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TRANSCRIPT
September 2016
Editorial team:Miss Nikki Johnson, Research Data [email protected] 2052
Mr Ben Jacobs, Research Data and [email protected] 3866
Mr Tom Symonds, Acting Director Research [email protected] 3393
RESEARCH IMPACT AND ENGAGEMENTBRAGG FOR FLINDERS RESEARCHERS SHORTLISTED FOR SCIENCE WRITING 2016Two Flinders researchers have been shortlisted for the Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing 2016. Winners will be announced by Australian Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel at the Australian Museum on 10 November 2016. Dr Alice Gorman, School of Humanities and Creative Arts, and Susan Double, third year Creative Art student, made the shortlist of six.
Susan worked with Ms Katy Cavanagh and Dr Danielle Clode, both from the School of Humanities and Creative Arts, on her third Creative Arts project which became the article Beautiful contrivances. The article traces
the story of Edith Coleman’s 1927 discovery of the pseudocopulation (or ‘false-mating’) pollination syndrome in an Australian native orchid. This is where the orchid (Cryptostylis leptochila- the small tongue orchid) tricks the males of a tiny wasp (Lissopimpla excelsa) into actually mating with the orchid’s flowers in order for the orchid to transfer its pollen, creating an exclusive relationship as the orchid has no other pollinator.
The article also follows the scientific trail of research into how the orchid carries this out through to the present day. Although Edith Coleman was not a trained scientist her scientific method and meticulous experiments paved the way for further research into this syndrome. Her work is still cited by scientists today.
Alice’s article, Pluto and the human gaze, was published on her blog ‘Space Age Archaeology’. In 2015, the NASA spacecraft New Horizons flew past Pluto and provided the first images of the surface of the controversial ‘dwarf planet’. Pluto is named for the Roman god of the Underworld, and Alice says the mission reminded her of a classic poem by Hilda Doolittle about Orpheus’ unsuccessful attempt to rescue his wife Eurydice from Hades. She wove lines from the poem through an exploration of how the gaze of the spacecraft created Pluto as a cultural artefact. Everything seen through the cameras needed to be interpreted and named. Features were analysed for what they could tell us about Pluto’s history, and, ultimately, how the solar system was created. Thus the process was very like an archaeological excavation on a planetary scale.
The Prize is an annual prize for the best short non-fiction piece on science written for a general audience. It is named in honour of Australia’s first Nobel laureates, William Henry Bragg and his son William Lawrence Bragg. The Bragg Prize winner receives a prize of $7000 and two runners up each receive a prize of $1500.
RESEARCH IMPACT & ENGAGEMENT ....1Bragg for Flinders researchers shortlisted for science writing 2016 ...... 1Secret Life of Sharks crowdfunding success ......................... 2Endeavour postdoctoral fellow at Flinders .................................... 2 Snail venom hope for diabetics .......... 2From Apps to Lab - Making research data openly available ......................... 3 Marine Park research underway ......... 3New Book - Cancer & Chronic Conditions .............................................. 4New Book - Creativity & Research ...... 4Recent Funding Success ...................... 5
NEWS FROM THE RSO ............................. 5New Senior Grants Officer .................... 5New web sections ................................. 5
NEW OPPORTUNITIES ..............................5New - JSPS Alumni Association ............ 5Call for papers - Immortal Austen ....... 6
SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES .......................................6BRII Information Session ........................ 6Icebreaker 16 - The world’s biggest networker ............................................... 6Research Data & Systems Drop-In session - October ..................... 6Research Integrity & Misconduct ........ 6Flinders Community of Practice Journal editors inaugural meeting ...... 7
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Small Tongue-orchid
Image from Universe Today
INSPIRING RESEARCH - HAVE YOUR SAY We are looking to improve what and how you receive information via Inspiring Research. Feedback is being sought on the type of content that is relevant to readers, the look and format - for example full version versus online blog, and any other ways we can improve the information we provide. Comments and suggestions are to be forwarded to [email protected].
Dongwon will be translating these so it will be possible to explore both differences and similarities in the ways that Korean and Australian users embraced computing in the 1980s. The aim is to enable the ‘joining up’ of local histories conducted with micro- scale analyses into more connected, global histories.
The comparative Popular Memory Archive is here.
