What's On at UWA

Want to know how to get your graduate application to the top of the pile? Want to learn how to transform an average application response into one that will get you noticed?

Two reps from Teach for Australia will talk you through the various components of the graduate selection process.

We'll fill you in on the do's and don'ts of graduate applications to make sure you avoid common mistakes and know what employers look for.

Bookings essential through UWA CareerHub - http://uwa.careerhub.com.au

students/graduates in Agriculture competing for Young Professionals in Agriculture Award' ; winners will be announced at 1.45pm by Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Terry Redman

All welcome to attend the School of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine 2012 Seminar Series (RPH). On a weekly basis we have local/guest speakers presenting to a wide audience typically in the fields of immunology, molecular biology and cancer related research. This week we are privileged to have Professor Ruth Ganss a local speaker from the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, present on "Reversing Angiogenesis: Molecular Mechanisms and Implications for Therapy". Event is sponsored by Life Technologies and light refreshments are provided. For further inquiries please contact using the provided email. Look forward to seeing you there!

Semiparametric regression is concerned with the exible incorporation of nonlinear functional relationships in regression analyses. Assuming only a basic familiarity with ordinary regression, this short-course explains the techniques and benets of semiparametric regression in a concise and modular fashion. Spline functions, linear mixed models and Bayesian hierarchical models are shown to play an important role in semiparametric regression. There will be a strong emphasis on implementation in R and BUGS.

Registration for the course is available online at http://scg.maths.uwa.edu.au/?id=347

The Seminar: In mammals, including humans, there are two types of sleep. The function of the brain activity underlying these states, called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep, is an unresolved question in biology. Natural interspecific variation in sleep can constitute a powerful resource to identify the significance of these states. Notably, the study of birds, as the only animals outside of mammals to engage in REM and non-REM sleep, may provide unique insight into the evolution and function of these states by revealing overriding patterns common to both lineages. Such value is particularly salient because the similarity in sleep between mammals and birds appears to have arisen independently through convergent evolution. Here, I highlight three examples for the unique contribution of avian sleep towards our understanding of REM and non-REM sleep in mammals. By doing so, I emphasise that comparisons of sleeping mammals and birds can reveal general aspects of sleep that might not be evident using a strictly mammalian-based research approach.

The Speaker: John completed his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany, on the evolution and regulation of avian sleep. In 2011, he was awarded a University Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Western Australia. His research interests focus on the ecology and evolution of sleep, trade-offs between sleep and vigilance, the co-evolution of sleep and brain function, local aspects of sleep homeostasis, the influence of predation risk on sleep in prey, and measuring sleep in the wild.

Microalgae Energy Farms for Low Cost Biodiesel Production Presented by Dr Peer Schenk

ABSTRACT: From start to finish, biodiesel production from microalgae requires optimisation of all steps towards cost effectiveness and energy efficiency, as current limitations exist mainly in the industrial feasibility of microalgae systems. Our team is developing improved non-GM Australian microalgae strains, as well as low cost algae cultivation and harvesting systems to provide a cost & energy effective biodiesel production module. This module utilises microalgae's potential as zero-waste biorefineries, producing not only bioenergy, but also protein-rich animal feedstock and high-value products such as Omega-3 fatty acids. Our research group maintains a growing collection of marine and freshwater microalgae from Queensland, whereby high lipid yielding strains are screened and selected for improvement. We use adaptive evolution methods incorporating mutagenesis and high throughput selection for high-lipid yielding strains. These are then used in especially engineered "Split-System" cultivation units that incorporate both, a low cost photobioreactor (PBR) coupled with several extensive raceway ponds. In the PBR, optimal culture conditions are maintained with daily culture harvested into the raceway ponds to stimulate lipid biosynthesis. Several harvesting and lipid extraction.

Autotrophic Production of Algal Biofuel: What is the best technology line-up Presented by Dr Skye Thomas-Hall

