Operator Decision Modelling in Autonomous Systems. The incorporation of humans as decision-makers into a complex system comprising of many autonomous agents is becoming increasingly important in areas such as defence, search-and-rescue, special emergency services, bush-fire and ecology management. This project will address how human decisions are made in such systems through the formulation and demonstration of innovative algorithms which model the operator decision making process. Generating so ....Operator Decision Modelling in Autonomous Systems. The incorporation of humans as decision-makers into a complex system comprising of many autonomous agents is becoming increasingly important in areas such as defence, search-and-rescue, special emergency services, bush-fire and ecology management. This project will address how human decisions are made in such systems through the formulation and demonstration of innovative algorithms which model the operator decision making process. Generating solutions to this increasingly important area will provide Australia's industry and community services the necessary knowledge for deploying such systems and thus improving service effectiveness, as well as the implementation of autonomous systems into new areas and thus increasing economic growth.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354605
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
The Earth System Dynamics Network for a Sustainable Australia. Earth comprises systems of enormous complexity that sustain all life and control the distribution of mineral, energy and water resources. Thus understanding these dynamic systems provides the key to sustainable resource usage. The aim of The Earth System Dynamics Network is to facilitate scientific interactions through establishment of an earth and environmental sciences grid that links national and regional data assets with high per ....The Earth System Dynamics Network for a Sustainable Australia. Earth comprises systems of enormous complexity that sustain all life and control the distribution of mineral, energy and water resources. Thus understanding these dynamic systems provides the key to sustainable resource usage. The aim of The Earth System Dynamics Network is to facilitate scientific interactions through establishment of an earth and environmental sciences grid that links national and regional data assets with high performance computing through open sourced middleware. The result will be an unparalleled predictive capacity for complex Earth systems. The outcome will be confidence in the knowledge that underpins our decisions as stakeholders to keep Australia sustainable.Read moreRead less
ARC Research Network for Advanced Materials. Materials science/engineering is decidedly interdisciplinary, covering all science and impacting on all manufacturing industry. This network will promote interactions that do not usually occur between materials researchers and students across Australia and internationally from diverse disciplines. The scope is broadly based on advanced materials production, processing and properties but focused in four areas, involving: i) innovative structural/functi ....ARC Research Network for Advanced Materials. Materials science/engineering is decidedly interdisciplinary, covering all science and impacting on all manufacturing industry. This network will promote interactions that do not usually occur between materials researchers and students across Australia and internationally from diverse disciplines. The scope is broadly based on advanced materials production, processing and properties but focused in four areas, involving: i) innovative structural/functional materials, ii) high-tech IT/communications/sensing materials, iii) materials solutions for manufacturing, iv) materials for a sustainable Australia, and v) emerging materials technologies. Key programs will promote interdisciplinary workshops and early career researcher interactions.Read moreRead less
Uncoupling past salinity and temperature signals in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool: implications for climate change in the Australian region. The tropical oceans and in particular the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, immediately to Australia's north, play a key role in modulating global and Australian climate through El-Niño and related phenomena. Using a new microanalysis approach to analyse individual foraminifera from deep-sea cores, we will reconstruct past salinity and temperature variability within the ....Uncoupling past salinity and temperature signals in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool: implications for climate change in the Australian region. The tropical oceans and in particular the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, immediately to Australia's north, play a key role in modulating global and Australian climate through El-Niño and related phenomena. Using a new microanalysis approach to analyse individual foraminifera from deep-sea cores, we will reconstruct past salinity and temperature variability within the Warm Pool, and determine changing rainfall patterns and, ENSO and monsoon behaviour under climate conditions that lie outside modern records. This information is vital for understanding past climate and predicting the future intensity and frequency of El-Niño related drought and wet cycles in Australia.Read moreRead less
Yield strength and plastic flow of heterogeneous materials: Designing optimal composites and porous materials. A major goal of materials science is to design materials with improved functionality at lower weight, cost and size. It is important to guide this expensive and time-consuming process with sophisticated computer modelling. In this project we aim to model how and why composite and porous materials fail when they are placed under stress. Our results will make materials design more efficie ....Yield strength and plastic flow of heterogeneous materials: Designing optimal composites and porous materials. A major goal of materials science is to design materials with improved functionality at lower weight, cost and size. It is important to guide this expensive and time-consuming process with sophisticated computer modelling. In this project we aim to model how and why composite and porous materials fail when they are placed under stress. Our results will make materials design more efficient by providing a valuable experimental interpretive tool and a theoretical map for material optimization. Our models will also provide crucial information needed for modelling the behavior of composites in applications.Read moreRead less
