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RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
RESEARCH
                                              r e s e a r c h . s w i n b u r n e . e d u . a u

        IMPACT                                                                  MARCH 2018

HACKING
THE HACKERS
Detecting the
fingerprint of
cybercrime

MAGIC BEANS
Meet the fresh fixers
in the fight against
climate change

BEST BUDS
3D-printed
personalised
hearing aids

MAPPING
CONNECTION
Bringing the
disadvantaged in
from the fringes

ROBOTS
REACH OUT
Android demonstrators lead social and physical therapy
RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
RESEARCH
            IMPACT
PHONE: +61 3 9214 5552
WEB: www.research.swinburne.edu.au
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/swinburneuniversityoftechnology
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/Swinburne
EMAIL: research@swin.edu.au

ADMINISTRATION
Research and editorial enquiries
Scott Saunders – Research Communications Officer, Swinburne Research
tel: +61 3 9214 8468 | email: scottsaunders@swin.edu.au

Industry engagement enquiries
Jane Ward – Vice-President (Engagement)
tel: +61 3 9214 8626 | email: jmward@swin.edu.au

Swinburne Alumni
Louise McCarthy – Associate Director, Alumni Engagement
tel: +61 3 9214 3777 | email: louisemccarthy@swin.edu.au

ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE

Swinburne Research Impact is published for Swinburne University
of Technology by the Partnership and Custom Media unit of Nature
Research, part of Springer Nature.
227 Elizabeth Street, Suite 8.03, Level 8, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia.

Copyright © Swinburne University of Technology. All rights reserved. The information
in this publication was correct at the time of going to press. March 2018. The views
expressed by contributors in this publication are not necessarily those of Swinburne
University of Technology.

ABOUT SWINBURNE RESEARCH
Swinburne University of Technology is an internationally recognised
research-intensive university that is focused on delivering research that
creates economic and social impact. Our researchers are producing
innovative research solutions to real-world problems across a range
of disciplines and sectors. In 2017, Swinburne was listed within the
top 2% of higher education institutions by the prestigious Academic
Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and we were also listed within
the top 2.1% and top 2.2% by the Times Higher Education University
World Rankings and QS World University Rankings. We are committed
to delivering world-leading research outcomes and innovations in select
areas of science, engineering and technology. In 2017 Swinburne
launched a number of exciting initiatives that will drive our future
research achievements. Our new ‘Innovation Precinct’ in Hawthorn,
Melbourne, is a hub of world-class research-led innovation activity,
and our recently launched Research Institutes focus on big challenges
facing our industries and society. Swinburne’s research future is bright.
>>> research.swinburne.edu.au

SWINBURNE PRODUCTION TEAM
Scott Saunders (Editor)
Annie Jones
RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
Contents

                                   Contents
                                   Editorial     03 Technology for the good of humanity

                                   In numbers    04 A visual guide to Swinburne’s performance

                                   News briefs   06 What’s happening at Swinburne

                                   Research highlights
                                                 08 How to stop the rot
                                                 08 Certainty in flux
                                                 09 Examining the roots of family violence

                              11                 10   Staying within earshot of solutions
                                                 10   Green signals good for marketing
                                                 11   Cosmic clashes bring a community together
                                                 12   Data driven
                                                 13   A smart look at the city’s moving parts
                                                 14   On the pulse of material fabrication
                                                 15   When the city’s your playground
                                                 16   A greener home? There’s an app for that
                                                 17   Learning from an AFL pack
                                                 18   Shattering the screen myth
                              20                 19   A foothold on diabetes management
                                                 20   Making a scene
                                                 22   Mutual learning for Indigenous
                                                      inmates and students
                                                 24   Building the factory of the future
                                                 26   Hunt for the original stars
                                                 28   A license to build houses

                                   Features
                                                 30   The robot therapist is in
                  22          30
                                                 35   Finding the pulse of sustainability
                                                 38 The cyber detective
                                                 42   Mapping the enterprise of recovery
                                                 46 Playing to their strengths

                                   Inventions    50 Lab stars in the limelight

                                   Innovation    52   The front door to innovation
                                   Precinct           and entrepreneurship
                              46

research.swinburne.edu.au                                                           Research Impact     1
RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
World-class research
at Swinburne
Swinburne University of Technology is an internationally
recognised research-intensive university that is focused on
delivering research that creates economic and social impact.

Swinburne is listed in the top 2% of higher education institutions by
the prestigious Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
and we are also listed in the top 2.1% and top 2.2% by the
Times Higher Education University World Rankings and QS
World University Rankings.

We are committed to delivering world leading research
outcomes and innovations in select areas of science,
engineering and technology.

CRICOS Provider Code 00111D
RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
Editorial

Technology for the good of humanity

T
          echnology is driving change
          at breakneck speed, and the
          pace is accelerating. Artificial
          intelligence and machine
learning, big data and analytics, the
Internet of Things, sophisticated sensors,
cloud computing, robots and drones, 3D
printing, augmented and virtual reality,
are many of the digital technologies
integrating our physical and virtual
                                              © Swinburne University of Technology

worlds. This is the fourth industrial
revolution in action.
    In coming years, countless new
products and services will be invented
based on new technological solutions.
With so many potential and promising
applications of technology, what is
the best investment of our resources,
effort and ideas? The challenge is to
put technology to good use, to serve                                                 Siemens awards a $135 million industrial digitalisation grant to Swinburne. Jeff Connolly CEO at Siemens
individuals and society.                                                             Australia New Zealand and Professor Aleksandar Subic, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and
                                                                                     Development) are both members of the Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce.
    At Swinburne University of
Technology, this is the deeply ingrained
principle driving our research: technology                                               As a science and technology                                                                                                                               students using state-of-the-art augmented
must aim to achieve positive economic and                                            university, Swinburne’s fundamental                                                                                                                           reality and visualisation technologies.
social impact by improving people’s lives                                            research often leads to new discoveries                                                                                                                           At Swinburne, we are proud to
and the state of our planet through better                                           and breakthrough technological solutions.                                                                                                                     pursue research with impact. By driving
and smarter applications. Put another way,                                           Our OzGrav Research Centre of Excellence                                                                                                                      innovation built on excellence in science
new technologies that help people will be                                            helps answer some of the most complex and                                                                                                                     and technology, we are transforming
the ones that succeed.                                                               fundamental questions of human existence                                                                                                                      industries, and shaping lives and
    Our applied research at Swinburne is                                             using the most sophisticated instruments                                                                                                                      communities for the better.
placed at the interface between technology                                           available today. The centre communicates
and humanity. Big data analytics are                                                 these amazing insights to the broader                                                                                                                         Professor Aleksandar Subic
helping us develop guidelines to assist                                              public and future generations of science,                                                                                                                     Deputy Vice-Chancellor
in designing future social enterprises.                                              technology, engineering, and mathematics                                                                                                                      (Research and Development)
Personalised robots are being used in
aged-care settings to help individuals

