Minister for Science

Parliament House, Canberra, A.C.T. 2600. Telephone 726050

MEDIA RELEASE 11 August 1977 ^.^-J

s e e =0 .  Li — lt~J feeJU.S./AUSTRALIA RESEARCH PROJECTSThe Minister for Science, Senator Webster, today announced 17 collaborative research projects and six seminars to be conducted under the U.S./Australia Agreement for Scientific and Technical Co-operation.The research projects will involve ''"isits by three Australian scientists to the U.S. to collaborate with eminent U.S. scientists, and visits by 14 U.S. scientists to Australia to collaborate with prominent Australian scientists. ~Most of the projects will involve collaborative research for periods of up to a year, while two will continue for two years. 1 — l t t J

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Three seminars will be held in Australia and three  in the United States. Sixteen Australian scientists will  participate in the U.S. seminars under Commonwealth Government  funding.

The Minister said the Agreement, which has operated  since 1968, is designed to increase opportunities for  scientists and engineers from both countries to engage in  joint research projects of mutual interest, to exchange

scientific and technical information, to work together in  unique environments and to use special facilities.

Activities under the Agreement are co-ordinated by  the Australian Department of Science and the U.S. National  Science Foundation.

The new projects approved are:

Visits by Australian scientists to the U.S.  .

1. Dr A.M. Gill, CSIRO Division of Plant Industry,   is visiting eleven institutions in the U.S.A.  from July to September 1977 to exchange  scientific information on bushfire research  and management.

2. Professor B.H.J. McKellar, University of  Melbourne, will work with Professor M.D. Scadron  and colleagues of the University of Arizona

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during November - December 1977, on mesonic  effects in nuclei.

3. Professor S 0 Rosenblat, University of Melbourne,  will undertake collaborative  mathematical research with Professor S.H. Davis  of the John Hopkins University, Baltimore,

during October - November 1977, on bifurcation  from infinity, a theoretical project concerning  .  the problem of turbulence in fluids.

Visits by U.S. scientists to Australia

1. Professor Arthur Pry, University of Arkansas,  will work with Professor R.F.C. Brown of  Monash University for three months, beginning  in October 1977, on heavy atom isotope effect

studies of organic reaction mechanisms.

2. Dr S.M. Awramik,  University of California, Santa Barbara,  will work with Dr M.R. Walter of the Bureau of Mineral Resources during .

August - September 1977 on comparative  biogeology of the Nabberu Basin fAustralia)  and the Gunflint Iron Formation (Canada).

3. Professor S.H. Davis, Johns Hopkins University,  Baltimore,  will work with Professor S. Rosenblat  of the University of Melbourne for two years,  beginning September 1977, on bifurcation

from infinity.  Professor Rosenblat will  visit the U.S. in October - November 1977 and  Professor Davis will make a short visit to  Australia in 1978 as part of the project.

4. Dr W.P. Stoutamire, University of Akron, will  work with Mr A.S. George of the Western  Australian Department of Agriculture for four  months, beginning in September 1977, on coÂ­

evolution of orchids and wasps in Australia.

5. Professor G.W. Robinson, Texas Technical  University, will work with Drs R. Cooper and  J.M. Morris of the University of Melbourne  for two years,  beginning January 1978,  on  picosecond spectroscopy.

6. Dr W.H. Puchsman, Oberlin College, will work  with Dr C.A. Appleby of CSIRO Division of Plant  Industry for nine months, beginning September 1977,  on the function of leghemoglobin  heterogeneity in symbiotic nitrogen fixation

in legumes.

7. Associate Professor G. Shorack, University of  Washington, will work with Dr C.C. Heyde and  co-workers of the CSIRO Division of Mathematics  and Statistics, and Dr D.J. Daley and co-workers

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of the Australian National University, on problems  related to the empirical process. They will,  collaborate for eleven months,  beginning in  September 1977Â·

Professor J. Keren, Northwestern University,  will work with Professor G.I. Opat of the  University of Melbourne for twelve months,   beginning in September 1977, on bubble chamber ;   analysis of antiproton-proton interactions.

Dr T.F. O ’Malley, (unaffiliated) will work with  Dr R.W. Compston of the Australian National  University for twelve months, beginning in  October 1977, on anomalous pressure dependence  and derivation of electron-atom cross sections

from transport co-efficients.

Dr D. Welker, Pennsylvania State University,  will work with Dr K.L. Williams of the Australian  National University for twelve months,  beginning in October 1977, on mutation

frequencies in radiation sensitive haploid and  diploid strains of Dictyostelium discoidem.

