01 Customers

Carbon Aussie, carbon: our secret recipe for super strength carbon fibre

Carbon fibre is far stronger than steel and just a fraction of its weight. Together with researchers from Deakin University, we've worked out a way to reverse engineer this material of the future and cracked the secret code to make a new carbon fibre mix – the first time this has have ever been done in Australia. And as if that's not enough, our special blend is likely to be the strongest, lightest, version of carbon fibre in the world. Now we're looking at what's next for carbon fibre by controlling its molecular structure.

02 Research

Managing type 2 diabetes: how low-carb diets can help

Approximately one million Australian adults have type 2 diabetes and it is estimated over two million people are pre-diabetic and are at high risk of developing this disease. To better understand the importance of diet when managing type 2 diabetes, we undertook one of the largest and most complex diet and lifestyle intervention studies in Australia. We found that people with type 2 diabetes required 40 per cent less diabetic medication when they followed a low-carb diet. In fact it was so successful, we decided to make a recipe book out of it!

The chest of everything: how we 3D printed bone, tissue and cartilage

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but we can 3D print them (along with tissue and cartilage while we're at it). With our partner Anatomics, we've designed and manufactured a 3D printed titanium and polymer sternum all in a single prosthetic implant. The polymer, PoreStar, is an exciting new development because it replicates cartilage and soft tissue. It’s a lightweight, porous polyethylene which acts as a soft tissue component. The most impressive part is that this advanced titanium and plastic sternum has been successfully surgically implanted into a 61-year-old patient's body.

03 Discoveries

04 People

A core sample: seven women kicking scientific butt in Antarctica

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’d like you to meet some incredible women in science who are breaking the seafarer mould. They’ve just returned from Investigator’s recent 51 day Antarctic voyage, where they kicked some science butt! Although they have different backgrounds, these women came together to try to understand what Antarctica was like in the ancient past, to try to predict its future. Find out more about the voyages of modern day women in science.

JOBS

Out of this world

As an RF Technician at the Deep Space Communication Complex outside of Canberra you will support ground-based spacecraft telecommunications as part of the international NASA Deep Space Network. You will be part of the Radio Frequency/Microwave/Closed Cycle Refrigeration sub-group within the Electronics Systems team. The RF Technician provides technical support of radio frequency systems including microwave, transmitter receiver, exciter frequency and timing systems. Cool.

This one sounds a little fishy...

In Hobart as an Acoustic and Optical Research Scientist you will work with cutting edge acoustic and photographic/video technologies to contribute to sustainable fisheries and ecosystem characterisation objectives. Technologies include vessel/towed/profiling/autonomous /moored narrow and broadband acoustic and single/stereo photographic/video technologies. An expected application is the use of acoustic and optical technologies for fisheries monitoring and biomass assessment within the fishing industry as well as basin scale ecosystem characterisation.

05 Participate

Explaining carbon capture and storage with chocolate

You've probably heard a bit in the news recently about carbon capture and storage (CCS). But what exactly is CCS? How does it work? What can it achieve? How can you sound super-smart when you're with friends and the topic comes up? Never fear, we gentle science folk are here to help give you the scoop on this technical topic... using chocolate.

Quiz time: can you name these Baby Animals?

No, we're not talking about the 90s Australian pub rock band (although they were great). We're talking actual animals: iguanas, echidnas, oysters and sloths (to name a few). Can you match the baby animal to their baby names? A hint: the origin for the name for juvenile oysters is unknown but it originated in the 1660s and means "spawn of an oyster". Sounds like a tough one to crack, huh?

Watch ON accelerator: Translating wicked challenges into opportunity