University of Wollongong Campus News March 1999

^ us Newi UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG. Issue No.1 Print Post approved number: 255003103485 March 1999 otIigKt our sporting facilities :ri Blackmore i AUt J UOW and Metal New surgical probe offers a Manufactures win energy award for major boon for cancer patients superconducting ancer patients facing compound which finds and 'labels' hospitals. It has been on trial over the technology radical surgery will lymphatic cancer cells. past four months and has demonstrat The University of Wollongong and benefit from a The probe finds the labelled ed excellent technical performance. Metal Manufactures Ltd, one of University of cells, ensuring only cancerous lymph Gammasonics is Australian- Australia's leading electrical and nodes are removed. Surgeons no owned and a Sydney-based merchandising companies, have CWollongong and longer need to remove surrounding organisation and has a long history of won an award from the NSW Gammasonic's Institute for Medical tissue. collaboration with the MRPG on Department of Energy for a twO' Research development which helps This technique helps limit the research and development of new year program to research power surgeons distinguish breast cancer spread of cancer cells through the radiation detector technology and engineering applications of high and melanoma cells from healthy body. teaching support. temperature superconductor tissue. The first generation of the probe The MRPG has been working (HTS) coils. The Faculty of Engineering's was developed during the past three successfully on different medical It is one of 14 new research Medical Radiation Physics Group years and manufactured by Gamma radiation detectors for five years and projects into sustainable energy (MRPG) is collaborating with the sonics and now a new probe is on has strong international collaboration technologies aimed at reducing private organisation of clinical trial for different cancer mo and recognition. greenhouse gas emissions. Gammasonics, on a new generation dalities at the Royal Adelaide, Prin Masters students from MRPG Surgical Radiation Probe. NSW Energy Minister Bob cess Alexandria, Royal Brisbane, Peter Mackowiak and Armia Moussa Before surgery, patients are Debus said the development of Strathfield, Wesley and John Hunter won Gammasonics scholarships to administered a radioactive superconductor technology by work in this field. The joint projects UOW and Metal Manufactures Ltd are helping to bring the results of has enormous potential for R&D faster to practical producing environmental and implementation in new commercial benefits world wide. instrumentation, and to develop new The HTS coils will be skills among the students in the manufactured from Bi-2223/Ag Medical Radiation Physics Group high temperature superconductor which are required by the medical tape by Metal Manufactures and community. supplied from its $2 million HTS "The development of this new tape and coil pilot plant in Sydney. technology will put Australia at the The University of Wollongong leading edge of high technology in wi 11 undertake advanced medicine. The collaboration of the calorimetric measurements to university, hospitals and private determine their energy loss values, industry will help Australia take its on equipment to be designed and place with the world's leaders in the constructed as part of the program at field," according to Associate the Institute of Superconducting Associate Professor Anatoly Rosenfeld (seated foreground) with (from Professor Anatoly Rosenfeld of the and Electronic Materials (ISEM). left) Mr Peter Rose Director of the University Foundation (the Foundation MRPG. The Power Quality Centre at is helping to fund the project); master research students in medical The development is attracting UOW will use the techno- radiation physics Peter Mackowiak and Armia Moussa and Dr Carl interest overseas. economic data obtained from these Munoz-Ferrada, Managing Director of the Gammasonics Institute for coils to assess the impact of HTS • Continued Page 16 Medical Research. electrical engineering devices in the Australian electricity grid. University of Wollongong claims ARC crown Pages 8 to 12 • Continued Page IS Solar energy powers into the new millennium n the early hours of the new research and development project," Meanwhile, at Massey millennium scientists from Professor Wallace said. University researchers are the University of Wollongong An outline of the MSP's plans creating 'man-made chlo and New Zealand's Massey was conducted at the University of rophyll' in the form of IUniversity will be participating in Wollongong on 25 January. groups of porphyrin mole an event which is set to capture the Swiss researcher, Professor cules. While individual imagination of a global audience. Michael Gratzel, who developed the porphyrin molecules have Literally at the dawn of 2000, the Gratzel solar cell, the first of its kind been used in solar cells in two universities will be harvesting in the world, contributed to the past, the Massey team and storing the first rays of solar proceedings via a telephone hook-up has found a way to link the energy in New Zealand as part of The from Europe. molecules to form larger, Millennium Solar Project (MSP). Technology developed during the more efficient energy con The collection of the first rays of MSP will be used to make solar power verting groups. sunshine will be beamed by satellite accessible and affordable for Professor Wallace said around the world, as governments everyone. This will be especially that combined with the and consumers heed the growing good news for developing countries porphyrin energy harvest importance of solar energy and its where the environmentally ing technology from the applications. unfriendly energy sources such as Massey University team, Professor Gordon Wallace, fossil fuels can be bypassed in favour solar cells could be incor director of UOW's Intelligent of clean, green solar energy. porated into the actual Polymer Research Institute, said solar Work being done at the equipment that uses elec energy was coming of age, after years Intelligent Polymer Research tricity, such as computers of painstaking research. It had been Institute could lead to the biggest and refrigerators, so they boosted by advanced chemistry and breakthrough in the development of would have self-generating power would be very cheap to make and emerging technologies, such as solar energy use. sources. could be recycled. conducting polymers. Professor Wallace said the work This compares to current solar Researchers are also working to He said the MSP was recognition involved developing polymers technology where the sun's energy is develop solar cells that can emit of solar energy's global significance. (plastics) to conduct electricity. harvested, turned into electricity and light as well as gather it. This "A group of internationally "The potential for this is huge as stored to be used through technology could replace LED, light renowned scientists have agreed to cells could then be moulded to any conventional electrical circuitry. emitting diodes, currently used in all collaborate on this historic solar shape or purpose." These cells would be less efficient but kinds of electrical goods. Revolutionary electricity forecast model the electricity sold in Australia. 11am television programs) for horserace handicap Professor Edelman said energy pricing was now ping. becoming increasingly market-driven as the trend He said the Neural Network technology was a adopted towards privatisation of energy suppliers continued branch of Artificial Intelligence which uses the worldwide. structure of the brain as a prototype for the process "And it appears Australia is fast becoming a of learning from experience. What do electricity world leader in energy market management Professor Edelman wrote the software and technology," he said. adapted it for the latest model. He said the link Professor Edelman said his algorithm, which with racing was that both predicted a chance forecasting and horse had been shown to reduce forecasting error by as outcome in relation to past behaviour. much as 50 per cent, had He has earlier been involved in developing a gained international attention. handicapping have He will give an address in the USA on the subject in July at a high level Stanford in common ? University workshop on Ap plications of Planning Under Uncertainty. He will be revolutionary model for among 24 other internation forecasting short-term al speakers on various related areas including Nobel prize winners Harry Markowitz and Kenneth Anow. A electricity demand has been Professor Edelman's lat developed by a senior academic est neural network technolo in the University of gy model follows an earlier Wollongong's Department of Accounting and model he developed (and Finance. demonstrated on ABC's Professor David Edelman . joining Nobel prizewinners at Stanford Professor David Edelman's neural network HotChips and Channel 7's workshop model has recently been adopted \'ia the National Electricity Marketing Management Company or (NEMMCO), as the standard used to price most of Rio Tinto funds UOW to study social change in South East Arnhem Land he University of "As the study proceeds, it will Wollongong (UOW) address issues concerning potential has received funding impacts on communities of and other support proposed developments related to Tfrom Rio Tmto of over $800,000 mining and other ventures and how to undertake a study on negotiating these are managed by and with the social change

Load more