I am delighted to report that in 2016 The University of Western Australia maintained a top 100 ranking of global universities, our researchers continued to perform well in National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian Research Council competitive grant rounds and have also won numerous significant prizes and awards.
Research Week has become a fixture on the university calendar with over 50 events on campus and around 4300 visitors and participants and towards the end of this year, the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre opened, complete with a 26-tonne fixed-beam centrifuge.
The timeline below illustrates and recognises some of the UWA Research highlights of 2016. I look forward to the achievements to come in 2017.
January
2016
January 12, 2016
Research uncovers how to
better manage crops grown
on gravel soils >>
A study into gravel soils by researchers at The University of
Western Australia may help farmers growing crops on
soils with high gravel content optimise the amount of
fertiliser they apply.
ID: 1955
January 15, 2016 Australia's 'other' reef >>
Marine biologists from the University of Western Australia’s Oceans Institute have released a video that gives a poignant glimpse into the marvels of the little-known, economic powerhouse: The Great Southern Reef (GSR).
The GSR made headlines recently when UWA’s Dr Scott Bennett and Associate Professor Thomas Wernberg put a dollar value on Australia’s ‘other reef’, finding it contributes more than $10 billion to the Australian economy each year.
ID: 1957
January 19, 2016 Decade award for international business research >>
A paper co-authored by the UWA Business School’s Professor Cristina Gibson has been named as the winner of the Decade Award in international business.
The award recognises the publication as the most influential paper published in the Journal of International Business Studies, widely regarded as the top outlet for international business research
around the globe.
ID: 1958
January 19, 2016
UWA Crowd Research Project,
'Help Support Western Australian
Writing with Westerly Magazine'
raises
$15,485 >>
Westerly needs your help to continue producing Western Australian writing. With recent arts funding cuts, we are
turning to the community to help us raise the funds to
pay our wonderful writers.
ID: 2004
January 27, 2016
Outstanding achievers honoured on
Australia Day >>
The University of Western Australia congratulates the outstanding members of its community for being recognised in this year’s Australia Day honours.
ID: 1941
January 29, 2016 New underwater acoustic system searching for sharks >>
Shane Chambers (UWA School of Physics), who was
awarded $252,417 as part of the Western Australian Government’s Shark Mitigation Strategy, said the new
system could provide larger coverage areas than traditional shark nets, will be more economical to operate and more efficient than traditional sonar.
ID: 1942
February
2016
February 4, 2016 Researchers from UWA improve food and nutritional security in Bangladesh >>
A five-year project led by researchers from The University of Western Australia to improve food and nutritional security has exceeded expectations by delivering a 45% increase in lentil production over five years.
ID: 1947
February 10, 2016 Scientists discover hidden galaxies behind the Milky Way >>
Lead author Professor Lister Staveley-Smith, from The University of Western Australia node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), said the team found 883 galaxies, a third of which had never been seen before.
ID: 1948
February 11, 2016 UWA Research impact story: Discovering Gravitational Waves >>
Professor David Blair’s mentor at UWA challenged him to look out for the most difficult problems around. David chose gravitational waves. 40 years later the dream was realised after Professor Blair and his team’s contribution enabled the LIGO laser detectors to discover gravitational waves.
ID: 2014
February 12, 2016 Common antibiotic inspires hunt for new herbicide >>
Plant biologists at The University of Western Australia have discovered
that the commonly used antibiotic ciprofloxacin, which kills bacteria, also kills plants by blocking the DNA copying machinery of the plants.
ID: 1932
February 17, 2016 New supercomputer for computational chemistry, biology and physics >>
The study of gravitational waves is one of a number of research areas that will benefit from 'Pople', a high-performance computing (HPC) cluster which is the
latest addition to the Faculty of Science at The
University of Western Australia.
ID: 1935
February 24, 2016
Seaweed farms may have unexpected benefits for
coral
reef fish >>
A new study by UWA PhD student
James Hehre and
Professor Jessica Meeuwig from UWA’s Oceans Institute, published in the journal PLoS One, suggests that seaweed farms increase the food available to rabbitfish, which are commercially valuable.
