Next Wave | Page 21

…and outcomes “Knowledge transmission is teaching, knowledge creation is research, and the two go hand in hand in a university environment.” Professor Roland De Marco Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research In its first decade USC established its reputation for excellence in teaching. The next 10 years featured a particular focus on research. Research income doubled between 2011 and 2012 to more than $7 million and last year, the University celebrated a record in Commonwealth investment in its research. Some of the groundbreaking research undertaken at USC includes the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems, which identifies potential dangers in road, rail and aviation networks, and workplaces or outdoor activities. The Centre’s head, Professor Paul Salmon, says the Centre is already known for taking innovative approaches to research. “The individual driver-focused road safety approach just isn’t working,” Professor Salmon said. “We need to understand how the road system is creating trauma, how it shapes behaviour, rather than blame drivers. We expect our research to produce a whole raft of tested modifications to the road transport system, to improve performance and safety.” Research into detection dogs (or conservation canines)—already used in innovative ways in wildlife ecology to help preserve threatened species and their habitats—is another example of finding fresh applications for established knowledge. USC’s detection dog research, a first for Australia, will build evidence on existing knowledge into using dogs for disease detection including epilepsy and cancer. Researchers at USC are heavily invested in the next generation. With more than 200 Higher Degree by Research students studying areas as diverse as the antibacterial properties of honey and rethinking standard nursing practices, innovation and creating new knowledge are fast becoming USC’s stock in trade. “If you’re teaching out of a textbook you’re teaching old material. It’s critical to have researchers generating new material and having their finger on the pulse of the latest developments in their field.” Professor Roland De Marco 21