Western Sydney insect infestation

Dr Markus Riegler from the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, together with Blacktown City Council have been awarded a UWS Research Partnership grant to identify the key characteristics of the current psyllid infestation in the endangered remnant Cumberland Plain Woodlands.

‘Eucalypts in the endangered remnant Cumberland Plain Woodlands throughout Western Sydney are currently experiencing massive infestation by lace lerp insects, Australian native insects in the family of Psyllidae (Hemiptera),’ explains Dr Riegler. ‘In large numbers, these insects cause defoliation through their plant sap feeding activity on leaves and repeated infestations is likely to also result in tree mortality. Information about the population dynamics of the current psyllid infestation will be collected in the affected woodlands of Western Sydney, in particular of the Blacktown City Council, in order to predict future development and to help with design of management strategies.’

The research team will first assess the geographic expansion of the infestation using vegetation maps and climatic events that have occurred in the region over the last 5 years. We will identify and characterise the lace lerp species and study life history traits such as developmental times, reproductive potential and number of generations per year. We will test the host plant specificity on the Grey Box, Eucalyptus moluccana, measure plant physiological and biochemical traits in order to obtain an understanding of their stress status. We will look for variation in lace lerp population densities between individual trees within and between stands with different canopy cover and understorey.

The research will provide information about the lace lerp outbreak and the monitoring data obtained will be used to test different management options for the recovery of lands affected by lace lerps.

If you would like to find out more about research and innovation at UWS contact us ip@uws.edu.au.

Raising the Bar; IP changes for Researchers

Australia’s Patents Act 1990 will be changing for the better for researchers...

An Amendment (Raising the Bar) Bill 2012 was passed by the House of Representatives 20 March 2012. The Bill will now be assented to (signed by the Governor General).  Most provisions will come into effect 12 months later (in 2013).

The Bill includes several significant reforms, the most important is a research exemption which will allow researchers to conduct experiments on patented matter without risking infringement (N.B. this is research only, doing more than research with your new findings may need agreement with another party or there could be new results/findings which could be protected and commercialised).

The other major reform is tightening the conditions for granting new patents.  This will align Australian patent law more closely with international standards.

The Bill also simplifies IP application processes, streamlines patent and trademark procedures and improves trademark and copyright enforcement.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact UWS Innovation on ip@uws.edu.au.

Remember, if you are a UWS researcher and believe you have an invention, we would like to hear from you. (http://www.uws.edu.au/innovate/innovate/guidelines,_policies_and_forms)

New R&D tax credit passed by parliament

The Federal Government’s A$1.8 Billion R&D Tax Credit was recently passed by Parliament and ushers in a new chapter for Australian investment and innovation.

Starting retrospectively from 1 July 2011, the R&D Tax Credit has two core components:

a) A 45 per cent refundable tax offset (equivalent to a 150 per cent deduction) to eligible entities with an aggregated turnover of less than $20 million per annum.

b) A non-refundable 40 per cent tax offset (equivalent to a 133 per cent deduction) to all other eligible entities.

The new credit is said to be a key factor for Australia in attracting global firms looking to focus on R&D or those looking to partner research organisations to build their long term competiveness.

UWS is a Registered Research Agency (RRA), thus making it capable of performing contracted R&D on behalf of eligible companies. In addition to being able to claim the R&D tax credit, one of the major advantages of working with an RRA such as UWS includes the ability to undertake R&D programs without having to invest in costly equipment and expertise.

With UWS’s ever expanding intellectual property portfolio and continued investment in world class research, we welcome inquiries from companies that are interested in partnering on collaborative research projects. Please contact Robert Burnside on 02 9685 9742 or at r.burnside@uws.edu.au

UWS Futures Forum showcases our young researchers' potential

The University of Western Sydney recently showcased the achievements of its future scientific minds at the annual College of Health & Science, Research Futures Postgraduate Forum.

A diverse range of research within the College was presented from over 250 candidates and 120 honours students in the form of either a seminar or poster presentation, providing an excellent opportunity for learning and collaboration with other scientists from across the College in the fields of natural sciences, medical science, health education, nursing and midwifery, civionics, engineering, mathematics and computing to name a few.

Dr Julia Bowman (School of Biomedical and Health Sciences) and Dr Kathryn Sunn (Innovation & Consulting) had the arduous task of judging each of the 140 posters against set criteria related to technical, communication, organisational and conceptual thinking skills. The judges unanimously awarded, Engineering (construction) honours student, Zhenya Kremyshev’s poster on “Analysis of Sustainable Housing” as the overall winner. Second place also went to an honours student from the School of Engineering. Mitchell Dumesny’s poster on the ”Analysis and design of Electromagnetic Shock-Absorbers” was a very close second.

Again this year, UWS will be competing in the Australia wide 3 Minute Thesis Competition. The College of Health and Science will be sending 3 finalists to compete at the university level Competition. The 3 Minute Thesis Competition, requires graduate researchers to explain their research topic in accessible terms to a lay audience. It is based on the premise that the capacity to present a clear, concise, yet engaging description of the research project in 3 minutes is an essential skill that all graduate researchers should develop.

Whilst the competition was fierce, the ultimate finalists were PhD students Cherylea Browne for her presentation on “Investigating the mechanisms of tinnitus”, Aimee Bourne for her presentation on “Species diversity effects on forest ecosystem water-use” and Greg Whitely for his presentation on “Validation of Cleaning Surveillance Methods in the Control of Healthcare Associated Infection”. The 3 College finalists each received a cash prize of $500, to be used to enhance the research outcomes of their candidature.

If you have any inquiries about UWS research, please contact Professor Deborah Sweeney, College of Health & Science Director of Research on (02) 4736 0995.