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    On the cover
living with dementia. Our touchscreen
                                                                                                                          RESEARCH
                                                                                                                                                                r e s e a r c h . s w i n b u r n e . e d u . a u

technology is assisting the cognition of                                                                                  IMPACT                                                                  MARCH 2018
                                                                                      SWINBURNE RESEARCH IMPACT

primary school children. We are using 3D                                                                          HACKING
                                                                                                                  THE HACKERS
                                                                                                                  Detecting the
                                                                                                                  fingerprint of
                                                                                                                  cybercrime

printing technology to create personalised                                                                        MAGIC BEANS
                                                                                                                  Meet the fresh fixers
                                                                                                                  in the fight against
                                                                                                                  climate change                                                                                    Associate Professor Sonja Pedell poses with NAO, a commercially
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    available robot that she has been using to facilitate social integration
                                                                                                                  BEST BUDS

earphone buds and hearing aids, and other
                                                                                                                  3D-printed
                                                                                                                  personalised
                                                                                                                  hearing aids

                                                                                                                  MAPPING

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    with elderly dementia patients.
                                                                                                                  CONNECTION
                                                                                                                  Bringing the
                                                                                                                  disadvantaged in
                                                                                                                  from the fringes

implantable technologies. Cyber-physical
                                                                                                                  ROBOTS                                                                                            Cover image: Eamon Gallagher
technologies drive our Industry 4.0 Testlab                                                                       REACH OUT
                                                                                      MARCH 2018

                                                                                                                  Android demonstrators lead social and physical therapy

in advanced manufacturing.

research.swinburne.edu.au                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Research Impact          3
RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
Swinburne in Numbers
RANKINGS
FOR 2017

                  TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION                        QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS                            ACADEMIC
                                                                                                                        RANKING
                                                                                                                        OF WORLD

                            2.1     %
                                                                           2.2           %
                                         of 20,000+                                             of 20,000+              UNIVERSITIES
                    TOP                  higher education            TOP                        higher education
                                         institutions (#420)                                    institutions (#421)
GLOBAL

                   TOP    300            RANKED      61        300
                                                               400
                                                                       rise in rankings

                                                                       501st
                                                                                        421st    TOP   50
                                                                                                                          TOP
                                                                                                                                 2%
                                                                                                                         of higher education
                  in physical sciences   of universities       500                               in art and design       institutions (#337)
                                         under the age

                                                                                                                              65
                                         of 50                         2016    2017     2018

                                                                                                                              RANKED
                                                                                                                        in space science
                                                                                                                           by US News’
EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH FOR                                                            STEPPING UP                       annual published
                                                                                                                             rankings
AUSTRALIA FEDERAL REPORT*                                                             PUBLICATIONS

5
                            WELL ABOVE WORLD STANDARD                                 SCOPUS INDEX PUBLICATIONS
                            • Physical sciences                                       Peer-reviewed literature on the world’s
                            • Astronomical and space sciences                         largest abstract and citation database
                            • Atomic, molecular, nuclear,                                                                                   1800
                              particle and plasma physics                              2012                            1130
                            • Optical physics
                                                                                       2013                               1254
                            • Physical chemistry
                              (including structural)          65%                      2014                                       1486
                                                            increase
                            • Materials engineering          over six
                                                                                       2015                                    1371
                                                              years
                            • Nanotechnology
                                                                                       2016
     OUT OF 5                                                                                                                            1628

4
                            • Neurosciences
                                                                                       2017                                                 1739

                            ABOVE WORLD STANDARD

                                                                                                100
                                                                                                                 of the world’s academic
                            •   Quantum physics                                                                  institutions in physical
                                                                                       TOP
                            •   Chemical sciences                                                                sciences based on
                                                                                                                                                      © Getty Images / mirquurius
                            •   Computer software                                                                article count
                            •   Engineering
                            •   Civil engineering
                            •   Electrical and                                        RESEARCH WITH IMPACT
                                electronic engineering
                            •   Mechanical engineering
                            •   Technology                                            Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary
     OUT OF 5               •   Communications technology                             Black Hole Coalescene at Redshift 0.2
                            •   Psychology                                            JOURNAL: Physical Review Letters
                            •   Language, communication                               PUBLISHED: 2017
    *A report covering          and culture
          2008–2013

                                                                                       4539
       released by the      •   Communication                                                                     SOCIAL MEDIA
       Commonwealth             and media studies                                                                 TWEETS, SHARES,
    Government in five
           year blocks.     •   Neurosciences                                                                     LIKES AND COMMENTS

4        Research Impact                                                                                                                March 2018
RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
CAMPUSES & FACILITIES                                                        STUDENTS & STAFF                                   = 100 people

                                                                                                                                                                                                          International campus
                                                                                                                                                                                                          in Sarawak, Malaysia                                               26,280
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             TOTAL STUDENT
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             LOAD IN 2017
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             (equivalent full-time
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             student load)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             14,124
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             On-campus
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             students (EFTSL)

                                                                                                                                                                                             3 campuses in                                                                   1152
                                                                                                                                                                                          Victoria, Australia                                                                Higher degrees by
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             research students

                                                                                                                                                                                               Wantirna
© FreeVectorMaps.com; Advanced Technology Centre: © Gollings Photography; Knox Innovation, oppertunity and sustainability centre: Courtesy Wilkinsoneyre

                                                                                                                                                                                           Hawthorn                                                         20:1             701
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Student-to       Full-time
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            staff-ratio      academic staff
                                                                                                                                                                                                           Croydon

                                                                                                                                                                  WANTRINA
                                                                                                                                                                  Flexible Green
                                                                                                                                                                  Trades Complex                                                        HIGHER DEGREES BY RESEARCH
                                                                                                                                                                  $10 million to establish                                              (A postgraduate degree involving a supervised research project)

                                                                                                                                                                  Knox Innovation, Opportunity

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           137 $8.5m
                                                                                                                                                                  and Sustainability Centre
                                                                                                                                                                  $10.3 million to build

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           COMPLETED                   INVESTED IN STIPEND
                                                                                                                                                                  HAWTHORN
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         DEGREES IN 2017              SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2017
                                                                                                                                                                  Advanced Manufacturing
                                                                                                                                                                  and Design Centre
                                                                                                                                                                  $100 million to build

                                                                                                                                                                  Advanced Technologies Centre                                          EXTERNAL INCOME                                  = $5 million

                                                                                                                                                                  $140 million to build

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           $205m
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           TOTAL EXTERNAL
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           RESEARCH INCOME,
                                                                                                                                                           INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS                                                                                    2009–2017

                                                                                                                                                           250 articles
                                                                                                                                                                                          TOP 5 COLLABORATORS                                                              $30m
                                                                                                                                                                                    242

                                                                                                                                                                                                   1. Max Planck Society, Germany                                          EXTERNAL RESEARCH
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           INCOME, 2017
                                                                                                                                                                              195

                                                                                                                                                                                                   2. Leiden University, Netherlands
                                                                                                                                                                        163

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           $135m
                                                                                                                                                                  151

                                                                                                                                                                                                   3. University of Oxford, UK
                                                                                                                                                            136

                                                                                                                                                                                                   4. French National Centre
                                                                                                                                                                                                   4. for Scientific Research, France                                      In 2017, Swinburne was
                                                                                                                                                                                                   5. University of California                                             given a record industrial
                                                                                                                                                                                                   5. Santa Cruz, USA                                                      software grant for advanced
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           manufacturing from engi-
                                                                                                                                                           2012 2013 2014 2015 2016       *Data for 2017 unavailable at time of print                                      neering company Siemens.

