Sensory impairments and driving: can older drivers cope with distracters? This research adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the problems of older drivers, and drivers in general. The research will provide a clear understanding of how visual and auditory distracters impact upon the driving behaviour and safety of individuals with vision and hearing impairment and those experiencing age-related declines in cognitive skills. The research is highly significant in terms of improving o ....Sensory impairments and driving: can older drivers cope with distracters? This research adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the problems of older drivers, and drivers in general. The research will provide a clear understanding of how visual and auditory distracters impact upon the driving behaviour and safety of individuals with vision and hearing impairment and those experiencing age-related declines in cognitive skills. The research is highly significant in terms of improving our understanding of how sensory impairment and age-related changes impact upon driving performance, the impact of an increasingly complex driving and in-vehicle environment and will provide tangible benefits for the road safety of the wider community.Read moreRead less
Optical defects of the eye and their relationship to visual performance. All of us will need ophthalmic correction (spectacles, contact lenses and/or refractive surgery) at some stage in our lives. This research is important to the whole Australian community as it will lead to improved equipment for measuring optics of the eye and their effects on spatial vision, better techniques for measuring vision, and obtaining a better understanding of the contribution of the optics to human vision. It wil ....Optical defects of the eye and their relationship to visual performance. All of us will need ophthalmic correction (spectacles, contact lenses and/or refractive surgery) at some stage in our lives. This research is important to the whole Australian community as it will lead to improved equipment for measuring optics of the eye and their effects on spatial vision, better techniques for measuring vision, and obtaining a better understanding of the contribution of the optics to human vision. It will provide information about how correcting optical defects through customized refractive surgery and how inducing optical defects (eg with progressive addition lenses) affect vision, and will thus guide developments in refractive surgery and spectacle lenses. Read moreRead less
Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species ....Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species diversity, regulatory networks, and plant and animal development. The early adoption of multi-gigabase next-generation sequencing technology in Australia provides rare and exciting opportunity to lead the world in genome-scale research, and to ensure that Australia has the necessary skill base to remain internationally competitive in this field.Read moreRead less
On being Australian: exploring the role of Anzac museum and heritage interpretive experiences in developing visitors' sense of national identity. This research explores the role of the Anzac story, as interpreted at museums and heritage sites, in helping new and established Australians to develop their sense of national identity. It will enable such sites to provide powerful and effective experiences, encouraging visitors to reflect on what it means to be Australian in a multicultural society.
Nano-machining of diamond-like carbon (DLC): Scientific basis and technical potential. Nanotechnology will be the basis for the next post-industrial revolution, and will be the main driver of future national economies. It is crucially important that at the very least Australia is a significant niche player in those developments. The project represents an effort to promote those goals.
Very thin, highly oriented and featured diamond films. The technology for making very thin diamond films, having sculpted surface features and fabricated from tiny and highly oriented individual diamond crystallites, would enable widespread potential applications, including eg surface acoustic wave devices, optical biosensors for ?lab-on-a-chip?, and field emitter arrays for paper thin, bright and wide angle flat panel displays, amongst others. Diamond is uniquely suited to these applications, ....Very thin, highly oriented and featured diamond films. The technology for making very thin diamond films, having sculpted surface features and fabricated from tiny and highly oriented individual diamond crystallites, would enable widespread potential applications, including eg surface acoustic wave devices, optical biosensors for ?lab-on-a-chip?, and field emitter arrays for paper thin, bright and wide angle flat panel displays, amongst others. Diamond is uniquely suited to these applications, and the capability to manipulate film properties and features which is the key requirement, is within grasp.Read moreRead less
Self-cleaning thin films for anti-reflective solar cell coatings. This project addresses an important industry need by designing a new class of functional composite coatings for efficiency and durability improvement of solar cells. A successful outcome will provide an important breakthrough in thin film technology applicable not only to solar panels but also other coating applications.
Sustainable processes for next-generation surface coatings and core-shell nanoparticles based on biomolecular templating. Nanotechnology promises new materials with broad impact, yet our ability to manufacture complex nanomaterials using sustainable processes is very limited. This project will advance our knowledge of nanomaterial manufacture using inspiration from how complex materials are made in nature. This project will deliver next-generation surface coatings that are incredibly thin but st ....Sustainable processes for next-generation surface coatings and core-shell nanoparticles based on biomolecular templating. Nanotechnology promises new materials with broad impact, yet our ability to manufacture complex nanomaterials using sustainable processes is very limited. This project will advance our knowledge of nanomaterial manufacture using inspiration from how complex materials are made in nature. This project will deliver next-generation surface coatings that are incredibly thin but strong, and specialised nanoparticles made using biocompatible processes. The knowledge and methods developed will benefit the biotechnology and nanotechnology sectors, as well as research in soft-matter science, quantum computing, photonics and healthcare. The value proposition for innovation in these fields will increasingly rely on new nanomanufacturing approaches.Read moreRead less
Self-Leadership towards Innovation & Well-Being. Innovation and well-being in the workplace are of paramount importance in maintaining Australia's social and economic environment. Self-leadership training provides employees with strategies to build confidence and resilience, identify opportunities in the environment, deriving greater meaning and enjoyment from work. Self-leadership training has already been shown to improve performance; this project extends self-leadership research by testing th ....Self-Leadership towards Innovation & Well-Being. Innovation and well-being in the workplace are of paramount importance in maintaining Australia's social and economic environment. Self-leadership training provides employees with strategies to build confidence and resilience, identify opportunities in the environment, deriving greater meaning and enjoyment from work. Self-leadership training has already been shown to improve performance; this project extends self-leadership research by testing the effects of self-leadership training on employee innovation and well-being. It also elucidates the psychological processes underlying improvements in innovation and well-being. The project addresses ARC Research Priorities 2 and 3 and contributes to Australia's social and economic advancement.Read moreRead less
Social futures and life pathways of young people in Queensland: waves 4 and 5 of a longitudinal study. This project assesses the impact of globalisation on the attitudes, behaviors, and life pathways of a cohort of over 7000 young Queenslanders, first surveyed when they were aged 12 and 13. Participants will be followed up when they are aged 19 and 20 and 20/21 to examine their experiences of the transition from school to work, family and social life.