Universities Australia | 4 December 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The inaugural State of Australian University Research 2015–16: Volume 1 ERA National Report comprehensively details the quality of Australian university research benchmarked against world standards. It identifies the excellence in research across a broad range of universities and the outstanding performances in areas of specialisation. Overall the quality of Australian university research continues to improve. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The report confirms Australia's university research performance is amongst the best in the world. In 2015, 89% of the assessed research areas in … [Read more...]
Innovating an “Ideas Boom”
07/12/2015 by
7 December 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull unveiled his much-anticipated Innovation Statement, saying he wanted to drive an "ideas boom". The statement allocates almost $1.1 billion over the next four years to promote business-based research, development and innovation. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Key measures A key focus of the plan revolves around strengthening ties between the business community, universities and scientific institutions. A $200 million innovation fund will co-invest in businesses that develop technology from the CSIRO and Australian universities. CSIRO will also get an extra $20 million to help … [Read more...]
9 surprising Australian innovations that changed the world
05/12/2015 by
5 December 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… This post on Science Alert by Fiona McDonald, celebrating Australian innovation, was sponsored by Universities Australia as part of its Keep it Clever campaign. The campaign website includes an online petition. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… By now, most Australians know that our university researchers were behind the invention of the bionic ear, but more often than not, the world tends to focus more on our venomous snakes and spiders and overly muscular kangaroos than anything coming out of our labs. But the reality is that Australia puts out 3.9% of the world's research, with only 0.3% of the world's population, … [Read more...]
Leap second
28/06/2015 by
ABC News | 21 May 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… On June 30 at 11:59.59pm (GMT), an extra second will be added so the Earth's rotational spin can catch up with the world's atomic clocks. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… But while the idea of an extra second in the day might seem small, computer security expert Dr Suelette Dreyfus warned the consequences could be significant. "The last time a leap second was added was on June 30, 2012 and that did cause some technical problems for popular websites like Reddit and Mozilla and LinkedIn," she said. "I understand that Qantas computer systems went down for a period of time partially because … [Read more...]
The beauty of John Nash’s mind
01/06/2015 by
1 June 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Mathematician Adam Spencer and science educator Dr Karl Kruszelnicki explain why mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr, whose life was portrayed in the film A Beautiful Mind and who died in a car accident on May 23, 2015, was so revered by his peers. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… … [Read more...]
National Science and Research Priorities announced
29/05/2015 by
26 May 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The Commonwealth government has announced new national Science and Research Priorities and corresponding Practical Research Challenges, designed “to increase investment in areas of immediate and critical importance to Australia and its place in the world.” …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The nine cross-disciplinary priorities are food, soil and water, transport, cybersecurity, energy, resources, advanced manufacturing, environmental change and health. The government notes that, like other countries, Australia’s capacity to support research is finite. With diverse investments in research across multiple agencies and … [Read more...]