                                                                                                                                                           research.swinburne.edu.au                                                                                        Research Impact            5
RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
News Briefs

News
briefs
$135 million grant to
digitalise Swinburne’s
Factory of the Future
Swinburne University of Tech-
nology has further cemented
its reputation as a world leader
in advanced manufacturing,
receiving a record $135 million
industrial software grant from
engineering giant Siemens.
   The grant will be used to          The world’s largest ground-based optical telescopes at Hawaii’s W. M. Keck Observatory are available for use by
digitise Swinburne’s Factory of       Swinburne researchers after the renewal of a collaborative agreement with Caltech for another five years.
the Future, creating Australia’s

                                      Partnership with Caltech
first fully immersed Industry
4.0 facility.
   The factory will give students
and researchers access to the
same apparatus used by lead-
ing companies on advanced             Pioneering research into supernovae, galaxy formation, fast radio bursts and gravitational
projects, developing the skills       waves has been boosted with the renewal of Swinburne’s partnership with Caltech for five
needed to thrive in the highly        more years.
competitive digital manufactur-          The new agreement covers access to the world’s largest ground-based optical telescopes
ing sphere.                           at Hawaii’s W. M. Keck Observatory until 2023. The observatory’s instrumentation has
                                      enabled astronomers to make amazing discoveries about the Universe.
                                         The agreement also encompasses collaborative research on strategic projects, including
Professor Tom Spurling                advanced visualisation and machine-learning techniques, data-driven discovery, and
wins ANZAAS Medal for                 training programs.
scientific achievement
Swinburne’s Professor of Inno-
vation Studies, Tom Spurling        sation of research, including                Based at Swinburne’s Centre
AM, has been awarded the            breakthroughs such as 30-day              for Mental Health, Dr Tan’s
prestigious 2017 Australian         contact lenses and the MIEX               work aims to characterise
and New Zealand Association         water purification process.               speech patterns in people with
for the Advancement of Sci-                                                   schizophrenia.
ence (ANZAAS) Medal.                                                             “The overarching goal is to
   The award recognises Pro-        NHMRC fellowship                          develop a model for the predic-
fessor Spurling’s contribution to   awarded to Swinburne                      tion of relapse based on these
science over the past 55 years.     mental health researcher                  speech parameters,” he says.
   Most notably acknowledged        Swinburne researcher, Dr Eric                This is a joint project
for his role in developing          Tan, received a fellowship val-           between Swinburne’s Centre
and commercialising plastic         ued at over $320,000 from the             for Mental Health, Data
banknotes, Professor Spurl-         National Health and Medical               Science Research Institute,
ing is widely regarded as an        Research Council (NHMRC)                  and The Alfred and St
expert in the commerciali-          for his work on schizophrenia.            Vincent’s Hospitals.                       Dr Eric Tan, Centre for Mental Health

6       Research Impact                                                                                                                          March 2017
RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
News Briefs

Swinburne researcher                     Professor Webster is Pro
wins gold at crime                    Vice-Chancellor of Research
prevention awards                     Impact and Policy, and Director
Swinburne researchers have            of the Centre for Transformative
collaborated with Victoria Police     Innovation.
and Forensicare to win gold at           She contributes to policy
the 2017 Australian Crime and         debates and is regularly pub-
Violence Prevention Awards            lished in journals on innovation
for work on the project ‘En-          economics and firm perfor-
hancing Police Responses              mance.
to Family Violence’.                     Professor Webster joins the
   The awards highlight best          Academy alongside 45 other
practice in preventing and            Australian researchers, bringing
reducing violence in Australia.       the Academy’s total number
   The team from Swinburne’s
Centre for Behavioural Science
                                      to 637 distinguished social
                                      scientists.                            Swinburne ranks in top 2%
developed tools to help Victoria
Police improve family violence
risk assessment and manage-           Swinburne ranks in the top            Swinburne has ranked 337th in the Academic Ranking of
ment.                                 250 for THE engineering               World Universities (ARWU), and is now in the top 2% of
   Superintendent Stuart              and technology                        universities in the world.
Bateson, who worked closely           Swinburne has ranked in the top          “Our research has been recognised internationally as
on the project, believes it has       250 in the 2018 Times Higher          among the best in the world, which is a deserving recognition
improved police operations.           Education (THE) engineering           of the great work our researchers are doing,” says Deputy
See page 8 for more.                  and technology subject ranking.       Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development), Professor
                                         These rankings judge world-        Aleksandar Subic.
                                      class universities across all            These rankings confirm that despite its young age,
                                      their core missions – teaching,       Swinburne is recognised as a world-class university with
                                      research, knowledge transfer          exceptional research and industry engagement.
                                      and international outlook.
                                         Acting Faculty Pro
                                      Vice-Chancellor of Swinburne’s      as a Fellow of the Australian        Engineering (ATSE) has named
                                      Faculty of Science, Engineer-       Academy of Science.                  Swinburne Vice-Chancellor,
                                      ing and Technology, Professor          One of 21 scientists elected      Professor Linda Kristjanson
                                      Sarah Maddison, says the            by their Academy peers,              AO, and Director of the Man-
                                      university is proud of this         Professor Glazebrook is a            ufacturing Futures Research
                                      achievement.                        world-leading observational          Institute, Professor Bronwyn
Dr Troy McEwan led the Enhancing         “Swinburne’s engineering         astronomer whose research            Fox, as Fellows.
Police Responses to Family Violence   courses take a world-leading        has significantly advanced our           The ATSE described Profes-
Project, which won gold at the        approach to engineering educa-      understanding of the evolution       sor Kristjanson as an “inspiring
2017 Australian Crime and Violence    tion, with a high level of indus-   of galaxies and the Universe         leader” of Swinburne and Pro-
Prevention Awards (ACVPA).
                                      try engagement that produces        across cosmic time.                  fessor Fox as an “outstanding
                                      quality graduates.”                    The Fellowship is one of the      materials science researcher”
Beth Webster elected to                                                   highest honours an Australian        passionate about translating
Academy of the Social                                                     scientist can receive in the field   research that advances Austral-
Sciences in Australia                 Karl Glazebrook                     of natural science.                  ia’s manufacturing sector.
Swinburne’s Professor Beth            honoured by peers                                                            Swinburne Chancellor,
Webster has been admitted             Distinguished Professor and                                              Graham Goldsmith, said the
to the Academy of the Social          Director of Swinburne’s Centre      Swinburne leaders                    prestigious fellowships are a
Sciences in Australia for her         for Astrophysics and Super-         named ATSE Fellows                   fitting acknowledgement of
distinguished contributions to        computing, Professor Karl           The Australian Academy of            the pair’s contributions to their
the economics of innovation.          Glazebrook, has been elected        Technological Sciences and           respective fields.

research.swinburne.edu.au                                                                                             Research Impact        7
RESEARCH IMPACT - Swinburne University
Highlights

How to stop the rot                                                                                                                           2 µm
The search for how bacteria can greatly
accelerate corrosion of marine vessels and
structures is driving a significant research area.

