CRC for Plant Biosecurity - The Leaflet

That's all folks (for the CRCNPB at least)

CRICHTONA — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 23:10:02 +0000

Since this is the final leaflet to flutter from the CRCNPB twig….

… I thought that just a touch of nostalgia might be acceptable.

It was the indefatigable Angela (not pictured, above) who reminded me that before her time (when the CRCNPB was prone to melfunctions) a celebrated precursor to The Leaflet was in existence. Biosecurity Briefs modelled, provocatively, by Simon and I ran to a rather elastic timetable from 2006 to 2008.

Whilst the copy was appropriately erudite, ‘BB’ achieved lasting fame for its daring and provocative mast-head.

Biosecurity Briefs No.1

These were, of course, less sophisticated times. There was no CRCNPB ‘Font-Fuhrer’, no ‘PowerPoint Polizei’ and, definitely, no CRC censor. Indeed, Angela commented that the ‘BB’ header would never get past the censor these days. Well, we’ll see.

Here are a few nuggets of nostalgia from the archives.

October 2006 - Chairman’s musings

Being able to call in and discuss matters with the Management team is some compensation for living in Canberra! It also serves as a reminder that the Company and the Centre are getting a lot of work out of a very small team….

[Nothing changes, really].

January 2007 - Chairman’s Musings

Happy New Year to everyone. After the pre-Christmas euphoria regarding the Supplementary Bid (well done Team CRCNPB!) it was pleasant to think about non-CRC matters, just for a little while.

[That makes three lots of euphoria altogether].

April 2007 - CEO’s Selections

I attended the AICD Company Directors Course from 7-13 March. The course was five solid days with attendees from many backgrounds. Being in Canberra there was a large presence of senior government staff with Defence and Federal Police having a large presence.

[The latter improved Simon’s network no end….]

August 2008 - From Our Territory Correspondent

Enlivened, perhaps, by the balmy tropical nights, fine wines and a surfeit of barramundi the Boards’ visit to northern climes witnessed a greater than average incidence of risky, and risqué, incidents.
Never risk averse, the Business Manager (with the Chairman) travelled with Qantas and experienced not one but two instances of the famed ‘technical difficulty’. On arrival in Darwin their aircraft was deemed unfit to return south while, on the return leg, two hours was spent in contemplation at Brisbane airport awaiting the arrival of an aircraft delayed in Townsville by the lack of a replacement rubber band (or similar) at that location.

[Following a Board meeting in Darwin].

The first of ‘The Leaflet's’ flutters down - June 2008

October 2009

A Global Summit ‘Food security in a Climate of Change’ (an interesting play on words and themes) was held in London from 19-21 October. … the challenge of food security and constraints to keeping pace with demand – including dealing with biosecurity issues - was featured, for example:

“By 2050 it is estimated that we will need to grow double the amount of food to feed the world’s people, as population growth and changing food preferences increase pressures on land and water availability. This will need to be achieved against a backdrop of climate change which will exacerbate water shortages, reduce crop yields and create new pests and disease threats”.

[We were needed then, we’re needed now and we’re going to keep on being needed].

[Which Program will handle this? ‘Secure Future’ maybe?]

August 2010

[At any rate, we can send a boat to rescue the bear].

After the frenzied activity leading up to the submission of the bid to establish a Plant Biosecurity CRC, the CRCNPB premises appeared almost tranquil. This was, of course misleading. Like the swan apparently sailing peacefully along the surface of the lake, vigorous paddling continued under water.

[Perhaps we didn’t quite understand that there were sharks to contend with….]

February 2011 - IT’S ON FOR YOUNG AND OLD…

My December ‘Leaflet’ column concluded with a reference to the Billy Ocean song ‘When the going gets tough…’ The message this time is ‘Well, we have’. Got going, that is.

[No further comment required].

