Research 2006

• Probing Early Speech Perception (PDF, 35Kb)
  Professor Catherine Best and Dr Christine Kitamura from MARCS Auditory Laboratories, along with eminent overseas researchers from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and University of Pennsylvania, have been awarded an ARC Discovery to explore how infants and toddlers learn to explore how infants and toddlers learn to recognise words in their native language, using unfamiliar dialects of English.
• Loudness and Mood (PDF, 31Kb)
  Associate Professor Kate Stevens from MARCS Auditory Laboratories, and overseas researchers from the University of Cambridge and University of Toronto have been awarded an ARC Discovery grant to study cross-cultural differences in the effects of changing loudness levels in music.
• Neonatal Monitoring (PDF, 38Kb)
  School of Computing and Mathematics researcher, Dr Carolyn McGregor has been awarded an ARC Discovery Project to extend her recent data mining research to create a state of the art clinical research environment that will enable clinicians in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU’s) to look for new trends and patterns that are early warning signs for illnesses and other diagnoses.
• Harmonising Water Management (PDF, 37Kb)
  Associate Professor Basant Maheshwari will lead a multi-disciplinary research team through the Co-operative Research Centre Irrigation Futures (CRC IF) to identify business opportunities for improving management of effluent, stormwater and ground water resources to satisfy environmental and irrigation demands in the South Creek Catchment, Western Sydney.
• Nurses Surviving and Thriving (PDF, 37Kb)
  A multidisciplinary UWS team comprising of Professor Debra Jackson (School of Nursing), Associate Professor Margaret Vickers (School of Management), and Professor Lesley Wilkes (School of Nursing) have attracted ARC Linkage funds. In collaboration with industry partners from Nepean Hospital and Sydney West Area Health Services (SWAHS), the project will explore how nurses and midwives can be resistant to stress in a time of significant change in their workplace.
• Volunteering project wins award (PDF, 40Kb)
  Dr Melanie Oppenheimer has won the National Archives of Australia’s (NAA) Margaret George Award for 2006. The Award includes $10,000 and access to the NAA’s facilities and material to research the historical perspectives of volunteering in Australia.
• Protection for Honeybee Hives (PDF, 42Kb)
  Associate Professor Robert Spooner-Hart, Director of the UWS Centre for Plant and Food Sciences, has recently attracted funding from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) to explore sustainable control of small hive beetle by the use of insect diseases such as fungi and nematodes to protect honeybee hives.
• Mineral spray oil helps Asian and organic growers (PDF, 35Kb)
  Centre for Plant and Food Sciences investigators Mr Oleg Nicetic and Associate Professor Robert Spooner-Hart have received funding in collaboration with international partners SK Corporation (Korea) to test new formulations of mineral oil that will protect and defend crops from pests. The two-year project will investigate the use of mineral oil to determine its effectiveness against a range of crop pests and diseases, including brown planthopper on rice in Vietnam and China and black sigatoka in organic banana plantations in the Philippines.
• Care and Control of Young People and Community (PDF, 43Kb)
  Associate Professor Natalie Bolzan and Dr Fran Gale, Social Justice Social Change Research Centre, have been awarded ARC Linkage funding to identify social arrangements that facilitate resilience in young people. The project, in collaboration with the Department of Community Services, Illawarra Regional Coordination Program, Annandale Regional Coordination Program and Bankstown Multicultural Youth Service will focus on marginalised young people from ethnically and linguistically diverse communities.
• Complementary Medicine Healthy Ageing (PDF, 35Kb)
  Professor Alan Bensoussan and Adjunct Associate Professor Caroline Smith of CompleMed (UWS Centre for Complementary Medicine) have received funding from the Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) and the National Prescribing Service, to explore the health benefits of Omega-3 fish oils and calcium supplementation.
• Thinking Heads for Human Communication (PDF, 40Kb)
  Professor Denis Burnham, MARCS Auditory Laboratories, and colleagues from UWS, national and international institutions has secured one of three ‘Thinking Systems’ Special Research Initiative grants jointly funded by the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council to explore the interface between human and machine through ‘Talking Head’ technology.