ID: 1919
March
2016
March 1, 2016 Gene switch makes us look like our animal cousins >>
Led by researchers at The University of Western Australia and published in Nature Genetics, a new study sheds light on why all vertebrate animals (those with a backbone) look alike during a particular phase of embryo development known as
the phylotypic stage.
ID: 1920
March 4, 2016 New treatment opportunities for pancreatic cancer >>
An international project assisted by researchers from The University of Western Australia has offered new hope to patients with pancreatic cancer.
ID: 1924
March 4, 2016 Proof-of-concept funding for new cancer treatment >>
A new approach to treating tumours
has recently been awarded UWA PATHFINDER funding to explore its
commercial potential.
Dr Hamzah had already been working
with UWA's Research Development and Innovation (RDI) office to prepare and
file a provisional patent application
on the treatment.
ID: 1926
March 4, 2016
UWA & China’s Chongqing
University (CQU) Sign
Engineering
Research
Collaboration >>
Joint research publications, high quality PhD students, access to world-class research facilities and more opportunities for both universities are all expected to emerge from a new Sino-Australian engineering research agreement.
ID: 1927
March 7, 2016
Can beetroot juice
give elite athletes
an edge? >>
Look for red beetroot stained lips next time you workout, they mean business! Research into beetroot juice by Dr Peter Peeling from UWA's School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, UWA.
"Given that the margin between gold and silver medals in the Men’s K1-1000m and the Women’s K1-500m races at the 2012 London Olympic Games was 0.3% and 1.0% respectively, the relatively small performance changes that we recorded are clearly relevant."
ID: 2103
March 22, 2016 UWA study offers new hope for treatment of osteoporosis >>
An international study by The University of Western
Australia may lead to a new treatment for osteoporosis
caused by age-related bone loss in elderly women.
The new research, published in Nature Communications,
found a new way that cells involved in bone structure
were able to talk to each other.
ID: 1913
March 30, 2016 UWA Scientists discover new way of testing reproductive compatibility >>
Scientists from The University of Western Australia have discovered a new way of measuring the effectiveness of different sperm competing to fertilise
eggs in blue mussels.
The discovery could help researchers understand sperm-egg interactions in humans and have important
implications for medical research
such as IVF technology.
ID: 2076
March 30, 2016 UWA researchers target child deaths in Bangladeshi slums >>
Three UWA researchers have recently returned from Bangladesh where they began work on a new project focused
on saving the lives of young children
in urban slums.
Dr Hilary Wallace, Professor Petra
Tschakert and
Dr Mitali Manzur spent one week in Dhaka launching
the project and collaborating with key partners from the
Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB) and other leading
early childhood agencies.
ID: 2099
April
2016
April 11, 2016 Helping people with Parkinson's get a better night's sleep >>
A new study at The University of Western Australia may offer hope in alleviating some of the memory and thinking skills problems associated with the debilitating movement disorder, Parkinson’s.
ID: 1917
April 12, 2016
New method of detecting gravitational waves
will bring
them closer >>
Scientists at The University of Western Australia have discovered new technology which could mean that instead of being detected a billion light years away, gravitational waves may be identified throughout 'the observable universe'.
Professor David Blair from the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre (AIGRC) at UWA said the breakthrough could eventually see hundreds of gravity wave 'events' being recorded every day.
ID: 1918
April 13, 2016
UWA wins grant to
help reduce wave
energy costs >>
The University of Western Australia has won $1 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to work on the deployment of arrays of wave energy converters.
ID: 1900
April 19, 2016 UWA Professor named FAO Special Ambassador for Pulses >>
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has designated
The University of Western Australia’s Agriculture Chair, Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique the Special Ambassador for Pulses 2016 at a ceremony in Marrakesh, Morocco.
ID: 1903
April 19, 2016
UWA Crowd Research project, 'Help protect
the colobus monkeys
of Rwanda'
raises $10,025 >>
The Ruwenzori Colobus Monkey is restricted to only a few fragmented sites in Eastern Africa, and is endangered by future habitat loss. By studying the resource and habitat requirements for this species we can play a part in conserving this endangered species in the wild.
