GSE Working for the Environment
Climate Change Project: Education for Climate Change Adaptation in the Built Environment Sector
ARIES was funded by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources (DEW) to engage with professional accrediting institutions in the fields of engineering, planning, landscape architecture and architecture to investigate opportunities to strengthen effective professional education in climate change adaptation. The project is now complete and a public document, which reports on the significant findings, outcomes and recommendations of the project, is now available from the website of the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES), located within the GSE: www.aries.mq.edu.au. The Project Leader was Dr Anna Lyth, Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of the Environmental Planning Program.
A direct outcome of the project has been the recent announcement by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Malcolm Turnbull, of a $2 million grants program to facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation into education and training for professionals. The grants program will be administered by the Australian Greenhouse Office within the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources.
Naturally Occurring Asbestos and Mesothelioma Risk in Australia
PhD Research Student - Marc Hendrickx
Supervisor - Prof. Brian Gulson
Rocks and soils containing naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) occur in all states of Australia. If disturbed, asbestos fibres released into the air could be inhaled and potentially induce pleural mesothelioma. This project will answer four questions about NOA and mesothelioma in Australia.
- What are the characteristics of asbestos fibres from natural sources?
- Which parts of the country are most at risk?
- What are the risks of getting mesothelioma from natural sources of asbestos?
- What can be done to reduce the risks?
Answers to these questions will hopefully benefit all Australians by helping reduce the incidence of mesothelioma.
Work will involve geological characterisation of the morphology and geochemistry of asbestos fibres, mapping the occurrence and disturbance of asbestos in eastern and southern Australia and an assessment of the resulting
health risks. Potential epidemiological studies are proposed depending on access to appropriate medical records.
Amphibole asbestos from Lucknow Mine, |
Amphibole asbestos veins, Gundagai, |
URL for interview with Darren Osborne from Science Talk
http://sciencetalk.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=177173
Series of media releases about the project available from the Geological Society of Australia:
http://www.gsa.org.au/resources/media.html
http://www.gsa.org.au/pdfdocuments/resources/NOA0701SA.pdf
Article in The Age
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Asbestos-in-natural-state-focus-of-study/2007/01/15/1168709669052.html
ABC article
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/01/16/1827512.htm
Sea Lion Project: Understanding communication in the Australian sea lion
Ben Pitcher (PhD candidate GSE)
Assoc. Prof. Rob Harcourt (GSE)
Dr Isabelle Charrier (CNRS France)
Of all the marine mammals in Australia, the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) is the only endemic species and is one of the rarest seal species in the world. The entire estimated population of 12,000 individuals live along the south coast of Australia from The Pages in South Australia to the Houtmans Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia. Australian sea lions have a unique breeding cycle among seals, giving birth approximately every 18 months instead of annually, with maternal care lasting until the next pup is born.
In species like the Australian sea lion, with extended maternal care, we expect the communication system between parents and offspring to be the result of intense natural selection, allowing mothers and pups to accurately recognise each other. Despite this process being critical to survival, its mechanism is poorly understood in mammals. Australian sea lions present us with a rare opportunity to dissect the roles of vocalisations, smell and vision in mother-pup recognition across a range of environments, and to understand how the biology and environment of a species shapes its communication system. This study intends to increase our knowledge of this charismatic but rare endemic Australian species, while advancing our understanding of the use of multiple senses in animal communication.
This is an international collaboration between the Marine Mammal Research Group at the Graduate School of the Environment and CNRS-Neurobiologie de l'Apprentisagge et de la Memoire et de la Communication in France. Knowledge of the biology of charismatic native animals contributes directly to public fascination and provides an educational resource for the development of a sustainable marine mammal eco-tourism industry.
Male sea lion |
Female sea lion with her new born pup |
Female sea lion calls to her pup |
Helping Governments Around the World Bring About Change for Biodiversity
Bringing about change amongst different groups in society is essential if biodiversity is to be sustainably used, managed and conserved. Governments make national strategies under the requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity that specify the priorities and planned actions. Communication, education and public awareness underpin successful implementation of these strategies. In response to the request of the Secretariat of the Convention, Wendy Goldstein, GSE Lecturer in Sustainable Development, was part of a team of writers from the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication who prepared a basic handbook of tools to improve the ability of government focal points on biodiversity to gain support for biodiversity. The tools are in communication, education and public awareness, known under the Convention work plan as CEPA. We would like to see the CEPA toolkit added to and continuously developed as a learning resource.
One of the big issues for government staff is to go and visit other government agencies, make relationships and work at integrating biodiversity concerns into other government department's priorities.
Developing Capacity for Professionals on the Job to Reach Sustainability and Conservation Goals
Professionals on the job working for the environment are ever more pressed to achieve effective results and keep up to date. The IUCN Commission on Education and Communication seeks to expand opportunities for on the job learning that brings the latest know how to the desk of those wanting to learn through their professional careers. Wendy is working to develp a network of environment schools in universities that can advance the opportunities for online learning under the IUCN United Nations Institute.
Trace Element Analysis of Coal Combustion Systems
Pushan Shan (PhD candidate)
Supervisors: Dr Vladmir Strezov and Professor Peter Nelson
Project funded by the CRC for Coal in Sustainable Development
Trace elements occur naturally in coal and during combustion these elements separate to form ash residues, such as bottom ash and fly ash, or are released to the atmosphere in gaseous or particulate form. Utilisation of large quantities of coal makes it a major anthropogenic source of trace element emission in the environment. The distribution, mobility and biological availability of these species in the environment not only depends on their total concentrations but, critically, on their various chemical forms and oxidation states, known as speciation. For example, arsenic is extremely toxic in its trivalent As(III) form but relatively less toxic as pentavalent As(V). Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI) is a carcinogen, while trivalent chromium, Cr(III) is an essential nutrient.
This project involves the analysis of the speciation of a number of trace elements including arsenic, chromium, mercury and selenium in coal and combustion residues sampled from selected Australian power stations. Different analysis techniques such as ion chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IC-ICPMS), synchrotron based X-ray absorption near edge structure spectrometry (XANES) and the Ontario Hydro method of stack gas sampling for mercury speciation are being applied. The transformation of trace element species during combustion and post combustion are being examined using calculations of thermodynamic equilibrium and kinetic modelling.
Zinc Oxide and Nanoparticles
Professor Brian Gulson
Herbert Wong (PdD candidate)
One area of interest is the consideration of how nanoparticles impact human health and the environment. The project involves applying the stable isotopic method, developed and used by Professor Brian Gulson and Herbert Wong, to understand the impact of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles in human health. Below are pictures that show the size change of Zinc Oxide from "big" particles to nanoparticles.
ZnO particles before treatment |
ZnO after processing into nanoparticles (Casey, 2007) |