WASP

Urban irrigation constitutes a significant proportion of urban water demand. With growing pressure
on our water resources and climate change predictions of more frequent droughts, water use efficiency
in urban irrigation is critical for sustaining and maintaining urban green spaces that provide us
valuable environmental and community benefits.

A UWS researcher in the CRC Irrigation Futures has developed a web based tool to manage irrigation. This new tool will allow users to define water quantities based on location and vegetation. The UWS tool is the result of years of research and utilises a 100-year data set.

There are some tools already available for the farmer to plan irrigation strategies but WASP software is different in that it allows an urban irrigator to estimate the amount of irrigation required. The bio-physical requirements of the landscape are met by utilising information about its soil, macro climate, micro climate, planting and functional characteristics.

This innovative software development is very timely, with the NSW government having recently announced its Metropolitan Water Plan that aims to “water proof” Sydney until 2015. Currently being tested by four councils in Sydney as the software is developed, WASP will be well placed to contribute to the government’s ambitious strategy that involves investment in dams, recycling, desalination and water efficiency.

Interested parties are invited to test the Beta Version. Please feel free to contact us at ip@uws.edu.au

Innovation Today

The recent programming of YouTube Instant by a student in the US and posted on Twitter was an instant hit with the boss of YouTube. While it took years and presumably a significant amount of resources for Google to develop Google Instant, Ferross Aboukhadijeh developed a similar version of the software for YouTube in a few hours. Shortly after Ferross posted the link to his work on Twitter, the Head of YouTube rang and offered him a job.

Examples of this kind show that there are many people out there with undiscovered ideas and capabilities and lots of opportunities to help to fill the innovation pipelines of large multinationals. With the spread of the internet to over one billion people, the huge potential for companies to uncover the “next Google” is obvious. Unsurprisingly, this opportunity is now being exploited by companies through “open innovation” drives, where invention submissions are rewarded with cash prizes or partnership opportunities. Notable companies engaging in such initiatives include Procter & Gamble, General Electric, PepsiCo, and Dell.

While these initiatives can be great for both the inventor and company, the inventor must still be mindful of their intellectual property position and ensure they are not taken advantage of by “selling the farm”. It’s always wise to talk to a commercialisation or intellectual property expert before proceeding with any such disclosure.

Successful Innovation Workshop

Five lucky UWS students from Honours and PhD programs in the College of Health Science were able to attend ATP Innovation’s 8th annual Successful Innovation Workshop. Students explored ways to commercialise their research through practical case studies, workshops, and networking.

PhD student Anwen Krause-Heuer had this to say about the workshop: "The workshop was a real eye-opener about the hard work and effort that goes into commercialising a concept, with a particular emphasis on start-up companies. It was a great opportunity to mix with postgraduate students from other universities and discuss their research areas. There was a good mix of presentations, activities and discussions that promoted interactions between the group.”

The Innovation team is very pleased that UWS students were able to experience the workshop as we believe that practical commercialisation knowledge is essential for any researcher to best survive in the real world.

UWS Cancer Research

UWS’s cancer research continues to garner worldwide attention with Dr. Anya Salih’s recent discovery of potentially novel fluorescent proteins from coral around the coast of Lord Howe Island, 600km east of Port Macquarie off the east coast of Australia. The gene producing the particular pigment — red, green, blue or yellow — may be used as fluorescent markers in cells and would enable scientists to track cell growth and change using a special fluorescence-sensitive laser microscope. Salih is working with scientists from the University of California to further this research. While the research is currently focused on its potential for anti-cancer research applications, these markers may be used in wider gene expression research.

UWS’s growing cancer research capability is further highlighted with Associate Professor Janice Aldrich-Wright’s research, which is investigating the efficacy of metal based therapeutic compounds that are potentially more effective and less toxic than current chemotherapeutic methods for treating cancer. We are particularly excited about Janice’s research as it approaches its commercialisation potential and we encourage you to watch this space for more information.