• Community Languages (PDF, 37Kb)
  Dr Greg Noble, Centre for Cultural Research, together with Mr Bruno Di Biase, School of Humanities and Languages, has received funding to explore current challenges and themes of the NSW Community Languages Program. Through literature analysis and preliminary case studies of two Community Languages Schools, the NSW Community Languages Board of the NSW Department of Education project will aim to form the basis of a proposal for a larger study of the program.
• Livestock Disease Surveillance (PDF, 40Kb)
  Dr Gavin Ramsay and Luciano Mesiti, School of Natural Sciences, have attracted significant funding to UWS for their role in a major 3 year research collaboration to investigate the development of a surveillance system to monitor and control livestock diseases such as classical swine fever (CSF), avian influenza (bird flu), and foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Indonesia.
• Dementia Care (PDF, 33Kb)
  Professor Lesley Wilkes, Professor Debra Jackson, School of Nursing N-FORCE Research Group together with partner investigator Marie Clarke, Sydney West Area Health Service, have been awarded a UWS Research Partnership Program grant to investigate current behavioural care management of people with delirium and/or dementia.
• Empowering Elder Law (PDF, 39Kb)
  Professor Carolyn Sappideen, School of Law, is leading research into laws to protect the elderly. This NSW Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care grant aims to develop an updated interagency protocol on elder abuse.
• Encouraging Indigenous Education (PDF, 37Kb)
  Professor Dennis McInerney from the SELF Research Centre, is investigating ways to encourage remote Indigenous students to complete post-secondary education. This ARC Discovery project in collaboration with researchers from Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education and the Center for Indian Education at Arizona State University is seeking ways to tackle the issue of under-achievement of Indigenous students in remote locations.
• Putting the Heat on Grevilleas (PDF, 41Kb)
  Dr Charles Morris from the Ecology and Environment Research Group is investigating the germination process of Australian Grevillea species. This Australian Flora Foundation project will build upon earlier work that established that the seed coat is responsible for dormancy in G. linearifolia.
• School Safety (PDF, 33Kb)
  Professor Margaret Vickers from the School of Education is leading a team that is conducting an impact study on the Safe Schools: Making the Links pilot project of 2004. The research is being funded by the NSW Department of Education and Training. Other team members are Dr Kerry Robinson, Dr Tania Ferfolja and Dr Maggie Clarke.
• Housing Construction and Wind Speed (PDF, 35Kb)
  Associate Professor Graham Miller, School of Engineering, is working in partnership with James Cook University, with funding from Geoscience Australia, to undertake a survey of forty five residential houses under construction to determine the extent to which they are wind speed resistant.
• Creating Guidelines for Psychosocial Response to Terrorism (PDF, 28Kb)
  Professor Beverley Raphael, School of Medicine, and her team, in partnership with NSW Health and national and state counter-terrorism agencies, has received funding from the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet to research and develop best practice guidelines to assist those responding to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents.
• Picture This: young people and media violence (PDF, 26Kb)
  Associate Professors Virginia Nightingale and Anna Gibbs, School of Communication Arts, are undertaking research into young people and media images. This ARC Discovery project will investigate the role of affect and emotion in the communicative power of images, particularly when young people encounter disturbing imagery.
• New Work for Grey Nomads (PDF, 36Kb)
  Associate Professor Rosemary Leonard, Social Justice and Social Change research centre, is involved in an ARC Linkage project led by Professor Jenny Onyx, University of Technology, Sydney, in partnership with Volunteering Australia. The project aims to build mutually beneficial relationships between ‘grey nomads’ and the isolated rural communities they visit through volunteer programs.
• Making the Turn to a Green Golf Club (PDF, 36Kb)
  Mr Bruce Simmons, together with Associate Professor Basant Maheshwari, School of Natural Sciences, and PhD scholarship student Melanie Schwecke, is investigating ways to improve water supply needs at urban golf courses in Australia. This Water Research Program has been developed with Manly Golf Club to investigate the harvest and use of urban stormwater for golf course irrigation to reduce reliance upon urban water supplies and improve the quality of water for irrigation.
