TOP STORIES Funding Will Allow Researchers to Uncover the Secrets
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October 2020 LATEST NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND __________________________________________________________________ TOP STORIES Funding will allow researchers to uncover the secrets of COVID-19 immunity Federal funding will help a team of researchers determine how long immunity lasts in people who’ve recovered from COVID-19, critical information as the world waits for a vaccine. UQ researchers have developed a low-tech solution for rapid COVID-19 testing Technology that helps to quickly extract and analyse genetic material could be used for cheap, accurate and mobile COVID-19 testing, including at airports and remote testing centres. UQ researchers nominated for 'Oscars' of Australian science Four UQ research projects have been named finalists in the 2020 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes. Landmark deal for UQ-Trinity inflammation startup A startup company developing treatments for inflammatory diseases based on a research partnership between UQ and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has been acquired in a landmark deal – one of the largest in Australian and Irish biotech history. STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENTS AND TEACHING & LEARNING • PhD candidate Max Brierty is combing archives for information on the use of restraints against Indigenous Australians to reflect on his family’s experiences. • UQ Law and Ventures, in conjunction with King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), held the final competition session for the KWM Transform Prize. Team Elysian took out the $10,000 first place prize for their solution to help match female prisoners with legal assistance using machine learning tech. • PHD Candidate Sabrina Chakori, founder of a social enterprise startup, Brisbane Tool Library, was awarded the Create Change Award at the 2020 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards QLD. • UQ Ventures ilab accelerator and current UQ PhD Candiate, Alan Robertson, placed second at the Falling Walls Lab Australia for ClearSKY Genomics – a startup making genetics accessible for doctors and patients. • PhD student Lee Sheppard is examining whether Australia’s Sport for Development (SfD) programs embrace the grassroots involvement and self-determination of Indigenous communities, or if they are more focused on ticking boxes. RESEARCH, DISCOVERY AND PARTNERED INNOVATION Grants and Funding 1 • A roadmap to eradicate cigarette smoking in Australia will be the focus of a new UQ and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)-funded $3 million Centre of Research Excellence. • Why back pain persists in some cases but not others will be the focus of a UQ-led international study, which has received more than $1.4 million in funding from the US Department of Defense. Discoveries • A UQ report has revealed that visits to Queensland’s national parks generate $2.64 billion in spending annually and support thousands of jobs. • UQ scientists have warned a failure by governments to deliver on commitments under a global nature conservation treaty, the Convention on Biological Diversity, could have devastating effects. • A UQ-led team of international researchers says supercharged “clones” of the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes are to blame for the resurgence of scarlet fever. • A collaboration between UQ, Osaka University and Tokushima University found the Y-chromosome gene that makes mice male is made up of two different DNA parts, not one, as scientists had previously assumed. • UQ research has shown that sweeping changes to national aged care funding in the past decade have resulted in worse mental health for older Australians. • Genome technology has unlocked new cattle breeding methods, which could improve fertility and lead to increases in profitability, sustainability and productivity. • A UQ study has found that a gene which helps to control inflammation also increases the risk of obesity and could be turned off to stop weight gain. • A key discovery about the immune system’s powerful defence against bacteria will contribute to global efforts to design immune-boosting treatments. • Growing demand for metals necessary for the transition to a low carbon future will lead to more mining in high-risk areas, according to UQ research. • Mathematical modelling shows that travelling through time without creating paradoxes is theoretically possible. • UQ research has found people with pale coloured melanomas are more likely to have a gene mutation associated with albinism. • UQ researchers have revealed why male funnel web spiders develop much deadlier venom than their female counterparts. • After analysing global industrial fishing records, UQ researchers found 92 endangered and 11 critically endangered species of seafood were caught in oceans around the world. • Molecules from the venom of one of the world’s largest spiders could help researchers tailor pain blockers for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). • The estimated 140,000 diagnostic errors made in Australia every year could be prevented by implementing key strategies, according to a UQ researcher. • Research has found a proposal to regulate mining of Indigenous lands in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest could affect more than 863,000 square kilometres of forest and harm the nation’s economy. 2 • Researchers from UQ and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden have uncovered the secret of how fibre shapes the structure of plant cell walls, with potentially wide-ranging applications ranging from nutrition and health to agriculture. • UQ researchers have found the painful toxins wielded by a giant Australian stinging tree are surprisingly similar to the toxins found in spiders and cone snails. • Children who experience neglect are seven times more likely than other abuse victims to have a teen pregnancy, according to UQ researchers. • Findings from tissue engineering experts say future biomaterials will need to mimic the human body’s “stretch and squidge” properties. Partnered Innovation • A startup company developing technology based on UQ research will partner with the US Government to test its needle-free vaccine delivery technology. • UQ will add two hydrogen fuel cell buses to its fleet by 2022, expected to be the first of their kind in the state, with support from the Queensland Government’s Hydrogen Industry Development Fund. • UQ has partnered with IBM Australia to launch a Centre of Excellence, which will support researchers working across health, manufacturing and environmental sciences. • A team from UQ, the Queensland University of Technology and University College London are investigating how ‘smart’ devices may be helping to facilitate domestic abuse in Australia and the United Kingdom. • Medical researchers from UQ and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute have developed the We Can Do This app as part of a public health project designed to stop methamphetamine consumption by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS • Dr Denuja Karunakaran and Ms Samantha Nixon have claimed top prizes in the 2020 Queensland Women in STEM awards. • Researcher Dr Terry Fitzsimmons has launched a survey (in partnership with the Australian Gender Equality Council and the National Association of Women in Construction) to investigate how work and home life has changed due to COVID-19, and whether women and men are being affected differently by the pandemic. • Professor Sara Dolnicar and Professor Neal Ashkanasy were named in the prestigious Lifetime Achievers Leaderboard, issued annually by The Australian. The leaderboard lists the top five researchers from Australian universities across eight different categories. ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT • UQ launched the new podcast series, But Seriously, What is Engineering? 3 • UQ and the University of Indonesia (UI) hosted a forum focused on Indonesia’s Shifting Countering/Preventing Violent Extremism Policy Landscape and the Implications for Bilateral Security, Law and Justice Engagement. It was the first session as part of the UQ-UI Bilateral Research Forum series. The forum received 70 registrations with 63 people in attendance across the two institutions and industry professionals. • UQ hosted a joint online symposium with partner Jilin University (JLU) to address two key research themes: Future Materials and Human Horizon in the Post Pandemic Era. A total of 160 registrations were received for the Symposium, with approximately 70 active participants during the opening session, 70 during the Future Materials session and 35 during the Human Horizon in the Post Pandemic Era session. The event sparked high level discussion on future collaboration and ensuring the relationship will continue to thrive. • The MBA Careers and Professional Development Team hosted a purposeful career planning event and an employer showcase with Heritage Bank for MBA students and alumni, attracting 87 registrations, 59 people in attendance, and a further 16 views of event recording. • The UQ Business School hosted a Lunch and Learn webinar for all undergraduate and postgraduate Business students, where Dr Michael Axelsen, Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems, discussed the key implications of Australia’s mandatory data breach notification scheme. • The UQ Business School coordinated and presented a Becoming Board Ready Webinar, led by an expert panel of UQ alumni, for those aspiring to board roles. This webinar was promoted to BEL alumni, industry partners and across website and social channels. This event was part of a broader partnership with The Australian Institute of Company Directors and promoted the UQ MBA program to AICD graduates.