USQ’s world-class researchers are focused on solving regional and global problems and challenges and pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery.
From receiving national recognition for industry research to assisting with the development of seasonable climate forecasting in South East Asia, see below for the latest research updates.
USQ researchers take home national Cotton Award
USQ researchers have been recognised for their exceptional work with industry in irrigation and water management, after being awarded the Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year Award at the 2018 Australian Cotton Industry Awards.
Dr Joseph Foley, Dr Alison McCarthy and Dr Malcolm Gillies from USQ’s Smart Automated Irrigation Research Team were nominated by industry peers for bringing engineering expertise and knowledge to the cotton industry in a number of areas including in-field irrigation and water management skills, as well as software and instrumentation development for irrigation improvement.
Their industry-funded research, which has spanned the last 15 years, has focused on improving irrigation performance and cotton production by drawing on technologies in irrigation management, measurement and control for application in cotton irrigation systems.
Dr Foley said to be recognised by industry was especially rewarding.
“It is a huge honour to have received what is one of the most prestigious agricultural industry research awards in the country,” he said.
“Our recent work is realising significant benefits through smart automated irrigation systems and we’ll continue to assist industry to improve irrigation management performance with existing irrigation systems, and to provide real benefit to the industry through overall water productivity increases.”
Image: Presenting the award at the 2018 Australian Cotton Industry Awards is (from left) Philip Steel from Cotton Seed Distributors, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, Dr Malcolm Gillies, Dr Alison McCarthy, Dr Joseph Foley and Cotton Australia Chairman Hamish McIntyre. (Photo: Cotton Australia)
USQ researcher to explore Queensland’s hidden history
A USQ researcher will spend the next 12 months digging through century-old archives looking for hidden history after recently receiving a prestigious fellowship from the State Library of Queensland.
Dr Martin Kerby was awarded a Q ANZAC 100: Memories for a New Generation Fellowship, which he will use to investigate the nature of how Queenslanders imagined the years between 1914 and 1939.
The fellowship supports research projects that uncover and explore untold stories about Queensland’s experience during the First World War or other significant military campaigns from the past 100 years.
Dr Kerby, a senior lecturer from USQ’s School of Teacher Education and Early Childhood, said the fellowship allows him access to the State Library’s vast collections, including previously undiscovered materials.
“As a result of my research, I hope to gain a better understanding of what people were going through during this monumental event and how it was expressed in art and literature,” Dr Kerby said.
“You never know what you might find until you open an archive box and get the material out. That’s when you start to think ‘these words perhaps haven’t seen the light of day for many, many years’.”
Image: Dr Martin Kerby receives his Q ANZAC 100: Memories for a New Generation Fellowship from Captain Andrew Craig, Chair of the Queensland Anzac Centenary Grant Committee. (Photo Joe Ruckli)
USQ and World Meteorological Organisation project to aid farmers and agribusiness in South East Asia
USQ researchers will soon begin working with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Vietnam on a major aid project to benefit farmers and agribusiness in South East Asia.
The $12 million International Klimat Initiative (IKI) will encompass seasonal climate forecasting and especially innovative insurance solutions to manage climate risk for both the short and longer-term horizons.
The project will develop resilient climate risk management systems, best practices and insurance products to shield smallholder farmers and agri-businesses engaged in the coffee, sugar, rice, cassava, and grazing industries, from physical and financial disaster associated with climate variability.
USQ’s internationally renowned climate scientist Professor Roger Stone will head up the University’s project team that will collaborate with partners including WMO, CIAT in Hanoi and insurance broker Willis Towers Watson in London.
“The four-year international aid project will assist relevant governments in developing national and regional adaptation and risk management strategies in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar,” Professor Stone said.
“The development and delivery of reliable seasonal climate forecasting will not only better prepare farmers and businesses for extremes of climate under climate change but also enable farmers to become considerably more resilient.”
Image: USQ researchers, including climate scientist Professor Roger Stone, will be working with the World Meteorological Organisation and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, on a major aid project to benefit farmers and agribusiness in South East Asia.