Welcome to Volume 2 of MAGO. A highlight of this issue is an introduction to Richard Burns, Professor of Environmental Microbiology, and Katherine Raymont and Honest Madziva, LCAFs Technical/Scientific Officers in Gatton and St Lucia respectively. In the last issue you were introduced to Bob Gilbert who is overseeing major research projects in conjunction with Mike Gidley and the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences (CNAFS) within LCAFS. In this issue Bob provides an update on one of his major projects and introduces the people who are making it happen.

A substantial amount of effort is currently being expended by myself and staff in reviewing the School's agricultural programs and courses. A number of meetings have been held producing a draft document to be considered at the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences (NRAVS) Faculty Board of Studies. Once finalised the programs and courses offered by LCAFS will be highly relevant and staff workloads will be more manageable. I take this opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work and the collegial atmosphere is which this important activity is being undertaken.

I hope you enjoy this issue of MAGO. I am aiming for this journal to be highly relevant and informative so would welcome your contribution to future issues and any suggestions for improvement. Leanne Pooley, our Administrative Assistant in Gatton, will feature in the next issue of MAGO. Among many other duties, Leanne produces the School's internal newsletter Take a LCAFS Break, which gives primacy to the lighter side of the School.

Regards

Professor Kaye E Basford
Head of School

Introducing Professor Richard Burns

Richard Burns first arrived in Brisbane from the UK in early 2004 when he took up an Honorary Professorship in what was then the School of Land and Food Sciences. He had spent many years in the Department of Biosciences at the University of Kent at Canterbury including a period as Head of School. Earlier in his career he was a lecturer at the University of California in Berkeley and has held visiting appointments in Australia (CSIRO Adelaide), the USA (Universities of Oregon, UC Riverside), Japan (NARC Tsukuba) and Italy (University of Bologna). Soon after Richard's arrival at the University of Queensland he became so involved with the activities of the School and NRAVS that he was appointed as a Research Professor in Environmental Microbiology. He is contributing a long needed soil biology component to our undergraduate courses and developing a number of research programs. For example, Richard is involved in CRC-CARE and will soon be supervising a joint project with a New Zealand group on slow release biotreatment formulations.

Richard has published many books, reviews and papers on such topics as soil and water pollution; bioremediation of soil; biotreatment of water and industrial wastes; community activities in biofilms; enzyme regulation and activity in soils and sediments; molecular microbial ecology; soil quality; and the problems of studying complex heterogenous systems. He is chief editor of the top ranked soil and agriculture journal Soil Biology & Biochemistry, an editor of Soil Science and has served on numerous national and international committees concerned with science research and science policy. In 1992, he was presented with a gold medal by the world's oldest university, Bologna, for his contribution to research and teaching in agriculture. Later this year he will return to Italy to collect a life-time achievement award for his research in environmental biochemistry and enzymology. Richard has been appointed to an Adjunct Professorship by our neighbours Griffith University.

Following the award of an Erskine Fellowship, Richard spent seven weeks last year at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand lecturing undergraduates and discussing research collaborations. He has recently been told that the dramatic increase in enrollment in their 4th year environmental microbiology course was entirely due to the innovative and enthusiastic lectures he gave to the third years. We hope that works here!

Richard is giving as much time as possible to writing a biography of his great x 5 grandfather Henry Baker FRS. Baker was a prominent 18th century microscopist, crystallographer and poet who married Daniel Defoe's youngest daughter and co-founded the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in 1754. Coincidentally, but with perfect timing, Richard has recently been elected a Fellow of the RSA.

Having settled with his wife, Wendy in the Bayside suburbs, Richard is enjoying the weather and lifestyle of sunny Queensland. When not 'doing' science he is an avid reader, theatregoer, sporting tragic, traveller, beachcomber, wine drinker and collector of obscure and useless facts. He also owns over 3,000 LPs and CDs - including everything Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen have ever recorded! Richard says that the hospitality of the School and Faculty has been outstanding and, what had been regarded as a short-term visit, is looking more and more like a permanent move - especially now that his son William and his partner are planning an extended stay in Brisbane. In the last few days Richard has heard that the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship has designated him as a 'distinguished talent' and, on that basis, awarded him and his wife permanent residence status.

