Richard Lim, The Star 21 Jun 09;
Innovation and technology are at the forefront of Australia’s quest to move forward.
IF panorama could bring a man to verse, my recent trip to Australia would probably result in a number of volumes.
Coupling the surreal landscape with four seasons, fresh floral-scented breezes and an accent which is quintessentially Australian, it seemed like I had the perfect getaway to free my mind.
But as far as freeing my mind went, I was in for a twist that recalibrated my perspective.
And if my 10-day sojourn across Perth, Adelaide and Tasmania with other Thai and Malaysian journalists taught me a thing or two, it was that although shops close by 6pm – or before – the Aussies aren’t quite as laidback as far as research is concerned.
Liquid assets
Being the driest continent on earth behind Antarctica, it is an understatement that effective water management is a big thing Down Under.
“Research on water quality and conservation has become increasingly popular over the years and even more so for us in Perth – the driest part of Australia,” says Prof Keith Smettem of the University of Western Australia (UWA).
“With erratic rainfall and worldwide pollution, water is fast becoming the new oil and there is a need to predict the future of water resource so we can adjust accordingly.”
The head of UWA’s School of Environmental Systems Engineering, Smettem explains that UWA offers many integrated programmes incorporating water resource, engineering and the environment.
And he says that the research conducted is vital not just for Australia, but also the region.
“We’ve done studies on tsunamis and other ocean disturbances to analyse their impact on the environment,” he continues. “We also track current flows offshore and we’ve been refining our flood and drought prediction techniques.
“The Australian climate has been affected by droughts in an extreme way and this is not an exclusive problem as driving atmospheric circulation patterns affect Malaysia and other Asian countries through the Indian and Pacific Ocean oscillation systems.”
And it isn’t just water per se as the school is involved in unearthing the intricate links between water management and the agriculture sector as well.
Waste produced by agricultural activities could lead to the degradation of coastal waters and research is being done to see how nature can be better preserved.
The school’s reputation has made waves in Malaysia and several government-sponsored students are in UWA to upskill themselves.
Among them are first-year PhD student Azra Numirah Mat Daud, 31, and her second-year counterpart Som Cit Si Nang, 26, who are conducting research on contaminant dynamics in lakes and wetlands and cyanobacterial toxin in fresh water, respectively.
Sponsored by the Higher Education Ministry, the duo agree that they’ve benefited from their time in Oz and look forward to solving Malaysia’s problems – especially when drinking water is concerned.
“It’s a great experience studying here as we have access to many resources and receive great supervision,” says Som Cit. “There is also strong industrial linkage and we are exposed to real life problems. Bringing a theoretical understanding to technical problems is an invaluable experience.”
Flying fish and weed busters
Those links become evident as Smettem proceeds to explain UWA’s work with Slocum Ocean gliders.
Named after Nova Scotian Joshua Slocum – the first person to sail around the world alone in 1898 – the gliders first pass as an odd yellow fish. The A$100,000 (RM278,500) price tag per unit, however, prices them out of many a market.
“The gliders we’re working on have the capability to change their buoyancy constantly,” explains Smettem.
“We use them to monitor ocean currents and we can keep abreast of any changes over the seasons. It provides us with data regarding the productivity of marine plant life in any part of the ocean and we can then analyse how things are evolving vis-à-vis climate change.”
As ocean life often exhibits different characteristics during the day and night, the gliders provide much-needed 24-hour surveillance.
Traditional oceanography readings are only done during the day and with that in mind, the gliders are worth their weight in gold.
The impact of currents on offshore structures can also be studied and this is vital to Australia’s oil and gas industry.
The same industrial relevance applies to agriculture.
Although he is no botanist by trade, Edith Cowan University research fellow Dr Sreten Askraba has designed a prototype that could revolutionise the industry.
Combining laser optics and nanotechnology, Dr Askraba’s prototype generates multiple laser beams that detect the presence of weeds and other unwanted plants.
“If 10% of a crop field is infested by weeds, farmers normally use herbicides on the entire crop but this will have adverse effects on the environment,” he explains.
“This system is unique because it enables farmers to do selective spraying. If equipped on farming machines, this system detects weeds and selected nozzles will then spray herbicides on the small infected areas.
“The process is more environmentally friendly and farmers can cut costs on herbicides.”
With each laser separated by a mere 15mm, thorough sweeps through crops can be conducted easily and Dr Askraba’s prototype is set to go on a trial run in August.
The testing ground is a sugar cane plantation in Queensland where farmers are keen on eradicating Guinea grass and Johnson grass.