Associate Professor J.T. Staley, University of  Washington, will work with Professor K.C. Marshall of the University of New South Wales  and Professor V.B.D. Skerman of the University

of Queensland for eight months, beginning in  October 1977, on biology of aquatic bacteria.

Dr D.M. Devaney,  Bernice P. Bishop Museum .

Honolulu, will work with Dr B.R. Wilson and  Mrs L.M. Marsh of the Western Australian  Museum for ten months, beginning in November . 1977, on a systematic and environmental study

of Indian Ocean ophiuroidea based on  collections from the International Indian  Ocean Expedition and Western Australia.

Associate Professor P.E. Best, University of  Connecticut, will work with Dr P. Jennings of  Murdoch University for seven months beginning  January 1978, on copper-adsorbate systems.

Professor K.J. Nygaard, University of Missouri,  will work with Professor E. Weigold of the  Flinders University of South Australia for  .twelve months,  beginning in January 1978, on

electron impact ionisation and electron drift  velocities.

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Seminars in Australia

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1. Mineral Nutrition of Legumes in Tropical and

Sub-Tropical Soils (Australian co-ordinator, Dr C.S. Andrew, CSIRO Division of Tropical  Crops and Pastures) to be held in Brisbane  from 16 to 25 January 1978.

2. Energy Storage Compression and Switching  (Australian co-ordinator, Dr E.K. Inall,  Australian National University), to be held  in Canberra from 15 to 18 November 1977.

3. Â·  Electromagnetic Exploration Methods in Deeply-Weathered Terranes (Australian co-ordinator,   Professor K. Vozoff, Macquarie University)  to be held in Sydney from lb to 17 November  1977.

Seminars in U.S.

1. Automation in' Cellular Immunology with Particular Reference to Flow Systems: Present and Future Prospects (Australian co-ordinator, Dr K.D.  Shortman, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

of Medical Research), to be held at Carmel,  California, from 25 to 27 January 1978.

2. Basic Resistance Mechanisms of Bacterial Spores  (Australian co-ordinator, Dr W.G. Murrell, CSIRO Division of Food Research), to be held  in Madison, Wisconsin, from 10 to 13 October  1977.

3 .  Evolution of Light-Trapping Systems (Australian  co-ordinators,  Professor Sir Rutherford  Robertson, Australian National University, and  Dr N.K. Boardman, Member of the Executive of

CSIRO), to be held in Honolulu, from 13 to 17  December 1977.

Further information:  Telephone: Chris Parry  Canberra 83 2431

5 August 1977

CO-OPERATION WITH N.Z. AND U.S. IN ANTARCTICA

(joint news release by the Minister for Science  and the Minister for Defence)

The Minister for Science,  Senator Webster, and the  Minister for Defence,  Mr Killen, today announced that Australia  is exploring the possibility of co-operation with New Zealand  and the United States in flying scientists and operations  personnel to the Antarctic. .

'  The Superintendent of the Antarctic Division of the N.Z. Department of Science and Industrial Research Mr R.B. Thomson  is in Australia to discuss arrangements for co-operation in air  transport, and also in science and logistics.

Mr Thomson will have talks with Senator Webster, the  Secretary of the Department of Science, Sir Hugh Ennor, the  Director of the Department's Antarctic Division, Dr Raymond Garrod,  and other officers of the Division.

Whereas New Zealand and U.S. Antarctic personnel fly  between Christchurch, N.Z., and McMurdo,  Antarctica, in Air  Force planes, the only access to Australia's Antarctic stations  is by ships specially strengthened to operate in the Antarctic

during summer.

When visiting New Zealand and U.S. Antarctic facilities  in January, Senator Webster raised the possibility of R.A.A.F.  assistance in flying personnel between Christchurch and McMurdo  in return for U.S. flights by ski-equipped aircraft between  McMurdo and the Australian station at Casey.

The Ministers said although discussions were only  exploratory at this stage, both New Zealand and U.S. operational  authorities have shown keen interest in the proposal.

It is hoped that R.A.A.F. flights between Christchurch  and McMurdo will begin in December 1978.

-There is also a possibility that the U.S. may make a  proving flight between McMurdo and Casey, a distance of over  2 000 kilometres, next summer.

The Ministers said that if the co-operative proposal  is implemented, it will permit more short-term visits to  Antarctica by Australian scientists during the summer period.

.  In addition to co-operative flights with N.Z. and the U.S.A.,  Australia is also considering eventual construction  of an airstrip in. Australian Antarctic Territory to enable large,   long-range aircraft to fly between Australia and Antarctica.

Further information: Dr Raymond Garrod Telephone: Melbourne 51 0271

Christchurch.

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