SNAIL VENOM HOPE FOR DIABETICSNew research has found that venom extracted from a species of marine cone snail could hold the key to developing “ultra-fast-acting” insulins, leading to more efficient therapies for diabetes management. Researchers from Australia and the US have successfully determined the three dimensional structure of a cone snail venom insulin, revealing how this highly efficient natural protein called Con-Ins G1 can operate more rapidly than human insulin.
The team was a collaborative study between Flinders University, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI), University of Utah, the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and La Trobe University. School of Medicine medical biochemistry researcher Associate Professor Briony Forbes helped to analyse the characteristics of the insulin-like peptide molecules from the venom of marine cone snails common to northern Australia. Her research demonstrated that Con-Ins G1 is able to bind to human insulin receptors, signifying the potential for its translation into a human therapeutic.
SECRET LIFE OF SHARKS CROWDFUNDING SUCCESSThe inaugural Flinders crowdfunded research project has been successfully funded. Dr Charlie Huveneers’ The Secret Life of White Sharks was funded to a value of just over $20,000 by support received via the Pozible crowd funding website. Charlie’s project involves the study of shark feeding behaviour and its interaction with cage diving activities in South Australia. The raised funding will enable Huveneers and his research team to study the local shark population at Neptune Island over a 5 day period and what impact cage diving has on that population.
Flinders has developed a process for staff to propose crowd funded projects, and we hope this success is the first of many. For further information, please contact Steve Oswald, [email protected].
ENDEAVOUR POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW AT FLINDERSDr Dongwon Jo, a researcher of computer history from South Korea, arrived at Flinders University in late March as an Endeavour Postdoctoral Fellow. Jo arrived to work on a participatory archive of computer history with ARC Future Fellow Associate Professor Melanie Swalwell, Department of Screen and Media, for six months.
An extended Popular Memory Archive, redeploying the method used in the Play It Again project has been launched from this collaboration. This time, however, a cross-cultural comparative element has been introduced. The aim is to inquire into ‘what people did with microcomputers’ when they first became available?’
Conducting effective cross-jurisdictional historical research into computer history is a recognised difficulty, not least because of language barriers. In this trial, Dongwon and Melanie hope to generate a meaningful dialogue between early Korea and Australian computer users and researchers. They will be working collaboratively on research and compiling materials from both Korea and Australia to engage and stimulate public memory on the subject.
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Associate Professor Briony Forbes at her laboratory at Flinders Medical Centre.
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Published this month in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, the team’s findings build on earlier studies which reported that the marine cone snail Conus geographus used an insulin-based venom to trap its prey.
The World Health Organization forecasts the number of people worldwide with diabetes has gone up from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014 with the rates of diabetes rising faster in middle- and low-income countries. The WHO estimate that by 2030, diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. In Australia about 1.7 million people have diabetes, with the annual cost impact of diabetes estimated at $14.6 billion with an additional 280 Australian developing diabetes every day.
About half of all people with diabetes will be treated with insulin at some stage of their disease, including about 15% of all cases – people with type 1 diabetes – totally dependent on insulin therapy. It is estimated that by 2035, global demand for insulin will be 16,000 tonnes. Insulin with more rapid action is required to provide better blood glucose control.
Dr Helena Safavi-Hemami, from the University of Utah, said the Flinders researchers showed that the cone snail insulin can ‘switch on’ human insulin cell signalling pathways following the successful binding to human receptors. “The next step in our research, which is already underway, is to apply these findings to the design of new and better treatments for diabetes, giving patients access to faster-acting insulins.”
Briony said the discoveries mean that a new kind of rapid-acting insulin could be made to better manage blood-sugar levels in diabetic individuals. “It’s a pretty unique approach as no one has used the cone snail insulin before,” she said.”Better insulin has to come from understanding how it works through its receptor and this research gives us new insights into how these proteins act.”The research is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Article sourced from the Office of Communication and Engagement
FROM APPS TO LAB – MAKING RESEARCH DATA OPENLY AVAILABLEThe Personal Health Informatics Research Group (PHIT) at Flinders University is working on an exciting new project, which aims to make de-identified health-apps data collected from three large research studies available to other researchers and the public. Funded and supported by the Australian National Data Service (ANDS), the group lead by Associate Professor Niranjan Bidargaddi, Associate Professor of Personal Health Informatics, will create an infrastructure to upload research data to a publically accessible repository in order to give other researchers the opportunity for conducting research using this data.