Although he is still in the process of marketing the still-unnamed system, Dr Askraba is already envisioning a day where his prototype will be used not only in fields but also in golf courses.
Are you watching closely?
And his dream could well come true as the teenage fantasy of getting paid to be a couch potato has become a reality!
At Murdoch University’s Interactive Television Research Institute (ITRI), 4,000 lucky viewers in Perth are paid for taking part in experiments that seek to understand viewer behaviour towards advertisements, movies and programmes.
“We’re looking at the future and with television going online, we are in an amazing digital age,” enthuses ITRI executive director Prof Duane Varan.
“Our studies have shown that once people make a choice, they develop a bias and they subsequently try to reinforce their decisions.”
But with overt participant observation, how does the ITRI minimise the Hawthorne effect – unauthentic participant behaviour due to the knowledge that they are being observed?
They make their labs as homely as possible. Each lab – especially the large lounge for couple and group study – is equipped with plush sofas, plasma TVs, potted plants, lamps, candles, ornamental shelves, a coffee table and a ‘window’ with blinds to give a comfortable and realistic feel. The ‘window’ is actually a one-way mirror and enables observation while recording is done via the cameras hidden in the TV cabinet and on the roof. Meanwhile, strategically placed microphones record the sound footage.
“The homely décor strengthens research validity and with specialised and non-intrusive equipment, we can isolate each variable,” continues Varan
“For example, the two small cameras hidden in the coffee table in front of the viewer allow us to record head position and orientation, gaze direction, blink rate, saccade rate and eye closure.”
The data provides estimates of attention and fatigue, as well as information about where the viewer is looking on screen – ensuring that the slightest glance at the lady in red does not go unnoticed.
Respiration, heart rate and muscle tension can also be tracked and by placing two small electrodes on a finger, ITRI staff can analyse the viewer’s state of psychological arousal when they watch the television.
With much support from its many industrial collaborators such as NBC, BBC, BSkyB and ESPN, among others, the ITRI is even taking its research to shopping malls and primary schools using portable audience research centres – vans that bring the viewing lounges to the masses.
The Iceberg Cometh
The human anatomy isn’t the only thing under such detailed scrutiny and technology is also at the forefront of Australia’s quest to master the waves.
“Australia is very much a maritime nation and we believe in providing the best training before students actually set sail,” opines Australian Maritime College (AMC) National Centre for Ports and Shipping director, Captain John Lloyd.
The result? A whopping A$7mil (RM19.5mil) simulation facility that mimics actual sailing conditions at the AMC campus in Tasmania.
Involving three or four students per session, the simulation is seen as a litmus test for ship handling and seafaring.
“It’s like flight school,” continues Lloyd. “You can’t crash your plane and you certainly can’t wreck the ship. Sessions are engaging as we can manipulate day and night settings, weather effects, ocean currents and even different boat and engine types.’’
More complex conundrums require students to navigate high density traffic in low visibility conditions. And with a databank capable of giving up-to-date renditions of the world’s busiest ports, things are kept fresh.
As he speaks, the floor of the facility bobs up and down, resulting in a few journalists getting seasick – but not yours truly – and with such attention to detail, the training is bound to be better than the real thing at times.
That said, all the AMC now needs is an eulogy-inducing simulation that prepares potential sailors for the Gulf of Aden.
And should it ever boil down to a case of sink or swim – literally – most AMC students will fancy their chances. Shipboard safety and other survival courses provided train students in vessel abandonment, fire fighting and even sea evacuation via helicopter.
The AMC also excels in maritime machine design at its Centre for Engineering and Hyrodynamics.
Researchers are able to gauge how many people will get seasick on any given vessel by measuring vertical acceleration and its frequency at the centre’s hydrodynamic test facility.
The margin of error is a remarkable 0.5% and the centre’s findings go far in influencing ship design.
Meanwhile, the AMC’s Centre for Maritime Conservation focuses on the study of the natural sciences with policy and management.
“With climate change, sustainable aquaculture is becoming a new buzzword and we’re looking into better ways of conducting marine husbandry,” explains aquaculture lecturer Louise Ward.
“We’re also studying how the changing ocean climate affects the migration patterns of marine species and we welcome international students as they give us the opportunity to impart our knowledge – and learn from them in the process.
“The ocean is shared by all and it will take a concerted effort to manage the marine environment for future generations.”
Final Musings
Although Ward may sound a tad sentimental, her views sum up the global outlook that is adopted by Australian education.
Essentially recognised as an important business, education Down Under is constantly evolving. The only constant seems to be the emphasis on quality.
And with so much going on in Oz, a journalist’s job could not be harder (pun intended).