• Computation of Thin-Walled Structures (PDF, 30Kb)
  Associate Professor Yang Xiang, School of Engineering, is developing computational methods for analysis of thin-walled structures. This ARC Discovery project will address some of the difficulties associated with the mechanical behaviour of thin-walled structures, such as high frequency vibration, stress concentration and buckling after being subjected to various loading conditions.
• Triple Bottom Line Decision Making in Local Government (PDF, 28Kb)
  Dr Tavis Potts from AEGIS, College of Business, is exploring decision making about sustainability and reporting frameworks used in local government with research partner Hornsby Shire Council.
• Cultural Planning in Western Sydney (PDF, 42Kb)
  Dr Elaine Lally and Professor Bob Hodge, from the Centre for Cultural Research, are responding to the goals and demands for cultural planning in the information age. This ARC Linkage project with industry partners Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils Limited (WSROC) and Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) will use digital infrastructure to boost the role of social and cultural values in strategic planning in Greater Western Sydney (GWS).
• Extracting More for the Environment from Olives (PDF, 34Kb)
  Associate Professor Tan Nair from the Centre for Plant and Food Science has designed research with Australian olive industry partner Bentivoglio Olives to develop environmentally sustainable systems to manage wastes from the olive oil extraction process.
• Perceiving Tone Languages With Cochlear Implants (PDF, 54Kb)
  Professor Denis Burnham and Dr Christine Kitamura at MARCS Auditory Laboratories, Associate Professor Valter Ciocca at Hong Kong University, and Associate Professor Jim Patrick, Chief Scientist with MARCS industry partner, Cochlear Limited, have secured funding from the Australian Research Council to investigate optimal methods for training tone language (notably Chinese) children with cochlear implants how to perceive their native language more effectively.
• Investigating Performance Limitation of Wireless Networked Feedback Systems (PDF, 33Kb)
  Associate Professor Wei Xing Zheng, School of Computing and Mathematics, together with Professor Jie Chen, University of California is exploring feedback control over wireless networks. This ARC Discovery project aims to investigate the fundamental constraints, limitations and tradeoffs in the design of wireless networked control systems.
• Breaking Up Primary School Bullying (PDF, 29Kb)
  Professor Rhonda Craven, Dr Martin Dowson, and Linda Finger (PhD Candidate), SELF Research Centre, are continuing their research into primary school bullying in partnership with the Catholic Education Office. This ARC Linkage project will aim to reduce bullying via processes that educate the school community as a whole.
• Building a Realistic Talking Head (PDF, 51Kb)
  Professor Denis Burnham, from MARCS Auditory Laboratories, and Dr Takaaki Kuratate, previously from ATR International, Japan, have received funding to develop realistic face animation in computer graphics. This Australian Research Council Discovery project will fund Dr Kuratate to take up a postdoctoral position at MARCS in July, 2006. The aim is to establish a database of types of face movements and shapes from children and older people from various ethnic backgrounds, and develop procedures for the synthesis of highly perceptible speech in talking heads.
• Tear Films (PDF, 28Kb)
  Associate Professor Thomas Millar, School of Natural Sciences, has received funding to investigate the structure of the tear film of the eye. This ALCON Research Limited project aims to identify the components responsible for maintaining the stability of the tear film which at present remain unproven.
• Improving Decision-Making for Advanced Dementia (PDF, 42Kb)
  Professor Esther Chang, the Nursing Family Health, Outcomes, Resilience, Capacity Building Evidence (N-FORCE) research group, is leading a team of researchers to improve the care of patients with dementia. This Department of Health and Ageing funded project will develop, implement, evaluate and promote sustainability of a decision-making framework for advanced dementia care.
• Decision Support System Interfaces (PDF, 41Kb)
  Associate Professor Mark Wiggins, MARCS Auditory Laboratories, and Dr Merilyn Childs, School of Social Sciences, have received funding to investigate a new approach to the design of computer-based decision support systems. This ARC Discovery project aims to explore a systematic approach to identify the most appropriate ways for computer operators to formulate decisions in a range of different environments, including fire-fighting, maintenance engineering and aviation.
