Research 2010

RESEARCH CONNECTING RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY

2010

SHAPING THE FUTURE

Creating a cleaner future A new direction in solar energy Driving the power revolution Not so heavy metal

Tackling childhood obesity Up to the challenge

Research at a glance

The University of Newcastle For more information about the articles in this publication please visit www.newcastle.edu.au/research

Research and study opportunities are available for all stages of your career. To find out more about joining the University of Newcastle’s world-leading team visit:

Writer Rosemarie Milsom, Media and Public Relations Project Coordination Media and Public Relations

www.newcastle.edu.au/research

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Ranked ninth in Australia for externally-funded research Ranked 352 in the world and 56 in the Asia-Pacific by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Academic Ranking 2010 Australian Research Council funding of $15.6 million as reported under our 2009 Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) National Health and Medical Research Council funding of $14.5 million as reported under our 2009 HERDC Newcastle Innovation annual turnover $15.9 million in 2009 Research Higher Degree completions of 135 in 2009

We have 12 Priority Research Centres: n n n

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Advanced Particle Processing Asthma and Respiratory Diseases Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine Brain and Mental Health Research Centre of Excellence for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control Computer Assisted Research Mathematics and its Applications Energy Gender, Health and Ageing Geotechnical and Materials Modelling Health Behaviour Research Centre Organic Electronics Reproductive Science

We lead three Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence: n n n

Biotechnology and Development Complex Dynamic Systems and Control Geotechnical Science and Engineering (commencing 2011)

12 trees preserved for the future

Design Bounce Design

16 kg waterborne waste not created

19,742 litres wastewater flow saved

Photography McKean Photo

262 kg solid waste not generated

515 kg net greenhouse gases prevented

With partner organisations we host: n

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Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER)

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Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health Australia New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group Enterprise Connect Clean Energy Innovation Centre WorkCover NSW Research Centre of Excellence

638 kg air emissions not generated

This amount of wind-generated electricity is equivalent to:

We host large national and international research projects including: n

Savings from using recycled fibre in place of virgin fibre:

Savings from using emission-free wind-generated electricity:

Research Division The Chancellery The University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia UoN 2010/1190

Our track record:

Research is printed on Mohawk Options 100% PC White, which is made from recycled fibre and manufactured using non-polluting, windgenerated energy. This paper is certified by Green Seal and the Forest Stewardship Council, which promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

T +61 2 4921 7733 F +61 2 4921 7164 W www.newcastle.edu.au/research CRICOS Provider 00109J

not driving 2,241 km

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planting 96 trees

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CONTENTS 02 A message 04 Ambitious energy agenda 06 Creating a cleaner future 06 People power 07 Switching on smart power 08 Driving the power revolution 09 Making the connection 10 A new direction in solar energy 11 The building blocks of success 12 Not so heavy metal 13 Harder than rocket science 14 Chasing down sport shoe myths 15 Tackling childhood obesity 16 Starting a life-changing conversation 16 The heart of the matter 17 Food for thought 18 Keeping track of a potential killer 19 Working with the best 20 Up to the challenge 22 To the point 22 When timing is everything 23 Driving the therapeutic drug revolution 24 Book reviews

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A message from the Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

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In an increasingly competitive research environment, the University of Newcastle is continuing to make its mark on the Australian higher education sector.

Newcastle is the most comprehensive and research-intensive university outside of a capital city. We attract significant research funding from governments and industry, and consistently rank in Australia’s top 10 for research income.

Newcastle’s full-time academics generate on average $93,000 in research income. Their ability to attract significant funding is testament to the relevance and quality of their work. Laureate Professor Scott Sloan, one of Australia’s most cited civil engineers, was recently announced the leader of a new multimillion dollar Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Geotechnical Science and Engineering. Professor Sloan’s story features on page 11.

Health and energy are among Newcastle’s research strengths.

In 2010, we launched the two largest infrastructure projects in the history of the University: the Hunter Medical Research Institute Clinical Research Building located on the Rankin Park campus of Hunter New England Health, and the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources, adjoining the University’s Callaghan campus.

The $90 million Hunter Medical Research Institute Clinical Research Building, which received $35 million from the Australian Government’s Health and Hospitals Fund in 2009, has commenced construction. Due for completion in 2012, the state-of-the art facility will house health and medical researchers from the University and Hunter New England Health. Recent work from our health researchers features throughout this issue of Research.

The University launched the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) this year with $30 million in federal support via the Educational Investment Fund (EIF) and support from the State. Located across 16,000 m2 at the former BHP-Billiton Newcastle Technology Centre, purchased on generous terms, NIER is set to be the most comprehensive energy research institute of any university in Australia in terms of scale. Read more about NIER in this edition of Research on page 4.

The University is delivering research results across all disciplines.

This year, all universities took part in a data collection exercise for the Australian Research Council’s Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment. This was a significant undertaking and, while the results are yet to be published, the process has yielded interesting findings for the University. As well as indicating our areas of strength, which are well known, it revealed areas that have not previously been measured by any other metric. The ERA process pointed to strong achievements across many areas, including history, cognitive sciences, psychology and architecture, and gave the University the opportunity to celebrate these quiet achievers.

This issue of Research features academics who have made significant achievements in their careers. Newly appointed Chair in Physical Activity and Population Health Education, Professor Ron Plotnikoff, discusses his research career on page 13, while Dr David Lubans’ research into childhood obesity features on page 15. In this edition we also highlight, for the first time, the achievements of some of our students, including the great success of PhD student Gabrielle Briggs, who claimed second place in the national ‘Three minute thesis’ competition. Read her story on page 22.

This edition of Research showcases a year of achievement for Newcastle’s researchers – both staff and students. It is their commitment to research driven by quality and impact that continues to position Newcastle as a leader in the higher education sector.

Professor Nicholas Saunders Vice-Chancellor and President

Professor Mike Calford Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

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Ambitious energy agenda The timing could not have been better for Dr Alan Broadfoot. After 14 years as general manager and then chief executive of leading resource sector company Ampcontrol, the University of Newcastle graduate decided to step down in June 2010 and head in a new direction.

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Soon after, the Australian Government announced that it would contribute $30 million to the establishment of the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER), a world-class energy research institute on the site of the former BHP-Billiton Newcastle Technology Centre. The infrastructure is on a scale unmatched by any university in the country.

By mid-July, the University announced that Broadfoot had been appointed director of NIER. “I wasn’t sure what the future held, but I couldn’t be happier with my new role,” says Broadfoot, an engineer who spent 16 years at the University as a part-time undergraduate and postgraduate student. NIER is being established at a critical time as both locally and globally we focus on the management of energy and natural resources.

The 3.8 hectare NIER site adjoins the Callaghan campus to the north, adjacent to the University’s science and engineering facilities and comprises extensive mineral, chemical and related technical laboratories, workshops, offices and five industrial-scale pilot plant workshops. The infrastructure will allow translation of research projects from bench-top through to industrial-scale pilot plant demonstrations.

University researchers will collaborate with several partners including BHP-Billiton, CSIRO, EnergyAustralia, Doyles Creek Mining, Laing O’Rourke, Industry and Investment NSW, TUNRA Bulk Solids and the Universities of NSW and Wollongong. When fully operational, it is expected NIER will attract an additional 60 to 70 research students and post-doctoral fellows and support 300 research staff.

