Ad

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30 clever achievements from

a progressive city

Adelaide Research & Innovation (ARI) is a virtual front door to the University of Adelaide for business and government.

In business 30 years, we know our way around the University, and are uniquely placed to connect University capabilities to community R&D needs.

Whether you are seeking research expertise to solve a business problem, develop new products or shape public policy, ARI can connect you with a network of more than 2000 researchers across the entire range of the University of Adelaide’s footprint.

We believe that working with researchers can give Australian businesses a competitive edge, and researchers also benefit through seeing their work have real world impact.

Exclusive almondsEco-management in the Spencer GulfSocial isolation is as dangerous to your health as smokingNo crash test ‘dummies’Stopping the illegal timber tradeSubmarine stealthPreventing substance misuseHelping our neighboursCatching disease fastChocolate championsFrom vine to vatCHAT your way to healthInternational crime bustersBalancing energy and the environmentMaking babiesFlying high—and green ‘Superbugs’—is the risk real?Solving a ‘sticky’ situationSafer, faster cyclingOptimising water distributionBringing bush to the cityBetter beerSuper spaghettiThese are a few of my favourite winesAffordable healthcareHealthy heartsSmart surveillanceLighting up future manufacturingSouth Australian memoirs from a patchwork of culturesCancer detection and eradication

AdelaideAdvancing

Adelaide Research & Innovation (ARI) is a virtual front door to the University of Adelaide for business and government.

In business 30 years, we know our way around the University, and are uniquely placed to connect University capabilities to community R&D needs.

Whether you are seeking research expertise to solve a business problem, develop new products or shape public policy, ARI can connect you with a network of more than 2000 researchers across the entire range of the University of Adelaide’s footprint.

We believe that working with researchers can give Australian businesses a competitive edge, and researchers also benefit through seeing their work have real world impact.

AdelaideAdvancing

Working with a major Australian university, we are constantly exposed to calls for more innovation, and for better engagement between industry and researchers in order to drive future productivity.

But what do we know about what is already going on in our own backyard? How much do you know about existing success stories from the University of Adelaide’s applied research engagement with business and the community? Chances are, not a lot: unless you have been directly involved. Even then, your awareness probably extends to only one or two examples.

Does this matter? Yes, and not only from the perspective of celebrating and sharing that success for its own sake. Without better awareness of positive existing examples of engagement, we are less able to recognise future partnerships that will build our common wealth and improve our society.

At Adelaide Research & Innovation, we are privileged to be a part of creating these successful partnerships every day. So it is our pleasure to share with you a selected sampling of those stories, giving you a glimpse into the tangible outcomes and life-changing impact of research.

As you will see, these examples span a great breadth of activity. Even so, they are just the tip of an iceberg of positive engagement between researchers and the private and public sector. There are many more great stories of us working together to drive improved understanding, productivity and outcomes. These span not only better products and services, but also more efficient and effective interventions to improve health, environmental, social and other community benefits.

We want to improve your understanding of those links and inspire you to action. We want to challenge the view of the University as a remote ivory tower, and show it for what it is— a connected hub of ideas.

None of this happens through us acting in isolation: the University is only one part of a broader ecosystem.

So this publication is also a chance for us to thank and celebrate our partners in this endeavour: those innovative businesses and organisations that are seeking a competitive edge and smarter ways to achieve their goals. In engaging with us for their needs, these groups help themselves and all those they serve. Researchers also gain from the inspiration that interaction with real-world problems provides, spurring new research directions and creating a virtuous cycle of engagement.

Business and organisations are increasingly seeing the value from engaging with researchers and are doing so in many flexible ways, through collaborations, applied research and development, commercialisation, technology transfer and special services. Much of this work is ‘under the waterline’—less visible to most but no less valuable, and leading to benefits for us all. While research is key, it needs to couple with the community before it can have material impact and deliver transformative results.

We hope you enjoy these stories, and that they provide inspiration for imagining other ways in which we can connect and collaborate to create value.

We are keen to understand your needs and work in flexible ways to address them—contact us to discuss how to make this a reality.

Together, we can realise the rewards of research. Be a part of building the future: join us on the innovation journey.

Rob ChalmersManaging DirectorAdelaide Research & Innovation

Introduction

Contents

30 clever achievements

Innovation champions

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30 things you probably didn’t know about the University of Adelaide ..................................................Innovation is all around you ..................................................................................................................................Life changing breakthroughs born in Australia .............................................................................................Life changing breakthroughs born in South Australia ................................................................................

Exclusive almonds ...................................................................................................................................................Eco-management in the Spencer Gulf ..............................................................................................................Social isolation is as dangerous to your health as smoking .....................................................................No crash test ‘dummies’ ........................................................................................................................................Stopping the illegal timber trade ........................................................................................................................Submarine stealth ....................................................................................................................................................Preventing substance misuse .............................................................................................................................Helping our neighbours ..........................................................................................................................................Catching disease fast .............................................................................................................................................Chocolate champions .............................................................................................................................................From vine to vat ........................................................................................................................................................CHAT your way to health ........................................................................................................................................International crime busters ..................................................................................................................................Balancing energy and the environment ...........................................................................................................Making babies ...........................................................................................................................................................Flying high—and green .......................................................................................................................................... ‘Superbugs’—is the risk real? ...............................................................................................................................Solving a ‘sticky’ situation .....................................................................................................................................Safer, faster cycling ................................................................................................................................................Optimising water distribution ..............................................................................................................................Bringing bush to the city ........................................................................................................................................Better beer ..................................................................................................................................................................Super spaghetti .........................................................................................................................................................These are a few of my favourite wines .............................................................................................................Affordable healthcare .............................................................................................................................................Healthy hearts ...........................................................................................................................................................Smart surveillance ...................................................................................................................................................Lighting up future manufacturing ......................................................................................................................South Australian memoirs from a patchwork of cultures ..........................................................................Cancer detection and eradication ......................................................................................................................

Ants have provided the inspiration for better Murray River management ..........................................A helping hand for healthcare professionals all over the world ..............................................................Could we power cars, trains and planes with algae in the future? .........................................................Remote rescue services ........................................................................................................................................Helping the world grow the food it needs .........................................................................................................

New generation treatments for couples struggling to start a family ....................................................A+ service for Telstra customers .......................................................................................................................Farmers and beer drinkers reaping the rewards ..........................................................................................Mission-critical systems in Defence .................................................................................................................Not your average glass of milk ............................................................................................................................

1 It’s Australia’s third oldest university and is celebrating its 140th birthday in 2014. 2 First University in Australia, and only the second in the world, to admit women to academic courses (1881). 3 The University’s first science graduate was also its first female graduate, Edith Emily Dornwell, class of 1885. 4 First Australian university to establish a Conservatorium of Music, a Chair of Music and a Doctor of Music (in 1897). 5 Founded Australia’s first community radio station, Radio Adelaide, in 1972. 6 Home to 5 world-class Research Institutes focussed on addressing ‘grand challenges’. 7 A member of the Group of Eight, Australia’s leading research intensive universities. 8 Responsible for two-thirds of all basic research income in South Australia. 9 More than 130,000 alumni worldwide. 10 In 2010 Julia Gillard, former student, Adelaide Union President and Adelaide University Council student representative became the first (and to date, only) female Prime Minister of Australia. 11 Has produced a magnitude of successful graduates and some of our country’s brightest; not to mention an astronaut and a MasterChef winner. 12 Alumni include over 100 Rhodes Scholars plus Australia’s first indigenous recipient in 2010. 13 Associated with 5 Nobel Laureates. 14 Operates 6 hubs of research and innovation—at North Tce, Waite, Roseworthy, Thebarton, the National Wine Centre and Ngee Ann in Singapore. 15 One of the State’s largest employers, providing 3800 direct

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jobs for SA and 2600 indirect jobs. 16 The University contributes $460 million p.a. to the Gross State Product. 17 No. 1 in South Australia for research collaboration with industry. 18 Top 3 in Australia for contract research and commercialisation activity (National Survey of Research Commercialisation). 19 The University leads the State in student export earnings. 20 Accountable for 12 percent of all education activity in the State (not just higher education). 21 The Annual ‘Open Day’ event attracts 12,000 members of the community annually to explore the North Terrace Campus. 22 You can get up close and personal with University researchers by attending the ‘Research Tuesday’ free public seminars on their latest research. 23 Produces its own newspaper promoting home grown innovations, Adelaidean. 24 Runs the State’s premier student business planning competition—Australian eChallenge. 25 The Faculty of Sciences has an all-iPad based curriculum and the University plans to treble its investment in e-learning over the next 10 years. 26 The University’s sustainability program aims to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent and mains water use by 50 percent by 2020. 27 The $100 million nine-level Ingkarni Wardli building at the North Terrace Campus was awarded Australia’s first 6 Star Green Star rating for an education building when it opened in 2010. 28 The Braggs building, which houses the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, won the prestigious title of South Australian Development of the Year in 2014. 29 Is a member of edX, one of the world’s leading online course platforms, which enables access to a selection of courses for students all over the world. 30 More than 2000 volunteers each year support the University and in turn learn new skills, spark new interests and make new friends.5

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WARNING! If you thought research only happened in laboratories, conducted by people wearing white coats and black rimmed glasses, you’re about to get a very rude shock. In fact research and innovation is happening all around you, right here in Adelaide.

These breakthroughs, by local ‘innovation heroes’ and their commercial partners, are improving the cars you drive, the food you eat, and the wellbeing of your family—and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways research is having an impact on people in the community during the course of their everyday lives.

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Bread and pastaPasta and bread are generally made from durum wheat, an important food source around the world. Adelaide researchers are adapting durum wheat varieties to withstand drought and other adverse environmental conditions so we can continue to feed a growing population in the future.

AlmondsNew designer almond trees created by University of Adelaide researchers will give local growers an export edge with a 10–15 percent increase in yield. The Australian Almond Breeding program at the University’s Waite Campus, is the only one of its kind in Australia.

BeerBeer is big business in Australia—and barley is a big part of beer. With an annual farm-gate value of $1.5 billion, it’s this country’s second largest field crop. What many beer drinkers may not realise, however, is that the University of Adelaide plays a big part in the barley that eventually becomes the beer we drink around the barbecue.

WineAdelaide is sometimes referred to as ‘the wine capital of Australia’. So it’s no accident that South Australian researchers are leading the world when it comes to developing better and smarter ways to grow grapes and produce wine in collaboration with a number of industry partners.

Timber furniture DNA technology is the latest weapon in the fight against illegal timber trade. Widespread genetic mapping of the world’s forests means it is now possible to analyse DNA from products such as timber decking or furniture and identify precisely its source, right back to the forest it came from.

Pedestrian safety The University has been working with Australasian watchdog, ANCAP, since 2000 to improve the pedestrian safety of new vehicles, and to reduce the number of pedestrian fatalities. The Vehicle Safety Laboratory in Kent Town is the only facility of its kind in Australia and one of the most advanced in the world.

Veterinary servicesRoseworthy Campus is home to the State’s first Veterinary Teaching Hospital, offering a complete range of veterinary services for domestic pets, farm animals and horses. Instead of moving interstate, students can now complete their veterinary training in South Australia.

Mobile phonesAccess to your mobile network is essential to make a call and browse the internet—something most of us do every day. Telstra has been working with the University’s start- up company, TelAri, on a ‘mobile network dimensioning tool’ that allows them to schedule upgrades before network capacity is reached, leading to greater customer satisfaction in their mobile network service.

Men’s health The Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men’s Health was established in 2007 with the vision to enable men to live longer, healthier and productive lives. Research areas include male ageing, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer and mental health.

Child health and pregnancyThe University’s Robinson Research Institute brings together more than 450 experts who are dedicated to providing all children with the healthiest start in life and improving the wellbeing of families across generations—from pre-conception, throughout pregnancy, childbirth and through to early childhood development.

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South Australia’s first university, third in Australia

The University of Adelaide was the first university in South Australia and the third in the country. Teaching began two years after the University was founded. Its vision was noble—to ensure South Australia’s young leaders were shaped through education, rather than birth or wealth. After all, South Australia was the country’s only free settlement—released from the shackles of inherited inequality.

The first lesson taught was Latin, and the first degree was a Bachelor of Arts. But the first Vice-Chancellor, Dr Augustus Short dreamed of a day when the modern university would embrace a wider curriculum that the narrow classics offered at Oxford at that time. His dream was realised in 1882 when the University of Adelaide became the first in Australia to grant degrees in science.

1907

First to reach South Magnetic Pole

Sir Douglas Mawson’s standing as a legend in South Australian history began when the team in which he was a member became the first ever to reach the South Magnetic Pole. Mawson, a University of Adelaide professor, later helmed the first ever Australian-led expedition to Antarctica—and soon became the sole survivor of a sledging party that was exploring the region. Mawson’s curiosity led him to one of the farthest-flung places on earth—and also to the edge of human will.

While his accomplishments were extremely important for science, it is his remarkable demonstration of human spirit, endurance and heroism for which he is most remembered.

1912

X-ray crystallography

Scientific father and son—William and Laurence Bragg—are world-renowned for the invention of X-ray crystallography, and shared a Nobel Prize for their discovery. Nearly 100 years later, their work still affects so many aspects of everyday life. What’s more, they both have links to the University of Adelaide, which arguably shaped their scientific interests and skills.

William had studied maths in Britain before joining the staff at Adelaide, teaching both maths and physics; his son, Laurence, studied maths at Adelaide before returning to Britain with his family.

