December 2008 - Issue #4
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Medical diagnosis at a pinch
Laser beams are already used to manipulate and study red blood cells. Now Swinburne scientists have taken their research into the nano-realm and are planning to shed laser light on single molecules.
Bird behaviour inspires fire-spotting plan
As bushfires raged across California in October 2007, Professor Tim Hendtlass was attracting a great deal of attention on the other side of the US, where he was describing to conference delegates how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could be deployed in large numbers to monitor remote and inaccessible terrain for fires.
Defects detected in the blink of a ‘mechanical eye’
The next generation of visual inspection systems could help Australian manufacturers improve quality and competitiveness. But understanding the limits of these systems will be vital.
Tales from the high-rise
A digital storytelling project by students at Swinburne's Design Centre breathes new life into Melbourne's public housing estates.
Mobile internet finds new meaning
In the state of Orissa, India, the lack of internet access in rural and regional areas has led one company to implement an unusual approach to connectivity.
Services get smartened up
Customers will soon have a bigger say in how they can access services, particularly online services. It’s all part of a new field of technology known as smart services.
Skills shortage creates increased demand for job-ready graduates
The first wide-ranging study of work-integrated learning in Australia has been completed and reveals the benefits and challenges of this widespread approach to university teaching.
Learning on the job
Gone are the days when university students sat sponge-like in lecture theatres absorbing the words spoken at them. Career assistance, work placements and an array of electives designed to improve generic work skills are making today’s students more job-ready than ever.
The shining: astronomers find our universe is twice as bright
Astronomers have torn aside an enshrouding veil of dust to reveal that the universe is twice as brilliant and fiery a place as we had previously imagined.
Researchers engineer Australia for earthquakes
Just how well a building type common in Australia and Asia performs in mild to moderate earthquakes is being investigated through a collaborative research project.
The call to making wine
With a distinctive outlook on life, a civil engineer with a knack for road construction technology paves a way into wine-making – one of several Swinburne alumni making a name for themselves in the quest for the perfect bouquet.
Of winds and waves
A shallow lake north of Canberra is the site of research investigating how extreme winds generate monster waves in the open ocean.
