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The Smithsonian Institution doesn't only encourage research in the US, its influence is felt worldwide.
The prestigious American museum is playing an important role in fostering some leading Queensland research.
Thanks to the Smithsonian's Fellowship program, University of Queensland researchers are able to further their studies into many major issues.
The latest research into schizophrenia and links between prenatal vitamin D and growth is one such project.
Schizophrenia expert Professor John McGrath, of UQ's Division of Psychiatry and the director of epidemiology at the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, spent five months at Harvard University in America as part of the Fellowship.
He analysed Queensland and US data and the links between season of birth and growth, skulls of primates and Neanderthal men and examined how low vitamin D may be associated with small changes in physical and brain growth.
Professor McGrath and his team's research won international acclaim and praise from Queensland Premier Peter Beattie who highlighted the work in State Parliament earlier in the year.
"It is a pleasure to update the House on the research undertaken by a Queensland government Smithsonian Fellow," Premier Beattie said.
"Professor McGrath is one of 12 outstanding Queenslanders who put a Smithsonian fellowship to work leading to advances in knowledge and growth of our Smart State stature."
As part of its mandate for "the increase and diffusion of knowledge," including the diverse ideas, skills, and cultures of our nation, the Smithsonian Institution offers a number of Fellowships every year.
The Fellowships provide students and scholars with opportunities to pursue independent research projects in association with members of the Smithsonian's professional research staff.
They are awarded on the basis of academic standing, scholarly qualifications and experience, and the quality of the research project or study proposed and its suitability to Smithsonian collections, facilities and programs.
The lasting impact of the Fellowships is well demonstrated by past recipients.
Dr Jane Hunter, a 2001 Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Enterprise Distributed Systems Technology maintains her links with her host at the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution, Dr Jane Sledge.
Her project in information technology is developing megadata models and tools for the management of mixed media collections, particularly in the cultural heritage field.
Visiting 2001 Fellow Dr Vicki Funk, a Curator and Research Scientist at the US Herbarium, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, plans to return to UQ this year.
Her project is evaluating wet tropical forests by combining information from the museum's collections with plot and transect studies.
From 2001 to 2003, Dr Funk spent a total of three months at UQ working with Dr Karen Richardson and Dr Simon Ferrier at the School of Life Sciences.
