Experimental constraints on Platinum-Group Element geochemistry: developing lithogeochemical exploration tools for nickel-sulfides in mafic and ultramafic systems. Nickel contributes approximately $2 billion per year to Australia's export income. Currently 80% of that is coming from sulfide deposits, which are expected to be exhausted within thirty years barring significant new discoveries. Discovery rates have been declining for two decades, as the 'easy' targets have been found, despite a broa ....Experimental constraints on Platinum-Group Element geochemistry: developing lithogeochemical exploration tools for nickel-sulfides in mafic and ultramafic systems. Nickel contributes approximately $2 billion per year to Australia's export income. Currently 80% of that is coming from sulfide deposits, which are expected to be exhausted within thirty years barring significant new discoveries. Discovery rates have been declining for two decades, as the 'easy' targets have been found, despite a broad increase in nickel exploration expenditure to current levels of around $50 million per year. There is a pressing need for new data sets and techniques to allow industry to target new discoveries based on limited drill sampling of potential host rocks. This project forms part of a broader program to harness the igneous geochemistry of the platinum group elements as a powerful pathfinder in nickel exploration.Read moreRead less
Catalytic Electron Transfer in Photosystem II of Plants and Bacteria. Large scale hydrogen production from electricity and abundant water sources, such as sea water, represents the ultimate goal for the research described here. This is part of an overall scheme, called "Artificial Photosynthesis", to generate clean renewable energy. Although the present project is but one step in this ambitious program, it directly addresses a key hurdle which must be overcome to make the project feasible. This ....Catalytic Electron Transfer in Photosystem II of Plants and Bacteria. Large scale hydrogen production from electricity and abundant water sources, such as sea water, represents the ultimate goal for the research described here. This is part of an overall scheme, called "Artificial Photosynthesis", to generate clean renewable energy. Although the present project is but one step in this ambitious program, it directly addresses a key hurdle which must be overcome to make the project feasible. This is the efficient electrical conversion of water into hydrogen and oxygen, a two part process of which the latter is the most chemically difficult. The project aims to 'steal nature's secrets', by deciphering and then technologically mimicking the highly efficient means by which plants carry out these processes.Read moreRead less
Exploiting Structure in AI Planning. The research will improve our ability to build generic, automated planning systems, which can efficiently select effective courses of actions in a range of situations such as crisis management, project planning, military operations planning, and transportation. It will help reduce the cost of building software to more efficiently solve important problems occurring in validating, controlling, and diagnosing complex systems. More generally, it will advance our ....Exploiting Structure in AI Planning. The research will improve our ability to build generic, automated planning systems, which can efficiently select effective courses of actions in a range of situations such as crisis management, project planning, military operations planning, and transportation. It will help reduce the cost of building software to more efficiently solve important problems occurring in validating, controlling, and diagnosing complex systems. More generally, it will advance our understanding of how machines can intelligently solve complex problems by identifying and exploiting their relevant structure.Read moreRead less
The mechanism of water splitting in photosynthesis. Sunlight reaching the earth is used by the vast body of plants and algae living in surface waters and on the land to drive photosynthesis. One of the most fundamental contributions that photosynthesis provides to the Biosphere is the gaseous oxygen produced by its water-splitting chemistry - ~300 gigatons of O2 are released into the atmosphere per year. However, the mechanism behind water-splitting is not precisely known. We will use a range o ....The mechanism of water splitting in photosynthesis. Sunlight reaching the earth is used by the vast body of plants and algae living in surface waters and on the land to drive photosynthesis. One of the most fundamental contributions that photosynthesis provides to the Biosphere is the gaseous oxygen produced by its water-splitting chemistry - ~300 gigatons of O2 are released into the atmosphere per year. However, the mechanism behind water-splitting is not precisely known. We will use a range of unique experimental approaches to determine the molecular mechanism of the photosynthetic water-splitting chemistry. The understanding of this reaction will provide the molecular blueprint for the development of efficient biocatalysts to generate H2 and O2 from water.Read moreRead less
Where the Really Hard Problems Are: Beyond the Decision Case. This is a project in empirical artificial intelligence. We study factors affecting the average difficulty of computing optimal or near-optimal solutions to instances of problems whose worst cases are typically intractable. Most existing research on the distribution of hard instances concerns decision questions, where the issue is whether solutions exist or not. We seek comparable results for optimization, where the goal is the best so ....Where the Really Hard Problems Are: Beyond the Decision Case. This is a project in empirical artificial intelligence. We study factors affecting the average difficulty of computing optimal or near-optimal solutions to instances of problems whose worst cases are typically intractable. Most existing research on the distribution of hard instances concerns decision questions, where the issue is whether solutions exist or not. We seek comparable results for optimization, where the goal is the best solution, and for approximation, where the goal is a good solution. Expected outcomes include new heuristics for search algorithms, new methods for predicting search costs, and explanations of the average case behaviour of algorithms.Read moreRead less
