The first stage of vision: transduction and adaptation in retinal photoreceptors. The project aims to provide a detailed understanding of the molecular steps involved in the first stage of vision - the conversion of light into a neural signal in the rod and cone photoreceptors of the retina. The significance of this is that it will explain the initial events that enable us to see, and will help explain the deficits that occur when the process fails. The outcome will be a comprehensive understand ....The first stage of vision: transduction and adaptation in retinal photoreceptors. The project aims to provide a detailed understanding of the molecular steps involved in the first stage of vision - the conversion of light into a neural signal in the rod and cone photoreceptors of the retina. The significance of this is that it will explain the initial events that enable us to see, and will help explain the deficits that occur when the process fails. The outcome will be a comprehensive understanding of how our photoreceptors respond with extreme sensitivity, yet great rapidity, and over an enormous range of light intensities, thus endowing us with our remarkable sense of vision.Read moreRead less
The Contents of Consciousness. This project aims to develop a research centre that will be a world leader in the study of consciousness. The focus will be the question: how does human consciousness represent the world? The science of consciousness has seen explosive growth internationally in the last decade, but the relationship between consciousness and representation is not well-understood. Through local and international collaboration, researchers will develop a framework for understanding ....The Contents of Consciousness. This project aims to develop a research centre that will be a world leader in the study of consciousness. The focus will be the question: how does human consciousness represent the world? The science of consciousness has seen explosive growth internationally in the last decade, but the relationship between consciousness and representation is not well-understood. Through local and international collaboration, researchers will develop a framework for understanding the representational content of consciousness and will analyze experimental work at the leading edge of neuroscience and cognitive science. This will help us to understand the nature of consciousness itself.Read moreRead less
Honeybee Vision and navigation, and applications to robotics. Anyone observing a honeybee find its way home effortlessly after collecting nectar would know that these insects are excellent navigators, despite their diminutive brains and relatively simple nervous systems. One aim of this proposal is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underling honeybee navigation. Another aim is to apply some of these findings to the development of novel, biologically inspired naviagtion systems for ....Honeybee Vision and navigation, and applications to robotics. Anyone observing a honeybee find its way home effortlessly after collecting nectar would know that these insects are excellent navigators, despite their diminutive brains and relatively simple nervous systems. One aim of this proposal is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underling honeybee navigation. Another aim is to apply some of these findings to the development of novel, biologically inspired naviagtion systems for aircraft. The findings should illuminate important principles of animal navigation. They should also advance Australia's technology in the area of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which will have important applications in national defence and security.Read moreRead less
Precision Pulsar Timing and its Applications. The rapidly rotating pulsars known as millisecond pulsars have period stabilities which rival that of the best terrestrial clocks. Observations of many millisecond pulsars spread across the sky should allow detection of the gravitational-wave background - likely to be the first direct detection of gravity waves. It will also enable establishment of a long-term time standard which is independent of and probably superior to that derived from terrestria ....Precision Pulsar Timing and its Applications. The rapidly rotating pulsars known as millisecond pulsars have period stabilities which rival that of the best terrestrial clocks. Observations of many millisecond pulsars spread across the sky should allow detection of the gravitational-wave background - likely to be the first direct detection of gravity waves. It will also enable establishment of a long-term time standard which is independent of and probably superior to that derived from terrestrial clocks. New analysis techniques and establishment of an international observing network will be required. Investigation and application of techniques for overcoming radio interference will be an important part of the project.Read moreRead less
A clearer view of the evolving universe. The two complementary research objectives of this proposal are (i) a basic research program to understand star formation in galaxies through a study of the correlation betwen far infrared and radio continuum emission and (ii) a strategic research program to develop interference mitigation techniques to enable the next generation of radio telescopes which will study star formation in the early Universe. This programme of research innovation in radio astron ....A clearer view of the evolving universe. The two complementary research objectives of this proposal are (i) a basic research program to understand star formation in galaxies through a study of the correlation betwen far infrared and radio continuum emission and (ii) a strategic research program to develop interference mitigation techniques to enable the next generation of radio telescopes which will study star formation in the early Universe. This programme of research innovation in radio astronomy will also promote the broad aims of furthering opportunities for Australian participation in international science and of gaining insight into ways in which Australia can exploit its niche advantages in the global economy.Read moreRead less
Exploring the last frontier: cosmic reionization and the first galaxies. This program will help to position Australia as a leader in the development of the Square Kilometre Array, a 1.5 billion Euro radio telescope that Australia is vying to host. The program takes advantage of the uniquely radio quiet environment of Western Australia to achieve unprecedented measurements of the 'first light fossils' in the Universe, which reside in the portion of the radio spectrum that is filled by FM radio tr ....Exploring the last frontier: cosmic reionization and the first galaxies. This program will help to position Australia as a leader in the development of the Square Kilometre Array, a 1.5 billion Euro radio telescope that Australia is vying to host. The program takes advantage of the uniquely radio quiet environment of Western Australia to achieve unprecedented measurements of the 'first light fossils' in the Universe, which reside in the portion of the radio spectrum that is filled by FM radio transmissions in most parts of the planet. This ground-breaking research program will provide training for the next generation of world-class scientists and add to the already high profile of Australian astrophysics.Read moreRead less