Work Experience: Labour Law at the Intersection of Work and Education. This project aims to examine the regulatory challenges relating to post-secondary work experience, such as internships, in the areas of labour and employment, anti-discrimination and workers compensation law in Australia. The analysis is designed to establish a global and comparative context, examining policy and regulatory responses in Canada, Europe (including Britain), New Zealand, and the United States of America and at t ....Work Experience: Labour Law at the Intersection of Work and Education. This project aims to examine the regulatory challenges relating to post-secondary work experience, such as internships, in the areas of labour and employment, anti-discrimination and workers compensation law in Australia. The analysis is designed to establish a global and comparative context, examining policy and regulatory responses in Canada, Europe (including Britain), New Zealand, and the United States of America and at the international level. By offering a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical and practical implications of law's boundary between work and education, it is expected to identify optimum approaches to the regulation of post-secondary work experience, and thereby expand policy debates and enhance future law reform.Read moreRead less
Reactive oxygen species generation by zerovalent silver nanoparticles; implications to toxicity and contaminant degradation. Nanoparticulate silver is now being used for the purification of drinking water yet many questions remain concerning its mode of purifying action. Here we investigate the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by nanoparticulate silver and examine the relationship between ROS generation and the purifying action of "nano-silver".
Measuring the impact of urban regulation on housing affordability in Australian cities and regions. Urban planning must ensure that development meets new environmental goals, but stringent regulation may reduce housing supply and affordability. This project uses new local planning data and econometric studies to quantify and monitor planning regulation impacts on housing supply and affordability in Australian cities and regions.
Reactive oxygen species production on oxygenation of subsurface sediments. This project aims to examine the nature, extent and effect of redox processes in subsurface environments. Reactive oxygen species, including hydrogen peroxide, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, transform and affect redox-active substances in the environment such as arsenic, uranium and natural organic matter (which may be oxidised to carbon dioxide). Production of significant quantities of reactive oxygen species on oxyge ....Reactive oxygen species production on oxygenation of subsurface sediments. This project aims to examine the nature, extent and effect of redox processes in subsurface environments. Reactive oxygen species, including hydrogen peroxide, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, transform and affect redox-active substances in the environment such as arsenic, uranium and natural organic matter (which may be oxidised to carbon dioxide). Production of significant quantities of reactive oxygen species on oxygenation of subsurface sediments through actions such as aquifer recharge and high flow events may alter the form and mobility of trace elements and influence the cycling of carbon and eventual efflux of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This project will examine the nature, extent and effect of these redox processes in selected subsurface environments. This research could have implications for contaminant transformation and fate and carbon cycling.Read moreRead less
The effect of wastewater treatment on the ecotoxicity of chiral chemicals. This project aims to assess the environmental implications of pharmaceuticals discharged in effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Trace levels of human pharmaceuticals occur in sewage and urban waterways, but during sewage treatment, some pharmaceuticals can undergo a chemical transformation known as 'chiral inversion'. In some cases, this may convert relatively benign environmental contaminants to more ecologically ....The effect of wastewater treatment on the ecotoxicity of chiral chemicals. This project aims to assess the environmental implications of pharmaceuticals discharged in effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Trace levels of human pharmaceuticals occur in sewage and urban waterways, but during sewage treatment, some pharmaceuticals can undergo a chemical transformation known as 'chiral inversion'. In some cases, this may convert relatively benign environmental contaminants to more ecologically toxic species. This project will investigate why and how some pharmaceuticals become susceptible to chiral inversion and assess ecotoxicological differences. This work is expected to determine the significance of considering chiral inversion in environmental risk assessment, with applications to a broader range of chemicals including pesticides and industrial chemicals.Read moreRead less
Polytitanium coagulant for water purification: a systematic investigation to identify mechanisms and benefits over today's technologies. This project will develop a more efficient, environmentally-friendly process for water treatment, using an approach involving titanium that has been attracting interest in recent years, but which is not yet well understood. An Australian-Chinese collaboration will build on existing Australian intellectual property in this project.
Developing an innovative high performance thin-film composite membrane using functionalized nanofibrous support layers for engineered osmosis. Engineered osmosis (EO) is based on the principles of natural osmosis and is an emerging technology for low energy desalination and power generation by pressure-retarded osmosis. However, the process is limited by the challenge of the internal concentration polarisation (ICP) effects experienced when currently available membranes are used. Therefore, the ....Developing an innovative high performance thin-film composite membrane using functionalized nanofibrous support layers for engineered osmosis. Engineered osmosis (EO) is based on the principles of natural osmosis and is an emerging technology for low energy desalination and power generation by pressure-retarded osmosis. However, the process is limited by the challenge of the internal concentration polarisation (ICP) effects experienced when currently available membranes are used. Therefore, the aims of this project are to enhance our understanding of the ICP phenomenon in EO process and to evaluate strategies to mitigate the influence of ICP effects on the performance of the EO process by incorporating innovative functionalised nanofibrous support layers for thin-film composite EO membrane. A significant increase of water flux and mechanical strength is anticipated.Read moreRead less
Seeing the good from the trees: remotely sensing the urban forest. Urban forests provide a range of ecosystem services including temperature regulation and rainfall capture, but measuring these benefits is currently prohibitively costly and inaccurate. This project aims to develop a new model of urban forest ecosystem services that uses remotely sensed three dimensional data to map canopy cover. A model using this data, which is being collected by an increasing number of governments, represents ....Seeing the good from the trees: remotely sensing the urban forest. Urban forests provide a range of ecosystem services including temperature regulation and rainfall capture, but measuring these benefits is currently prohibitively costly and inaccurate. This project aims to develop a new model of urban forest ecosystem services that uses remotely sensed three dimensional data to map canopy cover. A model using this data, which is being collected by an increasing number of governments, represents a novel advance on the established methodology that requires expensive and time-consuming fieldwork. The advancements expected to be made in this project will mean that environmental planners will be able to better plan the urban forest so that cities are more liveable and resilient in the face of climate change.Read moreRead less
Pro bono service: drivers, delight, dark side and downside for the professional. Pro bono work, common in the professions, is important to Australia's economy. This ground breaking research provides rich insights into why pro bono givers feel unappreciated, unacknowledged, unreciprocated, and often taken advantage of and, importantly, equips professionals with strategies for enhanced outcomes.
Scalable fabrication of novel mesoporous carbonaceous spheres with uniform size as effective adsorbents in water treatment. A productive route to generate mesoporous microspheres as highly effective adsorbents for toxins from algae blooms is proposed via an innovative drying technology. A breakthrough will be achieved in the practical development of novel adsorbents to ensure the availability of clean freshwater with enormous impacts for communities around Australia.