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
Attraction and retention: the role of mobility in educational pathways and human capital development. This project will examine the factors that attract and retain school leavers and tertiary graduates in cities, towns and rural areas of non-metropolitan Victoria. It will increase understanding of how spatial mobility shapes young people's transition through higher education to adulthood and guide regional development policy to enhance human capital.
Evaluating the effectiveness of fire safety programs in emergency services management. Measuring the effectiveness of fire safety programs is critical to minimising economic costs, optimising resource utilisation and mitigating risk to individuals of injury and death. This project will be the first study to develop a methodological framework that integrates geographical, statistical and temporal analyses for their evaluation.
The effect of cochlear implants on cognitive decline in ageing Australians. This project aims to investigate the impact of cochlear implants on cognitive function in elderly people with deafness. Deafness has been found to be independently associated with a 30–40 per cent accelerated rate of cognitive decline in elderly adults. There is currently no effective treatment for cognitive decline. The intended outcomes of this observational study will help us to understand the biological process of co ....The effect of cochlear implants on cognitive decline in ageing Australians. This project aims to investigate the impact of cochlear implants on cognitive function in elderly people with deafness. Deafness has been found to be independently associated with a 30–40 per cent accelerated rate of cognitive decline in elderly adults. There is currently no effective treatment for cognitive decline. The intended outcomes of this observational study will help us to understand the biological process of cognitive decline, whether hearing loss is causal, and whether the process can be altered. These findings should be applicable to all individuals with hearing loss. If cochlear implants delay cognitive decline, this would significantly affect policy, quality of life for the elderly, and the cost to society.Read moreRead less
Equitable local outcomes in adaptation to sea-level rise. The project clearly falls within the priority goal of responding to climate change and variability in being about responding to sea-level rise. It is of direct benefit to rural communities in Gippsland that are vulnerable to sea-level rise, and the project has been identified as a priority research need by the Gippsland Coastal Board, local governments in Gippsland, and the Victorian Government, all of whom are partners in this project. T ....Equitable local outcomes in adaptation to sea-level rise. The project clearly falls within the priority goal of responding to climate change and variability in being about responding to sea-level rise. It is of direct benefit to rural communities in Gippsland that are vulnerable to sea-level rise, and the project has been identified as a priority research need by the Gippsland Coastal Board, local governments in Gippsland, and the Victorian Government, all of whom are partners in this project. The guidelines produced will contribute to improved decision making about adaptation nationally and internationally, and the project's intellectual outcomes will be of interest and values to researchers working in Australia and abroad.Read moreRead less
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
Enhancing the impact of Australian performing arts: virtual scenography and opera for the 21st century. Digitally created scenography has the potential to create immersive stage environments that are designed for 21st century visual impact, and to re-model the economics of live performance by reducing the cost of touring. Deakin Motion.Lab and the Victorian Opera aim to work together to design, test and evaluate the artistic and economic value of virtual scenography for touring performing arts c ....Enhancing the impact of Australian performing arts: virtual scenography and opera for the 21st century. Digitally created scenography has the potential to create immersive stage environments that are designed for 21st century visual impact, and to re-model the economics of live performance by reducing the cost of touring. Deakin Motion.Lab and the Victorian Opera aim to work together to design, test and evaluate the artistic and economic value of virtual scenography for touring performing arts companies. This project aims to enable opera companies to present large scale productions in previously inaccessible regional and rural areas, enhancing both artistic experience and access to this cultural experience for audiences. These outcomes aim to be transferable to other theatre forms such as ballet and theatre that require large-scale set production.Read moreRead less
Reducing fire deaths - a new approach to smoke alarms. Disturbingly, those most at risk of dying in residential fires are also least likely to awaken to the current smoke alarm signal, now mandatory in Australian residences. This project will develop a new alarm (using Gibsonian, naturalistic sounds and/or a voice signal) and compare its waking efficacy with the current smoke alarm. Testing will involve three vulnerable groups; sleep deprived young adults, children and alcohol intoxicated. The r ....Reducing fire deaths - a new approach to smoke alarms. Disturbingly, those most at risk of dying in residential fires are also least likely to awaken to the current smoke alarm signal, now mandatory in Australian residences. This project will develop a new alarm (using Gibsonian, naturalistic sounds and/or a voice signal) and compare its waking efficacy with the current smoke alarm. Testing will involve three vulnerable groups; sleep deprived young adults, children and alcohol intoxicated. The research is innovative with important implications for community public safety, the national and international smoke alarm industry, performance based models of building safety and our theoretical understanding of cognitive processing during sleep.Read moreRead less
HyPoCrete: Hydrogen storage using an innovative concrete composite system. This project aims to develop an innovative polymer concrete composite system for the safe and efficient storage of hydrogen. New knowledge is expected to be generated on the novel use of polymer and concrete materials in hydrogen storage technologies. The expected outcomes include a new class of prefabricated, modular storage system that is highly efficient and low cost. The scalability and resilience of the system will b ....HyPoCrete: Hydrogen storage using an innovative concrete composite system. This project aims to develop an innovative polymer concrete composite system for the safe and efficient storage of hydrogen. New knowledge is expected to be generated on the novel use of polymer and concrete materials in hydrogen storage technologies. The expected outcomes include a new class of prefabricated, modular storage system that is highly efficient and low cost. The scalability and resilience of the system will be achieved by using concrete, a material widely used in the construction industry for its mechanical performance, durability and affordability. This should provide significant benefits in fostering the hydrogen economy by providing an efficient and resilient storage system for industrial quantities of hydrogen.Read moreRead less
Waking up to a fire - optimising the smoke alarm signal. On any one night a significant proportion of the population is at risk of sleeping through the current smoke alarm in a fire emergency. Significant risk factors for not awakening include being a child, sleep deprivation, being a heavy sleeper, use of sleeping tablets, alcohol intoxication, and being aged over 60. Yet research suggests that a different alarm signal will awaken these groups more effectively at a lower volume. This innovati ....Waking up to a fire - optimising the smoke alarm signal. On any one night a significant proportion of the population is at risk of sleeping through the current smoke alarm in a fire emergency. Significant risk factors for not awakening include being a child, sleep deprivation, being a heavy sleeper, use of sleeping tablets, alcohol intoxication, and being aged over 60. Yet research suggests that a different alarm signal will awaken these groups more effectively at a lower volume. This innovative project will determine the best signal, with important implications for community public safety, fire safety engineers, the smoke alarm industry and our theoretical understanding of cognitive processing during sleep.Read moreRead less