Adelaidean | June 2005
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FREE Publication Adelaidean NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE Volume 14 • Number 4 • June 2005 inside this issue 3 The future is eye-tech Keeping our trees streets ahead 8 New $8m music facilities hit the right note 10 Revecca responds to child disease challenge 13 Anne’s perfect strands: knitting and writing 5 Hawker scholars’ double success A hoverfl y and a computer chip Physiology seeing eye to eye 7 Photo by David O’Carroll David’s high-energy stargazing Can the humble fl y help us to see engineers led by Dr O’Carroll, and a powerful sense of structure in the better? known as the Visual Physiology world.” Group, studying the brains and eyes Unlike the popular stereotype, fl y The Visual Physiology Group has 11 of fl ies to develop artifi cial vision eyes do not form thousands of little already studied how fl ies perceive this systems – computer chips that can NASA astronaut to launch images – instead, they perceive one visual motion, and copied the whole Japanese conference see – that one day may provide the very fuzzy image of the world process onto a tiny computer chip. basis for a bionic eye. around it. Dr Karin Nordstrom, a post-doctoral “As all animals move, the world Yet, with a brain the size of a grain fellow in the Discipline of Physiology 16 moves past and so even stationary of rice and only this fuzzy image to and a member of the Visual objects generate patterns of motion Helping our sports stars strive go on, how do fl ies see well enough Physiology Group, said this is done for excellence on our retina,” he said. “Our eyes to avoid getting swatted by us, or to by inserting an electrode in the fl y’s move continually to track this motion perform a precise landing on a fl ower brain to enable researchers to record and the motion itself provides a waving in the breeze? the activity in its brain cells. powerful cue as to what we are The answer, according to Dr David doing in the world, as well as where “We project images onto a computer O’Carroll from the University of features are and how large they are. screen that the insect views, and then Adelaide’s School of Molecular and we correlate that with the responses “As we move past an object, Biomedical Science, is that fl ies have obtained from the insect’s brain cells, its apparent speed depends on an exquisite sense of visual motion. which helps us understand how their its distance, with close objects brain analyses visual information. It is this sense of motion that has appearing to move faster, so the a team of university scientists and relative motion of objects provides continued on page 4 Adelaidean Adelaidean has a readership of more than 31,000 per month – 13,000 in print and 18,000 online Editor: Ben Osborne Design and Layout: Chris Tonkin Writers: Howard Salkow Ben Osborne Lisa Toole From the Vice-Chancellor Media student writer: Sukhmani Khorana It’s always refreshing to learn what our alumni have been the Melbourne event was 500, and for Sydney between 400 doing since graduating from the University of Adelaide, and to 500. While these numbers represent graduates from all Contributors: some recent experiences of mine have further underlined the three universities, a signifi cant proportion of them were from David O’Carroll Lisa Edwards contribution they are making not only locally, but across the Adelaide and many of them, again, expressed to me their Di Kidd country and the region. enthusiasm and affection for their university. Ian Doyle In March I travelled to Malaysia and Hong Kong to attend Both here and overseas, our graduates are playing major Printed by: our annual offshore graduation ceremonies held in those roles in the societies in which they live, and these recent Lane Print Group countries, as well as attending various alumni-related events, events only serve to reinforce this. Such events also Tel: +61 8 8179 9900 Fax: +61 8 8376 1044 including a visit to Sarawak. In both of those countries I highlight the strength of our alumni networks in Australia Email: [email protected] was impressed by the level of enthusiasm that was shown and the Asia-Pacifi c region, and I congratulate the many Web: www.laneprint.com.au by graduates of the university. This enthusiasm was people involved in these networks for the time and effort Distribution: expressed equally by those who had only just graduated, they give back to the university. I strongly encourage all of Lane Print Group and by those who had graduated anywhere up to 50 years our graduates to stay involved with the university, as we like Passing Out Distribution Co. ago. The Chancellor, the Honourable John von Doussa QC, to know what you have been doing, just as you like to know Advertising: attended similar functions in Singapore