Prof Richard Badham Dr A Griffiths Prof SR Clegg Prof G Palmer Prof IP McLoughlin
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$45,000
$57,000
$50,000
$152,000
Project Title:
Patterns of Commitment: Risks, Opportunities, and Alternatives in Introducing Normative Control in Industry.
Project Summary:
Many companies seek to secure personal commitmetnt from employees to the flexible pursuit of corporate goals by changing to a post-bureaucratic system of normative control. There is, however, a scarcity of detailed studies of how such a change is brought about and the effect this has on the degree of commitment and the form that it takes. Privileged access to a major change initiative in an industrial plant enables this project to provide an in-depth longitudinal study of these issues and, drawing on the results, to speculate about the positive and negative effects of alternative patterns of normative control for business and employees.
Chief Investigator(s):
Prof Alan Chivas Dr D Cendon
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$161,184
$162,967
$86,317
$410,468
APD
Dr D Cendon
Project Title:
Climate dynamics of the Australian monsoon and its re-establishment following the last glacial maximum
Project Summary:
The dynamics and linkages among elements of the global climate system (eg. North Atlantic—Antarctica- tropics) are poorly understood, particularly near the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago. For the interval 80,000 to 10,000 years ago, we propose to produce a high-resolution environmental record(every 80 years) and dynamical model, using lacustrine sediments from the Gulf of Carpentaria. We seek information on the intensity and possible disappearance of the monsoon, tropical atmospheric teleconnections with millennial-scale ice-rafting episodes at higher latitudes, and influence of aboriginal vegetation-burning on climate. Such links, if found, would profoundly alter our understanding of all tropical environments and their management.
Chief Investigator(s):
Prof SX Dou Dr J Horvat Prof H Weber Prof E Collings Prof J Habermeier
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
2005 $
2006 $
Total $
$222,295
$233,899
$217,899
$203,899
$209,899
$1,087,891
APF
Prof SX Dou
Project Title:
First Principles for Development of High Temperature Superconducting Wires.
Project Summary:
Significant advances in research of high temperature superconductors (HTS) have been made in the past decade. However, the full commercialisation of HTS devices has not yet been achieved because the levels of electrical performance remain just below those required for technical and commercial success. In order to secure the future of HTS it will be essential to increase the critical current density, reduce the AC losses and lower the cost. The objective of the proposed cluster of projects is to provide new insights into fundamental HTS materials properties such as critical current density, flux pinning, flux dynamics and AC losses by focussing on the complex interplay between physics, fabrication and materials issues. The knowledge gained will make possible improvements in the development of HTS conductors.
Chief Investigator(s):
A/Prof David Griffith Dr SR Wilson
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
2005 $
2006 $
Total $
$140,000
$160,000
$140,000
$100,000
$100,000
$640,000
Project Title:
Better greenhouse gas budgets: new techniques and applications.
Project Summary:
The most recent (2001) international assessment strongly confirms the link between global climate change and human-induced changes in atmospheric composition. However, improved knowledge of atmospheric trace gas budgets is essential for better modelling of future climate change and formulation of public policy. We have developed novel techniques for atmospheric trace gas and isoptic analysis that provide new tools for resolving trace gas budgets in ways not previously possible. We will apply these tools to improve our understanding of the Australian and global budgets of greenhouse gases, especially nitrous oxide and methane, for which sources still have unacceptably large uncertainties.
Chief Investigator(s):
Dr Helen Hasan A/Prof EL Gould Dr K Crawford Dr L Warne Ms IM Ali
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$58,000
$60,000
$62,000
$180,000
Project Title:
Systems to Support Knowledge Creation in Learning Organisations.
Project Summary:
The proposed project will investigate the capacity of IT to support knowledge making for innovation in modern organisations. Prototypes of three flexible computer-based systems will be iteratively developed and evaluated for their support of knowledge workers in three different industries. The investigators are experienced in socio-technical approaches, which will be used to emphasise the integration between people and IT systems. An interpretive study will determine how the systems can contribute to organisational learning, performance, and responsiveness to change. The outcomes will inform the designers of such systems and show Australian organisations how to gain competitive advantage by expanding their capacity to learn.
Chief Investigator(s):
A/Prof LM Head
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$80,000
$85,000
$85,000
$250,000
Project Title:
Foregrounding the suburban backyard: using hybrid spaces to develop new environmental theory for more effective management of human landscapes.
Project Summary:
Although human influences now pervade all Earth processes, environmental ideals of pristine past landscapes without people continue to dominate. The project addresses the challenge of managing environments for hybridity, change and human presence, rather than timeless purity. I will undertake the first in-depth ethnographic study of the suburban backyard, Australia's most hybrid ecosystem. I analyse how categories of environmental belonging—indigenous/introduced, wild/tame, hybrid/pure—are differentially applied to people, other species and landscapes, in policy and popular culture. This contributes to new theories of long term human-environment interactions and effective management of human landscapes. Outcomes will include books and museum exhibitions.
