[Aqualist] Discovery success
Simon Haberle
simon.haberle at anu.edu.au
Wed Sep 26 12:58:11 EST 2007
Dear All,
An impressive list of 24 successful ARC Discovery grants in the
fields related to Quaternary Studies were announced today.
Congratulations to all those who were successful, particularly to the
ADP's (7), ARF/QEII's (6) and APF's (1), which is an outstanding
level of success (and employment) in our sector.
(see Media release and stats
http://www.arc.gov.au/media/releases/media_26Sep07_DP.htm or ARC site
www.arc.gov.au).
The successful Discovery grants in the fields related to Quaternary
Studies (palaeoenvironments and archaeology) are listed below. Please
let me know if I have missed anyone..
Cheers, Simon
Discovery
DP0877572 Dr D Dominey Howes; Prof JF Nott; Dr J Goff
Testing the Australian Megatsunami Hypothesis
2008 : $ 107,650
2009 : $ 122,000
2010 : $ 59,000
Primary RFCD 2601 GEOLOGY
Administering Organisation Macquarie University
Project Summary
More than 300000 lives and property worth more than $150bn on the NSW
coast are vulnerable to large tsunamis but at present we do not have
a clear idea about how often such tsunamis occur and how big they
might be. This project will identify and date evidence for past
tsunamis on the coasts of NSW and west New Zealand which will help
us understand regional tsunami risk. This will provide knowledge that
will guide tsunami risk management practice in vulnerable areas of
NSW and help underpin the developing Australian Tsunami Warning System.
DP0877603 Dr DK Curnoe; Prof PS Tacon; Dr SD Mooney; Dr DA
Penny; Mr J Xueping; Dr R Pan; Dr D Fink; Dr AI Herries
The Late Pleistocene Peopling of East Asia and Associated Climate
Environment History
2008 : $ 150,000
2009 : $ 140,000
2010 : $ 140,000
2011 : $ 130,000
2012 : $ 105,000
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
ARF Dr AI Herries
Administering Organisation The University of New South Wales
Project Summary
This project will contribute to an environmentally sustainable
Australia through understanding the long term history of climate
change centred on the monsoon weather system and the scale and
magnitude of environmental change and its long term impacts on human
inhabitants in East Asia and Australasia. It helps to safeguard
Australia by enhancing our capacity to interpret and engage with our
region through greater understanding of societies and cultures. It
will improve understanding of the long term history and relationships
of major groups of people across our region. Many benefits will
derive from scientific, educational and cultural exchange between
Australia and our neighbour China.
DP0877805 A/Prof AV Betts; Prof VN Yagodin; Dr FJ Kidd
A study of a newly discovered corpus of early Central Asian wall paintings
2008 : $ 140,000
2009 : $ 130,000
2010 : $ 130,000
2011 : $ 125,000
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
APD Dr FJ Kidd
Administering Organisation The University of Sydney
Project Summary
We will examine the development of mural art in Central Asia through
study of a remarkable corpus of newly discovered wall paintings from
a massive two thousand year old temple/palace. This extensive
collection of images is the largest and best preserved early cycle of
art yet discovered in Central Asia. Detailed iconographic study of
the paintings will provide an extensive new database for scholars
working on the history and culture of the ancient world. A broader
study of Central Asian wall painting based on our work will benefit
all those interested in the Classical world and its Asian and Iranian
counterparts.
DP0880374 Dr MJ Carter
With or without pots: Investigating the archaeology of human
settlement on Santa Isabel, western Solomon Islands
2008 : $ 85,000
2009 : $ 80,000
2010 : $ 60,000
2011 : $ 58,986
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
APD Dr MJ
Carter
Administering Organisation The University of Sydney
Project Summary
Following the recent civil unrest in the Solomon Islands, the SI
National and Provincial Governments, as well as community bodies,
have identified a better understanding of the past and the revival of
traditional systems and knowledge (Kastom) as a route to stability
and cohesion throughout the region. This study responds to direct
requests from the Santa Isabel community for assistance with
archaeological research and the recording of cultural histories. By
assisting a Pacific neighbour to develop a more durable, internally
generated basis for social and economic development, Australia not
only encourages security in the region, but also increases its
engagment with and understanding of adjacent cultures.
