What's On at UWA

There is a rapidly growing interest among agricultural research to work in international development. Certainly, it is an extraordinary field, filled with challenges, yet bringing enormous rewards. Some key questions that many enthusiasts face are:

How do I get involved?

What does a career in international development entail?

Which organisations exists and what do they do?

If any of the above ring a bell to you, please join us in our next RAID event. Researchers in Agricultural for International Development (RAID) is an Australia-wide network aimed at connecting, supporting and engaging with researchers with an interest in this space.

Please, join us on 7 March to meet and learn from top leading researchers in the field:

Dr Deborah Prichard: Senior Lecturer, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University

- Prof. Richard Bell: Professor in Land Management and leader of the Land Management Group at Murdoch University

- Prof. Kadambot Siddique: Hackett Professor of Agriculture Chair and Director, The UWA Institute of Agriculture

- Dr Eloise Biggs: Lecturer, Faculty of Science, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment

- Prof. Tim Colmer: Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), UWA School of Agriculture and Environment

- Dr David Mickler: Interim Director of the UWA Africa Research & Engagement Centre (AfREC) and Senior Lecturer in Foreign Policy & International Relations in the School of Social Science, UWA

- Em Prof. Lynette Abbott: Senior Honorary Research Fellow, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, Crawford Fund WA Committee Coordinator

- David Windsor: Consulting Agricultural Scientist, WA Chair AG Institute Australia

Speakers will talk about their own experiences and provide tips on how to get actively involved in agricultural research for international development. The event is aimed at CONNECTING people with a common passion, so we encourage all attendees to participate in the networking after the talks. Nibbles and drinks will be provided.

The RAID team look forward to seeing you at the event!

Note: There is free parking in and around campus after 5pm.

An Australian robotics company, ST Solutions, will present a talk on how to use its product, "Pepper", a communication robot for research, teaching, and outreach activities. There will be a robot demonstration using Pepper.

We’re hosting an event in support of the national charity R U OK? because we believe that asking “are you ok?” is something we can all do to make a difference. On March 19th, the Science Student Office, Science Union and SNAGS will be holding our R U OK? Day to inspire that simple but important question “are you ok?” Free BBQ and drinks provided

Migrants to Australia often experience diverse health and mental health needs which may not be met by mainstream services. Addressing such needs involves understanding complex social and cultural specifics. Instead of treating people as generic bodies, a social approach to health recognises that individual and collective histories, migration stories, settlement conditions, cultural practices and social positioning affect health outcomes. Taking social perspectives into account can help us ensure inclusive health and mental healthcare. So what are the key issues? And what are the solutions? Essential by registering online at http://bit.ly/migrant-health-uwa by Monday 18 March 2019

Abstract: Melanoma is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, resulting in ~1500 deaths each year. While extensive public health campaigns have increased community awareness of the importance of sun-safety and skin monitoring, a substantial number of melanomas remain undetected until late-stage progression. New treatments that harness the immune system offer great promise for melanoma treatment, but further advances are required for these approaches to succeed in the majority of patients. Immunotherapy strategies use a variety of approaches to harness T cell immunity to control melanoma. We have recently identified several new settings of effective T cell cancer surveillance, resulting in either complete elimination of malignant cells or the establishment of a dynamic ‘melanoma-immune equilibrium’. This fundamental knowledge should be of value for the development of novel clinical strategies targeting cancer.

Speaker: Dr. Jason Waithman is a molecular and cellular immunologist having obtained his PhD in 2008. His training was completed in outstanding institutions that include the University of Melbourne, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, and Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research under the guidance of multiple international leading immunologists. He relocated to Perth in 2012 to establish and run an independent, original research program at the Telethon Kids Institute. He has successfully attracted fellowship support from 2010-21 and has attracted project funding from multiple sources to support his research program. He is currently working closely with an industry partner and the host institute to develop innovative therapeutic techniques for cancer patients as part of the discovery and translation pipeline associated with his research program.

Melanotransferrin (MTf) is a membrane-bound transferrin homologue that is found in melanoma cells and was one of the first melanoma tumour antigens to be characterized. It possesses an iron-binding site like the iron-binding protein in the blood, transferrin, but does not play a role in normal cellular iron metabolism. This was shown by Richardson through a variety of studies in vitro in cell culture and in vivo using purpose generated melanotransferrin knockout and transgenic mice. However, Richardson later demonstrated that melanotransferrin stimulates melanoma growth, proliferation and migration and more recently appears to play an exciting role in oncogenic signalling via down-regulating the metastasis suppressor protein, NDRG1. Intriguingly, over-expression of NDRG1 can down-regulate MTf. The studies over a period of 20 years will be discussed.

