UTAS research receives ARC funding

A method to protect Tasmania's electricity supply from climate change is part of $4 million in Australian Research Council grants for the University of Tasmania, announced this week.

The University of Tasmania has been funded for16 Discovery and Linkage projects, including a project that will help secure Tasmania's electricity supply by developing methods to reduce algal growth in hydroelectric pipelines.

Chief investigator, Dr Jane Sargison, of the School of Engineering and Centre for Renewable Energy and Power Systems, is leading the hydroelectric research project in partnership with Hydro Tasmania. Hydro is providing $150,000 and the ARC $160,000 over three years.

The funding will help improve canal and pipeline performance by studying the effect of algae and bacterial growth, which is predicted to increase with rainfall patterns changing due to climate change.

UTAS Vice Chancellor Professor Daryl Le Grew said the funding is indicative of the quality of research being undertaken by researchers at the university.

“The University of Tasmania has a long history of securing funding from the ARC for our research work, and this success is built on world-class results that are being transferred from knowledge to industry,” Prof Le Grew said.

Other successful Discovery projects were:

Law Enforcement - Environmental law enforcement on hazardous waste disposal (131,000) (DP1096502), Prof Rob White.
Psychology – Age-related changes in brain activation ($290,364) (DP1094440), Prof Jeff Summers.
Political Science - Developing recommendations for the Federal Government and aid organisations to assist in democratisation and conflict management in Eastern Indonesia ($95,100) (DP1096149), Dr Dirk Tomsa.
Botany – The natural light environment of legumes to improve crops under changing agronomic requirements ($490,000) (DP1095478), Prof James Weller.
Journalism, Communication & Media – Changing landscapes: online media and politics in an age of environmental conflict ($182,000) (DP1095173), Dr Libby Lester.
Botany – Predicting the future of higher CO2 on foodwebs and the ability of the ocean to absorb CO2 and to set targets for carbon emissions ($280,000) (DP1093801), Prof Gustaaf Hallegraeff.
Geology – The economic potential of deep mantle-derived magmas ($105,000) (DP1092823), Prof Vadim Kamenetsky.
Other Biological Studies – Impacts of climate change on seaweed-based systems on rocky reefs in south east Australia ($275,000) (DP1096573), Prof Craig Johnson.
Political Science – Changing political careers in Australia, including recent changes in political recruitment and careers ($100,000) (DO1096203), Prof Jan Pakulski.
Crop & Pasture Production – Oxidative stress from salinity and drought and the severe impact on cop production and multibillion dollar losses to Australian farmers ($330,000) (DP1094663), A/Prof Sergey Shabala.
Policy and Administration - Study of international taxation in the 21st Century and whether cooperation between states is possible ($66,000) (DP1095946), Dr Richard Eccleston.
Mathematics - Analysis of how fluid layers overturn and mix, which will have important implications for oceanography studies and transport of liquids such as fuel ($288,000) (DP1093658), Professor Larry Forbes.
Analytical Chemistry - Developing faster and simpler methods for chemical analysis of complex materials using ion chromatography ($540,000) (DP1094628), Professor Paul Haddad.