ID: 2005
April 19, 2016 New training and research hubs officially launched at UWA >>
UWA's two new $20 million dollar training and research hubs will be a unique training environment and will provide a highly skilled workforce with the expertise to unlock Australia's energy resources and strengthen our contribution to the global energy engineering business.
ID: 2096
April 19, 2016 'Cosmic Eye' goes viral >>
UWA astrophysicist Dr Danail Obreschkow has become an overnight viral sensation after a video he developed had an incredible 30 million views on Facebook.
The video uses real photographs obtained with modern telescopes and microscopes and takes the viewer 10-billion light years away and then back to within the atomic nucleus of the human eye.
ID: 2107
April 19, 2016 UWA Research impact story: Take Me to the River: Perth Water Schemes >>
Led by Dr Julian Bolleter, Landscape Architect and Urban Designer at the Australian Urban Design Research Centre (AUDRC), UWA, ‘Take Me to the River’ has attracted national interest. The research aims to provide the people of Perth with a historical record of the ideas around Perth Water by exhuming old schemes and changing ideas of what Perth is, was, and could become.
ID: 2011
April 20, 2016
UWA Research impact story:
Barrow Island Archaeology Project:
a deep history >>
Led by Peter Veth, Professor of Archaeology, the UWA team (the first to be granted permission to conduct a long-term heritage research project on Barrow Island) set out to establish how Australia was settled by Aboriginal people
and what life was like.
Celebrated amongst their findings was some of the earliest evidence of Aboriginal occupation of Australia (dating to approximately 50,000 years ago) anunique climatic records of Northern Australia and the discovery of some of the earliest human use of maritime resources east of Wallacea.
ID: 2012
April 21, 2016
UWA Research
impact story:
The Cassava Warriors >>
Dr Laura Boykin, Computational Biologist at UWA’s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry leads a team referred to by East African locals as the ‘Cassava Warriors’. Their research will result in a cassava plant that is resistant to viruses and whitefly and will help to end extreme poverty in East Africa and other developing countries.
ID: 2013
April 26, 2016
Nobel Laureate leads popular events
during Australia Week
in China >>
Nobel Laureate and Professor at The University of Western Australia Barry Marshall has led a number of prominent
events in China during Austrade's second Australia Week
in China (AWIC) program.
ID: 1905
April 28, 2016
The Costs of Youth
Homelessness
in Australia >>
A world-first Australian study has shown that preventing young people from becoming homeless by strengthening and integrating school and youth services at a community level could save an estimated $626 million per year across the youth justice and health services systems alone.
ID: 1907
May
2016
May 5, 2016 High tech mapping of Greenland's ice sheet reveals new secrets >>
An international leader in 3D geoscience from The University of Western Australia is among a team of scientists using high-tech, ice-penetrating radar data to successfully map the architecture of the
Greenland ice sheet.
The findings, published in Nature Communications, have proposed a new model of fold formation in the massive ice sheet, the second-largest in the world, a discovery which will make it easier for scientists to understand future
ice flows in glaciers.
ID: 1889
May 6, 2016
Ground-breaking work design researcher
wins
ARC Laureate Fellowship >>
Pioneering research on the changing nature of ‘work’ has resulted in an Australian Laureate Fellowship
being awarded to The
University of Western Australia.
ID: 1891
May 11, 2016 Archaeologists find world's oldest axe in WA's Kimberley >>
The University of Western Australia’s Associate Professor Jane Balme is part of an Australian archaeology team involved in the discovery of the world’s oldest-known edge-ground hafted axe from the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
ID: 1893
May 12, 2016
Homosexual activity documented in female gorillas
for the first time >>
As part of a study facilitated through the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, a researcher from The University of Western Australia has documented the first detailed evidence of homosexual behaviour in female gorillas.
ID: 1894
May 17, 2016 International mentorship award for UWA academic >>
The UWA Business School’s Professor Sharon Parker
has been recognised for her outstanding contribution
to the field of Organisational Behaviour with a prestigious international award.
ID: 1898
May 17, 2016
Researchers test drive a new
wave of supercomputers >>
Researchers from The University of
Western Australia and the University of Bristol have made an exciting
breakthrough in advancing a new wave of 'supercomputers' by testing an early prototype of a quantum computer.