NIER will advance research in clean energy production, energy efficiency and the minimisation of carbon emissions by studying: energy and water consumption reductions in coal and minerals processing carbon capture and storage technologies alternative energy sources, including geothermal and polymer solar cells improved efficiency in power generation smarter, more efficient grids for distributed electricity generation. n

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NIER encompasses the University’s Priority Research Centres and research groups that conduct research into energy production, distribution and efficiency, as well as mining, minerals processing and minerals transport.

NIER will also play a key role in the $100 million Australian Government Smart Grid, Smart City project in Newcastle, which was announced in June 2010 (see page 7).

“NIER provides a significant boost to research and development in the Hunter region,” says Broadfoot. “And while it will be a focal point for research, it is important that it also engages in community debate. We want to be relevant.”

Broadfoot, who is recognised for innovations in underground mining that have delivered safety improvements and large increases in production, sees his role as a conduit between industry and cutting-edge research.

“I want to have simplified lines of communication and maximise the outcomes for the benefit of the community. People are more aware of the challenges we face in terms of effective resource management. No-one wants to reach crisis point where we are experiencing power black-outs, and drastic fuel and water shortages.”

The key challenges Broadfoot is tackling in his first few months include setting up the new facility and the relocation of University research groups, strategic planning and establishing the external reputation of NIER. “We have to make sure we secure the right to be heard within the national and global debate,” he says. “We can’t take our role for granted.”

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Saunders, says NIER will result in a quantum leap in the University’s energy and resources research.

“The University is a leader in energy and resources research and NIER will further advance our work in clean energy production, energy efficiency and the minimisation of carbon emissions.

“By housing science and engineering researchers together, opportunity and productivity will multiply,” Saunders adds.

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Creating a cleaner future Translating years of painstaking research into practical outcomes is the hope of most researchers. Three successful research teams have recently been given the opportunity by the NSW Clean Coal Council to take their projects beyond the laboratory and into pilot plant testing.

Permanent Large Scale CO 2 Storage

by Mineral Carbonation Researchers from the University’s Priority Research Centre for Energy, in partnership with the GreenMag Group, will build a demonstration plant to show how large amounts of carbon dioxide can be safely and permanently stored.

The process involves reacting carbon emissions with a commonly found rock, serpentinite, to produce what are known as magnesium carbonates. These are then used as aggregate in construction, in soils and fertilisers, or pressed into pavers and bricks.

The research team led by Professors Bogdan Dlugogorski and Eric Kennedy (pictured above) aims to show that there are viable options for New South Wales to store its carbon dioxide emissions.

If the pilot is successful, an industrial demonstration scale plant could be operational by 2016.

People power

Development of Air Separation Technology for Oxy-Fuel Combustion of Coal Professor Behdad Moghtaderi leads this project, which centres on the development of an air separation process to facilitate a less expensive and more efficient commercial-scale deployment of oxy-fuel combustion throughout the power generation sector.

Conventional coal-fired power plants use air to combust coal to generate heat and electricity. Combustion products emitted with flu gas include a high percentage of nitrogen and CO2. Separating the CO2 from flu gas using conventional systems is costly and energy-intensive.

Oxy-fuel combustion uses pure oxygen, eliminating nitrogen from the process and therefore producing an exhaust of almost pure CO2, which is easy to capture.

The shortcoming of oxy-fuel combustion is its reliance on pure oxygen, which is energy-intensive and expensive to produce. Using a new concept – Chemical Looping Air Separation – Moghtaderi and his team have created an efficient and less expensive method of producing oxygen. The funding will enable the researchers to create a pilot-scale model.

A unique social science project that also received funding focuses on the social impact of clean coal technologies. Professor Stephen Webb and his team at the Research Institute for Social Inclusion and Wellbeing will explore public awareness of climate change solutions, such as carbon capture and storage, and gaps that exist in knowledge about technological innovation and demonstration projects.

Development and Optimisation of the Direct Carbon Fuel Cell Led by Associate Professor Scott Donne, this project aims to transform the oxidation of coal directly into electricity, avoiding the inefficiencies and greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) associated with conventional heat engine technology.

Donne’s research focuses on an alternative means of energy production known as the direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) in which coal is directly oxidised to produce electrical energy, therefore avoiding the need for the combustion process. While CO2 is still produced, it is in a concentrated form and is ready for sequestration.

This project concentrates on two main areas – identifying the fundamental coal properties that are desirable for use in the DCFC and the development of a pilot-scale DCFC.

The project recognises that technology cannot change energy usage on its own – it has to be accepted by the community. Public awareness and perception is crucial in managing the implementation of carbon capture and storage technology.

Webb’s research will develop a series of socio-technical ‘sign posts’ to enable the efficient and successful implementation of clean coal public awareness policy.

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Switching on smart power

The University is part of a consortium that will play a pivotal research role in the implementation of the 21st century electricity networks.

Newcastle will host Australia’s first commercial-scale smart grid, which works by overlaying the existing electricity network with advanced sensing and communication technology enabling digital technology to control electrical appliances.

The $100 million, three-year Australian Government Smart Grid, Smart City project will result in next-generation smart-meter technology installed in 20,000 households in Newcastle and Scone. For the first time, consumers will be able to control appliances from an in-home display, web page or mobile phone, and get real-time feedback on electricity and water consumption.

The winning consortium is led by EnergyAustralia and includes the NSW Government, CSIRO, Newcastle City Council, IBM Australia, AGL and GE Energy. The initiative aims to improve

the efficiency of the national energy sector and transform the way households and businesses use energy.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Saunders, says the project will enhance the existing $5 million, five-year partnership with EnergyAustralia that includes the EnergyAustralia Centre for Intelligent Electricity Networks.

“The University is recognised for its expertise in energy technology and the Smart Grid, Smart City project will help build the skills needed to meet future energy needs,” he says.

The Interim Director of the EnergyAustralia Centre, Associate Professor Steve Weller, says the technology would enable the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid.

He describes the project as a “once-in-ageneration opportunity for the region”.

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Driving the power revolution

No-one was more surprised than Professor Behdad Moghtaderi and Dr Elham Doroodchi when strangers approached and congratulated them for their groundbreaking research, which is set to revolutionise the electricity industry.

As chemical engineers, the pair are not accustomed to their work attracting the public’s attention, let alone winning popularity votes on television.

But that is what happened after their April 2010 appearance on ABC TV’s The New Inventors, during which they showcased GRANEX, a technology platform that delivers higher thermal efficiencies than conventional power plants and increases the amount of electricity that can be generated from low-grade heat sources.

The attention has not distracted the researchers from their main goal – a larger GRANEX unit.

After an intensive period of successful tests on the GRANEX 100 kilowatt pilot plant, which was officially opened on campus in November 2009, a much larger unit is on the horizon.

Following four years of research jointly funded by Sydney-based geothermal company Granite Power Pty Ltd and an

Australian Government AusIndustry grant, Moghtaderi says his team at the University’s Priority Research Centre for Energy are now designing a commercial unit.

“We are in discussions through Granite Power with about 10 potential customers and we’re trying to find a couple of suitable sites where we can construct the first commercial unit,” says Moghtaderi.

“We’re jumping from a 100 kilowatt unit to between one and five megawatts.

“The idea is to have a commercial unit operating in a real industrial setting and to demonstrate it to potential customers.”

Demand for GRANEX, essentially an engine that converts heat into electrical power, is expected to be international and could generate billions of dollars according to studies by Granite Power.

Not bad for a $2.5 million project that began with “back-of-envelope” brainstorming after an approach by Granite Power in 2006.

