The Departments of History and Archaeology are thinking about engagement. In 2017, the Field of Research code 21 History and Archaeology will be submitted for the Australian Research Council’s Pilot Engagement Study.

The pilot aims to examine how universities are translating their research into economic, social and other benefits and encourages greater collaboration between universities, industries and other end-users of research.

The ARC defines research engagement as:

'the interaction between researchers and research end-users (including industry, government, non-governmental organisations, communities and community organisations), for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge, technologies and methods, and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity’

Much of the research in the Department of Archaeology is initiated by community groups, government departments and other end-users. People regularly approach us to record historic shipwrecks, identify the graves of their relatives, record Aboriginal rock art and excavate under the floor boards of historic buildings.

For archaeology, engagement is less about researchers engaging with the community than the community engaging with researchers.

The Department of Archaeology receives around one community request per month. Many of these are translated into student research projects, Archaeology Society training exercises, field schools or voluntary projects undertaken by staff members. Many of the contacts made by communities are the result of media coverage of our research and our web presence.

Sometimes engagement is a single project. This may involve recording a cemetery, assisting with the digitisation of the records of a local museum or excavating an air raid shelter.

Sometimes engagement is a long-term relationship. These research partnerships can last for decades. Claire Smith has worked with the Barunga community in the Northern Territory since 1990 and Ngadjuri people since 1998. Associate Professor Amy Roberts conducted her Honours research with the Mannum community in 1998 and still works with this community. Similarly, Dr Mick Morrison is still conducting research with the Aboriginal people in west Cape York whom he first worked with in 2000. DECRA Fellow Dr Daryl Wesley has worked with Aboriginal people from Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, since 1991.

Among other things, community-initiated research has the capacity to significantly increase Flinders University’s public profile. Heather Burke’s research in 2011 and 2012 with the Catholic Church, the Sisters of Saint Joseph and the Mary Mackillop Penola Centre sought to locate the stable school where Mary Mackillop founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph. This research generated more than 65 media interviews, including television segments with WIN 9, National 9 News and Channel 10 News.

Dr Alice Gorman’s research on space archaeology and space junk has led to her playing a leading role in the Space Industry Association of Australia, which in 2017 is hosting the world’s largest space gathering, the International Astronautical Congress, in Adelaide. In this capacity, she has been invited to mentor small satellite start-up companies in Melbourne and New Zealand and to collaborate with lunar research teams in India.

Most importantly, community-initiated research points to both the needs and wants of local communities.

Often, people identify research opportunities but don’t have the capacity or the specialist knowledge to take advantage of these themselves. They seek support from the University as a regional authority and archaeology as a specialist discipline. If the archaeologist takes on the research the community may provide small amounts of funding and/or in-kind support for the research. Sometimes the community may seek funding for a longer-term project. Sometimes they will co-fund or co-host a workshop or symposium, co-present at a conference or co-author a publication or other product. These activities produce a wide variety of output from research undertaken on the basis of a ‘mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge, technologies and methods, and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity’ (ARC 2017:11).

Article provided by Professor Claire Smith and Associate Professor Heather Burke, Department of Archaeology

Reference

Australian Research Council 2017 Engagement and Impact Assessment Pilot 2017. Submission Guidelines. Available at http://www.arc.gov.au/engagement-and-impact-assessment

Where: Research Services Office - Room B2, Basement, Union Building
When: Tuesday 9 May 2017 and Tuesday 23 May 2017
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

These twice monthly sessions are designed to allow staff to receive one-on-one assistance or advice on any aspect of the services provided by the Research Grants and Contracts team, including: assistance with research grant applications, searching for funding, grant budgets, establishing collaborative contracts and other research related contracts, terms and conditions of award, confidentiality and material transfer agreements etc.

Research Grants and Contract staff will be available from 12 PM to 1 PM on Tuesday 9 May 2017 and Tuesday 23 May 2017. Participants are encouraged to register at ienrol if they are interested in attending either of the sessions and are asked to please email research.grants@flinders.edu.au to give RSO staff advance notice of the nature of the assistance they require.

Where: Research Services Office - Room B2, Basement, Union Building
When: Tuesday 16 May 2017
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

The next Research Data and Reporting Team’s monthly drop-in session for interested academic and professional staff will be held on Tuesday 16 May 2017.

The aim of the session is to provide one-on-one assistance to staff who want either a refresh on the research data systems used at Flinders or to learn some new skills.