ID: 1879
May 18, 2016 UWA study pinpoints placenta as treatment target >>
Dr Caitlin Wyrwoll, School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, UWA
and her team have studied the effects of stress hormones during pregnancy and found that therapies targeting the placenta may ultimately help protect babies from the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke later in life.
ID: 2053
May 19, 2016 Scientists measure impact of artificial light on sea turtles >>
Research carried out by The University of Western Australia, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Department of Parks and Wildlife has found new evidence that there is an impact from artificial light on the survival of wild
sea turtle hatchlings.
ID: 1881
May 23, 2016
Ecological Society of America honours
UWA ecologist >>
The University of Western Australia’s Professor Richard Hobbs has been recognised for his exceptional contribution to the field of ecology with Honorary Membership of the prestigious Ecological Society of America.
ID: 1882
May 25, 2016
Plants are 'in touch'
with
the world
around them >>
The simple act of water droplets landing on a leaf causes an elaborate response inside of plants, scientists at The University of Western Australia have found.
ID: 1885
May 25, 2016
UWA Crowd Research project, 'Evaluating drivers' attitudes
cyclists
in WA' receives
305 participants >>
Car drivers and cyclists often share the roads and their interaction can cause friction between these two parties. Cyclists often report drivers as showing dangerous and inconsiderate behaviour, and similarly car drivers often identify cyclists as reckless and irresponsible. Accidents involving cyclists and car drivers are often dangerous and in some cases end tragically.
ID: 2006
May 30, 2016
Researcher wins
Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation Award funding >>
Great work by Tim Inglis, School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,
UWA in winning a Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
for his work in developing a new screening test to
detect antibiotic resistance.
ID: 2049
June
2016
June 1, 2016
UWA Research impact story: Murujuga: Dynamics of
the Dreaming >>
This team from UWA are exploring the Dampier Archipelago (Murujuga). What they have uncovered so far is astounding, and pushes back the known occupation of this place to before the Last Ice Age. It also contains an estimated one million engraved motifs of great scientific and cultural significance, an important part of understanding the human journey in Australia’s north-west.
ID: 2015
June 2, 2016
Researchers one step closer to developing non-allergenic
'super' peanuts >>
UWA researchers have identified genes in peanuts that when altered will be able to prevent an allergic response in humans. This discovery brings us that one step closer to creating peanuts that will have significant benefits globally.
ID: 2070
June 2, 2016 UWA student announced social worker of the year >>
Congratulations to PhD candidate and lecturer Stephan Lund, UWA who has won both the 'Leading the Way' award as well
as being the overall winner of the 2016
WA Social Worker of the Year Awards.
The awards recognise Stephan's enthusiasm, passion for social work and commitment to furthering the profession through education.
ID: 2071
June 9, 2016
Seaweed extract to reduce chemicals in gas and
oil production >>
Researchers from The University of Western Australia
are aiming to prevent calcium scale in oil and gas
pipelines through the innovative use of
an environmentally friendly seaweed extract.
“Scale formation in oil and gas pipelines has always been a liability for the oil and gas industry as it reduces production rates. In some cases scale formation can result in a loss of production of over $1,000,000 per day from a single
affected well,”
Dr Brendan Graham
ID: 1872
June 13, 2016
Science backs shark shield
developed with University of
Western Australia >>
A shark shield developed with researchers from UWA has repelled great whites nine out of 10 times in 300 encounters off the coast of South Africa, making it the most effective personal shark repellent ever scientifically tested.
ID: 2046
June 14, 2016
Medical researcher wins
top British award >>
Assoc Prof Kevin Pfleger, UWA-affiliated Harry Perkins Institute of Medical
Research has won the Novartis Prize in recognition of his published work.
His research focuses on receptors throughout the body that are
the target of many
commonly used medicines.
ID: 2044
June 14, 2016 UWA takes large steps to eradicate hunger in Timor Leste >>
The number of people experiencing hunger in Timor Leste has reduced dramatically thanks to an enormously successful agricultural project led by The University of Western Australia.
ID: 1875
June 14, 2016 UWA Research impact story: A Healthy House Tracker >>
We can't ignore the effects of climate change on how we live or our ever growing use of resources such as electricity and water. As consumers we look to be more environmentally conscious, but what
about our houses and offices
– are they running efficiently?