DP0880490 Mr DH Evans
Hydraulic Systems and State Development in Early Cambodia: Mapping
the Engineered Landscapes of the Khmer Using Remote Sensing
2008 : $ 95,000
2009 : $ 90,000
2010 : $ 80,000
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
APD Mr DH Evans
Administering Organisation The University of Sydney
Project Summary
Due to recent discoveries, Australian research at Angkor, in
Cambodia, has gained increasing visibility worldwide. The ARC funded
Greater Angkor Project (Discovery) and Living With Heritage project
(Linkage) have produced results of international significance,
developed strong long term partnerships with Cambodian agencies and
UNESCO, and have pioneered the large scale mapping of World Heritage
listed sites using airborne imaging radar systems in collaboration
with NASA. This project will extend these partnerships, consolidate
Australia's leading position in radar analysis methods, and continue
to produce results with global implications for the understanding and
management of World Heritage sites.
DP0878604 Dr LJ Arnold; Dr RD MacPhee; Dr H Poinar
Pleistocene evolutionary dynamics and past environments of Siberia:
Reconstructions using luminescence dating of ancient DNA sedimentary archives
2008 : $ 115,000
2009 : $ 114,000
2010 : $ 109,000
Primary RFCD 2601 GEOLOGY
APD Dr LJ Arnold
Administering Organisation University of Wollongong
Project Summary
This study will yield critical new insights into faunal environment
interactions in Siberia and their long term implications for the
evolution and extinction of Siberia's biota. These fundamental issues
are of relevance to Australian archaeology, palaeontology and
biogeography, and so our discoveries are of direct interest to
Australian researchers studying these disciplines. The methodological
advancements in OSL dating and DNA techniques that will accompany
this research will enhance Australia's international scientific
standing and create new opportunities for collaborative initiatives
in both cutting edge scientific research and consulting activities.
DP0879624 Mr AR Brumm
A reassessment of early human stone technology from a Southeast Asian
perspective
2008 : $ 100,000
2009 : $ 95,000
2010 : $ 85,000
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
APD Mr AR Brumm
Administering Organisation University of Wollongong
Project Summary
The study of early stone technology is crucial to our understanding
of human evolution worldwide, providing insight into the capabilities
of our earliest ancestors. Current models focus on the evidence from
Africa and Europe, potentially marginalising the importance of
eastern Asia in the global development of early human stone
technology. This impacts how nations and communities in our region
interpret themselves to the world and reduces the impetus of
innovative research on this subject. The proposal aims to establish
detailed comparisons between Southeast Asian and 'Western'
technologies, providing a suitable framework through which current
preconceptions can be more rigorously assessed.
DP0880675 Prof RG Roberts; Prof AR Chivas; Dr MD Petraglia
Monsoons and migrations: Quaternary climates, landscapes and human
prehistory of the Arabian peninsula and the Indian subcontinent
2008 : $ 155,000
2009 : $ 130,000
2010 : $ 125,000
2011 : $ 110,000
2012 : $ 100,000
Primary RFCD 2603 GEOCHEMISTRY
APF Prof RG Roberts
Administering Organisation University of Wollongong
Project Summary
By providing important new data on the initial dispersal of Homo
sapiens from Africa to Australia via Arabia and India, this project
will improve our knowledge of the time depth of cultural connections
between indigenous Australians and other societies. It will provide a
long term perspective on the impact of climate change on hunter
gatherer communities, and will contribute to NRP Safeguarding
Australia by increasing our understanding of cultures in Arabia and
India. Technical advances made in this study will benefit researchers
worldwide, increase capacity for commercial services, and enhance
Australia's international standing in the geosciences. We will also
train high quality research students and create new collaborative initiatives.
DP0879074 Dr D Frankel; Dr JM Webb
Diversity, interaction and change in prehistory: the third millennium
BCE in Cyprus
2008 : $ 152,000
2009 : $ 130,000
2010 : $ 130,000
2011 : $ 70,000
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
Administering Organisation La Trobe University
Project Summary
This project will enhance the high reputation Australians have
developed over many years in Mediterranean archaeology, maintaining
and broadening Australia's cultural and economic relationships with
Cyprus. It will be relevant to both scholars and the general public
in Cyprus and the large Cypriot community in Australia. It
will involve the training of students from both Australian and
Cypriot universities in all aspects of archaeological fieldwork,
laboratory analysis and research.
