Western Sydney U in Richmond, New South Wales | College & University

Western Sydney U

Locality: Richmond, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 4570 1125

Address: Building L9, College Drive 2753 Richmond, NSW, Australia

Website: www.westernsydney.edu.au/hie

Likes: 2852

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• College & University

23.01.2022 We had a fantastic fun start to Oz Pollinator Week with pollinator experts Dr Mark Hall and Olivia Bernauer! Thanks to Kurrajong-a-Buzz and Kurrajong Public School for having us along!

23.01.2022 Cooler, greener cities are on everyones wish lists and Western Sydney University is helping to achieve that goal by stress-testing common urban tree species for the hotter decades coming our way. New research from the Which Plant Where team has revealed some interesting new methods for assessing which plants are the right ones for our warming cities. https://t.co/zzn7R9ZNE7

23.01.2022 Johanna recently secured a great job with the NSW Department of Primary Industry...

21.01.2022 A typical PhD thesis is somewhere around 100,000 words in length, and represents a journey of more than three years, countless hours of experiments and an intense period of individual writing effort. Having experienced life in Australia as part of her undergraduate study, Johanna was keen to consider PhD programs in Australian universities for her next challenge. When her supervisor Dr Jonathan Plett achieved the prestigious Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) fro...m the Australian Research Council, it opened up a PhD scholarship at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) to investigate the molecular signals that eucalypts roots produce to interact with soil microbes in Australias unique ecosystems. So it was that Johanna returned to Australia with a PhD scholarship. Australia was always on my radar and I have loved being in the countryside at the Hawkesbury campus. Its just a beautiful place to study plants! I was looking for an opportunity around plant-microbial interactions - HIE is the place for this research. And I have now submitted my thesis, and so pleased to have a job in bioinformatics and microbiology lined up at a university. Getting through the project and then the COVID-19 crisis hasnt been easy for any of us - PhDs are a real challenge. But Ive been well-supported by my supervisors, and by the collegiality of the Institute and the Universitys Graduate Research School. Programs like the Saturday Thesis Writing sessions have been lifesaving somewhere I can be part of a supportive network to do that writing work (the free food and coffee helps!). Ive had to make sure we all keep connected, keep talking to my colleagues and supervisors. You just cant do this alone even if everything goes to plan, which it rarely does. Im really honoured to have been awarded the 2019 John Cairney Award for Outstanding Student Publication and I will remember my Hawkesbury days with fond memories.

21.01.2022 A nice finding by Westerns Dr Michelle Ryan and students

21.01.2022 HIE Researchers collaborate with Prof Matthias Rillig and the B4WARMED research in the US. An interesting overview of our forest fungi drought research

21.01.2022 For the first time in some time, we are now able to offer a unique PhD Scholarship opportunity to investigate the plant and geographic factors that promote bushfires. https://bit.ly/2NHSCbW We were out there at the forefront as early as August 2019 with warnings that the season was extremely dry, with coverage across the Sydney Morning Herald and other media. Our research was based on a technique developed at Western Sydney University that uses satellite readings of fuel and ...vegetation moisture levels as a determinant of future fires. In November 2019 at the height of the fire emergency, we received an ARC Linkage grant that expands our capacity to offer research opportunities like this PhD and will help us better cope with the emerging fire crises that are already locked in. https://bit.ly/2ZoGi5A

21.01.2022 Its World Environment Day today, recognising the benefits of time in nature. Hawkesburys been the centre of research in nature, ecology and agriculture since 1891. Thats a long time, with rich heritage and worldwide recognition in natural sciences research.

21.01.2022 Wattle you be doing on this fine spring day?

21.01.2022 More interesting research from the Silicon Lab at HIE, led by Jamie Waterman, an accomplished PhD candidate.

21.01.2022 Are you interested in learning about what it means to conduct research and do a research degree? Would you like to undertake further study to transform your life? Join Western Sydney University’s Graduate Research School on September 22 for a free information webinar on the Master of Research and its pathway to research jobs (even without a PhD!) Further information and to register: https://tinyurl.com/MResResearch

20.01.2022 Congratulations to HIE researcher Dr Rachael Nolan along with her collaborators (Distinguished Professor Belinda Medlyn, Associate Professor Brendan Choat, Associate Professor Matthias Boer, Dr Anne Griebel and Dr Luke Collins) on the success of their Hermon Slade Foundation proposal "Quantifying forest mortality after unprecedented drought and bushfires in Eastern Australia".