ID: 2016
June 16, 2016 UWA student awarded prestigious architecture scholarship >>
Great achievement from Architecture, UWA Masters student Abel Feleke who has been awarded the 2016 RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship for his proposal on 'Weaving the Urban Fabric: Examining the Significance of Community'.
ID: 2062
June 16, 2016
A second gravitational wave starts a symphony from space
- and earth is listening >>
An international team of scientists including 21 researchers from UWA has made a major breakthrough: a second detection of gravitational waves, following their world-first discovery of gravitational waves last September.
ID: 2090
June 21, 2016
Perth Lynx study finds
pre-bed routine vital for
a good night's sleep >>
The science of sleep is the latest weapon being used by Perth’s top women’s basketball team with research carried out with The University of Western Australia offering hope to anyone who struggles to sleep through the night.
ID: 1878
June 22, 2016 Shark Mitigation Systems >>
Research by Shark Mitigation Systems in collaboration with UWA researchers in Oceans Institute and School of Animal Biology into methods to deter sharks and prevent attacks shows that sharks see in “contrasts' and that a monotone dark coloured wetsuit is often mistaken for prey.
SMS have now secured Taj Burrow as
an ambassador of SMS and their technology.
ID: 2087
June 23, 2016 UWA Research impact story: Coming Home: a story of survival >>
Despite hardships endured, the Australian Aboriginal community remain one of the oldest surviving cultures on the planet. From the mid-19th century, photographs of Aboriginal people were taken for scientific purposes and were eventually archived in museums around the world.
This culturally significant research reconnects families and country by bringing these lost ancestors home.
ID: 2017
June 28, 2016 Researchers from UWA awarded Fulbright Scholarships >>
Two PhD students and a postdoctoral research fellow from The University of Western Australia have received prestigious Fulbright Scholarships for 2016.
They will travel to the United States to advance their fields globally and join an elite worldwide group that includes Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners.
ID: 2061
June 29, 2016 UWA Turf Water Allocation Project scores outstanding research award >>
Pioneering research into understanding how to best manage green spaces using limited water allocations has been acknowledged for outstanding research achievement at the 2016 Parks and Leisure Australia WA Awards.
The 2016 Research Award went to The University of Western Australia’s Water Allocation Project within the UWA Turf Research Program, led by
Dr Louise Barton and
Professor Tim Colmer from UWA’s School of Plant Biology
and Institute of Agriculture.
ID: 1863
July
2016
July 4, 2016 Shark Shield proves effective in deterring white sharks >>
Shark researchers at The University of Western Australia have released the final test results of a study that examined the effectiveness of the Shark ShieldTM shark deterrent.
ID: 1865
July 11, 2016 Community to give vital input into advancing medical research >>
The very successful UWA School of Population Health and Telethon Kids Institute Consumer Involvement Program will be expanded thanks to a $3.2 million grant from Lotterywest. This Australia-first initiative will give the public a direct say and input into medical research.
ID: 2086
July 12, 2016 UWA Crowd Research Project, 'A simple blood test for early detection of premature birth' raises $4,405 >>
Preterm birth affects millions of babies each year. This test provides an early chance of detecting premature birth.
Help fund the final stages of validation and bring
this life changing test to women.
ID: 2010
July 12, 2016 UWA Crowd Research project, 'Your voice! Your story! English in Western Australia' receives 26 participants >>
Language is the glue that brings people and communities together. It is particularly important to understand how language works in a large diverse city like Perth, in other urban centres in Western Australia and across the vast and widely varying regional Centres.
Western Australia is teeming with varieties of English that still need to be recorded. This project seeks to collect stories by West Australians of different regions, ages, occupations and ethnic backgrounds.
ID: 2008
July 21, 2016 UWA Research impact story: SWANS: safer, more productive operating theatres >>
In Australia, 22 percent of surgeries suffer from incidents known as ‘adverse events’. Whilst most events are minor and cause no permanent harm, 13 percent result in some form of disability for the patient 18 months later. 48 percent of adverse events are preventable and as many as 70 percent of these are due to communication failures.