From Laurence’s simple equation relating to the angle that X-rays are deflected by a crystal; to William’s invention of an X-ray spectrometer, this was truly a scientific breakthrough.

Today, the University honours the Braggs’ work with the ‘Braggs’ building, Bragg Laboratories and the Bragg Crystallography Facility. The Braggs building is the newest building on campus and a facility built to support student discovery in science and the continuation of the world-class research conducted by the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS).

1923

Insulin

Professor Thorburn Brailsford Robertson had a great passion for biochemistry—in fact, he is considered t he first professor in Australia to embrace the field, establishing the discipline of Biochemistry in the University of Adelaide’s Medical School.

Robertson made a vital contribution to the manufacture of insulin, used by diabetics. Within one year of the published discovery of insulin by researchers at Toronto University, Robertson had obtained a licence from Toronto’s Insulin Committee to prepare insulin.

As a result, insulin was manufactured for the first time in Australian history in 1923, in the University of Adelaide’s Darling Building at the North Terrace Campus.

Robertson was successful in devising a way of producing insulin more cheaply, quickly, and in greater volume than anywhere else in the world.

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Penicillin

In terms of human survival, some say Sir Howard Florey was the most important man ever born in Australia. Florey graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1921 with a double degree in Medicine and Surgery. At this time his future achievements were not even a thought bubble. Florey and his team changed the course of history when they developed penicillin into an antibiotic treatment. It was a medical discovery so significant that it was recognised with a Nobel Prize. The story of penicillin began with Alexander Fleming in 1928 but it wasn’t until 1940 that’s Florey’s team performed one of the most important medical experiments in history to discover that mice treated with penicillin were able to recover from a lethal dose of bacteria.

Penicillin has saved an estimated 80 million lives to date, so it’s no surprise that it’s considered to be one of the top 10 greatest discoveries of all time.

1991

First female Governor of an Australian State

In the 1930s, it was reasonably unusual for a woman to be studying law, but Dame Roma Mitchell was no ordinary woman. She graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1934 with the David Murray Scholarship for the most brilliant student and her post-university life was dedicated to social justice and human rights. She returned to the University as a lecturer in family law and was Chancellor from 1983–1990.

A little more than 60 years after graduating, Dame Roma Mitchell become the first woman to be appointed as Governor in any Australian state. She remained in that role until 1996.

When she died of bone cancer in 2000, Dame Roma received a state funeral and is now remembered for her series of ‘firsts’ as well as her influence on reform and development of criminal law.

1992

South Australia’s first NASA astronaut

Many young boys grow up dreaming of one day becoming a spaceman—and Dr Andrew (Andy) Thomas was no different. But it wasn’t until he studied engineering at the University of Adelaide that his dream of space travel began to unfold.

Dr Thomas graduated from the University in 1973 with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering. He went on to complete a PhD, which helped him take his first steps towards a career in space.

In 1992, Dr Thomas joined NASA and, within a year, was appointed as a member of the astronaut corps. He took his first flight on 19 May 1996, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, and went on to make three more trips to space.

He has maintained a close connection with the University, and is an inspiration to all students.

2000

Olympic torch

As the Sydney Olympic Torch made its way across the globe to the hands of Cathy Freeman in Homebush Stadium, it carried with it the work of several University of Adelaide researchers.

Strict safety guidelines demanded a torch that would not only stay alight in any weather and go anywhere—even underwater—but also produce minimal greenhouse gases and protect the torch bearer from harm. The Sydney torch featured a number of new design and technology elements, including an innovative fuel combustion system researched and developed at the University in collaboration with private company FCT Flames.

It won an Australian Design Award and become a recognised symbol of the Sydney Olympic Games. It now sits alongside other torches at the Olympic Museum in Switzerland.

30 cleverachieve-ments

30 cleverachieve-ments

Exclusive almonds

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To most people, an almond is an almond. But to researchers from the Australian Almond Breeding Program at the University of Adelaide’s Waite campus, not all almonds are equal.

In fact, almond trees being developed at the University look set to give growers a 10–15 percent yield increase.

The project has resulted in five superior varieties that are being fast tracked to commercialisation from trial sites in South Australia’s Riverland, and Victoria’s Sunraysia regions.

Importantly, research has shown that three of the five varieties are self-fertile, so current issues with planting a compatible tree nearby and relying on bees to pollinate could be circumvented.

Additionally, one of the five new varieties has a much larger kernel, which professional tasters say taste better than what is currently available in the market.

Finally, better shells are keeping disease and pests at bay.

The Almond Breeding Program, led by Dr Michelle Wirthensohn, is a collaboration between the University; the Almond Industry & Almond Board of Australia; Horticulture Australia Limited and the Australian Research Council. Launched in 1997, it is now getting to the ‘pointy end’, says Dr Wirthensohn.

The five new varieties are expected to be released to growers by 2018.

Almonds are currently Australia’s largest horticultural export crop, with India the largest market, and Australia is now the second largest almond producer in the world after the USA.

Ben Brown, industry development manager of the Almond Board of Australia, told The Advertiser newspaper that the new varieties could make a significant impact on the industry and growers were excited about the upcoming release of the trees.

“Part of the plan is to also release these varieties internationally,” Mr Brown said.

It is hoped that selling the commercialisation rights to grow the trees could open up new income streams, particularly in the United States where 80 percent of almonds are still grown.

So while the rest of us see an almond as an almond, this clever collaboration between the University and industry partners is leading the world in delivering better almonds for the consumer and the grower.

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Dr Michelle Wirthensohn, Horticulture Australia Research Fellow

Eco-management in the Spencer Gulf

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With competing priorities—from fishing to mining, agriculture, energy and community values—management of the Spencer Gulf ecosystem is akin to walking a tightrope between commercial and environmental interests.

As South Australia’s growing mining sector, along with other industry development leads to increased shipping, wharf facilities, and desalination of seawater concerns in the Spencer Gulf, the region is under increased pressure to maintain its balance.

These circumstances were the catalyst for the creation of the Spencer Gulf Ecosystem and Development Initiative.

Led by the University of Adelaide’s Professor Bronwyn Gillanders and Simon Divecha, the initiative is driving responsible decision-making for a thriving gulf region.

The University’s Environment Institute is central to developing the program with Marine Innovation SA (MISA), SARDI (South Australian Research and Development Institute), Aquatic Sciences and Flinders University as research collaborators.

The five-year project brings together key partners—including major players BHP Billiton, Santos, Flinders Ports, Arrium, Centrex and Alinta, and the fishing industry investing through the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.

It is attracting major funding as researchers gather stakeholder views from more than 300 people, review available information, and scope requirements for research around an integrated ocean management program.

Now in the midst of its second phase, the research partners are undertaking significant investigations to establish an informed and evidence-based decision system regarding new developments, while maintaining ongoing stakeholder and community engagement.

Competition between fishing, mining and conservation are hard to manage and represent real difficulties around Australia. However, the brains behind this initiative believe that this consultation process alongside the evidence developed will be the key to its success.

The initiative will support industry by offering more defined approval pathways and encourage evidence-based decision making. It will also set up a model by which information, data, tools, capabilities and networks can be shared.

The clever researchers, community and industries behind the Spencer Gulf Ecosystem and Development Initiative are playing a crucial role in ensuring the balance between commercial and environmental interests is maintained for everyone’s benefit.

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Social isolation is as dangerous to your health as smoking

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Social isolation is critical to the health and wellbeing of individuals. The physical impact of social isolation can lead to conditions such as insomnia, depression, elevated blood pressure. Indeed a review of over 100 scientific studies indicates its effect on health is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes, or drinking six alcoholic beverages each day.

Social isolation is estimated to affect one in five older Australians and in the coming years with the ageing of the population the effects of social isolation will reverberate through society—placing extra strain on carers, demands on already-stretched health services, and a greater need for acute interventions by local government, housing providers and welfare agencies.

Tackling this issue is a priority for the community resulting in an innovative research project focussed on the effectiveness of interventions to alleviate social isolation. Chief investigator Professor Andrew Beer from the University of Adelaide is leading the national research project involving a number of universities—(The University of Adelaide, the University of Melbourne, Curtin University of Technology, Queensland University of Technology and King’s College, London) with the support of a range of partner organisations—Anglicare SA, Benetas, COTA Qld, ECH Inc, IRT, Resthaven Inc and Silver Chain.

Professor Andrew Beer, Director of the Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning, said the three-year study currently in progress will be the first of its kind to analyse the structures, methods and outcomes of successful programs currently being run in different jurisdictions.

There have been many studies that document the health problems of social isolation, but very limited research on what works best, and for whom, in order to tackle the growing problem. This study will provide an in depth anaylsis into this, examining the differences between gender, location, housing options, age, disabilities and socio-economic status, among other things.

Although the study is still in progress, preliminary results so far indicate social isolation is not just an issue for people living alone and it can exist for months or even years. It has already been established that ongoing regular participation in activities has a positive outcome on wellbeing.

With a rapidly aging population, this collaborative research project will go a long way to improving health outcomes as we all approach our twilight years.

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No crash test ‘dummies’

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In suburban Kent Town, just east of the city of Adelaide, researchers from the University of Adelaide are spending their days ensuring the safety of every pedestrian on our roads.

With pedestrians accounting for 16.5 percent of all road fatalities in Australia, and 8.5 percent of all serious injuries, this work is vital in reducing the road toll and safeguarding our communities.

The Vehicle Safety Laboratory, purpose-built by the University’s Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR), is the only facility of its kind in Australia, and one of the most advanced in the world.

Among other projects, the laboratory is the official testing facility for the pedestrian component of the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), a consortium of Australian and New Zealand car clubs, State government departments and motor injury authorities.

The University has been working with ANCAP since 2000 to improve the pedestrian safety of new vehicles entering the Australasian market, and to reduce the number of pedestrian fatalities.

The team is grateful for ANCAP’s ongoing support of CASR’s research and its significant role in the Laboratory’s 2010 relocation to its state of the art Kent Town premises.

Since the partnership began, the Centre has tested more than 160 new vehicles, measuring the risk of injury to pedestrians in a collision with the front of the vehicle. It can simulate pedestrians of all shapes and sizes—from young children to the elderly.

The Laboratory, operating since 1999, is a major component of the Centre’s research into pedestrian safety, and has allowed CASR to expand its services and continue its crucial role in a significant part of ANCAP’s test program.

As Director Mary Lydon says, the Laboratory “puts the spotlight on protection offered to pedestrians by different vehicle structures and means we can measure improvements and differences in safety”.

As the community becomes more and more aware of the part vehicle design plays in road safety, the spotlight on the work being done in Kent Town—and the Centre’s research as a whole—is brightening.

So next time you walk your children to school, or cross a busy city street, reflect on these clever South Australians who are committed to making your journey as safe as it can be.

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Andrew van den Berg, Manager Vehicle Safety Laboratory

Stopping the illegal timber trade

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When we go to the hardware shop to buy timber, or to the furniture store to upgrade our dining table, most of us expect the wood we are buying has been sourced in a sustainable way, rather than illegally logged from protected forest or bushland.

However at the point of sale, it is nearly impossible to tell whether we are buying wood that has been illegally harvested and imported—a problem that impacts 50 to 90 percent of timber sourced from tropical regions and 15 to 30 percent of all wood traded globally.

Therefore watertight controls at customs are vital, and research carried out at the University’s Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity is an important step in addressing this problem for the sake of the global environment.

In collaboration with Singapore-based company Double Helix Tracking Technologies (DoubleHelix), and the Thunen Institute in Germany, the research team has, for the first time, enabled wood to be tracked back to its forest of origin through DNA ‘fingerprinting’.

Professor Andrew Lowe, who leads the research team at Adelaide, says the technique is not only accurate, but quick and cost effective.

“We’ve been able to apply molecular marker methods to freshly cut wood for a number of years,” Professor Lowe said.

“But this is the first time we’ve been able to advance DNA fingerprinting to the point that large-scale screening of wood material can be done cheaply, quickly and with a statistical certainty that can be used in a court of law.”

Importantly, he added, the methods are suitable for application at customs entry points and, unlike certification documents, can’t be falsified.

DoubleHelix is now driving the global commercialisation and uptake of DNA tracking technologies.

The research and commercialisation partners are working with governments in Europe, America and Australia to implement DNA tools to support new legislation which outlaws illegally logged timber. The partners are working on a number of large scale projects to develop DNA tracking tools for timber species in Africa, SE Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Far East Russia.

DNA fingerprinting of timber is a clever achievement on a global scale, saving the environment, one tree at a time.

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It’s pretty important that a submarine has a high level of stealth capability, because let’s face it, there is not much point in a submarine if the noise of the engine gives away its location.

The Collins Class submarines, built in Adelaide, are propelled by electric motors which are almost silent—but what about when the motors go flat, and need to be recharged by a noisy generator?

Researchers from the University of Adelaide’s School of Mechanical Engineering are tackling this problem to retain the stealth of the submarine during the recharging operation.

The team, with funding from the Department of Defence, is testing improved vibration absorbers to reduce the noise— or ‘acoustic signature’ of a submarine.

Research leader Dr Carl Howard said if these tests prove fruitful, the University’s work could be vital in improving the operational effectiveness of submarines.

Dr Howard and his team have also been working to develop quieter diesel engine submarines.

