Multifunctional Porous Nanospheres Engineered Composite Membranes for Hydrogen and Methanol Fuel Cells. Increasing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and dwindling petroleum supplies have driven the development and commercialisation of fuel cells. The development of novel nanocomposite membranes will possibly lead to the materials breakthrough necessary for advancing both hydrogen and methanol fuel cell technologies, significantly benefiting Australian clean energy supplies and in particul ....Multifunctional Porous Nanospheres Engineered Composite Membranes for Hydrogen and Methanol Fuel Cells. Increasing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and dwindling petroleum supplies have driven the development and commercialisation of fuel cells. The development of novel nanocomposite membranes will possibly lead to the materials breakthrough necessary for advancing both hydrogen and methanol fuel cell technologies, significantly benefiting Australian clean energy supplies and in particular transport vehicles and portable devices. The synthesis strategies generated will be applicable to creating other functional nanoporous or nanocomposite materials for wider application. This project will also enhance the international reputation and impact of Australian research in the internationally focused fields of nanomaterials and fuel cell technology.Read moreRead less
Forgiveness in conflict resolution and peacebuilding: international dimensions. In an age in which ongoing conflicts and tensions have very real ramifications for international and regional security, finding new and more effective ways to resolve international disputes is critical to ensuring Australia's ongoing security. This project will therefore benefit Australia by 'enhancing our nation's understanding of social, political, and cultural issues' associated with the resolution of conflict in ....Forgiveness in conflict resolution and peacebuilding: international dimensions. In an age in which ongoing conflicts and tensions have very real ramifications for international and regional security, finding new and more effective ways to resolve international disputes is critical to ensuring Australia's ongoing security. This project will therefore benefit Australia by 'enhancing our nation's understanding of social, political, and cultural issues' associated with the resolution of conflict in the Asia Pacific region. By helping to develop an alternative peacebuilding tool, it will also assist those engaged in the practical delivery of peacebulding initiatives in the region.Read moreRead less
A process model of visual working memory. This project aims to develop a process model of encoding of items into memory. Working memory is central to almost all cognitive functions, but little is known about short-term memory for visual information. Progress in this area is slow because of a focus on models that do not specify the processes underlying memory, and no model explains the processes that would limit the number of items the memory can hold to four. A process model is expected to addre ....A process model of visual working memory. This project aims to develop a process model of encoding of items into memory. Working memory is central to almost all cognitive functions, but little is known about short-term memory for visual information. Progress in this area is slow because of a focus on models that do not specify the processes underlying memory, and no model explains the processes that would limit the number of items the memory can hold to four. A process model is expected to address fundamental issues in visual working memory.Read moreRead less
A 140,000 year insight into the imprint of climate and humans on Australia. Before the arrival of Europeans, two events shaped Australia's current landscapes and biota more than any others: climate change during the glacial cycle and the arrival of humans on the continent. However, the full scale of these events is not well understood. High resolution analyses of two continuous 140 000 year old sediment deposits will be used in this project to fill this void and answer fundamental questions abou ....A 140,000 year insight into the imprint of climate and humans on Australia. Before the arrival of Europeans, two events shaped Australia's current landscapes and biota more than any others: climate change during the glacial cycle and the arrival of humans on the continent. However, the full scale of these events is not well understood. High resolution analyses of two continuous 140 000 year old sediment deposits will be used in this project to fill this void and answer fundamental questions about how current Australian environments came to be.Read moreRead less
Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerabili ....Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerability, dependency and the like. This project aims to better understand and address the tensions between the protection of children and their participation in research, and to explore how ethics committees, parents, other gatekeepers and children themselves manage and navigate these tensions.Read moreRead less