The SWANS (Surgical Work-team Advanced Non-technical Skills) team have come up with a fresh approach to making
operating theatres more efficient, staff more
engaged and surgery safer for patients.
ID: 2018
July 21, 2016 UWA Crowd Research project, 'Are your breasts dense?' receives 452 participants >>
Women between the ages of 18 and 40 are invited to have their breast density measured. It is completely safe, painless and takes 20 minutes from start to finish. Participants will only be given individual results where this information may be beneficial to health and wellbeing.
ID: 2007
July 25, 2016 Leading researchers named finalists in Premier's Science Awards >>
A public health researcher whose groundbreaking work has helped prevent birth defects and a biomedical scientist who helped pioneer a microscope-in-a-needle to detect cancer
cells are two of eight leading academics from The
University of Western Australia among 15 finalists in
this year’s
Premier’s Science Awards.
ID: 1850
July 26, 2016 UWA Research impact story: Brightpath to learning >>
Assessing student work in performance based learning areas is now much easier thanks to research developed out of The University of Western Australia and the subsequent formation of the company Pairwise.
In collaboration with teachers and school associations, Pairwise has now successfully developed and commercialised the Brightpath approach, which is already being adopted in many schools across Western Australia.
ID: 2019
July 28, 2016
UWA flaming seed
team,
finalists
in WA Innovator of
the Year competition >>
Researchers at The University of Western Australia
who invented a new
technique for ‘flaming’ wild seeds
have been nominated as finalists in the
WA Innovator of the Year competition.
ID: 1851
August
2016
August 19, 2016 Young UWA researchers recognised in Premier's Science Awards >>
An internationally recognised offshore engineering researcher and a PhD student at UWA with a passion for improving the ear health of Indigenous children are among the winners of this year’s
Premier’s Science Awards.
Dr Scott Draper, a senior lecturer in UWA's School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering was named the Woodside Early Career Scientist of the Year while Christopher Brennan-Jones, a paediatric audiologist and PhD candidate at
UWA's Ear Sciences Centre, was named Exxon Mobil
Student Scientist of the Year.
ID: 1845
August 24, 2016
Research to help premature babies recognised in
national awards >>
A study at The University of Western Australia that
looked into ways of preventing respiratory health
problems
in premature babies has been listed in
the
top 10 projects for 2015 at the
National Health and
Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Awards.
ID: 1846
August 25, 2016 CEME offshore engineer wins prestigious science award >>
CEME researcher and lecturer Dr Scott Draper last night won the prestigious $10,000 Woodside Early Career Scientist at the 2016 Premier’s Science Awards in Perth.
ID: 1848
August 30, 2016
UWA Research impact story: Innovations in Breast Cancer:
better diagnosis,
better surgery >>
Around 1.7 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer world-wide each year, with more than 15,000 women and
over 100 men affected in Australia. Of these, around
one in four will need repeat
surgery to remove tumour cells,
often missed in the initial surgery.
Microscope-in-a-Needle is a highly miniaturised medical device that fits inside a needle and is capable of detecting cancer cells with high resolution 3D imaging. The Optical Micro-Elastography device will image the stiffness of malignant tissue at a microscopic level, allowing surgeons ...
ID: 2020
September
2016
September 1, 2016
Research Week 2016 - more than 4300 visitors and participants in
over 50 events
across campus >>
The diverse range of research on show was a defining characteristic this year, engaged the audiences and community who now have a greater appreciation of the value and impact of the work we do.
ID: 2104
September 5, 2016 Professor David Professor David Blair talks gravitational waves during 'Songs of the Universe' at UWA Research Week 2016 >>
Professor David Blair, Director of the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre (AIGRC) at The University of Western Australia and Professor Hyung Mok Lee, Seoul National University and UWA Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellow will discuss the century long quest to detect Einstein's gravitational waves and their subsequent discovery.
ID: 2105
September 6, 2016 Gillian O'Shaughnessy and Dr Karl discuss gravitational waves with Prof David Blair >>
Afternoons with Gillian O'Shaughnessy, 720 ABC Perth broadcast live from UWA Research Week with Dr Karl.