ABSTRACT: Microalgae have the potential to produce 10-20 times more biofuel feedstock per unit area than any terrestrial bioenergy crop. However for this to be economically viable, three important technology stages need to come together: i) cultivation of high lipid species must be relatively contamination free and highly productive (ideally AFDW in excess of 30 g m-2 d-1); ii) the biomass needs to be harvested quickly using energy efficient technology; and iii) the harvested algae should be processed into stable products before value is lost. Cellana LLC was formed in 2008 with the primary aim of developing the technology pathway to make algal biofuels economically viable. Cellana’s 2.5ha Kona Demonstration Facility (KDF) is located on the Big Island of Hawaii and has been producing high quality algal biomass since 2009. The production can be tailored to customer needs for different fractions of the algal biomass, including lipids for biodiesel, protein for animal feed, essential fatty acids (i.e. EPA, DHA) and accessory pigments (e.g. lutein, ß-carotene, lycopene etc) for the nutrition and cosmetic industries. Cellana’s KDF is primarily a research facility, designed to test many algal species simultaneously (up to 12) in realistic outdoor conditions. The large scale hybrid system can grow 2 species simultaneously and has excellent flexibility that enables cultivation conditions to be optimized for each individual strain. The facility is also set up to test a variety of harvesting and dewatering techniques on each species grown at demonstrations scale (up to 780,000 L). Presented is an overview of strain selection at small scale (lab <1 L) and mid scale (outdoor 200 L). Growth parameters that can be altered for optimizing cultivation at mid scale and large scale (60,000 – 130,000 L). The majority of the presentation is on harvesting and processing techniques used by Cellana and in the wider algae industry, focusing on cost versus efficiency of methods trialed at Cellana’s Kona Demonstration Facility (KDF). Best handling and storage practices are also presented along with data analysis specifically focusing on lipid quality.

RNA-protein complexes play essential roles in the regulation of gene expression, by orchestrating the basic growth and maintenance of the cell as well as the complex developmental programs of multicellular eukaryotes. The modes by which proteins bind RNA are diverse and often difficult to predict, limiting our ability to engineer RNA-binding proteins for practical applications. Engineering RNA-binding proteins is attractive because they could be fused to any desired effector domain, enabling selective binding of a specific RNA target to investigate or manipulate any aspect of its metabolism. We have used directed evolution to expand the recognition of Pumilio and FBF homology (PUF) repeats beyond adenine, guanine and uracil and evolved them to specifically bind cytosine. These repeat sequences can be used to create PUF domains capable of binding RNA targets of diverse sequence and structure enabling many potential biological and medical applications.

The PHT1 high affinity Pi transporters belong to a highly multigenic family of genes. They are tightly regulated spatially and temporally by Pi supply at transcriptional and post-translational level. Combinations of genetic, cell biology and molecular biology experiment will be presented to dissect elements of this complexity.

All welcome to attend the School of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine 2012 Seminar Series (RPH). On a weekly basis we have local/guest speakers presenting to a wide audience typically in the fields of immunology, molecular biology and cancer related research. This week we are privileged to have a local speaker. Associate Professor Fiona Pixley from the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, presenting on "Targeting CSF-1 induced macrophage migration to inhibit tumour invasion and metastasis" Event is sponsored by Life Technologies and light refreshments are provided. For further inquiries please contact using the provided email. Look forward to seeing you there!

Cartilaginous fishes are comprised of approximately 1185 species worldwide and occupy a range of niches and primary habitats. It is a widely accepted view that neural development can reflect morphological adaptations and sensory specializations and it has been shown that similar patterns of brain organization, termed cerebrotypes, exist in species of that share certain lifestyle characteristics. Clear patterns of brain organization exist across cartilaginous fishes, irrespective of phylogenetic grouping. Examination of brain size (encephalization, n = 151) and interspecific variation in brain organization (n = 84) across this group suggests that similar patterns of brain organization, termed “cerebrotypes”, exist in species that share certain lifestyle characteristics. Clear patterns of brain organization exist across cartilaginous fishes, irrespective of phylogenetic grouping and, although this study was not a functional analysis, it provides further evidence that chondrichthyan brain structures might have developed in conjunction with specific behaviours or enhanced cognitive capabilities. Larger brains, with well-developed telencephala and large, highly foliated cerebella are reported in species that occupy complex reef or oceanic habitats, such as Prionace glauca and Sphyrna zygaena. In contrast, benthic and benthopelagic demersal species comprise the group with the smallest brains, such as Cephaloscyllium spp. and Squatina californica, with a relatively reduced telencephalon and a smooth cerebellar corpus. There is also evidence of a bathyal cerebrotype; deep-sea benthopelagic sharks, such as Centroselachus crepidater and Harriotta raleighana possess relatively small brains and show a clear relative hypertrophy of the medulla oblongata. Despite the patterns observed and documented, significant gaps in the literature have been highlighted. Brain mass data are only currently available on c. 16% of all chondrichthyan species, and only 8% of species have data available on their brain organization, with far less on subsections of major brain areas that receive distinct sensory input. The interspecific variability in brain organization further stresses the importance of performing functional studies on a greater range of species. Only an expansive data set, comprised of species that span a variety of habitats and taxonomic groups, with widely disparate behavioural repertoires, combined with further functional analyses, will help shed light on the extent to which chondrichthyan brains have evolved as a consequence of behaviour, habitat and lifestyle in addition to phylogeny.