Middle Classes, New Media and Indie Networks in Post Authoritarian Indonesia. The study shall deepen Australians' appreciation of a little-known but strategically-placed facet of Indonesian society. It shall enhance understanding of the opinions, worldviews and cultural productions of young Indonesians, and of the culturally specific character of their digital engagements. In its focus on urban middle class Indonesians, the project shall produce new and detailed knowledge about the cultures and ....Middle Classes, New Media and Indie Networks in Post Authoritarian Indonesia. The study shall deepen Australians' appreciation of a little-known but strategically-placed facet of Indonesian society. It shall enhance understanding of the opinions, worldviews and cultural productions of young Indonesians, and of the culturally specific character of their digital engagements. In its focus on urban middle class Indonesians, the project shall produce new and detailed knowledge about the cultures and lifestyles of one of Australia's most important higher education markets, and its role in the society. Finally, the project shall deepen the Australian public's understandings of Indonesia as an increasingly complex, disjunctive society.Read moreRead less
Pop Cultures in Indonesia: a New Asian Politics of Pleasure and Identity. The study addresses one of National Research Priorities (Goal 4 'Safeguarding Australia'), by better 'understanding our region and the world', and boosting Australia's 'soft power'. Recent changes in Indonesia render much of our knowledge about that society outdated. The study will deliver a significant contribution to the urgent revitalisation of Indonesian and cultural studies. It will hopefully elevate the quality of ou ....Pop Cultures in Indonesia: a New Asian Politics of Pleasure and Identity. The study addresses one of National Research Priorities (Goal 4 'Safeguarding Australia'), by better 'understanding our region and the world', and boosting Australia's 'soft power'. Recent changes in Indonesia render much of our knowledge about that society outdated. The study will deliver a significant contribution to the urgent revitalisation of Indonesian and cultural studies. It will hopefully elevate the quality of our public debate about the world's largest Muslim populated country and Australia's neighbour, by paying serious and overdue attention to the brightest sides of contemporary Indonesia that have occupied the minds of one hundred millions or so ordinary people there.Read moreRead less
Force from lipids: the role of the lipid bilayer in mechanosensory transduction. The proposed research will significantly contribute to a better understanding of the wide range of physiological processes underlying mechanosensory transduction in living cells. The direct benefit for Australian science consists of: (i) strengthening international links with leading overseas laboratories, and (ii) accessing the state-of-the-art expertise not available in Australia. The acquired knowledge will aid i ....Force from lipids: the role of the lipid bilayer in mechanosensory transduction. The proposed research will significantly contribute to a better understanding of the wide range of physiological processes underlying mechanosensory transduction in living cells. The direct benefit for Australian science consists of: (i) strengthening international links with leading overseas laboratories, and (ii) accessing the state-of-the-art expertise not available in Australia. The acquired knowledge will aid in developing and designing artificial tactile sensors inspired by their biological models studied in this project. Long-term, the project is expected to make an original contribution towards developing new technologies and novel medical applications, both of which promise to be of great national benefit.Read moreRead less
Microanalysis of human fossils: new insights into age, diet and migration. Human occupation of Australia and the Pacific dates back tens of thousands of years. New micro-analytical techniques now make it possible to learn about the life histories of these ancient peoples: their diet, migration paths and the climate in which they lived. This project will benefit the Indigenous populations and researchers of neighbouring countries through collaboration and increased knowledge of their ancestors, t ....Microanalysis of human fossils: new insights into age, diet and migration. Human occupation of Australia and the Pacific dates back tens of thousands of years. New micro-analytical techniques now make it possible to learn about the life histories of these ancient peoples: their diet, migration paths and the climate in which they lived. This project will benefit the Indigenous populations and researchers of neighbouring countries through collaboration and increased knowledge of their ancestors, thus enhancing Australia's links and status as a good neighbour in the region. This falls squarely into the Research Priority 'Safeguarding Australia - Understanding our Region and the World'. In the future, our analytical approach will give important insights into the complex and rich archaeological heritage of Australia. Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI0240782
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
A Historical Study of Indigenous Higher Education Centres in Australia. Indigenous education centres have evolved and emerged across Australian universities for over thirty years, yet there has never been an independent chronological study of their historical development at the national level. This research documents the visions of those people who instigated the early development of Indigenous education centres in higher education, recording how their early development influenced or was influen ....A Historical Study of Indigenous Higher Education Centres in Australia. Indigenous education centres have evolved and emerged across Australian universities for over thirty years, yet there has never been an independent chronological study of their historical development at the national level. This research documents the visions of those people who instigated the early development of Indigenous education centres in higher education, recording how their early development influenced or was influenced by Indigenous communities and individuals, or by government and university policies. From their humble beginnings right through to their present day expansion and diversity, the project aims to become an important contribution towards Aboriginal history and Australian higher education studies.Read moreRead less