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Making the connection When Granite Power was looking for researchers to help solve a problem that it was having developing geothermal energy technology, Newcastle Innovation played matchmaker.

The University’s commercial arm was established 41 years ago to help businesses capitalise on new research. The not-for-profit company is now working with more than 300 businesses on University research projects totalling $10 million.

The development of GRANEX is an example of a happy marriage between the University and industry.

While Moghtaderi and his team were able to use their expertise to develop the heat exchanger, Newcastle Innovation provided patenting and intellectual property advice.

“We thought it would just be a consultancy project, but it has grown with the success of our test results,” says Moghtaderi. “In the beginning we were just coming up with ideas. We didn’t have a sense of where we’d end up because it has happened in stages.”

What makes GRANEX, which takes its name from Granite Power and the exchange process that drives it, so unique? Current approaches are based on coal-fired power plants and operate at very high temperatures. These products typically lose energy and aren’t necessarily efficient.

GRANEX has been designed for use on low-grade heat sources such as processing industries and petrochemical plants and uses valuable heat sources that would otherwise be wasted to generate power. Compared to conventional models, GRANEX delivers about 40 per cent more efficiency.

Granite Power Managing Director Stephen de Belle says the performance of GRANEX will transform the power generation sector.

“The existing recovered industrial waste heat market and the growing demand for low-cost, green, base load geothermal power means there is a large and increasing market in Australia and internationally for GRANEX. “It will have significant and very positive implications for employment and exports.”

Moghtaderi and the research team from the Priority Research Centre for Energy are part of the new Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER). Read more about NIER on page 4.

GRANEX ended up attracting more than $2 million in funding, a coup when it comes to proof-of-concept projects.

“Industry had a problem, we helped solve it and in the process the research generated intellectual property,” says Senior Business Liaison Manager David Fleming.

Granite Power commercialised and secured the licence of the patentable technology and the research has generated international interest.

If GRANEX becomes the commercial success that is predicted, the University will benefit thanks to a profit share arrangement.

“This project is very exciting and highlights how effectively researchers and industry can work together,” says Fleming. “It’s important to forge these links and engage the wider community in the groundbreaking work carried out at the University.”

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A new direction IN solar energy

One of the most challenging aspects of an intensive three-year research project within the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment is its goal of simplicity.

Material engineers Dr Heber Sugo (left) and Professor Erich Kisi have received $515,000 from the Australian Solar Institute to create a new device that converts solar energy directly into electricity.

This research differs from other projects in that it is the first to use refractory materials in the thermionic device. The short-term plan is to create a prototype that could be scaled up and commercialised to provide clean energy to households.

Researchers in Europe and the United States are working on a similar concept but they are using much lower-temperature materials. “Our device will comprise materials used to power the electrical systems of spacecraft, and will reach temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees Celsius,” says Sugo, the principal investigator.

While the concept itself seems simple, its development is anything but. At the time of going to print, Sugo was designing a series of experiments involving various materials. “We need to make the materials because they are not currently available,” he says. The researchers will have to design and manufacture an emitter and a collector, test them individually and then combine them into a working prototype.

“Being able to work at higher temperatures allows a more efficient conversion of heat into electricity, thereby reducing production and environmental costs. More efficient energy conversion means that smaller solar arrays can give the same energy yield.

“A device of this sort has a tendency to become complicated, so designing something for its simplicity is particularly challenging,” adds Kisi. “Our device will generate electricity in a single step and has no moving parts.”

The centrepiece of the project is a thermionic device, which will be attached to reflective “parabolic dishes” that concentrate solar radiation. The dish holds a number of mirrors that focus light rays onto the device. When heated, the device emits electrons and generates electricity. In its final form, the thermionic device would feed power inverters which in turn would then supply electricity to the grid.

In theory, their device will be far more efficient than current methods. “There are environmental costs in levelling tracts of land to install current solar technologies,” says Kisi. “Our model will greatly reduce the amount of space needed through greater conversion efficiency and a single-step process that requires no additional infrastructure.”

Sugo and Kisi are part of the new Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER). Read more about NIER on page 4.

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The building blocks of success When Laureate Professor Scott Sloan first arrived at the University of Newcastle in 1984 having obtained a master’s degree and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge, there was just one other geotechnical engineer on campus.

The respected researcher hoped a return to Australia would give him the chance to “build something”, but he could not have predicted how significant that “something” would be.

Nearly three decades later and with a long list of academic accolades, published research and prestigious fellowships filling his CV, the Australian Government announced in July 2010 that Sloan would lead the University’s new multi-million dollar Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Geotechnical Science and Engineering.

As the Centre’s director, Sloan will play a key role in the formation and development of cutting-edge methods for the design of energy and transport infrastructure such as roads, railways, offshore oil and gas production facilities, ports and pipelines.

“In the next five years, the public and private sectors will spend about $250 billion on energy and transport infrastructure nationally,” he says. “It is an enormous investment. Our challenge as engineers is to predict the behaviour of the infrastructure, particularly the ground it’s founded on, because that determines safety and cost effectiveness.

“The University is one of the world’s best in developing advanced computational

methods for predicting the behaviour of geostructures, and the government and community demand the best.”

Sloan’s new role caps off an influential research career, which includes the creation of numerical methods to predict the maximum load capacity for built infrastructure such as tunnels, roads, ports and foundations. The methods have delivered groundbreaking new tools for engineering to design cheaper and safer civil infrastructure.

He is also one of Australia’s most cited civil engineers and as the current director of the Priority Research Centre for Geotechnical and Materials Modelling, leads one of the world’s premier geotechnical research groups. In 2011 he will deliver the 51st Rankine Lecture in London, the highest accolade available to a geotechnical engineer.

Modest about his achievements, Sloan is more comfortable discussing the focus of his research – computational methods and soil. “Soil is probably one of the most difficult materials to model; it is more complex than metal or wood,” he explains.

“Engineers have to design for the challenges it presents. The issue is that you tend to get layers and it is anisotropic, which means it has different properties in horizontal and vertical directions.

“The behaviour of soil also depends on its history. If you are working with a section of ground that has been excavated then filled, it will behave differently to soil that hasn’t been excavated.

“A lot of infrastructure is built on problematic, coastal soils and if you look at transport corridors, such as the Pacific Highway, they are located on very soft ground. The same problems can occur offshore where sediments are extremely soft.

“As we saw with the Gulf of Mexico oil crisis, the cost of engineering failure can be horrific.”

The new Centre for Excellence will provide essential guidance to industry and government using “testing and smart analysis”, adds Sloan, who is looking forward to collaborating with chief investigators from the Universities of Western Australia and Wollongong, as well as partner investigators from Coffey Geotechnics, Douglas Partners, Advanced Geomechanics and the Colorado School of Mines.

“We’ve come a very long way in developing our expertise at the University in the past 20 years and this can only get better.”

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Not so heavy metal In Dr Thomas Fiedler’s office in the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment sits a series of neatly arranged blocks. Some look like cubes of silver sponge, others are slim bricks that appear to be made of tiny ball bearings, and the most stunning are pieces of interwoven aluminium threads that form coral-like structures and could easily be converted into contemporary jewellery.

These blocks are lightweight cellular metals and they are the focus of Fiedler’s research in the University’s Centre for Mass and Thermal Transport in Engineering Materials into the thermal properties of materials.