There is emerging evidence that how individuals accumulate their physical activity and sedentary behaviour (e.g. bouts, breaks) each day may be important for health. It is possible to assess activity patterns using different objective monitors (e.g. ActiGraph, activPAL, etc), yet there is little consistency in which patterns are examined in children and adults. In this talk, A/Prof Ridgers will discuss her research that is focusing on understanding patterns of activity accumulation. She will describe ways that have been used measure activity patterns, and identify some of the historical and current challenges facing researchers. She will present research that has examined changes in patterns over time and within interventions, and how patterns are associated with health outcomes. She will finish with a discussion that highlights the importance of considering changes in activity across the activity spectrum (from sedentary to vigorous activity). Throughout the presentation, A/Prof Ridgers will highlight opportunities afforded by objective measures to assess activity patterns moving forwards.

A/Prof Nicola Ridgers is a researcher within the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University. Her program of research primarily focuses on the measurement of children’s physical activity patterns, examining factors that influence activity levels, and promoting physical activity using theory-based interventions. She currently holds a National Heart Foundation of Australia Future Leader Fellowship that is focusing on the accumulation of activity by youth and associations with cardio-metabolic risk factors.

There is emerging evidence that how individuals accumulate their physical activity and sedentary behaviour (e.g. bouts, breaks) each day may be important for health. It is possible to assess activity patterns using different objective monitors (e.g. ActiGraph, activPAL, etc), yet there is little consistency in which patterns are examined in children and adults. In this talk, A/Prof Ridgers will discuss her research that is focusing on understanding patterns of activity accumulation. She will describe ways that have been used measure activity patterns, and identify some of the historical and current challenges facing researchers. She will present research that has examined changes in patterns over time and within interventions, and how patterns are associated with health outcomes. She will finish with a discussion that highlights the importance of considering changes in activity across the activity spectrum (from sedentary to vigorous activity). Throughout the presentation, A/Prof Ridgers will highlight opportunities afforded by objective measures to assess activity patterns moving forwards.

In the 1960s, Australia made a significant contribution to the first International Indian Ocean Expedition. Now, nearly six decades later, a second Expedition is underway, and in May 2019 a multi-institutional team of 30 oceanographers will head offshore from Fremantle with the Australian Research Vessel Investigator to study the oceanography of the SE Indian Ocean. On this month-long voyage we will to repeat the 110°E line from the 1960s, examine multi-decadal change in the physics, chemistry and biology of the water column, investigate microbes and biogeochemistry especially related to nitrogen and study the pelagic food web from plankton through to mesopelagic lantern fishes. The voyage will also enable ground truthing of bio-optical quantities like sea surface colour recorded by satellites as well as an acoustic survey of whales. For comparison, some of our work will use the original techniques employed during the first Expedition but these will be supplemented by a host of modern techniques and electronic technology that will assist us in better understanding the pelagic ecosystem at the western edge of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

Towards machine learning in computational spectroscopy for isomers

Surgical wound complications such as dehiscence (SWD) are a significant issue that affect large numbers of patients and is almost certainly under-reported. The impact of SWD can be considerable: increased mortality, delayed hospital discharge, readmission, further surgery, delayed adjuvant treatment, suboptimal aesthetic outcome and impaired psychosocial wellbeing. Consequently, it is imperative to raise awareness of SWD and improve identification, prevention and management. Prevention of SWD comprises excellence in surgical practice, prevention of surgical site infection, reducing risk of healing impairment and use of interventional therapies such as single-use negative pressure wound therapy in appropriately identified high-risk patients. Management also involves a holistic approach that includes amelioration of impediments to healing, optimising conditions in the wound bed and using appropriate treatment modalities to ultimately close the wound. The need for international consensus on the core issues around SWD arose from the doctoral research of Kylie Sandy-Hodgetts. The process started with a meeting of an international group of surgical care experts in July 2017. Development of the subsequent consensus document included extensive review by the Core Expert Working Group and a Review Panel. This consensus document is aimed at clinicians in all care settings who work with patients with surgical incisions. The main objective of the document is to inspire clinicians to improve outcomes for patients by providing practical guidance on how to improve prevention and management of SWD.