19.01.2022 Without the normal microbiome in soils, hydroponic crops can get all sorts of upsets from pathogens that thrive in the warm and moist conditions of hydroponic crops. Assoc Prof Jeff Powell is part of a project with the Future Food Systems CRC and Costa Group to solve some of the unknowns about the tomato root microbiome and how to create strategies to use microbiomes within hydroponic systems. https://bit.ly/2Qx643M

17.01.2022 Our laws failed these endangered flying-foxes at every turn. On Saturday, Cairns council will put another nail in the coffin... https://theconversation.com/our-laws-failed-these-endangere

17.01.2022 PhD Scholarship available by Western Sydney U - Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment and Horticulture Innovation Australia National Tree Genomics Program ...Genotype Prediction Toolbox based in the Epigenetics Lab "Functional Genetics in Horticulture using Viral Induced Gene Regulation" https://bit.ly/2GXqxh8

16.01.2022 Five years ago Shiva Khanal contributed to a detailed study of Nepals forest cover, requested by the government to properly allocate financial and human resources to new local government structures that were being created around the country. This inspired Shiva to pursue his PhD at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, looking into new approaches integrating field observation, satellite data sets and statistical modeling to manage the growing challenge of rising carbon in the atmosphere. https://start.org//how-can-earth-observations-promote-pat/

16.01.2022 What are the specific production conditions that maximise key nutraceutical traits in the fruit of blueberry crops grown under cover? Increasingly, however, Australias blueberries are grown in polytunnels. While these enable improved control of fertiliser application, irrigation and environmental conditions, they have some drawbacks... https://www.futurefoodsystems.com.au/producing-more-nutrit/

15.01.2022 After 30 years in the IT sector and needing a change, Phil found the idea of microbial ecology of hydroponic systems absolutely fascinating. He's now studying his Masters with Professor Jeff Powell at HIE. "Advances in molecular technology and computational methods have vastly expanded our capability to make sense of the myriad of interactions between thousands of species that make up the microbiome," he said. https://www.futurefoodsystems.com.au/phd-phil-thomas-seeki/... Future Food Systems CRC University of New England, AU

15.01.2022 The Sydney Film Festival starts today, and up for a Documentary Award nomination is this beautiful film The Weather Diaries by Kathy Drayton. Over a period of six years, the film documents the emerging impacts of climatic changes from heat deaths to droughts to fires on young Imogen, also known as Lupa J the musician, as she grows up through high school. Partially filmed at the Hawkesbury Institute, it is well worth a look and can be streamed on-demand. The trailer is worth watching.

15.01.2022 Cooler, greener cities are on everyone’s wish lists and Western Sydney University is helping to achieve that goal by stress-testing common urban tree species for the hotter decades coming our way. New research from the Which Plant Where team has revealed some interesting new methods for assessing which plants are the right ones for our warming cities. https://t.co/zzn7R9ZNE7

14.01.2022 A great overview of the week's activities for #OzPollinatorWeek 2020 in the Hawkesbury.

13.01.2022 Were looking for a postdoc to work on koala physiological ecology and distribution modelling. Youd be working with a great team of people, on an exciting project. Interested? Please get in touch and spread the word https://tinyurl.com/HIEKoalaPostdoc

13.01.2022 Today's task for Dr Jonathan Plett and the fungal ecology team: measuring hundreds of pine (and sampling more than a few!) in a field trial run in conjunction with HIE and DPI Forestry. Such a gorgeous day!

13.01.2022 Something were very proud of at HIE!

12.01.2022 Research at HIE over four years has found that mature forests dont add extra growth even when exposed to elevated atmospheric carbon levels. This finding means that we can probably not rely on mature forests to absorb more carbon from burning fossil fuels.

12.01.2022 Fantastic hosting Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley to start a bushfire recovery program in western Sydney that works with local organisations to improve post-fire management and outcomes.

11.01.2022 This week we are celebrating Research Week, our annual showcase of the diverse and fascinating research underway across the university. If you are inspired by amazing women in science and a personal journey of resilience, we invite you to join us on Thursday for Distinguished Professor Belinda Medlyn's inspiring keynote 'The Spirit of Endurance: learning about resilience from Australian vegetation'. All welcome - no cost to attend.... https://laureateaddress.eventbrite.com.au/

11.01.2022 Well done to Jamie Waterman from the Western Sydney U - Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment whom discovered that microbes in Helicoverpa armigera oral secretions contribute to increased senescence around plant wounds https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/een.12886

09.01.2022 Congratulations on this grant funding Jaarlz Ross (MPhil).

09.01.2022 Do you keep stingless bees? Were inviting you to take part in our community survey to keep you updated on the advances being made within the Australian stingless bee industry. Our Australian stingless bee industry is growing rapidly. To understand industry growth, surveys have been conducted every ten years to determine the type and numbers of stingless bee colonies being maintained by beekeepers and hobbyists. Until 2010, we have seen a 114% increase in the number of beeke...epers since 1999. Since another decade has passed since the last survey, it is time to again check on the stingless bee industry to gain further insights. With recent events such as drought, bush fires and floods, there is a real possibility that some stingless bee colonies have been lost. Have you faced any such difficulties? Complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FHGFT8N Information: http://bit.ly/2gM358m

09.01.2022 It was great to host the Minister at the start of 2020 to find solutions for threatened species recovery.

09.01.2022 Mature native forests dont significantly increase their growth or carbon sequestration even when the air is highly enriched with carbon dioxide over the long-term. https://www.westernsydney.edu.au//dont_look_to_mature_fore

09.01.2022 Most of us have been away from our campuses for the best part of the year. As the weather warms towards summer, we're looking forward to returning to our Hawkesbury home and getting back to more normal conditions.