and reported similar what the university has been doing. It is a relationship that KRL Media sentiments. Such a sense of connection and engagement can only benefi t both of us. Tel: +61 8 8231 5433 with the university is irreplaceable. Fax: +61 8 8212 1238 Email: [email protected] In April, along with the Premier, Mr Mike Rann, and the Vice- Coming Events: Chancellors of the other two South Australian universities, All coming events must be University of I attended functions hosted by the State Government Adelaide related and of public interest. in Melbourne and Sydney for alumni of all three local Please send details of events via email to: [email protected] universities. While the aim of these functions was to inform these alumni of the benefi ts of returning to work and live Deadline for July issue: in South Australia, what they suggested to me was how JAMES A. McWHA Tuesday, June 14, 2005 mobile our alumni are within Australia. The attendance for Vice-Chancellor Room G07 Mitchell Building, South Australia, 5005. Tel: +61 8 8303 5174 Fax: +61 8 8303 4838 Email: [email protected] www.adelaide.edu.au/adelaidean/ Material may be reproduced without Government boost for industry links permission but acknowledgement must be given to the Adelaidean. Registered by Australia Post No 565001/00046 Industry The University of Adelaide’s Both projects were funded DSTO Chair of Photonics at the collaborative links with industry through the Premier’s Science and University of Adelaide.” have been further enhanced Research Fund. Dr Kruk said one of the exciting with three university researchers Professor Munch said the cluster things about the value-adding receiving $500,000 worth of State STOP PRESS would enable collaborations lamb project is the collaboration Government funding. between university research Who are the new faces between the university and groups, Regency Institute of TAFE of the University of Professor John Carver, Head of industry for the purpose of and industry. Adelaide’s award-winning School of Chemistry and Physics, increasing business opportunities, Life Impact campaign? and Professor Jesper Munch, research and education in defence “Private company Wanderribby will Professor of Experimental Physics, photonics. develop the project’s feeding and Vice-Chancellor Professor were awarded $250,000 to “The vision of the Defence marketing systems, the university James McWha will be establish “The Defence Photonics Photonics Cluster is to generate will conduct the analytical work launching new Life Impact Cluster” as a partnership between an internationally recognized and the Regency Institute of TAFE television commercials the University of Adelaide, the strength in defence photonics in will carry out the taste testing at a special function on Defence Science and Technology South Australia, which will form trials,” Dr Kruk said. Friday, June 10 to a select Organization (DSTO) and the a nucleus for further growth in group of media and South Australian defence industry. “We aim to develop a healthy lamb university representatives. photonics and its applications,” product with enhanced fl avours Another project, “Value-adding Professor Munch said. “In via dietary manipulations. This After that date, visit the South Australian lamb”, and led particular, it will maximise the has the potential to signifi cantly university website to fi nd by Dr Zibby Kruk, a Postdoctoral benefi t of the very signifi cant increase profi t for the SA sheep out who the new “Life Fellow in the School of Agriculture increase in local photonics and lamb industry by developing Impacters” are – and and Wine, has also been awarded capability which has resulted branded products as well as keep an eye out for the $250,000 over the next three from the recent appointment of opening the possibility of targeting television commercials! years. Professor Tanya Monro to the new markets,” Dr Kruk said. Adelaidean | Volume 14, Number 4 • June 2005 2 Keeping our trees streets ahead Environmental Biology Adelaide’s unique street tree environment is a haven for our birdlife – but more needs to be done, according to a University of Adelaide researcher. Karen Young (pictured right) studied hundreds of street trees in Adelaide for her Honours project in the School of Environmental and Earth Sciences to fi nd out what type of birds used them and what factors infl uenced this use. “We have quite bit of vegetation on our streets, which means a number of birds can use street trees and the ground for food and shelter,” she said. “In other cities which are much more built-up, like London, birds don’t have this luxury – they can feed only on the ground.” But to preserve this uniqueness, Karen said, it is not simply a matter of planting more trees, as a wide number of factors affect how birds use street trees.