T
        he harmful effects of           marines, and any parts or ob-
        bacterial infections on         jects that come into prolonged
        humans are well studied,        contact with seawater, includ-
but it’s less well known that the       ing bilges, engine drive shafts,
presence of certain microbes in         pipes, pumps and key infra-
seawater can undermine the in-          structure in harbours and ports
tegrity of ships, submarines and        such as steel support piles and
other marine vessels.                   retaining walls.
    The phenomenon known as                 Associate Professor Wade
microbiologically       influenced      has worked to gain a better
corrosion (MIC) occurs when a           understanding of the pro-
biofilm of microbes grows on the        cesses involved, and how
surface of a structure. Its effect is   to devise and test potential
being studied by Associate Pro-         solutions.
fessor Scott Wade and colleagues,           “We used to think that just
including Dr M. Awais Javed and         a couple of specific microbial
Professor Linda Blackall, at Swin-      species were involved in MIC,
burne University of Technology.         but now we know that it’s many
    “MIC can dramatically speed         more,” he explained. “One thing
up corrosion rates, with struc-         that’s unclear is the role of pol-
tures sometimes being compro-           lution and environmental fac-
mised in just a few months. It          tors on microbial populations
affects not just metals, although       and how this relates to MIC.”
that’s what my research focuses             Given the scale of the prob-     E. coli in a biofilm observed through an electron microscope. Their corrosive
on, but also plastics, stone, al-       lem, Wade’s research has re-         effect on surfaces has enormous industry costs.

most everything.”                       ceived considerable interest
    Corrosion has been estimat-         and funding from industry            Maritime Australia Industry                microbial biofilms, for example
ed by industry group NACE               and defence sectors. Australia’s     Innovation Awards. Associate               by steam cleaning, is potentially
International to cost 3.4% of           Defence Materials Technology         Professor Wade’s research re-              a good start. He is also explor-
global GDP, approximately               Centre (DMTC) is playing a           sults have already been used by            ing the use of biocides, special
AUD$57 billion annually for             key collaborative role and the       the Royal Australian Navy and              toxic coatings that leach copper,
Australia alone.                        benefit of the research was re-      shipbuilders, ASC.                         or other sterilising treatments,
    Vulnerable structures in-           cently recognized with a high           As for solutions, Wade said             such as those that make use of
clude the hull of ships and sub-        commendation at the 2017             that avoiding the build-up of              ultraviolet light. 

Certainty                               H
                                                ighly miniaturised ‘lab-     revolutionary area of research,            the classical laws of hydrody-
                                                                                                                                                               © Swinburne University of Technology

                                                on-a-chip’ devices ca-       which steps beyond the predict-            namics break down and new

in flux
                                                pable of complex lab-        able world of continuum classi-            methodologies are required
                                        oratory analyses and medical         cal physics into the fuzzy realm           to predict the movement and
                                        diagnoses are the ultimate goal      of statistical mechanics.                  transport of fluids, such as water
As microfluidic devices
                                        of scientists in the emerging            “Nanofluidics is the study             flowing inside carbon nanotubes
shrink to the nanoscale,                field of nanofluidics. Theoreti-     of the flow of liquids in                  or graphene nanochannels.”
classical fluid dynamics                cian, Professor Billy Todd, has      nanometre-sized        channels,”             Todd has developed new the-
go out the window.                      led Swinburne’s foray into this      explained Todd. “At this scale,            oretical and computational

8        Research Impact                                                                                                                         March 2018
Highlights

                                       methods to predict the behav-        nanofluidic devices,” said Todd.            US, Europe, the UK and Asia                the properties of biological
                                       iour of atomic and molecular             Along with colleague, Pro-              are investing heavily in nano-             solutions.
                                       fluids in nanofluidic systems        fessor Peter Daivis at RMIT,                fluidic research, and while                    “Controlling the transport of
                                       using statistical mechanics —        Todd and his team of students               Australia has yet to seize the             fluids and improving the min-
                                       a physical principle that deals      and postdoctoral researchers                opportunity on a large scale,              iaturisation of such devices re-
                                       with the prediction of proper-       have made a number of impor-                Swinburne       University      of         mains an important technolog-
                                       ties of large systems of parti-      tant contributions in this field            Technology is well regarded                ical challenge, and our work can
                                       cles that cannot be handled by       in recent years. This includes              internationally for its work,              potentially provide insight into
                                       continuum methods of physics,        the development of non-equi-                particularly around nanotech-              the microscopic mechanisms
                                       such as hydrodynamics.               librium molecular dynamics                  nology and physical chemis-                at play when conventional fluid
                                           “In nanoscale confinements,      (NEMD) algorithms to simu-                  try.”                                      dynamics modelling is unable
                                       forces between the fluid mole-       late a broad class of nanofluidic               The driver for the significant         to make accurate predictions,”
                                       cules and atoms on the confin-       flows for atomic and molecular              investments in nanofluidics                said Todd.
                                       ing surface become important,        liquids, and a book covering the            internationally is the remark-                  “I think the future is bright
                                       as are friction and energy dissi-    essentials of non-equilibrium               able potential of applications             for those who have the tenacity
                                       pation. All of these aspects need    molecular dynamics.                         such as lab-on-a-chip devices,             and patience to tackle difficult
                                       to be understood in order to             “I think nanofluidics is a              in which arrays of nanofluid-              and scientifically challenging
                                       manipulate fluids efficiently in     vibrant field,” said Todd. “The             ic ‘chips’ are used to measure             problems.”

                                       Examining the roots of family violence
                                       World-leading research into the psychology of offenders sheds light on stalking risk and improves
                                       the effectiveness of response and treatment.

                                       P
                                              ioneering research into                                                                                              through face-to-face training
                                              family violence by Swin-                                                                                             and online education courses.”
                                              burne University of                                                                                                      A key part of the centre’s
                                       Technology’s Centre for Foren-                                                                                              work is developing and evaluat-
                                       sic Behavioural Science has led                                                                                             ing risk assessment tools, such as
                                       to markedly better outcomes for                                                                                             the Stalking Risk Profile, which
                                       victims.                                                                                                                    is now used by mental health,
                                           The centre works in collabo-                                                                                            policing and correctional agen-
                                       ration with senior psychologists                                                                                            cies around the world, and
                                       from Victoria’s forensic mental                                                                                             the Screening Assessment for
                                       health services, the police force,                                                                                          Stalking and Harassment which
                                       and the state’s primary health                                                                                              is used by front-line police and
                                       network, and was recognised                                                                                                 victim support agencies in the
                                       in the 2017 Australian Crime &                                                                                              United Kingdom, United States,
                                       Violence Prevention Awards.                                                                                                 Germany, Denmark, Sweden,
                                           Family or domestic violence      As first responders to incidents of family violence, police often bear the burden of   Italy and Japan.
                                       has become a top priority for        this major public health issue.                                                            “We are working with part-
                                       government and law enforce-                                                                                                 ners to develop systems that
                                       ment agencies. Yet the roll-out      McEwan and her team at the                  vention,” said Dr McEwan.                  ensure that day-to-day practice
© Getty Images/KatarzynaBialasiewicz

                                       of effective support and solu-       Centre for Forensic Behaviour-                 “One of the major challeng-             is based on sound evidence,”
                                       tions has been challenging. As       al Science have been working to             es is translating our findings             explained McEwan. “That work
                                       the first responders to incidents    address this problem.                       into practice. The gap between a           is enormously complex and
                                       of family violence, police often         “Our research focusses on               study and what psychologists or            involves lots of people. It is a
                                       bear much of the burden of what      improving understanding and                 police actually do on the ground           largely unseen part of being an
                                       in many ways is a public health      assessment of stalking and fam-             can be huge. We put a lot of time          effective academic, but is hugely
                                       issue, but without the benefit of    ily violence, with the aim of im-           into developing strategies to              important to ensuring our re-
                                       the necessary training. Dr Troy      proving prevention and inter-               translate our research findings,           search has direct impact.” 