Dr Sharwood’s research focuses on the molecular engineering of higher plant chloroplasts to improve many facets of plant productivity. Chloroplasts harbour the key biochemical reactions of photosynthesis, a process that underpins all life on earth.

'Measuring nanoparticle dispersion and in vitro cellular uptake by electron microscopy' presented by Nicole Hondow from the Institute for Materials Research, University of Leeds

Engineered nanoparticles have been the focus of much recent research with a wide-range of potential applications in catalysis, biomedicine, magnetic resonance imaging, data storage and environmental remediation. For biomedical applications these particles often have surface modification with organic molecules to stabilise them in biological suspensions, functionalise the surface and avoid immediate uptake or clearance by the immune system. Understanding the structure of particles after modification and when within cellular environments is criticial to their safe and successful application. At Leeds we have been developing a systematic approach to the characterisation of nanoparticles and their cellular uptake using electron microscopy. One approach is to draw on the imaging and analytical capabilities of transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) to characterise these particles before and after cellular uptake. A key challenge for this work is representative sample preparation, and we are examining this using CdTe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots dispersed in biological media and serum. The uptake of these nanoparticles by U2-OS human osteosarcoma cells has been examined by quantitative TEM imaging to determine the distribution of the nanoparticles in membrane bound vesicles and the cytoplasm. This is being extended into 3-D, using the Gatan 3-View system in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to serial section resin-embedded cells exposed to quantum dots. By combining the information from TEM imaging (i.e. location and number of vesicles per 2-D cell section plus the number of quantum dots per vesicle) and serial sectioning (i.e. location, size and number of vesicles in whole cells (3-D)) with that provided by other techniques (such as optical imaging,) we are developing a fully quantitative description of cellular uptake of these quantum dots.

The immune system can be seen as the metaphorical factor of applied performance, which makes the latter artistic practice more than simply social work. Transposed into a functional nomenclature, the immune system makes a larger body stay healthy by encountering visitors (pathogens) by way of recollection, accommodation, identification, discrimination, protection, and aggression. But it may also learn to live with strangers, ad interim, even if it doesn’t quite know who they are. This captures the current challenges of contemporary applied performance very well.

Applied performance is used when social crises require extraordinary management beyond simple solutions. Such conflicts often subsist on deep structural and implicit behavioural attitudes between two parties in situations of, i.e., racism, bullying, gender discord, postcolonial disputes, ecological predicaments, and so forth. Applied performance is often initiated by a third party, e.g., extension workers in non-governmental organizations, who approach conflicts with an equally cooperative and critical mind towards the host culture, but also those who choose to participate in projects.

Amanda Newall is Senior Lecturer in sculpture at Royal Institute of Arts (Kungliga Konsthögskolan) in Stockholm, Sweden. She is also conducting a doctoral project at Chelsea College of Art, University of the Arts, London. She has taught sculpture, socially engaged art, curatorship, professional practice and new media at Auckland University, Lancaster Institute for Contemporary Arts (UK), and has exhibited numerous international shows.

Ola Johansson is Guest Professor in artistic research at Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts (Stockholms dramatiska högskola). His books on community theatre and performance art are paralleled by creative work in intercultural performance, documentary film, devising, and applied performance. He has taught devising and applied performance in the UK, Sweden and India. Johansson’s have published two books, Community Theatre and AIDS (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) and Performance and Philosophy: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Performing Arts (Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag, 2008).

Teaching school children about reptiles sounded like a great, easy idea. I had a snake and a few lizards that were children-friendly, what else did I need? Well, the answer was licensing, business registration, naming rights, website construction, writing fact sheets, linking material to the school curriculum and eating cake. Find out how I've achieved success in the world of environmental education and see some of the lessons I've learned along the way.

The Seminar: By investigating the neural basis of behaviour in marine organisms, it is possible to identify the signals that govern a range of behaviours crucial for survival. In this presentation, the fields of neuroscience and ecology are integrated to explore animal behaviour and the processing of environmental signals by both the peripheral and central nervous systems of a range of (predominantly marine) organisms. Within every species’ microhabitat, the ability to detect the physical environment for setting circadian rhythms, avoiding predation, finding food and for reproductive success are often different. We use innovative neurobiological techniques such as molecular genetics, microspectrophotometry, bioimaging, electrophysiology and anatomy to trace the evolution of sensory systems and the detection thresholds for light, chemosensory signals, electric fields, water borne sound and hydrodynamic disturbances. In this way, we hope to understand how we can protect biodiversity and the varied environments each species is adapted to.