The noise and vibration generated by a ship’s propulsion system creates a distinct acoustic signature that can be detected with sonar equipment. Reducing or changing the acoustic signature of a ship reduces the chance that it will be detected.

Adelaide’s researchers have developed a passive noise control system—not requiring the input of noise interference—which is therefore very robust.

Dr Howard said “The engineering problem faced is that the design of standard exhaust silencers are a compromise between the amount of noise reduction and the frequency range over which they are effective. This development is novel because it will provide high levels of noise reduction over a narrow frequency range, and it will automatically tune to the sound emitted by the diesel engine.”

These projects build on the expertise within the School’s Acoustics, Vibration and Control research group, which has been working with industry for more than 20 years to find solutions to noise issues.

It also builds upon the long-term relationship the University has with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO).

This is clever engineering at its best— for a clever Australian defence force.

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Preventing substance misuse

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University of Adelaide researchers are playing a major role in training health professionals worldwide to identify people who are at risk from their drug and alcohol misuse.

Their research—along with other research throughout the world—has identified optimal ways for health professionals to recognize substance misuse, and encourage lifestyle changes.

The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) was developed for the World Health Organization (WHO) by a group of international addiction specialists to help address the public health burden associated with substance misuse.

The ASSIST consists of eight questions and has undergone significant testing over the past ten years to ensure that it is reliable, valid and cross-culturally relevant.

The ASSIST was designed to be used in primary health care settings where hazardous and harmful substance use may go undetected, or become worse.

It helps primary health care professionals, such as doctors, nurses, psychologists and social workers identify substance use and related problems. Combined with a targeted, brief intervention they can start to address issues related to a person’s substance use such as alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, amphetamine and opiates.

Here in Adelaide, new work in this field is being led by the Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (DASSA) WHO Collaborating Centre which was part of the original development group for the World Health Organization and are global leaders for the implementation. This has been made possible though the financial support of the Commonwealth Government Department of Health.

The team at the DASSA-WHO Collaborating Centre has developed a training DVD titled ASSIST with Substance, to be distributed to health professionals worldwide.

This innovative resource is an example of translational science as it helps bridge the gap between theory and clinical practice.

The ASSIST with Substance resource demonstrates how, in just 10–15 minutes, health care workers can make a difference in someone’s life just by administering the ASSIST and providing a linked brief intervention.

Using ‘real life’ scenarios the DVD explains the underlying principles of screening and brief intervention in an engaging way. The resource is designed for face-to-face sessions and can be also used in online settings.

Although targeted at nurses, the resource is suitable for all health care workers who come in contact with people at risk of drug and alcohol misuse.

Adelaide Research and Innovation is working with the DASSA-WHO Collaborating Centre to coordinate the distribution of the training package.

With many health and social issues stemming from the misuse of alcohol, tobacco and other legal and illegal drugs, the ASSIST with Substance resource offers a unique opportunity to educate health professionals and improve people’s health and well-being.

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Helping our neighbours

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As the young nation of Timor-Leste—one of Australia’s closest neighbours—prepares to engage in regional economic initiatives, a University of Adelaide analyst is assisting the newly-sovereign nation along the path to regional economic integration.

Since October 2013, Uwe Kaufmann, trade economist with the University of Adelaide’s Institute for International Trade, has been leading an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project ‘Preparing for Regional Economic Integration’, with funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The project is specifically designed to support the Timor-Leste Government with its regional economic integration, including their commitment to join the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The wide-ranging project feeds into the Government’s existing activities, outreach and awareness campaigns.

As the project accedes to an existing agreement, it presents a number of challenges. Therefore, one of the core aspects is to help Timor-Leste confront these challenges in order to maximise the benefits and opportunities of becoming an ASEAN nation.

The project has two main components: Helping the Timor-Leste Government prepare ASEAN-specific documentation and regulation that meet ASEAN requirements; and training officials on a wide-range of topics including ASEAN treaties and their legal and economic implications and opportunities.

Timor-Leste recognises that the opportunities and benefits of an ASEAN membership are immeasurable and are vital to the goal of sustainable economic development of the young country, which makes this project a key ingredient in Timor-Leste’s future success.

Being an ASEAN nation would mean Timor-Leste can take part in ASEAN’s determination to achieve sustainable economic growth, integrated development and prosperity. It would also allow Timorese businesses to expand accessing investment from the ASEAN region, participate in international value chains and remove barriers to international trade.

ASEAN membership would also give Timor-Leste access to services, health and education to further the country’s educational development and to improve the welfare of its citizens.

Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN not only integrates its economy into the region’s most important economic forum, it also brings the country into the global economy through ASEAN treaties based on international laws and standards governed by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

To ensure that Timor-Leste is up to the challenges and can make use of the opportunities, Mr Kaufmann and his team are rolling out a range of capacity building and information workshops and implementing an inter-ministerial communication strategy.

The combination of these strategies will give Timor-Leste the best chance of implementing necessary policy for a successful ASEAN membership.

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Catching disease fast

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Up to 27,000 microbiology laboratories around the world could benefit from a ground-breaking automation technology developed at the University of Adelaide’s Australian Centre for Visual Technologies (ACVT), in collaboration with one of our leading medical technology companies, LBT Innovations.

The Automated Plate Assessment System (APAS) can automatically screen microbiology culture plates for the presence of various disease-causing pathogens—revolutionising the workflow in modern microbiology labs.

The smart software uses artificial intelligence to analyse microbial growth in much the same way as a microbiologist would, but with faster and more consistent results.

Born from a pioneering partnership between the University and Adelaide-based LBT, APAS is in the final stages of development in a significant joint venture with the instrumentation company, Hettich AG Switzerland.

It’s the perfect collaboration. LBT brings its extensive market knowledge and product development expertise, while Hettich provides some of the world’s finest medical engineering and manufacturing credentials.

The deal also ensures that LBT Innovations will continue to play a leading role in the product’s future development and commercialisation. The company has already employed three Adelaide-based technical staff specifically to support its APAS program, as well as a Quality Assurance Manager to support clinical trials ahead of key regulatory submissions later this year.

APAS has its roots in a system that the University research centre developed for defence and security purposes—but the partnership with LBT unearthed its significant microbiology and healthcare potential.

The core technology is currently being made commercially robust under contract with two Australian engineering companies, with the first APAS instruments due to be manufactured in Europe.

The innovative system will address the issue of microbiology labs needing to analyse more culture plates with fewer staff and resources—and often with more critical deadlines.

In May this year, some of the world’s leading microbiologists were introduced to APAS at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, an annual event that brings together more than 10,000 microbiologists, infectious disease specialists and diagnostic companies.

The strategic focus of the Australian Centre for Visual Technologies is on impact and there is no doubt that the clever minds behind APAS will soon be having a major impact on the world of microbiology.

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Chocolate champions

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Imagine earning a living through growing a crop for which you had never tasted the end product?

That is exactly what faced Vanuatu cocoa growers, until researchers from the University of Adelaide, along with premium Australian chocolate companies—Haigh’s and Bahen & Co, and the United States’ Guittard—joined forces to not only improve the quality of Vanuatu cocoa beans, but also significantly improve the income of local farmers.

The group is assessing the bean quality and recommending how farmers can change practices to receive premium prices.

For example, Bahen & Co, based in the Margaret River region of Western Australia, produced chocolate from different Vanuatu cocoa samples, and then carried out taste-testing with the farmers.

This enabled the farmers—some of whom had never tasted chocolate before—to understand first-hand how smoke taint or under-fermentation affects the end product.

Professor Randy Stringer said the project was aimed at unlocking economic potential among Vanuatu’s cocoa farmers, who have traditionally struggled with low volume and poor quality.

Meanwhile, there has been a growing interest in South Pacific cocoa from a number of high-end chocolatiers, including the three involved in the project.

Guided by the companies’ feedback, researchers are working with the farmers on improving the quality of beans.

For example, they are modifying bean-drying practices to combat a common problem in the humid South Pacific— smoke taint.

Professor Stringer said the Vanuatu farmers were inspired by the ongoing advice, support and encouragement they received through collaborating with world-class chocolate companies.

He said that while Vanuatu was too small to be a large exporter of cocoa, it could become attractive to this high-end market, and as a result see the price per kilo of beans jump from about $1.25 to between $6–$8.

“High-end producers want them because they are scarce but they also want the quality, so I think that while Vanuatu will never be a large share of the production, they can be a large share of the high-value beans,” he said.

Not only are these researchers committed to improving the livelihood of cocoa farmers in our Pacific neighbourhood, they are improving the quality of the chocolate we eat.

Researchers facilitated an introduction between Mr  Basile Malily (centre), Director of the Cocoa Growers’ Association of Vanuatu and Haigh’s Chocolates Managers, Peter Millard (left) and Ben Kolly (right) at their Adelaide office.

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Associate Professor Peter Dry, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

From vine to vat

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South Australia is one of the most renowned wine regions in Australia.

So it’s no accident that South Australian researchers are leading the world when it comes to developing better and smarter ways to both grow grapes and produce wine.

For a start, back in 1999 researchers from the University of Adelaide worked with the CSIRO to develop a unique way to conserve water, while improving grape quality.

Called ‘partial rootzone drying’, the technique halves the amount of water needed to irrigate vines.

Put simply, the method requires water to be applied to only one side of a grapevine for two weeks, then to the other side for two weeks, and this continues throughout the growing season.

The vine reacts as though it is drying out, but water still reaches all parts of the plant, resulting in fewer shoots and less leaf area on the vine, but the fruit continues to grow.

The dry section sends a hormonal message to the rest of the plant that is deprived of water … so the leaf stomata close, preventing excess moisture loss.

This tricks the plant into believing it’s stressed and the end result is a vine which uses water far more efficiently than it otherwise would.

“We are achieving the same yield of fruit with half the amount of water,” Asssociate Professor Peter Dry, from the University of Adelaide, told ABC’s Landline program in 2000.

“I think that is one of the most important characteristics of partial rootzone drying.”

Associate Professor Dry’s research demonstrated that in the grape vine the roots are the primary organ that senses water stress. Even mild water stress causes the plant to produce a hormone called asiscal acid which triggers the response in the leaves.

The resultant reduced vigour also means there is less need for pruning, and may lead to fewer pests and diseases.

Other researchers at the University are working on projects to improve the fermentation process, such as ‘Intellibung’ which uses optical fibres to allow winemakers to better monitor the contents of barrells, reducing spoilage and improving the quality of wine.

A collaboration between the Institute of Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) and the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, the first prototypes of these smart sensors have been installed in fermentation barrels in the winery of industry partner Yalumba.

The ‘Intellibung’ can detect substances that might cause the fermenting wine to spoil—without having to open the cask. These prototypes are currently wirelessly transmitting valuable information on the maturation of this year’s vintage.

Another project led by Professor Vladimir Jiranek on behalf of the Australian Grape and Wine Authority (GWRDC), is investigating the microbial risks associated with the winemaking process.

Microbiology is a key contributor to the efficiency, composition, quality and style of wine, and an important tool for predicting any impacts of climate change on harvest duration and wine grape composition.

For instance, a recent survey found that protracted or stuck fermentations affect about 8 percent of all industrial wine fermentations, jeopardising around $430 million of Australian wine annually.

This project aims to better understand the microbial process in order to develop strains of yeast that can improve the reliability of the fermentation process.

And all of this research comes to fruition—so to speak—at the University’s own Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Sciences Laboratory, a state-of-the-art winery and research facility.

Wine production began here in 1998, giving students, researchers, laboratory staff and wine industry professions real-life experience.

The first vintage saw 10 tonnes of grapes processed—with the annual average now around 120 tonnes.

Since taking on commercial winemaking in 2002, the winery has won more than 70 medals at major wine shows.

Given that Australia is the world’s fifth largest wine exporter, and winemaking is a major industry in South Australia, these research discoveries have the potential for widespread positive impact.

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Associate Professor Peter Dry, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

CHAT your way to health

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Going under anaesthetic for surgery can be stressful and scary.

Even the paperwork can be annoying—there are countless forms and questions that need to be answered, more than once.

Whilst this can be frustrating and time consuming for both staff and patients, attention to detail is essential to prevent potentially life-threatening issues being overlooked.

Now, thanks to University of Adelaide and SA Health researchers, headed by Professor of Anaesthesia, Guy Ludbrook, people preparing for surgery can just have a chat.

Actually make that CHAT—Computer Health Assessment by Telephone— a computer system and questionnaire that covers all the bases, produces clinically-verified results and can be done over the phone by non-clinical staff.

The system was developed at the University in conjunction with SA Health, and has been verified with anaesthetists at several hospitals in South Australia and Western Australia. It is now in clinical trials at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The trials are verifying that CHAT can not only make preoperative assessment more convenient and efficient, but may improve patient safety by reducing the chance of missing a potential surgical or medical complication, such as low thyroid function leading to dangerously low blood pressure.

When incorporated into current systems for screening before surgery, CHAT can improve the patient experience by reducing the number and length of trips to hospital required in the lead up to surgery, and can help to ease pre-surgical anxiety.

There are also substantial savings to the health system, by screening more patients in less time, and freeing up staff to work on other areas thereby reducing waiting lists.

The system was a finalist at the SA Health Awards 2013 and won the best paper award 2013 of the Journal of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care.

CHAT is a great example of a clever medical idea that improves patient outcomes and helps surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and pharmacists with their lifesaving, work.

