11 June 2004

Postgraduate research is one of the more challenging and rewarding educational pursuits that people undertake.

The opportunity to discover more about postgraduate research choices and access advice on how to best undertake such research is the focus of Postgraduate Research Week being held at Charles Darwin University next week

Beginning Tuesday 15 June, the Week is tailored to people who are undertaking or who are about to undertake postgraduate research.

A series of short 20-minute presentations by current postgraduate research students regarding their areas of study will be a feature of the Week.

These presentations will be held on Thursday 17 June and Friday 18 June and a summary of research topics is attached.

General information presentations throughout the Week include:

• What’s available to postgraduate research students in terms of money and other resources

• Workshops to improve academic writing skills

• The secrets to a smooth examination

• How to make the most of your research training

• Advice on giving conference presentations

• The pitfalls and pleasures of being a postgraduate student from those who have been through it before

• Ethics Clearance and Indigenous ethics

A table of the Week’s events can be accessed at: http://www.cdu.edu.au/research/attachments/pgweek_2004/pgweek04_draft_140504.rtf

A map of the Casuarina Campus can be accessed at www.cdu.edu.au/campusmaps/

For further information contact Maryellen Hargreaves Research Communications Officer at Charles Darwin University on 08 8946 6407.

Provided below are summaries of postgraduate presentations to be held at Charles Darwin University’s Casuarina Campus in Building 22, Lecture Room One

THURSDAY 17 JUNE FROM 1PM

Coral bio-monitoring in Darwin Harbour
Yasmin Antwertinger
This study aims to apply bio-monitoring to two coral species in the estuaries of Darwin Harbour, The compositional variation in these two species of coral will be discussed in light of previous coral studies and their implications for the use of corals as bio-monitors.

Sources and pathways of Rum Jungle metals through the Finniss River system
Jenny Brazier
This study investigates the dispersion and fate of metals and contaminants from the Rum Jungle mine into the downstream wetlands of the Finniss River.

Using agent-based models to produce optimal strategies for reef restoration by coral transplantation: a comparison of the effects of using species with different life-history strategies.
Jai Sleeman
This study explores different scenarios of reef restoration by coral transplantation using an agent-based spatial model which is a relatively new technique in marine ecology.

‘Our Home, Our Country’ Interrelationship of indigenous archaeology and the ecology of the Reynolds River Region, NT.
Daryl Guse
The Reynolds region’s archaeology demonstrates great changes during the last 5000 years which created a ecologically rich freshwater wetland environment. This environment became, and continues to be, a fundamental part of the Aboriginal social, mythological and economic landscape.

Trees houses and Cyclones - some lessons from Cyclone Tracy
Frank v an der Sommen
Reworking data on housing damage caused by Cyclone Tracy, this study explores what role current backyard and civic landscaping practices in Darwin may have in reducing cyclone impact.

Molecular diagnosis of acaricide resistance mechanisms in scabies mites from northern Australia
Kate Mounsey
This study explores indications that scabies mites in northern Australia are becoming tolerant to the two current recommended treatments, permethrin and ivermectin, thus threatening the viability of current control programs.

Responses to V8 Supercar racing in hot conditions. Access areas.
Matt Brearley
This investigation into heat strain endured by motorsport athletes competing in hot conditions studied four V8 Supercar drivers during the 2002 and 2003 competition rounds in Darwin.

How much protein does mud crab need?
Tuan Anh-Vu
Protein is a major cost factor in formulated diets for crustaceans and this paper introduces results on optimising digestible protein requirements in mud crab, Scylla serrata.

Cross-cultural perceptions of language and literacy, work and place and their influence on the development of literacy in Kakadu National Park
Kate Boyd
This paper looks at Indigenous workplace literacy in Kakadu National Park where the public relates to Kakadu via a discourse of tourism but its sociocultural context is richer and more contradictory. This research is intended to contribute to improved literacy outcomes for Park staff.

The Life and times of the two wives of Johann Sebastian Bach
Martin Jarvis
This paper examines the social conditions of the two wives of Johann Sebastian Bach and the roles they may have played both within the family and also regarding any potential authorship of Johann Sebastian’s musical output.

Performance management and the new public management: A case study of a Northern Territory government department.
Ali Rkein
This study explores the operation of the performance management system within a Northern Territory Government Department in the ‘New Public Management’ framework. It explores the antecedents of the recent change in the performance management system and its effectiveness.

The social and cultural context of Northern Territory historiography.
Mr Alan Davis
This paper explores the process of how, through the work of local historians, the development of Northern Territory historiography has evolved into a defining social and cultural identity that is both contentious and challenging to mainstream Australian nationalist sentiment.

FRIDAY 18 JUNE FROM 10AM

Establishment of a trade corridor between NT and India
Sriram Venkatasubramanian
Bilateral trade between India and Australia was estimated at $3550M last year; Austrade says India will be one of Australia’s top 10 trading partners this year; and the World Bank predicts India to be the world’s fourth largest economy by about 2020. The main aim of this research is to help establish a viable and profitable trade corridor between NT and India.

Public Policy Development and Political Influences in Northern Territory Education Management 1978 to 2001
Scott Nathan Knight
This presentation focuses on NT Public Policy development and Education Management for the period of 1978 to 2001. It looks at how education policy was influenced politically and administratively within a context of diminishing direct ties to Commonwealth authority and the re-emergence of such authority through fiscal influencing.

Destination Development - which is the driver Infrastructure vs. Marketing - A case study.
Sharyn Innes
This study utilises ‘Destination Darwin’ as a case study in assessing the relationship between the development of tourism infrastructure and the development of specific visitor segments.

Do you know who I am? The learner’s constructions of self as capable
Karen M. Sinclair
Many current education structures and practices assume that children are naïve about themselves as learners. Children acquire experience and wisdom from birth but do not always have the opportunity to apply them at school. This study contributes to the knowledge gap in this area.

Food-related policy – local reality: Food supply in a remote Aboriginal community
Julie Brimblecombe
This study investigates the socio-cultural conditions influencing Indigenous people’s access to healthy food and the barriers identified in attaining a healthy diet. It aims to help develop nutrition education strategies based on bridging concepts between traditional and introduced food systems.

Education, Domestication, and Exile: Child removal as a feature of the ‘civilising’ project in early colonial South Australia
Anne Scrimgeour
This project focuses on the motivations regarding the first two decades of European colonisation in South Australia in relation to the establishment of schools for Aboriginal children by the government in collaboration with German Lutheran missionaries to help ‘civilise’ Aboriginal people.

Fate Of Heavy Metals From Resuspended Anoxic Marine Sediments
Phil Totterdell
A study on the fate of heavy metals from resuspended anoxic marine sediments from the site of a zinc/lead ore concentrate loadout facility in the southwest corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria to determine the resulting heavy metal concentrations in receiving waters of dredged sediment.

An abstract of each of these presentations can be sourced at: http://www.cdu.edu.au/research/attachments/pgweek_2004/abstracts_2004.doc