November 2011

Arriving at the CRCNPB office jet-lagged on Monday morning (but fortunately not the victim of the Qantas downheaval) it became immediately obvious that no sympathy for my condition would be forthcoming from Obersturmbannführer (or ‘Senior Assault Unit Leader’) Max Knobel or her aide Leutnant Anders von Crichton of the kommunizieren kommissariat (‘KK’, for short). “You vill produce ze presentation, unt today - or ve haf vays” was the gist of the message which they conveyed.

[See previous comment re simpler, less sophisticated times].

February 2012 - CARRY ON COOPERATING

[Success! But my cartoon celebrating this cataclysmic event didn’t get past the censor.… Perhaps Angela’s ‘modesty bars’ got it past this time around…]

June 2012

So now, it’s:

And, ever compliant, we do.

Until the first Leaflet of the PBCRC....

Back to The Leaflet.

Marcia Murray

CRICHTONA — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:40:13 +0000

My name is Marcia Murray and my role at CRC for National Plant Biosecurity is Management Accountant.

I am originally from Canberra, Australia.

Living in Curtin, ACT is great, as it’s nice to raise a family (6 year old triplets) with husband Daniel in a central area that has good cycling and running tracks whilst still being close to the rest of Canberra’s happenings.

My favourite or ideal holiday destination is overseas because I enjoy experiencing other cultures. In the past two years I’ve travelled to both Hawaii & Thailand & have loved planning a variety of activities on each holiday. For me, a great holiday includes lots of shopping, fine dining, sightseeing, water sport and a pool or beach to relax by at the end of the day.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, cooking, exercise and playing the piano.

My favourite movie is… I don’t really have a particular favourite. I enjoy going to the movies regularly with my husband and also with my children so enjoy most genres.

At the moment I am reading… I am not currently reading anything but do enjoy reading a good mystery.

If money was no option, I would love to take an extended holiday with my family to enjoy the sights of the world in style.

A quality I would most like to be remembered for is being a kind and helpful person.

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Happy autumn

CRICHTONA — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:10:54 +0000

‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells’. JOHN KEATS.

Pretty much the whole CRC in there, maybe rather more for HAL than for GRDC and we’re still waiting for a buzz from the bee hive, but the message is a good one. We are busily harvesting the produce from the seed that has been sown and cultivated with care over the past couple of years.

As noted in my February ‘Leaflet’ message, ‘the three Cs’ (the CEO, the Chief Operating Officer and the Chairman) have been ‘doing the rounds’ of Participants in the interest of promoting ‘buy-in’ and good communication as the start of the PBCRC draws nearer. Nick has probably had the most taxing time (no pun intended) as he has dealt with queries around, in particular, the Participants Agreement. He has now sent out the ‘final, positively the last, no further correspondence will be entered into version’. Thanks Nick.

As part of this process, we were pleased to welcome Dr Trevor Nicholls, CEO of CABI, to the Canberra office for discussion of remote diagnostics and how these will meld with CABI’s ‘Plantwise’ program in Africa and elsewhere. During his visit to Australia Dr Nicholls discussed ‘Plantwise’ and the PBCRC’s role with AusAID and The Crawford Fund.

New international linkages continue to loom large in the PBCRC agenda. In early March, Nick and I had very positive meetings with staff of the Bioprotection Research Centre (BRC) at Lincoln University, New Zealand and with Plant and Food Research (PFR), New Zealand. The BRC has excellent facilities, including its ‘Biotron’ where invasive pests and diseases can be studied in high security conditions, while PFR has more than 900 staff based at sites across New Zealand, as well as in the USA and Australia. Its mandate covers marine as well as terrestrial systems. In addition to its New Zealand presence, PFR is well connected within the global research community and is involved in a significant number of overseas partnerships, strengthened by an international business team and overseas offices.

Just prior to Easter I visited our new colleagues at the Pacific Institute for Sustainable Development in Manado, Indonesia. Like PFR, the Institute has good international linkages, already collaborating with Canadian and EU entities. As well as attracting research resources, North Sulawesi is becoming a magnet for tourists, not least eco-tourists, and is a most attractive location. It is also, in a biosecurity sense, at peculiar risk as the economy depends on maintaining a pristine aquatic environment; unique terrestrial ecosystems, and plant-based production systems – including some in, for example, the spice trade, which are almost unique.

