Research news

Building citations and excellent publications is an important part of our research plan – and indeed the University’s Strategic Plan – and it’s great to see this success. I would also like to thank our Deans and ADRs, who’ve worked very hard to implement these strategies for improving our publication quality and citations.

We’ve also seen a number of researchers undertake programs such as our High Impact Publication program and our Researcher Re-Establishment Scheme, which have yielded a number of high-quality publications. We’ll be running these programs again soon, and it’d be great to see more researchers engage. Watch this newsletter for further details.

We can do much more to amplify the reputation of our university for its research impact. If you have good stories of impactful research, please let us know!

Once again, a hearty congratulations to everyone who contributed to this result.

Professor Mary Spongberg
Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor 

These are just some of the innovative scenarios that Living Lab Northern Rivers is sharing as part of exhibition in their Lismore shopfront, and online.

These exciting scenarios for a future Lismore were formulated by a panel of international and local design experts, brought together by Living Lab Northern Rivers, who responded to the outcomes of previous community meetings, visits to the city and intensive workshops.

At the community meetings earlier in the year, clear opportunities for the future of Lismore emerged – a desire for safer and more diverse housing, greater connectivity, a vibrant CBD, active transport, increased food security, and a cleaner regenerated river and surrounding environment. Importantly, there was the need for confidence in a clearer future.

Visit the Living Lab Northern Rivers shopfront until 3 August to explore these ideas and have your say. Everyone is welcome, and staff will be on hand to explain the designs, answer questions and facilitate feedback. All responses from these scenarios will be collected and shared with local and state government for their official planning processes.

Find out more about the exhibition, co-design process, expert panel members and more at https://www.llnr.com.au/lookahead

Event Info

Look Ahead: Ideas for a future Lismore
Living Lab Northern Rivers
11 Woodlark Street, Lismore

Tuesday - Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm

Plus

Late night Thursdays (5:00pm—7.00pm): 6 & 20 June, 4 & 18 July, 1 August

Saturdays: 15 June, 6 July & 3 August, 9:00am—12:00pm

When or what was ‘the moment’ you knew you wanted to be a researcher?

As an Engineering undergraduate I was offered honours project options: coastal engineering-related fluids dynamic research in the university wave flumes, or looking at marine archaeological applications for a new underwater sonar being developed with the Australian Defences Science and Technology Organisation.

The plume experiments would’ve been a quick way to finish my degree as I was familiar with them, but the sonar project would be entirely new. Thinking I wasn’t clever enough and that the additional work would delay my graduation, I sought my father’s sage advice. Essentially, he said: ‘Man up – these sorts of opportunities don’t come along often in life!’, so I decided to help hunt the lost treasure ships of the 15^th century Chinese admiral Zheng He.

Within days I was waist-deep in mud in a backwater lagoon measuring the attenuation of high-frequency soundwaves through marine muds. While my degree did take longer, my honours supervisor, Professor Ian S F Jones, became my greatest mentor, sending me to conduct research in exotic international locations such as Morocco, the Philippines, and Oman.

Unfortunately for the project, my research showed that while the navy’s millimetre-resolution sonar was great for imaging marine mines in dirty water, it couldn’t penetrate marine sediments for archaeology very well. To this day, none of the wrecks of Jheng He’s treasure ships have been found.

How will the Research Impact Clusters change the way research is conducted at Southern Cross University?

As I see it, the Research Impact Clusters aren’t aiming to fundamentally change the way we do research at SCU (which I’m already immensely proud of). I hope the clusters will bring people with common interests together, providing opportunities for researchers across SCU to learn about each other’s research, and finding connections that lead to collaborative research projects and new ideas. The clusters can give our research more visibility to prospective students, academics and institutions around the world and to industry, government and non-governmental organisations. Increased visibility of our research and the transformative nature of the research we’re undertaking will also lead to more opportunities.

What do you feel are the best aspects of the Research Impact Clusters?

One of my greatest hopes for the Research Impact Clusters is that they’ll help us learn more about our colleagues’ research, and to make more research connections. In today’s increasingly online world of teaching and research it’s not unusual to find out you’ve been sitting down the hall from someone with whom you share a research passion about a particular topic or cause, and you didn’t even realise it!

What sort of engagement will Research Impact Clusters undertake with internal and external stakeholders?

A principal goal is for the Research Impact Clusters to drive greater engagement with external stakeholders, particularly industry, by providing focal points for the University’ core research strengths. Our researchers’ exposure to working with industry and external stakeholders varies widely, depending on discipline and their individual career journey.

We want to build a supportive mentoring environment within the clusters to help researchers to seek advice and develop skills in areas they may not have needed previously, or when they have the chance to develop a new external engagement. This includes advice on applying for certain types of grant, guidance on engaging with particular industries, or introductions to important internal or external contacts.

What would you like to see the Research Impact Clusters achieve?

I’d like to see the Research Impact Clusters contribute to even greater research excellence at Southern Cross University. Key to building the SCU of tomorrow is bringing together our researchers around the core themes that unite our research and our passion for research. If we can carve out the time to learn more about each other and where our strengths and interests align, I really believe that the opportunities – both internal and external – will follow.

What’s your ultimate research project?

I’m lucky enough to be working on my ultimate research project already – the Cooling and Shading Program of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) – working as hard as we can in a race against time developing interventions to help coral reefs cope with the pressures of climate change. We have more than 70 amazing researchers on the project, from distinguished professors with resumes of nature and Science papers through to early career researchers, graduate students, plus research technicians, students and administrative staff.

