Breakthrough for clean biofuel research using salt-tolerant algae crops

Australian scientists are a step closer to creating commercial quantities of clean biofuel using salt-tolerant algae crops.  A joint $3.3 million project led by Murdoch University and involving the University of Adelaide, now leads world algae biofuel research.

Dr David Lewis from the University of Adelaide’s School of Chemical Engineering says a key aspect of the project is to show that commercial levels of algae can be grown without competing for resources with food crops, stating: “The algae will grow on non-arable, even arid-land, without any need for freshwater in cultivation”  [read more].

A new wave of extinction looms.

Professor Corey Bradshaw of the Environment Institute appeared on the ABC’s The Midday Report commenting on the recent release of the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). View the media clip or read Corey’s blog Conservation Bytes for more information.

Keeping ahead of our changing world

Listen to a podcast of Prof. Mike Young from The University of Adelaide, entitled “Keeping ahead of our changing world – step changes in response to resource changes”.  Alternatively you might like to view the slidecast.  This seminar is brought to you by The Environment Institute at The University of Adelaide.

Congratulations to our ARC recipients.

Several Environment Institute members were sucessful in the recent round of Australian Research Council grant applications.

Discovery projects were awarded to

• Dr Damien Fordham and Dr Barry Brook -  Range dynamics and demographics of spatially structured populations under global change.
• Prof Martin Lambert, Prof GA Kuczera, Dr MA Thyer and Dr AV Metcalfe – A new flood design methodology for a variable and changing climate.
• Prof Graham Nathan, A. Prof BB Dally and Prof H Pitsch – Detailed understanding of the behaviour of soot in, and emission from, turbulent flames and fires.
• Prof AR Simpson, Prof MF Lambert and Prof LB White – Frequency domain micro-reflection processing for pipe condition assessment.
• Dr W Haak, Dr B Llamas, Dr L Quintana-Murci and Prof AL Hughes – A shipload of consequences: studying the impact of Old World diseases on native South American populations via ancient DNA.

Linkage projects were awarded to

• A. Prof Bronwyn M Gillanders and Dr Travis S Elsdon-  Linking fish recruitment and habitat use ecosystem processes.
• Dr Jennie Fluin and Dr John Tibby – Establishing baseline ecological conditions for the Lower Lakes, South Australia: the applications fo palaeoecology to sustainable resource management.

Congratulations to all recipients.

Premier’s Science Research Fund – Climate Change, Community and Environment.

The Premier’s Science Research Fund – Climate Change, Communitues and Environment research project was officially launched on the 22nd of October. This project brings together a group of researchers to plan for adaptation to climate change in regional South Australia. We will identify those land use practices and conservation areas that are most at risk from adverse effets of climage change and identify adaptation strategies and policy options to supposrt planning and implementation by regional natural resource management agencies. In so doing we will identify the managment investments that get the best improvement in natural resource condition while looking after jobs and sevices for the regional community. Professor Wayne Meyer, director of the Landscape Futures Program along with Dr Ian Chessell, the Chief Scientist for South Australia, Bill Paterson from the Murray-Darling Basin NRM Board and Brian Foster from the Eyre Peninsula NRM Board were the speakers for this launch.

Listen to podcasts from the speakers here.

Water Wednesday

Listen to podcasts of presentation from the special forum presented by the Water Research Centre of the University of Adelaide, ‘Managing the Murray icon sites: can engineering save the environment?’

The 3 Murray icon sites in SA are Chowilla, the mainstream, and the Coorong & Lower Lakes. Each of these icon sites identified in the Living Murray Program is suffering significant environmental damage, and the options for repair are limited by the lack of available water. New approaches are needed to find innovative alternatives as interim measures until flows can be increased to provide effective environmental flows. The role of engineering solutions in this context is controversial.

Will simulation-based assessments and decisions save our built environment?

Listen to the Podcast of the eighth Science Seminar given by Associate Professor Veronica Soebarto entitled, “Will simulation-based assessments and decisions save our built environment?”