DP0878744 Dr PJ Baker; Dr ER Cook; Dr JM Lough
Reconstructing the historical frequency and intensity of Australian
droughts: A multi species dendrochronological approach
2008 : $ 170,000
2009 : $ 148,000
2010 : $ 145,500
Primary RFCD 2707 ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Administering Organisation Monash University
Project Summary
Drought directly and indirectly impacts every Australian. Severe
droughts devastate rural communities, lead to increased water
restrictions and bushfire activity, slows the national economy and
threatens diverse ecosystems. Our research will improve
understanding of where, when, and how intensely droughts have
occurred across eastern Australia in the past. The results will
provide unique insights into the processes that generate
Australian droughts and how future droughts might be anticipated.
The results will provide farmers, hydrologists, and policy makers
with better data on long term variability in water supplies to
improve local, regional, and national water planning initiatives and
infrastructure development.
DP0877782 Dr B David; Prof J Geneste; Dr KM Marsaglia; Dr H Plisson
Archaeology of the Gulf Province Lowlands, Papua New Guinea
2008 : $ 180,000
2009 : $ 175,000
2010 : $ 170,000
2011 : $ 130,000
2012 : $ 90,000
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
QEII Dr B David
Administering Organisation Monash University
Project Summary
This project involves international collaboration between PNG,
French, US, Canadian & Australian researchers, and thus contributes
to constructive international links between these countries. These
collaborations are at local community and national institutional
levels, and involve mutual participation in field and laboratory
research. They also provide opportunities for numerous PNG and
Australian archaeology students to gain valuable
fieldwork experience and training in archaeological methods and in
working in partner relationships involving scientific researchers
and Indigenous communities. This research will contribute to National
Identity in investigating prehistoric cultural links with PNG at NE
Australia's doorstep.
DP0880120 Dr AR Evans
Megafauna and mega extinction: assessing palaeocommunity change using
dental complexity and shape analyses
2008 : $ 200,000
2009 : $ 100,000
2010 : $ 100,000
2011 : $ 100,000
2012 : $ 100,000
Primary RFCD 2707 ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
ARF Dr AR Evans
Administering Organisation Monash University
Project Summary
This research will address an important issue of national interest
the causes of the extinction of the Australian megafauna. By
furthering research on the causes of this historic event, valuable
insights will be gained into possible causes of current extinction
events and the future impact of climate change. It will bring to
Australia new technologies and methods developed overseas by an
Australian researcher, and put Australia at the forefront of several
areas of research including 3D scanning and analysis. This project
will form part of an international collaboration called the
MorphoBrowser, an exciting advance in the study of biological
diversity. This will help maintain Australia as a pre eminent country
for palaeontology research.
DP0879758 A/Prof RJ Sloggett; A/Prof AG Sagona; Ms D Lau
Archaeological conservation: the development of analysis and
assessment protocols for adhesives used on archaeological pottery
2008 : $ 40,737
2009 : $ 38,398
2010 : $ 38,398
Primary RFCD 4003 CURATORIAL STUDIES
Administering Organisation The University of Melbourne
Project Summary
The development of routine adhesive testing and assessment
methodologies will provide conservation laboratories with the
relevant knowledge to test adhesives before use. This will result in
the timely identification of formulation changes, thus preventing
the use of inferior adhesive products that no longer perform to
conservation standards. This preventive approach is highly cost
effective and will have a positive impact on the preservation
of archaeological pottery and other cultural collections.
Furthermore, the expertise developed with this project can
be extended to adhesives used to repair other cultural materials and
contemporary collections made from synthetic polymer based materials.
DP0877463 Prof PS Tacon; Dr J Ross; Dr AG Paterson; Dr SK May
Picturing change: 21st Century perspectives on recent Australian rock
art, especially that from the European contact period.
2008 : $ 155,000
2009 : $ 150,000
2010 : $ 150,000
2011 : $ 110,000
Primary RFCD 4203 CULTURAL STUDIES
APD Dr SK
May
Administering Organisation Griffith University
Project Summary
Australia, long known for its prehistoric rock art of world heritage
value, will now also be known for its unique and diverse body of
contact rock art. This project will benefit tourism in remote
regions, many of which are or are near World Heritage Areas (eg.
Kakadu, Uluru, Blue Mountains). Contemporary indigenous knowledge
about important cross cultural landscapes will be synthesised along
with other new knowledge to assist with the protection of sites, the
development of new management plans and applications to place
particular groups of sites on a new UNESCO World Heritage rock art
list. Aboriginal participants will receive research skills training
and both individuals and communities will reconnect to significant
remote places.
