Extreme expression: building a platform for industrial plant biotechnology. Plants have remarkable potential as bioreactors for the production of usually non-plant compounds such as medical proteins, industrial proteins including enzymes and polymers. However, to realise this potential, there needs to be very significant advances in the amount of target compounds produced in the bioreactor plants and to develop other plant species as bioreactors. The aim of this project is to develop technologie ....Extreme expression: building a platform for industrial plant biotechnology. Plants have remarkable potential as bioreactors for the production of usually non-plant compounds such as medical proteins, industrial proteins including enzymes and polymers. However, to realise this potential, there needs to be very significant advances in the amount of target compounds produced in the bioreactor plants and to develop other plant species as bioreactors. The aim of this project is to develop technologies that provide the platform to produce large quantities of target novel compounds in plants and extend the range of plant species that can be used as bioreactors. These technologies will provide the basis of a dynamic biofarming industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Pelagic ecosystem linkages in a changing Southern Ocean. Our study, which aims to better describe and understand the ecology of the vast Ocean to the south of Australia, will provide the information that will assist in managing this region in an era of change. Many species are of significant conservation concern, others are recovering from previous harvesting, some are being harvested and all will be affected by a changing climate. Understanding the ecosystem linkages and the way in which the p ....Pelagic ecosystem linkages in a changing Southern Ocean. Our study, which aims to better describe and understand the ecology of the vast Ocean to the south of Australia, will provide the information that will assist in managing this region in an era of change. Many species are of significant conservation concern, others are recovering from previous harvesting, some are being harvested and all will be affected by a changing climate. Understanding the ecosystem linkages and the way in which the physical environment affects the distribution and abundance of key ecosystem components will allow us to better manage the system and to predict the effects of future climate change. Read moreRead less
Supporting early science from the Murchison Widefield Array - a Square Kilometre Array (SKA) pathfinder telescope. The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is likely to be the first operational pathfinder for the $2.5 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) on one of the two candidate SKA sites - the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory (MRO) in Western Australia. The MWA will therefore generate large volumes of scientific data before 2012, the expected date of the international decision that will dete ....Supporting early science from the Murchison Widefield Array - a Square Kilometre Array (SKA) pathfinder telescope. The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is likely to be the first operational pathfinder for the $2.5 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) on one of the two candidate SKA sites - the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory (MRO) in Western Australia. The MWA will therefore generate large volumes of scientific data before 2012, the expected date of the international decision that will determine whether Australia or South Africa is to host the SKA. The early science results from the MWA will showcase the excellence of the Australian site for radio astronomy and play a significant strategic role in Australia's bid to attract the SKA, as an international mega-science project to Australia, with its benefits to Australian science, industry and society.Read moreRead less
Supporting early science from the Murchison Widefield Array - a Square Kilometre Array (SKA) pathfinder telescope. The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is likely to be the first operational pathfinder for the $2.5 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) on one of the two candidate SKA sites - the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory (MRO) in Western Australia. The MWA will therefore generate large volumes of scientific data before 2012, the expected date of the international decision that will dete ....Supporting early science from the Murchison Widefield Array - a Square Kilometre Array (SKA) pathfinder telescope. The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is likely to be the first operational pathfinder for the $2.5 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) on one of the two candidate SKA sites - the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory (MRO) in Western Australia. The MWA will therefore generate large volumes of scientific data before 2012, the expected date of the international decision that will determine whether Australia or South Africa is to host the SKA. The early science results from the MWA will showcase the excellence of the Australian site for radio astronomy and play a significant strategic role in Australia's bid to attract the SKA, as an international mega-science project to Australia, with its benefits to Australian science, industry and society.Read moreRead less
The Galaxy Genome Project 2. The Galaxy Genome Project builds on the Anglo-Australian Observatory's (AAO) major investments and world-leading strengths in wide-field survey astronomy and multi-object spectrographs. Combining the AAO's ongoing and planned survey programs with data from other new Australian facilities, such as SkyMapper and Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, will increase the scientific productivity and impact of all of these major Australian investments and leverage ac ....The Galaxy Genome Project 2. The Galaxy Genome Project builds on the Anglo-Australian Observatory's (AAO) major investments and world-leading strengths in wide-field survey astronomy and multi-object spectrographs. Combining the AAO's ongoing and planned survey programs with data from other new Australian facilities, such as SkyMapper and Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, will increase the scientific productivity and impact of all of these major Australian investments and leverage access for Australian researchers in other leading international astronomical surveys and facilities. The project will also increase the international profile of Australian astronomy and enhance the prospects of Australian scientific and technical involvement in next-generation astronomical facilities such as Square Kilometre Array and Giant Magellan Telescope.Read moreRead less