Abstract: Professor Pierre Blier -Seeking the secret of longevity, deep in the sea. Delineating the physiological and biochemical causes of aging process in the animal kingdom is a highly active area of research not only because of potential benefits for human health but also because aging process is related to life history strategies (growth and reproduction) and to responses of organisms to environmental conditions and stress. In this presentation, I advocate studying bivalve species as models for revealing the determinants of species divergences in maximal longevity. This taxonomic group includes the longest living metazoan on earth (Arctica islandica), which insures the widest range of maximum life span when shorter living species are also included in the comparative model. This model can also be useful for uncovering factors modulating the pace of aging in given species by taking advantages of the wide disparity of lifespan among different populations of the same species. For example, maximal lifespan in different populations of A islandica range from approximately 36 years to over 500 years. In the last 15 years, research has revealed that either regulation or tolerance to oxidative stress is tightly correlated to longevity in this group which support further investigations on this taxon to unveil putative mechanistic links between Reactive Oxygen Species and aging process.

Bio: Pierre Blier is Professor of Evolutionary Physiology at the Université du Québec à Rimouski in Canada. He obtained a PhD at Laval University in Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry and has been invited professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the “Institution des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpelleir and at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science. He is currently invited Scholar at Monash University. He has been interested in the evolution of mitochondria in animals (mostly ectotherms) for the last 30 years and worked on the links between evolution of mtDNA and mitochondrial phenotype. In the last 15 years he studied the mitochondrial characters potentially associated with lifespan animals.

Abstract: Professor Dufresne France - Phenotypic consequences of mutation accumulations on mitochondria. Mitochondria are essential organelles that generate ATP necessary to sustain life via the oxidative phosphorylation. The mitochondrial genome is known to be sensitive to the accumulation of deleterious mutations due to its highly mutagenic environment. Yet we lack a complete understanding of the impact of spontaneous DNA mutations on heritable damages within the germ line and how these affect mitochondrial functions. Exposure to mutagenic environmental contaminants can accelerate mutation accumulation. However, little is known about how mutagenic compounds affect the scope and extent of the phenotypic effects of spontaneous mutations on the mitochondria. In this talk, I will present our recent work on the effects of mutation accumulations (MA) on mitochondrial traits and fitness in the microinvertebrate, Daphnia pulex. We used lines of Daphnia that were bottlenecked every generation for 120 generations under mild copper and benign conditions. We compared life history traits, mtDNA copy number and mitochondrial respiration in bottlenecked Daphnia lines to those of control lines (Daphnia that were kept in large numbers for the same period of time). Our results are the first to empirically demonstrate the alleged sensitivity of mitochondria to mutational load and point at modulation of mtDNA content as an important mitigation mechanism of mutational impacts.

Bio: France Dufresne is a professor of genetics at the Université du Québec à Rimouski. She obtained her Ph.D. in zoology from the university of Guelph. She held postdoctorate fellowships at the Université Laval and at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (San Diego). She has major interests in genome size evolution, and more specifically in how increases in genome size through polyploidy affects adaptation to cold environments. Another major aspect of her studies is the evolution of sexual reproduction. She applies genetic and genomic tools to examine the evolutionary consequences of a lack of genetic recombination in her model system, Daphnia. Other areas of expertise in her laboratory include genetic connectivity and local adaptation in various marine invertebrate species and algae.

Searching grey literature is an important step in ensuring that your systematic review is truly comprehensive. Come and learn some strategies and sources for searching grey literature, which includes everything that has not been published in a conventional sense.

If feeling too stressed, it’s time to take back control and reconnect to that place of calm and inner peace! Stress is the most commonly cited challenge many of us face on a daily basis. Severe chronic stress puts us at risk of poor health and mood disorders including anxiety, depression and panic. In this workshop Dr Jenny Brockis will teach you how to recognise symptoms of stress or burnout before they become an issue and how to create your daily stress resilience toolkit and emergency stress response pack to call upon when necessary.

Dr. Jenny Brockis is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author and medical practitioner who believes that rather than ‘just getting by,’ we can all achieve greater success and life satisfaction by embracing the findings of the neuroscience. Long fascinated by the human brain and behaviour, Jenny shares her knowledge and expertise as easy to understand concepts and strategies that can be readily implemented to boost mental performance. Clients find her passion and enthusiasm for her topic infectious, inspiring real change in their business.

Cryo Electron Microscopy Application in Life-Science and Material-Science: prerequisites, instrumentation and methods.