Rediscovering Aboriginal dispersal pathways. This project aims to use cutting-edge and transdisciplinary tools in partnership with Aboriginal people to rediscover deliberate prehistoric plant dispersal pathways along the Australian east coast. By working on three unrelated species with similar disjunct distributions, expected outcomes include detecting significant ‘cultural’ vegetation patterns that will challenge current assumptions about 'natural' plant distributions. New associations between ....Rediscovering Aboriginal dispersal pathways. This project aims to use cutting-edge and transdisciplinary tools in partnership with Aboriginal people to rediscover deliberate prehistoric plant dispersal pathways along the Australian east coast. By working on three unrelated species with similar disjunct distributions, expected outcomes include detecting significant ‘cultural’ vegetation patterns that will challenge current assumptions about 'natural' plant distributions. New associations between plant biogeography and deliberate Aboriginal manipulation of Australian environments will benefit cultural heritage, land management and restoration initiatives.Read moreRead less
Towards knowledge discovery from imperfect and evolving data. Information extraction from data is critical, both to analyse and protect consumer data. However, many learning techniques are developed using perfect, static datasets, quite different to messy, ever-changing real-world data. This project aims to develop data analytics techniques that can extract accurate information in complex structures from imperfect/incomplete data that changes over time. Expected outcomes are a prototype tool, te ....Towards knowledge discovery from imperfect and evolving data. Information extraction from data is critical, both to analyse and protect consumer data. However, many learning techniques are developed using perfect, static datasets, quite different to messy, ever-changing real-world data. This project aims to develop data analytics techniques that can extract accurate information in complex structures from imperfect/incomplete data that changes over time. Expected outcomes are a prototype tool, tested on real datasets, that combines new techniques in data modelling, algorithm development, and system design. Likely benefits are enhanced Australia's competence in data science through student training and new, robust data tools relevant to critical sectors such as cybersecurity, healthcare, and defence.Read moreRead less
Contemporary and retrospective genomic analyses of tiger and white sharks. This project aims to elucidate population structure and spatiotemporal changes in population distribution of tiger and white sharks; estimate the effective number of individuals across populations; and investigate signatures of adaptive evolution in tiger- and white shark populations in response to exploitation and global change. It will perform high-resolution retrospective genomic analyses using DNA extracted from conte ....Contemporary and retrospective genomic analyses of tiger and white sharks. This project aims to elucidate population structure and spatiotemporal changes in population distribution of tiger and white sharks; estimate the effective number of individuals across populations; and investigate signatures of adaptive evolution in tiger- and white shark populations in response to exploitation and global change. It will perform high-resolution retrospective genomic analyses using DNA extracted from contemporary and archival tiger and white shark skeletal material held in museum and trophy collections around the world. This project expects to gain valuable insight into the biology of both species and provide information for conservation and management purposes.Read moreRead less
A more sound approach to the neurobiology of language. How does the brain attain spoken language? Current neurobiological models assume either implicitly or explicitly that there is no relationship between a word's sound and its meaning. Yet considerable evidence shows this strong assumption about the arbitrariness of language is invalid. This project will use a combination of behavioural, neuroimaging and computational studies to characterise how the brain processes statistical regularities in ....A more sound approach to the neurobiology of language. How does the brain attain spoken language? Current neurobiological models assume either implicitly or explicitly that there is no relationship between a word's sound and its meaning. Yet considerable evidence shows this strong assumption about the arbitrariness of language is invalid. This project will use a combination of behavioural, neuroimaging and computational studies to characterise how the brain processes statistical regularities in sound-to-meaning correspondences as probabilistic cues to attain spoken language. The outcome will be a better neural account of language comprehension and production. The benefit of this new account will be a stronger basis for assessment and treatment of developmental and acquired language impairments.Read moreRead less
Extreme soil acidification and metal release risks from increasing drought. The project aims to study the effects of drought on pH and metal speciation in soils, and develop tools to assess current and future risks. Social and economic well-being depends on good soil and water quality. Climate change makes droughts more frequent and severe, which could cause soil acidification (pH<4) and metal release in many regions. The project will integrate experimental data on the effects of drought on soil ....Extreme soil acidification and metal release risks from increasing drought. The project aims to study the effects of drought on pH and metal speciation in soils, and develop tools to assess current and future risks. Social and economic well-being depends on good soil and water quality. Climate change makes droughts more frequent and severe, which could cause soil acidification (pH<4) and metal release in many regions. The project will integrate experimental data on the effects of drought on soil geochemistry with hydro-geochemical models, and apply these to national-scale predictions. The intended outcomes are improved management and preparedness for droughts and new research directions for geochemistry.Read moreRead less