Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989804
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
A Universal Nano Tribometer for Surface and Thin Film Characterisation. The proposed infrastructure will be of major benefit to a large number of ARC funded research projects involving chracterisation of materials at four universities UOW,QUT, UNSW and CDU. The project will extend the research capability of the participating researchers and facilitate innovative projects and new research direction in advanced materials processing in the nano/micro scale. This in turn will lead to improved intern ....A Universal Nano Tribometer for Surface and Thin Film Characterisation. The proposed infrastructure will be of major benefit to a large number of ARC funded research projects involving chracterisation of materials at four universities UOW,QUT, UNSW and CDU. The project will extend the research capability of the participating researchers and facilitate innovative projects and new research direction in advanced materials processing in the nano/micro scale. This in turn will lead to improved international competitiveness of Australian industry.Read moreRead less
Mammal declines in northern Australia: science for conservation and recovery. Australia’s unique mammal fauna is a rich biological heritage for the nation. It provides a wealth of ecosystem services, and many mammal species have special cultural or aesthetic value. However, our mammals are sadly depleted, and we already have the worst record of recent mammal extinction of any nation. Preventing further mammal extinctions, and managing environments to allow declined mammals to recover, will be of ....Mammal declines in northern Australia: science for conservation and recovery. Australia’s unique mammal fauna is a rich biological heritage for the nation. It provides a wealth of ecosystem services, and many mammal species have special cultural or aesthetic value. However, our mammals are sadly depleted, and we already have the worst record of recent mammal extinction of any nation. Preventing further mammal extinctions, and managing environments to allow declined mammals to recover, will be of great benefit to Australian biodiversity and to the ecosystem processes and human values that depend on it.Read moreRead less
ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to deter ....ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to determine how best to describe Australia's current biodiversity and the biological and environmental history leading up to the present. A major outcome will be the ability to predict the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity to assist management decisions across Australia, with lessons of global importance.Read moreRead less
Conservation management of seed-eating birds in the tropical savannas. Biodiversity loss in the savannas indicates unsustainable management. This research will enhance our abilities to effectively manage Australia's tropical savannas, as well as contributing to several State and Territory, Commonwealth and international obligations to maintain biodiversity. Understanding the processes underlying current declines will also make the effects of future management or environment changes easier to pre ....Conservation management of seed-eating birds in the tropical savannas. Biodiversity loss in the savannas indicates unsustainable management. This research will enhance our abilities to effectively manage Australia's tropical savannas, as well as contributing to several State and Territory, Commonwealth and international obligations to maintain biodiversity. Understanding the processes underlying current declines will also make the effects of future management or environment changes easier to predict. Retaining threatened species can benefit remote and regional communities through tourism, and also through the extra employment required to implement the management prescriptions that will be developed from this research.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347662
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$195,000.00
Summary
Laser Ablation System for Elemental Analysis and Tropical Environmental Research. This application seeks funding for a Laser Ablation system as a sample introduction system for the current Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICPMS). The proposed LA-ICPMS facility will provide a trace element analytical facility that will be used for research in northern Australia which will enhance and develop strong and sustainable collaborative partnerships in the areas of conservation biology, ....Laser Ablation System for Elemental Analysis and Tropical Environmental Research. This application seeks funding for a Laser Ablation system as a sample introduction system for the current Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICPMS). The proposed LA-ICPMS facility will provide a trace element analytical facility that will be used for research in northern Australia which will enhance and develop strong and sustainable collaborative partnerships in the areas of conservation biology, living resource management, tropical environmental science and resource development. The facility will not be simply providing a routine analytical service. It will be used to develop innovative approaches to environmental management and sustainable development and ensure a continued high level of research and research training which will contribute to regional development.Read moreRead less