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Professor Guy Ludbrook, Head of Acute Care Medicine

International crime busters

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For most researchers, solving murders and unlocking critical details in a missing persons case isn’t part of the job description.

But when it comes to forensics, the University of Adelaide’s researchers are applying cutting-edge scientific techniques to preserve and examine evidence in connection with many high profile civil and criminal cases throughout the world.

With thousands of Australians still considered missing in action in Korea, Papua New Guinea, Europe and other former war zones, the work being done at the University of Adelaide’s Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) is vital in providing some comfort to the families of those missing, as well as the Australian public at large.

ACAD researchers are experts in identifying the remains of any missing person—whether it be through war, misadventures, natural disasters, terrorism or other means.

But it is not an easy task—the rapid decay of DNA over time can affect the reliability of any results—so ACAD has developed a service that uses both DNA and forensic profiling to dramatically improve forensic identification of degraded human remains.

Over the past few years, Associate Professor Jeremy Austin has built upon the advanced DNA forensic research expertise, infrastructure and capabilities at the University.

In that time, ACAD has helped the Australian Defence forces with DNA-based identification of human remains recovered from World War II and later conflicts. Other clients of the Centre include the Australian Federal Police, SA Museum, the National Institute of Forensic Science and the National Geographic Society, USA.

While ACAD is a world-leader in identifying remains from ancient DNA, other researchers at the University of Adelaide are continuing their pioneering work in forensic odontology—the application of dental science to the administration of the law.

Established in 1980 under an agreement with the South Australian Government, the University’s Forensic Odontology Unit was the first dedicated service of its kind in Australia, and one of only a few worldwide.

Since then, it has provided a 24-hour service in both criminal and civil jurisdictions and has contributed to the resolution of many well-known cases.

The scope of the unit is wide and includes identifying victims of road accidents, gunshots or burns, as well as examining human and animal bite marks.

The University has also helped to pioneer a new forensic field, analysing soil samples to solve serious crime.

Working for both the University and CSIRO, Professor Fitzpatrick and his team at the Adelaide-based Centre for Australian Forensic Soil Science (CAFSS) can analyse tiny soil particles on a piece of clothing, for example.

The team are part of the first formal worldwide network of soil and forensic scientists, using new advanced scientific methods to tackle some of Australia’s highest profile crimes and cold cases as well as working internationally in support of Interpol and counter-terrorism operations.

Professor Fitzpatrick’s forensic work began with a double murder case in 2000.

When South Australian police arrested Matthew Holding for the murder of his mother and grandmother it was critical they locate the bodies to make their case.

Holding was apprehended near Moonta with a shovel in the boot of his car, but initial police searches failed to find any trace of his victims.

Laboratory analysis and field investigations by Professor Fitzpatrick and his team on the soil’s mineralogical composition, acidity, electrical conductivity, salinity and colour pinpointed a quarry in the Adelaide Hills and the two bodies were ultimately recovered, remarkably within 15 metres of where Professor Fitzpatrick had predicted.

Holding subsequently pleaded guilty to the murders and CAFSS was established as a national centre as a direct result of the successful investigation.

Since then, CAFSS has been involved in more than 130 cases in Australia and overseas including the murders of Carly Ryan in South Australia and Corryn Rayney in Western Australia.

Professor Fitzpatrick has worked with agencies such as Interpol, the FBI, DSTO and the Australian Federal Police as far afield as China, Syria and Africa. Professor Fitzpatrick and his team have published several encyclopaedia chapters and papers, which have included case studies based on their completed investigations.

Forensics plays an increasingly vital role in identifying human remains—and capturing perpetrators of violent crimes—and the researchers at the University of Adelaide are leading the world.

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Balancing energy and the environment

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Conventional gas reserves in Australia have been steadily declining and the future of the region’s gas supply rests largely with a coal seam gas industry that needs to resolve concerns over its environmental impact. These impacts have seen it face heightened community and government scrutiny.

A research initiative from the University of Adelaide is leading the way in uncovering ways to access resources while protecting the environment. These Adelaide geophysicists, led by Professor Graham Heinson and Dr Stephan Thiel, have developed a new method for mapping the effect of the water used during the extraction.

The mapping methodology, which images changes underground as they happen, was initially developed by Dr Thiel for tracing water in geothermal energy extraction. The group, including PhD student Jared Peacock and technician Goran Boren, developed sophisticated software which analyses data to map injected water up to 4km deep. The technology was tested in geothermal fracking experiments, with assistance from Dr Peter Reid of Petratherm Ltd at the Paralana enhanced geothermal site, South Australia.

Most of the time ‘fracking’, where water is pumped at high pressure into rocks with the aim of fracturing them to release gas—usually methane—is associated with coal seam gas and shale gas industries. Farmers and environmentalists have clashed with the industry over fracking, fearing it will affect groundwater aquifers.

These researchers from the University’s Institute for Mineral and Energy Resources (IMER), in the 4D Electrical Earth Imaging Group, have developed a low-cost, low-impact way to assess the impacts of fracking on groundwater.

Project leader, Dr Stephan Thiel says the instrumentation is relatively cheap and is deployed on the Earth’s surface, so no drilling is needed. The technology is particularly novel because is the first time that electromagnetic geophysics has been applied in this way.

In 2013, they won the Minerals and Energy category of the Australian Innovation Awards for their efforts.

Dr Thiel said a viable and sustainable coal seam gas industry would bring domestic energy security, export growth and substantial economic prosperity for Australia.

“But to do this sustainably we need to address concerns surrounding potential impacts on groundwater aquifers,” he said.

“With this new way of looking at the subsurface we can help gas exploration companies improve their operations and we can help farmers and regulators monitor groundwater resources.”

Moving from the geothermal sector, the research team are now seeking to apply this technology to coal seam, shale and tight gas operations across Australia.

It is hoped that the technology will attract interest from regulators as well as the coal-seam gas industry.

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Making babies

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For most of us, making a baby is a natural and straightforward process. But for others, it can be less enjoyable, more stressful, and a lot more scientific.

It was only a generation ago that those who couldn’t conceive the conventional way were left childless.

Thankfully, for those people and society as a whole, researchers at the University of Adelaide have learned a great deal about reproductive health over the past decades—beginning long before Louise Brown, the world’s first IVF baby, was born in England in 1978.

Today, IVF is a common procedure in Australia with approximately one in 25 babies born from IVF. In particular, research conducted at the Robinson Research Institute covers the entire spectrum of reproductive health—from the health of women pre-conception, throughout pregnancy and childbirth and through to early childhood development.

This knowledge has been passed on to assist thousands of couples to have healthy babies and has culminated in the development of a number of novel inventions, such as EmbryoGen®, a breakthrough treatment for women undergoing IVF after one or more previous miscarriages.

EmbryoGen®, developed by the University, Adelaide Research and Innovation and Dutch company Origio, is an innovative fertility culture medium for growing embryos, which can improve implantation rates by up to 40 percent.

It works by mimicking the mother’s natural signalling molecule—providing a cytokine, GM-CSF—to protect the embryo from stress, which makes it stronger and more robust in the early stages following an embryo transfer.

The product is the culmination of more than two decades of work for Robinson Research Institute Director Professor Sarah Robertson.

Attracted by the science, and convinced of the commercial applicability of the technology, Origio licensed the culture medium, and undertook the world’s largest fertility media study to verify Professor Robertson’s research.

In a major commercial breakthrough, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved EmbryoGen® to be marketed in the US, clearing the way for its use in one of the world’s biggest markets.

The US decision follows earlier decisions by authorities in large markets such as Europe, China and the Middle East to allow the use of the treatment.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see the benefits of our work reach so many people,” Professor Robertson said.

Australian authorities, however, are yet to approve the widespread commercial use of EmbryoGen®, but Professor Robertson expressed confidence it would eventually be available to help Australians undergoing IVF.

The research being done today at the Robinson Research Institute builds on years of local research and developments in reproductive technology, beginning in 1971, when Adelaide became home to Australia’s first sperm donor program and sperm bank through the University’s Obstetric and Gynaecology Department.

In 1987, the University was the launching ground for the State’s most successful fertility company, Repromed Pty Ltd. Acquired by a private consortium in 2006, the proceeds from this commercial venture funded more research, and Repromed continues to make a fundamental difference to families in South Australia every day.

The true impact of reproductive research at the University is difficult to quantify— but it’s obvious when you meet a family who’ve had their dream of starting a family come true.

76 Professor Sarah Robertson, Director, Robinson Research Institute

Flying high—and green

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When you next fly in or out of Adelaide, and are sitting in the departure lounge or waiting for your bags, take some time to enjoy the ambient temperature— and know that you are in Australia’s most ecologically sustainable airport.

Not surprisingly, with their vast physical structures, 24-hour operations, and large air fleets to be maintained, airports are usually huge energy consumers, leaving a massive carbon footprint.

Adelaide Airport Limited (AAL) saw this as a challenge to address and an opportunity to improve.

So AAL partnered with the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Energy Technology (CET) to research and develop innovative concepts to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency.

Researchers at the Centre within the University’s Institute for Mineral and Energy Resources, led by Professor Graham ‘Gus’ Nathan, are developing a transient thermodynamic model of the airport’s major passenger terminal—T1.

The model will take into account a broad range of factors such as location, weather, occupancy, lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation, among other things.

The purpose of the model will be to accurately assess the overall cost-benefit impact of various energy-efficient technologies.

It will also support two other key projects under the CET and AAL collaboration— one that focuses on the potential benefits of indirect evaporative cooling and one that is looking into a smart mechanical plant control systems.

So far, calculations have shown that indirect evaporative cooling could reduce heating, ventilation and air-conditioning energy consumption by about 20 percent; meanwhile the mechanical plant control project will optimise the performance of the systems and create more consistent conditions throughout the huge building.

The partnership has also directly supported other CET research investigating a range of clean energy technologies that will benefit society as a whole— technologies such as generating hydrogen from solar energy, improving wind energy efficiency, developing more efficient, clean-burning flames, and optimising fuel combustion systems.

All of which will lead to more environmentally sustainable energy generation and consumption for South Australia, the country and the world.

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Superbugs’— is the risk real? ‘

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When antibiotics were first introduced in the 1930’s and 40’s, they were considered a wonder drug—and many lives have been saved since.

In recent years however, we have seen a rise in bacteria or ‘superbugs’ that have adapted to become resistant to multiple antibiotics.

Antibiotics are used in both human and animal medicine and drug-resistant bacteria can be passed between animals and humans (and vice versa) via direct contact and through food.

So linking data from animals, agriculture and food with that of humans is fundamental to the comprehensive prevention and containment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The University of Adelaide has joined the fight against ‘superbugs’ in Australian pets and livestock as well as humans.

The School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences is conducting a pilot study, the first of its kind for the nation, to research the prevalence of resistance to all major classes of antibiotic for two key groups of pathogens, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus, in livestock and pets.

Every veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Australia is involved in the project, sending samples to the Roseworthy Campus for analysis.

Veterinary microbiologist, Associate Professor Darren Trott, is heading up the project’s cross-disciplinary team.

Associate Professor Trott has also been awarded an Australian Research Council grant in collaboration with the Animal Health Company Zoetis to further characterise the bacteria obtained during the pilot study, and has won the tender to write a report for the Federal Government on developing a national plan for antimicrobial resistance surveillance in animal populations.

Associate Professor Trott’s vital work will do more than protect animals from ‘superbugs’, it will have far-reaching consequences in the battle between superbugs and antibiotics in the human world.

These projects compliment a new move by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, appointing the University of Adelaide’s Professor John Turnidge as Senior Medical Advisor to lead work on a national surveillance program for antimicrobial resistance in humans.

Professor Turnidge and Associate Professor Trott are working closely together to study AMR in humans and animals under a ‘one health’ strategy to unite human and veterinary medicine in the fight against the emergence of ‘superbugs’.

The three-year project aims to improve surveillance of AMR and antibiotic usage. They are working towards a National Coordinated Surveillance System, while supporting a range of strategies to contain superbugs and encourage the appropriate use of antibiotics in both human and animal settings.

Until now, there has been little national coordination to manage the spread of new ‘superbugs’ in humans. Instead it has been left up to states and territories to manage infections in hospitals, with the Federal Government monitoring aged care and general practice.

You might ask why not just develop better drugs? The new antimicrobial pipeline is empty, with no new classes of drug developed for many years, though recent global initiatives have reinvigorated this effort. However, the timeline from drug discovery to market is a long one, often taking 15–20 years. Until new drugs become available, we must make the best use of our existing antimicrobials in both humans and animals.

The work of these Adelaide researchers is vital as the world faces the very real possibility of a return to non-treatable bacterial infections.

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Associate Professor Darren Trott, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences

Solving a ‘sticky’ situation

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As the world’s supply of oil dwindles, would it be reassuring to know coal that has traditionally been unsuitable for power generation, can now be used to create liquid transport fuels, thanks to research being done by South Australians?

Well, that is exactly what a team of University of Adelaide researchers are working on right now.

The project, led by Dr Philip Van Eyk, Dr Adam Kosminski and Associate Professor Peter Ashman from the University’s Institute for Mineral and Energy Resources, is investigating how to make ‘low-rank’ coals suitable for transport fuels.

These coals have a moisture content of more than 50 percent—so they don’t burn easily—and they also contain high levels of sulphur, sodium and chloride.

There is a well-established combustion technique that uses a fluidised bed of silica sand to help burn fuels with a high moisture content. However this raises a new issue—sticky ash residue that leads to defluidisation, which in turn leads to expensive shut-down periods for fuel production plants.