The Centre, which is directed by Professor Irina Belova, focuses on the development of new models and innovative computational methods for predicting the mass and thermal diffusion behaviour of metals, ceramics, geological materials and composites. It is arguably the leading research group of its kind in Australia, and has gained substantial recognition both nationally and internationally in the area of mass and thermal transport in engineering materials.

Fiedler, a mechanical engineer and member of the team, received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence in 2009 for his investigation of metallic hollow sphere structures (MHSS). These are a new group of cellular metals characterised by easily reproduced geometry, and have consistent mechanic and physical properties.

“Hollow sphere structures have very interesting properties.

When you join them together, you have more control over the structure and it is easier to guarantee stability,” says Fiedler.

Fiedler has spent the past five years investigating the mechanical and thermal properties of MHSS as a core material in sandwich panels, comparing them to the traditional honeycomb structures used in lightweight construction such as aviation, high-speed trains and boats, where strength is required at minimum weight.

A sandwich structure is a composite where a core material is enclosed in two strong layers that bear most of the applied loads.

The core material acts as a spacer that keeps the outer layers in position by carrying shear stress.

The small sample Fiedler picks up looks like a grey ice cream sandwich, the lightweight porous aluminium enclosed by two thick “biscuit” layers, which are fibre-reinforced polymer.

Sandwich construction has been recognised as a promising concept for the structural design of lightweight transportation.

“With MHSS you can have more control over the structure in comparison to other ‘random’ cellular materials such as metallic sponges and foams,” says Fiedler.

Fiedler has concluded that MHSS in sandwich structures shows potential for novel multi-functional applications such as car bodywork, combining energy absorption, comfort and lower weight to create a better driving performance and less fuel consumption.

Cellular metals are effective in damping, acoustic and thermal insulation, as well as being strong. “Honeycombs are great for stiffness and strength, but do not exhibit the other characteristics,” Fiedler says.

Being recognised for his research by the Vice-Chancellor was a welcome surprise for Fiedler, who initially considered studying architecture before opting for the more “hands-on” mechanical engineering.

He acknowledges the support of the Centre and its experienced, internationally connected researchers. “Being able to collaborate with researchers around the world means we can do more complex research. The Centre is very well respected.”

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Harder than rocket science With a physical education degree from Eastern Washington University tucked in his backpack, in 1980 Ron Plotnikoff made the first of many trips to the Hunter while hitchhiking around the world. Attracted to the laidback, outdoor lifestyle, he ended up spending five summers in Port Stephens as a swimming coach before getting serious about a career in research.

“One thing led to another,” Professor Plotnikoff says modestly of the circuitous academic path that resulted in his appointment in 2009 as the University’s first Chair in Physical Activity and Population Health Education in the School of Education.

His arrival at Callaghan has been somewhat of a homecoming for the researcher who is married to a Novocastrian. He had previously completed two master’s degrees in education and, in the early 1990s, a PhD in behavioural epidemiology at the University. His thesis centred on ways to tackle heart disease in the Hunter’s coalfields population.

Plotnikoff maintained strong connections to the region while carving out an influential role in public health in Canada where he held a nationally-funded Chair at the University of Alberta, and directed the Physical Activity and Population Health Research Laboratory. He is internationally respected for his research in population health and physical activity, and his work has featured in more than 100 peer-reviewed published papers in the past five years.

Plotnikoff’s research focuses on behavioural and environmental theory, as well as intervention development and testing for the prevention and management of diabetes and heart disease. He is also committed to the promotion of healthy body weight through physical activity and his research is conducted across various target populations and settings.

His expertise spans developing and testing theories related to physical activity and nutrition; behaviour change and developing novel programs for individuals, organisations and communities; and broad-based national population strategies. Plotnikoff continues to be the Co-Principal Director and Chief Investigator for the Healthy Alberta Communities multi-million dollar project, which has been ongoing since 2004 and focuses on chronic disease prevention and obesity reduction in four diverse Canadian communities.

The project is a partnership between the Canadian Government and the University of Alberta, and is also a World Health Organisation Demonstration Project aimed at changing environmental factors related to obesity. “Nothing of this scale has been done before. It is the first study to my knowledge that attempts to change the social and environmental structure of whole communities specifically for obesity reduction,” explains Plotnikoff.

“We completed baseline and follow-up assessments – everything from blood markers, clinical measures, and social and environmental assessments – and have been tracking changes. We are in the process of examining the results.”

At the heart of what he does is a deep commitment to helping individuals and communities achieve good health outcomes. “In my new role at the University of Newcastle I will be designing physical activity and nutrition interventions for children and adults to maintain general health,” he says.

“There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to these challenges. My hope is that through our research we will help shift the population curve, because even small changes at that level can be meaningful and have a significant impact.”

Plotnikoff believes creative strategies are essential in addressing community-wide health issues – as are partnerships.

“Researchers, decision and policymakers, as well as the media, can all work together to maximise the messages we are trying to convey.

“The transfer of knowledge is vitally important. As researchers we have the important task of sharing our findings and informing policy development.”

In spite of the gloomy health statistics and predictions, Plotnikoff is “realistically optimistic” that improvements in public health can be achieved. “There is momentum and we are going to see more government funding directed to health and education initiatives to ease the burden of chronic disease and obesity.

“This is not rocket science. It is harder.”

Professor Plotnikoff’s research is conducted in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Cardiovascular Health Program.

His research is supported by grants from HMRI comprised of funding from Coal & Allied and Tomago Aluminium.

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Chasing down sport shoe myths After speaking with Dr Craig Richards you will never look at your pricey running shoes with their thick cushioning and elaborate architecture the same way again.

Research undertaken by the long-time runner and his University colleagues, Professor Robin Callister and Dr Parker Magin, has dispelled the myth that specially designed shoes have proven benefits.

The researchers, after analysing sports medicine literature since the 1950s for studies that investigated the ability of adapted running shoes to reduce injuries and improve performance, found no evidence to support the claim.

They concluded that there is no scientific evidence to support the widely-held view that these shoes, identified as Pronation Control, Elevated Cushioned Heel (PCECH) running shoes, provide benefit to distance runners. The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

“Running shoes are built on philosophy, not science,” says Richards, a general practitioner. “There has been a line of scientific thought that has been very seductive, but there isn’t any evidence to back it up.”

The evolution of the PCECH running shoe dates back to the fun run explosion in the 1970s and an increase in injuries among amateur runners. Running shoe companies

and footwear designers hypothesised that it was the impact of striking hard surfaces that triggered injury.

“It seemed logical to increase cushioning in the shoes, but the underlying assumption wasn’t tested and neither were the shoes that became the solution,” says Richards.

“A lot has been done in shoe development, but it has not been the right kind of work.

Not only can we no longer recommend a PCECH shoe, but the lack of research in this area means that we cannot make any evidence-based recommendations to runners about shoes.

“The most basic questions haven’t been asked – do these shoes prevent running injuries and do they improve performance? Likewise, if a shoe works well for you we don’t know why.”

Dutch researchers have found between 37 and 56 per cent of recreational runners become injured at least once a year. It was Richards’ own battle with a series of injuries while running 50 to 60 kilometres a week in expensive shoes that inspired his research.

The growing natural running movement, which promotes discarding shoes and running bare foot, also had an impact.

“Consumers have started asking questions about the shoes they buy and the nature of their injuries,” says Richards. “There is now a swing away from PCECH shoes towards stripped down models, which are promoted as ‘bare foot’ alternatives.”