Research Data and Reporting staff will be available from 12 PM to 1 PM on Tuesday 16 May 2017. Participants are encouraged to register at ienrol if they are interested in attending.

Timorese Youths

There are not many people who can claim to have directly influenced the way the United Nations measures development, but Associate Professor Udoy Saikia, School of the Environment, and his research team (Dr James Chalmers, Associate Professor Gour Dasvarma and Dr Merve Hosgelen, a Flinders PhD graduate and the Project Manager - National Human Development Report (NHDR), United Nations Development Programme, Dili, Timor-Leste) can say just that.

The work of Saikia et al has expanded the applicability of standard United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) indicators to more accurately reflect the circumstances of the people in developing nations. In so doing they have opened a new, more accessible, field of development research able to include many more people in a wider diversity of circumstances.

Timorese Youths

From their innovative work with the United Nations Development Programme in Bougainville pioneering the use of food security as a proxy for income when calculating the Human Development Index (HDI) to include the local bartering culture, to designing and implementing a wellbeing index for Assam in India they have joined forces with the UNDP once again to lead Timor-Leste’s 4^th National Human Development Report. The development report (due to be finalised in November 2017) is designed to help Timor-Leste plan for its burgeoning youth population in a way that will ensure the future prosperity of their nascent nation.

Timor-Leste’s population has a median age of just 16.8 years old (by way of comparison Australia’s median age is 37.4), making it one of the youngest national populations in the world. Saikia and his team have worked closely with the Timor-Leste government to combine the standard quantitative UNDP HDI statistics and measures with qualitative research into the lives, aspirations and experiences of Timor-Leste’s youth. The evidence they collect and present in their report will be crucial to the government’s evidence-based policy development process, a process that will allow Timor-Leste to take advantage of the opportunities that its young population will offer as they age.

The results of this research will shape government investment and priorities in areas such as education, training and infrastructure. For a new nation this information will prove truly defining and there are precious few research projects that can demonstrate nation-shaping influence.

From left to right: Associate Professor Udoy Saikia, Mr Knut Ostby (United Nations Resident Coordinator, Timor-Leste), Ms Noura Hamladji (Former Country Director, UNDP Timor-Leste), Dr Merve Hosgelen, Associate Professor Gour Dasvarma, and Dr James Chalmers.

Where: South Lecture Theatre 1
When: Thursday 20 April 2017
Time: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Can chemistry and biology work together to provide new cancer therapies?

Flinders Visiting International Research Fellow Dr Gonçalo Bernardo from the GBernardes Lab will be presenting on his group's recent work in this area. Gonçalo is visiting with Dr Justin Chalker, Lecturer in Synthetic Chemistry and ARC DECRA Fellow, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences for the next three weeks.

Gonçalo's presentation will focus on the most recent publications from his group which is based at both the University of Cambridge, UK, and the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Portugal. The four areas that will be touched upon are:

• Methods developed for site-selective chemical modification of proteins at cysteine, disulfide and lysine and their use to build stable and functional protein conjugates for in vivo applications;
• Bioorthogonal cleavage reactions for drug activation in cells;
• Construction of artificial metalloproteins for controlled and tissue specific carbon monoxide (CO) delivery and their use for CO-immunotherapy in cancer.
• Harnessing the power of natural product architectures in cancer chemical biology. By identifying on- and off-targets for anti-cancer entities and unveiling the underlying molecular mechanisms of target recognition, we explore the use of natural products as cancer modulators and ligands for the selective delivery of cytotoxic payloads

Gonçalo has published 68 papers and is an inventor on 5 patents. His publications have garnered more than nearly 3000 citations and he has an h-index of 29. He has been recognized with many national and international accolades during his research career. Most recently, these include the European Young Chemist Award (2014), the ChemSocRev Emerging Investigator Lectureship (2016), the RSC Harrison-Meldola Memorial Prize (2016), and the prestigious Starting Grant from the European Research Council (€1.5M). For his efforts in translational research, Gonçalo was also awarded a medal by the Portuguese Ministry of Health for his services to Public Health and Medicine.

Registrations are now opening for attending the 2017 ARMS conference: Funding Research - drawing on the power of collaboration.

This is the 18th Australasian Research Management Society Conference, and is returning to the shores of New Zealand for the first time since 2009. The conference theme of drawing on the power of collaboration will explore opportunities to bring together professionals in research organisations and funding bodies to create greater efficiencies in the wider management of research and its funding.