The Adelaide researchers worked with client Strike Energy to test two low-rank South Australian coal types—Kingston and Lochiel—to determine any desirable characteristics.

They discovered that burning both coals led to defluidisation, but that Kingston took up to three times longer to reach that state. Also, the sodium in Kingston was bound to the coal structure, rather than water-soluble, so it was less prone to forming the sticky compounds.

The researchers also varied the amount of sand added to the coal feed during combustion, as well as looking at the impact of different types of clay additives (DV clay, rich in kaolinate and quartz or CW clay, rich in kaolinite and sillimanite).

All this work led to a revelation that if an appropriate level of sand was added to maintain bed renewal, Kingston coal could gasify at temperatures of 800 degrees Celsius for extended periods without defluidisation. Meanwhile, they learned that DV clay was a better additive than CW clay.

The large reserves of low-rank coals in South Australia have the potential to be an economical and abundant source of fuel.

These researchers have unlocked the potential of Kingston coal, which is now being considered as an efficient, effective and abundant source of transport fuel.

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Safer, faster cycling

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Next time the Tour Down Under is in town and you are watching the cyclists zoom past (or in the case of Willunga Hill, strain past), spare a thought for the University of Adelaide Researchers who are making the riders go faster.

In collaboration with a Swiss-based sporting good company, Scott Sports, and an Australian road racing team Orica-GreenEDGE, the researchers from the University’s School of Mechanical Engineering have designed a new bike helmet for top professional cyclists.

Designed for optimal aerodynamics, the helmet has three vents at the front

with inner cooling channels and exhaust ports at the back for ventilation. 

No one knows better how important a helmet is to a cyclist than those that competitively ride themselves, which is why it was fortunate that the leader of the research team, Associate Professor Richard Kelso, is also a veteran competitive cyclist.

Scott Sports contacted Associate Professor Kelso to work on its new helmet because of his previous projects with Cycling Australia in relation to aerodynamic helmets.

The project team first had to investigate the aerodynamics of cycling helmets in action, before designing a smooth outer helmet skin to minimise drag in all racing conditions, whether cruising or sprinting.

“We had to understand the air flow around the helmet at all the various positions and head angles a rider takes while racing,” Associate Professor Kelso said.

“Cyclists will be cruising with their heads up in the peloton, then the head will drop when they are out in front pushing hard, and the position will change again when they are sprinting for the finish.”

“During each of these stages, there will be a different head angle and different flow pattern. We needed to shape the helmet so that it had curves in all the right places for each stage. And, of course, we still needed to maintain the helmet’s protective foam structure.”

Around 40 designs were tested in the University’s wind tunnels, analysing drag force, side force, ventilation and surface flow patterns.

The team collaborated with designers at Scott throughout the process and the result is a helmet with the drag reduced by about 30 percent overall, and with the best improvement in the sprint position when low drag is needed the most.

So when you are lined up along the road watching the Tour Down Under, keep an eye out for another clever Adelaide achievement—the Scott Vanish Aero.

92 Jessica Mundy, Adelaide-based national cycling competitor

Optimising water distribution

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When most of us turn on a tap, we don’t give a second thought to how the potable water comes from reservoirs to our homes.

Thankfully, some University of Adelaide researchers have put a lot of thought into this over the years, and the result is a better, more efficient design for water distribution systems.

Professor Graeme Dandy—who won the Australian Water Association Water Professional of the Year for 2014—and his colleague Professor Angus Simpson have been hard at work improving operations of water supply systems throughout Australia and across the world using fast mathematical optimisation techniques.

In 1996, after a couple of years consulting in the field, they formed Optimatics Pty Ltd, which purchased intellectual property developed at the University in order to commercialise a ‘genetic algorithm’ software solution that optimises water distribution systems. The concept arose out of a PhD project undertaken by Laurie Murphy under the supervision of Professors Simpson and Dandy.

Professor Dandy said that the traditional method of choosing pipe sizes for water distribution systems was by ‘trial and error’ with the performance of each design being checked using hydraulic simulation software.

Given there may be many more combinations of pipe sizes than there are atoms in the universe, this is a hit and miss affair.

The genetic algorithm, on the other hand, assigns a number to each possible pipe size and then represents each design as a string of numbers similar to a chromosome. When chromosomes are combined to produce new designs they have some of the characteristics of parent chromosomes like children have traits from each parent.

It then disposes of the combinations that don’t meet the criteria (natural selection, if you wish) and keeps those that do, while choosing more and more cost-effective combinations of those that survive (survival of the fittest).

Although this is a simplified explanation of the truly ingenious solution, it allows potential clients to understand why investment in Optimatics makes sound business sense.

After all, research has shown the company’s products significantly reduce the cost—by up to 30 to 40 percent— of a water distribution or waste collection systems whether it be as part of a 30-year master plan, in design or in day-to-day operations.

The company has consulted for water utilities in Australasia, North America and the United Kingdom and is currently moving from being a consulting firm to a software company.

Optimatics has four major products covering water distribution systems, water collection systems (sewerage), water resources (dams, groundwater sources, desalination plants, etc.) and real-time operations.

The genetic algorithm is a clever solution to a worldwide dilemma of perfecting water distribution and collection systems— and it was first applied right here in Adelaide.

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Bringing bush to the city

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The Australian landscape would not be the same without the ubiquitous eucalypt. But it’s not only the sight and smell of it that makes it such an icon—it plays a vital role in the Australian ecosystem.

Not surprisingly, people like to see eucalypts as street trees or in home gardens.

The problem historically has been that while they produce a lot of viable seed, there is a lot of variability in that seed. Often, there is no guarantee a tree with red flowers will produce seeds that grow into trees with red flowers; or a tree of a certain size or shape will produce offspring that develop into the same size or shape.

To remedy this, researchers from the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus have been working with Humphris Nursery—a leading production nursery based in Victoria—to develop improved ways of propagating eucalypts that not only produces plants of a certain size, shape or colour, but are also cheaper and more efficient than other grafting techniques.

Dr Kate Delaporte, who is leading the research team, said only through “producing improved cultivars, propagated using methods like grafting and tissue culture, can we guarantee the buyer knows what they are getting”.

“Eucalypts provide habitat for native birds, insects and animals and, often are resilient to our harsh extremes—there is great potential for them to be used more in our gardens and urban areas,” she said.

“But there are only a small number of these specially-improved eucalypts currently available to gardeners in Australia.”

The partnership—a combination of Dr Delaporte’s extensive knowledge of the Eucalypts (the Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora genera) and Humphris’ expertise in grafting techniques—has recently led to the introduction to the Australian plant market of two new Mallee eucalypts, Nullarbor Rose and Nullarbor Lime.

Following the success of this project, Humphris and the University of Adelaide have joined forces with Queensland’s Yuruga Nursery, Clonal Solutions and Adelaide Research and Innovation in a trial to grow more designer Eucalypts.

The goal of the project is to find the most desirable tree type for home gardens and streets.

“We anticipate a growing demand in the urban landscape for low water use trees that are also beautiful and fit well into the space,” Dr Delaporte told The Advertiser newspaper.

The project uses a tissue culture-based method to produce new trees and involves cloning new plantlets from the original ‘designed’ seedlings.

The trees are being grown in trial sites at Roseworthy and the Waite Campus, as well as the Victorian foothills and NSW, with plans to set up another site in Spain late in 2014.

It is hoped the new varieties will be available for sale in about three years, and plans including targeting export markets as well as local sales.

So in a few years, the work of these clever achievers may be seen in gardens and urban landscapes here and overseas.

100 Dr Kate Delaporte, Ornamental Eucalypts Development Program

Better beer

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Beer is big business in Australia—which means barley production is also big business.

In fact, with an annual farm-gate value of $1.5 billion, it’s this country’s second largest field crop. What’s more, Australia makes up more than 30 percent of the world’s malting barley trade (and about 20 percent of the world’s feed barley trade).

What many beer drinkers may not realise, however, is that the University of Adelaide plays a big part in the barley that eventually becomes the beer we drink around the barbecue.

It’s also integral in the development of barley for export into the Asian market, which uses a different brewing process to that used here.

In most Asian style beers, a solid form of starch, such as rice, sorghum or corn is added as additional sugar in the brewing process, whereas Australian beer is brewed using actual sugar.

All this means in simple terms, is that barley used for the export market needs to work harder to convert the added starch into sugar.

With the help of the university’s Barley Program, led by Associate Professor Jason Eglinton, the Australian barley industry has raised the bar on new varieties designed for the ‘starch adjunct’. In fact, the quality of Australian malting barleys is now considered the best in the world by international customers.

The efforts of Australia’s barley breeders have now delivered several new varieties, increasing market share and improving productivity of Asian brewers.

Bespoke varieties have also been developed in collaboration with key brewers to specifically suit their requirements.

SouthernStar was produced with Sapporo Breweries and Charger was bred with Carlsberg and Heineken Breweries for exclusive use in their premium beer brands.

In the meantime, back home, varieties developed through the Barley Program are dominating the domestic brewing market and a new variety—Navigator—will add more value to the Australian industry.

“Navigator has a lot going for it,” said Associate Professor Eglinton. “It sets a new benchmark for the amount of beer that can be produced from a tonne of barley and for farmers the physical grain quality and yield potential are also significantly improved.”

Barley breeding first began at the University of Adelaide in 1956 and since then varieties developed at the Waite Campus have accounted for more than 50 percent of national production. The broader barley breeding program has received significant support from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and a consortium of other industry players.

New barley varieties have improved farm profitability with impressive yield increases across South Australia averaging 4.4 percent per annum.

These researchers have been working closely with both the barley and the brewing industry for nearly 60 years for the benefit of all.

104 Associate Professor, Jason Eglinton, pictured with a colleague from the

Barley Breeding Program

Super spaghetti

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Next time you’re enjoying a bowl of homemade spaghetti bolognaise, or eating penne calabrese at your favourite Italian restaurant, you can thank a group of University of Adelaide researchers working to make pasta healthier.

All while offering great financial returns to Australian wheat farmers and pasta manufacturers.

The secret is durum wheat, an intense yellow grain known for its hardness, protein concentration, nutty flavour and excellent cooking qualities.

Associate Professor Rachel Burton and Professor Geoff Fincher from the Waite Campus’s ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls are working with colleagues in Italy—the home of pasta—on two projects investigating the cell walls of durum wheat, with the aim of developing a ‘super spaghetti’, which is not only healthier, it can also better tolerate disease and harsh weather.

“In simple terms, ‘super spaghetti’ means that it contains a range of potential health benefits for the consumer, such as reducing the risk of heart disease or colorectal cancer. Our research—in collaboration with our Italian colleagues—is aimed at achieving that, but we’re also looking to improve the quality of pasta as well as its health properties,” Associate Professor Burton says.

Professor Fincher says these new projects could help pasta manufacturers in South Australia and Italy to carve a niche by supplying domestic markets with specialist pasta products that will benefit the health of consumers.

On top of this, selling high-quality South Australian durum wheat within a competitive market such as Italy—where 27 kg of pasta is eaten per person per year—could bring economic benefits to Australian producers.

The projects are part of the University’s focus on sustainable agriculture research and development to help combat the looming world food shortage.

Researchers at the University have established it’s important to increase plant yields per area of production and to address not just the food quantity but also the quality, its nutrient content, and health benefits.

Balance between the production of food and biofuels must be achieved and they’re working on improving the efficiency of water and fertilizer use.

The University of Adelaide has been involved in the durum wheat breeding program since 1989, and has been working in partnership with the South Australian Durum Growers Association and San Remo Macaroni Pty Ltd since 1990.

This long-standing program is a perfect example of how clever researchers can team up with innovative Australian companies and membership organisations for the betterment of everyone.

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These are a few of my favourite wines

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Wouldn’t it be great if we could keep tasting notes on our favourite tipple, while learning more about the wines we are drinking? Well, there’s an app for that.

Developed by University of Adelaide Wine staff and students, My Wine World is a free iPad application for lovers of wine—from novice consumers to wine aficionados or industry professionals.

Whether you know your wines or not, this app will help you learn more about the sensory properties of wine.

It starts with a wine tasting tutorial and uses touch tools with colour displays, sliders and input screens for you to enter the sensory attributes of the wines you drink. You can even add a photo of the label, and easily refer back and cross-reference it at a later date.

The app was developed by Senior Lecturers in Oenology, Dr Kerry Wilkinson and Dr Paul Grbin, from the University’s Waite Campus, together with Viticulture and Oenology student Matthew Roussy.

It is freely available to the general public through the Apple App Store.

“We needed an educational tool to help our winemaking and wine business students develop their sensory skills,” Dr Wilkinson said.

“This promises to be really successful as an e-learning tool, but then we thought, why should students have all the fun?”

Technical wine assessment has traditionally involved recording detailed observations and perceptions of the sensory properties of wine with tasting notes usually recorded in a diary or journal. An awkward, messy process, and one in which the notes can easily be lost or destroyed.

“This is an ideal tool for anyone who has a serious interest in developing their wine sensory skills, but also for those who just love wine but don’t have much technical knowledge,” Dr Wilkinson said.

“And then there are plenty of people who simply like to drink nice wines but can never remember the ones they liked, or what they like about them. My Wine World makes it very easy to build up a searchable archive of your favourite wines, with star ratings and even photos of the wine labels.”