Bringing back Australia's lost woodland biodiversity: towards strategic multi-species reintroductions. Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinction of any continent on the planet. This has reduced biodiversity and compromised many important ecological processes. What is the best way to re-build depauperate mammal communities with multi-species reintroductions? What effects do multi-species reintroductions have on recipient ecosystems? This project aims to explore these questions by reintr ....Bringing back Australia's lost woodland biodiversity: towards strategic multi-species reintroductions. Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinction of any continent on the planet. This has reduced biodiversity and compromised many important ecological processes. What is the best way to re-build depauperate mammal communities with multi-species reintroductions? What effects do multi-species reintroductions have on recipient ecosystems? This project aims to explore these questions by reintroducing three mammal species to a critically endangered temperate woodland: a carnivore (the eastern quoll), an insectivore (yellow-footed antechinus), and a herbivore (the eastern chestnut mouse). Results from this sequenced multi-species reintroduction experiment will have broad applicability to ecosystem restoration in Australia and overseas.Read moreRead less
Investigating movement, distribution, abundance and diet to support management objectives for threatened riverine predators in Northern Australia. The rivers and estuaries of northern Australia are highly productive environments, containing an exceptional diversity and abundance of large predatory aquatic species. This project aims to monitor the movements, habitat preferences and diet in eight large predatory species in a northern Queensland river over the next three years. Movement data will b ....Investigating movement, distribution, abundance and diet to support management objectives for threatened riverine predators in Northern Australia. The rivers and estuaries of northern Australia are highly productive environments, containing an exceptional diversity and abundance of large predatory aquatic species. This project aims to monitor the movements, habitat preferences and diet in eight large predatory species in a northern Queensland river over the next three years. Movement data will be combined with isotopic analysis to reveal how environmental and biological factors drive animal movements and impact habitat connectivity. In a world of vanishing top predators, it is imperative to understand system dynamics before we can evaluate the impact of species removal on ecosystem function.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453256
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,573.00
Summary
National Positron Beamline Facility. We shall construct an experimental facility for the study of positron interactions with atoms, molecules and condensed matter. It will
- Provide a unique Australian facility for the study of positron interactions with matter
- Provide benchmark data for low energy positron interactions with atoms and molecules and a reference point for theoretical calculations
- Provide Australian materials scientists with a new tool for the development of novel material ....National Positron Beamline Facility. We shall construct an experimental facility for the study of positron interactions with atoms, molecules and condensed matter. It will
- Provide a unique Australian facility for the study of positron interactions with matter
- Provide benchmark data for low energy positron interactions with atoms and molecules and a reference point for theoretical calculations
- Provide Australian materials scientists with a new tool for the development of novel materials and thin film technology
- Provide new insight on the mechanisms of positron binding to matter
- Address a National Research Priority: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.
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Forecasting fish resilience to environmental change in northern Australia. This project aims to use a traits-based modelling framework, incorporating variability both within and between species, to forecast the resilience of freshwater fishes in northern Australia to impending environmental change. While northern Australian rivers are among the most pristine and productive on earth, they face profound change due to human activity. Emerging evidence suggests that flexibility in functional traits ....Forecasting fish resilience to environmental change in northern Australia. This project aims to use a traits-based modelling framework, incorporating variability both within and between species, to forecast the resilience of freshwater fishes in northern Australia to impending environmental change. While northern Australian rivers are among the most pristine and productive on earth, they face profound change due to human activity. Emerging evidence suggests that flexibility in functional traits (e.g. life history, physiology, behaviour, diet) may result in resilience to environmental change. This project aims to provide decision-makers with essential information and new tools to underpin future planning and resource management.Read moreRead less
Securing the essential: assisting Indigenous communities and their service providers to sustainably manage water and energy supply. The provision of water and energy supplies to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) communities is a critical challenge for service providers. This project uses a novel unobtrusive smart metering system, aligned with culturally appropriate consultation with ATSI communities, to reveal patterns of household water and water related-energy consumption. Si ....Securing the essential: assisting Indigenous communities and their service providers to sustainably manage water and energy supply. The provision of water and energy supplies to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) communities is a critical challenge for service providers. This project uses a novel unobtrusive smart metering system, aligned with culturally appropriate consultation with ATSI communities, to reveal patterns of household water and water related-energy consumption. Significantly, the research aims to identify effective behavioural and technological water and energy efficiency strategies in three remote ATSI communities in Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. A key outcome is to provide an adaptive evidence-based and community-driven handbook to facilitate the secure long-term supply and efficient use of energy and water resources in remote ATSI communities.Read moreRead less