Chief Investigator(s):
Prof James Hill Prof PC Arnold
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$30,000
$80,000
$80,000
$190,000
Project Title:
An experimental and theoretical programme of research to resolve major obstruction-to-flow problems in bins and stockpiles.
Project Summary:
Many of Australia's industries rely on the efficient storage and handling of bulk solids materials such as minerals, chemicals, food-stuffs, agricultural products and pharmeceuticals. Often the handling processes are inefficient to the extent of affecting the economics of the industry. Here we propose two projects addressing those inefficiences resulting from stable obstructions, such as “rat-holes”, and those experimental arising from the unusual flow characteristics of fine powders. The major objectives are to use experimental and advanced mathematical modelling techniques, to produce reliable design models which minimise the occurrence of stable obstructions and provide reliable methods for increasing fine powder flow rates.
Chief Investigator(s):
Dr Zheng Jiang
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
2005 $
2006 $
Total $
$104,269
$111,223
$103,000
$103,000
$103,000
$524,492
ARF
DR Z Jiang
Project Title:
Mechanics of Cold Rolling of Thin Strip.
Project Summary:
The main aim of this project is to generate a new theory for the cold rolling of thin strip (thickness: 0.1—0.15mm) when the work rolls contact beyond the edges of strip. The new knowledge will improve the rolling of thin strip, which is very sensitive to many parameters,some of which could not be acccounted for by existing rolling models. The expected outcomes are (1)development of a sophisticated new theory for thin strip rolling, (2) development of novel methods, (3) comprehensive simulation model that can predict accurately is rolling parameters and in particular the shapes and flatness of strip.
Chief Investigator(s):
Dr Tana Li Prof CA Trocki
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$76,000
$127,962
$89,755
$293,717
Project Title:
The Overseas Chinese Water Frontier of Southeast Asia, 1700-1900.
Project Summary:
This project proposes to view the South China Sea/Gulf of Thailand rim as a single economic region, a “water frontier” that endured for two centuries. Focusing on the Mekong delta and adjacent coasts, it will examine the major roles the Chinese played in the establishment of the Siamese and Vietnamese states. Despite the frontier's marginalisation in the nineteenth century, the populations supplied the manpower and expertise that fueled the national and colonial economies which later developed around Saigon, Bangkok and Singapore. Our aim is to restore the “lost” history of this region and its peoples and to set new agendas for future research.
Chief Investigator(s):
A/Prof Fazel Naghdy Prof Chris Cook
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$50,000
$50, 000
Project Title:
A new paradigm for teaching machines to replicate the manipulation of humans using tactile sensing in a virtual environment
Project Summary:
The broad aims of this proposal are to study machine learning in the psychomotor domain, and to show the feasibility of on line transfer of physically constrained manipulation skills from a human operator to a manipulator through demonstration utilising a virtual training environment with tactile sensing. The proposed work is unique in its approach and hypothesis, and will provide a new insight into the nature of transfer of manipulation skills from human to machine. It will produce new generic intelligent algorithms and methodologies to emulate different stages of human psychomotor learning in machine including perception, imitation, mechanism and complex/overt response.
Chief Investigator(s):
A/Prof Stephen Pyne Dr PA Keller
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$65,000
$75,000
$75,000
$215,000
Project Title:
New synthetic strategies towards higher order fullerenes.
Project Summary:
Fullerene or C60 is a novel soccer-ball shaped molecule with many potential applications as new materials and pharmaceutical drugs. This project aims to develop novel methods for the preparation of new fullerene derivatives that will have potential future applications in materials science, medicinal/pharmaceutical chemistry and chemical synthesis.
Chief Investigator(s):
Prof Margaret Sheil
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$70,000
$75,000
$75,000
$220,000
Project Title:
A Gas Phase Study of Macromolecular Biological Complexes.
Project Summary:
Following the completion of the human genome project, increased attention has focussed on the elucidation of structure and function of biopolymers in cells. The project aims to use electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (a rapidly developing analytical technique) to detail the processes governing the formation of macromolecular complexes (DNA-protein and DNA-metal-protein) in the gas phase. We aim to explore the relevance of gas phase studies of these large macromolecular complexes to interactions between biopolymers in solution and cells. Ultimately, this will aid in the development of improved therapeutics tha t act on DNA and/or DNA-binding proteins and provide new information on biological processes such as replicaton.
Chief Investigator(s):
Prof Ahn Tieu
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$71,000
$79,000
$81,000
$231,000
Project Title:
Mechanics of mixed film lubrication in strip rolling.
