Young people, physical activity and physical culture: a longitudinal study. The relationship between physical activity and the health of young people is currently a matter of national and international concern. This project will investigate the place and meaning of health, physical activity and physical culture in young people's lives from a longitudinal and qualitative perspective. It will build on the findings of a three year study of young people's engagement with physical activity. Specifica ....Young people, physical activity and physical culture: a longitudinal study. The relationship between physical activity and the health of young people is currently a matter of national and international concern. This project will investigate the place and meaning of health, physical activity and physical culture in young people's lives from a longitudinal and qualitative perspective. It will build on the findings of a three year study of young people's engagement with physical activity. Specifically it will follow cohorts of students from different social, cultural and geographical locations as they move beyond school and make choices associated with health and physical activity in relation to the changing conditions of their lives.Read moreRead less
Improving determinants of Australian sports talent identification and development: a multi-disciplinary approach. Sport is important to many Australians. Our sport successes enhance our national identity, generate community pride and attract mega sport events. Currently our sport talent identification and development (TID) systems have been surpassed by our international rivals who borrowed from and improved our knowledge. This project will help regain Australia's international advantage and aga ....Improving determinants of Australian sports talent identification and development: a multi-disciplinary approach. Sport is important to many Australians. Our sport successes enhance our national identity, generate community pride and attract mega sport events. Currently our sport talent identification and development (TID) systems have been surpassed by our international rivals who borrowed from and improved our knowledge. This project will help regain Australia's international advantage and again make Australian TID the international benchmark. Results will highlight the role of TID practices in improving recreational participation and maximising, attracting, developing and retaining sport talent. This will result in improved use of sports limited TID funding by providing greater understanding of factors that influence elite selection and sport development.Read moreRead less
Modelling and predicting patterns of pedestrian movement: using robotics and machine learning to improve the design of urban space. In a geographic region that is experiencing increasing urban density, the problems of the pedestrian are rarely considered from a design perspective. One reason for this is that there are few useful tools available for analysing the behaviour of pedestrians in existing urban spaces, and none to assist designers to optimise such spaces. As a result of this, there is ....Modelling and predicting patterns of pedestrian movement: using robotics and machine learning to improve the design of urban space. In a geographic region that is experiencing increasing urban density, the problems of the pedestrian are rarely considered from a design perspective. One reason for this is that there are few useful tools available for analysing the behaviour of pedestrians in existing urban spaces, and none to assist designers to optimise such spaces. As a result of this, there is an urgent need for the development of design tools to enable a higher level of understanding of pedestrians in public space. This project is a world-first combining urban design theory and machine-learning for creating more socially and culturally responsive environments.Read moreRead less
Identifying better practice for volunteer management in community sport organisations. This project will: (i) research the approaches of community sport organisations (CSOs) to volunteer management and retention; (ii) investigate how volunteers' motivations, commitment, and behaviour influence their intention to continue involvement in CSOs; and, (iii) generate innovative solutions for the problem of volunteer retention in CSOs. The study will both contribute to research knowledge as well as und ....Identifying better practice for volunteer management in community sport organisations. This project will: (i) research the approaches of community sport organisations (CSOs) to volunteer management and retention; (ii) investigate how volunteers' motivations, commitment, and behaviour influence their intention to continue involvement in CSOs; and, (iii) generate innovative solutions for the problem of volunteer retention in CSOs. The study will both contribute to research knowledge as well as understanding of the association between organisational practices and volunteer requirements. It will assist CSOs and policy makers to identify how best to increase volunteer retention levels and contribute substantially to developing a theory of volunteer retention that will enhance the sustainability of Australian sport organisations.Read moreRead less
To map and enhance Australian musical improvisation as a creative industry. The project maps transforming improviser networks in Australian music since 1970, to inform how cultural innovation develops and disseminates. Application of new statistical techniques (temporal network analysis) will combine with in-depth focus groups to show how improvisation excellence depends on a mix of artistic craft, networked collaboration and institutional support. This knowledge will assist music venues and ind ....To map and enhance Australian musical improvisation as a creative industry. The project maps transforming improviser networks in Australian music since 1970, to inform how cultural innovation develops and disseminates. Application of new statistical techniques (temporal network analysis) will combine with in-depth focus groups to show how improvisation excellence depends on a mix of artistic craft, networked collaboration and institutional support. This knowledge will assist music venues and industry in nurturing improvisation as a cultural force and commercial opportunity for export and tourism attraction post Covid-19. The novel method, integrating computational network analysis with qualitative research, will also inform and build capacity for future understandings of cultural fields and industries.Read moreRead less