“Our collaboration with ANDS will allow for our research data to be more visible, easier to locate and have greater impact,” said Bidargaddi.
The project will include data from three large studies, which have been conducted by the PHIT group in the past or are currently underway. Two collections include data collected from a large trial investigating whether using mobile apps improves the mental health of young people.
Megan Winsall, Research Officer (Personal Health Informatics), explained how the process of making data openly available works: “Before we can share our data with others, we need to link data from different sources (e.g. online questionnaires, mobile apps), carefully de-identify data, as well augment and document it. This will allow other researchers to know exactly what has been measured, when, how and in what context.”
For more information about this project contact Niranjan Bidargaddi - [email protected].
MARINE PARK RESEARCH UNDER WAYAn in-depth marine survey is under way at Coffin Bay, at the bottom of Eyre Peninsula, to boost our knowledge of the coastline in the Thorny Passage Marine Park. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) Senior Scientific Officer Dr Simon Bryars said the survey would run until 15 September.
“Researchers from Flinders University will collect samples from Coffin Bay and the surrounding shallow bays, and count the marine species present,” Dr Bryars said. “The Coffin Bay habitats are highly biologically diverse, but they have never been investigated to this level of detail before.”
The venomous marine cone snail under water. Photo courtesy of Professor B. Olivera, University of Utah.
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The Flinders University team is working with support from DEWNR, and their results will feed directly into the marine parks monitoring program, strengthening the data we have to show the effectiveness of marine parks in conserving marine species and habitat.coffin-bay-marine-parks
Thorny Passage Marine Park provides important habitat for many sea creatures, with 13 species of whales having been spotted in the area, as well as a wide range of fish, sea birds and other animals and plants.
School of Biological Sciences researcher Dr Ryan Baring said it was very exciting as a pilot project. “We hope to expand this into other shallow bays along the western Eyre Peninsula coast,” Ryan said.
“The Coffin Bay ecosystem is home to a wealth of species, both in the sea and on the shoreline, and we are looking forward to studying them more closely. We are focusing on investigating the bays’ soft sediments, shoreline biodiversity and seagrass bed communities, and the human factors that can affect water quality, like agricultural run-off and aquaculture. We are very happy to be able to feed our results back into the marine park monitoring program, and hopefully also assist with local NRM planning for the Coffin Bay area.”For more information on marine park research, visit the DEWNR website here.
Article sourced from the Office of Communication and Engagement
Collecting samples in Coffin Bay on the southern Eyre Peninsula.
NEW BOOK – CANCER AND CHRONIC CONDITIONSA new book on Cancer and Chronic Conditions, edited by Professor Bogda Koczwara, Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, is now available for purchase from Springer. This book addresses the growing problem of multimorbidity in cancer patients and survivors with the focus on how to best integrate the effective cancer care with the care of multiple chronic conditions. As cancer is more prevalent in older individuals, many patients with cancer also suffer from other chronic conditions that impact on the uptake, tolerance and outcomes of cancer treatment and their long term mortality and morbidity. In addition, cancer and its treatment increase the risk of future chronic conditions.
Authored by clinicians and researchers from diverse expertise including epidemiology, sociology, hematology, medical oncology, palliative care, pharmacy and representing Australia, New Zealand, US, Canada and the Netherlands, the book brings an international perspective to a problem that affects all cancer settings.
The book is available from Springer - http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789811018435#aboutBook.
NEW BOOK – CREATIVITY AND RESEARCHProfessor Jeri Kroll, English and Creative Writing, with Professor Andrew Melrose, University of Winchester UK, and Professor Jen Webb, University of Canberra have released their new book through Common Ground Publishing, entitled ‘Old and New, Tried and Untried’: Creativity and Research in the 21st Century University.
The past decades have been characterized by an ongoing debate about the respective value of teaching, art practice, and research practice—particularly about the capacity of art practice to deliver research. This volume, from a distinguished list of academic writers and creators, offers contributions to these dialogues, as well as analyses of the international environment for the creative arts in the academy and the key government policies currently shaping the field.
The book can be purchased in paperback and pdf from here - https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/old-and-new-tried-and-untried-2016?category_id=common-ground-publishing
Members of the Flinders research group on location(left to right) – Rene Campbell, Ryan Baring,
Patrick Fitzgerald, Hayley Jessup-Case and Nick Thyer.
