Vision performance in relationship to spectacle lens design. Refractive errors such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness or presbyopia (age related decline in near vision) are the leading causes of visual impairment in the world. Of these, presbyopia affects almost 100% of the population above 45 years of age. This represents over 40% of all Australians. Although spectacles provide a safe and easy means of correcting refractive errors, they affect quality of life due to distorted vision, disco ....Vision performance in relationship to spectacle lens design. Refractive errors such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness or presbyopia (age related decline in near vision) are the leading causes of visual impairment in the world. Of these, presbyopia affects almost 100% of the population above 45 years of age. This represents over 40% of all Australians. Although spectacles provide a safe and easy means of correcting refractive errors, they affect quality of life due to distorted vision, discomfort such as head and neck ache and cosmetic effects. The goals of the project are to better understand the visual performance of young and old people who wear glasses and to develop improved spectacle lens designs to provide clear and comfortable vision over a range of distances.Read moreRead less
Telematics: Research & Development of Mobile Link for Telemedicine. This project is aimed at producing a reliable mobile video link between ambulance and hospital. In an emergency situation, video footage greatly assists the medical team in accurate deployment of resources to save lives. Motorola will be the industrial partner and this mobile telemedicine project fits into their telematics core business area. Together with Motorola, we will investigate video coding schemes, protocols and network ....Telematics: Research & Development of Mobile Link for Telemedicine. This project is aimed at producing a reliable mobile video link between ambulance and hospital. In an emergency situation, video footage greatly assists the medical team in accurate deployment of resources to save lives. Motorola will be the industrial partner and this mobile telemedicine project fits into their telematics core business area. Together with Motorola, we will investigate video coding schemes, protocols and network issues, to produce a commercially viable software/hardware solution. The outcome will be a working testbed that can be trialed at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The IP generated will benefit Motorola's telematics directive and training will generate a potentially useful future employee.Read moreRead less
Airborne ultrafine particles in Australian cities. There is an acute deficiency of knowledge in Australia on urban airborne ultrafine particles, originating from transport and other anthropogenic sources, which pose significant health and environmental risks. The aim of this project is to address this deficiency by an extensive multi-city, cross-disciplinary study using state of the art instrumentation and data analytic techniques. The outcome will be an in depth, quantitative insight into the c ....Airborne ultrafine particles in Australian cities. There is an acute deficiency of knowledge in Australia on urban airborne ultrafine particles, originating from transport and other anthropogenic sources, which pose significant health and environmental risks. The aim of this project is to address this deficiency by an extensive multi-city, cross-disciplinary study using state of the art instrumentation and data analytic techniques. The outcome will be an in depth, quantitative insight into the characteristics of the particles, their sources and spatial and temporal variation across different urban areas and time scales. Further, the impacts of changing fuels, vehicle technologies, and climate on future trends of the particles will be elucidated.Read moreRead less
Improving zoo/aquarium conservation learning outcomes: a values approach. This project aims to improve the educational value of zoos and aquariums in teaching and engaging the public about conservation issues. Although zoos and aquariums claim their current education programs are effective in reaching and educating the public on conservation issues, research shows their influence on visitors’ environmental behaviour is limited. The project intends to investigate the influence of zoo and aquarium ....Improving zoo/aquarium conservation learning outcomes: a values approach. This project aims to improve the educational value of zoos and aquariums in teaching and engaging the public about conservation issues. Although zoos and aquariums claim their current education programs are effective in reaching and educating the public on conservation issues, research shows their influence on visitors’ environmental behaviour is limited. The project intends to investigate the influence of zoo and aquarium visitors’ values or broad life goals on their environmental learning outcomes; develop values-based conservation education strategies; and measure the impact of these on visitors’ adoption of conservation actions. The intended outcomes are guidelines that will replace the current ‘one size fits all’ conservation messages with tailored experiences that attract, engage and influence those for whom environmental care and protection are not necessarily of central concern.Read moreRead less
Establishing advanced networks for air quality sensing and analyses. Establishing advanced networks for air quality sensing and analyses. This project aims to develop innovative, cost-effective, high resolution air quality networks. Recent developments in sensor technologies improve the ability to harvest atmospheric data. This project will develop, validate and implement methods for high sensitivity atmospheric sensing and apply cutting-edge statistical and analytic techniques to the data sets, ....Establishing advanced networks for air quality sensing and analyses. Establishing advanced networks for air quality sensing and analyses. This project aims to develop innovative, cost-effective, high resolution air quality networks. Recent developments in sensor technologies improve the ability to harvest atmospheric data. This project will develop, validate and implement methods for high sensitivity atmospheric sensing and apply cutting-edge statistical and analytic techniques to the data sets, unprecedented in scope and resolution. Outcomes include an open access database to quantify and visualise intra-urban air pollution and human exposure and develop air quality maps and smoke pollution management tools. It is expected to advance the evidence-based management of air as a resource, increasing economic prosperity and enhancing human health and quality of life.Read moreRead less
Development and evaluation of novel antibacterial coatings. Infections caused by bacterial biofilms adhering to biomedical implants and devices cause considerable problems in human health care. This project aims to develop a thin coating that can be applied to a wide range of implants and devices to prevent such bacterial infections. The coating is based on novel antibacterials from Australian plants.