DP0881279 Dr GJ Price
Constructing a temporally constrained palaeoecological model of
Quaternary faunal evolution and extinction in eastern Australia
2008 : $ 100,000
2009 : $ 100,000
2010 : $ 100,000
Primary RFCD 2707 ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
APD Dr GJ
Price
Administering Organisation The University of Queensland
Project Summary
Increased climatic variability and human induced environmental
degradation have had severe impacts on biodiversity, socio economic
sustainability and possibly our own future survival, thus attracting
global attention. his study will help unravel the causes of the
extinctions of Australia's large size animals (megafauna) during the
periods of last glaciation and earliest human colonisation of
Australia. Investigating the causes of megafauna extinction is
essential for an understanding of how those prehistoric events shaped
the modern biota, and for the development of conservation strategies
for our endemic faunas in an era of increased climatic and
environmental variability and vulnerability.
DP0877167 Prof K Grice; Prof RE Summons; Dr RJ Twitchett
Characteristics of organic matter formed in toxic, sulfide rich
modern and ancient environments
2008 : $ 140,000
2009 : $ 190,000
2010 : $ 170,000
2011 : $ 85,000
2012 : $ 75,000
Primary RFCD 2603 GEOCHEMISTRY
QEII Prof K Grice
Administering Organisation Curtin University of Technology
Project Summary
This project will help scientists understand past climate changes and
understand the mechanisms of global warming. This in turn will
improve our ability to forecast future climate change, and help
Australia manage current threats to its biodiversity. Furthermore,
this research involving Australia's major petroleum rocks will
increase the ability to identify crude oil sources, to the benefit
of petroleum exploration in Australia and world wide.
Importantly, this project will enable students and young
professionals to be trained in state of the art technologies, leading
to quality scientists ready for employment in geoscience industries,
and raising the profile of science careers in Australia.
DP0881764 Prof BW Brook; Prof CN Johnson
Reconstructing past population dynamics to understand human and
climatic impacts in prehistory
2008 : $ 213,000
2009 : $ 213,000
2010 : $ 198,000
Primary RFCD 2707 ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Administering Organisation The University of Adelaide
Project Summary
More than 100 species have become extinct since humans first
colonised Australia, and over 1000 are considered threatened. This
research will determine the factors most strongly governing the
interaction between humans and native fauna in Australia over the
last 46 millennia. Our approach is powerful and novel because it will
effectively draw together multidisciplinary evidence on natural
resource exploitation and habitat alteration by ancient people, and
the influence of dramatic climatic shifts on the Australian biota.
Information on past biological responses to environmental change is
critical to properly contextualising the current impact, and long
term consequences of, threats such as global warming, habitat loss
and invasive species.
DP0878058 Prof MA Williams; Dr MR Talbot; Dr JC Woodward;
Prof GA Duller; Prof MG Macklin
Environmental impacts of climate change in the Nile basin over the
past 30,000 years
2008 : $ 90,000
2009 : $ 80,000
2010 : $ 80,000
Primary RFCD 2601 GEOLOGY
Administering Organisation The University of Adelaide
Project Summary
There is growing international and national concern over the possible
environmental, economic and social impacts of global and regional
climate change. This project brings together a multi disciplinary
team of internationally recognised research leaders and the
resources they command to investigate the environmental impacts of
climatic changes in the Nile basin over geologically recent times.
The outcome will be a more comprehensive understanding of how a
major river system responds to global and regional climate change,
and will provide an enhanced conceptual basis for anticipating how
drainage systems such as the Murray Darling could respond to future change.
DP0880789 Dr SH Bedford; Prof MJ Spriggs
Persistence and transformation in Ancestral Oceanic Society: the
archaeology of the first 1500 years in the Vanuatu archipelago
2008 : $ 275,356
2009 : $ 249,821
2010 : $ 273,532
2011 : $ 244,847
2012 : $ 285,189
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
QEII Dr SH Bedford
Administering Organisation The Australian National University
Project Summary
Supporting research programs with smaller Pacific Island neighbours
fosters Australia's relationship with those countries generally. The
project will contribute to regional capacity building in the areas of
archaeology, heritage studies and management. This research will
enhance understanding of the region's deep human past and the way it
articulates historically with the rest of the world. It will advance
Australia's understanding of its nearest neighbours as well as
provide those neighbours with information that goes towards
strengthening national identity. The proposed research has direct
relevance to ongoing debates within Australian and World archaeology
and related disciplines, and fosters international collaborative links.