BRC, PFR and the Pacific Institute – along with their international colleagues – will be well represented at the Science Exchange (SX) and we look forward to them making the most of the networking opportunities which will be afforded there.

On present indications the SX will be a ‘full house’, in terms of program content and accommodation. This speaks volumes for the reputation which the event has built up in recent years and for the intense interest in both the accomplishments of the CRCNPB and the establishment of the PBCRC.

No doubt gastronomic excess will also feature at the SX so, remember: ‘Life is uncertain – eat dessert first’. Anon. [Sydney Morning Herald, November 2011].

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Love is in the air at the CRCNPB

CRICHTONA — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:34:40 +0000

Is there something in the water in the CRCNPB head office?? Romance is certainly alive and kicking.

On 10 March 2012 Communications Officer Andrew Crichton married Jodi Hourigan, at Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains.

Despite torrential rain in the week leading up to the wedding, everything seemed to run very smoothly. Especially considering Cooma was flooded the week prior to the wedding and none of the guests would have made it to Thredbo!

Andrew’s wish for snow in March didn’t come to fruition though, much to Jodi’s delight! During his wedding speech, Andrew surprised Jodi with a honeymoon to the Maldives (rather than Batemans Bay as he kept threatening).

And over the Easter weekend it was Administrative Officer Bronwyn ‘Bronie’ Jones’s turn, accepting David Willard’s marriage proposal.

David took to one knee at the Cambewarra Mountain Lookout at Nowra on 7 April 2012, in what CRC staff thought was a much overdue engagement!

Bronie and David haven’t set the date for their ‘big day’ yet.

Andrew and Jodi at their wedding reception.

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Education and training update

CRICHTONA — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:16:29 +0000

In this edition I am pleased to congratulate Ms Pattaraporn Khuwuthyakorn on submission of her PhD thesis for examination. Patt completed her thesis on ‘Hyperspectral Vision Methods for Automatic Recognition of Emergency Plant Pests’ and has produced some exciting results, including a patent, so congratulations Patt! In the next two months I expect that at least another five PhD theses will be submitted, so we are certainly on track to reaching our original target of 32 PhDs.

Our students are also setting the standard when it comes to publishing their work. David Savage now has four published journal articles and several of our students have published two papers and continue to submit more. Remember that all students who publish their papers in refereed journals are eligible for a cash incentive. So far we have awarded almost $30,000 to students via this incentive.

The postgraduate curriculum is currently undergoing a review that was scheduled to be held during its third year of delivery. The purpose of the review is to examine the finer points of delivery and assessment and to look for any potential areas of improvement. The interim report from this review is expected to be delivered to the curriculum parties in May, after which we hope to re-open enrolments in the Diploma and Masters. Keep an eye on our website for further updates.

The Plant Biosecurity CRC is now calling for expressions of interest from potential PhD candidates. Candidates must have, or will obtain before the end of 2012, an Honours degree at level 2A or above. Areas of interest include but are not limited to: Biology of Emergency Plant Pests, Diagnostics, Surveillance, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Predictive Simulation Models, Remote Sensing, Risk Analysis, Social Science and Taxonomy.

Projects are available through our Australian participant universities (Charles Darwin University, La Trobe University, Murdoch University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Adelaide, University of Queensland and University of Western Australia), and at our overseas partners, Lincoln University (NZ) and Kansas State University (USA).

All of our students have at least one supervisor from a non-university research organisation and their projects may be based with that organisation or at their University (or both). Other benefits of being a student with our CRC include attendance at our annual Symposium, and an extensive professional development program, preparing you for the future. The annual stipend is $30,000, plus a generous allowance for operating, travel and professional development.

Candidates must be able to commence on or before 1 January 2013. For further information, contact the CRC Education and Training Program Leader, Dr Kirsty Bayliss (08 9360 2814).

