Creating perceptual experts in Australia's policing and security agencies. This project aims to create the next generation of experts in Australia’s policing and national security agencies, by improving crime scene evidence interpretation. Agencies are under pressure to develop more rigorous training practices that go beyond mere intuition and tradition. This project will use a novel approach that directs learning toward the most diagnostic perceptual cues. Expected outcomes include a solid empi ....Creating perceptual experts in Australia's policing and security agencies. This project aims to create the next generation of experts in Australia’s policing and national security agencies, by improving crime scene evidence interpretation. Agencies are under pressure to develop more rigorous training practices that go beyond mere intuition and tradition. This project will use a novel approach that directs learning toward the most diagnostic perceptual cues. Expected outcomes include a solid empirical basis for national training programs designed to create experts that are accurate, reliable, and continuously improving. Improving the training of experts will ensure the integrity of forensics as evidentiary tools available to police, lead to more reliable courtroom convictions and help safeguard Australia from terrorism and crime.Read moreRead less
Development of an active noise control system for sleeper seats on large commercial aircraft. Possible avenues will be investigated to actively reduce aircraft cabin noise experienced by passengers in sleeper seats, using localised active noise control (ANC). Previous work has focused on headsets and upright seat headrests which represent a different problem to the partially enclosed sleeper seats considered here. Efficiency and robustness problems that affect existing ANC systems will be addres ....Development of an active noise control system for sleeper seats on large commercial aircraft. Possible avenues will be investigated to actively reduce aircraft cabin noise experienced by passengers in sleeper seats, using localised active noise control (ANC). Previous work has focused on headsets and upright seat headrests which represent a different problem to the partially enclosed sleeper seats considered here. Efficiency and robustness problems that affect existing ANC systems will be addressed. A prototype system will be produced for a business class sleeper seat in a wide body aircraft. A second outcome is the establishment of a robust integrated system design procedure that can be used to quickly develop ANC systems for future designs.Read moreRead less
Bio-inspired camouflage to prevent shark attacks on surfers. Bio-inspired camouflage to prevent shark attacks on surfers. This project aims to develop a new shark deterrent technology to protect surfers and paddlers. Shark attacks are physically and emotionally devastating for the victims, and make the community disproportionately afraid. Surfers are at most risk of attack, but current surfboard-mounted deterrents are ineffective and not widely used. This project will build on the recent discove ....Bio-inspired camouflage to prevent shark attacks on surfers. Bio-inspired camouflage to prevent shark attacks on surfers. This project aims to develop a new shark deterrent technology to protect surfers and paddlers. Shark attacks are physically and emotionally devastating for the victims, and make the community disproportionately afraid. Surfers are at most risk of attack, but current surfboard-mounted deterrents are ineffective and not widely used. This project will build on the recent discovery that white sharks do not attack counter-illuminated (light emitting) seal-shaped decoys, and use new information about shark vision to understand why this ‘camouflage’ is so successful. This will also help to protect threatened shark species by reducing reliance on culling programs to keep people safe in the water.Read moreRead less
Predicting the diagnostic performance of individuals and organisations. Predicting the diagnostic performance of individuals and organisations. This project aims to address diagnostic error in advanced technology systems, by providing a mechanism to assess and improve individual diagnosticians’ performance. Organisations that rely on their employees’ diagnostic skills rarely assess them once the operators become qualified, so there is no basis for interventions that might prevent diagnostic erro ....Predicting the diagnostic performance of individuals and organisations. Predicting the diagnostic performance of individuals and organisations. This project aims to address diagnostic error in advanced technology systems, by providing a mechanism to assess and improve individual diagnosticians’ performance. Organisations that rely on their employees’ diagnostic skills rarely assess them once the operators become qualified, so there is no basis for interventions that might prevent diagnostic errors affecting thousands. This research tests a new method of assessing diagnostic skills based on how skilled operators respond to cues. This project will test how employees’ diagnostic skills change and whether this change corresponds to measures of organisational performance. This research is expected to provide organisations with a tool to pre-empt diagnostic errors that could minimise costs to the economy.Read moreRead less