DP0878700 Dr JA Cameron
Indian Textile Technology as archaeological evidence for population
movements in Early Southeast Asia
2008 : $ 110,000
2009 : $ 124,000
2010 : $ 120,000
2011 : $ 105,000
2012 : $ 98,643
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
ARF Dr JA Cameron
Administering Organisation The Australian National University
Project Summary This project uses archaeological textiles to
investigate population movements in the late prehistoric period
of Southeast Asia. It involves collaborative links between
researchers from the Institute of Archaeology in Vietnam, the Centre
for Southeast Asian Prehistory in Ho Chi Minh City, the Fine Arts
Department of Thailand and museums and archaeological institutions
in South India. It not only profiles Australian expertise in
Southeast Asia but facilitates high levels of communication and the
exchange of ideas.
DP0880010 Dr SM Eggins; Dr BN Opdyke; Prof J Zachos; Dr A Russell
Atmospheric CO2, global temperature, and surface ocean acidity
response to fossilcarbon burning insights from an ancient analogue
2008 : $ 90,000
2009 : $ 114,000
2010 : $ 109,000
Primary RFCD 2604 OCEANOGRAPHY
Administering Organisation The Australian National University
Project Summary
Sequestration of anthropogenic CO2 emissions by the oceans and the
impacts of resulting ocean acidification and greenhouse warming upon
marine ecosystems are vital to understanding the course of future
environmental change. This research will improve knowledge of the
biological and chemical responses in the ocean to past changes in
atmospheric CO2 levels and increased ocean acidity. This will assist
in predicting the consequences of different fossil fuel burning
scenarios for climate and marine life, especially the future
viability of organisms like corals, molluscs, and calcareous plankton
that underpin key tourism and marine production systems.
DP0878543 Dr SL O'Connor; Dr AR McWilliam
Cultural and Environmental Shifts in Late Holocene East Timor:
Evidence for Climate Change?
2008 : $ 143,000
2009 : $ 140,000
2010 : $ 97,000
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
Administering Organisation The Australian National University
Project Summary
This project will address the NRP goal of responding to climate
change and variability by advancing our knowledge and understanding
of recent climate change in our region. An investigation of climate
change, environmental impact and human adaptation in East Timor over
the last 1000 years will improve our understanding of such issues in
neighbouring tropical Australia. Our climate is already highly
variable and we can expect future climate change to have significant
influence both on Australia's environment and her communities. This
project has policy development implications and will further enhance
Australia's international reputation as a research base for
environmental studies.
DP0878735 Dr SL O'Connor; Dr SJ Fallon
Impacts of Catastrophic Marine Inundation Events (CMIEs) on the
Prehistoric Archaeological Record of the Australian Coastline
2008 : $ 130,000
2009 : $ 125,000
2010 : $ 120,000
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
Administering Organisation The Australian National University
Project Summary
This project will enhance Australia's ability to respond to future
Catastrophic Marine Inundation Events (CMIEs) from tsunamis and
cyclonic storm surges. CMIEs represent a major natural hazard
endangering Australian coastal populations and infrastructure.
Disaster risk assessments and management strategies for coastal
communities need data with time depth. This project will produce high
resolution dating and stratigraphic evidence on the effects of CMIEs
on the North West Shelf WA coastline over 100 to 1000 year timescales.
DP0878694 Dr MJ Prebble; Dr NA Porch
Using fossil insects and plants to recognise past human impacts on
Pacific island biodiversity
2008 : $ 60,751
2009 : $ 68,431
Primary RFCD 4302 ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY
Administering Organisation The Australian National University
Project Summary
This project will enhance our ability to characterise human impact on
island biodiversity. It will develop novel research methods that can
be applied in the Australian context to understand changes in
biodiversity that come with human impact. The contemporary emphasis
on biosecurity in the protection of Australia's unique environment
against human introduced exotic pests and diseases can be better
understood in the context of past introductions. Our project will
demonstrate the role Australian archaeologists and natural scientists
can play in understanding the spread of humans across the Pacific and
the environmental consequences of colonisation. It will increase
collaboration between research institutions in the Australia/Pacific region.
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