Rethinking social intolerance: lessons from the suspension of homophobia at public gay and lesbian celebrations. This project will contribute to the understanding of intolerance via the lessons drawn from an analysis of homophobia at public gay and lesbian celebrations. It will take advantage of these events as exceptional social windows that appear to be characterised by a suspension of overt intolerance. The study innovatively reverses the usual analysis of intolerance and hostility as a socia ....Rethinking social intolerance: lessons from the suspension of homophobia at public gay and lesbian celebrations. This project will contribute to the understanding of intolerance via the lessons drawn from an analysis of homophobia at public gay and lesbian celebrations. It will take advantage of these events as exceptional social windows that appear to be characterised by a suspension of overt intolerance. The study innovatively reverses the usual analysis of intolerance and hostility as a social presence. It will analyse situational elements and ways of understanding sexuality that structure mainstream views of these events as pleasurable activities for all participants. It will advance knowledge of homophobia and intolerance in Australian society as contradictory and shifting phenomena.Read moreRead less
Changing spaces of HIV prevention: a cultural analysis of transformations in sexual sociability. Australia's response to HIV/AIDS is grounded in a unique engagement between gay community and government. But no cultural account exists of how people become engaged in HIV prevention. This project will address this gap by examining transformations in gay culture over the past 30 years and investigating the connections to HIV prevention.
New Partnerships: Promoting development in outback towns through voluntary programs for Grey Nomads. Older retired Australians who undertake extensive independent travel through outback regions of Australia may potentially bring economic, human and social capital to areas of extreme isolation and disadvantage by engaging in volunteer programs of short to medium duration. Such programs would enable the sharing of information, and skills between locals and visitors and enable the development of lo ....New Partnerships: Promoting development in outback towns through voluntary programs for Grey Nomads. Older retired Australians who undertake extensive independent travel through outback regions of Australia may potentially bring economic, human and social capital to areas of extreme isolation and disadvantage by engaging in volunteer programs of short to medium duration. Such programs would enable the sharing of information, and skills between locals and visitors and enable the development of local facilities and services. Engagement in such programs may also potentially enhance the grey nomad experience, contributing to a healthy productive ageing lifestyle. Read moreRead less
A New Recombinant Subunit Vaccine against Equine Herpesviruses 1 and 4. Equine herpesviruses 1 and 4 (EHV-1 and EHV-4) cause respiratory disease, abortion and myeloencephalitis in horse populations worldwide. Despite extensive use of whole virus vaccines, these two viruses continue to circulate among Australian horses and are a continuing threat to brading, and to racing performance. The current vaccines are expensive and are marked in Australia by an overseas company. The project will assess th ....A New Recombinant Subunit Vaccine against Equine Herpesviruses 1 and 4. Equine herpesviruses 1 and 4 (EHV-1 and EHV-4) cause respiratory disease, abortion and myeloencephalitis in horse populations worldwide. Despite extensive use of whole virus vaccines, these two viruses continue to circulate among Australian horses and are a continuing threat to brading, and to racing performance. The current vaccines are expensive and are marked in Australia by an overseas company. The project will assess the ability of a new subunit vaccine produced by recombinant DNA technology to 1) provide horses with high levels of protective immune responses and 2) to prevent or limit EHV-1 and EHV-4 infection following experimental challenge.Read moreRead less
Social Impact and Connection Outcomes Associated with Community Sport. Outcomes of social connection from community sport are widely touted and supported to exist. However, we know little about how social infrastructure actually delivers these benefits. It is difficult to understand and develop practices that organisations can use to maximise the outcomes of sport participation. This research aims to investigate how social infrastructure delivers social connection outcomes associated with commun ....Social Impact and Connection Outcomes Associated with Community Sport. Outcomes of social connection from community sport are widely touted and supported to exist. However, we know little about how social infrastructure actually delivers these benefits. It is difficult to understand and develop practices that organisations can use to maximise the outcomes of sport participation. This research aims to investigate how social infrastructure delivers social connection outcomes associated with community sport. Expected outcomes include novel practice based tools and guidance for community groups to enhance social connection outcomes and new understanding about the role of social infrastructure in enhancing community connection. Improved social connection is expected to improve resilience and community wellbeing.
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