My Wine World is a very modern approach to a traditional field, which is why it won second place in the 2012 Australian eChallenge, an annual entrepreneurial business planning competition.

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Affordable healthcare

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Most of us pay our taxes each year without really giving a thought to where those taxes are going.

Sure we gripe now and then about subsidising things we may feel are unnecessary, but when it comes to healthcare, we can rest assured our money is being used wisely, thanks to researchers from the University of Adelaide.

The Adelaide Health Technology Assessment (AHTA) team assesses evidence from two of three independent committees that advise the Federal Government on its decisions surrounding health care funding and subsidies.

The AHTA performs health technology assessments on behalf of both the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).

In this role, they collate, appraise and synthesise existing research on medical technologies and health interventions. From this, they develop economic models, and provide an evaluation of their safety, clinical utility and cost-effectiveness compared to other treatments, as well as their likely impact on the health system.

The Federal Government relies on the MSAC and the PBAC to help decide which medical services and pharmaceuticals should be subsidised in order to provide Australians with safe, effective and quality health care, while ensuring the best value for money for the taxpayer.

Director of AHTA, Associate Professor Tracy Merlin said the independent evaluation allows both committees to ensure their recommendations are backed up by hard, clinical evidence.

With about 80 percent of prescriptions subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme—and costing the taxpayer some $11 billion—and Medicare subsidising medical services to the tune of $19 billion in 2013–2014, the work of the AHTA is critical to ensure the long-term sustainability of these schemes.

After all, while the Government manages the price of each medication under the PBS, the total cost of the scheme is not capped, nor is the total cost of Medicare.

The work of these Adelaide researchers is vital in helping our policy makers come to informed decisions based on scientific research, rather than through the influence of various lobbyists and the taxpaying Australian public can be grateful for that.

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Healthy hearts

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Cardiovascular disease is one of the country’s biggest killers, striking down about 40,000 Australians every year. These statistics are an important motivator for research being undertaken at the University of Adelaide that could save the lives of many people here and across the globe.

Researchers at the Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders, based at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, are paying particular attention to the problem of atrial fibrillation, which affects about 1 in 100 people.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is linked to higher risks of heart disease and stroke and becomes more serious with age.

Up until 1998, there seemed to be no way to cure such a chaotic disturbance to heart rhythm. But world-renowned cardiac specialists and senior University researchers, Professor Prash Sanders and Professor Stephen Worthley are leading a team well on the way to changing all that.

In 2007, Professor Sanders was among the pioneering surgeons who developed and refined a revolutionary new treatment for AF—and hundreds of patients each year are reaping the benefits of his work.

“This procedure can treat the condition with much less distress to the sufferer,” Professor Sanders said.

“It requires no cutting or stitching and leaves significantly fewer scars than open heart procedures.”

The procedure is a keyhole process in which a catheter fitted with an electrode tip is inserted into a blood vessel until it reaches the heart. There the electrode maps the disturbed spots and destroys a 2mm to 4mm area.

In the original ablation process, beginning in the late 1980s, the catheter tip set off an explosion in the heart to destroy the problem area.

“You had to find the right spot and create the explosion and hope you would destroy only the area you wanted,” Professor Sanders said.

“It has now been refined and we use radio frequency to heat the tip of the catheter. When we have it in the right spot we destroy just a 2mm to 4mm area.”

The University supports a number of the State’s leading cardiologists in the quest for innovation, which has resulted in a number of other significant developments. For example, researchers are collaborating with UniSA and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to develop a new medicine that improves oxygen availability to the heart. Many heart disorders like heart failure and cardiomyopathy are caused by poor blood flow to the heart. Therapies have mainly tried to increase blood flow, but the collaborators took a different approach, what if the heart could get more energy from what was available?

The breakthrough came with the discovery of a compound that turns up the efficiency of cardiac oxygen usage. To date drugs that have some energetic effects have been too toxic to use, but the new medicine has low toxicity giving it the potential for broader use.

The medicine is currently in pre-clinical stage and has been patented and licensed to Irish pharmaceutical company Heart Metabolics. This company is led by world leading drug developers, and has achieved US Food & Drug Administration approval for clinical trials for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The obvious potential of the drug has also attracted venture capital from US investor VenBio, which will fund multi-million dollar clinical trials to phase 3.

Collaborations such as these are proof researchers with clever ideas and the right commercial partner can work together to attract investments and grants that will improve the health of the nation.

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Professor Anton van den Hengel, founding Director of the Australian Centre for Visual Technologies

Smart surveillance

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Since the 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers, public safety has become a worldwide issue and the demand for more sophisticated security has grown.

One University of Adelaide spinout company is at the forefront of large scale video surveillance, helping protect citizens around the world.

SNAP Network Surveillance, established in 2009, is the result of a world-leading research project—led by Professor Anton van den Hengel—at the University’s Australian Centre for Visual Technologies (ACVT).

SNAP technology enables closed circuit television operators to track targets from camera to camera, even among the largest CCTV networks—airports, large sporting venues, shopping malls and more.

Security personnel at these sites are struggling against a huge information overload, trying to spot events in video walls displaying hundreds or thousands of cameras.

SNAP automatically integrates data from thousands of security cameras, reducing risks in a high-profile security environment, especially in times of emergency. Using this technology, video surveillance operators are readily able to take control of large-scale networks.

During a trial at a major international airport, SNAP’s software was able to demonstrate a multi-million dollar benefit.

The software was a star of Sydney’s Security 2012 Trade Show, and was awarded ‘Best in Show’ by the editor of the Security Electronics and Networks Magazine.

Over the past few years, SNAP has been successful in many rounds of funding from investors, which has given the company significant momentum.

The company has now partnered with Pacific Communications, a division of Hills Holdings, to market the product in Australia and New Zealand.

It is potentially the most successful commercial venture to come out of the ACVT, no mean feat considering the Centre is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, servicing contracts with major international companies such as BHP Billiton, BAE Systems, Canon and Google as well as both the Australian and United States military.

Now employing seven full-time staff in Adelaide, SNAP is on the fast track to commercialisation success but more importantly, the SNAP technology might one day save your life.

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Professor Anton van den Hengel, founding Director of the Australian Centre for Visual Technologies

Lighting up future manufacturing

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The field of photonics has far reaching applications—in defence, medicine, agriculture and mining, to name just a few—and University of Adelaide researchers are leading the way.

Working with four South Australian industry partners, the researchers from the University’s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) are undertaking a variety of projects related to meteorology, mining and sewage.

The research is possible through the Photonics Catalyst Program, a joint venture between IPAS and the State Government to boost manufacturing in the state.

Photonics—the science of light—began with the invention of the laser in 1960. Since then, South Australian photonics research has driven the development of new technologies that have transformed manufacturing, health, mining, agriculture and the environment.

Port Pirie Engineering firm, SJ Cheesman, is one of the four industry partners, and is working with IPAS to adapt and engineer high-temperature sensors for use at Nyrstar’s smelter.

S J Cheesman Managing Director Stephen Richter said the sensors would ensure better control of the smelting process and help avoid multi-million dollar production issues and work stoppages.

“Temperature readings are transmitted to smelter operators to optimise production,” Mr Richter said.

“They can also be used to help smelter manufacturers to improve the design and lifespan of components.”

IPAS Director Professor Tanya Monro said the Catalyst Program is a compelling example of the value of collaboration between industry and research.

“The Photonics Catalyst Program has the potential to enhance the competitive performance of participating companies and will lead to the development of high value-add products in South Australia,” Professor Monro said.

“We have outstanding capabilities in photonics research, and this program gives companies the opportunity to benefit economically from this capability.”

Another Industry partner, ATRAD, will work with the researchers to develop a digital device for detecting dangerous icing conditions in the atmosphere, which will mean better information for pilots about potential safety issues.

Maptek and IPAS have also partnered to improve its laser scanner—already the world’s leading survey tool; and Micromet will work with the Institute’s researchers to develop a sensor to control the treatment process, and reduce the environmental impact of sewage systems.

These researchers and partnering with clever and innovative local industry to ensure the long-term future of South Australian manufacturing—which translates to jobs for our children and grandchildren.

128 Professor Tanya Monro, Director, Institute for Photonics

and Advanced Sensing

South Australian memoirs from a patchwork of cultures

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It has long been said the best way to understand the present is to learn from the past and the best way to learn from the past is by collecting the stories of those who lived through it.

Like the migrants who came to South Australia in the post-War period, right up to the 1990s. They lived in one of the many migrant hostels that dotted what we now regard as the wider Adelaide metropolitan area as well as some regional centres.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide are collaborating with a number of community partners, including the Migration Museum, State Records, the Cities of Charles Sturt and Port Adelaide Enfield and the Vietnamese Community in Australia (SA Chapter), in a project to uncover the life histories behind migrant hostels, reception centres and camps in South Australia.

There were 14 government-affiliated migrant hostels and countless work camps in the State, but little is known about the lives people enjoyed—or otherwise—while living in them.

The project aims to bridge this knowledge gap in South Australia’s recent history by bringing together memories of former migrant hostel residents and archival research.

Project leader Professor Rachel A. Ankeny of the School of History and Politics came up with the idea for a collaborative project when one of her undergraduate Arts students undertook an internship at the Migration Museum.

She soon discovered there were a number of independent groups gathering information about local migrant hostels—including some council-based cultural heritage officers. Professor Ankeny successfully so applied for, ARC linkage funding to pursue a larger research project.

With participants from all walks of life, nations, and geographic regions including Great Britain, South East Asia, Middle East, South America, Africa and all corners of continental Europe, this massive project gives migrants a voice.

The core research team is composed of PhD students Dr Karen Agutter and Ms Daniella Pilla, Master’s degree student Mr Justin Madden. Together with Professor Ankeny and support from community partners, they have been doing archival research, conducting ‘reunion’ events, presenting results to community groups, and conducting interviews across the state.

The response has been overwhelming from migrants of all nationalities.

According to Professor Ankeny, while many of the participants have shared their memories in the past, having the University involved means they feel more valued and validated. For others, this is the first time they have participated and see the project as an opportunity to record their histories for posterity including for their own families.

It is through such collaborative research into our past that we begin to appreciate our present, and plan for the future, particularly as many parts of Adelaide continue to welcome and settle new migrants and refugees.

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Cancer detection and eradication

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Almost all of us at some stage will be touched by cancer—whether it is through watching a loved one go through treatment, or in facing the diagnosis ourselves.

So we should all be thankful for the work University of Adelaide researchers are doing when it comes to both early detection and treatment of cancer.

Researchers such as those at the University’s Proteomics Centre, have identified four new proteins that can help detect stomach cancer.

The researchers have found the blood concentrations of four proteins—afamin, clusterin, haptoglobin and vitamin D binding protein—change in stomach cancer patients.With stomach cancer the fourth most common cancer in the world, and the second leading cause of death due to cancer, early detection is vital.

Centre Director Associate Professor Peter Hoffman said stomach cancer was often not diagnosed until the later stages, which meant survival rates were low.

But using these four markers together produced high levels of ‘selectivity and sensitivity’ in detecting stomach cancer in its early stages, when the patient is typically free of any symptoms.

Not only will this research lead to early detection, it also mean cheaper and less-invasive diagnostic processes.

“Endoscopic investigations are invasive and expensive and most are generally not conducted until the cancer is at an advanced stage,” Associate Professor Hoffman said.

On the other hand, a blood test could cost as little as $30 and be available for a wide-spread screening program for people over a certain age. This could lead to a significant improvement in the survival rates of people diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Once commercial partners are on board, the next step is to conduct clinical trial in large numbers, which, if successful, could lead to a widely available test just three to five years away.

Meanwhile, in another part of the University, researchers are uncovering secrets that will help the bodies’ own immune system fight off malignant melanoma and other metastatic cancers.

The Centre for Molecular Pathology is undertaking research that shows when a receptor (a protein molecule usually found inside or on the surface of a cell, which receives chemical signals from outside the cell), is removed from the surface of melanoma cells, melanoma failed to grow and the immune system got rid of it.

Melanoma is a serious cancer here in sun-drenched Australia, and like stomach cancer, is often not detected until the later stages, when it has metastised to other parts of the body.

It is considered to be one of the most difficult cancers to treat and a cure remains elusive, which makes this discovery such a breakthrough.

Lead researcher Professor Shaun McColl, Director of the Centre for Molecular Pathology said the next step is to develop drugs that can block the receptor, which could eradicate melanoma.

This research could lead to new therapeutic approaches to control malignant melanoma and other metastatic cancers.

Together with other research being undertaking throughout the University, these two major projects represent hope for current and future sufferers of cancer.

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The annual Innovation Champion Awards are an initiative of Adelaide Research & Innovation, recognising organisations working with the University of Adelaide to change the world through research and development.

Launched in 2013, the Awards have so far recognised 10 organisations for the social, environmental and economic impacts of their research partnerships, resulting in more effective products, processes, services, policies and technologies.

By sharing these stories, we’re hoping to inspire others to take the leap down the innovation highway with help from experts at the University of Adelaide.

2013 Innovation Champions:• Department of Environment, Water

and Natural Resources (DEWNR)• Wolters Kluwer Health• Muradel • Aspen Medical• Mosaic Fertilizer• Cook Medical • Telstra Corporation • Defence Science & Technology

Organisation (DSTO) • Joe White Maltings • Luoda Pharma—also winner of the

People’s Choice Award

Is your organisation an Innovation Champion? Nominate today at www.adelaideresearch.com.au

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After years of extracting water from the Murray River for human consumption, the Murray-Darling wetlands are suffering through the changes in flood frequency and extent of flooding.