• Reframing Responses to Sexual Abuse Trauma (PDF, 32Kb)
  Associate Professor Louise O’Brien from the School of Nursing has received funding for research into sexual abuse from the Mental Health Coordinating Council. Professor O’Brien aims to enhance the capacity of non-government organisations to provide services to adult victims/survivors of child sexual assault who have complex mental health and substance abuse problems.
• A Gain for Grain Farmers (PDF, 42Kb)
  Professor Peter Cornish and Ms Deborah Atkins, School of Natural Sciences, have received funding from the Natural Heritage Trust to improve water quality in Australian grain farming catchments. The project will assist farmers to implement the results from previous research into environmental best management practices.
• Dealing with Dementia (PDF, 29Kb)
  Professor Esther Chang from the Nursing Family Health, Outcomes, Resilience, Capacity Building Evidence (N-FORCE) research group, is leading a research team to evaluate a family information booklet for family carers of people with dementia. Funding is being provided by the Commonwealth Government Department of Health & Ageing.
• The Brazilian Community in Australia (PDF, 39Kb)
  Dr Cristina Rocha, Centre for Cultural Research, is investigating Australian-Brazilian cultural exchange. This ARC Discovery project aims to research the experiences of Australians who are in contact with Brazil and Brazilians who live in Australia to see how flows of people, commodities and ideas between the two countries shape the way Brazil and Brazilian identity is negotiated and constructed in Australia.
• Regional Irrigation Business Partnership (PDF, 42Kb)
  Associate Professor Basant Maheshwari, School of Natural Sciences, is undertaking research in partnership with a range of stakeholders to achieve a more sustainable urban water supply. The Regional Irrigation Business Partnership Development (RIBP)™ is funded by the Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures and aims to help reduce potable water demand in the South Creek catchment of Western Sydney.
• Fingerprinting the Forests (PDF, 32Kb)
  Professor John Cairney, Centre for Plant and Food Science, is participating in research into global climate change and the associated effect upon forests. This ARC Discovery project will use innovative techniques to study the impacts of climate change and forest management on plant-soil-microbe interactions.
• Taking the Trauma Out of Transitions (PDF, 39Kb)
  A team of researchers from the School of Education - Sue Dockett, Bob Perry, Margaret Vickers, Diana Whitton and Christine Johnston, is researching educational transitions over key timeframes. This research is being funded by the NSW Department of Education and Training and aims to explore other major educational transitions - other than starting school.
• Nonmonotonic Logic Programming for Complex Knowledge Systems (PDF, 28Kb)
  Associate Professor Yan Zhang, School of Computing and Mathematics, is undertaking research into computer framework programming. This ARC Discovery project aims to explore the foundations of nonmonotonic logic programming. This form of programming is much more flexible for knowledge representation and reasoning compared to other traditional approaches.
• Taking Strides to Treat Plantar Heel Pain (PDF, 33Kb)
  School of Biomedical and Health Sciences PhD student Mr Joel Radford has been successful in obtaining funding from the Australian Podiatry Education and Research Foundation to investigate the effectiveness of calf muscle stretches for short-term treatment of plantar heel pain.
• Helping Young People Manage Type 1 Diabetes (PDF, 44Kb)
  Associate Professor Christine Johnston, School of Education, and Professor Herb Marsh, SELF Research Centre, have received funding to investigate critical pathways to self-management for children and adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. This ARC Linkage project in partnership with the University of Sydney, The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Diabetes Centre and Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals will explore the factors which determine effective and ineffective diabetes management in young people.
• Homebuyer Preferences (PDF, 37Kb)
  Professor Kay Anderson from the Centre for Cultural Research (CCR) has received funding from the Urban Development Institute of Australia under the UWS Research Partnerships Program to find out what homebuyers know about and want in the way of local council facilities and services – which their rates and levies pay for. The study aims to provide a better understanding of the complex dynamics of ‘ownership’ in shaping residential community development in Greater Western Sydney.