Introducing Dr Honest Madziva

Honest is LCAFS Principal Scientific Officer based at St Lucia. In this role, Honest contributes to developing, updating, and producing practical materials for students, including developing and trialing new undergraduate practical experiments.. He also provides scientific/technical assistance to postgraduate students and staff in Food Product Development, Food Physical Properties & Sensory evaluation, including training in the use of food processing equipment and instruments.

Honest recently completed a PhD at the University of Western Sydney on the stability, targeted release and efficacy of microencapsulated folic acid using cheddar cheese as the food delivery medium. During this period of study, he also lectured part time. Prior to this, he worked overseas for nine years in various capacities in Research & Development in Food Chemistry/Analysis and Regulatory affairs in both government and the food industry.

Honest is a very active person. His interests include socialising with friends and dancing and he loves chocolate.

Introducing Ms Katherine Raymont

Katherine is LCAFS Principal Technical Officer based at Gatton. She has worked at the Gatton campus since April 1982 in the Agricultural Chemistry area, setting up Chemistry practicals and doing water, plant and soil analyses. She received an Associate Diploma in Applied Science (Chemistry) from the Queensland Institute of Technology.

Katherine now looks after the Central Analytical Laboratory (CAL) which services the Gatton Campus and also does some work for outside customers. In second semester this year she will look after the CAL as well as setting up and assisting in the CHEM100 practicals.

The equipment located in the CAL includes; ICP, HPLC (RID and Diode Array detectors), FTIR, NIR, AAS, CNHS analyser and DOC (which will be installed soon).

A water analysis service is offered to the public for stock and irrigation purposes and has been offered since the 1960's. In the period till 1996 Chemistry staff at the Campus has been involved with the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) on three projects which have looked at water quality during good seasons and after droughts on selected bores within the Lockyer Valley.

Katherine has spent all her life in Gatton, except for 5 years undertaking part-time studies in Brisbane and working at the Department of Health's, Government Chemical Laboratories in the district. Katherine lives on the family farm where she looks after pigs and cattle while leasing out the cultivation area of the farm. With her love of the land she has always been involved in the local Show Society and is the Chief Steward in Dairy Cattle and a Steward in Cookery.

In her other spare time, Katherine is heavily involved in Women's cricket where she is at present the coach of Western Suburbs Women's teams in Brisbane. She has been involved in the sport as a player, state selector, coach, manager and administrator, and now the first grade women players in the Queensland Cricket Grade Competition play for the "Katherine Raymont Shield".

Congratulations to Professor Richard Williams who has been appointed Associate Dean for NRAVS. This is a new position approved by the Vice-chancellor due to the high level of major project activity at the Gatton Campus and other developments within NRAVS. In addition to continuing his responsibility for international activities, Richard will also be responsible for a number of specified activities and projects within NRAVS and for assisting with the preparation of a range of internal and external documents, responses, submissions, etc.

Congratulations to Professor Michael D'Occhio who has been appointed Head of the School of Animal Studies for three years. Michael will still remain NRAVS Director of Research for the time being.

Bob Gilbert, $170,000 for "Formation and stability of polymerically stabilized colloids".

Neal Menzies, $144,915 for "ITC Hardwoods Nutrition R&D".

Bob Gilbert, $124,000 for "Molecular archaeology: new knowledge from molecular weight distribution of synthetic and natural polymers".

Bhesh Bhandara, Tony Howes, and Benu Adhikari, $80,000 for "Surface Modification of Spray-dried Powders by Surface-Active Proteins.

Mark Dieters, $75,000 for "Forest and Wood Products Research and Development.

Neal Menzies, $15,538 for "Soil fertility management in the PNG highlands for sweet potato based cropping systems".

Ian Godwin is LCAFS Chair of the Marketing Committee and also a member of NRAVS Marketing Committee. Ian would welcome your ideas. Please contact him by email i.godwin@uq.edu.au, or telephone 3365 2141.

Neal Menzies is LCAFS Chair of the Research Committee. Neal can be contacted by email n.menzies@uq.edu.au, or telephone 3365 2059.

LCAFS Teaching and Learning Committee is now formed and comprises Chair: Vic Galea, Committee: Margaret Johnston, Max Shelton, Doug George, Col Birch, Ian Godwin, Bruce D'Arcy, Neal Menzies and Dennis Poppi (by Invitation), Admin Support: Ann Rickuss and Kaye Hunt. Postgraduate representatives will be announced shortly.