Richards spent months running without shoes on the University’s No. 3 sport field to retrain his body. He can now run on hard surfaces wearing little more than lightweight rubber booties, although he emphasises that it has taken time and patience.

“The powerful myth of the benefits of PCECH shoes that has built up in the running community is breaking down,” he observes. “There are a lot of people going back to barefoot running based on the knowledge that our bodies were built for running.

“Regardless, running shoes still need to be tested like any other medical treatment in carefully controlled clinical trials. Then, at least, we will have some hard scientific evidence to work with.”

Dr Richards’ research was assisted by funding from the Department of Health and Ageing’s Primary Health Care Research Evaluation Development Program. Dr Richards’ research is conducted in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Public Health Program.

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Tackling childhood obesity For Dr David Lubans, the rising number of Australian children and teenagers who are overweight or obese can be viewed within a context of inequality.

Working as a physical education teacher in a range of high schools, he saw the gulf between the haves and the have-nots in terms of access to sporting facilities, equipment and opportunities. Lubans’ experience has shaped the direction of his research and he has a strong commitment to helping young people who are most in need of guidance and support.

“I began my research with a general interest in helping people become more active, but I’ve now sharpened my focus to concentrate on those who are struggling the most with their weight and inactivity,” says the former Newcastle and NSW Country Rugby Union captain, who also led Oxford University’s prestigious First XV. “Now, the majority of my work is centred on the 30 to 40 per cent of youth who aren’t engaged in activity, in an effort to help them make positive changes. The period between year 8 to year 10 is when the biggest decline in activity occurs over the course of people’s lives, so that’s the critical time to intervene.

“Girls are also less active than boys in every age group.”

A three-year 2010 Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant of $155,000 will enable Lubans and his team from the Faculties of Education and Arts and Health, as well as University of Wollongong researchers, to work with 400 “low-active” adolescent girls across 12 Hunter and Central Coast schools.

The Nutrition and Enjoyable Activity for Teenage Girls (NEAT Girls) study will evaluate the impact of a range of cost-effective strategies over two years, including resistance training, pedometers and even Zumba® classes, which combine Latin dance and exercise moves.

Building on separate study results which showed pedometers are a successful way of encouraging young people to be more active and that adolescents can benefit from resistance training, Lubans will work with physical education teachers and students to promote activity.

“A quarter of young people are overweight or obese in Australia and about 30 per cent don’t meet the national physical activity recommendations. If you’re an overweight child, you are more likely to be an overweight adult.

“I also think it’s important to look at the range of benefits of being active, not just a number on the scales. We want young people to be active because it boosts their self-esteem, improves academic performance, and they sleep better and feel more confident.”

Lubans attributes the bleak childhood statistics to a dramatic decline in incidental activity; young people simply do not move enough and the fallout includes poor muscular fitness, which often continues into adulthood.

“The sedentary alternatives are very enticing to young people, so offering a variety of enjoyable activities is part of our approach. Our studies with pedometers and resistance training are now informing how we approach intervention. Strategies to promote activity among adolescents should focus on promoting both incidental and targeted activity that can easily be carried into adulthood.

“It’s also important to acknowledge that not everyone requires intervention, so let’s look after those who are most in need.”

Dr Lubans’ research is conducted in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Cardiovascular Research Program. His research is supported by grants from HMRI including the Rotary Club of Newcastle Enterprise and the Gastronomic Lunch.

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Starting a life-changing conversation It is a topic that most people want to avoid, but for registered nurse and researcher Dr Sarah Jeong, talking about death has been life changing.

“It has been liberating for me and I no longer fear growing old,” she reflects, having completed seven months of data collection for a four-and-a-half year research project centred on advanced care planning.

Advanced care planning is a process that enables a patient to express wishes about their future health care in consultation with their health care providers, family and other important people in their life.

Jeong mapped the experiences of clients and their families, as well as nursing staff, at three Sydney residential aged care facilities and her findings shed light on the emotions and beliefs of the aged about death.

“Clients were strikingly honest and open,” she says. “I sensed from our discussions that they welcome the opportunity to express how they want to die. It is often the family and nursing staff who want to avoid the conversation.”

While initially hesitant to broach the subject with clients, Jeong found it was the clients themselves who broke the ice. Their self-awareness and wisdom reflected their belief that they had lived fulfilling lives and were planning a “good” death.

“My research showed that people who go through the process of advanced care planning feel less afraid about what’s to come, and that provides comfort – not just for clients, but also for their families and the health care professionals.

“It’s one of the most significant conversations we will ever have.”

Dr Jeong’s research was made possible through a University of Newcastle Early Career Researcher grant and scholarship.

Dr Jeong’s research is conducted in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Public Health Program.

The heart of the matter It was a 1979 quote by cardiologist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Professor Bernard Lown that inspired Associate Professor Eugene Nalivaiko to study ways to manage abnormal electrical activity in the heart caused by stress.

“Lown suggested that if abnormal electrical activity in the heart, or cardiac arrhythmia, is to be controlled and prevented, it was necessary to disrupt the pathway of stress signals from the brain to the heart,” says Nalivaiko, a researcher in the field of autonomic neuroscience at the University of Newcastle for the past three years.

“I became fascinated by the challenge.”

Nalivaiko’s fascination has led to a significant discovery. Traditionally, beta-blockers have been used to treat cardiac arrhythmias but not all patients respond and there are often negative side effects. Nalivaiko’s team has discovered an alternative using a specific class of drugs called serotonin-1A agonists.

“Serotonin inhibits neurons on the pathway from the brain to the heart and it offers patients who can’t use beta blockers an alternative treatment,” he says.

Those who will benefit from Nalivaiko’s findings include patients who have suffered a heart attack or struggle with ongoing stress-induced heart problems. The next stage of development will be clinical trials and then implementation.

While Nalivaiko awaits news of clinical trials, he has shifted the focus of his research.

“So far I have focused on central brain control of the heart during acute stress. I am now concentrating on chronic stress because it is still a mystery why there is an enduring effect on the heart long after the termination of the stressor,” he says. “Stress turns on a switch that remains on and the challenge is to find this switch.”

Associate Professor Nalivaiko’s research is supported by a National Heart Foundation’s Career Development Fellowship. His research is conducted in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Cardiovascular Health Program.

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Food for thought When Professor Manohar Garg was studying nutrition in the 1980s, the wider community’s interest in food was little more than “how to cook a meal and bake a cake”.

This esteemed researcher could not have predicted how quickly and dramatically that focus would shift due to an unprecedented rise in obesity and related chronic diseases. “You respond as a researcher to the demands of the time and these are the major health issues in Australia at the moment,” he says.

are missing out on because of lifestyle and dietary changes. “We evaluate the efficacy and safety of nutraceuticals given as a tablet or capsule, or incorporated into a broad range of commonly consumed foods such as bread, breakfast cereals, milk and juice. These then become functional foods,” he explains.

Today, Garg, the President of the Nutrition Society of Australia, is at the forefront of research in the field of nutraceuticals – a merging of nutrition and pharmaceuticals – which includes creating functional foods and dietary supplements.

Garg singles out fish oil, which contains essential omega-3 fatty acids, as a strong example of the benefits of nutraceutical research.

One of his major discoveries has dispelled the long-held belief that polyunsaturated fat was safe to use because it lowered cholesterol.

“We now know that there are two types of polyunsaturated fats, omega-3 and omega-6. While omega-3 fats are indeed beneficial, we’ve shown that omega-6 fatty acids are not as good for your health as previously thought. While they may reduce the bad cholesterol, they reduce the good cholesterol as well and may increase clotting tendency and inflammation.”