• Treating Bowel Disorders with Traditional Medicine (PDF, 29Kb)
  Professor Alan Bensoussan from the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research (CompleMed) is a co-investigator in a National Institute of Health (NIH) International Collaborative Research Centre Project. This is only the third award by the prestigious USA NIH for complementary and alternative medicine and is testament to CompleMed’s reputation in Chinese Medicine and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Research will be undertaken to examine the effectiveness of Chinese Medicine on functional bowel disorders.
• Climate and Crop Disease Management (PDF, 36Kb)
  Associate Professor Samsul Huda, Centre for Plant and Food Science (PAFS), has received funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to strengthen research ties between Australia and India in the area of climate related risk analysis and management, with a particular focus on managing crop disease.
• High Resolution Thermo-Analytical Facility (PDF, 46Kb)
  Professor Mick Wilson, School of Natural Sciences, is leading a team that has won an ARC Linkage Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) grant. The funds will enable the purchase of a high-resolution thermo-analytical facility to be commissioned at the University of Western Sydney.
• Enabling a Community (PDF, 38Kb)
  Dr Lesley Kuhn, School of Management, and Dr Robert Woog, School of Education, have received funding from the Sir Ian Potter Foundation to research the effectiveness of the Mt Druitt Enablers Program.
• Macleay Collection (PDF, 35Kb)
  Robyn Stacey from the School of Communication Arts and the Centre for Plant and Food Science has received funding from the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales under the UWS Research Partnerships Program to promote a new understanding of the Macleay collection.
• Urban Irrigation – Saving Sydney’s Water (PDF, 30Kb)
  Associate Professor Basant Maheshwari, School of Natural Sciences, is undertaking research to better understand the technical factors affecting the efficiency of urban irrigation. This project, funded by the Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures, will explore water use and efficiency across different irrigation methods in the Sydney metropolitan area (SMA). It aims to identify suitable strategies and tools that will help conserve water in the urban irrigation sector.
• The Sustainability Challenge (PDF, 48Kb)
  Associate Professor Basant Maheshwari, School of Natural Sciences, is undertaking research into measuring sustainability within the irrigation industry. Funded by the Cooperative Research Centre, Irrigation Futures, the research will enable measurement of how the irrigation sector is impacting on surrounding areas to determine whether it can continue into the future without long-term detriment to the environment.
• Cultural Practices and Learning (PDF, 33Kb)
  Dr Greg Noble from the Centre for Cultural Research and Dr Megan Watkins from the School of Education are undertaking an Australian Research Council Linkage project, in collaboration with the Multicultural Education Unit of the NSW Department of Education and Training, to explore how particular home and school practices help produce the attributes of learners.
• Taking the First Step (PDF, 34Kb)
  Dr Debra Costley and Associate Professor Steve Wilson, School of Education, have received funding to research ‘The First Step’ Work for the Dole Project from the Fairfield Community Resource Centre. ‘The First Step’ offers individuals currently receiving parenting payments, the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence in order to help them re-enter the workforce.
• Better Cropping for the East India Plateau (PDF, 50Kb)
  Professor Peter Cornish, School of Natural Sciences, is undertaking research to produce better cropping systems for small farmers on the East India Plateau. Funding is being provided by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
• Water Quality in the Manly Dam Catchment (PDF, 55Kb)
  Mr Bruce Simmons from the School of Natural Sciences is working with Warringah Council to research water quality in the Manly Dam Catchment.
• Mushroom Magic (PDF, 43Kb)
  Dr Dennis Chang, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences and Complementary Medicine Research Centre, is supervising PhD student Ms Nerida Klupp in a randomised placebo controlled trial to valuate the effectiveness of Ganoderma lucidum (reishi) mushrooms for treatment of Metabolic Syndrome. The project is being supported by Concord International Pty Limited.
• Child Care Review (PDF, 35Kb)
  Associate Professor Jacqueline Hayden, Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre (SJSC), is a member of the research team that has won a national competitive tender from the Commonwealth Department of Family & Community Services.