Modelling soil formation in the landscape. Soil is a complex system composed of a set of interconnected physical, chemical and biological factors that function as a whole. Soil system is a key part of natural ecosystems that is significantly affected by land management. This project aims to create a new quantitative model for soil formation in the landscape. This project will investigate whether the soil variability is a result of the soil being a complex system. The outcome of the model will en ....Modelling soil formation in the landscape. Soil is a complex system composed of a set of interconnected physical, chemical and biological factors that function as a whole. Soil system is a key part of natural ecosystems that is significantly affected by land management. This project aims to create a new quantitative model for soil formation in the landscape. This project will investigate whether the soil variability is a result of the soil being a complex system. The outcome of the model will enable us to reconstruct the history of soil profile development in the landscape and help us understand how soil forms and landscape evolves with time.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354727
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
Mathematics for Government, Industry and Community -- The *Magic* Network. The *Magic* network will promote the use of mathematics by government, industry and community to analyse real problems and implement practical solutions. It will connect the most promising young Australian mathematicians to experienced researchers with strong research teams linked directly to the broader community. Our program will demand research excellence, emphasise a sustainable society, support outstanding young mat ....Mathematics for Government, Industry and Community -- The *Magic* Network. The *Magic* network will promote the use of mathematics by government, industry and community to analyse real problems and implement practical solutions. It will connect the most promising young Australian mathematicians to experienced researchers with strong research teams linked directly to the broader community. Our program will demand research excellence, emphasise a sustainable society, support outstanding young mathematicians and create opportunities for promising postgraduate students. We will offer scholarships for professional development and fund research visits and exchanges. *Magic* will provide tangible incentives for young Australian mathematicians and a new generation of researchers and research leaders.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0237427
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$269,000.00
Summary
Equipment for Fluorescence-Based Cellular Analysis. The requested equipment is needed by a large grouping of highly productive researchers to carry out work across a very broad range of fields that is otherwise difficult or impossible to perform. The new equipment will facilitate obtaining many exciting and important outcomes, including identification of: (i) mechanisms controlling cell death, (ii) natural biological products that may have commercial applications (eg anti-fouling agents), (iii) ....Equipment for Fluorescence-Based Cellular Analysis. The requested equipment is needed by a large grouping of highly productive researchers to carry out work across a very broad range of fields that is otherwise difficult or impossible to perform. The new equipment will facilitate obtaining many exciting and important outcomes, including identification of: (i) mechanisms controlling cell death, (ii) natural biological products that may have commercial applications (eg anti-fouling agents), (iii) "probiotic" bacteria and vaccines that may be used to protect animals from disease, and (iv) mechanisms by which changes in human lens proteins contribute to the development of cataract.Read moreRead less
The precise manipulation and deformation of fine glass medical products. The production of high quality medical products requires strict process control, which is especially important for products of microscopic dimensions such as the glass pipettes used for in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures and other research applications. In this project, a tailored mechanical system capable of simultaneously deforming a fine glass pipette at two points of micro geometrical dimensions and different temp ....The precise manipulation and deformation of fine glass medical products. The production of high quality medical products requires strict process control, which is especially important for products of microscopic dimensions such as the glass pipettes used for in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures and other research applications. In this project, a tailored mechanical system capable of simultaneously deforming a fine glass pipette at two points of micro geometrical dimensions and different temperatures will be developed after accurately experimentally benchmarking and computationally simulating the process. The system will be able to accommodate different types of pipettes and significantly improve the productivity and quality of this micro process.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668482
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$485,000.00
Summary
X-ray micro-tomography facility. This proposal identifies a new area of importance in the investigation of the function and structure of materials as diverse as muscle and metal coatings - the ability to quantify the physical structure of an object. Researchers can further couple that ability with existing facilities at La Trobe University, which allow the chemical makeup on an interface to be analysed. The planned research projects will benefit the community in applications ranging from compos ....X-ray micro-tomography facility. This proposal identifies a new area of importance in the investigation of the function and structure of materials as diverse as muscle and metal coatings - the ability to quantify the physical structure of an object. Researchers can further couple that ability with existing facilities at La Trobe University, which allow the chemical makeup on an interface to be analysed. The planned research projects will benefit the community in applications ranging from composite and light-weight materials for aerospace, metal coatings for automotive and tool manufacture and tissue engineering for artificial heart valves. This breadth of application ensures a truly multidisciplinary training environment for students in contact with the facility.Read moreRead less