The wider RRAP program includes hundreds of researchers from across Australia and the world. Southern Cross University’s role in this world-leading program is significant – with Reefs and Oceans Research Impact Cluster members leading two sub-programs and contributing to another two sub-programs.

Conducting first-in-world atmospheric and oceanographic field campaigns on the Great Barrier Reef involving multiple research vessels, the SCU research aircraft, drones and teams across two island research stations is a dream come true that wouldn’t be possible without our incredible team.

That said, I also wouldn’t mind going to look for those treasure ships again one day!

‘These frogs occur in small areas of mountaintop rainforest in northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland’ said David. ‘Despite their habitats being well protected within World Heritage-listed National Parks, they’re increasingly threatened through climate change and introduced species [pigs]’.

‘The 2019 drought and subsequent Black Summer fires have already resulted in localised extinction of populations,’ he said.

Working closely with NSW and Queensland National Parks Staff to protect remaining areas of habitat, David and Liam have successfully bred mountain frogs in a dedicated animal facility at SCU dubbed Project GRASP – a world first! – and they are looking to undertake releases into a predator-free areas in the near future.

The latest grant funds will allow the purchase of audio recorders for field sites, which collect sound recordings to monitor the success of those releases.

You can find out more about Project GRASP from the Southern Cross University website

During his PhD journey, Dr Ofosu-Asare encountered numerous challenges, including adapting to a new cultural and academic landscape in Australia and navigating the nascent discipline of African philosophy. These experiences not only tested his resilience and adaptability, but also profoundly enriched his academic pursuit and personal development.

His research opens critical dialogues on the integration of decolonised methodologies within global academic curricula, examining their potential impacts on socioeconomic structures and cultural self-perceptions in postcolonial societies. A staunch advocate for creating frameworks that assess and amplify the effectiveness of these educational practices, Dr Ofosu-Asare underscores the importance of protecting indigenous knowledge and delving into the roles of language and narrative in perpetuating colonial power dynamics.

Watch this space for updates! You can find out more about Dr Ofosu-Asare’s thesis here.

The grant will fund a clinical trial aimed at reducing inequities in health outcomes caused by climate-related disasters in regional/rural communities by treating chronic disaster-related PTSD, with a specific focus on Lismore and northern NSW (NNSW), where cascading impacts of climate-related events are predicted to continue in the future.

In a world first, this clinical trial will employ a stepped care model in a post-disaster context, and will be undertaken by an investigator team with nationally and internationally recognised expertise in this field and long standing connections with the affected community.

Significantly, the trial has widespread community support, including from community advisory groups, North Coast Primary Health Network, key NGOs, Indigenous health services, Northern NSW Local Health District, and local, State and Federal politicians.

You can read more about the clinical trial on the Southern Cross University website.

With these strategies including blue carbon technology, Professor Eyre – a renowned international scholar in this field – was also invited to deliver a presentation on blue carbon at the National Taiwan Ocean University following the Expo.

It’s great to see our Southern Cross University researchers being recognised at international level, and opening the doors to future collaboration through sharing their expertise.

You can find Professor Eyre’s researcher profile on the Southern Cross University website.

We will include a copy of the new Grants Calendar in the next edition of the Research newsletter.

You can find out more from:  https://www.arc.gov.au/funding-research/ARC_grants-calendar

What makes me eligible?

• a full-time academic staff member with a teaching/research workload
• recent human research ethics experience and an understanding of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2023
• demonstrated ability to apply research methodologies and review applications in accordance with the National Statement

What would I need to do?

• assess the ethical acceptability of research proposals and attend a monthly three-hour meeting at a Southern Cross University campus and/or online on a Monday afternoon
• maintain this commitment for the three-year tenure of your membership, and undertake training and professional development related to human research ethics
• review and provide recommendations on human research based on your expertise and in accordance with Section 5 of the National Statement 2023

Induction training will be provided to successful applicants before your first meeting.

I’m interested! How do I apply?

Please email:

• a covering letter addressing the criteria
• what you’d bring to the HREC, and why you’re interested in working in human research ethics
• a two-page CV
• letter of support from your Faculty/College Dean or head of work unit

to: [email protected] by 30 July 2024

If you require any further information, please contact the Research Ethics Officer on: [email protected]

Next Human Research Ethics submission dates

Here are the next Ethics Committee meeting and submission cut-off dates – the full 2024 meeting schedule is on the Southern Cross University website.

Please note that all high-risk applications must be reviewed at one of the scheduled meetings by the full HREC. For enquiries, please email: [email protected]

Access Sage Research Methods via the SCU Library’s database list.

If you’d like to learn more about open access publishing through Wiley, you can attend a free webinar on Thursday 18 July 2024, which will include the following:

Open access publishing

• benefits of open access publishing
• specifications of Wiley and CAUL’s transfomational agreement, and what these mean for authors
• Wiley Author Services workflow for researchers when submitting open access Article Publication Charge (APC) coverage request to participating CAUL institutions as part of the agreement

Tips for successful publishing

• preparing your manuscript, selecting a journal and submitting a paper
• what the peer review and production processes involve
• author resources Wiley offers for support through the publication process
• Publication ethics and artificial intelligence (AI)

Date:     Thursday 18 July 2024

Time:    1:00pm-2:00pm AEST

Register:  Registration (gotowebinar.com)

To find out more, email: [email protected]