• Auditory Icons for Civil Aviation (PDF, 39Kb)
  Associate Professor Kate Stevens and Dr Mark Wiggins, MARCS Auditory Laboratories, have received research funding from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to investigate auditory warning signals for use in civil aviation.
• Carers Learning to Care for Themselves (PDF, 30Kb)
  Professor Jane Ussher, School of Psychology, is leading a collaborative research project investigating the gendered experiences and needs of carers of people with cancer. This ARC Linkage grant aims to explore the concerns, self-perceived needs and psychological wellbeing of primary informal carers for persons with cancer living in New South Wales.
• Monitoring Neonatal Medical Alerts (PDF, 29Kb)
  Dr Carolyn McGregor, School of Computing and Mathematics, is researching Data Stream Event Correlation (DSEC) and Intelligent Decision Support Systems (IDSS) in partnership with the Nepean Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This ARC Linkage project applies Dr McGregor’s previous research to monitoring newborn infants requiring intensive care after birth.
• Knowledge Generation (PDF, 303Kb)
  Dr George Morgan from the Centre for Cultural Research (CCR) is leading a team of researchers who will consider how education and training policies have affected the lives of three generations of people in Western Sydney. The project has been funded by the University of Western Sydney and the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) under the UWS Research Partnerships Program and is part of a larger international study being carried out at sites in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Poland.
• Promoting Non-violent Partnerships (PDF, 38Kb)
  Associate Professor Moira Carmody, School of Social Sciences, has received funding to investigate and promote non-violent relationships of young women and men. This ARC Linkage project in partnership with the NSW Rape Crisis Centre will target those aged 16-25 years in three rural and metropolitan sites.
• Using Your Instincts (PDF, 30Kb)
  Dr Anneke Fitzgerald, AEGIS, is leading a project to both improve productivity of employees and reduce their stress levels. The study will involve the use of the Instinctive Drive System™. Funding for this research is from Link-up International, the developers of the System.
• Success for Nanotechnology (PDF, 37Kb)
  Professor William S. Price from the School of Biomedical and Health Sciences is part of a successful ARC Linkage Infrastructure and Facilities (LIEF) grant, together with researchers at seven other universities. The grant will provide funding for the purchase of an ultra-high resolution imaging Bruker Biospin NMR spectrometer which will extend the research capacity of over fifty academics and postgraduate students.
• Exploring Symbiotic Fungal Diversity (PDF, 67Kb)
  Professor John Cairney, Centre for Plant and Food Science, is undertaking research to explore the importance of symbiotic mycorrhizal fungal diversity in the nutrition of Ericaceae plants. This ARC Discovery project also aims to clarify the relationships between the mycorrhizal fungi, which help their host plants obtain minerals from soil, and similar non-mycorrhizal fungi that inhabit the roots of other plants.
• Quality Assurance of the NSW Mass Valuation System (PDF, 35Kb)
  Associate Professor John MacFarlane, School of Computing and Mathematics, has been awarded funding by the NSW Office of the Valuer General to carry out research into quality assurance of the NSW Mass Valuation System.
• Sending Hacking Packing (PDF, 138Kb)
  Associate Professor Yan Zhang from the School of Computing and Mathematics is undertaking research to improve information security. This ARC Discovery project aims to provide the foundations of protocols needed to develop software systems that automatically check and update security procedures, improving their capacity to withstand security attacks.
• Capturing Historic Collections (PDF, 29Kb)
  Ms Robyn Stacey from the School of Communication Arts and the Plant and Food Science Research Centre, has received funding from the Australia Council for the Arts to create a series of photographic and digital works that re-contextualise the historical natural history collections of the Macleay Family. These are housed at the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney and Elizabeth Bay House.
• What Moves Australian Contemporary Dance? (PDF, 42Kb)
  Associate Professor Kate Stevens from the School of Psychology and MARCS Auditory Laboratories is leading collaborative research to investigate Australian contemporary dance. This Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project brings together UWS researchers, the Australia Council for the Arts, the Australian Choreographic Centre, the Australian Dance Council – Ausdance, and the ACT Cultural Facilities Corporation, in order to explore the little known processes that underpin the creation and performance of communicative dance works. The processes and stylistic traditions that are characteristic of Australian dance forms will also be examined.