Garg’s nutraceuticals research concentrates on nutrients that people

“People don’t eat enough seafood because of cost, availability and taste, but omega-3 fatty acids are extremely important for ongoing brain and heart health,” he says. “To boost your intake you can use a capsule supplement, but you can also buy food that has been fortified with fish oil. Technological advances have enabled us to emulsify the fish oil at the micro level and modify it so you can add it to food without altering its taste or smell.”

Fortified foods may once have seemed like they were conjured up by science fiction, but in western countries it is a growing industry. In the United States, where it is becoming increasingly difficult to buy orange juice that hasn’t been fortified, functional foods are a $30 billion industry.

“As a nutritionist, I’d advise people who have depleted levels of a particular nutrient to go back to basics and eat natural rather than modified foods,” says Garg. “But I am also aware that it isn’t that simple, so supplements or functional foods are important alternatives.”

Garg’s other research interests include anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of food constituents in weight loss and maintenance, diabetes, asthma, blood clotting and mental health.

A registered nutritionist, Garg teaches pharmacy, nutrition and dietetic students, and is passionate about educating the broader community on research developments. He sympathises with people trying to make sense of the confusing messages about food that filter through the media.

“We are making a lot of progress with research, but it’s hard for consumers to find their way. That is why education is vital.”

Professor Garg works in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Cardiovascular Program. His research is supported by grants from the Hunter Children’s Research Foundation, HMRI and the Greaves Family.

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Keeping track of a potential killer The commitment shown by some of the 10,000 participants in the national influenza monitoring project, Flutracking.net, never ceases to impress lead researcher Dr Craig Dalton.

“People let us know they are going on holidays and that they won’t be able to complete the weekly survey,” says the public health physician and conjoint senior lecturer in the University’s School of Medicine and Public Health. “They take their role very seriously.”

Flutracking.net, an initiative of researchers from the University and Hunter New England Health, is the only standardised project of its kind across Australia, alerting medical officials to large outbreaks of the debilitating virus.

Volunteers complete a 15-second weekly online survey reporting whether they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. This information enables health professionals to prepare for potential outbreaks in specific regions and to direct public health action.

In the four years since the survey began, valuable data has been collected and in 2010, every state health jurisdiction is involved.

“Flutracking provided early insight into the impact of the pandemic in 2009,” says Dalton. “While it was obvious from hospital data that the pandemic influenza virus caused severe illness in some people, it was clear from Flutracking data that the overall community illness attack rates were not higher than previous influenza seasons. We got a realistic picture of the pandemic.

“We are also able to monitor the uptake of the pandemic flu vaccine and data shows there has been a solid uptake by those aged 65 and older. While this is

encouraging, it is a concern that younger people are not seeking vaccination at as high a rate.”

Dalton does not want young people to become complacent about being vaccinated and data from Flutracking will alert health jurisdictions to sections of the population that may need to be targeted in the lead-up to the annual influenza season, which begins in May and continues until October.

“Until Flutracking it was difficult to access up-to-date information on a national scale,” he says. “Now we can see from week-to-week where problem areas are developing and this informs awareness campaigns and alerts health services to areas of need.”

The age of people who are currently tracked ranges from 0 to 94 years.

Recent data indicates that 65 per cent of respondents are vaccinated with either seasonal vaccination or panvax and this figure jumps to 79.4 per cent for respondents who work in a health setting.

Dalton would like to see an increase in the vaccination rate among the general population. “Influenza is debilitating and can be life-threatening for some people.

Its impact cannot be underestimated.”

Dr Dalton works in collaboration with Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Public Health Program.

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Working with the best A chance conversation five years ago in one of the University’s biomedical science laboratories between Natalie Beveridge (left) and Dr Nikola Bowden has led to the two young researchers crossing paths in the United States at the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) near Washington DC. “When I was an undergraduate student, Nikola was my lab demonstrator and I asked her about her research,” recalls Beveridge. “She outlined the focus of her PhD, which was schizophrenia and the gene expression changes associated with the illness. It piqued my interest and I’ve been concentrating on it ever since.”

Bowden, a National Health and Medical Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Health and a member of the University’s Priority Research Centre for Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine, has since moved on from researching schizophrenia to childhood cancer.

Both women came to the attention of the world’s leading schizophrenia and cancer experts in 2009 after presenting their research findings at separate conferences. Renowned NIH paediatric oncologist Dr Javed Khan was interested in the work of Bowden and fellow researchers within HMRI’s InformationBased Medicine Program looking into whole genome analysis of childhood leukaemia and the childhood skin cancer disorder Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP).

“We are the only group in the world currently studying whole genome gene expression in XP patients and our childhood leukaemia study is the largest of its kind to date,” says Bowden, who was invited to work with Khan’s NIH research group using next-generation sequencing.

Bowden travelled to Washington with her husband and two young daughters to work with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for six months.

Beveridge, who submitted her PhD in September, spent three months at the renowned National Institute of Mental Health where she extended her investigation into what causes genes to behave differently in people with schizophrenia.

“We’re focusing on a group of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules called microRNA that help fine tune how certain genes behave,” she says. “A group of these microRNA do not appear to be working correctly in people with schizophrenia and this may be affecting brain function.

Learning more about these molecules could lead to the development of new, targeted drug treatments.”

Beveridge presented her findings at the 2009 International Congress on Schizophrenia Research in San Diego and sparked a lot of interest following her recently published article in the prestigious journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Consequently, the Head of the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch at the NIH, Professor Joel Kleinman, invited Beveridge to collaborate with his research group. It was an offer too good to refuse and her experience in the United States has contributed greatly to her understanding of psychiatric research.

Dr Bowden is a member of the University’s Priority Research Centre for Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine. Her research is supported by grants from Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) including HMRI Life Governor, Jennie Thomas AM, PULSE, the Heaney Family, Hunter Children’s Research Foundation, The Lawrie Bequest and the NBN Telethon.

Beveridge is a member of the University’s Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research and receives support from the Schizophrenia Research Institute. Both researchers collaborate with HMRI’s Information-Based Medicine Program.

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Up to the challenge Demanding. Rewarding. Confronting.

Exhilarating. Undertaking postgraduate research is not for the faint-hearted, but for those committed to scholarship and the pursuit of new ideas, it is a rewarding journey.

Research higher degree students describe the thrill of defining and solving problems and constantly striving for improvement in their chosen discipline.

“It is all about being able to spend time on your research,” says civil engineer and PhD student Michael Netherton. “You have the opportunity to concentrate on new findings and throw all of your intellect and experience at an idea for a prolonged period. You live and breathe your research and while it can be tough, in the end you feel as though you are making a real difference.”

Minimising destruction On the ground in Iraq in 2003, former Royal Australian Air Force civil engineer Michael Netherton observed the distinction between estimates of collateral damage and actual damage. As a weapons effect specialist, his job was to assess the impact of bomb blasts and bullets on buildings. However, it was the impact on people that had a profound effect on the father-of-three.

After leaving the RAAF in 2004, Netherton decided to use his operational knowledge to complete a PhD in civil surveying and environmental engineering in collaboration with Professor Mark Stewart. Netherton’s analysis of blasts has benefited from Stewart’s significant expertise in structural reliability and probabilistic risk assessments of engineering systems.