                                       research.swinburne.edu.au                                                                                                           Research Impact        9
Highlights

Staying within
earshot of solutions
Swinburne PhD program a good fit
for students with a translational research bent

P
        ersonalised    earphone       with Melbourne hearing aid
        buds and hearing aids,        company, Blamey Saunders
        3D-printed for a perfect      Hears. He learned that the cur-
fit, were the promising first fruit   rent process for custom making
of a design-led PhD program at        hearing aids — injecting a soft
Swinburne University of Tech-         polymer to take an impression
nology.                               of the ear, creating a mould           Scanner data is projected on to a
     The aim was to turn out          from that impression, then cre-        mathematical model to produce a good
                                                                             quality representation of the ear.
PhDs who will move easily into        ating the custom hearing aid
industry after graduating, ex-        itself — left a lot to be desired.
plained the program director,         The multi-step process was ex-       model of the ear,” Stoddart said.        oped is a process where we can
Professor Paul Stoddart, a Swin-      pensive and prone to errors that     That model meant the scanner             mass-customise inserts for in-
burne biomedical engineer.            resulted in implants that were       could be used almost anywhere,           ear devices,” Stoddart said.
     The concept worked for           ill-fitting and uncomfortable.       and didn’t need a highly skilled             Since Kinsella began his
Philip Kinsella; even before he           Along with industrial de-        operator. “You can project the           PhD, ten more students have
graduated, the university helped      signer, Dr Charlie Ranscombe,        scanner data on to the math-             followed a similar design-led
him set up a spin-out company         Professor Stoddart and Kinsella      ematical model to produce a              PhD pathway, thanks to Aus-
to commercialise his method for       decided they could modernise         good quality representation of           tralian Research Council fund-
creating custom-fit earpieces.        the process. Kinsella developed      the ear.”                                ing for a Training Centre in
     The design-led approach          a custom scanner capable of              An automated algorithm               Biodevices. Stoddart is current-
started with students spending        precisely capturing ear shape,       then calculated where to po-             ly exploring options for offering
time with potential industry          and scanned many volunteers’         sition the hearing aid or ear-           the design-led PhD model to
partners to identify real-world       ears in the lab. “He assembled a     phone speaker within the im-             Swinburne students interested
problems. Kinsella’s own pro-         database of ears, then developed     plant, which was produced on             in translational research pro-
ject stemmed from discussions         a sophisticated mathematical         a 3D printer. “What he’s devel-          jects in other fields.

Green signals good for marketing
Future-focused consumers are more likely to spend their money
                                                                                                                                                         © Getty Images/AlexLMX; © Swinburne University of Technology
on products with environmental credentials.

U
       sing renewable ener-           likely to express an intention to    vironmental credentials — so-
       gy to make a product           buy the earphones if they were       called greenwash — is thought
       improves its consumer          advertised as having been made       to have undermined the effec-
appeal, according to research         with renewable energy.               tiveness of such marketing.
from Swinburne University of             “The study proved that prod-         However, until now there
Technology.                           ucts made with renewables are        has been very little research into
   Simon Pervan, Associate            preferable,” said Associate Pro-     whether green credentials are
Professor of Marketing, and           fessor Pervan.                       good for business. “We didn’t
his PhD student, Suni Mydock,            Marketing products made           know if consumers thought it
found that when university stu-       from recyclable or recycled ma-      was important that a product
dents viewed advertisements           terials was popular in the 1990s     was made with renewables, be-
for earphones, they were more         and 2000s. But over-hyped en-        cause it hadn’t been looked at           Associate Professor Simon Pervan.

10        Research Impact                                                                                                                  March 2018
Highlights

                                               before,” said Associate Profes-     forces, would be more likely to     personality types.                          big-picture appeals,” said Asso-
                                               sor Pervan.                         be interested in products made         Later, a second study into               ciate Professor Pervan.
                                                  The researchers also wanted      with renewable energy.              personality found that people                  While he is optimistic about
                                               to find out if consumer behav-         “We thought that they would      focused on the future were more             the appeal of products with green
                                               iour depended on personality        be more receptive to this type      willing to pay a higher price for           credentials, he has reservations.
                                               type.                               of appeal,” said Associate Pro-     a product made with renewable                  “Marketing needs to be de-
                                                  They hypothesized that peo-      fessor Pervan. However, they        energy compared to those who                veloped with caution to ensure
                                               ple who believe they have con-      found there was no difference in    were not.                                   it doesn’t become greenwash,
                                               trol over outcomes, rather than     interest in products made with         “Someone who focuses on                  which creates a sceptical and then
                                               outcomes being due to external      renewables between the two          the future is more interested in            cynical public,” he said.

                                               Cosmic clashes bring
                                               a community together
                                               It’s been a good year for gravitational wave
                                               research. A new centre based at Swinburne
                                               captured all the action.

                                               T
                                                        he promise of Swin-        in the detection of gravitational
                                                        burne’s new research       waves, OzGrav’s reason for
                                                        centre, OzGrav, was        being.
                                               realised when the Universe             Previously,      gravitational
                                               delivered an extraordinary          waves from black hole collisions
                                               event, a collision between two      had been detected, but the
                                               neutron stars, in August 2017.      neutron star collision emitted
                                                   Barely a year old, OzGrav,      radiation     visible    through
                                               the Australian Research Coun-       conventional telescopes. It was
                                               cil Centre of Excellence for        the first time the radiation that
                                               Gravitational Wave Discovery,       accompanies a gravitational
                                               swung into action, spreading        wave event had been detected.
                                               the news of the impending col-         The resulting avalanche of
                                               lision through their network of     data from telescopes across
                                               Australian researchers.             Australia and the world has
                                                   As the two neutron stars spi-   unveiled secret after secret
                                               ralled towards each other, tele-    about the Universe.
                                               scopes across Australia, from           Neutron star collisions are
                                               rural New South Wales to the        probably the main origin of the
                                               remote north of Western Aus-        gold and silver on Earth, for
© LSCSonoma State University/Aurore Simonnet

                                               tralia, homed in on the resulting   example.
                                                                                                                       An artist’s impression of the two neutron stars colliding.
                                               fireworks display. Meanwhile,          The smash also tells us about
                                               theorists primed Swinburne’s        the Universe’s expansion and
                                               OzStar petaflop supercomputer       explains the mysterious short-      together a community, said                     Because of his experience
                                               to crunch the data.                 duration gamma-ray bursts that      Professor Bailes.                           as the Director of Swinburne’s
                                                   “The stars completed the last   have puzzled astronomers for 50        “We had to not just make                 Centre for Astrophysics and
                                               thousand orbits of their death      years.                              the instrument better, but do               Supercomputing, Bailes knew
                                               spiral in just a few seconds,”         That so many Australian          science with it. We needed to               that Swinburne was the perfect
                                               said OzGrav’s Director, Profes-     scientists observed the neutron     recruit astrophysicists, and the            place to base the new centre, to
                                               sor Matthew Bailes.                 star collision is a tribute to      missing ingredient, the people              make use of the supercomputer,
                                                   The event was a new triumph     OzGrav’s success in bringing        who process data.                           OzStar.