ID: 2106
September 9, 2016 Simple blood test could be used to detect breast cancer >>
Researchers at The University of Western Australia are working on a quick, simple and less invasive blood-based
test that can detect breast cancer progression or relapse much earlier than current methods such as
mammogram, MRI or biopsy.
ID: 1803
September 13, 2016
Our new 26 tonne fixed beam centrifuge has arrived. On with the geotechnical data and
prediction modelling! >>
The National Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility, UWA will make history this year as the only facility in the world to operate three centrifuges, which will spin almost constantly in their bid to unlock the secrets of the deep sea.
ID: 2050
September 14, 2016 Research aims to show how plastic surgery will really look >>
Researchers at The University of Western Australia have
produced a new 3D imaging system that will provide patients considering facial cosmetic procedures with an accurate prediction of the results.
ID: 1804
September 17, 2016 Zest Festival 2016 >>
The ARC Centre for the History of Emotions and the community of Kalbarri, WA created the Zest Festival, 2012-2016 https://vimeo.com/206531899.
Zest combined history with arts and performance events to celebrate the heritage of WA’s shipwreck coast, the culture of the Nhanda people, and the region’s connections across the Indian Ocean, especially through the Dutch East India Company.
Linking UWA humanities research to community, industry, government and education, Zest showed how emotional heritage shapes modern society.
ID: 2111
September 20, 2016 UWA drug offers new hope to young muscular dystrophy sufferers >>
A new drug for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) originally developed at The University of Western
Australia has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Robyn Owens
said the drug Eteplirsen® offered new hope for sufferers
of DMD, a rare and fatal muscle wasting disease affecting one in 3,500 boys worldwide.
ID: 1807
September 22, 2016
Super-fast breeding system to double breeding efficiency
in cereal crops >>
Researchers from The University of Western Australia have developed a super-fast breeding system in the cereals oat and triticale, which will help breeders make crop improvements in half the time as conventionally required.
ID: 1808
September 23, 2016
Two UWA teams secure positions in the CSIRO's prestigious
pre-accelerator,
ON Prime. >>
ON Prime provides recognition of the potential impact of one’s innovation and the opportunity to solve a significant real world problem through enterprise.
ID: 1829
September 27, 2016 UWA and DAFWA dig deep for soil science alliance >>
Soil science researchers from The University of Western Australia and the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) have combined their scientific and research
capabilities to develop the long-term
future of
soil science in Western Australia.
The 'SoilsWest' alliance in agriculture will focus on innovative soil research in grain and pasture production systems to deliver high value science to the
wider agricultural industry.
ID: 1831
October
2016
October 11, 2016 Ten years on - the impact of WA's only Nobel Prize >>
A new report shows that Western Australia's first Nobel Prize is still having a big impact a decade later.
The report, Western Australia’s Nobel Laureates Leading the Way is the world’s first long-term study of the social impact of a Nobel Prize. Co-authored by Kris Laurie and Marie Howarth it was launched today at The University of Western Australia.
ID: 2052
October 12, 2016 Novel technique to study root system architecture brings breakthrough in crop production >>
In a world first, researchers from The University of Western Australia and The International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) have published a
study that will allow chickpea breeders and researches to develop new chickpea varieties with improved
adaptation to target environments.
ID: 1837
October 20, 2016
UWA Research impact story:
Seeds of Life >>
Food security in Timor-Leste became a major issue following its independence in 2002. Having poor farming practices and increasing concerns over food security, by 2015 Timor-Leste was ranked fourth on the Global Hunger Index.
The UWA Seeds of Life program has impacted the lives of East Timorese by reducing the hungry season and improving
food and nutrition.
ID: 2021
October 25, 2016 New tool detects malignant breast cancer tissue during surgery >>
A tool that will enable surgeons to detect malignant
breast cancer tissue during surgery using new imaging techniques has been developed by researchers at
The University of Western Australia and the
Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research.
ID: 1824
October 27, 2016 New invention aids detection of prevalent parasitic disease >>
Researchers from The University of Western Australia have invented a device that can detect very small quantities of the parasite eggs that cause schistosomiasis in humans which are currently difficult to detect.
ID: 1825
October 28, 2016 Fossilised dinosaur brain tissue identified for the first time >>
Researchers from The University of Western Australia
have helped British scientists confirm that an unassuming brown pebble, found more than a decade ago by a fossil hunter in Sussex, is the first example of fossilised
brain tissue from a dinosaur.