The researchers have focused on commercial buildings and what happens after any kind of blast. “An issue that didn’t receive much attention in the media after the Oklahoma bombing were the injuries and damage caused by glass flying out to a 1.6 kilometre radius,” says Netherton. “How do civil engineers provide better advice on the survivability of people and buildings given such an event?”

Netherton, who is still associated with the Australian Defence Force, is confident his findings will dramatically improve the risk analysis behind collateral damage estimates. “Broadly speaking, our work puts numbers behind a risk, not just a guide of low, medium or high. We can say, for example, that there’s a 90 per cent probability of the risk of damage, which may then describe a 75 per cent probability of the risk of a high safety hazard.”

The findings, which will be published in late 2010, can be applied to existing buildings that require upgrading as well as new buildings. “We are able to give quite clear advice on the probability of damage to glazing in the event of any explosion near an inner-city commercial office block,” says Netherton.

“This has implications for contingency planning in the event of an evacuation, as well as the cost-benefit analysis for refitting existing buildings.”

Netherton is a PhD student in the School of Engineering.

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Helping expectant mothers breathe easier

Sifting through the clutter

When the swine flu pandemic hit the headlines, among the most vulnerable groups in the community were pregnant women. As a researcher in the field of respiratory illness and immunology, third-year PhD student Rebecca Forbes observed confusion among pregnant women about the benefits and risks of vaccination.

For the past year, David Foxley has been consumed by clutter.

The PhD student from the Faculty of Science and Information Technology is researching compulsive hoarding and has been regularly visiting the homes of study participants.

“There is a general awareness that women should avoid viral infection while pregnant to prevent harm to their unborn child,” says Forbes, from the School of Medicine and Public Health.

“What is less understood is why they are more susceptible to influenza and respiratory infections and, if infected, why the illness can be so severe and even life threatening.”

Forbes’ research focuses on how a pregnant woman’s immune system responds to infection. Her preliminary findings show a marked reduction in the production of interferons, which are the body’s first line of defence against a virus.

“To tolerate the presence of the foetus, changes take place in both the woman’s innate and adaptive immune systems so that her body doesn’t reject the foetus,” explains Forbes. “What I have found is that changes in the innate immune system during pregnancy make women vulnerable to respiratory infection.

“If interferons aren’t produced quickly or in sufficient quantities, the virus rapidly spreads and severe illness can set in.”

Forbes wants to use her research findings to improve therapeutic treatment. Her goal is to develop a therapy to help increase the production of interferons and while there is a long way to advance her findings from the lab to clinical practice, she is committed to increasing scientific knowledge about what happens during pregnancy.

“There is still so much we don’t know about pregnancy, but I want to help solve some of the mystery.”

Forbes is a PhD in the School of Medicine and Public Health. Her research is conducted in collaboration with Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Viruses, Infections/Immunity, Vaccines and Asthma (VIVA) Program.

Pictured above: artwork from the Gomeroi gaaynggal – Gomeroi babies program

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“Most of us know someone who holds on to things often for sentimental reasons, but I am working with people who have lost control of the clutter,” he says. “I’ve found that the compulsion to hoard seems to be less about the items themselves and more about emotional turmoil. Hoarding is about comfort, about compensating for some kind of trauma or loss.”

Compulsive hoarding is often linked to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) known to affect about 440,000 Australians.

“We know that up to one-third of people with OCD are likely to hoard, so potentially 150,000 Australians are living with severe clutter in their homes. While the numbers may indeed be much higher, they are unable to be confirmed without conducting larger-scale epidemiological studies.

“I am undertaking structured clinical interviews and testing for a number of anxiety disorders, as well as depression and personality disorders. Participants also perform some basic experimental sorting tasks.

“A number of participants have high comorbidity and depression is quite prevalent. Previous research has indicated that about 60 per cent of people who compulsively hoard have depression, but it could be even higher.”

Foxley expects to complete data collection by early 2011 and his findings will be reported in the second half of the year.

Foxley is a PhD student in the School of Psychology. His research is conducted in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Brain & Mental Health Program.

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To the point It is a challenge that tests even the most vocal postgraduate students – how to condense years of study into a succinct, easy-to-understand three-minute presentation to a broad audience.

In 2010, the University participated for the first time in the inaugural Trans-Tasman Three Minute Thesis competition, which was introduced two years ago by the University of Queensland as an exercise in developing academic and research communication skills.

Eighty students competed in faculty heats at the University of Newcastle and 17 made it to the hotly-contested final.

Winner Gabrielle Briggs, a second-year PhD biochemistry student, impressed the three judges with a concise explanation of her research into the cause of Parkinson’s Disease.

“There can be a fine line between simplifying your work and dumbing it down so I removed the scientific jargon and kept well-known key words such as gene and enzyme,” explains Briggs, who won $1,500 and a place in the National/Trans-Tasman final in September. “I concentrated on keeping a flow of logic so that I didn’t lose the audience’s attention.”

The Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor Scott Holmes, emphasises that while the event is a lot of fun, it has a serious purpose. “The competition helps the community understand the relevance of the research being undertaken at the University, as well as the diversity of subject areas.”

Topics given express delivery by Briggs’ fellow competitors included ‘Feeding Healthy Food to Kids’, ‘Not Just Men in Skirts: The Significance of Women and the Australian High Court’ and ‘Use of a New Probiotic Bacteria in Dairy Products’.

Briggs went on to take out second place in the Trans-Tasman Three Minute Thesis grand final. She competed against 33 PhD students from universities across Australia and New Zealand and won $2,000 towards her research.

Briggs’ research is conducted in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Brain & Mental Health program.

When timing is everything Mathematician Dr Faram Engineer is fascinated by large-scale schedules – how they are devised and implemented.

It was an opportunity to work on a side project for the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) while completing his PhD at Georgia Institute of Technology that sealed his interest. “A large number of children in the United States do not complete the immunisation schedule – the statistics are appalling,” Engineer says. “By the time they are ready to attend school, inconsistent catch-up schedules are implemented, but these aren’t ideal in terms of providing the most effective protection against disease.”

CDC’s protocol was “cumbersome” to implement manually, and wasn’t being applied by busy health care workers, particularly the catch-up schedule. The team of Georgia Tech researchers that Engineer was part of constructed an algorithm that enabled health care staff to optimise the vaccination schedule and made it accessible online. This meant

decisions could be made quickly and accurately with the click of a mouse.

“The new system has been implemented in Canada and is also being considered in Turkey and Mexico,” says Engineer, who arrived at the University of Newcastle in 2009.

Engineer is a member of the University’s Priority Research Centre for ComputerAssisted Research Mathematics and its Applications (CARMA). The only group of its kind in Australia, CARMA focuses on mathematical research in information and communication technology.

“One of CARMA’s research areas is models and algorithms for the solution of large-scale problems including airline operations and managing the Hunter Valley coal chain,” says Engineer. “It supports my interest in solving real-life problems, which is very rewarding.”

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Driving the therapeutic drug revolution Professor Adam McCluskey describes himself as a cog in a “very complicated wheel” that is set to transform the design of therapeutic drugs.

In collaboration with respected neurobiologist Professor Phil Robinson, of the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) at Westmead, McCluskey has been the driving force behind the establishment of the Centre for Kinomics, a world-first research facility.

The Centre is named for a biological process called phosphorylation that is mediated by kinases, hence ‘kinomics’, and which controls the activation of many signalling and enzymatic proteins.