In this seminar the roles of building simulation and of simulation-based design assessments and decisions in the built environment will be discussed. Building simulation, in particular thermal performance simulation, is a powerful tool to help designers explore designs and make design decisions, in order to come up with buildings that are comfortable, energy efficient and cost effective. Since the 90’s, building simulation has also played an important role in building codes and regulations particularly in the provisions aimed for improving building’s energy efficiency and reducing green house gas emissions. Recently building simulation has further been used in environmental assessments and ratings of building designs, where the results of the ratings (in Australia is it known as the Star ratings) are used to declare and promote the ‘greenness’ of the building.

Will simulation and simulation-based design assessments and decisions really produce ‘green’ buildings and save our environment? This question will be explored in this talk by presenting a number of post-occupancy evaluations of both residential and commercial buildings. The studies presented will show that discrepancies often occur between simulation or prediction and actual performance. Reasons behind the discrepancies and the resulting problems from these differences will be discussed. The presentation will conclude with proposing ways to reduce the gap between simulation and actual performance to ensure that what is aimed for, that is, to produce buildings that are good for the occupants and environment, can be achieved.

About Veronica Soebarto

Veronica Soebarto is an Associate Professor from the School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design. She received her PhD from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, in 1996 and joined the University of Adelaide in 1998. Veronica’s main research areas include building thermal/energy simulation and thermal and environmental assessments of buildings. She was involved in the development of ENER-WIN©, an hourly thermal/energy simulation program developed at Texas A&M University in 1993-1997. In 1997 she received the Outstanding Early Achievements Award in the science of building simulation, from the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) for her work in calibration of energy simulation for residential and commercial buildings. With Assoc Prof Terry Williamson, in 1999-2001 she developed ENER-RATE, a multi-criteria environmental performance assessment tool for building design. Her thermal and environmental assessment work involves monitoring numerous houses, particularly in South Australia but also in NSW, Queensland and Northern Territory, to study various aspects of design and their impact on the thermal and environmental performance of the buildings. She was a Co-Chief Investigator of an ARC-Discovery-funded research project (2002-2005): “Building and Ethics: Understanding A Corpus of Contemporary Australian Award-Winning Houses as Responses to Ecological, Social and Built Contexts”. She took part in a project of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Task 28 (Solar Heating and Cooling) in 2000-2005 which resulted in a book ‘Bioclimatic Housing’ (2008). She is a member of the Editorial Boards of Journal of Building Performance Simulation and of International Journal of Building and Environment and the current Editor-in-Chief of IBPSA News.

Giant Australian cuttlefish: a globally unique species under threat?

Listen to a podcast of Assoc. Prof. Bronwyn Gillanders from The University of Adelaide, entitled “Giant Australian cuttlefish: a unique species under threat?”  This seminar is brought to you by The Environment Institute at The University of Adelaide.

Pragmatic population viability targets in a rapidly changing world.

Lochran W. Traill, Barry W. Brook, Richard R. Frankham and Corey J.A. Bradshaw, 2009. Pragmatic population viability in a rapidly changing world. Biological Conservation. In press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.09.001

Water Wednesday

A special forum presented by the Water Research Centre of the University of Adelaide

When: 5:30 – 6:45 pm, Wednesday 21 October 2009
Where: Napier Lecture Theatre 102 Napier Building
North Terrace campus, University of Adelaide

‘Managing the Murray icon sites: can engineering save the environment?’

The 3 Murray icon sites in SA are Chowilla, the mainstream, and the Coorong & Lower Lakes. Each of these icon sites identified in the Living Murray Program is suffering significant environmental damage, and the options for repair are limited by the lack of available water. New approaches are needed to find innovative alternatives as interim measures until flows can be increased to provide effective environmental flows. The role of engineering solutions in this context is controversial.

PROGRAM
Chair: Prof Martin Lambert, University of Adelaide

• Options for the environmental future of the River Murray ecosystem in South Australia

Ms Judy Goode, Environmental Manager, SA Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resource Management Board

• Potential benefits and impacts of the proposed Chowilla watering structure

Mr Tony Herbert, Senior Ecologist, Department of Water, Land & Biodiversity Conservation

• Future options for the Lower Lakes and Coorong

Associate Professor Justin Brookes, University of Adelaide

• Your Views: Open Discussion

To reserve your place, RSVP:
environment@adelaide.edu.au
with ‘Water Wednesday’ in the subject line by Friday 16 October