The conference will be held on 26 - 29 September at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. Flinders is a financial member of ARMS and all staff qualify for the member rate for attendance at the conference. The early bird rate for the full conference is $950 and single day attendance is $550. ARMS accreditation modules are available to attend prior to the conference for $395. The pre-conference workshop cost is $165. The early bird rates are only available until Monday 19 June 2017.

Registration is now open here.

The abstract closing date has been extended until Sunday 23 April 2017. Abstracts can still be submitted online in the overarching categories of oral presentation, poster presentation, or theme leader presentation. Subjects for abstracts should be on: grants support and development, contracts and intellectual property, research ethics and integrity, research intelligence and systems, connecting research with communities, research strategy and planning, research degree matters, or supporting the delivery of research with impact and translation.

For more information on the conference, please visit the website.

Welcome to the new-look Inspiring Research.

The Research Services Office has developed a new delivery format for Inspiring Research with the aim of allowing information and articles of interest to be delivered in an interesting, up-to-date and timely fashion to our readers. In addition to publishing content via an online blog platform, we will continue to distribute a monthly email notification of research news and information (which also has a new look).

We hope you'll enjoy reading and contributing to the new format as much as we've enjoyed developing it and we'd love to hear your feedback and ideas for new articles. Please email research.data@flinders.edu.au with your comments and suggestions or provide your feedback through RePortal.

Although "Blogs" have been around Flinders for a while and commercial publishing platforms such as WordPress and Blogger allow virtually anyone to set up their own web presence, this platform is an experiment in doing things a little differently. We're not experts in communications, design or marketing and developing a platform such as this surely means there'll be bumps along the way - possibly a few Page not found or Server Errors - but what we lack in those aforementioned areas we make up for with our passion for promoting and supporting the ground-breaking research produced by our research community. We've explored our passions and experimented bravely to build a platform to help you make your mark.

The blog can be accessed directly via https://research.flinders.edu.au/RP/Blog/ or via the  system in the News and Events section. The News and Events section within RePortal also aggregates information from a number of different sources - have a look and let us know what you think.

A calcium supplement jelly made out of seaweed and lobster shells. Image sourced from: ABC News: Andie Noonan

Will kids want to eat seaweed jelly? Can the CSIRO ON Accelerate Program help?

A joint team presentation from Flinders researchers, CSIRO staff and Flinders Partners in Melbourne on the 6 April 2017 aimed to show investors just how and why kids should be eating it.

The seaweed jelly has been developed as a new calcium rich source of food to tackle the problem of only one in six people eating dairy. To be marketed specifically for children, the jelly is made from seaweed and lobster shells - a waste product in the lobster processing industry. Other methods of trying to increase calcium intake in children has not been successful in the past, but the researchers have developed this tasty jelly as a more enticing option. By using lobster shells waste product, and seaweed that is an underused resource, the cost effective jelly packaged in a lunchbox style ‘squishy pack’ was a hit on the final day of presentations.

SeaNU team: Dr Michael Conlon, Professor Wei Zhang, Mr Peng Su, and Dr Rebecca Perry
Image sourced from: CSIRO

The SeaNU team, consisting of Professor Wei Zhang (Flinders Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development), Mr Peng Su (Flinders Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development), Dr Michael Conlon (CSIRO Health & Biosecurity), Dr Damien Belobrajdic (CSIRO Health & Biosecurity), and Dr Rebecca Perry (Flinders Partners) took part in the 12 week program that culminated in the presentation day. This Flinders team was the only one out of the ten selected for ON Accelerate 3 that included staff from the CSIRO. The final ‘Demo Day’ included over 200 industry and stakeholder attendees, including from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, GE, DST Group, AGL Energy, Telstra, Merrill Lynch, and many others from startups, law firms and the education sector.

“Australia has a largely untapped resource of renewable seaweed (macroalgae) varieties which has so far been under-explored,” Wei said. “We have the dream here of developing a substantial seaweed; also other ocean-derived nutritional resource processing industry in South Australia based on this new efficient and environmentally friendly processing technology.”

Each team selected for ON Accelerate receives a $15,000 OPEX budget to assist them with participation in the program. SeaNU was awarded a $10,000 bonus at the midway point of the program for high performing teams. This highly competitive program is aimed at increasing the entrepreneurial skills of researchers by pairing them with mentors, hosting face-to-face workshops and ending with the Demo Day. ON Accelerate 4 will be opening later in the year and to register interest in the program, fill in the online form at the ON Accelerate page.