09.01.2022 Something we're very proud of at HIE!

08.01.2022 Its easy to look for something to blame when pandemics emerge. But Australian bats dont carry the SARS-CoV-2 virus and they need our help and care to continue their many essential functions in the environment such as pollination and seed dispersal. https://bit.ly/3c22g3q

08.01.2022 The bushfire Royal Commission started today. This compelling graphic shows how much earlier fire seasons are starting - from nearly 150 days after 30 June each year to just 50. That means the fire season for 2020 may begin in just twelve weeks from now. Graphic Bureau of Meteorology

07.01.2022 If you love environmental and agricultural sciences as much as we do, why not come and have a look at our Open Day thats on this weekend - Saturday and Sunday. https://www.westernsydney.edu.au//open-day-20/program.html

07.01.2022 Dr Jenny Shanks (pictured) now runs the bee biosecurity surveillance program at Plant Health Australia....

06.01.2022 We’re assessing how pollinators like bees, flies, and other insects can be encouraged to visit crops and forests by planting flowering plants around them.

06.01.2022 After the devastating bushfire season last summer, it was encouraging to see the rejuvenation and regrowth of the Castlereagh Nature Reserve today where I visit...ed with the Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley MP. Minister Ley visited our community to announce funding under the Bushfire Wildlife and Habitat Recovery Fund, a Western Sydney University led project supported by the Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council and other stakeholders to facilitate the recovery of bushfire impacted areas. It is so important that our natural environment is given time to regrow and become resilient in preparation for future bushfire seasons to ensure our animals and land are protected. Over the devastating fire season I saw firsthand how the bushfires impacted flora and fauna when I visited impacted communities. I look forward to seeing the further recovery of our local environment thanks to the critical work being done by organisations in our community.

06.01.2022 HIE successfully held our 3MT competition yesterday with 53 entrants! A brilliant day of fast-paced talks from our wonderful students... Congratulations to our winners: First Place: Victoria Austin - Equality for female lyrebirds - the true masters of mimicry ... Runner Up: Alejandro Rios Villamil - Diet and Ageing: Binding past, present, and future Peoples Choice: Sunayana Sajith - We bee-long together See more

06.01.2022 New research published from a global soil survey shows that rising temperatures favour pathogenic plant fungi.

05.01.2022 Just over two years ago, the University launched its National Vegetable Protected Cropping Centre at our Hawkesbury campus a world-class glasshouse facility for the education, training and research of horticultural professionals in Australia. We quickly found that our state-of-the-art glasshouse produces whopping amounts of fresh, clean and nutritious food. So Western decided that all these delicious crops would be shared with our friends at Foodbank NSW & ACT to benefit ou...r communities. Weve just reached an amazing donation milestone over 58 tonnes of the most beautiful, fresh capsicums, cucumbers and eggplants, all destined to help people in need across Greater Western Sydney. Now thats research with impact. #inittogether #unlimited

05.01.2022 We havew a new PhD scholarship on offer with the Future Food Systems CRC in Internet Of Things sensors for protected cropping applications. https://www.westernsydney.edu.au//develop_crop-based_senso

04.01.2022 Congratulations to Associate Professor Brendan Choat on his new appointment as a Research Theme Champion at Western Sydney University!

04.01.2022 We live in an often-harsh but always beautiful part of the world.

02.01.2022 New research led by scientists at Western Sydney University published in BMC Biology shows that Australian flying-foxes are always on the move among a vast network of roosts, creating key challenges for their management and conservation. https://www.westernsydney.edu.au//stori/flying_fox_flights

02.01.2022 Twelve months ago, our satellite measurements showed we were in for a tough fire season. Our research became central to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry Report using factual science that asked whether the extreme fires were due to higher than normal fuel loads, or if weather and climate factors drove the fires. The evidence shows that the fuels were so extremely dry that even rainforests burned, backed by underlying drying and warming from climate change factors.

02.01.2022 We wish you the best of luck Eric, and look forward to seeing where life takes you next.

01.01.2022 This is so good! Court and Caroline met while stydying at the Hawkesbury Institute, both completed their PhDs and now share an amazing life in the United States! Congratulations Courtney Campany and Caroline Fromont!

01.01.2022 Western has reached an amazing milestone for fresh produce grown for research and teaching in our National Vegetable Protected Cropping Centre glasshouse - 58 tonnes since early 2018! All of this goes to our friends at Foodbank NSW & ACT to help communities in need in western Sydney. With thanks to Hort Innovation for funding and support. https://bit.ly/2VwgCU7