Enabling three dimensional stochastic geological modelling. This project aims to develop technologies to mitigate three dimensional (3D) geological risk in resources management. This project expects to create new knowledge and methods in the field of 3D geological modelling through the innovative application of mathematical methods, structural geology concepts and probabilistic programming. The expected outcomes are an enhanced capability to model the subsurface, characterise model uncertainty a ....Enabling three dimensional stochastic geological modelling. This project aims to develop technologies to mitigate three dimensional (3D) geological risk in resources management. This project expects to create new knowledge and methods in the field of 3D geological modelling through the innovative application of mathematical methods, structural geology concepts and probabilistic programming. The expected outcomes are an enhanced capability to model the subsurface, characterise model uncertainty and test multiple geological scenarios. This enhanced capability is important for the future of Australia's subsurface management, including urban geology and our continuously growing sustainable resources industry.Read moreRead less
Reinvigorating middle years pedagogy in 'rustbelt' secondary schools. Internationally, the middle years of schooling are increasingly problematic for students and teachers, and thus a crucial site for pedagogical reform. The last decade of research and development is nearly exhausted. There is need for a new generation of pedagogical innovation that recognises shifts in demography, identities and socio-economic conditions. This project aims to build curriculum and pedagogical practice that enga ....Reinvigorating middle years pedagogy in 'rustbelt' secondary schools. Internationally, the middle years of schooling are increasingly problematic for students and teachers, and thus a crucial site for pedagogical reform. The last decade of research and development is nearly exhausted. There is need for a new generation of pedagogical innovation that recognises shifts in demography, identities and socio-economic conditions. This project aims to build curriculum and pedagogical practice that engage young people's lifeworlds and the concerns of their communities. It will, develop a university-school professional learning community that supports educational action research and that informs pedagogical practices through ethnographies of the everyday lives of diverse young people.Read moreRead less
Effective clinical handover communication: improving patient safety, experiences and outcomes. Communication in clinical handover (transfer of responsibility for patient care) plays a causal role in many adverse events. This project will contribute new knowledge for improvements in handover communication which will be shared across hospitals and health departments nationally to improve patient safety and reduce healthcare costs.
Addressing the teacher exodus: Enhancing early career teacher resilience and retention in changing times. This research will produce new knowledge, strategies, models and recommendations that will help to keep early career teachers in the profession in regional, rural and remote areas. In doing so it will address the problem of teacher shortage that is currently threatening the nation's educational, economic and social outcomes. The research outcomes will have particular credibility at the natio ....Addressing the teacher exodus: Enhancing early career teacher resilience and retention in changing times. This research will produce new knowledge, strategies, models and recommendations that will help to keep early career teachers in the profession in regional, rural and remote areas. In doing so it will address the problem of teacher shortage that is currently threatening the nation's educational, economic and social outcomes. The research outcomes will have particular credibility at the national level because they will be the result of dialogue and collaboration across three universities and six industry partners who are the key stakeholders in teacher employment in two states. In addition, the collaborative approach will facilitate implementation of recommendations at the local, state and national levels.Read moreRead less