The weir system used to stabilise the river levels has impacted on the connectivity between the wetlands and the river, and we are often reading and hearing about the damage this has done to the environment and native organisms in particular.

This is why the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources is now working with University of Adelaide researchers to improve the health of the wetland ecosystems.

Researchers from the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering have developed an integrated operating schedule (IOS) to help ecologists formulate decisions in regards to wetland watering cycles.

In the past, the wetlands have been managed through individual, site-specific plans that lack the sophistication of an integrated program.

The aim of the IOS is to allow ecologists to develop watering schedules that have far-reaching benefits across the length of the Murray River in South Australia.

Senior hydrologist at the Department, Dr Lieke van Roosmalen said a major part of the Riverine Recovery Project was to ensure the wetlands were wetting and drying.

“At the moment, they are always wet, with a constant water level,” she said.

“But by letting the wetlands dry out occasionally, we see more fringe vegetation appearing.”

The IOS, developed by PhD candidate Joanna Szemis, helps the Department ensure that when one wetland on a stretch of the river is drying, a nearby wetland remains wet.

It does this by considering a range of data relating to the wetting and drying cycle of the wetlands, taking into account the five-year hydrological schedule that is outlined in each wetland management plan.

The key is when each five-year plan should start, and the IOS employs what is known as an ‘ant colony’ approach to determine the optimum schedule that maximises ecological benefits.

Dr van Roosmalen says the system code sends out ‘ants’ to determine which combination of wetting and drying will work best.

It is based on the foraging behaviour of ants that leave a trail of pheromones for other ants to follow their path to food (or in this case, an optimum wetting cycle). The more ants, the more pheromones. So, the more ‘ants’ the higher the score for that combination of wetting and drying regimes.

It also supports water resources managers make unbiased decisions regarding trade-offs between various uses for water.

It’s complicated, but it is working.“The IOS won’t give ‘the’ answer,

but it does give wetland managers a tool to compare management options,” Dr van Roosmalen said.

“In the past, wetland managers were mainly focused on the ecological outcomes in the wetlands they managed—or those nearby. This tool has helped them to integrate site management with the functioning of the river both up and downstream.”

Of course, ecology and on-the-ground operations are much more complicated than can be expressed in simple mathematical rules, and sometimes the experts override the operating schedule, but it does help them make informed decisions.

It will also eventually increase the chances of long-term improvements in the lower-Murray ecosystems by mimicking the hydrological conditions that existed before humans stepped in and regulated the river’s water levels.

This innovation will mean our children and our grandchildren will be able to enjoy the River Murray and its wetlands the way it was meant to be for many years to come.

Ants haveprovided theinspirationfor betterMurray Rivermanagement

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Dr Lieke van Roosmalen, Senior Hydrologist, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.

When you go to your doctor’s surgery, attend a hospital emergency room, or see an allied health practitioner, you expect them to give you the best possible care, using the most up-to-date information.

As the world’s leading provider of evidence-based health information, tools, and services, Wolters Kluwer Health ensures its worldwide clients are kept up-to-date with the latest evidence and clinical research solutions.

Out of all the research institutions in the world, Wolters Kluwer has chosen to partner with the University of Adelaide’s Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) to improve global health by providing content for healthcare professionals worldwide.

As Dr Anne Dabrow Woods, Chief Nurse of Wolters Kluwer Health Medical Research, based in New York and Philadelphia, puts it “JBI is the content developer, while Wolters Kluwer distributes and enriches the content with platform tools and services.” When Wolters Kluwer’s clients identify a gap in the knowledge base, it’s JBI that is asked to fill that gap.

The partnership began about four and a half years ago, after Dr Dabrow Woods and a colleague embarked on a search for a suitable research organisation with the knowledge to develop clinical evidence-based health products, which Wolters Kluwer could then license and distribute globally.

“I thought JBI’s clinical information and evidence would be a perfect fit for our customers,” she said.

Wolters Kluwer has also partnered with JBI to deliver extensive evidence-based practice educational sessions throughout North America, Europe, South Africa, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. So far, the partnership has produced 18 ebooks, 24 interactive continuing professional development tools, 6 webinars and 6 videos.

Much of the JBI content is accessible to customers through the company’s Ovid medical research platform, which allows healthcare professionals to find information quickly and efficiently. This makes it easier for them to make informed clinical decisions to improve patient care.

“As a patient, you want to make sure you are getting the best available care using the best available evidence, and in the most cost-effective way,” Dr Dabrow Woods said. “You will get a better outcome if your healthcare provider can base decisions on clinical evidence.”

Ovid is used by customers in more than 118 countries and is regarded as the one-stop destination for the world’s premier medical, nursing and allied health content. Ovid’s precision search platform is trusted among leading medical institutions, academic bodies, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies.

It is a vital part of Wolters Kluwer’s mission to be a global leader in delivering healthcare information resources not only at point-of-care, but also for research and as part of ongoing education.

A helping hand forhealthcare professionalsall over the world

By working together, Wolters Kluwer and JBI are able to leverage the strengths and expertise of each organisation to change the way practitioners deliver healthcare to patients across the globe.

On top of this, the partnership means that the Adelaide-based JBI is seen as a global centre of excellence in the development of healthcare resources.

In fact, JBI’s archive is now indexed in leading healthcare databases across the world, further cementing the Institute as one of high rigour and quality.

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Dr Anne Dabrow Woods, DNP, MSN, RN, CRNP, ANP-BC, Chief Nurse of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Whyalla is set to be the biofuels capital of the world if South Australian start-up Muradel has its way.

The seaport town, at the northern end of the Eyre Penisula, is at the forefront of an international race to produce renewable biofuel from microalgae on a commercial basis.

Muradel is a joint venture between Murdoch University, the University of Adelaide and local company SQC Pty Ltd, formed after more than 30-years of prospecting in the area, combined with a technological breakthrough by Adelaide’s Associate Professor David Lewis. The development of the technology has also received significant support from the Federal Government.

While biofuels from microalgae have long been seen as a valid alternative to fossil fuels, the energy used to produce them did not generate enough carbon saving to make them worthwhile.

This is where Associated Professor Lewis’ breakthrough technology comes in.

The new integrated system of harvesting and concentrating microalgae directly from the production ponds—with the ability to fully recycle the growth media growth media—means the company can produce an economical biofuel product that is energy positive.

Associate Professor Lewis believes this revolutionary process will produce hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of oil a year in South Australia within 20 years.

The company hopes that its $8 million algal biofuel demonstration plant in Whyalla will be the catalyst for a major new industry in SA.

It is also expected to help spark the rejuvenation of the regional community of Whyalla and become the hub of an integrated biofuels production facility using multiple feed stocks, including agave and wheat straw, to optimise its viability.

Success promises to be a game-changer for business in the battle against ever-rising costs and a reduction in the carbon footprint.

It also offers the potential to generate by-products such as bio-plastics, and feed for livestock and aquaculture.

So far, trials in Karratha, Western Australia, have achieved the best production rates of oil from algae grown in open saline ponds in the world.

According to Associate Professor Lewis, Whyalla was the ideal location for the plant for a number of reasons.

It has an “ideal climate, skilled workforce, non-arable land adjacent to the ocean, industrial waste streams that can be intercepted and value added, and many potential customers”.

“During peak production (summer) we can harvest microalgae on a daily basis and concentrate and convert to kerogen (precursor to crude oil) in a matter of hours,” Associate Professor Lewis said.

“The crude oil is extracted from the kerogen and can be directly refined into various petroleum products. “The process uses full recycle so that the only waste is salt (as we use saline water to grow the microalgae).”

Muradel has progressed from a concept five years ago to demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of producing crude oil from algae.

The company, which is expected to be investor-ready by the end of 2014, believes the Whyalla plant could produce all the biofuel needed to supply at least South Australia.

Associate Professor Lewis said its next hurdle is to cut the cost of producing oil from microalgae from $9.90 a litre in its Karratha trial to less than $1 a litre at Whyalla.

Muradel hopes to have a product on the market by 2017, scaling up to full production by 2019.

With fossil fuels in limited supply, this innovative company—born out of a University of Adelaide breakthrough—plans to secure future energy supplies for generations to come.

Could wepower cars,trains andplanes withalgae in thefuture?

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On the face of it, mathematical algorithms and rural and remote health care have little in common. But in the case of Aspen Medical, maths has probably saved lives.

Aspen Medical operates a flying medical and evacuation service for eight oil and gas companies on the North West Shelf.

The fly-in fly-out (FIFO) industry has been booming in recent years and subsequent challenge for Aspen has been to maintain the highest level of care to its clients and others living and working in those remote regions of Australia.

The University of Adelaide’s TRC Mathematical Modelling team provided a solution, by developing software that helps Aspen ensure it has sufficient resources to meet demand.

Grant Matthews, Commercial Director at Aspen Medical, said Aspen can plug a range of data, including what type of work is being done, how many people are doing it and more, into the Predictive Modelling Decision Making Tool.

The tool can then assess what assets—including aircraft and medical teams—may be needed, and where they may be needed. It predicts the increasing risk, as the dependent population increases, of not being able to service an aeromedical emergency due to all resources being utilised elsewhere.

This can minimise any time delay in reaching a patient, and ensure they can get sick or injured people to a Perth hospital as quickly as possible when needed.

The demand for Aspen’s services has grown exponentially in the years since it first began its corporate aeromedical evacuation service.

“In the first year, we flew about 30 missions” Grant said. “By the second year, this had grown to 90 missions—and every so often Aspen was unable to respond. By the third year we had flown about 180 missions and a critical shortfall in resources had been identified.”

So we sought out the University of Adelaide for some much-needed assistance, and went from “having a number of failures—to none in the past 12 months”, Grant said.

“We haven’t changed much in the way of assets, but we are working smarter.”

In fact, the software has been such a success that the oil and gas sector is now promoting it at various summits and conferences, increasing awareness of how others can minimise risk of aeromedical service failures.

Nowadays, with more and more people relocating their families, rather than continue a FIFO lifestyle, Aspen Medical has been called out not just to workplace injuries and accidents, but also obstetrics and family healthcare.

The predictive tool can adapt to this changed focus by taking into account air crew limitations, weather patterns, aircraft maintenance and more.

As one oil and gas company has publicly announced, this Adelaide software is the best they have ever seen, and the most fitting for their needs.

The next step for the Mathematical Modelling team is to further enhance the tool, to make it even better and to further reduce the risk of system failure.

Remote rescue services

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Researchers at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus are busy working on crop nutrients that will ensure food producers worldwide can meet the challenge of feeding some 9 billion people by 2050.

The seven researchers—led by Professor Michael McLaughlin—are key to the University’s strategic alliance with global fertiliser giant, The Mosaic Company, LLC.

US-based company Mosaic approached the University after reading about some of the work being done in Adelaide, and after recommendations from others in the industry.

The alliance started modestly with one small project, but has blossomed into a long-term collaboration.

As a leader in the global potash and phosphate fertiliser industry, Mosaic’s mission is a lofty one—to help the world grow the food it needs.

The arrangement with Adelaide led to the formation of the Fertiliser Technology Research Centre, where researchers and PhD students work with Mosaic’s agronomists and engineers to develop and test different fertiliser compounds.

Each compound is benchmarked under realistic field situations using advanced isotopic tracing techniques. They are also tested using soil from different countries and under differing conditions. All with the aim of enabling producers to harvest more crop from the same amount of added nutrients; or the same amount of crop for less added nutrient. The end result is the same either way—more food for the world with less financial impact to the grower.

There is also a benefit to the environment as the research uncovers methods of producing food while minimising harm to delicate ecosystems.

It’s a long process, with 2 to 3 years of laboratory tests, after which promising formulations are then put to more exhaustive tests for a further 2 to 3 years. Only if things go really well will the fertiliser make it to market.

The researchers have tested fertilisers targeted at a variety of countries and regions—including Brazil, Argentina, Turkey and North America—using soil sent under strict quarantine conditions.

According to Professor McLaughlin, the biggest markets for Mosaic fertilisers are North and South America, with the latter being a growing market. In fact, his team has recently worked on effective fertilisers for Brazilian soil conditions.

Since the partnership was established in 2006 Professor McLaughlin and his team have seen two potential formulas sent to field trails around the world, and three new technologies submitted for patent before being subjected to more extensive field and commercial evaluation.

The Adelaide team has also developed two new rapid methods to screen new fertilisers, and has published the results in scientific literature, and presenting its findings at international conferences.

The initial funding term is well underway and the team is showing strong signs of success. Mosaic have been able to rapidly advance new formulations through the product pipeline and screen a large number of promising products and techniques. It seems this innovative collaboration is set to assist farmers worldwide and that’s good news in a world where the population is growing and the demands on food supply will continue to increase.

Helping the worldgrow the food it needs

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When Louise Brown—the world’s first IVF baby—was born in 1978, who knew that just a few decades later, in vitro fertilisation would become so familiar to each of us?

These days, conventional IVF procedures are almost old-hat, thanks to a range of advanced technologies like IVM (in vitro maturation) that are changing the landscape.

Unlike IVF, where eggs are matured in the woman’s ovaries before being harvested, fertilised and replaced, in IVM a woman’s eggs are able to mature under observation in a clinic.

