March 2018 Newsletter
Note from the Manager
Welcome to the first SIEF Newsletter of 2018.
2018 year marks the conclusion of the SIEF John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarship programme, which was established to support the SIEF strategic objective of creating and sustaining young researchers capable of addressing national challenges
All SIEF-funded postgraduate scholars have now completed; on behalf of the SIEF Trustee I congratulate them on their endeavours and wish them well in their future careers. I also take this opportunity to remind all remaining recipients of SIEF Undergraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships that milestone reports are due no later than 1 April 2018.
SIEF continues to actively support the development of early career researchers through the SIEF-funded STEM+Business Programme, and others are involved in research activity funded by the SIEF Experimental Development Programme.
We look forward to your continued interest in SIEF this year.
Dr Melissa Straffon
SIEF Manager
Melissa.Straffon@sief.org.au
(03) 9545 7952 or 0408 134 581
Experimental Development Program
The EDP is continuing to support cutting edge near commercial ready experiments, with ten projects now selected for funding.
The SmartWindows team has recently commenced working toward automatic control of optical properties of glass such as light transmission and visibility, and improving the durability and product life of optical glass for architectural and automotive applications.
The Megasonics project team is undertaking evaluation trials in a commercial olive oil plant to demonstrate improved process efficiency, increased oil recovery, and reduced loss in waste streams.
If you are considering submitting a proposal to the SIEF EDP, please contact the SIEF Team prior to commencing your application to discuss key aspects including eligibility.
Congratulations extended
We are pleased to announce three esteemed scientists associated with SIEF have received prestigious awards lately.
In the Australia Day awards announced in January, SIEF Advisory Council member Professor Ezio Rizzardo received a Companion (AC) in the general division of the Order of Australia medal in recognition of his eminent service to scientific technological research in the field of polymer chemistry.
Following on from his success as the ACT Senior Australian of the Year Award in November 2017, SIEF Forests for the Future Research Project leader Professor Graham Farquhar was awarded 2018 Senior Australian of the Year by the Australia Day Council.
SIEF would also like to congratulate Dr Peter Molloy on being a recipient of the Eureka Prize for Innovation in Medical Research as part of the Colvera Team. Dr Molloy also led the SIEF funded research project Early Nutrition, leading to the epigenomics and prevention of diseased.