                                               research.swinburne.edu.au                                                                                                    Research Impact      11
Highlights

DATA DRIVEN
                                                                            Arranging and analysing masses of data
                                                                            creates tools to predict traffic patterns,
                                                                            and the likelihood of market success.

P
        redicting where the next   underlying the digital disruption         Analysing      this    data,    for Transformative Innovation
        traffic snarl will form    sweeping the world, including in      Swinburne researchers used          (CTI) to understand how
        and       understanding    manufacturing, commerce and           algorithms to predict the effect    knowledge flows from research
how good ideas become useful       science, said Professor Sellis. The   of weather or a car accident on     to commercialisation. “CTI
products are among the projects    outcomes of the Data Science          city traffic. Such predictions      is looking at all the research
of researchers at Swinburne’s      Research Institute’s work have        cannot currently be made by         articles published around
Data Science Research Institute.   been similarly wide-ranging.          data-rich programs such as          the world, the patents that
    The interdisciplinary Inst-        The project on traffic            Google Maps, and are useful         companies or people file, and
itute, led by Professor Timos      analysis is combining complex         for the future consideration        the products that companies
Sellis, is using data science      data to improve traffic flow in       of governments and town             have developed,” said Professor
to transform the way that          the aftermath of car accidents.       planners.                           Sellis. The work has piqued the
businesses and governments         “We bring together data about             Swinburne        researchers    interest of organisations such as
operate.                           the weather, where people go          have also used machine              IP Australia, the federal agency
    Data is a common factor        typically throughout the day,         learning, a burgeoning tool         responsible for administering
                                   and from where they start, to         in which computers make             intellectual property rights.
                                   their destination, to understand      predictions based on patterns           Using machine learning,
                                    typical     traffic    patterns,”    detected in large amounts           the      researchers     analysed
                                           said Professor Sellis.        of data, to understand and          how innovations in a given
                                                                         quantify seemingly intangible       field develop. This includes
                                                                         concepts, such as the transfer of   quantifying the prevalence of
                                                                         knowledge.                          concepts present in research
                                                                             The Institute has partnered     publications, as well as the ideas
                                                                               with Swinburne’s Centre       developed in new patents, and
                                                                                                             analysing both for connections.
                                                                                                             “The analysis of this data is
                                                                                                             much more complex than
                                                                                                             just analysing numbers,” said
                                                                                                                  Professor Sellis. 

                                                                                                                                                  © Getty Images/Peter Greenway / EyeEm

12       Research Impact                                                                                                          March 2018
Highlights

                              A SMART LOOK AT THE CITY’S MOVING PARTS
                              A new multidisciplinary Institute will investigate the growing city as a whole

                              I
                                 nvestigating how autono-          having been a senior architect        Through the game the app learns      sharing and seem to have fewer
                                 mous cars could reduce the        on the Sagrada Família Basilica       more about the needs of the cit-     possessions than their parents,
                                 number of vehicles on the         in Barcelona and a former Aus-        izen, which can then be used in      so they may need less storage
                              road is just one of the many in-     tralian Federation Fellow.            city planning (see page 15).         space, while recently divorced
                              novative ideas being studied at          “Smart cities typically focus         The next big technological       singles in their 40s and 50s who
                              Swinburne’s brand new Smart          on new technologies but we are        revolution will be the autono-       can no longer afford a family
                              Cities Research Institute.           interested in understanding           mous car and the Institute will      home may prefer house-sharing.
                                 Tackling the challenges of        how new technologies can help         use simulation studies to find out       The Smart Cities Research
                              congestion, pollution and en-        citizens to engage,” said Profes-     if these will reduce congestion.     Institute will address four key
                              ergy use, the Smart Cities Re-       sor Burry.                                It will also consider strat-     areas: urban mobility, smart
                              search Institute will investigate        “Rather than cities designed      egies for increasing housing         spaces at home and work, infra-
                              not just new technologies, but       for citizens, let’s have the cities   density around transport hubs        structure and delivery systems,
                              how citizens can be involved.        designed with them. It’s a ma-        and demonstrate to residents         and new urban governance
                                 Professor Mark Burry, who         jor opportunity, but we haven’t       that higher densities can create     structures.
                              recently joined Swinburne            really exploited it. We could use     benefits such as a greater variety       Operating as a virtual In-
                              to be the Institute’s Director,      the internet more effectively to      of shops and restaurants within      stitute, it aims to foster collab-
                                   came with an impressive         give people more choices.”            walking distance.                    oration between disciplines
                                            list of credentials,       One approach is to use                “Instead of nimbyism we          and with outside partners such
                                                    i nclud i ng   games to find out what people         want to encourage ‘imbyism’ -        as government, industry and
                                                                   are thinking, as an alternative       in my backyard,” said Professor      CSIRO.
© Getty Images/Aaron Foster

                                                                   to questionnaires. This might be      Burry.                                   “Everything we do is project
                                                                           as an app which citizens          Investigating housing to suit    based rather than pure research
                                                                                 play while waiting      new household arrangements           based and at least two disciplines
                                                                                        for the bus.     will be another priority, accord-    will be engaged in each project.
                                                                                                         ing to Burry. Millennials, for       We will always involve an outside
                                                                                                         example, have a greater sense of     party,” said Professor Burry. 

                              research.swinburne.edu.au                                                                                             Research Impact         13
Highlights

On the pulse of
material fabrication
Ultrafast laser processing offers the promise
of precision fabrication using light alone.