Although this is a reasonably new procedure, it is showing potential to alleviate the need for expensive drugs. Women will no longer need to inject themselves with high doses of hormones and suffer from the associated side effects.

It also provides a safe form of infertility treatment for women who suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Cook Medical, a global supplier of assisted reproductive technologies, has been working with the University of Adelaide to make IVM a realistic option in a typical IVF cycle.

Aidan McMahon, of Cook Medical, says that while IVM currently has lower success rates than traditional methods of ovulation induction when used in IVF, it was “really hard to compare them, as in general the patients who IVM would suit may not have great results in IVF anyway”.

“We do think that the research we are carrying out will improve IVM success rates,” he said.

Not only that, but the team hopes the current research will “vastly reduce the cost of drugs”.

All of this is great news for the estimated 800,000 couples worldwide each year who seek fertility treatment, and even better news for women with PCOS, (up to 25 percent of all women) for whom IVF presents a real risk in relation to the overstimulation of ovaries.

In theory, IVM can involve no hormones, although in general the procedure does use a very small amount of hormone to help stimulate the ovary, and still leads to the production of more than the usual number of eggs.

IVM is being used in various countries and clinics, but this project will improve its effectiveness and enable Cook Medical to reduce the total cost of treatment. This means more Australians will be able to afford fertility treatment, and will also result in access to broader overseas markets, which may currently be difficult to reach due to the high cost of pharmaceuticals.

The partnership between Cook Medical and the University of Adelaide encompasses various products for reproductive medicine, built on a series of Cook-funded collaborative research grants, two ARC Linkage Grants and two NHMRC Development Grants.

In the past six years, Cook Medical has invested more than half a million dollars specifically in IVM research conducted by Associate Professor Jeremy Thompson, Dr Robert Gilchrist and the Early Development Group.

Cook Medical, along with University of Adelaide researchers, are committed to developing and distributing the most innovative IVM products as part of the next generation of human infertility treatments.

The immediate aim for Cook Medical is to complete the timely development of the technology for release to the international market.

The target market will, naturally, be infertile couples and Cook Medical hopes that improved IVM efficacy will see it complement future IVF approaches.

Not content to rely on past technologies, the innovative attitude to infertility has placed Cook Medical, with the help of University of Adelaide researchers, at the forefront of improvements in assisted reproduction worldwide.

New generation treatments for couples struggling to start a family

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Associate Professor Jeremy Thompson, Head of Early Development Group.

When most of us take out our mobile phones to make a call, check emails, browse the internet or download an app, we take it for granted that the mobile network will work.

We can have this blind faith thanks to some very clever work being done by the University of Adelaide’s start-up company, TelAri, in partnership with Telstra.

The outcome of the collaboration is a nifty ‘mobile network dimensioning tool’ which indicates the general health of the Telstra mobile network and ensures the corporation can make smart network investment decisions.

Associate Professor Bruce Northcote, Director of the Teletraffic Research Centre, said the tool allows the network operator—in this case Telstra—to make network predictions based on end-user experience, rather than simple network measurements.

The project began some eight years ago—when Telstra began to roll out its 3G network—with a detailed analysis of Telstra’s network component vendor, Ericsson.

From this, researchers were able to understand how Ericsson assigned resources to different types of uses—phone calls, web browsing and so on.

They assessed hundreds and thousands of calls and the tool— known as ‘Devil’ as in ‘the devil is in the detail’—is now able to use live data to drive network decision making. It provides accurate trend reporting, allowing Telstra to schedule upgrades before network capacity is reached, thus leading to greater customer satisfaction.

The prototype took about 9 months to develop.

When Telstra brought in the 4G network, it took about two and a half years to complete the modelling for this new network. This shows how far mobile technology has come in that time, and the growth in its complexity.

The partnership between Telstra and the Teletraffic Research Centre is long-standing and in 1987, Telecom Australia (now Telstra), granted the Teletraffic Research Centre status as a Centre of Excellence in Teletraffic Engineering.

The two organisations have had a relationship ever since and have kept pace with change.

This mobile network dimensioning tool has seen the introduction of the iPhone and other smart phone technologies and has lasted through ten upgrades of Ericsson’s network system.

Associate Professor Northcote gave credit to Telstra for driving innovation, adding that Telstra was considered the highest quality network in Australia.

What’s more, Telstra estimates the ‘Devil’ tool has made its capital expenditure program some tens of percent more efficient, and led to significant savings in operational expenditure.

The Devil tool has been so successful that in 2012, a Hong Kong mobile operator—CSL—introduced the tool to its network. Adelaide Research & Innovation, which has licensed the technology back from Telstra to commercialise it on the global stage, has engaged Ascom (an international provider of wireless communications solutions) to act as a distribution partner.

Associate Professor Northcote said the relationship with Telstra, and this project in particular, has always been commercially focused, and as a result is a commercial success.

“Over the years, research has needed to become more focused on the bottom line and adapt to changes in the university sector,” he said.

It is safe to say that the partnership between Telstra and the University of Adelaide is one example of two organisations working collaboratively to drive innovation which benefits both of them and the community at large.

A+ service for Telstra customers

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When a group of researchers from the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine take their first sip of beer after a hard week’s work, they can take pride in the part they have played in bringing it to the bottle.

Since 1994, the University has been working with Joe White Maltings to develop varieties of barley that benefit the farmer, the producer and of course, the consumer.

In fact, Barley Program Leader, Associate Professor Jason Eglinton, says the partnership has probably been worth around $2 billion—and that’s before processing.

“This is a significant economic contribution to the state, the country and the University,” he said,

“It’s also a great example of how plant science is not only about research papers in journals and undergraduate education, but it translates into economic return and environmental benefits.”

Over the 20 years of the collaboration, the team has produced and released several new barley varieties, including the most popular malting barley in Australia, Commander. Not all are used for beer production, as the Joe White Malting’s investment has also helped improve feed varieties.

Other varieties have included SloopSA, the first variety with resistance to cereal cyst nematode, which saw it fast become the dominant barley in South Australia; Flagship, which offers higher yield and saw farmers receiving significant premiums thanks to demand from Japan and China; and Navigator, which can yield 5–7 percent more beer than other varieties from each tonne of barley.

The program is now in the final stages of developing Compass, due for release in 2015, which has shown to have an average of 10 percent higher grain yield than the leading feed barley.

There are several aims of the program—improving crop yields, improving production efficiency, improving sustainability, and bringing better beer to the consumer.

Factors considered for a new barley variety include such things as drought tolerance and disease resistance and as Associate Professor Eglinton puts it, the fight against the latter is an “ongoing arms race, just like us and the flu”.

“Varieties that were once disease resistant are not anymore,” he said,

As for drought tolerance, Australia is a particularly arid continent and it’s vital that farmers have access to barley varieties that don’t need much water to thrive. That way, they get the maximum amount of grain per millimetre of rainfall.

“About 50 percent of the national barley production comes from our varieties,” Associate Professor Eglinton said.

The University’s experience in barley dates back some 40 years, which is what made it so appealing to Joe White Maltings, and the result is a long-term mutual commitment.

Not only is the partnership now considered core business when it comes to the University’s commercial goals, it is also a great opportunity for undergraduates to get a glimpse of what can be achieved.

“They get some context to go with the lectures. Graduates who go on to do honours or a PhD can come into a program like this one,” Associate Professor Eglinton said.

The Barley Program has some 100,000 test plots across the cropping zone—from northern NSW across to Perth—mostly based on commercial farms, giving the researchers access to ‘real world’ tests.

The ongoing partnership between the University of Adelaide and Joe White Malting’s is a prime example of the University working innovatively with a private company for mutual benefit and for the Australian farmers and beer drinkers who reap the rewards.

Farmers and beer drinkers reaping the rewards

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The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has brought together some of the State’s leading computer experts to solve key challenges in defence system design.

The University of Adelaide’s School of Computer Science, together with the Defence Systems Innovation Centre, has developed a complete System Execution Modelling (SEM) laboratory environment for the analysis of submarine combat systems.

This collaboration will lead to major improvements in system performance and design, which in turn will keep the Australian defence forces at the forefront of technological advances.

Gavin Puddy, computer systems engineer with DSTO says that within defence sectors it is common to require system life-cycles to extend far beyond those of similar civilian systems.

“Also known as mission-critical systems, these types of systems continue to grow in complexity and cost as business owners seek continual capability improvements to satisfy operational requirements over these long life-cycles,” he said.

A submarine combat system is one such example of a long-lived mission-critical system. Its primary purpose is to develop a situational awareness of its environment through the use of sensors, identification of threats and to affect its environment as required.

There are extra costs and complexities introduced because submarine combat systems operate within a constrained computing environment.

“The ability to easily add more computing resources to resolve performance issues is not possible, as this may impact the overall platform,” Gavin said.

“As a result, there is a strong desire to understand system performances as early as possible within the development and evolution cycles.”

The current project uses model-driven engineering and development techniques, computational workload emulation modelling and the ability to deploy onto actual system infrastructure, as dictated by the system design.

This gives a detailed insight into such things as integration, interfacing and timing performances.

“It will also be able to provide insight into system space, weight and power requirements and provide insight into the margins of each,” Gavin said.

“All of which are important performance indicators when designing and evolving computing resource constrained systems.”

Gavin said the collaboration, which has been running for several years, has given system developers insight into the behaviour of the non-functional aspects of a system design early within the development life-cycle.

“Furthermore, its ability to conduct system testing during the conceptual design phase enables risks to be identified, managed and retired much earlier than traditional methods,” he said.

This project has led to a strong working relationship between the partners as well as fostering an international working relationship. It has laid the foundation for further research of early analysis into real-time and embedded system performances and other related system design aspects, as well as delivering an initial analysis environment that could start to provide support/insight for defence projects.

The next step of the project is to introduce improved modelling techniques and definitions, introduce new runtime and analysis capabilities, as well as looking to provide insight into the system-of-system design and development space.

It is through innovative collaborations such as this that our defence forces continue to successfully operate in a highly technical world.

Mission-critical systems in Defence

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According to Dairy Australia, the Australian dairy industry is worth $13 billion—with a farm gate value alone of $4 billion. Australia has about 6,700 dairy farmers producing around 9.5 billion litres of milk a year, and directly employs 43,000 people on farms and factories, as well as another 100,000 in related service industries.

One of the greatest threats in the business, mastitis, costs the Australian dairy industry about $40 million a year—and possibly as high as $2 billion in the USA and $180 million in New Zealand. Which is why research at the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy Campus on novel antibacterial agents to treat mastitis is vital to ensure the long-term success of one of the world’s major primary industries.

Australian start-up company, Luoda Pharma, has partnered with the University to develop a new medicine to treat mastitis, which will mean more healthy cows producing more milk for humans to drink.

Dr Stephen Page from Luoda Pharma said the product is still in its early stages but “there is potential for the product to provide a breakthrough in the treatment of some of the most difficult to manage types of mastitis.”

“If the product can provide effective control, this will lead to highly significant benefits to the dairy industry worldwide (and make a lot of cows very happy),” he said.

“While there are a number of medicines available to treat mastitis, all have significant limitations and none provide a high level of infection control against the most important mastitis-causing bacteria.”

“The need in both Australia and globally for a novel mastitis product is what has driven the research agenda of Luoda Pharma. We are dedicated to helping dairy farmers by providing a new and effective way of ensuring their cows are healthy and produce an abundant supply of safe milk.”

The medication is principally targeting mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus including MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which is traditionally extremely difficult to treat.

According to Dr Page, MRSA is not a clinically significant problem in dairy cattle in Australia—yet. But it is an emerging issue in Europe so the expectation is that it will become important in this country and globally in the years to come.

“By providing an effective means of treating mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA) the product will allow much more milk to be produced as fewer cows are culled and more milk is available in each lactation,” Dr Page said.

While dairy cattle are the focus, there are broader applications for the research, including the development of antibacterial agents to treat multidrug-resistant skin infections in animals and humans.

Led by Associate Professor Darren Trott, the University’s researchers have been working with Luoda Pharma for more than two years. Recently, the team has been joined by researchers from the University of South Australia’s Pharmaceutical Sciences group.

A commercial product could be available within the next 5–10 years, which, as Dr Page says may seem a long time but there has been no major breakthrough in this area of Staph mastitis control for more than 25 years.

Dr Page has nothing but praise for the research team. “Research is a team effort. Success is dependent on having the right technical skills available at the right time,” he said.

“Success also means having a team of skilful and experienced, energetic, creative, dedicated and motivated people all sharing the same goals and working together.”

Not your average glass of milk

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Top left: Dr Kiro Petrovski, Production Animal Health Centre. Top right: Dr Stephen Page, Director of Drug Discovery, Luoda Pharma. Above: Dr Stephen Page with the team at the Production Animal Health Centre, Roseworthy Campus.

A publication of this magnitude is not possible without the contribution of many people. We would like to thank everyone involved and take this opportunity to express how proud and privileged we feel to play a role in supporting so many talented researchers and their industry partners. The stories told here only scratch the surface of a great array of interactions and untold success stories, so please excuse the many omissions.

We have a vested interest in building on this success and stimulating greater engagement between the University sector and the broader community. If you share our enthusiasm then we’d love to hear more from you.

Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty LtdLevel 14, 115 Grenfell Street, AdelaideP: +61 8 8313 5020E: aripl@adelaide.edu.auW: adelaideresearch.com.au

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