How tired is too tired? Determining the effects of fatigue on pilots' performance in a simulated flight environment. Increasingly, pilots are required to work more flexible flight schedules that expose them to greater levels of work-related fatigue. Consequently, a recent federal parliamentary inquiry recommended that a fatigue risk management approach be applied to the regulation of pilots? flight and duty times. A key aspect of such an approach, and the aim of the proposed project, is to det ....How tired is too tired? Determining the effects of fatigue on pilots' performance in a simulated flight environment. Increasingly, pilots are required to work more flexible flight schedules that expose them to greater levels of work-related fatigue. Consequently, a recent federal parliamentary inquiry recommended that a fatigue risk management approach be applied to the regulation of pilots? flight and duty times. A key aspect of such an approach, and the aim of the proposed project, is to determine the level of fatigue at which pilots? ability to operate an aircraft reaches a safety-critical level. This research will provide a scientifically validated benchmark for regulating pilots? flight and duty times. Ultimately, this will improve safety for the flying public.Read moreRead less
Protecting Critical Transport Infrastructure using Hybrid Approaches for Interference and Spoofer Detection and Localisation. Modern infrastructure increasingly relies on the positioning and timing capabilities provided by the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). GNSS signals, however, are vulnerable to interference and spoofing attacks. This vulnerability is aggravated as satellite navigation becomes more central to the operation of airports, ports, railways, and communications systems. ....Protecting Critical Transport Infrastructure using Hybrid Approaches for Interference and Spoofer Detection and Localisation. Modern infrastructure increasingly relies on the positioning and timing capabilities provided by the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). GNSS signals, however, are vulnerable to interference and spoofing attacks. This vulnerability is aggravated as satellite navigation becomes more central to the operation of airports, ports, railways, and communications systems. Building on from earlier work by University of New South Wales, University of Adelaide and GPSat Systems, this project aims to create a system for locating interference and spoofers to GNSS of any power in real time, providing layered monitoring and reactive mitigation solutions against interference and spoofing attacks.Read moreRead less
Thinking brains and bodies: distributed cognition and dynamic memory in Australian Dance Theatre. Creative thinking, learning and memory - key features of human cognition - will be investigated in the context of dance in this project. Complementary quantitative and qualitative methods will shed light on process and communication in the Australian Dance Theatre and the arts more broadly, and inform new accounts of thinking as embodied and distributed.
Radicalisation, Counter-Radicalisation, and De-Radicalisation: Developing a New Understanding of Terrorism in the Australian Context. Concentrating on the unique drivers of extremism within Victoria (and Australia), the study will enhance counter terrorism stakeholders' understanding of domestic radicalization. This will assist in designing policies appropriate for Australian circumstances that can: 1. pre-empt, prevent and detect radicalisation without jeopardising social cohesion and 2. reduce ....Radicalisation, Counter-Radicalisation, and De-Radicalisation: Developing a New Understanding of Terrorism in the Australian Context. Concentrating on the unique drivers of extremism within Victoria (and Australia), the study will enhance counter terrorism stakeholders' understanding of domestic radicalization. This will assist in designing policies appropriate for Australian circumstances that can: 1. pre-empt, prevent and detect radicalisation without jeopardising social cohesion and 2. reduce Australia's reliance on overseas counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation models, where practitioners confront different community dynamics. Working towards understanding what causes radicalization in Australia, the project offers to enhance national security and by addressing local circumstances carries the prospect of creating more cost-efficient counter terrorism practices.Read moreRead less
Development and evaulation of novel foods enriched with very long chain omega-3 fatty acids. This project is a collaborative effort between Meadow Lea Foods, Clover Corporation, and the Universities of Wollongong and Western Australia. The aims are 1) to develop a range of functional foods enriched with omega-3 from tuna oil; 2) to see whether the recommended omega-3 intake, currently nor met by most Australians, can be achieved by including these foods in the diet; 3) to evaluate sensory and he ....Development and evaulation of novel foods enriched with very long chain omega-3 fatty acids. This project is a collaborative effort between Meadow Lea Foods, Clover Corporation, and the Universities of Wollongong and Western Australia. The aims are 1) to develop a range of functional foods enriched with omega-3 from tuna oil; 2) to see whether the recommended omega-3 intake, currently nor met by most Australians, can be achieved by including these foods in the diet; 3) to evaluate sensory and health attributes and other factors that may impact on consumer acceptability hence market potential of the food range. There is little evidence of the feasibility let alone health and social benefits of utilising novel foods to meet the dietary omega-3 recommendation. We expect a) to show how consumers could benefit by using a range of such foods in their customary diet; b) to critically set this achievement within the context of current social trends in food product development. Read moreRead less
Long-term acid rock and tailings drainage mitigation through source control. Effective long-term management of acid rock drainage (ARD) from sulfidic mine wastes in current, exhausted and legacy mine sites is of critical importance to communities and for sustainable mining. An optimised geochemical and microbial multi-barrier approach to long-term reduction of ARD to environmentally acceptable rates will be developed by this project.