RECENT FUNDING SUCCESSMEDICINE, NURSING & HEALTH SCIENCESProfessor Justine Smith was awarded $49,850 from the Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia for the project Interactions between Mononuclear Phagocytes and Endothelial Cells in Human Retina.
SCIENCE & ENGINEERINGProfessor Mark Taylor, Associate Professor John Costi and Professor Greg Bain were awarded $25,000 from the Austofix Group LTD for the project Accelerated product development workflows: Application to upper limb fracture fixation plates.
Associate Professor Kathy Schuller was awarded $9,546 by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the project Body Temperature regulation in tunas: Implications for aquaculture and conservation.
SOCIAL & BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCESAssociate Professor Ian Goodwin-Smith and Dr Helen McLaren were awarded $42,800 by Uniting Care Wesley Country SA for An evaluation of the Pass Point program.
Dr Ann-Louise Hordacre and Professor John Spoehr were awarded $1,250 by the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion – Housing SA for the Housing SA evaluation.
Professor Eva Kemps and Professor Marika Tiggemann were awarded $28,914 by Mindtrainr LLC Research Funding for the project Evaluation of an online attentional bias modification training (ABMT) tool to promote healthier eating and weight loss in overweight adults.
NEWS FROM THE RSONEW SENIOR GRANTS OFFICERThe Research Services Office welcomes Ms Mary Lyons into the role of Senior Grants Officer. Mary will be assisting the team across all funding schemes but with an emphasis on international and internal funding sources. Ms Maya Roberts has taken over the role of Senior Grants Officer: ARC, with Mr Gareth Rees the primary contact for NHMRC queries.
Mary was previously based in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences as the Administrative Officer (Research). She has been an active member of the Research Administrator and Developers Network (RAD) at Flinders and brings to the RSO a wealth of knowledge of research administration.
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NEW DATA & REPORTING AND ERA WEB SECTIONSThe Researcher Support - Research Data and Reporting section and the Excellence in Research Australia section of the Flinders website has been revamped to provide a much more user friendly and accessible website.
The live sites are accessible via - http://www.flinders.edu.au/research/researcher-support/data/ and http://www.flinders.edu.au/research/researcher-support/era/
Please update any bookmarks or change links from other sections of the university website to these new sections. Redirects are currently in place from the previous version, but these pages will be deleted shortly. Please contact [email protected] if you have any queries or comments regarding the Research section of the website.
NEW OPPORTUNITIESNEW - JSPS ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONThe Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), in association with the Australian Academy of Science, has been an outstandingly generous source of support for bilateral training and collaborative research activities between Australia and Japan. Hundreds of Australian scientists have benefited from this relationship since 1977. Now, the opportunity to help further the aims and spirit of the JSPS, and cement our special relationship with Japan has arisen.
JSPS has invited the Australian Academy of Science to create a JSPS Alumni Association of Australia (JSPSAAA). Similar organisations exist in many other countries but, until now, not in Australia. The purpose of the JSPSAAA is to engage Australian scientists with past, current or possible future collaborative links with Japan to enhance the strong bilateral science and research relationship between our two countries. Click the following link to join the JSPSAAA.
To receive further information about the JSPSAAA, please contact: Shannon Owen, International Events Coordinator, Australian Academy of ScienceP: +61 2 6201 9460 | E: [email protected]
CALL FOR PAPERS – IMMORTAL AUSTENConference convenors Dr Gillian Dooley, Amy Matthews and Eric Parisot invite proposals for panels or papers addressing the topic of ‘Immortal Austen’. When Jane Austen died on 18 July 1817, her death caused only a very small ripple in literary circles, but two hundred years after her death Austen’s works are showing no signs of dying off. What is it about Austen that still attracts
readers? Why are her works still living? Is her continuing popularity caused by her romantic plots or her confident ironic voice? What can Austen’s engagement with her own turbulent world offer us now?
The convenors welcome papers and creative presentations from Creative Arts practitioners. Please submit proposals of 200 words to [email protected] by 31 October 2016. Please include your contact details and a short bio note with your proposal.
SEMINARS, CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPSThe Research Services Office has a calendar of upcoming seminars and workshops applicable for researchers, both staff and students, and professional staff on the Upcoming Workshops and Presentations page.
