Research Success

'Helping the helpers' - a key for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease? (PDF File 72.3 KB) (opens in a new window)
Megan Steele, a PhD student in the School of Medicine and her supervisor Associate Professor Gerald Münch, together with Dr Gilles Guillemin from the University of New South Wales, are researching the protective capabilities against dementia of certain central nervous system cells. This research is funded by Alzheimer's Australia Research.

Discovering the power in Me (PDF File 96.1 KB) (opens in a new window)
Dr Kathryn Nicholson Perry from the School of Psychology will commence a pilot study to help people with spinal cord injury better understand how they can contribute to their own recovery. This research is funded by the Spinal Cord Injury Network.

Exam coaching and UMAT (PDF File 80.6 KB) (opens in a new window)
Dr Barbara Griffin and Professor Ian Wilson from the School of Medicine are collaborating with Associate Professors Sally Carless and Margot Story, and Dr Margaret Hay from Monash University to investigate the effects of coaching students prior to them undertaking their Undergraduate Medical and Health Science Admission Test (UMAT). This research is funded by the Undergraduate Medical and Health Science Admission Test Consortium.

Healthy wombats (PDF File 76.4 KB) (opens in a new window)
Dr Julie Old and Mr Jack Wolfenden from the School of Natural Sciences have received funding from Emirates Hotels (Australia) Pty Ltd to undertake research that will lead to the treatment and conservation of wombats suffering with sarcoptic mange.

Success in mental illness (PDF File 101.3 KB) (opens in a new window)
Sharyn McGee and Associate Professor Meg Smith from the School of Social Sciences and Dr Gabrielle Gwyther from the Social Justice and Social Change Research Group are collaborating with the Richmond Fellowship of NSW to evaluate the effectiveness of a new community-based support and prevention strategy for mental health problems. The research has been funded by the Richmond Fellowship.

Interactive technologies (PDF File 113.9 KB) (opens in a new window)
Dr Garth Paine from the School of Communication Arts with Margaret Medlin from Critical Path Incorporated, Associate Professor John Sutton from Macquarie University, and Dr George Khut and Dr Lizzie Muller from University of Technology, Sydney, have been awarded a UWS Research Partnerships grant to investigate how interactive technologies transform notions of embodiment, agency and audience engagement within the performing arts.

Braid theory ties up data security (PDF File 91.9 KB) (opens in a new window)
Dr Volker Gebhardt from the School of Computing and Mathematics is collaborating with Professor Patrick Dehornoy from the University of Caen and Dr Juan González-Meneses from the University of Seville to explore mathematical theories that can improve data security. This project has been funded by the Australian Research Council through its Discovery Project scheme.

Rising CO₂ and eucalypts (PDF File 108.3 KB) (opens in a new window)
Professor David Ellsworth from the Centre for Plants and the Environment is leading a research team that will investigate the interactive effects of elevated CO₂ and increasing temperatures on Eucalypts to enable the future management of forests under conditions of global warming. The project is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry under its Forest Industries Climate Change Research Fund program.

Estimating rainfall (PDF File 74.2 KB) (opens in a new window)
Dr Ataur Rahman and Khaled Haddad from the School of Engineering are undertaking a project funded by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to conduct a study on GLS regression approach for design rainfall estimation in Australia.

Bridging the gap: Empowering locationally disadvantaged young people (PDF File 102.6 KB) (opens in a new window)
Professor Rhonda Craven and a team from the Centre for Educational Research and the Benevolent Society are examining an intervention program, Bridging The Gap, for locationally disadvantaged young people in areas of NSW. This research is funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage grant in partnership with the Benevolent Society.

Wind-excited tall buildings (PDF File 98.5 KB) (opens in a new window)
Professor Kenny Kwok from the School of Engineering will lead a team of researchers to investigate the effects of wind-induced vibration on occupants of tall buildings. This project is supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery grant. The multi-disciplinary team includes Professor Vaughan Macefield, School of Medicine; Dr Peter Hitchcock, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology; and Dr Darren Walton of Opus International Consultants.

Hungry insects (PDF File 88.9 KB) (opens in a new window)
Dr Markus Riegler and Professor David Ellsworth from the Centre for Plants and the Environment have been awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant to test the predicted responses of individual insect species and communities in eucalypt forests against realistic climate change scenarios.

Protecting building foundations (PDF File 79.8 KB) (opens in a new window)
Dr Samanthika Liyanapathirana and Associate Professor Chin Leo of the School of Engineering have been awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery grant to investigate protective measures used to mitigate damage of existing buildings during major urban construction activities.

'High touch' dementia care (PDF File 82.2 KB) (opens in a new window)
Professor Esther Chang of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and her colleagues Ms Amanda Johnson and Dr Daniel Nicholls lead a team of aged-care professionals researching alternative protocols for people with end-stage dementia. This project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing through its Local Palliative Care Grants Program.

Watering wise watering (PDF File 83.6 KB) (opens in a new window)
Professor Shelley Burgin and Dr Tony Webb from the School of Natural Sciences, together with Dr Bhakti Devi from City of Sydney Council and in partnership with Marrickville, Mosman, Rockdale City and Woollahra Councils, have been awarded a UWS Research Partnerships grant to advance the science of urban irrigation and translate it into practice.