As a reminder I also have a Facebook page and Twitter account. These are designed for the promotion of formal qualifications in biosecurity and resources for biosecurity education and awareness. You can follow us @BiosecurityEdu or ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

Kirsty Bayliss
Education and Training Program Leader

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Countdown to SX 2012

CRICHTONA — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:09:12 +0000

The final Science Exchange (SX) for the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity is just around the corner, with the main program starting on Wednesday 23 May 2012.

CRC staff members have been working frantically over the past few weeks finalising the program, accommodation and social activities, in what is going to be the largest SX to date.

The SX Program will focus on the outstanding achievements of this CRC and will also provide networking opportunities to discuss projects looking ahead to the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre.

If you have any questions in the lead up to the SX, please contact Andrew Crichton.

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Workshops to develop project ideas

CRICHTONA — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:15:59 +0000

In the lead up to the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre (PBCRC) starting on 1 July 2012, the CRC has organised a series of Program workshops, which will provide any researcher from a participant organisation the opportunity to be engaged in the development of project ideas.

Each of the PBCRC Program Leaders have outlined below what will be covered in each of the workshops. If you would like more information about the workshops, contact the CRCNPB.

Program 1: Early Warning
Program Leader: Rieks van Klinken

Program 1 is concerned with minimising the risk of serious impact to our agriculture and environment through the arrival of new plant pests and diseases. Only a subset of species has the ability to cause serious impact, so the focus will be on identifying those not yet in Australia, and determining how to best minimise the risks they pose. These risks will be from specific pests and diseases and as yet unidentified threats.

The major objectives for the program are therefore to:

Identify what pests and diseases pose the greatest threat to Australia, how and where they are likely to enter into Australia, how they are likely to spread once established, under what circumstances they will cause impact, and what that means for a biosecurity system. These risk assessments will consider the potential effects of global changes such as in trade patterns, demographics, anthropogenic climate change, agricultural practices and changing land use patterns.
Determine how resources should best be allocated to minimise the threat of new high-impact pests and diseases. This will include developing tools and techniques for evaluating different options for managing biosecurity threats, estimating what level of investments are justified for biosecurity response and from who, and determining where, when and how those investments should be directed. This will be applicable at enterprise, regional, state and national scales.

Program 1 will build on work from the CRCNPB, but will have a greater focus on delivery and adoption, a greater focus on priority research gaps identified during the CRCNPB and the CRC rebid process, and will seek to develop strong links with other programs. The science agenda will acknowledge the complexity of the biosecurity system, the inherent uncertainties and unknowables, and the low probability but high consequence risks that most biosecurity threats pose.

Research impact will be contingent on projects clearly identifying how science will make a substantive contribution to the way the risk of impact of potential new pests and diseases is reduced. To this end delivery and adoption plans will be prepared during the project development phase of each project.

Program 2: Effective Detection and Response
Program Leader: Jane Moran

The aims of this program are to develop tools for surveillance, detection, diagnosis and response. The program will deliver:

Better diagnostic tools for use in the lab and in the field.
More effective and efficient trapping tools.
Better tactical surveillance strategies, i.e. if we know what to look for, where to look and when to look (Program 1 outcomes) how do we best deploy our surveillance activities.
Cost effective eradication strategies and if possible doing this without destruction.

All projects in Program 2 are expected to cover the entire spectrum from discovery to delivery to the end user, with PhD projects integrated into larger projects within the program.

Program 3: Safe Guarding Trade
Program Leader: Shashi Sharma

The sustainability of Australian plant industries is heavily dependent on access to both international and interstate markets with agricultural plant exports alone worth more than $14b annually.

Program 3 will build on work from the CRCNPB and develop new research initiatives consistent with end-user priorities. The key objective of the Program is to develop and deliver tools, technologies and strategies to safeguard international and interstate markets for grains and horticulture industries. To meet this objective, new project proposals will be developed in the following areas:

New options for quarantine pest risk mitigation with systems approaches to pest management that will support Australian agribusiness and assist industry meet market requirements.
Implications of climate change on maintaining area freedom and areas with low pest prevalence essential for interstate and international trade.
Disinfestation technologies/treatments for grain storage pests.
Options for more effective use of phosphine fumigation through improved resistance management strategies.
Alternatives to the use of methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride.
New procedures that improve operational flexibility and, through their deployment, achieve operational efficiencies in the management of key storage pests.