• Unlocking Shear Interaction of Concrete Keys (PDF, 26Kb)
  Dr Andrew Wheeler, School of Engineering has received funding from MP Engineers Pty Ltd to find a way to determine the strength of structural concrete keys used in multi storey and medium sized buildings.
• Developing an Olive Field Guide (PDF, 45Kb)
  Associate Professor Robert Spooner-Hart from the Centre for Plant and Food Science is working with funding from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) to develop an olive pest and disease field guide.
• Finding Fuller Flavour (PDF, 246Kb)
  Dr Vince Higgins, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences and co-investigators at University of New South Wales, is collaborating with Carlton & United Breweries to enhance the flavour of fermented beverages. This ARC Linkage project will use functional genomics to identify yeast genes that create the flavour in fermented drinks. After studying the genes the researchers will manipulate the conditions during industrial fermentation that can effect flavour production and stability.
• Searching with Synchrotron (PDF, 193Kb)
  Dr Nguyen Tran, School of Natural Sciences has received funding from the Australian Synchrotron Research Program to investigate the atomic-scale structures of polymer-clay nanocomposites.
• REACHing Student Potential (PDF, 161Kb)
  Professor Herbert Marsh, Dr Andrew Martin, and Professor Dennis McInerney from the SELF Research Centre are conducting research into Real Educational Achievement (REACH). This ARC Discovery project aims to encourage students to attain real educational achievement by enhancing student motivation and self concept. It also looks at some very topical and compelling questions such as the impact of a teacher’s gender on boys’ and girls’ motivation at school and how much of students’ motivation is accounted for by their teacher and how much by other factors.
• PMS and Relationships (PDF, 145Kb)
  Professor Jane Ussher and Dr Janette Perz from the School of Psychology are undertaking research to investigate Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). This ARC Discovery project will explore the development, experience and social construction of PMS by studying women who are experiencing relationship problems.
• I Think, Therefore… Literature as a way of thinking (PDF, 41Kb)
  Associate Professor Anthony Uhlmann from the School of Humanities and Languages and the Writing and Society Research Group, is examining the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s idea of ‘the image of thought’ in relation to literature. This Australian Research Council Discovery Grant will examine the representation of thought in works by nine major writers.
• Do Infants Know What’s Good for Them? (PDF, 161Kb)
  Dr Christine Kitamura from the MARCS Auditory Laboratories is undertaking research into hearing loss and speech in young children. This ARC Discovery project will lay the groundwork for the design of hearing aids amplified for infants, not adults as is the current practice.
• The How and Why of Speech Perception (PDF, 158Kb)
  Professor Denis Burnham, Director of MARCS Auditory Laboratories, is working with Dr Kimiko Tsukada at MARCS, and Professor Kaoru Sekiyama at Future University in Japan, on research to investigate and compare the perception of speech by infants whose mother tongue is English and those whose mother tongue is Japanese. This ARC Discovery project will explore the variations in the way speech is conveyed by speakers of both languages through differing voice and visual information patterns.
• Forever Young? (PDF, 241Kb)
  Dr Brett Neilson from the Centre for Cultural Research is exploring the trans- national dimensions of anti-ageing medicine and its implications for the governance of later life. This ARC Discovery project is being carried out in collaboration with the Italian National Research Centre on Ageing (INRCA) and will bring together cultural research with biomedical and socioeconomic expertise.
• Quality Teaching and School Leadership (PDF, 45Kb)
  Associate Professor Catherine Sinclair from the School of Education is heading a research project that will explore current knowledge, understanding and practice in quality teaching and school leadership. The project is being supported by the National Institute for Quality Teaching and School Leadership (NIQTSL).
• Managing Tourism Mecca (PDF, 233Kb)
  Associate Professor Robyn Bushell from the School of Social Sciences is leading a team of environmental management researchers who will study the impacts of tourism on the local environment and businesses in Manly. The project is funded by the NSW Environmental Trust.

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