Project Summary:
Rolling speeds of tandem cold rolling mills for thin steel strip are often limited by hot scratches and self excited chatter vibration, which forces the mill to slow down. Consequently the output is reduced and significant out-of-specification materials produced. Operating practices are guided by experience and trial-and-error method. In this project, a comprehensive model will be produced to quantify the effects of relevant parameters that can provide a much better understanding of the rolling process at speeds higher than previously possible, and help to improve its productivity as well as product quality.
Chief Investigator(s):
A/Prof Timothy Turpin Prof GE Fulop Dr P Couchman A/Prof S Garrett-Jones
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$40,000
$60,000
$55,000
$155,000
Project Title:
Managing the risks of cross-sector R&D collaboration.
Project Summary:
One of the most interesting and dynamic forms of cross-sector R&D collaboration in Australia occurs through the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program. This study investigates how collaboration and “risk” is managed among CRCs and their partners. It is pioneering research bringing two aspects of cross-sector collaboration into a single, longitudinal study. The study will produce new knowledge concerning: management processes in cross-sector R&D, organisational change and the impact of sustained collaboration on partners, and the role of public policy on collaborative R&D in Australia.
Chief Investigator(s):
Prof Gordon Wallace Prof LA Kane-Maguire Dr GM Spinks Dr PC Innis
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
2005 $
2006 $
Total $
$283,398
$336,713
$336,713
$306,713
$281,713
$1,545,250
APF
Prof G Wallace
Project Title:
Organic electrofunctinal materials: Novel conducting Polymer and Carbon nanotube systems.
Project Summary:
Inherently conducting polymers and carbon nanotubes will be modified to enhance their ability to function as electrodes used in areas such as sensors, actuators(artificial muscles), energy conversion (Photovoltaics) and storage(batteries, supercapacitors). The modified materials and systems containing them will be amenable to fabrication into ordered structures, or integration with hosts such as fabrics. This latter feature is particularly exciting in that it will accelerate developments in the area of intelligent textiles and fabrics with sensing, actuating and energy conversion/storage capabilities.
Chief Investigator(s):
Dr X Wang
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$61,184
$62,967
$62,967
$187,118
APD
Dr X Wang
Project Title:
Enhancement and elucidation of flux pinning in doped Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O high temperature superconducting single crystals.
Project Summary:
The proposed project aims to study the effects of elevated doping on the intrinsic electromagnetic properties of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O high temperature superconducting (HTS) single crystals grown by two-dimensional and spiral-growth mechanisms with a particular focus on structure, conductivity and thermal neutron irradiation. Studies of the relationship between microstructures, anisotropy and flux pinning will lead to a better understanding of the pinning behaviour of Bi-based HTSC. The outcome will be better methods for introducing suitable pinning centres into Bi-based high temperature superconductors.
Chief Investigator(s):
A/Prof Mark Wilson Dr SB Easterbrook-Smith
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$44,000
$47,000
$49,000
$140,000
Project Title:
How does clusterin protect cells from stresses?
Project Summary:
We recently discovered that clusterin: (i) is the only known secreted (ie extracellular) mammalian chaperone and (ii) can protect proteins and cells from stresses.These breakthrough advances provide the first unifying biological function for this protein—in whole organisms, clusterine is likely to protect tissues and organs form biologyical stresses. The work proposed will provide quantum advances in our understanding of the molecular basis by which clusterin effects its protective actions. We expect to demonstrate that clusterin protects cells form stresses by exerting its chaperone action at or near the cell surface and to identify specific regions and structural features of the clusterine molecule important in its chaperone action.
Chief Investigator(s):
Dr Jeffrey Wright
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$73,000
$76,000
$78,000
$227,000
APD
Dr J Wright
Project Title:
Population growth, genetic variation and adaptation in two Caulerpa species in southeastern Australia
Project Summary:
This project will examine factors that influence the population growth, reproduction, genetic variation and adaptation in two seaweeds; the invasive Caulerpa taxifolia and the possibly invasive C. filiformis. A combination of surveys, modelling, molecular genetics and field experiments will be undertaken to achieve this. The current ambiguity surrounding the status of C. filiformis as an invasive species in Australia will be addressed by comparing DNA sequences of Australian and African plants. This project will provide critical data for managing invasive species, but more broadly, increase the current understanding of their biology and the factors important in their population growth and adaptation.
Chief Investigator(s):
Dr Minjie Zhang
2002 $
2003 $
2004 $
Total $
$50,000
$50, 000
Project Title:
Developing Optimal Synthesis Strategies in Distributed Expert Systems
Project Summary:
The aim of this project is to investigate synthesis strategies in distributed expert systems (DESs). Such strategies are used to synthesize multiple solutions to the same task from different experts (either human experts or expert systerms) in order to obtain the final solution to the task. These strategies could be used in a wide application of domains such as insurance agencies and medical diagnosis systems. The expected outcomes are to develop computational strategies, neural network strategies, and case-based strategies for solving different synthesis cases.