ID: 1827
October 31, 2016
Astrophysicist wins
2016 Young Tall
Poppy Award >>
Astrophysicist Dr Danail Obreschkow from The University of Western Australia was today recognised as Western Australia’s brightest emerging scientist at this year’s Young Tall Poppy Science Awards.
ID: 1811
November
2016
November 1, 2016
UWA has received $17.8 million for 42 new research projects as
part of the Australian Research Council’s
major grants
announcement >>
Projects include producing an Indigenous Australian Dictionary of Biography, research into variation and change in metropolitan Aboriginal English, using deep-sea coral skeletons to predict global warming patterns, testing whether resilience to bad events can be influenced by modifying information processing factors and a project to progress single-cell based biology research.
ID: 1812
November 3, 2016 Seed flamer wins at WA Innovator of the Year >>
A new tool that makes native seeds easier to handle has won researchers from The University of Western Australia and the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority
a top prize at the 2016 WA Innovator
of the Year awards.
ID: 1815
November 3, 2016
Post Doctoral Fellow at The UWA Oceans Institute awarded
ARC DECRA >>
Dr Ana Martins Sequeira will lead a project using satellite tracking data to understand global movement of marine megafauna—such as sharks, whales and turtles—for sustainable exploitation of marine resources
while conserving biodiversity.
ID: 2040
November 11, 2016 Breakthrough in genetics advances Brassica crop improvement >>
An international team of researchers led by The University of Western Australia have made a major breakthrough in understanding the important crop plant Brassica oleracea.
ID: 1818
November 16, 2016
UWA Crowd Research project launched 'Saving gentle giants: protecting manta rays
through research' >>
We need your help to support manta ray conservation research! This research will explore the use of genetic techniques to improve the management and protection of
these threatened ocean giants.
ID: 2009
November 24, 2016 UWA Zadko Telescope helps reconstruct 'Barbarian' asteroids >>
The University of Western Australia’s Zadko Telescope has been used by an international team to reconstruct the shape of a rare ‘Barbarian’ asteroid
(space rock).
ID: 1982
November 25, 2016 UWA Nobel Laureate develops drug to prevent food allergies >>
Immbalance, a new oral treatment being developed by Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall from The University of Western Australia to help prevent asthma and allergies to foods such as
peanuts and shellfish.
ID: 2057
November 28, 2016 Bringing genes back from the wild for rapid crop improvement >>
An international team of researchers from The University of Western Australia, University of New England, the Nordic Genetic Resource Centre, Norway, and the Pig Research Centre, Denmark have developed a revolutionary plant breeding system which will enable breeders to access valuable genes that have been lost through
modern breeding programs.
ID: 1984
December
2016
December 1, 2016
Sharks need a
safe place too >>
After analysing more than 2000 hours of coastal shark sightings, researchers from The University of Western Australia and other collaborators have warned that habitats important for juvenile shark survival are
not adequately protected.
ID: 1986
December 1, 2016 Success for premature birth prevention program >>
'The Whole Nine Months' is a state-wide program aimed to lower the rate of preterm birth in WA by 35 per cent over the next five years. Find out how this program, led by The University of Western Australia has had success in reducing the rate of early birth in WA at the 'Dean's Distinguished Lecture', 12.30 pm Tuesday 13 December, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research.
ID: 2051
December 6, 2016
UWA awarded $22 million
in national health
research
funding >>
Improving treatment of viral infections in transplant recipients, determining whether testosterone slows biological ageing in men to improve health outcomes and developing a tool to diagnose and predict different types of diabetes are among 26 projects at The University of Western Australia to receive funding of more than $22 million from the National Health and
Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
ID: 1987
December 6, 2016 Smart plants learn new habits >>
A new study led by The University of Western Australia has demonstrated for the first time that plants can learn about their environment by making links between events, an ability thought to be
exclusive to animals.
The international research team, led by Research Associate Professor Monica Gagliano from UWA's Centre for Evolutionary Biology, in collaboration with researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Zurich, set out to prove plants were capable of associative learning.
ID: 1988