This program will focus on producing outcomes that help to safeguard market access for Australia’s grain and horticulture industries, at a time when global quarantine barriers are increasing and there is greater demand from importing nations for scientific data to support market access and trade.

Program 4: Secure Future
Program Leader: Ruth Wallace

Program 4 will identify the gaps in the social sciences related to biosecurity from three perspectives:

Community
Industry
Government

We will assess the underlying social research questions that could provide stage 1 of the first PBCRC Program 4 Secure Futures research plan.

The workshop will also consider the longer term goals, what would an integrated approach to the social elements of biosecurity look like, what is key, what is unknown and how could this be investigated. This will draw together the threads from the first sessions.

Finally, the workshop will consider how the project outcomes could be applied and evaluated in biosecurity contexts.

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Science Exchange preparations in full swing

CRICHTONA — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:39:30 +0000

The CRCNPB will hold the final Science Exchange for this CRC at The Vines Resort and Country Club in the Swan Valley from 23-25 May 2012.

The Science Committee has put together a comprehensive program which will highlight the outstanding work this CRC has achieved in just seven years.

The Science Exchange provides a fantastic opportunity for the CRC Board, staff, participants,researchers and industry representatives to come together to share ideas and learn about other CRC projects, with a variety of presentations, poster sessions and social events throughout the conference.

Registrations closed on Friday 24 February 2012; however late registrations may still be possible, depending on whether we still have space available. Email the CRCNPB if you would like to attend.

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PhD Student off to Japan after winning scholarship

CRICHTONA — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:36:58 +0000

CRCNPB PhD candidate Matthew Tan has been rewarded for the research he is undertaking – to develop diagnostic tests for potential exotic nematode pests – with a scholarship from the APPS Australia-Japan Foundation.

Matthew will travel to Japan – likely to be during April – to collect samples of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, commonly known as pine wood nematode or PWN. PWN is not present in Australia and this trip will allow Matthew to learn how to collect field samples and conduct molecular identification of this biosecurity pest.

PWN is a major issue for pine trees in Japan. Matthew will be working on the project in collaboration with Dr Natsumi Kanzaki – one of the leading researchers on PWN at the Forest Pathology Laboratory, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, which is located south of Tokyo.

The PWN has a fascinating life cycle, which involves nematodes in the tree waiting for beetle larvae to hatch, then being transported to the tops of new pine trees by the beetle, which enables the nematodes to infect new trees. The nematodes multiply rapidly and infested trees can die in a matter of weeks.

Matthew believes he was awarded the scholarship as his research is critical to Australia’s biosecurity. “I guess it is because the samples I will be collecting are a real biosecurity issue,” Matthew said.

“As we know, the Australian pine plantation industry is worth about $18 billion per annum. The development of a test to identify if this emergency pest is present in Australia is needed.”

The visit to Japan will enable Matthew to develop a diagnostic test for PWN. First-hand knowledge of this pest, gained from leading researchers in Japan, will provide a new perspective and ideas that he can apply to his PhD studies. It will also establish research ties for him with leading researchers in Japan.

More information about Matthew’s PhD is available on the CRCNPB website.

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Have you found us on Twitter?

CRICHTONA — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:32:02 +0000

The CRCNPB is embracing the world of social networking, with a Twitter page joining the Facebook site.

Twitter and Facebook provide further networking opportunities – both for the CRCNPB and individuals who ‘Follow’ or ‘Like’ our pages.

The CRCNPB will use Twitter to post regular news updates and is also a fantastic way to track news from others who have an interest in plant biosecurity.

You can ‘Follow’ us at the CRCNPB Twitter page.

If you haven’t ‘Liked’ us on Facebook yet, you can do so by visiting our Facebook page and clicking on the ‘Like’ icon.

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