Where: 5.29 Conference room @ Tonsley
When: Wednesday 12 April 2017
Time: 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Digital Volume Correlation (DVC), the newly formed Zeiss Global Centre at the University of Portsmouth, UK, and how this relates to the Flinders Medical Device Research Institute will be the main topic at the upcoming presentation by Dr Gianluca Tozzi.

Gianluca, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portsmouth, is one of five Flinders Visiting International Research Fellows at Flinders this year. He has come to Flinders to help develop Flinders' expertise in DVC, and to create international collaborations with the Zeiss Global Centre. The Centre aims to undertake research into the structural competence of biological structures, biomaterials and bio-inspired engineering materials, through advanced X-ray microscopy, including the use of DVC.

Gianluca will be at Flinders for eight weeks.

All interested Flinders researchers are welcome to attend the half hour presentation. Please RSVP to debbie.cocks@flinders.edu.au

Do you have 3 minutes? In that 3 minutes can you answer the question, “Which are the next walls to fall?”

By sharing your innovative idea/research project or business idea to the Falling Walls Lab, you can win a scholarship and travel to the 2017 finale in Berlin. The Falling Walls Lab aims to foster scientific and entrepreneurial innovations and to promote the exchange between young scholars and professionals emerging from different fields of expertise.

The Falling Walls Lab Australia will take place on 12 September 2017, at the Shine Dome in Canberra, hosted by the Australian Academy of Science supported by the German Embassy in Canberra. Applications for FWL2017 are now open and can be made through the Academy’s website and http://falling-walls.com/lab/apply.

Applications close - 12 June 2017. Dr Brodie Beales can provide advice and assistance on applications. Brodie can be contacted via email brodie.beales@flinders.edu.au or extn: 12275

For more information, see the Falling Walls Lab flyer.

Dr Marina Delpin, Dr Angela Crettenden, and
Dr Ashok Manoharan

The 2017 Researcher Mentoring Scheme was launched on March 31 and welcomed new mentees and mentors to the year-long program.

Hosted by the Research Services Office, the launch provided an opportunity for Scheme participants and senior leadership to meet, mingle and learn more about the Scheme and the assistance it provides to Flinders' early-career researchers (ECRs).  With most mentees and mentors in attendance, the event provided a relaxed environment for many matched participants to meet for the first time.

Professor Robert Saint, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), welcomed guests and officially opened the 2017 scheme, by passing on good wishes to participants and thanks to all involved.  A speech by Dr Marina Delpin, Project Manager of Flinders' Researcher Mentoring Scheme, followed and outlined the successes of the program to date and plans for the year ahead.

"This scheme aims to build research capacity and capability in our ECRs and those transitioning to mid-career status.  Mentoring has assisted our ECRs by providing guidance on career planning and building successful collaborations and supportive alliances," Marina said.

Dr Jane Fischer, Dr Kendall Corbin, with launch guests.

"Now in its sixth year, the Mentoring Scheme will have cumulatively assisted more than 130 ECRs by year’s end.  It has provided a positive impact on publication output, success from grant applications and vastly improved strategies for leading and managing research teams, while establishing a positive culture of mentoring here at Flinders."

"This year, more researcher development opportunities are being offered to mentees to complement their mentoring experience. These events aim to promote a collegial, supportive environment for mentees and strengthen partnerships amongst their peers, plus upskill them in key areas that will fortify their research career at this critical stage – early- to mid-career.”

"We are confident that this scheme, which is constantly evolving based on feedback from mentees and mentors, is delivering great outcomes for all involved."

This year's Scheme will continue to run for the remainder of the year with the program officially concluding in December.

Where: Rm 109, Health Sciences Building
When: Tuesday 2 May 2017
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
RSVP: via iEnrol

Dr Peter Wigley, Manager, Research Ethics and Integrity - Research Service Office, will present to interested attendees on Research Integrity and Misconduct. Research integrity involves the responsible conduct of research, and the handling of research misconduct.

In this country, the prevailing guideline for research integrity is the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (‘the Code’), published in 2007 by the ARC, NHMRC and Universities Australia (the national Vice-Chancellor’s organisation).

In addition to the general requirement for all researchers to conduct and report their research responsibly, it is a condition of funding from the ARC and NHMRC that institutions comply with the Code. Therefore, the University must ensure that all researchers (staff and students), and relevant research support staff, understand their responsibilities under the Code.

This seminar will provide an overview of the Code and the relevant policies, procedures and support within Flinders University.

For enquiries please phone Peter, ext. 15466.