S
        winburne       researchers         “Our work shows that
        studying the detailed me-      with ultrashort laser pulses,
        chanics of interactions        photo-initiators      are     not
between light and matter are           required. We can control and
making significant contribu-           tailor light–matter interactions
tions to 3D laser printing.            solely via the properties of
    Touted as the potential tech-      light.”
nology for the factory of the fu-          By adjusting the intensity,
ture, the current generation of        wavelength, repetition and scan
3D laser printers is based on the      speed of the laser pulses, Profes-
principle that a raw material,         sor Juodkazis’s team has been
typically a powder, is converted       able to prove the concept on sol-
into a solid by focused laser light.   id transparent workpieces such
They give a tantalising glimpse        as polymer blocks and glass,
of a future where high-precision       producing high-precision piec-
products are created inexpen-          es for microfluidic applications.
sively on demand from digital              “Ultrafast laser processing
files in comparatively tiny ‘fac-      has the highest precision in de-
tories’ in ordinary shop-fronts.       livering light energy to materi-
Yet there remain many ways in          al,” explained Professor Juodka-         Swinburne trials a 3D printing device that delivers ultrashort laser
which current technology could         zis. “It allowed us to tailor and        pulses, cutting out the need for toxic molecules.
be improved if only the physics        structure materials from tens of
of light–matter interaction were       nanometres in size right up to
better understood.
    The work of Professor Sau-
                                       sub-millimetre size, making it
                                       unique in bridging the domains
                                                                                3D laser printing with light
                                                                                1. 3D printers start with a raw material, for laser fusing (or
lius Juodkazis and his team at         of nanotechnology, microtech-
                                                                                   sintering) it’s typically a powder of either plastic or metal.
Swinburne’s Centre for Mi-             nology and conventional preci-           2. Toxic photo-initiators, molecules that creates reactive species
cro-Photonics has focused on           sion material processing.”                  when exposed to radiation, are usually added to the powder to
this largely unexplored area of            Professor Juodkazis’s work              help it absorb laser light. This step can be skipped with new
material science.                      homed in on what exactly hap-               ultrafast laser manufacturing.
                                                                                3. A layer of powder is laid down
    “One of the technological          pens when a highly focused
                                                                                4. A focused laser light fuses (or sinters) part of the layer into a
problems of the current gener-         laser pulse interacts with ma-              solid shape in a process known as photopolymerisation.
ation of 3D laser printer is the       terial at the nanometre scale.           5. This process is repeated until a 3D shape is created.
need to add photo-initiators to        The laser irradiation spot
the raw material to absorb laser       experiences a rapid and extreme
light, since the host material         rise in temperature and pres-
on its own is transparent at the       sure, which can produce exotic       etition rate in Australia,” said          transfer for laser fabricated sur-
wavelength of the laser,” said         high-pressure material phases        Professor Juodkazis. “Based on            faces for sensors. We also work
Professor Juodkazis.                   that sometimes last for only a       our research and this facility, we        with Laser Systems in Japan on
    “But photo-initiators are toxic,   fraction of a second.                have a number of collaborations,          industrial laser cutting applica-
which has limited the application          “Swinburne has the only          including with Workshop-of-               tions, and with Flewsolutions in
of this technology in biomedical       ultra-short pulse laser with         Photonics in Lithuania, which             Brisbane on sensors and laser
fields where the potential is huge.    industrial-grade power and rep-      started with a patent licence             fabrication.” 

14        Research Impact                                                                                                                       March 2018
Highlights

                                       When the city’s your playground
                                       A free mobile game invites players to explore Melbourne, with the play contributing
                                       to better urban design.

                                       A
                                                new augmented reality
                                                game developed by a
                                                designer at Swinburne
                                       University of Technology allows
                                       players to unlock a hidden city
                                       in Melbourne’s laneways.
                                           Wayfinder Live 2017 is a
                                       free game that uses a mix of
                                       real-world visual clues and dig-
                                       ital elements. Dr Troy Innocent
                                       created it to explore how cities
                                       can be turned into playable en-
                                       vironments. He won the 2017
                                       City of Melbourne Knowledge
                                       Fellowship for the work.
                                           The location-based game was
                                       played through the main hubs
                                       of the Melbourne central busi-
                                       ness district, where players used
                                       the mobile app to find and scan
                                       hidden artworks. The secret
                                       ‘urban codes’ represented frag-     Wayfinder Live 2017 was commissioned for Melbourne International Games
                                       ments of a mythical city called     week and won the City of Melbourne Knowledge Fellowship for its creator.

                                       Ludea.
                                           While Pokemon Go! re-           three teams, each representing           people, and we can use
                                       quires the player to focus on       a different ideology of how the          this information to im-
                                       their mobile screen, Innocent       city should be run.                      prove public spaces,” Dr
                                       said that Wayfinder Live 2017          The player must race to scan          Innocent said.
                                       invites players to explore the      16 urban codes hidden through-               Over the 12-month
                                       city in a new way by switching      out the city to create a map be-         fellowship, Dr Innocent
                                       between the urban environ-          fore opposing teams.                     will further explore
                                       ment and mobile device. When           When the player scans a               how urban information
                                       a player is within 100 metres of    new code, a 32-section digital           systems can be turned
                                       a scannable artwork, the app        map unfolds with sounds and              into games that collect
                                       sends an alert.                     narrative text. Players earn in-         feedback from citizens
                                           “The game alters the play-      game currency that allows them           about how to create
                                       er’s perception of the city and     to take control of locations for         a stronger sense of
                                       also encourages them to reflect     their team.                              community in cities.
© Swinburne University of Technology

                                       on how the city is constantly          In addition to turning the                “If I’m changing
                                       changing,” said Dr Innocent.        urban environment into a vir-            the way people relate
                                           Commissioned by the Vic-        tual game, Dr Innocent said that         [to] or experience
                                       torian Government for Mel-          Wayfinder Live 2017 presents a           the city then I think
                                       bourne International Games          novel way of gathering insights          that’s a contribu-
                                       Week in October 2017, the           from the public about how to             tion to quality of
                                       treasure-hunt style game re-        design better urban spaces.              living,” said Dr
                                       quires players to choose from          “Play is a good way to engage         Innocent.

                                       research.swinburne.edu.au                                                                                     Research Impact     15
Highlights

A GREENER HOME? THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
Being a committed environmentalist does not automatically mean a smaller household footprint.
But renovating could help.

T
        he homes of committed        ted greens and environmen-             “Energy efficiency is not top of    media and so are developing a
        environmentalists have a     tal skeptics,” said Professor       their list. People are conscious of    ‘renovator accelerator’: an advice
        similar carbon footprint     Newton.                             budget, but they also want com-        website that will be made into an
to other Australians, Swinburne         Since behavioural change is      fort. It’s a funny mix of financial    app for mobile phones.
researchers have found. Scien-       not guaranteed to reduce car-       and emotional factors,” she said.          “People spend a lot of time
tists argue that more needs to       bon consumption, Professor             Professor Hulse’s research          researching at the early stage of
be done to make environmental        Kath Hulse, Director of the         found that communication               the project, so this is the ideal
improvements the status quo          Centre for Urban Transitions,       about how to make homes more           time to help people incorporate
in Australian homes.                 has investigated the benefits of    energy efficient could be made         energy efficiency into their pro-
   After surveying 1,250 house-      communicating energy efficien-      more pertinent to homeowners.          ject,” said Professor Hulse.
holds, Professor Peter Newton        cy strategies to home renova-                                                  “Our prototype treats energy
from Swinburne Centre for Ur-        tors.                                    Our prototype                     efficiency as mainstream — not
ban Transitions was surprised           While building regula-                                                  special, not different, and not
to find that people professing       tions mandate energy efficien-
                                                                         treats energy                          more costly,” she said.
to have strong environmental         cy in new homes, houses built       efficiency as                              The website will even tell you
concerns used almost the same        before 2004 are poor perform-       mainstream.                            how much your home value is
amount of resources as people        ers. Renovations present a                                                 likely to increase after imple-
with little interest in environ-     prime opportunity to improve              “The issue is people are         menting energy efficient initia-
mental issues.                       the energy rating of existing       spending money on a renova-            tives.
    “People might say they have      homes, but it is often not a high   tion and want to see where the             It is expected the prototype
pro-environmental        attitudes   priority for homeowners, said       money goes, but some things,           will be completed this year.
but when you look at consump-        Professor Hulse.                    like insulation, you can’t see. It’s       This research is part of the
tion of electricity, gas and wa-        She found that renovators        not glamorous,” she said.              Cooperative Research Centre
ter; travel; housing space; and      are primarily interested in com-       Professor Hulse and her team        for Low Carbon Living’s work
appliances, we found there was       fort and livability but also have   discovered renovators gather           on engaging communities in
no difference between commit-        an eye to future resale.            their information via digital          improving energy efficiency. 