The Galaxy Genome Project 1. The Galaxy Genome Project builds on the Anglo-Australian Observatory's (AAO) major investments and world-leading strengths in wide-field survey astronomy and multi-object spectrographs. Combining the AAO's ongoing and planned survey programs with data from other new Australian facilities, such as SkyMapper and Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, this project will increase the scientific productivity and impact of all of these major Australian investments an ....The Galaxy Genome Project 1. The Galaxy Genome Project builds on the Anglo-Australian Observatory's (AAO) major investments and world-leading strengths in wide-field survey astronomy and multi-object spectrographs. Combining the AAO's ongoing and planned survey programs with data from other new Australian facilities, such as SkyMapper and Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, this project will increase the scientific productivity and impact of all of these major Australian investments and leverage access for Australian researchers in other leading international astronomical surveys and facilities. The project will also increase the international profile of Australian astronomy and enhance the prospects of Australian scientific and technical involvement in next-generation astronomical facilities such as Square Kilometre Array and Giant Magellan Telescope.Read moreRead less
Large-scale maps of the universe: Enabling wide-field science with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and the Square Kilometre Array. Observational capabilities in astronomy continue to make great advances across the electromagnetic spectrum. The first truly global facility for radio astronomy will be the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an international $2.5 billion project scheduled for deployment between 2015 and 2020, for which the proposed Australian site has been short-listed. T ....Large-scale maps of the universe: Enabling wide-field science with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and the Square Kilometre Array. Observational capabilities in astronomy continue to make great advances across the electromagnetic spectrum. The first truly global facility for radio astronomy will be the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an international $2.5 billion project scheduled for deployment between 2015 and 2020, for which the proposed Australian site has been short-listed. The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) is a next generation radio telescope that is on the strategic pathway towards the staged development and deployment of the SKA. By refining the ASKAP technology and enabling its scientific success we address the national strategic goal of ensuring Australia's technological and scientific readiness for the SKA.Read moreRead less
Mass Assembly of Galaxies In the Cosmos: the roles of stars, gas, and metals. Swinburne's Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing is uniquely placed to tackle the outstanding 'super questions' of modern astronomy. We will utilise Australia's investment in current and future telescopes to unlock the process of galaxy assembly across cosmic time. New computing and instrumentation technologies will be developed. A further benefit is the training of young scientists to the highest level. The outc ....Mass Assembly of Galaxies In the Cosmos: the roles of stars, gas, and metals. Swinburne's Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing is uniquely placed to tackle the outstanding 'super questions' of modern astronomy. We will utilise Australia's investment in current and future telescopes to unlock the process of galaxy assembly across cosmic time. New computing and instrumentation technologies will be developed. A further benefit is the training of young scientists to the highest level. The outcomes of this research will further enhance Australia's international profile in astronomy.Read moreRead less
Peering through the Dark Ages with the Murchison Widefield Array. There is one large gap in our understanding of the early evolution of the universe, namely, when did the first sources of light appear? Resolution of this puzzle requires new observational and technical strategies, both in terms of telescopes and the analysis of observations. The Murchison Widefield Array, a major new radio telescope in Western Australia, is an international initiative under construction to tackle the problem. Thi ....Peering through the Dark Ages with the Murchison Widefield Array. There is one large gap in our understanding of the early evolution of the universe, namely, when did the first sources of light appear? Resolution of this puzzle requires new observational and technical strategies, both in terms of telescopes and the analysis of observations. The Murchison Widefield Array, a major new radio telescope in Western Australia, is an international initiative under construction to tackle the problem. This program will provide a significant Australian contribution at the forefront of modern cosmology.Read moreRead less
A New Era for Australian Exoplanetary Science. There are few areas of learning that engage the public in cutting-edge science and technology more than astronomy – and few areas of astronomy that engage and fascinate as thoroughly as the study of planets and astrobiology. This research program will not only discover new rocky and gas giant planets orbiting other stars, but tell us about how those planets formed – allowing us to answer the key question for current exoplanetary research – “Are ther ....A New Era for Australian Exoplanetary Science. There are few areas of learning that engage the public in cutting-edge science and technology more than astronomy – and few areas of astronomy that engage and fascinate as thoroughly as the study of planets and astrobiology. This research program will not only discover new rocky and gas giant planets orbiting other stars, but tell us about how those planets formed – allowing us to answer the key question for current exoplanetary research – “Are there other Earths in the Universe?”Read moreRead less