The Centre, which has laboratories at the University of Newcastle and CMRI, has been funded by a $1 million prize from the Ramaciotti Foundation and a $3.1 million grant from the Australian Cancer Research Foundation for the study of protein kinases and the drugs that target them.

The Centre’s focus is designing next-generation drugs for epilepsy, cancer and neuropathic pain. So far the focus has been epilepsy, a disorder where one in three sufferers gain no relief from existing treatments. The goal is creating drugs that do not have the often debilitating side effects.

The emerging field revolves around the 518 protein kinases in the body, which are the key signalling proteins behind biological functions. If they malfunction then the body malfunctions.

Pharmaceutical companies invest billions of dollars in research to develop kinase inhibitors.

“It’s a crude analogy,” says McCluskey, “but in drug design there is the lock and the key. You either want to lock or unlock the protein action and the drug is the key that will enable you to do that.”

Using unique equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, the researchers are able to quickly pinpoint the undesirable elements of existing therapeutic drugs. “We can identify the range of proteins a drug interacts with and look out for red flags,” explains McCluskey, a chemist. “There are some proteins you would never want a drug to touch because of the serious, even deadly, side effects.”

The Centre is extending a 2007 discovery by a private German drug company that involves a new technique for analysing interactions between kinase inhibitors and hundreds of proteins at a time. The technology is known as Kinobeads and it fasttracks what has been until now a time-consuming process.

Mass spectrometry determines what proteins have been singled out by the Kinobeads, indicating which kinases have remained bound to the drug in question. The process would normally take at least six months but the Centre’s cutting-edge technology will reduce it to a few days.

There are 23 research groups around the world waiting for the Centre to produce its first batch of beads. Without the beads, there is no kinomics. “I can’t wait to have the lab fully operational,” says McCluskey. “In the 15 years I’ve been at the University, people have backed me and invested in my ideas.

The Centre is vindication of their faith in me.”

Professor McCluskey’s research is conducted in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s (HMRI) Cancer Research Program. His research is supported by grants from HMRI.

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BOOK REVIEWS

EVIDENCE-BASED SOCIAL WORK: A CRITICAL STANCE

JUAN BAUTISTA VILLALPANDO’S EZECHIELLEM EXPLANATIONES: A SIXTEENTH-CENTURY ARCHITECTURAL TEXT

RESEARCHING COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

ADOPTION IN THE ROMAN WORLD

Mel Gray, Debbie Plath and Stephen A. Webb

Tessa Morrison

Alison Ferguson and Elizabeth Armstrong

Hugh Lindsay

Routledge, London (2009) Using actor network theory for the first time in social work literature, Evidence-based Social Work illuminates how adopting the methodology and language of evidence-based practice fundamentally alters the conditions under which social work takes place.

The researchers provide a critical analysis of evidencebased practice in social work and introduce readers to the fast-changing research, policy, legislative and practice contexts. They discuss what constitutes knowledge in social work, the values and beliefs that lie behind existing evidence-based practice, and the problems of implementation, formalisation and resource management.

Reflecting on the challenges of transferring evidence-based practice to frontline social work, Gray, Plath and Webb argue that social work practice is not easily measured and systemised into best practice guidelines, which disseminate proven diagnostic and effective intervention knowledge.

Edwin Mellen Press, United Kingdom (2009) In this exhaustively researched examination of the legacy of Jesuit scholar, mathematician and architect Juan Bautista Villalpando, Dr Tessa Morrison sheds light on this controversial figure in the history of European architecture.

Published in 1604, Villalpando’s Ezechiellem Explanationes was a commentary on the Book of Ezekiel and the second of the three volumes included an imaginative reconstruction of the Temple of Solomon.

His ‘paper’ reconstruction triggered a debate that endured for more than 150 years. The Spaniard was accused of heresy and faced the Inquisition, but was subsequently found innocent.

Morrison also provides an authoritative translation of book five, volume two of Ezechiellem Explanationes, which clearly explains Villalpando’s ‘architecture of theology’.

Palgrave Macmillan (2009) One in seven people will experience a communication disorder at some point in their lives and there is an urgent need for a better understanding of their impact.

This timely publication provides an interdisciplinary description of the theoretical frameworks in the field of communication disorder and an overview of the main current methodological approaches.

Researching Communication Disorders incorporates a range of disciplines including speech-language pathology, linguistics and psychology.

Numerous case studies from the published research literature provide the reader with an understanding of the practicalities of undertaking their own research in this field.

This user-friendly book also offers beginning researchers examples of key areas in which further research is needed and there is an annotated list of key works in the field.

Cambridge University Press (2009) Today, adoption is seen as a means for people who are unable to have children to experience parenthood. In Rome, writes senior classics lecturer Hugh Lindsay, adoption was widely used as a mode of succession and helps explain the anxiety of childless Romans to procure a son, rather than simply to nominate heirs to their wills.

Lindsay concentrates on the social and political impact of adoption in the Roman world, with the main emphasis on the period from the Gracchi to Hadrian, and a primary interest in its operation in Rome and Italy.

He considers the procedures for adoption and how it shaped inheritance arrangements, and he includes an account of how the families of freed men were affected. Regardless of status, Romans were concerned about continuity of family traditions.

Lindsay concludes with political adoptions and the detailed case studies of Clodius and Octavian.

Research at a glance

The University of Newcastle For more information about the articles in this publication please visit www.newcastle.edu.au/research

Research and study opportunities are available for all stages of your career. To find out more about joining the University of Newcastle’s world-leading team visit:

Writer Rosemarie Milsom, Media and Public Relations Project Coordination Media and Public Relations

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Ranked ninth in Australia for externally-funded research Ranked 352 in the world and 56 in the Asia-Pacific by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Academic Ranking 2010 Australian Research Council funding of $15.6 million as reported under our 2009 Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) National Health and Medical Research Council funding of $14.5 million as reported under our 2009 HERDC Newcastle Innovation annual turnover $15.9 million in 2009 Research Higher Degree completions of 135 in 2009

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Advanced Particle Processing Asthma and Respiratory Diseases Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine Brain and Mental Health Research Centre of Excellence for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control Computer Assisted Research Mathematics and its Applications Energy Gender, Health and Ageing Geotechnical and Materials Modelling Health Behaviour Research Centre Organic Electronics Reproductive Science

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Biotechnology and Development Complex Dynamic Systems and Control Geotechnical Science and Engineering (commencing 2011)

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Design Bounce Design

16 kg waterborne waste not created

19,742 litres wastewater flow saved

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262 kg solid waste not generated

515 kg net greenhouse gases prevented

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Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health Australia New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group Enterprise Connect Clean Energy Innovation Centre WorkCover NSW Research Centre of Excellence

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We host large national and international research projects including: n

Savings from using recycled fibre in place of virgin fibre:

Savings from using emission-free wind-generated electricity:

Research Division The Chancellery The University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia UoN 2010/1190

Our track record:

Research is printed on Mohawk Options 100% PC White, which is made from recycled fibre and manufactured using non-polluting, windgenerated energy. This paper is certified by Green Seal and the Forest Stewardship Council, which promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

T +61 2 4921 7733 F +61 2 4921 7164 W www.newcastle.edu.au/research CRICOS Provider 00109J

not driving 2,241 km

OR

planting 96 trees

RESEARCH CONNECTING RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY

2010

SHAPING THE FUTURE

Creating a cleaner future A new direction in solar energy Driving the power revolution Not so heavy metal

Tackling childhood obesity Up to the challenge