank our mentors who contributed to the success of this Program – Assoc. Professors Jennifer Beck, Joseph Ciarrochi, Marc in het Panhuis, Sarah Ferber, Stephen Palmisano, Sue Bennett and Professors Brett Garner, Clive Schofield, Geoff Spinks, Jacqui Ramagge, Leigh Dale, Linda Tapsell, Lori Lockyer, Peter McLennan, Roger Lewis, Sandra Jones, Brin Grenyer, Simon Ville, Song-Ping Zhu and Wilma Vialle. As a result of the success of this Program it will continue in 2012.

Building on your skills Would you like to improve your writing, HDR supervision, time management or networking skills? You can achieve this through the range of programs offered by Professional and Organisational Development Services to support your development as a researcher. These include: - Developing your research grant writing skills - The Balanced Researcher - Turbocharge Your Writing (NEW FOR 2012) - Publishing for Impact

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- Writing for Publication - Fundamentals of Higher Degree Research Supervision (formerly The Craft of HDR Supervision) - Research Supervision Masterclass (NEW FOR 2012) intranet.uow.edu.au/pods

EVENTS

Tuesday 29 May Medical Bionics: An interdisciplinary approach By invitation Only. However, stay tuned to TEDxUwollongong’s Facebook page for opportunities to register your interest in attending. The event will also be simulcast live upstairs in the UniCentre.

IDEAS WORTH SPREADING The international phenomenon comes to the University of Wollongong. TED is a nonprofit entity devoted to “ideas worth spreading”. It all started in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, selforganized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

More about TEDx- www.ted.com/tedx | www.TEDxUWollongong.com www.facebook.com/TEDxUWollongong | RSVP: research@uow.edu.au

Uni in the Brewery Hear prominent researchers from the University of Wollongong explain their ideas and research in a relaxed and participatory environment over a few foaming ales. The general public is very welcome to attend and join in the discussion. All presentations are held from 5:306:30pm at The Five Islands Brewery, eastern end of the WIN Entertainment Centre (Cnr Harbour and Crown Streets) Wollongong. www.uow.edu.au/research/unibrewery

Wednesday 2 May Professor Lesley Head ‘Dilemmas of household sustainability’

Wednesday 15 August Dr Peter Siminski ‘I was only nineteen, 45 years ago: What can we learn from Australia’s conscription lotteries?’

Wednesday 17 October Associate Professor Tony Okely ‘Child obesity: The skinny of what really works in preventing unhealthy weight gain in kids’

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Research Services Office, Building 20, Level 1, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, 2522 research@uow.edu.au | +61 2 4221 3386 | www.uow.edu.au/research

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