BUSINESS RESEARCH & INNOVATION INITIATIVE INFORMATION SESSIONA new federal government programme which provides grant funding to develop innovative solutions to specific government challenges in the development of policy and the delivery of services is currently open until 30 November 2016. Grants of up to $1 million are available to develop proofs-of-concept for solutions to five public sector challenges. These grants may allow the development of new commercial products drawing on current or recent research. Click here to find out more about the grants under the Business Research and Innovation Initiative (BRII) programme.
Information sessions about the grant programme and the five challenges will be held in most capital cities.
Where: ETC Training, Level 5, 38 Gawler Place, AdelaideWhen: Tuesday, 18 October 2016Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PMRSVP: at Business.gov.au
ICEBREAKER 16 - THE WORLD’S BIGGEST NETWORKERMaintaining a vibrant and professional network is essential for researchers as Australia increasingly looks to increase triple helix support for research via collaborations between higher education, government and industry. Flinders and the New Venture Institute aim to gather more the 1,200 innovators, past, present and future, in one place to start conversations that could change the course of our state.
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Starting at 6 PM, the aim will be to break the speed networking record by matching every participant with 20 others for a three minute conversation. After this there will be further networking opportunities available while partaking of some fine South Australian food, wine and beer. High profile entrepreneurs attending include Kevin Koym, Founder and CEO of TechRanch, Kevin Ready from Forbes, and Sid Amster from Angel Investor.
Flinders researcher’s tickets are complimentary, courtesy of the New Venture Institute. Use the discount code Flindersresearch when registering.
Where: Tonsley Innovation PrecinctWhen: Wednesday, 19 October 2016Time: 5:00 PM to 9:30 PMRSVP: via eventbrite
RESEARCH DATA AND SYSTEMS DROP-IN SESSION - OCTOBERThe next Research Data and Reporting Team’s monthly drop-in session for interested academic and professional staff will be held on Tuesday 25 October 2016. The aim of the session is to provide one-on-one assistance to staff who want either a refresh on the research data systems used at Flinders or to learn some new skills to assist them.
Research Data and Reporting staff will be available from 12 PM to 1 PM on Tuesday 25 October 2016. Participants are encouraged to register at ienrol if they are interested in attending.
RESEARCH INTEGRITY AND MISCONDUCTDr Peter Wigley, Manager, Research Ethics and Integrity - Research Service Office, will present to interested attendees on Research Integrity and Misconduct.
Research integrity involves the responsible conduct of research, and the handling of research misconduct. In this country, the prevailing guideline for research integrity is the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (‘the Code’), published in 2007 by the ARC, NHMRC and Universities Australia (the national
Vice-Chancellor’s organisation).
In addition to the general requirement for all researchers to conduct and report their research responsibly, it is a condition of funding from the ARC and NHMRC that institutions comply
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with the Code. Therefore, the University must ensure that all researchers (staff and students), and relevant research support staff, understand their responsibilities under the Code.
This seminar will provide an overview of the Code and the relevant policies, procedures and support within Flinders University.
Where: Health Sciences Lecture Theatre 1.09When: Thursday, 27 October 2016Time: 11:00 AM to 12:00 AMRSVP: via iEnrol
For enquiries please phone Dr Peter Wigley, ext. 15466.
FLINDERS COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE JOURNAL EDITORS INAUGURAL MEETINGDr Gillian Dooley, Library, will be forming a community of practice of journal editors at Flinders. In her discussions with research staff this year, it was discovered that many serve in some editorial capacity on various journals, some published by Flinders, some by scholarly societies and others by academic publishers.
Benefits for the Community include:• Greater visibility of the role of journal editors among
the university community• Sharing experience across discipline boundaries• Opportunities to discuss common problems • Mentoring for new editors• The scope to offer ‘meet the editor’ sessions to RHDs
and ECRs
Activities may include:• Quarterly meetings for information sharing • Workshops or ‘meet the editor’ sessions (probably
offered through the Office of Graduate Research)• An online discussion group• Formulating online resources for editors• Further developing the Library’s online resources for
publishing
An initial meeting for interested journal editors has been scheduled.
Where: Noel Stockdale Room, LibraryWhen: Thursday, 3 November 2016Time: 3:30 PM to 5:00 PMRSVP: via ienrol
Share your research successes and/or information regarding upcoming research related events in your area.
Contact Nikki Johnson for article submissions or further information.