                                                                                                                                                     © Getty Images/zstockphotos

16       Research Impact                                                                                                             March 2018
Highlights

                                       Learning from an AFL pack
                                       Research to improve efficient collaborative digital networks took a lead from Australian sporting culture.

                                       W
                                                  hen it comes to busi-
                                                  ness networks in the
                                                  digital age, Swin-
                                       burne researchers have gained
                                       insights from an unexpected
                                       source: real-life interactions in
                                       a football club.
                                           A team of analysts from the
                                       Swinburne Centre for Trans-
                                       formative Innovation, led by
                                       Associate Professor Dean Lush-
                                       er, has used insights from face-
                                       to-face socialising to inform
                                       innovation in multinational
                                       organisations such as Boeing.
                                           Associate Professor Lusher,
                                       who is also Deputy Director of
                                       the Social Innovation Research
                                       Institute, said the term ‘social
                                       networks’ encompassed more
                                       than just social media. “They
                                       also capture the daily interac-
                                       tions we have at work, such as
                                       whom we go to for advice to
                                                                            Associate Professor Dean Lusher will use his research on interpersonal relationships in organisations, including the
                                       solve a problem, gossip to, or
                                                                            Australian Football League, to inform his work with Boeing.
                                       enjoy spending time with after
                                       hours.”
                                           Associate Professor Lusher’s     Australian Football League, will           “Most standard statistical tests           multiculturalism, and that In-
                                       team, a world leader in social       inform his work with Boeing.               have an assumption that what I             digenous players felt more mar-
                                       network analysis, is working             His team analysed the effec-           do is completely independent of            ginalised from their clubs than
                                       with Boeing to study their re-       tiveness of the AFL’s racial and           what you do, but in a network,             their non-Indigenous team-
                                       search and development net-          religious vilification laws across         people are connected, and what             mates.
                                       works hoping to unpick the           nine clubs. “We wanted to un-              one person does is related to                 “AFL teams are culturally
                                       most efficient methods of col-       derstand the way teams work                what another does.”                        popular organisations, but the
                                       laboration.                          together and interact, wheth-                                                         same sort of social dynam-
                                           “When you’re innovating,         er people from diverse back-
                                                                                                                            We wanted to                          ics occur in many workplaces
                                       trying to solve complex prob-        grounds are socially included in                                                      across Australia, such as finan-
                                       lems and transfer knowledge,         the team, and the potential for            understand the way                         cial institutions or business
                                       how do you do that across geo-       divisions to destabilise teams,”           teams work together,                       teams who are trying to develop
© Swinburne University of Technology

                                       graphical, language and cultur-      he said.
                                                                                                                       and the potential                          products,” he said.
                                       al barriers? Part of that comes          To do this, the research-                                                            “There’s the opportunity to
                                       down to interpersonal rela-          ers used network visualisation             for divisions to                           instigate organisational change
                                       tions,” he said.                     maps as well as exponential                destabilise teams.                         by understanding what’s hap-
                                           Associate Professor Lusher’s     random graph models (ERGM),                                                           pening internally and how well
                                       research on interpersonal rela-      a class of statistical model that             The research found a general            informal social networks align
                                       tions in the structure and culture   takes into account dependent               lack of understanding among                with formal organisational
                                       of organisations, including the      connections between people.                players about reconciliation and           charts.” 

                                       research.swinburne.edu.au                                                                                                          Research Impact          17
Highlights

                                                                                      A study found children using touchscreens performed
                                                                                       as well or better in nearly all key cognitive measures
                                                                                                           as those taught using flash cards.

Shattering the
                                                                            He said screens were of edu-       learning when using the touch-
                                                                        cational value when the infor-         screen,” Associate Professor
                                                                        mation presented by them met           Kaufman said.

screen myth                                                             four criteria: it was interactive,
                                                                        engaging, relevant to the child’s
                                                                        life and encouraged them to
                                                                                                                  Additional data from an
                                                                                                               eye-tracking device worn while
                                                                                                               completing the tasks suggested
Screen-time is not inherently bad for children.
                                                                        want to learn more.                    touchscreens were more effec-
It’s a lack of interactivity that is problematic.                           The Babylab’s work in-             tive for those aged four and five
                                                                        cludes being commissioned              than younger children.

G
        eneralisations about how     Tower of Hanoi as when using       by the Commonwealth gov-                  Earlier work by the Baby-
        too much ‘screen-time’       the physical puzzle.               ernment to evaluate the Early          lab examined how children re-
        affects development fail        He said the resulting paper,    Learning Languages Australia           spond to video chat programs,
to recognise the ways in which       published in the journal Com-      (ELLA) program, which uses             and whether they felt it was
screen-based activities can help     puters in Human Behaviour in       touchscreen apps designed to           analogous with a real-world
children learn, Swinburne Uni-       2016, was among the first to       enhance interest in learning           conversation.
versity of Technology research       counter the idea that screens      among preschool-aged chil-                It found children’s anxiety
has suggested.                       were not an effective way to       dren.                                  about being separated from a
   A series of studies by Swin-      learn.                                 It found children using            loved one could in part be ad-
burne’s Babylab have demon-             “Everyone talks about it, but   touchscreens performed as              dressed by using video calling.
strated that, in the right circum-   screen-time is a very limited      well or better in nearly all key       “We found with a video call it
stances, interactive touchscreens    concept,” Associate Professor      cognitive measures as those            was almost like being there for
can be used to teach young chil-     Kaufman said.                      taught using flash cards. The          the child. An audio call wasn’t
dren at least as effectively as         “We should be making sure       digitally taught were found to         sufficient — it had to be a vid-
real-world tasks.                    kids aren’t too sedentary, that    have superior response speed,          eo call to make a difference,”
                                                                                                                                                     © Getty images/Hero Images

   Babylab Director, Jordy Kau-      can certainly be affected by       brain activity, level of engage-       Associate Professor Kaufman
fman, an Associate Professor in      the amount of time they spend      ment and time spent on task,           said.
the Centre for Mental Health,        watching screens. But people       indicating the level of interest          “It’s another example that
said children learned as much        should be focused on the type of   in the game.                           shows it’s not the screen, it’s
playing a touchscreen version        screen-time, not the amount of         “The results seemed to sug-        what you do with it that makes
of the problem-solving game          screen-time.”                      gest they had a deeper level of        the difference.”

18       Research Impact                                                                                                               March 2018
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