Research Projects
Ecological Impact of Antibiotic Resistance Released from the Cleveland Bay Purification Plant using Marine Turtle Species (Old ID 26730)
Madoc Sheehan
31 Jan 2020 - 31 Dec 2025
Cleveland Bay is a grazing ground for turtle species. Cleveland Bay Purification plant (CBPP) treats waste that may contain a variety of antibiotics. This study aims to determine the prevalence and distribution patterns of antibiotic resistant genes in the CBPP effluent and in the immediate receiving environment. Marine turtles in Cleveland Bay will be used to determine the localized impacts of both antibiotics and antibiotic resistant genes as compared to resident turtles from a pristine environment. This study will provide valuable insight into the direct effect that antibiotics and ARG’s in WWTP effluent have on ecological health and ecological risk.
Building Research capacity in bioarchaeology in Thailand (Old ID 26738)
Kate Domett
01 Feb 2020 - 31 Dec 2020
Research in bioarchaelogy, the study of human remains from archaeological cemetery sites, has only a recent history in Thailand. As such, it is timely for a consolidated capacity-building approach to be undertaken in this research field. Associate Profesor Kate Domett is among one of only a handful of bioarchaeologists specialising in this area in mainland Southeast Asia and is well placed to lead a sustained and realistic expansion of collaboration between Thai researchers and their Australian counterparts.
Hidden histories of the teeth: The key to unlocking ancient secrets in prehistoric central Myanmar (Old ID 26945)
Anna Willis
01 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2027
The aim of this project is to examine isotopes in the teeth of individuals from three sites in prehistoric central Myanmar to examine diet, the movement and migration of people, and potential patterns in post-marital residence, which are all intricately linked. Built on a strong conceptual framework this project seeks to generate new information in the field of archaeological science. The research outcomes of this project will expand our current archaeological knowledge of this focal but under-researched area, which will be of particular benefit in understanding Myanmar in relation to surrounding regions and the wider Southeast Asian context, and in fostering continued collegiality and collaboration with Myanmar scholars and communities.
Invasion Alert—A Machine Learning-based Platform for Invasive Ant Detection and Recognition (Old ID 27268)
Lori Lach
01 Jul 2021 - 30 Jun 2023
For control/eradication measures to be effective, early detection of invasive ants is essential. Current conventional methods require taxonomic expertise and are time and labour intensive. This project will develop a vision-based platform that uses machine learning for the real-time detection and identification of established invasive ants in Australia. This will provide an automated, cost-effective monitoring tool that can speed up the detection and identification process, thus enable efficient and timely response to the potential spread of these species.
All Ages Lung Function in Australia's First Nations Peoples (Old ID 27534)
Suzy Munns
01 Apr 2022 - 01 Apr 2023
Chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) are over-represented in Australian Indigenous Peoples. CRD cause structural changes that compromise lung function. These functional changes are measured using Spirometry. Ethnic specific reference values should be used when performing spirometry, however, these are missing for Australian Indigenous Peoples. This lack limits the ability to diagnose CRD, especially in the early-stages, and to accurately assess disease severity and response to treatment. This project will measure lung function in apparently healthy Indigenous Australians and determine spirometry reference values for these groups. Ethnic specific reference values will improve the accuracy of CRD diagnosis and assessment using spirometry.
OPTIMISATION OF THE PROCESSING PLANT FOR GOLD EXTRACTION. (Old ID 27575)
Elsa Antunes
21 Feb 2022 - 30 Nov 2022
This project with Minjar Gold involves thesis students solving industry related problems. Therefore, the funding provided by Minjar Gold in mainly to cover analysis that will be performed at the AAC. The main objective is to optimise the production of gold covering 3 main aspects: (1) exploring alternatives to slurry dewatering; (2) investigating pump capacity within Processing Plant and suggest alternatives; (3) investigating and modelling the average slurry residence time in the adsorption tanks in different scenarios.
Mapping South East Arnhem Land Sea Country - Intertidal (Old ID 27885)
Alexandra Carter
11 Nov 2022 - 30 Jun 2023
Understanding the location and extent of ecological and cultural values in Sea Country is necessary to support the aspirations of South East Arnhem Land (SEAL) people and further their connection with Sea Country through sustainable resource management. The proposed SEAL Sea Country IPA has high biodiversity values, including extensive habitat for large foraging populations of dugong and turtles which depend on healthy seagrass. Historical seagrass data, dugong aerial surveys (2019), recent surveys in adjacent Marra Sea Country (2021) and the Yanyuwa IPA (2021-22) indicate that extensive areas of seagrass habitat also occur in the SEAL IPA. However, there are no recent maps of seagrass habitat in the IPA. This project will assist the Aboriginal Traditional Owners to protect, maintain and sustainably manage Aboriginal land/ and sea country within the proposed SEAL Marine Indigenous Protected Area by providing base line bilingual maps, GIS and report of seagrass and other benthic habitats.
Seagrass surveys in the lower Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland (Old ID 29024)
Alexandra Carter
15 Jun 2023 - 01 May 2024
The proposed work is for marine habitat mapping in the in the Thuwathu/Bujimulla Indigenous Protected Area (TBIPA). Benthic habitats for this area have not been surveyed for more than 15 years and so it is considered a high priority for a comprehensive survey. This will expand the scope (i.e. coverage) of planned benthic habitat surveys currently funded by Parks Australia for the Gulf of Carpentaria Marine Park (GOCMP) into the adjacent IPA. Therefore, the proposed project is supported by Parks Australia who have confirmed that this work is outside the scope of their funded work, but complements and enhances their work program given the importance of this area for marine turtle and dugong foraging and to the Lardil, Yangkaal, Kaiadilt and Gangalida Peoples. Funding will be used to procure a helicopter for surveying intertidal areas, and for staff time to undertake the surveys, process the data and deliver the outcomes including a ‘baseline’ map on which rangers can continue to monitor benthic habitat condition and to improve their negotiation on resource condition and use with other stakeholders in the region.
Situation analysis and vulnerability and adaptation assessments for all municipalities of Timor Leste including development of climate and health risk profiles of each municipality and publication of scientific papers (Old ID 31141)
Maxine Whittaker
10 Sep 2023 - 31 Dec 2023
The objective is to develop the national and subnational vulnerability and adaptation assessments for Timor Leste including the development of Climate and Health risk profiles. These will inform the government on approaches and strategies to reduce the impact of climate change on the health of its people, and contribute towards the body of knowledge of approaches to address climate change and health in small island developing states globally.
Geological characteristics, genesis and ore controlling factors of the Tick Hill Au deposit, Dajarra District, NW Queensland, Australia (Old ID 24727)
Paul Dirks
27 Nov 2017 - 31 Jan 2021
The project aims to: 1. investigate and document the geological and geochemical features of the Tick Hill gold deposit, including understanding the structural evolution lmagmaticl history, alteration style andl mineralisation; 2. classify the deposit and improve the understanding of the genesis; 3. identify the factors controlling the locationh and formation of the deposits such as structural architecture, controls of host rocks and intrusions; and 4. discover lmineralogical, textural and geochemical zoning patterns that could gbe used as vectors to ore. A geological model will be developedfor use in exploration targeting.