Creating and sustaining a strong future for volunteering in Australia. This project seeks to answer the question of how to increase social participation by converting non-volunteers to the benefits of volunteering. In Australia today, communities and governments are increasingly dependent on volunteers to build social capital and deliver an increasing range of services. A world first, this project aims to create new theory by examining three levels of analysis: the micro level of the individual ....Creating and sustaining a strong future for volunteering in Australia. This project seeks to answer the question of how to increase social participation by converting non-volunteers to the benefits of volunteering. In Australia today, communities and governments are increasingly dependent on volunteers to build social capital and deliver an increasing range of services. A world first, this project aims to create new theory by examining three levels of analysis: the micro level of the individual volunteer or non-volunteer; the mezzo level of the volunteer-involving organisation; and the macro level of society. This innovative approach aims to identify, analyse and develop a tool to help organisations build Australia’s civil society and develop policy to create a sustainable volunteer sector into the future.Read moreRead less
Socially Responsible Insurance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. This project aims to discover the social costs and benefits of using Artificial Intelligence in insurance, and to design practical interventions—responsible design workshops, practical guidance, regulatory proposals, new algorithmic tools—that realise the benefits while mitigating the costs. It expects to generate new knowledge drawing on philosophy, law and sociology, working closely with practitioners at the forefront of dep ....Socially Responsible Insurance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. This project aims to discover the social costs and benefits of using Artificial Intelligence in insurance, and to design practical interventions—responsible design workshops, practical guidance, regulatory proposals, new algorithmic tools—that realise the benefits while mitigating the costs. It expects to generate new knowledge drawing on philosophy, law and sociology, working closely with practitioners at the forefront of deploying AI in insurance. Expected outcomes include novel ethical AI-based approaches to product design, pricing and claims administration. This should benefit insurers and consumers, realising efficiency gains made possible by AI, without unacceptable costs to privacy, fairness, and the unaccountable exercise of power. Read moreRead less
On-line monitoring of cyanobacteria to predict coagulant doses and powdered activated carbon application in water treatment. Cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae, can impact water quality by releasing toxins that can be harmful to human health and imparting unpleasant taste and odours to the water. This project will support the water industry in managing these risks by providing a rapid, on-line tool to assist in their removal during water treatment.
Teeth tales: A culturally competent community intervention for child oral health in low SES area of urban Melbourne. Dental caries represent the highest burden of disease for pre-school children. Disadvantaged, refugee and migrant communities face an estimated increased prevalence of 60%. Community-based health solutions that are evidence based and cross-sectoral are urgently needed. The potential impact of improved child oral health on social, emotional and learning outcomes is compelling. The ....Teeth tales: A culturally competent community intervention for child oral health in low SES area of urban Melbourne. Dental caries represent the highest burden of disease for pre-school children. Disadvantaged, refugee and migrant communities face an estimated increased prevalence of 60%. Community-based health solutions that are evidence based and cross-sectoral are urgently needed. The potential impact of improved child oral health on social, emotional and learning outcomes is compelling. The child health and service change outcomes of this study will be of direct benefit to the community and will have clear applications for other culturally diverse local government areas in Australia and other developed countries. The findings will directly inform policy/funding decision making by Dental Health Services Victoria for Victorian families and services.Read moreRead less
Advanced water treatment technologies to minimise nitrogenous disinfection by-products in drinking water: understanding the role of organic nitrogen. This project will identify improved methods for treatment of drinking water to prevent the formation of potentially hazardous disinfection by-products. It will assist water resource managers and regulators to select the most economical and safe treatment for each type of water source and to plan for future demands on our limited water supplies.