The Gilbert Group - Part 1. The Characterisation Team

Left to Right
Top Row: Jonathan Peate, Guillaume Mouzet, Antonin Landolfi
Middle Row: Garry Warrender, Patrice Castignolles, Robert Gilbert, Marianne Gaborieau
Bottom Row: Ngoc Ly Hoang, Cathy Lefay, Yohan Guillaneuf

The Characterization Team draws on Bob Gilbert's strong background in polymer science, particularly the field of emulsion polymerization, and his current research interest of starch and its structural characterization. To date a complete structural characterization of starch has not been performed due to its complex super-structure. This team proposes to characterize the structure of variant starches and relate structural differences to altered physical properties. It is proposed that starches could be tailor made to suit specific purposes, in both a nutritional and industrial sense.

With advances in modern analytical techniques and a better understanding of the physical properties of starch, new techniques have been proposed to unravel the mysteries of starch structure. To work on these techniques Bob will be relocating this team from the Key Centre of Polymer Colloids (KCPC) at the University of Sydney to the University of Queensland. His team includes Senior Research Fellow, Dr Patrice Castignolles, who specializes in Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) of branches polymers, Dr Marianne Gaborieau, who will work largely in conjunction with the Centre of Magnetic Resonance (CMR) on the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to characterize starch, focusing specifically on solid-state NMR. The team also includes two PhD students Anthony Dona, and Jonathan Peate, who will be working respectively on NMR and SEC, as well as Ngoc-Ly Hoang and Antonin Landolfi, two masters students.

In recent work performed at the KCPC, it was found that SEC is an imperfect method for the characterization of whole starch, due to the size constraints of SEC; hence the Characterization team will be further branching out into Asymmetric Flow Field Flow Fractionation (AF4) which will be coupled to a 2D-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) system that will be transferred from the University of Sydney and installed at LCAFS. Through the use of AF4, SEC, and Capillary Electrophoresis (CE), which will be done in collaboration with the University of Tasmania, it will be possible to determine the structure of starch through each range of molecular weights: a totally new process.

$20 million Envirofund opens
Individuals and community groups across Australia are being encouraged to apply for grants of up to $50,000 for local environmental projects as part of the latest round of the Australian Government Envirofund, which makes available more than $20 million in funding.
Ministers' announcement at
   http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/env/
   2007/pubs/mr05feb07.pdf

Australia/UK veterinary medicines link
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and the United Kingdom Veterinary Medicines Directorate (UKVMD), have signed an agreement to share information and expertise. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Sussan Ley, said the APVMA had signed similar agreements in the last three years with its counterpart regulators in Canada, the USA and New Zealand.
Announcement at
   http://www.psmaff.gov.au/releases/
   07/07005sl.html

Systems biology report
The Royal Academy of Engineering and the UK Academy of Medical Sciences have launched a report Systems Biology: a vision for engineering and medicine, and are working to develop and raise awareness of the importance of this innovative research approach. The study group that prepared the report was co-chaired by Sir Colin Dollery FMedSci, of the Academy of Medical Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline, and Professor Richard Kitney OBE FREng, of the Imperial College, London.
Report is located at
   http://www.raeng.org.uk/policy/engagement/pdf/
   Systems_Biology_Report.pdf
You may be interested to read Section 5, Imperatives, for what could be termed an 'Innovation checklist".

The 2007 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science nomination round is now open and will close on 27 April. The major Prize, the Prime Minister's Prize for Science, is awarded for an outstanding specific achievement in any area of science advancing human welfare or benefiting society. The Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year and the Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year are awarded to scientists who are 35 or younger. The Prime Minister's Prizes for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary and Secondary Schools were introduced in 2002, to honour our inspirational science teachers.

Information on Nomination Guidelines and the online nomination process available at
   http://www.dest.gov.au/scienceprize

Fellows who would value assistance with preparation of nominations are welcome to call Vaughan Beck or Bill Mackey at the Academy to discuss their needs.

The Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre will be reviewed during the period 22 to 24 October 2007. Submissions are due by 10 September 2007. Please see Anne Webber (a.webber@uq.edu.au or telephone 3365 2165) for the Terms of Reference if you wish to provide a comment.