Virtual reality pilot training and better monitoring of water pollution are among University of Queensland research funded in the latest round of Australian Research Council Linkage Projects.
The Federal Government has announced more than $2.5 million for seven UQ projects.
UQ’s Acting Vice-Chancellor Aidan Byrne said the result was testament to the quality of research partnerships emerging from the university.
“These projects are in addition to eight already funded through this annual program, providing the University with a total of $5.9 million,” he said.
“By working with our partner organisations in industry, the combined cash and in-kind contribution surpasses $12.6 million.
“Together we will work on addressing a wide range of challenges, as varied as cooling technologies for hypersonic flight, reducing energy costs in manufacturing electronic circuitry and a community-based approach to loneliness.
“I offer my congratulations to the researchers who received funding and I look forward to seeing the outcomes of their work.”
The seven successful UQ projects were:
- Electron Transpiration Cooling of Hypersonic Vehicles. The investigation will contribute towards enabling technologies for sustained hypersonic flight by overcoming critical head load limitations. ARC funding amount: $475,000. Dr Rowan Gollan, Dr Ingo Jahn, Associate Professor Vincent Wheatley, Peter Jacobs, Professor Richard Morgan.
- The sensory prerequisites of effective simulator-based pilot training. The project will investigate the use of head-mounted virtual reality systems for training, with specific focus on the aviation industry. ARC funding amount: $420,000. Associate Professor Guy Wallis, Professor Stephan Riek, Professor Robin Burgess-Limerick.
- Next generation flexible high current micro-electronic interconnects. The project aims to reduce the temperatures required for the manufacture of electronic circuitry through the use of low melting temperatures metallic gallium-based alloys. ARC funding amount: $351,705. Professor Kazuhiro Nogita.
- A community-based social identity approach to loneliness. This project will produce a validated social prescribing model that can be implemented across Australia to reduce loneliness, strengthen communities and guide more appropriate uses of health services. ARC funding amount: $260,310. Dr Genevieve Dingle, Professor Catherin Haslam, Professor Jolanda Jetten, Professor Stephen Haslam.
- Simultaneous dissolved methane and nitrogen removal. This project aims to develop a technology that avoids methane stripping in waste water but also enables its beneficial use to enhance nitrogen removal. ARC funding amount: $423,281. Dr Jianhua Guo, Dr Shihu Hu, Professor Zhiguo Yuan.
- Improved monitoring of aquatic pollutants in national water resources. This project will create cost-effective tools to advance the detection of emerging chemicals in drinking, ground, surface and waste waters. ARC funding amount: $362,324. Dr Sarit Kaserzon, Professor Kevin Thomas.
- The Queensland Atlas of Religion. The project aims to investigate, document and interpret the diversity of religion and religious practices in Queensland’s past and present. ARC funding amount: $252,476. Dr Geoffrey Ginn, Dr Adam Bowles, Dr Tom Aechtner, Professor Philip Almond, Dr Maryam Jamarani, Emeritus Professor Peter Spearritt, Dr Richard Martin, Dr Ryan Williams, Dr Valerie Cooms.