Who You Know or Where You Go? The Role of Formal and Informal Networks in Finding Employment and Maintaining Wellbeing. Recent empirical studies have demonstrated that informal social networks improve well-being and labour market outcomes for the unemployed in Europe. However, no comparable Australian study has been conducted and there is little research on the role of the 'formal' networks represented by employment services programs in Australia or overseas. This project aims to explore unemplo ....Who You Know or Where You Go? The Role of Formal and Informal Networks in Finding Employment and Maintaining Wellbeing. Recent empirical studies have demonstrated that informal social networks improve well-being and labour market outcomes for the unemployed in Europe. However, no comparable Australian study has been conducted and there is little research on the role of the 'formal' networks represented by employment services programs in Australia or overseas. This project aims to explore unemployed people's formal and informal networks and the impact of those networks on employment status and wellbeing. This project aims to inform unemployment policy design and service delivery by providing a greater understanding of the role that social networks play in finding jobs and surviving unemployment.Read moreRead less
Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. This project aims to develop an adaptive, real-time control system for managing disinfectant residuals in chloraminated water supply systems. While chloramine delivers microbiologically safe drinking water in warmer climates and in long distribution systems, it is largely unpredictable, costs water utilities millions of dollars annually, and has uncertai ....Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. This project aims to develop an adaptive, real-time control system for managing disinfectant residuals in chloraminated water supply systems. While chloramine delivers microbiologically safe drinking water in warmer climates and in long distribution systems, it is largely unpredictable, costs water utilities millions of dollars annually, and has uncertain benefits. This project’s control system will be guided by quantitative models formulated from multi-pronged, fundamental experiments. The project will quantify microbial chloramine decay and determine mechanisms to increase predictability. The project will develop and demonstrate a real-time control technology which delivered microbiologically safe, cost-efficient drinking water to people in warmer climates, despite warming climate and increasing population.Read moreRead less
Global Citizen Deliberation: Analysing a Deliberative Documentary. The project will enact and film the world’s first truly global citizens’ deliberation, a global citizens’ assembly (GCA) on genome editing, and proceed to analyse the impact of the ‘deliberative documentary’ film on public understanding of complex, fast-evolving science and technology. It will investigate the cross-cultural capacity of citizens to deliberate complex value-laden issues, and so ascertain prospects for an informed g ....Global Citizen Deliberation: Analysing a Deliberative Documentary. The project will enact and film the world’s first truly global citizens’ deliberation, a global citizens’ assembly (GCA) on genome editing, and proceed to analyse the impact of the ‘deliberative documentary’ film on public understanding of complex, fast-evolving science and technology. It will investigate the cross-cultural capacity of citizens to deliberate complex value-laden issues, and so ascertain prospects for an informed global public response to challenges posed by genome editing. Research will test the effects of the deliberative documentary on viewers, examining benefits of communicating complex issues via the work of the GCA. Other benefits include improving public trust in governance and advancing the Australian film industry.
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Monitoring organic matter in drinking water systems using fluorescence spectroscopy: improved early warning, process optimisation and water quality. Climate change is contributing to elevated organic matter (OM) concentrations in drinking water supplies. If insufficiently treated, OM can lead to unacceptable concentrations of disinfection by-products, considered to be potential carcinogens, as well as taste and odour problems and bacterial re-growth in the distribution system. Currently availabl ....Monitoring organic matter in drinking water systems using fluorescence spectroscopy: improved early warning, process optimisation and water quality. Climate change is contributing to elevated organic matter (OM) concentrations in drinking water supplies. If insufficiently treated, OM can lead to unacceptable concentrations of disinfection by-products, considered to be potential carcinogens, as well as taste and odour problems and bacterial re-growth in the distribution system. Currently available on-line monitoring techniques give limited information regarding the nature of OM; however, fluorescence spectroscopy has shown promise in this regard. Hence, this project aims to provide an on-line monitoring protocol utilising fluorescence to aid utilities in their provision of safe drinking water, thus addressing the National Research Priority goal water – a critical resource.Read moreRead less
Design Optimisation for Fabrication of Ceramic Prosthetic Devices. The project aims to develop computer aided design and fabrication for ceramic prosthesis. It will help establish a world-class biomedical instrumentation company having part of its research and development in Australia. The study will not only foster domestic research expertise, but also provide the local prosthetic community and biomedical industry with an opportunity to participate in further innovation of biomaterials, biomedi ....Design Optimisation for Fabrication of Ceramic Prosthetic Devices. The project aims to develop computer aided design and fabrication for ceramic prosthesis. It will help establish a world-class biomedical instrumentation company having part of its research and development in Australia. The study will not only foster domestic research expertise, but also provide the local prosthetic community and biomedical industry with an opportunity to participate in further innovation of biomaterials, biomedical software and equipment. The outcomes will directly benefit the Australian prosthetic profession. Improvement in prosthesis restorative longevity for our increasing ageing population will support the national research goal of ageing well, ageing productively.Read moreRead less