The Speaker: Professor Shaun P. Collin is a WA Premiers Research Fellow and Winthrop Professor at The University of Western Australia. He heads a large Neuroecology Group that investigates the neural basis of behaviour in both invertebrates and vertebrates, with special emphasis on sensory systems and vision. Before joining UWA from The University of Queensland, where he was a Professor within the School of Biomedical Sciences for 10 years, he spent appreciable periods of time in Canada, the United States, Germany and Australia on a range of prestigious Research Fellowships (ARC QEII, Fulbright, Alexander von Humboldt, Grass). Using a range of cutting edge techniques, his Group investigates the impacts of light on biodiversity, sustainability and health in a large diversity of animals, including humans. Prof. Collin has published over 170 scientific papers, including 2 books, and sits on the Editorial Boards of 5 international journals. He also sits on the College of Experts Panel for the Australian Research Council (ARC) and is a member of the Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (TIAC) for the WA State Government.

All welcome to attend the School of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine 2012 Seminar Series (RPH). On a weekly basis we have local/guest speakers presenting to a wide audience typically in the fields of immunology, molecular biology and cancer related research. This week we are delighted to have 2 of our own students presenting final MLM and honours seminars respectively: Abdullah Ali Aseeri on 'Identification and discrimination of different strains of CA-MRSA by using MALDI-TOF MS' and Royston Ong on 'Whole exome sequencing applied to Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) Disease' from the School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UWA. The event is sponsored by Life Technologies and light refreshments are provided. For further inquiries please contact using the provided email. Look forward to seeing you there!

The Seminar: The seminar will focus on the two main areas of research conducted in the comparative and thermal physiology lab; the mechanism and use of selective brain cooling in some animals, and the variation in the circadian rhythm of core body temperature (and what it might mean). When it was first discovered selective brain cooling was promulgated as an adaptation that protected a thermally vulnerable brain during heat exposure. Over the last few years we have shown that this does not seem to be the case because the only time free-living animals get very hot is during exercise, and during exercise selective brain cooling is not activated. Rather the mechanism seems to have a direct effect on water use for thermoregulation in hot conditions, via panting and sweating. Thus the selective importance of the mechanism is quite subtle and is related to water economy rather than to thermoregulation per se.

Traditionally it is accepted that small mammals have all the machinery required to be homeothermic (maintain a constant, high body temperature), but for reasons of energy economy occasionally abandon homeothermy and enter torpor or hibernation. Large mammals are considered to be strict homeotherms. Data we have collected from a range of ‘large’ mammals suggests that energy balance can effect homeothermy in them too, suggesting that thermoregulatory patterns in animals form a continuum rather than a strict dichotomy. We use these data to show, though, that a better homeotherm performs better on several measures of animal performance, including growth and reproduction. Whether this is a cause and effect relationship remains to be established.

The Speaker: Shane Maloney is a Professor in the School of Anatomy, Physiology, and Human Biology at the University of Western Australia. He did his PhD at the University of New South Wales on thermal biology of the emu followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in the Brain Function Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he focussed on brain temperature regulation in mammals. Since 1999 he has been at the University of Western Australia where his research centres on environmental physiology in man and other animals, with a focus on heat balance, energy use, and the mechanisms of thermoregulation.

The Three MInute Thesis (3MT) is a fun and challenging event that encourages the communication of research to a wide audience. The UWA 3MT competition finals will be held on 25th July and this presentation is a comprehensive guide to the preparation and presentation of a compelling 3MT talk. The presenter, Simon Clews,is an experienced 3MT judge who has championed the 3MT competition in Australia and internationally.

Each year The UWA Institute of Agriculture hosts an annual Postgraduate Showcase where selected postgraduate students in the area of Agriculture and related Natural Resource Management present their research findings. The Postgraduate Showcase brings together some of UWA’s outstanding PhD students at an advanced stage of their research. It highlights relevant research and progress being made in the area of Agriculture and Natural Resource Management at UWA.

The event encourages interaction and networking between industry, prospective employers, funding bodies, external and internal IOA partners, and postgraduate students undertaking research in agriculture and related areas.

X-ray crystallography is a method of determining the arrangement of atoms within a crystal. This talk will briefly outline the technique used in the determination of crystal structures with special reference to small molecules. The instrumentation which is available to researchers at UWA for diffraction experiments will also be described. A number of results from such experiments will be presented including examples of crystal structures from the various research areas within UWA.