They come from different disciplines but share a vision to ensure La Trobe University’s stature grows on the international academic scene.
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Irene Blackberry has taken over as head of the John Richards Initiative and The Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre also has a new director, Nick Bond.
Professor Bond, previously with Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute, said there was “huge scope” to increase the centre’s profile internationally.
“We’ve got colleagues in the United States dealing with very different policy settings but similar questions about how to best manage water and deal with climate change,” he said.
Associate Professor Blackberry also aims for the John Richards Initiative’s work on rural ageing to be more widely recognised by 2021.
“At the moment, JRI is probably the only dedicated multi-disciplinary ageing research centre in a rural community,” she said.
“We’re trying to look at what are some of the effective ways that we can assess older people in the community to ensure we can delay there functional decline.”
An iPhone app to identify support, data syncrohinsation between government agencies and improving services are among Professor Blackberry’s goals for the centre.
“I lived in Melbourne for about 15 years and I came here 18 months ago,” she said.
“It really struck me – transport is one thing, access to services is another and lack of specialist care in the rural communities are major issues that needs to be dealt with.
“Australia has one of the best health systems in the world but there’s a gradient.
“If you live in Melbourne you don’t think so much about it but when you’re here you come up with ideas.”
Professor Bond has also found working in a regional community beneficial.
“We are really well placed in terms of being able to work with local government agencies and catchment management authorities,” he said.
“Being in the same town means you can both work very closely and respond to their short term needs and more easily understand problems arising.”
Professor Bond said the current algal bloom was the perfect example of opportunities for research centres and local governments to collaborate.
“There might be particular ways lake levels can be managed that provide mitigation opportunities or decisions to release water that can be held in storage prior to a bloom,” he said.
“We might be able to have things like an early warning system so people can order water for storage.
“Things like that, means potentially research can translate into quite practical policy outcomes.”